Owner Update “Question of The Month”

Q: How does the Shelter + Care (S+C) program work?

A. Shelter + Care looks much like the regular Voucher program. An applicant is issued a Voucher by TMHA, and then searches for housing from an owner in the community. The unit must pass the HQS inspection. A HAP Contract is executed. TMHA pays the owner subsidy on the unit; the tenant pays his portion of rent based on his income.

The differences come in who is eligible for the funding. Funding is targeted to low-income, disabled, homeless persons. As an example, it could be someone who has a long history of disabling chronic mental illness that has resulted in that person being unable to manage his own life. Perhaps the person did a poor job of managing finances, did not pay rent, and got evicted. Perhaps this person also has issues with alcoholism. The net result is he finds himself a resident of our local homeless shelter and without stable housing. Research has shown that some of our veterans fall into these circumstances.

Under S+C, this person is verified as being disabled, and because he is residing in the homeless shelter, he is verified as being homeless. With the S+C funds, TMHA can immediately issue this person a S+C Voucher for housing – no waiting list involved. The person then looks for housing just as a regular voucher holder would.

A significant difference is that the person must connect with a “Care” agency like Community Mental HealthCare for help with the life issues that led to his homelessness. In the example, the person would probably get counseling, alcohol rehabilitation, budgeting training, and perhaps a payee who will make sure the bills get paid. Meanwhile, the person has stable housing as a base to make other life improvements. The S+C funding can be used for a participant for up to 2 years. After that time, the person could continue to get housing help under TMHA’s regular Voucher program.

A key component to the S+C program is landlords to provide the housing. HUD allows S+C funds to be used for some extras not offered on the regular Voucher program. S+C funds can pay for a Security Deposit up to one month’s rent. At move out, funds can also be used to pay up to one month’s rent for damages the tenant may have caused to the property (beyond normal wear and tear).

S+C can serve individuals or families where the head of household is disabled. One- or two-bedroom units can be subsidized. If you are a landlord who is interested in participating in the program, please contact Claudia Duerr or Marty Chumney at TMHA, and express your interest. They will answer any questions you may have.




THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE

Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become.

Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.

Don't take the casual approach to life. Casualness leads to casualties.

Success is the study of the obvious. Everyone should take Obvious I and Obvious II in school.

It's too bad failures don't give seminars. Wouldn't that be valuable? If you meet a guy who has messed up his life for forty years, you've just got to say, "John, if I bring my journal and promise to take good notes, would you spend a day with me?"

Success is not so much what we have as it is what we are.

Success is 20% skills and 80% strategy. You might know how to read, but more importantly, what's your plan to read?

Average people look for ways of getting away with it; successful people look for ways of getting on with it.

By Jim Rohn

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