Public Housing Commission - Removing Barriers to Housing 2023

Removing Barriers to Housing – Families often locate housing, are able to afford the monthly rental payment either through a rental voucher or their own income but are unable to afford the security deposit and first month’s rent, which can often total $2,000. If a family has a voucher and cannot fund these move in costs, they will likely lose their housing assistance voucher. Likewise, the family may have past utility bills that prevent them from putting utilities in their name. Funding would be flexible in order to meet the needs of the household and their specific barriers. Providing such funding for families ensures that the housing opportunity they have secured is not lost.

Removing Barriers to Housing – Families often locate housing, are able to afford the monthly rental payment either through a rental voucher or their own income but are unable to afford the security deposit and first month’s rent, which can often total $2,000. If a family has a voucher and cannot fund these move in costs, they will likely lose their housing assistance voucher. Likewise, the family may have past utility bills that prevent them from putting utilities in their name. Funding would be flexible in order to meet the needs of the household and their specific barriers. Providing such funding for families ensures that the housing opportunity they have secured is not lost.

This funding is made available through the original Housing millage ballot proposal that was passed by the electorate in 2015.

10% of the award can be used for administrative costs.

The GOAL and OUTCOME of these projects is to stabilize households who have children in school and are experiencing homelessness, in the spirit of the 2015 Millage.

Kalamazoo County Public Housing Commission (Commission) Local Housing Assistance Fund (LHAF) Millage Program Purpose: The LHAF Millage Program is a Kalamazoo County program funded through a millage approved by voters in November 2015. The goal is to increase housing stability among homeless families with school-aged children in Kalamazoo County by providing temporary housing assistance and support services. The LHAF Millage Program’s goal is to assist an estimated 100 families per year meeting the following participant criteria for each year of the six year millage. Participant Selection Criteria I. Participant Requirements a. Families with at least one child enrolled in grades K - 12 b. Families who are homeless, defined as: i. Living in a shelter ii. Living in a motel iii. Other living arrangements that are not suitable for human habitation (i.e., vehicle, outdoors) iv. Living in an unsafe or unsuitable shared housing arrangement c. A Kalamazoo County school is defined as i. a public school, ii. a charter school, or iii. a private school that serves a Kalamazoo County resident with at least a portion of the district located within Kalamazoo County. d. The family’s last known permanent, residential address while being enrolled in school must be located in Kalamazoo County e. Income requirements i. Household income must be at or below 60% of the Kalamazoo-Portage MSA Area Median Income (AMI) ii. Current household income and income history will be evaluated in order to determine if a family will have the capacity, within the time-limited subsidy period, to immediately pay a portion of the rent and utilities, and, pay the full rent and utilities at the expiration of the program subsidy. 1. Households will contribute at least 30% of their income towards rent and utilities 2. Households may contribute up to 50% of their income towards rent and utilities in certain circumstances as determined by the Contracted Service Provider through the Family Success Plan (FSP) planning process II. Participant Prioritization a. All participants will be assessed using the VI-SPDAT (Vulnerability Index – Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool) to determine level of acuity III. Participant Approval and Denial – Participants who are approved for the LHAF Millage Program will receive an approval letter that specifies necessary next steps, documentation requirements and a timeframe within which items/activities are due. If timeframes are not met, the application will be denied. Participants who do not meet program requirements as specified in this Participant Selection Criterial will also have their application denied. IV. Nondiscrimination – LHAF Millage Program participants will be selected without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, age, height, weight, marital status, political affiliations, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

Quarterly Reporting is required.