Massachusetts Alliance for Supportive Housing (MASH) Funding Will Help Create More Than 360 Units of Housing for Adults Experiencing Homelessness Across Massachusetts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOSTON, Mass. – Today, the Massachusetts Alliance for Supportive Housing (MASH) announced nearly $15 million in funding for the expansion of permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing
homelessness across Massachusetts. The MASH Development and Capacity Building Grant Funds (“MASH
Grant Funds”) will be awarded to 18 organizations – 10 will receive a combined total of $11.75 million for
Development projects, while eight will receive a combined total of $1.2 million for Capacity Building
projects. Additionally, MASH will invest in technical assistance activities, such as statewide and
individualized training and support for the development and implementation of permanent supportive
housing. MASH is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA), United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (UWMB), and Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).

With homeless shelters reporting significant overcrowding and tent encampments on the rise across
Massachusetts, the Commonwealth needs innovative and streamlined options to create housing that offers supportive services. In 2021, the MASH Grant Funds were allocated by the Massachusetts State Legislature as part of a $150 million reserve to support the production of permanent supportive housing (PSH). The funds were designated to address the needs of unaccompanied adults experiencing homelessness who live in underserved areas and that demonstrate high rates of racial inequities in homelessness, tent encampments, and/or shelter occupancy, and that may have been considered COVID-19 hot spots. PSH is an evidence-based approach that combines permanent housing with wraparound services for people with complex, disabling medical conditions who have experienced homelessness.

“The MASH Grant Funds address a critical need in the Commonwealth by providing 362 units of permanent supportive housing for our most vulnerable neighbors, streamlining the funding process, and attracting new PSH partners all across the state. As a result, people who have faced homelessness for many years will finally have a place to call home,” said Joyce Tavon, Director of MASH and Senior Director of Policy & Programs at the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance.

"With a laser focus on deploying resources effectively, we can ensure homelessness is a rare, brief and onetime occurrence for individuals and families faced with housing instability," said Bob Giannino, President and CEO at United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. "This partnership shows how by bringing together government resources and nonprofit organizations, we can collectively ensure everyone has a safe and stable place to live.”

“CSH congratulates each MASH Grant Funds recipient. These organizations demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to helping people facing complex barriers to housing achieve their highest quality of life. We are proud to be part of MASH and applaud the Massachusetts State Legislature for investing in proven solutions that can help ensure all people in the Commonwealth have opportunities to thrive,” said Deborah De Santis, President and CEO at CSH.

The recipients of the MASH Grant Funds for Development and/or Capacity Building include:
• Attleboro/South Shore – NeighborWorks® Housing Solutions
• Boston area – Commonwealth Land Trust and St. Francis House
• Fall River – Together We Stand Corporation
• Gloucester – Action Inc.
• Lowell – Community Teamwork, Inc.
• Malden – Metro North Housing Corporation
• North Adams – Louison House
• Northampton – Independent Housing Solutions, Inc.
• Pittsfield – Berkshire Housing Development Corporation
• Springfield – Justice 4 Housing and Renaissance Development
• Worcester – Worcester Community Housing Resources

For detailed information about the MASH Grant Funds projects, please visit www.mhsa.net/MASH.

About MASH
The Massachusetts Alliance for Supportive Housing (MASH) is dedicated to developing and expanding low threshold permanent supportive housing (PSH) as a solution to homelessness in the Commonwealth. MASH is a collaboration of the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA), United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (UWMB), and Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).

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For more information, contact:
Sandi Goldfarb, Rasky Partners
Sgoldfarb@rasky.com 

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CSH Joins CT homeless providers to call for allocation of ARPA funds to fight homelessness

CSH joined the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH) and Reaching Home at the Connecticut state capitol on Tuesday to demand that policy makers do not leave homelessness out of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) negotiations.

Providers and advocates highlighted that while the State of Connecticut is slated to receive more than $2B in ARPA funding, neither Governor Ned Lamont, nor leaders of the legislature's Appropriations Committee, has included resources for homelessness in their allocation plans. Advocates warn that if homelessness is left out of the ARPA negotiations, homelessness in communities across the state will drastically increase.

"As a leader in this country on the difficult issues of solving homelessness and eradicating racial inequities, the state of Connecticut is uniquely positioned to keep making strides in our goal to ensure that every member of our collective communities has housing stability." said Sonya Jelks, Connectictut Director at the Corporation for Supportive Housing. "The American Rescue Plan offers us an opportunity to continue to have progress in Connecticut and to invest in solutions and programs that help to keep many of our Connecticut residents off the street and safely housed. The governor and legislative budgets must reflect the needs of the community and housing stability is one of the most vital needs for all in Connecticut."

Read the full statement, here.

Attention CT: The Homeless Prevention and Response Fund (HPRF) Program Now Accepting Applications!

Application Deadline: Rolling applications accepted.

CSH is issuing this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) directed to owners and developers of supportive or affordable housing rental developments who have been awarded funding during a competitive funding round from the Connecticut Department of Housing (“DOH”) or the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (“CHFA”) and are seeking funding for capitalized operating reserves from DOH for supportive housing.  

CSH and DOH are committed to expanding supportive housing opportunities for Connecticut residents, combining safe, decent and affordable housing with the appropriate support services. Supportive housing is an evidence-based, cost-effective intervention that enables vulnerable populations to lead stable, productive lives within the community. 

Under this program, the owner agrees to restrict the occupancy of a designated number of residential units for at least ten (10) years to eligible households identified by DOH (or its contractor) and the local Coordinated Access Network (CAN). The HPRF program is subject to the provisions of CGS § 8-37mm. 

The Application Review Team will evaluate all proposals and notify applicants of the status of their application within 30 days. The application must be completed in its entirety. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Submission: Submit an electronic copy of the application and the attachments in PDF form to CSH by email to CTinfo@csh.org.

Questions:  If you have questions about the application, please contact the CSH CT team.

Answers to questions will be updated bi-weekly when available and will be found by clicking here.

Request for Proposals: Homeless Prevention and Response Fund

Applications Accepted on Rolling Basis Beginning as of February 19, 2021

This Request for Proposals (“RFP”) is directed to owners and developers of supportive or affordable housing rental developments who have been awarded funding during a competitive funding round from the Connecticut Department of Housing (“DOH”) or the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (“CHFA”) and are seeking funding for capitalized operating reserves from DOH for supportive housing.

A. Goal of this RFP:

DOH is committed to expanding supportive housing opportunities for its residents, combining safe, decent and affordable housing with the appropriate support services. Supportive housing is an evidence-based, cost-effective intervention that enables vulnerable populations to lead stable, productive lives within the community.

The Homeless Prevention and Response Fund (HPRF) program was created to provide financial assistance in the form of a capitalized operating reserve account to owners of multi-family housing properties for operational uses of such properties in exchange for such owners’ agreement to incorporate supportive housing units into the project.

Under this program, the owner agrees to restrict the occupancy of a designated number of residential units for at least ten (10) years to eligible households identified by DOH (or its contractor) and the local Coordinated Access Network (CAN). The CAN is the collective of service providers working together to streamline and standardize the process for individuals and families to access assistance to help communities rapidly end homelessness by connecting such individuals and families with appropriate housing and resources as quickly as possible. The HPRF program is subject to the provisions of CGS § 8-37mm.

B. Funding:

Approximately $5 million in capitalized operating reserve funding is anticipated to be made available by DOH pursuant to this RFP.  DOH funds will be provided in the form of grants based on project need and DOH’s underwriting. 

Applicants may request an operating subsidy to compensate for the difference between the cost of operating the HPRF program units in the project and the foreseeable rent revenue for such units to households with an income not to exceed 30% AMI.  It is anticipated that some households will enter their tenancy with no income so project budgets need to take this into account.

Previous HPRF awards have been between $480,000 and $1 million or approximately $10K/per unit/year for 10 years.

Operating expenses include costs associated with the operation of supportive housing. These costs include, but are not limited to, utilities, maintenance, security, property management, real estate taxes and insurance, accounting, and office expenses. Costs associated with resident service coordinators and front desk coverage are allowable.

Operating subsidy requests may not exceed the cost of operation of the project less the projected rent revenue.

The HPRF subsidy is for 10 years, although, the affordability restrictions on the project may be longer depending on the sources of capital funding.  If other affordability restrictions apply, the project must comply with those requirements after the 10-year HPRF subsidy concludes. 

The project owner will be required to enter into a Funding Agreement (FA) with DOH and its designee, Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).  The FA will include, but is not limited to, the funding terms, funding uses, reporting requirements, and disbursement schedule.

C. Supportive Housing:

Supportive housing combines decent, safe and affordable housing with individualized support services.  All tenants of this housing must have access to flexible, individualized services for as long as they are needed in order to achieve and retain permanent housing, increase their life skills and income, and achieve greater self-determination.  The following are standards for permanent supportive housing:

  • Tenants have individual apartment units;
  • Tenants hold leases;
  • The length of stay is not limited and is determined by the individual or family tenant as long as the tenant is in lease compliance;
  • The tenant’s use of services or programs is not a condition of tenancy;
  • The tenant has access to a flexible array of comprehensive services, which may include medical and wellness, mental health, substance abuse management and recovery, vocational and employment, money management, coordinated support (case management), life skills, household establishment and tenant advocacy;
  • There is a working partnership that includes ongoing communication between the supportive services provider, property owner, and property management entity; and
  • Projects should include both individuals and families with special needs and individuals and families without such needs.

Under HPRF, services offered to tenants must be provided by a Department of Mental Health and Addiction Service’s (DMHAS) Qualified Service Provider.  A Qualified Service Provider has the meaning set forth in the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority’s (“CHFA”) Supportive Housing Guidelines: https://www.chfa.org/assets/1/6/2019_-_Supportive_Housing_Guideline.pdf?8738.  Non DMHAS Qualified Services Providers may be allowed at the discretion of DOH.

D. Eligible Applicants:

Applicants eligible for consideration under this RFP include any entity that has received a funding commitment from DOH under its Affordable Housing Program, Connecticut General Statutes (“CGS”) § 8-37pp or CHFA under its Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) or Housing Tax Credit Contribution (HTCC) Program. 

E. Eligible Populations/Program Referral:

  • Eligible Tenants
    • Income Limits: Supportive housing units will be restricted to households earning no more than 30% AMI.  The HPRF subsidy will be used to make units affordable to households earning no more than 30% AMI. 
    • Eligibility: Individuals or households experiencing homelessness and referred by the regional Coordinated Access Network (CAN) based on the CAN’s matching process through the common assessment tool and input from CAN providers.
  • Referral Coordination: Tenancy applications must only be accepted through the Coordinated Access Network (“CAN”) referral process for units receiving HPRF funding.  Those deemed appropriate for this type of housing intervention, primarily the most vulnerable, will be referred based on the CAN’s matching process through the common assessment tool and input from CAN providers.

F. Eligible Projects and Units:

  • Project and Unit Restrictions
    • Projects eligible for HPRF must include at least three (3) supportive housing units.  For projects with a total unit count between three (3) and twelve (12) units, applicants may propose restricting up to twelve (12) units of supportive housing.  For projects with a total unit count between thirteen (13) and nineteen (19) units, applicants must propose restricting between three (3) and eight (8) units for supportive housing.  For projects with a total unit count greater than twenty (20) units, applicants must propose restricting no more than 25% of the units.
    • Units will be restricted to households earning no more than 30% AMI. The HPRF subsidy may be used to make units affordable to households at or below 30% AMI.
Total UnitsSupportive Units
3-12Between 3-12 units
13-19Between 3-8 units
20+No more than 25% of the total units
  • Unit Types: Efficiency, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units will be eligible for funding.  Units identified as supportive housing must be dispersed throughout the project and not concentrated in one area of the development.

G. Monitoring:

All projects will be required to participate in monitoring throughout the term of the funding implemented by DOH or their designee.  The monitoring will include confirmation that appropriate support services are available to all tenants, compliance with the Funding Agreement (FA), and tenant income verification.

H. Application Submission Requirements:

  • The DOH application review will include a thorough analysis to determine the minimum amount of state subsidy needed. The DOH application review will include an analysis of the Project’s Consolidated Application (“ConApp”) submission including all attachments, that allowed eligibility for the HPRF program.
  • All Applicants are required to complete the Homeless Prevention Response Fund’s Application for Funding found in the HPRF 2021 Application.
  • Applicants must enter into a written Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with a DMHAS Qualified Service Provider, which clearly delineates the respective roles and responsibilities of each party with regard to the proposed Project, and submit it with their application.  If the Applicant is a Qualified Service Provider and will be providing services to tenants themselves a detailed description and policies outlining the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the services provided is required.
  • Any project funded through this RFP must enter client level data for this program into the Homeless Management Information System (“HMIS”) or a comparable database approved by DOH.  If the applicant does not have access to HMIS or comparable database, this will be the responsibility of the service provider and must be stipulated in the MOU.  
  • Projects must be cost effective, including costs of construction, operations, and supportive services with such costs not deviating substantially from the norm in that locale for the type of structure or kind of activity.
  • Projects/programs must adhere to a Housing First approach. As defined by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, “Housing First is a proven approach in which people experiencing homelessness are provided with permanent housing directly and with few to no treatment preconditions, behavioral contingencies, or barriers.”

I. Application Submission Schedule and Process:

Applications for funding under this RFP will be accepted by CSH beginning February 19, 2021, and continuing on a rolling basis until all funds are committed. Application materials and questions should be submitted to the CSH Connecticut team at CTinfo@csh.org. Questions received by CSH, if material to this RFP, and CSH’s answers there to will be periodically posted on the CSH’s website under “Funding Opportunities.”

J. Selection Criteria: Applications will be reviewed on a first come first serve basis based on the criteria outlined below:

  • Completeness of application, compliance with requirements, and reasonableness of budget.
  • Readiness to proceed.  
  • Quality of the Program Plan.
  • Capacity and previous performance with state funding.
  • Additional considerations will include, but may not be limited to, an equitable distribution of geographic funding provided under the RFP and the need for the program in the targeted geographic area.

Special Projects Consultant for Health and Housing Initiative - New England

CSH is seeking a consultant to the New England Team to project manage new initiatives focusing on health and supportive housing for frequent utilizers of systems in need of housing. The consultant will manage overall project flow and implementation to ensure funders’ deliverables are met in a timely manner, through weekly meeting facilitation with key partners, including hospitals and housing providers, as well as stakeholder meetings. The project will culminate with the drafting of a statewide roadmap that reframes the narrative around housing and services and lays the foundation to scale housing and services for all vulnerable populations across Connecticut.

Planned activities:

  • Develop buy-in for a framework and vision among state leadership at the executive and agency level (Approximately 5 hours weekly)
  • Engage state and local agencies and non-traditional partners in understanding the scope and need for supportive housing across the state (Approximately 5 hours weekly)
  • Participate in weekly (or as needed) internal calls and facilitate appropriate follow-up (Approximately 1.5 hours weekly)
  • Attend up to 2 Stakeholder meetings and participate in planning and meeting follow-up discussion (Approximately 5 hours)
  • Assist with the drafting of a statewide roadmap that reframes the narrative around housing and services and lays the foundation to scale housing and services for all vulnerable populations (Approximately 5 hours weekly)

Expected Outcomes, Milestones, and Deliverables:

  • Development of a multi-year plan to expand and align supportive housing across mainstream and non-traditional mainstream systems.
  • Weekly status reports on progress towards deliverables: Must be provided at the time of weekly check-in calls until the conclusion of the project; may be delivered orally or in writing as requested by the Director.
  • Develop with key partner the agendas and meeting materials for stakeholder meetings.
  • Final report and roadmap including recommendations for new partnerships, opportunities for resource alignment and collaborations and system change and policy recommendations to increase access and scale supportive housing for vulnerable populations in Connecticut.

Funding Available:
Proposal not to exceed $25,000. Final contract is dependent upon funding availability.

Project Timeline:

All deliverable must be completed no later than June 30, 2019.

Application Process and Vendor Requirements:

  • To apply for this opportunity email Christi Staples: Christi.staples@csh.org on or before April 25, 2019.
  • Applications received before the deadline will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
  • Demonstrated successful performance of substantially similar relevant work;
  • Experience and expertise in the field of supportive housing, homeless and health systems;
  • Years of relevant experience within organizations with similar missions; and
  • Rate reasonableness and overall cost of service.

Please note that CSH requires subcontractors, including individuals and sole proprietors, to carry workers’ compensation insurance while performing work under a CSH subcontract. CSH subcontractors cannot have existing, pending or expired debarments that preclude them from doing business with the United States government and cannot have convictions for, nor have any pending indictments for, fraud or a criminal offense in connection with a public contract or subcontract.

Health Talk: Examples of Medicaid funding services to sustain and expand supportive housing capacity

Let’s remind our readers again, that the CSH analysis regarding supportive housing indicates that we need 1.2 million units of supportive housing to meet the need of vulnerable Americans.  While a pipeline of tax credits and other financing mechanisms exist for affordable housing development, the road to funding the supportive services component of supportive housing is not as clear.

CSH has developed a summary of state strategies we believe can lead to sustainable pipelines of services funding for many communities.  These strategies illuminate how states are using Medicaid financing mechanisms to expand supportive housing capacity, sustain programs with more long-term sources of service funding and better serve supportive housing tenants who have changing service needs over time.  All are esteemed goals.  As health care and particularly Medicaid is different from state to state, some of these strategies might apply, others might not.

CSH has developed the following summary highlighting state strategies we believe can lead to sustainable pipelines of services funding for many communities.  These strategies illuminate how states are using Medicaid financing mechanisms to expand supportive housing capacity, sustain programs with more long-term sources of service funding and better serve supportive housing tenants who have changing service needs over time.  All are esteemed goals.  As health care and particularly Medicaid is different from state to state, some of these strategies might apply, others might not.

In this blog post, we will highlight the Community Support Program for people Experiencing Chronic Homelessness or CSPECH program.  Massachusetts  has used CSPECH services to increase their supply of supportive housing and work towards ending chronic homelessness for their state. Massachusetts began using Medicaid resources to fund services in supportive housing in 2006, in a partnership between the state’s Medicaid Plan, the statewide Behavioral Health Managed Care Organization and the Massachusetts  Housing and Shelter Alliance or MHSA.  MHSA used a number of strategies that CSH recommends as supportive housing advocates use as they engage their state Medicaid plans.

Those strategies include:

  1. Make the Business Case.
    Now more than ever, state Medicaid departments are looking for ways to save money. A solid business case analysis can win over skeptics such as key legislators and state Budget Offices.

 

  1. Align your ‘ask’ with your state’s priorities.
    Massachusetts had made addressing the homelessness crisis a state priority, so the requests and their priorities aligned. What are your state’s priorities?  Addressing Chronic Homelessness? Downsizing state institutions? Criminal Justice Reform with a focus on Re-Entry? Supportive housing is a solution to all these challenges.

 

  1. Join key stakeholder groups for your state’s Medicaid plan.
    Did you know that federal Medicaid law requires a public stakeholder committee that supportive housing providers should be represented on? There are often a variety of subcommittees as well that while time-consuming will often expand your network to key advocates and stakeholders in your state.

 

  1. Propose a pilot program that is set up to succeed.
    Your goals in the pilot are not only to serve your new tenants but to document success. Success is defined in housing stability but also proving decreased health care costs and positive health outcomes. The evaluation component of your pilot will be as key as your services. Targeting your supportive housing to those with the most challenging health care needs will set you up to succeed and to document health savings.  Consider partnering with local universities or other research experts to execute your evaluation and use the data to recommend expansion in the coming years.

 

Massachusetts's plan was executed using their state’s 1115 Medicaid Research and Demonstration waiver and fit well with the priorities of their state and their Health Care Delivery System.  In the coming, weeks we will highlight other state’s efforts that matched with their state priorities and Health Care Delivery Systems.

Please see the short brief and infographic on the MHSA for more details.  If you have any questions, on this project, please contact Marcella Maguire, CSH Director of Health Systems Integration at Marcella.Maguire@csh.org  or Joe Finn, MHSA’s Executive Director at JFinn@mhsa.net.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Larry Oaks: New Eastern Region Managing Director

CSH President and CEO Deborah De Santis has announced the promotion of Larry Oaks, who served the past two years as CSH director in New England, to the position of Eastern Region Managing Director.

“Larry’s enthusiasm for supportive housing is infectious and he has infused a high degree of confidence among policymakers, leaders and providers in New England,” said De Santis. “I am confident he will carry his successes into the rest of the Eastern Region.”

Larry is a community development professional with over 20 years of experience in the areas of affordable housing finance and supportive housing development and operations.

As director in CSH’s New England program, he oversaw lending, training, technical assistance and systems change work throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island,  Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Prior to joining CSH, Larry was Vice President for Housing at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in New York. Before LISC, he served as Sr. Project Manager with the Boston-based, for-profit affordable housing developer Peabody Properties. At Peabody, he spearheaded a successful development effort that led to the creation of five new supportive housing developments for individuals and families in Massachusetts and New Jersey.

During the first twelve years of his career, Larry held a series of leadership positions at Housing & Services, Inc., a non-profit developer of supportive housing in New York City. From 2004 to 2008, he served as the organization’s Executive Director.

Larry studied public administration at the Harriman School of Management and Policy at Stony Brook University, and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the State University of New York College at Oneonta.

The Boston Foundation Releases Report on Homelessness

The report was prepared by Westat with data from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community DevelopmentHomelessness Report 2017 cover

The Boston Foundation, in partnership with the independent research firm Westat and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), has released a report analyzing nine years of data on homelessness assistance in Massachusetts. The research, which was shared at a forum last week attended by CSH staff, sheds light on the number of families who need Emergency Assistance—in the form of direct shelter or programs that help them remain housed outside of the shelter system.
Access the full report by clicking here.

A Roadmap to End Homelessness in Vermont

"Is it actually possible to end homelessness in Vermont? A new report prepared for the legislature looks at whether the state is on the right track in tackling the problem, and maps out what it would take to make homelessness a thing of the past." Vermont Public Radio and NPR looked at the report's conclusions, the progress that's been made, and what's still to be done.

Listen to the interview with Larry Oaks, who led the team from CSH that prepared the report, and Vermont Secretary of Human Services Al Gobeille. Click here for access to the full recording. And click here to read more about how Vermont Governor Phil Scott is now leveraging the CSH recommendations to create affordable housing in his state.

Download the full report, Vermont Roadmap to End Homelessness.

New Hampshire’s Frequent Service Utilizers Issue Brief

NHIn 2016, communities in New Hampshire saw an increase in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness with significant health issues that often require a higher level of care. Advocates quickly realized that the current systems lacked the appropriate housing and services capacities to meet the growing needs. These gaps resulted in prolonged suffering for individuals faced with housing instability and chronic health conditions, and in significant financial costs for communities in the state.

Recognizing the problems required identification and a  policy strategy based on collaboration and cooperation, advocates joined together and created a report on high-utilizer case studies and possible solutions, including supportive housing.

The Frequent Service Utilizers Issue Brief illustrates the complexities in serving high-need populations, the financial implications of inadequate care, and highlights successful solutions seen across the country such as supportive housing.

Information and case studies were compiled by New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness, Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, Families in Transition, and New Horizons for New Hampshire.

Read more about the case studies and findings by accessing the Frequent Service Utilizers Issue Brief.

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