Harris County Community Services Harris County Community Services DepartmentDepartment

PY 2013Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) and

Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG)

Subrecipient Orientation

February 20, 2013

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Manager Esmeralda Gonzalez x2106

Senior Project Monitor Natalie Garcia x2065

Project Monitors Demetra Davis x2142

Debbie Hayes x2217

Michelle Leija x2202

Ron Smith x2128

Rent Specialist Martha Stafford x2213

Project Assistant Shalla Bass x2127

Public Services, Public Services, Grants Management StaffGrants Management Staff

713-578-2000713-578-2000

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CONTENTS OF FOLDERCONTENTS OF FOLDERWelcome letterSubrecipient Orientation

AcknowledgmentCopy of presentationCD containing:

• Programmatic reporting templates and guidance material

• Financial reporting templates and guidance material

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New this Program YearNew this Program YearSubrecipients must maintain

source documentation to evidence household income as well as eligibility under the “Presumed Benefit” categories in accordance with 24 CFR 570.506 (b)(1)(3)(i).

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CDBG OverviewCDBG Overview

National Objective

Benefit Low/Moderate Income Persons

Eligible Public Service ActivitiesProvision of public services including but not

limited to general welfare services such as the provision of food and clothing, health services, educational services, youth enrichment and juvenile delinquency prevention programs and employment and job development services.

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To broaden existing emergency shelter and homelessness prevention activities.

Emphasize Rapid Re-housing. Help people quickly regain stability in permanent

housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness.

Support more coordinated and effective data collection, performance measurement, and program evaluation.

ESG OverviewESG Overview

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PRESUMED BENEFITPRESUMED BENEFIT

Activities that exclusively serve a group of persons in any one of the following categories are presumed to benefit persons, 51% of whom are low and moderate income:

abused children battered spouses

elderly persons severely disabled adults

homeless persons illiterate adultspersons living with AIDS migrant

farm workers

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Homeless definition has 4 Categories: 1) Literally homeless individuals/families

2) Individuals/families who will imminently (within 14 days) lose their primary nighttime residence with no subsequent residence, resources or support networks

3) Unaccompanied youth or families with children/youth who meet the homeless definition under another federal statute and 3 additional criteria

4) Individuals/families fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence with no subsequent residence, resources or support networks.

Homeless DefinitionHomeless Definition

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A homeless person is: an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate

nighttime residence, meaning:

• Living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including hotels/motels paid by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals, congregate shelters, and transitional housing); or

• Living in a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground; or

• Exiting an institution (e.g., jail, hospital) where he or she resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.

Homeless Category 1Homeless Category 1

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Homelessness documentation for individuals/families sleeping in a place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation or living in a shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements:

◦ a written referral by another housing or service provider, or

◦ a written observation by an outreach worker of the conditions where the individual or family was living, or

◦ a certification by the individual or head of household seeking assistance.

Homelessness documentation for individuals/families exiting an institution (e.g., jail, hospital):

◦ one of the three documentation listed above, AND

◦ discharge paperwork or a written or oral referral from a social worker, case manager, or other appropriate official of the institution, stating the beginning and end dates of the time residing in the institution, all oral statements must be recorded by the intake worker, or

o a written record of the intake worker’s due diligence in attempting to obtain the discharge paperwork or a written or oral referral and a certification by the individual seeking assistance that states he or she is exiting or has just exited an institution where he or she resided for 90 days or less

Homelessness Documentation Homelessness Documentation Category 1Category 1

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Individuals/families fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or a family member, including a child, that has either taken place within the individual’s or family’s primary nighttime residence or has made the individual or family afraid to return to their primary nighttime residence; AND

individual/family has no other residence; AND

lacks the resources or support networks, e.g., family friends, faith-based or other social networks, to obtain other permanent housing

Homeless Category 4Homeless Category 4

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Homelessness documentation for individuals/families fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions related to violence:

o For victim service providers: An oral statement by the individual or head of household seeking assistance which states: that they are fleeing; they have no subsequent residence; and they lack resources. Statement must be documented by a self-certification or a certification by the intake worker.

o For non-victim service providers: Oral statement by the individual or head of household seeking assistance that they are fleeing. This statement is documented by a self-certification or by the case worker. Where the safety of the individual is not jeopardized, the oral statement must be verified; and certification by the individual or head of household that no subsequent residence has been identified, and self-certification or other written document that the individual or family lacks the financial resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

Homelessness Documentation Homelessness Documentation Category 4Category 4

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What information/documentation should be maintained in a client file for a client reported as being literally homeless/exiting jail (Category 1)?

Scenario # 1Scenario # 1

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The client files should contain discharge paperwork that includes the entry date and discharge date to ensure the client resided at the institution for 90 days or less. The file should also maintain source documentation to document the client’s homeless status prior to entering the jail, for example a written referral by another housing or service provider or written observation by the outreach worker, or certification by the individual stating he was living on the streets/shelter.

Answer:Answer:

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What information/documentation should be maintained in a client file CSD for a client reported as fleeing domestic violence (Category 4)?

Scenario # 2Scenario # 2

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The client file should contain documentation that the client was fleeing a domestic violence situation and had nowhere else to stay but at your shelter;, and specific detailed information pertaining to that client’s situation regarding lacking resources and support networks, such as family, friends, faith-based or other social networks, needed to obtain other permanent housing. Be sure your assessment forms capture all the necessary elements to document eligibility under Category 4.

Answer:Answer:

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AGREEMENTSAGREEMENTS Agreements were drafted based on applicants’

Request for Proposals (RFP’s) submitted to CSD for PY2013 funding

PY2013 Time of Performance: March 1, 2013 to February 28, 2014

At the discretion of HCCSD management, no more than two (2) budget revision requests shall be allowed each year, to be submitted no later than 90 days prior to the end of the program year. Cut-off to submit your budget revision request: November 30,

2013

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AgreementsAgreements

Refer to Exhibit A: Scope of Services and Exhibit B: Budget

Activity Unit Definition Cost per Unit of Service Total No. of Units Per Activity Maximum Total Cost Per Year PY2013 Number Served

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1. Coversheet / Checklist2. Project Status Report3. Client Data Report 4. Tally Sheet5. Individual Eligibility Forms6. Employee Data Report7. Bed Days Log 8. HMIS Reports9. Mid-Year Report or Annual Performance Report

PY2013 Programmatic ReportsPY2013 Programmatic Reports

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Important notes on monthly Important notes on monthly reportsreports

Check your Agreement for monthly reports due date.

For projects that expend funds early, submission of monthly reports with no new persons/services is not required.

Ensure corrections are carried forward to the next monthly report to avoid resubmitting reports.

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Scenario # 3Scenario # 3

What forms needs to be submitted for each new person if your Project Status Report for the period ending March 2013 indicates that your agency has served 20 new eligible persons?

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Answer:Answer:

Your agency must submit a PY2013 Individual Eligibility Form (IEF) and Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD) print-out for all 20 new persons served.

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Scenario # 4Scenario # 4What must your agency make

sure to do on the Project Status Report if you have attained 20% of your contract goal and you should have attained 50% of your goal through August 2013?

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Answer:Answer:Your agency must provide an

explanation on the Project Status Report to explain why your project is not on target for the reporting month of August 2013. Should your agency consistently fail to comply with the requirement of timely level of performance and expenditures, a desk finding will be issued.

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Scenario # 5Scenario # 5

Which monthly reports need to be corrected if for the period ending May 2013 you reported 20 new clients; however 3 new clients were disallowed?

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Answer:Answer:

The following reports need to be corrected:

1. Project Status Report2. Client Data Report3. Tally Sheet

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HMISHMIS CSD requires Subrecipients that provide services to homeless persons

with County funds to participate in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) administered by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH). If the Subrecipient is a victim services provider, it may use a

comparable database that collects client-level data over time and generates unduplicated aggregate reports based on the data. Information entered into a comparable database must not be entered directly into or provided to an HMIS.

To participate in HMIS: Inform the CFTH of your grant name, type of funding, the operating year, and

list of services funded through the grant Sign up and receive training Input information on clients and services provided into ClientTrack The following HMIS reports must be submitted monthly: Clients Served with Details Clients in Programs Client Summary Report

Please contact CFTH staff at 713-739-7514 or click on their website at www.homelesshouston.org for further assistance.

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Recipients of ESG funds must provide for the participation of not less than one homeless or formerly homeless individuals on the board of directors or other equivalent policy-making entity of the recipient, in accordance with 24 CFR 576.405(a).

At the monitoring visit, we will request documentation evidencing your agency’s compliance with this requirement.

Homeless Participation Homeless Participation

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Important PointsImportant Points

Section 504 survey will be reviewed for applicable updates

Grantor Recognition• Spell out “Harris County Community Services

Department”• Keep all items that document grantor recognition in

a Grant File for review during the monitoring visit (press releases, media announcements, fundraising brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, print-out from agency website)

Units of Service in the client files should match the amounts reported under Units of Service in the Client Data and Project Status Reports

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Questions & Answers: Questions & Answers: Programmatic FormsProgrammatic Forms

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When are the programmatic forms due?

Can I report duplicate clients on the Tally Sheet?

If my project is not on target for reporting month what must I do?

Break TimeBreak Time

After the break:Finance Staff Presentation

Please turn in the Orientation Acknowledge form before you leave.

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