Kansas Housing Resources Corporation
Emergency Solutions Grants Program (ESG)
DRAFT Substantial Amendment to the 2012 State of Kansas Consolidated Plan
The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) has prepared a Draft substantial amendment to the 2012 State of Kansas Consolidated Plan (Annual Action Plan) in accordance with the State’s citizen participation plan and the requirements of 24 CFR part 91, as amended by the Interim Rule.
1. SF-424 – signed and including DUNNS (to be submitted with amendment)
2. Summary of Consultation Process
KHRC collaborates on a recurring basis with the Balance of State CoC and the Johnson County COC. All funds from the State’s ESG funding are made available to the non ESG entitlement continuums. During regular COC meetings in March and April, surveys were completed that identified which activities ESG should prioritize. During recent COC discussions, the following performance standards for ESG were identified: A) Reduce the average length of time persons are homeless, B) Improve employment rate and income amount of families and individuals who are homeless, and C) reduce number of families and individuals who become homeless (first time homeless). The need for HMIS data quality improvement is identified as a priority.
3. Summary of Citizen Participation Process
KHRC will provide for a 30-day public comment period of the Draft Substantial Amendment to the FY 2012 Consolidated Plan (Annual Action Plan). The public input process will include notification through a notice published in the Kansas Register, by posting the document on KHRC’s web-site, www.kshousingcorp.org and posting on the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition’s website, www.kshomeless.com. After public comments are received, KHRC will summarize the public comments or views received as well as the comments or views not accepted, including the reasons for not accepting those comments or views. Public comment period ends June 1, 2012. All comments should be sent to:
James Chiselom, Program Manager, ESG
Kansas Housing Resources Corp.
611 South Kansas Ave.
Topeka, KS 66603
jchiselom@kshousingcorp.org
4. Match
At this time, KHRC has not obligated FY 2012 ESG funds and therefore does not have actual match figures by types of match. KHRC will require all sub recipients to make matching contributions to supplement the ESG program in an amount that equals the amount of ESG funds provided by KHRC. The sub recipient must identify the source of match at the time of applying for ESG. Matching contributions may be obtained from any source, including any Federal source other than the ESG program, as well as state, local, and private sources.
5. Proposed Activities and Overall Budget
KHRC anticipates using FY 2012 ESG funds for Street Outreach, Emergency Shelters, Homelessness Prevention, Rapid Re-Housing, HMIS, and administrative activities. These activities will be targeted to households whose income is 0-30% of Area Median Family Income and to individuals and families that are in the following at risk homeless categories; Chronically homeless, HIV/AIDS, Elderly, Veterans, Mental Health, Youth, Domestic Violence Victims and Substance abuse.
KHRC anticipates serving both persons who meet the definition of homeless and at-risk of homelessness.
KHRC estimates FY 2012 ESG will serve a total of 3000 individuals.
The table below is an estimate on how FY 2012 ESG funds will be allocated to the eligible activities. KHRC anticipates that the final amounts budgeted, once FY 2012 allocation ESG contracts are executed, will be different than the proposed allocations indicated in the following table. KHRC will share administrative funds with all sub recipients.
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FY 2012 Detailed Budget Table
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| Grant Amount |
$1,618,260.00
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| Total Administration |
$121,369.50
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|
Total Fiscal Year 2012
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|
Eligible Activities |
Activity Amount
|
|
Emergency Solutions Grants Program
|
Emergency Shelter |
$771,641.00
|
| Renovation |
$50,000.00
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| Operation |
$370,000.00
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| Essential Service |
$301,641.00
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| URA Assistance |
$0.00
|
| Street Outreach – Essential Services |
$50,000.00
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| HMIS |
$50,250.00
|
| Rapid Re-housing |
$400,000.00
|
| Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services |
$100,000.00
|
| Tenant-Based Rental Assistance |
$300,000.00
|
| Project-Based Rental Assistance |
$0.00
|
| Homelessness Prevention |
$275,000.00
|
| Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services |
$75,000
|
| Tenant-Based Rental Assistance |
$200,000
|
| Project-Based Rental Assistance |
$0.00
|
| Administration |
$121,369.00
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| Emergency Solutions Grants Subtotal |
$1,618,260.00
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|
|
|
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KHRC will emphasize objectives by prioritizing applicants whose projects propose to achieve the following outcomes: exiting to permanent housing destination, diverting shelter enrollments, receiving case management, maintaining permanent housing, persons with higher incomes at program exit, persons with more non-cash benefits at program exit, and increased employment rates upon service exits. Applications whose proposed projects meet these objectives will rank more competitively.
Kansas is a state with many rural areas which have limited service providers addressing the needs of homeless persons and those at-risk of homelessness. To address this need, KHRC’s ESG scoring criteria for 2012 will provide preference for applicants serving persons in rural counties.
ESG funds received for FY 2012 will be obligated within 180 days of receipt of the HUD grant agreement. The State ESG contracts for FY 2012 funds are anticipated to begin on September 1, 2012 and will end March 31, 2014. However, the contract period will be dependent upon the date that the HUD grant agreement is executed. Any unexpended funds will be re-distributed in the following ESG program year in separate contracts.
6. Written Standards for Provision of ESG Assistance
KHRC will require FY 2012 ESG awardees to establish and implement written standards for providing emergency shelter and street outreach activities of the ESG program prior to executing contracts.
KHRC will require awardees to establish written standards that include:
a) Standard policies and procedures for evaluating individuals’ and families’ eligibility for assistance under Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG).
b) Policies and procedures for coordination among emergency shelter providers, essential service providers, homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing assistance providers, other homeless assistance providers, and mainstream service and housing providers.
c) Policies and procedures for determining and prioritizing which eligible families and individuals will receive homelessness prevention assistance and which eligible families and individuals will receive rapid re-housing assistance.
d) Standards for determining the share of rent and utilities costs that each program participant must pay, if any, while receiving homelessness prevention or rapid re-housing assistance.
e) Standards for determining how long a particular program participant will be provided with rental assistance and whether and how the amount of that assistance will be adjusted over time.
f) Standards for determining the type, amount, and duration of housing stabilization and/or relocation services to provide a program participant, including the limits, if any, on the homelessness prevention or rapid re-housing assistance that each program participant may receive, such as the maximum amount of assistance, maximum number of months the program participants receives assistance; or the maximum number of times the program participants may receive assistance.
7. Describe Process for Making Sub-awards
KHRC will continue to utilize the application process used with our Emergency Solutions Grant program. KHRC will Sub-grant ESG funds to Cities and Counties in Non- ESG entitlement funded areas. We recognize the importance of individual Cities and Counties to identify Sub-recipients and coordinate the specific services outlined in ESG for their individual jurisdictions. KHRC will also accept applications and provide direct funding to agencies and organizations that serve at risk homeless populations and are capable of providing ESG services on a statewide level for that at risk homeless population.
KHRC will announce the NOFA for the ESG funds and begin to accept and receive applications as described above. Depending on when HUD signs the grant agreement, deadlines for receipt of applications will be established. An Application Review Committee will rank applications received in response to the NOFA. The scoring criteria will include Project Description, Identified Need, Coordination of potential Local Homeless Assistance and Housing Programs, Past Performance and Administrative capacity. In addition, the Competitive Application Process will allow additional ESG funding in entitlement cities, which have the highest concentration of potentially eligible families and individuals.
8. Homeless Participation Requirement
The requirement is not applicable to States.
9. Performance Standards
KHRC recognizes that performance standards will evolve over the next few years as the ESG Interim Rule is implemented and as ESG sub recipients improve their program outcomes through the evaluation of HMIS data and through integration of ESG services into their local Continuum of Care. This first year of implementation of the Emergency Solutions Grant will allow KHRC to gain baseline data about specific performance measures and performance standards. Baseline information from FY second round 2011 and FY 2012 will be used to further refine measures and standards for the FY 2013 ESG funds.
10. Certifications (to be submitted with amendment)
Requirements for Optional Changes to the FY 2012 Annual Action Plan
1. Centralized or Coordinated Assessment System
If the recipient’s jurisdiction, or a portion of the recipient’s jurisdiction, currently has a centralized or coordinated assessment system and the recipient or sub recipients utilize the centralized or coordinated assessment system, the recipient should describe the assessment system in the substantial amendment.