Bridgeways 2/22/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

City of Everett Human Needs Grant January 1 through December 31,2017 Bridgeways Emerald Apartments&Bridgeways Place Apartment Permanent Housing EXHIBIT A: Program Summary The goal of our permanent housing program is to help previously homeless mentally ill adults establish and maintain housing stability. Tenants go through a low-barrier screening process with the housing coordinator who identifies needs, develops a goal plan and together spends time with the tenant addressing the reasons that they became homeless. (These services are optional for the tenant as we cannot tie services to housing due to the Fair Housing Act but we present services in such a way that most of our tenants do participate to some degree in the services offered.) At Emerald Apartments, each tenant pays about 30% of their income towards rent and utilities while Everett Housing Authority pays the balance as Emerald is Project Based Housing. At Bridgeways Place Apartments, tenants pay the full rent which we keep as low as possible. Many of these tenants receive rent assistance through a Section 8 voucher, assistance from Snohomish County, or are able to use their Social Security Disability/Social Security or wages from their jobs to pay the rent. We have six 2-bedroom apartments, one 3-bedroom apartment, and one 1-bedroom apartment. Most of the apartments are shared housing but if a vacancy of ar'f'entire apartment becomes available, one tenant(and their family) can rent the entire apartment. Program Objective—The objective of our housing program is to permanently house between 8 and 16 homeless or precariously housed mentally ill adults or families and to assist them in reaching goals related to their housing stability. Program Components and Structure—The program is structured using a permanent housing model where by each participant is screened for eligibility and pays a minimal application fee (currently $12). The tenant then enters a lease agreement and either pays a security deposit or makes payment arrangements for the security deposit. Tenants are responsible for the monthly rent which is approximately 30% of their income at Emerald Apartments and full-rent(usually with assistance from a Section 8 voucher or other government assistance) at Bridgeways Place Apartments. Eligible participants have been previously homeless or precariously housed and struggle with a mental illness. Oftentimes, tenants need additional support and case management around co- occurring mental health and substance abuse issues. Housing coordinators work with tenants by providing a menu of services available that are geared toward working toward goals that tenants set to improve their housing stability. The Director of Finance and Administration works with tenants in the role of the landlord to demonstrate and teach, when necessary, tenants about the business relationship that should exist between a tenant and a landlord. This aligns with the City of Everett's priority of providing housing assistance to persons with disabilities by providing permanent shared housing for individuals or housing for families that include an individual with a mental health disability.