Priority Home Partnership Faces Huge Demand

From the December 2009 Newsletter

After months of planning the Priority Home Partnership, the countywide Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP), launched on November 2, 2009 and faced an avalanche of requests for rental assistance.  Four hundred people called 211 on the program’s first day and by the end of the first two weeks the number had grown to 1,880—90% of whom were screened as potentially eligible for assistance.  The 12.1 million dollars available across 8 regional Housing Assistance Centers throughout Alameda County was anticipated to serve 1,200 households over three years time.  In this recession, the need far outstrips the resources to help every individual and family who is homeless or behind on their rent.

Callers to 211 describe job losses, medical crises, apartment buildings foreclosed upon, cuts to social security benefits, and more that have them on the brink of homelessness, many for the first time ever.  Nearly 30% of callers are living doubled up with friends or family having previously lost their own housing. 10% of the callers were already in shelters or on the streets.

The Priority Home Partnership encompasses all fourteen cities, three County Agencies and ten non-profit partners.  211 serves as the central screening and referral point for all persons facing a housing crisis.  Those who are potentially eligible for financial assistance are referred to one of six geographic Housing Resource Centers (HRCs), or for transitional age youth (18-24) in Oakland there is an age specific HRC as well as an HRC for consumers of Behavioral Health Services.  See the side bar for a list of HRCs and partners.

Once a household begins to work with an HRC their financial and housing situations are evaluated in detail to see if they qualify for financial assistance and if so the amount and duration.  The process was designed to take 1-2 weeks from referral to rental assistance.  And it has worked that way for the dozens of families helped in the program’s first month.  Unfortunately, the overwhelming demand has created backlogs of hundreds at a number of HRCs. Partners are working hard to assess every household as quickly as possible, but it is likely to take 6-8 weeks to reach everyone who already has their name on the list.  HRCs that are not taking new referrals at this time are two in Oakland, Mid-County and South County.  The other HRCs are still taking referrals.  People needing help should call 211.

EveryOne Home and its partners sought to create a countywide system for responding to people facing a housing crisis.  We now have a prevention and rapid rehousing network in place where none existed before. The demand we have seen in the first month of operation affirms the importance of our efforts.