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Orange County Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program <br />Program Summa <br />September 21, 2009 <br />Introduction <br />The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) is a new HUD program <br />that was created through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The purpose <br />of HPRP is to provide homelessness prevention assistance to households who would otherwise <br />become homeless-many due to the economic crisis-and to provide assistance to rapidly re- <br />house persons who are currently homeless. HPRP will provide temporary financial assistance <br />and housing relocation and stabilization services to individuals and families who are homeless or <br />would be homeless but for this assistance. Orange County has received $1 million of HPRP <br />funding to implement this program for three years. <br />Orange County's Program <br />The Orange County HPRP Program will be administered by the Department of Social Services <br />(DSS) who will also implement the homelessness prevention services of the grant. Specifically, <br />DSS will use existing caseworkers to provide emergency financial assistance including utility <br />deposits and payments, security deposits, rent payments, moving costs, and case management to <br />clients that qualify for the program. This will be an extension of their current Emergency <br />Assistance (EA) Program. It is estimated that this Prevention Program will serve at least 200 <br />families/individuals during the life of the grant. <br />Housing for New Hope will provide rapid re-housing services only (not homelessness <br />prevention) in collaboration with social workers at DSS. The Rapid Re-Housing Case Manager <br />will join with Housing for New Hope's existing Housing Support and PATH homeless outreach <br />staff and will thereby increase our efforts to link the homeless population with permanent <br />housing. Specifically, staff will work with clients to develop a housing plan that will focus on <br />placement into permanent housing as rapidly as possible. Clients' needs and resources will be <br />assessed and individualized, and sustainable service plans will be developed to help prevent them <br />from becoming homeless and to maintain stable housing. Grant funds will be used to pay rental <br />and utility deposits, temporary rental assistance, and housing application fees and it is anticipated <br />that the program will serve a minimum of 30 families during the three-year grant implementation <br />period. Thus, a total of 230 families could potentially by served by this grant. <br />Grant Implementation <br />The estimated grant implementation date is November 16, 2009 and will extend for three years <br />thereafter or until 2012. Extensive outreach to the general public as well as other social services <br />organizations is planned in conjunction with beginning the program <br />