RD296 - Virginia's Homeless Programs 2010-11 Program Year


Executive Summary:
Homelessness directly affects thousands of Virginians annually. According to the annual 2011 point-in-time count conducted by localities statewide, at least 9,025 individuals were homeless during a 24-hour snapshot in January 2011. Four to five times that number may actually experience homelessness at some point during the year, according to national homeless studies. Many of these persons have special needs based on situations ranging from physical or mental disabilities to chronic substance abuse. Of the total homeless population, many are also victims of other circumstances such as job loss or domestic violence. The Commonwealth of Virginia utilizes a variety of approaches to serve the needs of a diverse homeless population.

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) directly addresses the problems associated with homelessness by administering several core programs that provide financial support to local governments and nonprofit providers of housing and supportive services to the homeless. During the 2010-11 program year, DHCD administered the following:

• Child Care for Homeless Children Program (CCHCP)
* A $350,000 block grant to provide child care for homeless children.
* 349 children received child care through the program.

• Child Services Coordinator Grant (CSCG)
* $500,000 in state general funds to coordinate services for children in shelters.
* 4,989 homeless children in 51 emergency and transitional housing facilities were assisted.

• Shelter Programs
* $1,675,621 in federal funds through the Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
* $1,227,532 in TANF funds through the Department of Social Services and $5,160,456 in state general funds to the State Shelter Grant (SSG).
* ESG and SSG programs provided shelter services to 27,855 persons.

• Homeless Services Pilot Program (HSPP)
* $350,000 in state general funds for the Homeless Services Pilot Program.
* HSPP provided transition-in-place funding to serve 91 households (276 individuals).

• Homeless Intervention Program (HIP)
* $4,650,000 million in State general funds.
* Financial assistance to prevent homelessness was provided to 1,793 households (4,612 individuals).

• Housing Opportunities to Persons with AIDS/HIV (HOPWA)
* $703,999 in federal funds through HUD.
* Funding was distributed through nine project sponsors across the state to serve 281 individuals (279 households) with rent assistance and services.

• Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP)
* $11.4 million in federal stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) received in 2009 as a one-time 3 year grant for homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and related services.
* As of September 30, 2011, ninety-five percent of all funds have been expended by 23 sub-grantees.
* HPRP funds assisted 11,736 individuals (4,522 households) struggling with housing during the recession.

This report serves as a means to report overall conditions and progress made related to the administration of the State’s homelessness programs in compliance with Budget Item 99 D.

The Department shall report to the Chairmen of the Senate Finance, the House Appropriations Committees, and the Director, Department of Planning and Budget by November 4 of each year on the state's homeless programs, including, but not limited to, the number of (i) emergency shelter beds, (ii) transitional housing units, (iii) single room occupancy dwellings, and (iv) homeless intervention programs supported by state funding on a locality and statewide basis. The report shall also include the number of Virginians served by these programs, the costs of the programs, and the financial and in-kind support provided by localities and nonprofit groups in these programs. In preparing the report, the Department shall consult with localities and community-based groups.