Spokane Regional Continuum of Care (CoC)

The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act) amended the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Among the changes, the HEARTH Act consolidates the three separate McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs (Supportive Housing program, Shelter Plus Care program, and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation SRO program) into a single grant program known as the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. The HEARTH Act also codifies into law the Continuum of Care and the year-round planning requirements that have long been encouraged as part of HUD’s annual, competitive application for funding to assist homeless persons.

The CoC Program is designed to assist individuals (including unaccompanied youth) and families experiencing homelessness and to provide the services needed to help such individuals move into transitional and permanent housing, with the goal of long-term stability. More broadly, the program is designed to promote community-wide planning and strategic use of resources to address homelessness; improve coordination and integration with mainstream resources and other programs targeted to people experiencing homelessness; improve data collection and performance measurement; and allow each community to tailor its program to the particular strengths and challenges within that community.

Consolidated Homeless Housing Grant Program (CHHGP)

The Consolidated Homeless Housing Grant Program (CHHGP) combines federal, state and local homeless resources into a single grant opportunity.  The CHHGP is designed to support an integrated system of housing assistance to prevent homelessness and quickly re-house households who are unsheltered.  This grant provides resources to address the needs of homeless and at risk households as established and documented in the updated Regional 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, The Road Home.

The City of Spokane Human Services Department is the local grantee with the Washington State Department of Commerce and Housing and Urban Development.

CHHGP Client File Checklist	CHHGP Housing Habitability Standards Inspection Checklist
CHHGP Documentation Checklist Participant Eligibility	CHHGP Lead -Based Paint Document Checklist
CHHGP Documentation Checklist Financial Assistance and Housing Unit	CHHGP Lead Screening Worksheet
CHHGP But For Form	CHHGP Rent Resonableness Checklist and Certification
CHHGP Income Calculation Worksheet	HMIS Informed Consent Form
CHHGP Recertification Of Income Form	HMIS Client Revocation of Consent City of Spokane
CHHGP Intake Staff Due Diligence Form
CHHGP RRH Assessment Tool	City of Spokane CHHGP Program Guidelines
CHHGP Utility Assistance Form	CIty of Spokane CHHGP Administrative Requirements
ESG Participant Eligibilty Checklist	Appendix A: Housing Status Documentation Standards
	City of Spokane ESG Program Guidelines

 Coordinated Assessment Initiatives

The City of Spokane in an effort to develop a coordinated, integrated approach to ensuring homeless and/or at-risk families, as well as vulnerable homeless individual being discharged from health care institutions are provided the appropriate level of care, at the right level of intensity and in a coordinated and timely manner, ultimately leading to improved housing outcomes for these individuals. As such, the City of Spokane Community, Housing and Human Services Department  contracted with non-profit agencies to implement the following Coordinated Assessment Initiatives;

Homeless Families Coordinated Assessment Program (HFCA). The HFCA program is designed to serve families with children who are experiencing homelessness or residential instability and are at a high risk of homelessness.  $270,000  is available for this initiative.

Health Housing Homeless Systems Integration Pilot (H3). The H3 initiative aims to ensure vulnerable homeless individuals being discharged from health care institutions are discharged with an on-going multi-disciplinary system to ensure successful health and housing outcomes for these individuals. $95,000 is available for this initiative.

The City of Spokane Community, Housing and Human Services is the local grantee with the Washington State Department of Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, and Empire Health Foundation.