Bright Spot: Lancaster, PA | Consolidating and Allocating Grants for Case Management

Utilize available RRH resources paired with PHA resources to prevent people from entering chronic homelessness.

Check out this bright Spot if…

● You want to create a flexible mobile case management program to support individuals housed from a Chronic At-Risk List 

● You want to try it! 

Summary

Often, individuals on a community’s Chronic At-Risk list need more intensive or extended services than the short-term housing case management services that RRH programs typically provide. Because individuals on a Chronic At-Risk list are often not eligible or prioritized for Permanent Supportive Housing, communities often struggle to connect these individuals to an appropriate level and duration of services to ensure housing retention. 

Lancaster rolled up their former Supportive Services Only (SSO) grant with several smaller Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) grants to create one large RRH grant specifically to support mobile case management for individuals with ongoing service needs to remain stable in housing. The balance of funds to support the program came from the state block grant for homeless assistance funds. 

Key Action: Incorporate Mobile Support Services

Since receiving an SSO grant over ten years ago, Lancaster had been providing mobile support services for homeless persons to stabilize in housing. The grant supported mobile housing locators and supportive case management. As it developed, it became, in Mike’s words “the most ‘housing first’ intervention we had”. As SSO funding was phased out over time, the CoC decided to incorporate the mobile support services into an RRH grant. Combined with state block grant funds for Homeless Assistance, the CoC consolidated a robust flexible case management program with the ability to provide up to 18 months of support services for formerly homeless individuals. These services act as a follow up to the housing case management provided by the housing navigator who worked to initially find housing for the client. The mobile support services provided by the program generally focus on the transition to housing and connecting the person to other long-term community supports, as needed. A case manager might help with getting a client used to paying bills, buying groceries, and generally getting acclimated to living indoors. The case manager would also work to connect clients to community-based mental health and medical treatment, as needed. 

Key Action: Consolidating RRH Grants

The community further refined to program structure by consolidating several smaller RRH grants into one large grant to provide mobile case management services through four providers. Whereas in the past, the housing navigation and ongoing case management was often handled by the same person, these two functions would now be separated. The community is working to facilitate a warm hand-off between the housing navigator and the case management agency, to ensure a seamless transition of services. 

Fail forward moments

The composition of the At-Risk list itself has changed over the past two years, as has the balance for prioritizing at-risk and chronic individuals, The CoC experimented with several different funding structures over the years as their program evolved and HUD requirements changed.

For more information:

Contact Mike Foley (mfoley3@lghealth.org) at the Lancaster Department of Health