Housing Works receives HUD ‘family unification’ vouchers
(Update: Adding Housing Works announcement, link to more info)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday awarded two Oregon housing authorities, including Central Oregon’s Housing Works, a total of 117 Family Unification Vouchers, allowing them to work with public welfare agencies to identify youth at risk of homelessness and families whose lack of adequate housing is the primary reason their children are in foster care.
Home Forward, the housing authority serving Portland, Gresham and Multnomah County, was awarded 88 Family Unification Vouchers with a total annual value of $966,042, over and above the 100 Family Unification Vouchers it has been awarded previously.
The Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority – also known as Housing Works – based in Redmond received 29 vouchers with an annual value of $200,669, the first time it has been awarded Family Unification Vouchers.
Since the inception of the program, seven Oregon housing authorities have received a total of 500 HUD Family Unification Vouchers, including those announced Wednesday.
“When families are separated because of their housing, HUD is committed to bringing them together again,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “This investment will provide thousands of children the opportunity to live with their families so they can thrive.”
“Strong, stable families are the key to strong, vibrant communities,” said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Jeff McMorris. “Family Unification Vouchers help families reunite and re-stabilize and resume building for a better future.”
Wednesday’s awards, which also included three in Washington state, were part of an announcement of 3,093 Family Unification Vouchers with a total annual dollar value of $29.9 million awarded to 51 housing authorities across the country.
The funding announced Wednesday is offered through HUD’s Family Unification Program, which provides rental assistance to parents being separated or near-separated from their children. Additionally, this funding is used to help provide stable housing for young adults (ages 18-24) who have “aged out” of the foster care system.
Like HUD’s Housing Choice Vouchers, these vouchers allow families to rent housing from a private landlord and generally pay 30 percent of their monthly adjusted gross income towards rent and utilities.
According to the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, an affordable housing/child welfare advocacy group, keeping children in foster care is an expensive alternative to affordable housing.
On average, it costs more than $48,000 annually per family when children enter foster care. By contrast, housing and services to keep a family together costs approximately $15,000 annually.
Supportive services for FUP families and youth are provided by agencies funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A $20 million investment in FUP vouchers saves more than $134 million in foster care costs.
Housing authorities that are awarded vouchers work closely with local public welfare agencies to identify youth at risk of homelessness and families for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary reason the family’s children are in, or must be placed in, foster care.
—
Housing Works news release:
Housing Works, the regional housing authority for Central Oregon, announced today that it was awarded 29 additional “Family Unification Program (FUP)” vouchers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
These new FUP vouchers will provide rental assistance to parents struggling to provide adequate housing for their children and for young adults (ages 18-24) who have aged-out of the foster care system. The FUP Voucher Program is a sub-set of the Housing Choice Voucher Program. HUD awarded $30 million to 61 local public housing authorities across the country to help house an additional 3,083 households.
Housing Works will administer the 29 vouchers in partnership with the Department of Human Services -Child Welfare. Additionally, NeighborImpact, J Bar J Youth Services and Central Oregon Continuum of Care have committed to providing vital services to households assisted by these vouchers. Housing Works’
HCV Director Lesly Gonzalez shared, “This was a very competitive NOFA process, and we are thrilled to have been awarded these additional vouchers.”
Prior to this award, Housing Works managed 1,243 vouchers through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) and Mainstream Voucher programs. Housing Works was able to house over 2,600 individuals in 2017 in rental units on the private market through its rental assistance programs. Housing Works paid out $7.6 million in Housing Assistance Payments to over 505 landlords last year. The 29 new FUP Vouchers have an annual dollar value of $200,669. Housing Works will issue these new vouchers once it receives further guidance from HUD.
More information on the program can be found here: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv/family.
Housing Works is the largest affordable housing provider in Central Oregon. It provides people with quality, safe and affordable homes; and through a number of collaborations, it provides the resources to help people stabilize their lives. Housing Works developments in Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras and Sisters have won awards for innovation, economic impact, design, and beautification. For more information, visit www.housing-works.org.
