Housing contract requirements

Homeless is defined as:

1.  A household who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning:

1. A household with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including; a car, a park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground; or

2. A household living in a supervised publically or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, State, or local government programs for low-income individuals); or

3. An individual who is exiting an institution where he or she resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution; or

2.  Any household who:

1. Is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or a family member, including a child, that has either taken place within the individual’s or family’s primary nighttime residence or has made the individual or family afraid to return to their primary nighttime residence;

2. Has no other residence; and

3. Lacks the resources or support networks, e.g. family, friends, and faith-based or other social networks, to obtain other permanent housing.

Using the coordinated entry and prioritization process for King County, known as Coordinated Entry (CE), is required.

Coordinated Entry (CE) serves families, single adults, youth and young adults, and special populations.

1. The Contractor shall commit to utilizing CE to fill all vacancies in the program receiving funding under this Exhibit, unless an exception for participation is granted in accordance with CE Policies and Operations. Any exceptions for participation that are granted will be in writing and all relevant funders will be notified.
2. The Contractor shall work with the CE Coordinating Entity and follow the policies and procedures in the CE Policies and Procedures, including, but not limited to, posting open units, processing received referrals, and submitting mobility requests.
3. The Contractor will work with the CE Coordinating Entity to complete a detailed program description for any new, or current, program receiving funding under this Scope of Work, as well as obtaining relevant funder approval for any changes made to the detailed program description.
4. Acknowledging the paramount need for domestic violence shelters to offer confidential services to protect the safety of survivors of domestic violence, said programs shall be exempt from filling vacancies through CE. The survivors of domestic violence are still eligible for CE and their identifying information will not be entered into HMIS. The refused consent instructions are outlined in the CES Assessor Manual.
5. To ensure community collaboration and continuous improvement, the Contractor agrees to participate in meetings, forums, and case conferencing as designated by CE, including veterans and American Indian and Alaska Native case conferencing.

The CEA website is currently kcrha.org/resources/about-coordinated-entry

1. The Contractor shall actively participate in HMIS to be eligible for fund reimbursement during the Scope of Work period.
2. Active participation will be evidenced by the program entering a complete data set for all clients served during the Exhibit period. This complete data set will be entered within the timeframe established in the Standard Operating Procedures available on the HMIS website.  A complete data set includes universal, program specific and local continuum data elements for required report completion as outlined in the HMIS Data Collection Requirements available on the HMIS website. Universal and program specific data elements are defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the HMIS Data Standards.
3. The Contractor shall obtain client consent before submitting personally identifying information according to procedures outlined in the partner agreement and in compliance with state law. The Informed Consent and Release of Information Form is currently available on the HMIS website. The Contractor must enter all required data according to the client’s consent status, and as outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures and the Informed Consent FAQs available on the HMIS website.
4. Clients may not be refused services based solely on their refusal to provide personally identifying information for the HMIS. This is not meant to prevent agencies from collecting information required for eligibility screening or other internal Contractor requirements.
5. Acknowledging the paramount need for confidential domestic violence programs to protect the safety of survivors of domestic violence, personally identifying information should not be entered into HMIS by said programs. Contractors are required to enter all other data elements as stated in the Informed Consent FAQs available on the HMIS website.
6. As a community we strive to have 95 percent of the data elements in HMIS and correct. Contractor data quality will continue to be a consideration for future funding and periodic data quality monitoring as outlined in the Bitfocus Partner Agreement will take place.

The HMIS website is currently http://kingcounty.hmis.cc/.

1. The Continuum of Care performance measures and targets will help our community improve services to people experiencing homelessness by providing accurate information on the extent and nature of homelessness in our community and by accounting for our success in helping people move out of homelessness. Improved System Performance is critical to meeting the homeless crisis and to the Seattle/King County Continuum of Care’s success.
2. The Seattle/King County Continuum of Care system-wide performance measures specific to project type are outlined in the table below. Exceeding designated minimums and demonstrating progress towards targets is a requirement, and specific measures are outlined below which correlate to the project type and target population served. The table below lists the performance targets for the project type and target population.

3. The Seattle/King County Continuum of Care has identified system-wide minimum performance standards specific to project type and population. Projects must meet at least one of the minimum standards to receive ongoing funding.

4. Where meeting minimums is an issue and/or progress towards targets is not demonstrated, the Contractor may be required to participate in technical assistance.

Attachment: Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant General Requirements (PDF File)

Attachment: Foundational Community Supports (FCS) Frequently Asked Questions (PDF File)

Additional Information: FCS - Amerigroup Informational Page for Providers (Link) 

Attachment: King County Consolidated Homeless Grant (CHG) Guidelines (PDF File) updated July 2023

Attachment: King County CHG Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) & What’s New PDF File updated July 2023

Attachments: King County CHG Required Forms - by program type:

• Prevention Programs: King County CHG required forms (Zipped Files) updated July 2023
  
• Rapid Rehousing Programs: King County CHG required forms (Zipped Files) updated July 2023
  
• Emergency Shelter Programs: King County CHG required forms (Zipped Files) updated July 2023
  
• Transitional and PSH Programs: King County CHG required forms (Zipped Files) updated July 2023
  

Attachment: Seattle-King County Rapid Re-Housing Model Guidelines (PDF File) updated 02/25/2020

1. The Contractor shall participate, to the extent that staff resources are available, in workgroups and forums sponsored by King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA). In addition, the Contractor shall identify staff to participate in opportunities for professional development training and learning circles sponsored by KCRHA to further build capacity and expertise in serving families and individuals experiencing homelessness.
2. The Contractor shall commit to participating in the implementation of the KCRHA Five-Year Plan and applicable subregional plans.