Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04221997 - C90 J /V n� :. Cont a TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS � �:�. CosaCou�/ FROM: Harvey E. Bragdon ' "� Director of Community Development DATE: April 22, 1997 SUBJECT: Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIONS(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS RECEIVE the Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan, which identifies priorities and strategies to address the affordable housing needs of low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS in the County. (A copy of this plan is on file with the Clerk of the Board.) FISCAL IMPACT No General Fund impact. No allocation of funds involved. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR_RECOMM ATION OF BOARD COMM�T EE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD O -W IffZ APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED_OTHER_ VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact: Kathleen Hamm (335-1257) ATTESTED cc: County Administrator PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF County Counsel THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Community Development Dept. AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Rusty Keilch, AIDS Program/Dept.'of Health Services (via CDD) Cities: Antioch, Concord, Pittsburg, Richmond, B*, ,DEPUTY Walnut Creek, Oakland BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocates federal Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds to the largest city within an Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA). Within the Alameda-Contra Costa County EMA, HOPWA funds are allocated to the City of Oakland to provide affordable housing and related services to low-income individuals with HIV/AIDS throughout the two counties. Oakland, and the Counties of Alameda and Contra Costa recently completed work to prepare an HIV/AIDS Housing Plan for each county which identifies priorities and develops strategies to meet the affordable housing needs of low-income persons with HIV/AIDS. Efforts to prepare the Contra Costa County plan (the Plan), which consists of a comprehensive needs assessment, five-year strategy, and prioritized annual goals, included review and analysis of existing housing and epidemiological data as well as direct solicitation of input from individuals with HIV/AIDS, case managers, service providers, and affordable housing developers through task force meetings, focus groups, and surveys. Contra Costa County has the ninth highest incidence of AIDS in the state of California. Through October 31, 1996, a cumulative total of 1,807 cases of AIDS had been reported to the Health Services Department, including 626 individuals with AIDS currently living in the County. It is estimated that an additional 1,600 Contra Costa residents are currently HIV-infected. During the six- month period from January 1, 1996 to June 30, 1996, a survey of 520 clients receiving services through the County AIDS Program indicated that 94 percent had incomes at or below $1,200 per month (extremely-low and very-low income households). Major Plan findings include: • finding and keeping safe, affordable housing is a constant challenge for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS across Contra Costa, many of whom are also struggling with substance abuse and mental illness; • low-income women and families with children affected by HIV/AIDS have unique social and support service needs which negatively impact their ability to maintain housing; and • poor rental and previous criminal histories make it hard for many low-income people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing. The Plan therefore identifies the priority target population as low-income people disabled with HIV/AIDS who are either homeless or have unstable housing. Within this target population, the Plan further prioritizes housing and services to low-income persons disabled with HIV/AIDS who have families and/or young children, and/or are dually or triply diagnosed with one or more disabilities. Major Plan recommendations include: • requirement that people in HIV/AIDS affordable housing programs must have a case manager and where appropriate, money management services; • creation of a short-term housing assistance program which combines rent subsidies with case management services and links to permanent housing; • increasing target population access to mainstream affordable housing, Section 8 certificates and vouchers, and Shelter Plus Care; and • development of a permanent supportive housing program for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS who are also mentally ill and/or have been discharged from drug treatment and/or correctional facilities. cAdata\wp60\hopwa\bdorder3.wpd j c 90 1 I Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan j n t December 1996 Funded in Part by the City of Oakland Table of Contents 1 1 Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ' Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Housing in Contra Costa County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 1 HIV/AIDS Housing Survey Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 ' Housing Provider Survey Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 HIV/AIDS Housing in Contra Costa County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 1 The Context of HIV/AIDS Housing in Contra Costa County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 ' Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Proposed Implementation Timeline and Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Appendices ' I: Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 II: Program Recommendations for HIV/AIDS Housing Programs . . . . . . . . . . . 157 III: Resources For HIV/AIDS Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 IV: Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 ' V: Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Survey Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 VI: Assisted Housing Inventories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Community Planning Participants Carol Austin Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council Melissa Ayres City of Walnut Creek Barbara Bacon City of Martinez Ron Bendorff City of Antioch James Bonner Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council Lori Bowley Shelter,Inc. Kim Brownlow Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond Elaine Burres Shelter Plus Care Maria Camacho AIDS Project of Contra Costa County Deborah Dias City of Richmond Barbara Hall Rubicon Programs Elizabeth Gearin Contra Costa County Community Development Department Marge Gladman Housing Authority of Contra Costa County Janis Glover City of Pittsburg Lisa Grady Resources for Community Development Frances Greene Pittsburg Preschool Coordinating Council Barbara Hall Rubicon Programs Kathleen Hamm Contra Costa County Community Development Department Melanie Hobden City of San Ramon Bob Hopkins Contra Costa County AIDS Program Rusty Keilch Contra Costa County AIDS Program Janet Kennedy City of Concord �. Christine Leivermann Contra Costa County AIDS Program Marilyn Lovelace Catholic Charities of the East Bay Louie Martirez Contra Costa County AIDS Program Frank Motta Shelter Plus Care Craig Munroe City of San Pablo Mario Navarro Catholic Charities of the East Bay Lynn Nesselbush Contra Costa County Health Services Department Homeless Program Kristine Pettersson Bay Area Addiction Research and Treatment,Inc. Pat Pinkston Contra Costa County Health Services Department Homeless Program Gerry Raycraft City of El Cerrito Mark Reilly Resources for Community Development Louis Sands Contra Costa County AIDS Program Susan Shelton City of Oakland Richard Sherwin Hospice of Contra Costa and Co-Chair of HIV/AIDS Consortium James Smith Genard AIDS Foundation Jerry Snyder AIDS Alliance John Sturr Contra Costa County AIDS Program Theresa Talley-Wilkerson City of Richmond Norma Thompson Corporation for Supportive Housing Bea Tracy Bay Area Addiction Research and Treatment,Inc. Margaret Walker Co-Chair HIV/AIDS Consortium Merlin Wedepohl Shelter,Inc. Doris Willis Tranquillium Center Approximately 100 people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa 1 • Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan :ti}iSiT)}i}1:>,??T:S•T�`�r:`i•'}'TY}.k:y.}�i1]+:{}ih]rj:�y{ ':.~``j`;v:,v{i.;y•4}'iT#{y:;i:}'i:;:;iji:;i>i:;:: rl 4i.,vY+ 4�tiT.}'y. W}i �.... < }LTi{:'.�, ,h{,,48•v Y»¢::i.i?•:£... :::yds»>:> a Summa ry 3T`SyiA�IZ33�} .:)YjiQ :�•::%A�;:;•. "It's horrible enough to have full-blown AIDS, but being homeless on top of it is horrible. " -- focus group participant This section provides a summary of the multi-year plan for HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County. It summarizes: 0 why finding and maintaining housing is such a crisis for people living with HIV/AIDS; ., 0 why Contra Costa County need an HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • how the plan was created and its goals; • primary findings of the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey; and • recommendations to improve the HIV/AIDS housing continuum in Contra Costa County. Finding and keeping a safe and affordable place to live is a constant challenge for many people living with HIV/AIDS across Contra Costa County. The research conducted for this plan indicates: • Homelessness and the underlying potential for homelessness is the number one housing Issue for low income people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. I Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • Many people living with HIV/AIDS in the County are also struggling with poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, physical disability and other stresses. These complex issues make succeeding in the general housing market difficult for many people, and addressing the specific health care challenges associated with BMAIDS, therefore, only one of the many components of providing appropriate FMAIDS housing. • There is not enough safe, affordable and appropriate housing for the 2,600 men, women and children living with AIDS or HIV infection in Contra Costa County. Why is housing so vital for people living with HIV/AIDS? Without secure housing, persons living with-HIV/AIDS are often unable to get the basic health care, social service and financial resources they need to live safe and healthy lives. • Homeless people are more likely to use emergency rooms for basic medical services—the most expensive treatment setting. • Most people living with HN/AIDS have a hard time living on their own when they get sicker. Accessing the supportive services than can help ease the pain of dying—services like home care, counseling, and home delivered meals—is nearly impossible without a stable place to live. • Providing safe and secure housing for people living with HIV/AIDS is also a public health intervention. People without a regular place to live may be more likely to engage in behavior that can transmit the virus, and housing increases health stability. How many people with HIV infection and AIDS live in Contra Costa County. i This plan uses the language `people living with HIV/AIDS' to describe the population targeted by the HIV/AIDS housing continuum and this plan. It is important, however, to understand the difference to acuity, or severity of illness, between HIV infection and `full- blown' AIDS. People infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, sometimes called `HIV positive' can maintain a good health status for years, particularly if they have no preexisting medical conditions. This is called `asymptomatic HIV infection'. Children, people with histories of substance abuse and people who cannot receive regular medical care, however, can become `symptomatic', or have increasingly complicated health issues, earlier in their disease process. Some of these symptoms, including weight 2 i Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan and muscle mass loss, fatigue, fevers and neurological impairments, can be so severe that people become disabled and have trouble living independently even before receiving a formal diagnosis of AIDS. Individuals are diagnosed with AIDS when they have one of many opportunistic infections, including types of pneumonia and cancers, fungal infection, `wastings' and dementia. Some people with AIDS are able to recover from these specific diseases and return to work. Others become progressively ill, and many people die two to five years after a diagnosis of AIDS. New treatments may increase the average life span of a person living with AIDS, but these therapies--the medications alone average$15,000 a year-- ' create great financial hardship. Contra Costa County has the ninth highest incidence of AIDS in the state of California. As of January 19, 1996: • 1,684 cumulative adult cases of AIDS have been reported throughout the County; • 8 pediatric cases have been reported; • 599 individuals were presumed to be currently living with AIDS; • 200 new HIV infections are reported each.year - 16 new cases each month; • Over 4,000 people are estimated to have become HIV-infected in Contra Costa County. A total of 2,600 people are assumed to be living with either AIDS or HIV-infection in Contra Costa County. Why is finding housing so hard for people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County? "I used to make $30,000 a ear selling cars. I of neumonia one and I ound out it Y g g P �Y .f was AIDS. Since then it has all fallen apart. And I ask myself Vow did this happen? 'All I want is a roof over my head I'm clean. I have no record I am just an average guy. And I just want someplace to stay the night, but I can't get the first and last and security together. I just will never have that kind of money. " -- focus group participant 3 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Poverty, illness, the need to be cared for, discrimination, isolation, and the high cost of housing all make it hard for people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing that meets their needs. Using'the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey conducted for this plan and the 1994 Oakland EMA Needs Assessment, we estimate: • At least 1,634 persons with HIV/AIDS living in the Oakland EMA are in need of housing assistance; • At least 130 people(five percent of the total)with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County live in shelters or on the streets. The AIDS epidemic has become increasingly concentrated in the most economically disadvantaged areas of cities. People with HIV/AIDS who are employed often have to stop working as their health declines, and eventually most people with HIV/AIDS live on Social Security and Social Security Disability. The health care costs associated with this disease are well documented, and the addition of new therapies, especially protease inhibitors, will only increase the financial burden. The poverty of people with HIV/AIDS is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that 50 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS in California receive Medicaid. Across the United States including Contra Costa County, the limited resources of the poor who have HIV/AIDS make dealing with this illness even more devastating. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey and focus groups conducted for this plan were particularly successful in reaching low income, high need people living with HIV infection. • The average rent paid by survey respondents in Contra Costa County is $439 a month and 65 percent pay between $400 and $900 a month in rent. • People with HIV/AIDS on SSI disability as their sole income source receive $624 a month. The fluctuating nature of the health of people living with HIV/AIDS presents an additional challenge. Even people whose health is relatively stable often have severe fatigue, high fevers and need help to continue to live on their own. • It is common for people with HIV/AIDS to have difficulty absorbing nutrients, causing the extreme loss of weight and muscle mass known as `wasting'. Home delivered meals become vital in order to avoid institutionalization. 4 i Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1 • One third of all HIV/AIDS Housing Survey respondents said they were chemically dependent making finding and keeping housing even more difficult. • As the disease progresses AIDS-related dementia, blindness, and a range of other terminal illnesses mean that people often require 24-hour care. Family members and friends caring for people in later-stage AIDS also need a break('respite care') so that they can continue to support their loved one. For some individuals with end-stage AIDS in need of 24-hour care, a Skilled Nursing Facility is the best or only option. Why does Contra Costa County need an HIV/AIDS housing plan? Making sure that there is enough appropriate housing for persons with HIV infection and AIDS has been a major concern for years. In Contra Costa County, that need has largely been addressed by a small collection of dedicated providers, including public agencies. The need for HIV/AIDS housing far exceeds the units provided by these projects. How to best meet that need, however, has been the subject of some debate in Contra Costa County. • What do people with HIV/AIDS need and want? • Which people living with HIV/AIDS are most in need of housing assistance? • How will decreasing resources impact HIV/AIDS housing development? • What is the best balance between short-term assistance, like rent subsidies, and long-term capital intensive projects? • Where should resources and new HIV/AIDS-dedicated housing units be located? • How can developers who have not been involved to date be encouraged to develop HIV/AIDS housing? • How can we increase community support for HIV/AIDS housing? 5 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • How can we address the needs of the hard-to-serve and hard-to-reach, including the homeless, and people living with HIV/AIDS and other disabling conditions, like mental illness and substance abuse? • How can we create a system which people with HN/AIDS will find fair and easy to use, and which will help them find housing which is appropriate to their needs? • How can we increase the chances that people will be successful in the housing that is provided? These tough questions could only be answered by an objective community-driven process ' involving housing and HIV/AIDS service providers, government and people living with HIV/AIDS. This plan provides a way to create a broad community understanding of what is needed and how the need can be met. The arrival of federal housing dollars dedicated to persons with HN/AIDS, called the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, provided an important opportunity to address the County's efforts in this more comprehensive manner. What is the oal of the plan? g One of the strengths of a community planning process is the rich and varied experiences which people contribute when joining together for a common purpose. The first—and sometimes most difficult—step is for the group to decide on a common vision for what the plan should accomplish. This is the primary goal for the Contra Costa County Multi-Year HIV/AIDS Housing Plan as articulated by the participants of the planning process: To develop a pragmatic and specific multi-year strategy to create a continuum of housing to meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in all regions of Contra Costa County. Who worked on the plan and how was it developed? The plan was initiated by the Contra Costa County Community Development Department in early 1995. The principal consultants for the plan were the staff of AIDS Housing of ' Washington, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization which both develops HIV/AIDS housing in Seattle and provides technical assistance to communities nationwide. 6 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan The plan is the final product of a community-based process which included site visits to HIV/AIDS housing providers, focus groups, a housing survey of persons living with HIV/AIDS, and a series of meetings with a community planning group made up of people and agencies with the greatest stake in HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County. The information gathering strategies included: • 90 HIV/AIDS Housing Surveys completed by persons living with HIV/AIDS, who currently access public services (those persons who are most likely to be in need of housing assistance); • 15 HIV/AIDS Housing Surveys completed by affordable housing developers active in the Bay Area; • 16 case managers and service providers surveys completed by service provider agencies; • 3 focus groups and site visits held for this plan; • Review of current HIV/AIDS epidemiology reports for the County provided by the HIV/AIDS Epidemiology and Surveillance Office of the Contra Costa County Public Health Department; • Review of 13 focus groups conducted in 1994 for the Oakland Eligible Metropolitan Statistical Area(EMA)HIV Planning Council (referred to as the 1994 Oakland EMA focus groups); • Review of the 1994 Oakland EMA HIV Services Needs Assessment Report (referred to as the 1994 Oakland EMA Needs Assessment) and Title I Ryan White CARE Act application; and • Review of additional key information, including the Contra Costa County Consolidated Plans for Housing and Community Development. Thelan was created with consistent and broad community input, including participation P Y P � gP P from HIV/AIDS housing and service providers, local health and community development agencies, and, through the focus groups, persons living with HIV/AIDS. This planning group met on a regular basis to develop and review this plan. The plan was reviewed throughout its development by the planning committee. 7 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan What are the main findings of the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey? The HN/AIDS Housing Survey reached low income people living with HIV/AIDS, many of whom had histories of homelessness and chemical dependency. For these individuals: • Finding and keeping housing is a crisis for many people with HIV/AIDS. • Homelessness and HIV/AIDS are an overwhelming—and common—combination. • Many more people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County could lose their housing at any time because of poverty. - • People with HIV/AIDS have complex health care needs and can't always get the health and supportive,services they need to stay independent. • Many people are struggling with substance abuse and mental illness in addition to HIV/AIDS. • Women and families with children affected by HIV/AIDS have unique social and support service needs which negatively impact their ability to maintain housing. • Poor rental and previous criminal histories make it hard for many people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing. • Some people living with HIV/AIDS feel they face discrimination when looking for and trying to keep housing in Contra Costa County. • People want to remain in their homes and live as independently as possible for as long as possible. What would improve HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County? This plan outlines steps that will help meet the immediate needs of people and improve the system for the families and individuals who will face HIV/AIDS for years to come. The plan sets out recommendations that, if funded and implemented, will: • Target the limited resources available to those most in need: the homeless, the very ill and those whose life histories make it very difficult to succeed in independent, permanent housing. I 8 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • Streamline access to housing and create an easy and reliable source of help to find safe and appropriate housing. • Develop programs and services so that people with HIV/AIDS who are homeless and sick, including people who right now are being released from the hospital to the streets, can become healthier and get help finding permanent housing. • Create housing for people who need help to reestablish their ability to live in independent, permanent housing. • Develop a safe and supportive environment for people with HIV/AIDS who are dying or have intense health care needs which make 24-hour care. . and services vital. • Provide help so that people can remain independently in their own homes for as long as possible. j What does the plan recommend? The plan makes recommendations in,five areas: • Populations which should be targeted for assistance; • Programs and services which impact the way people living with HIV/AIDS and professionals working with them access housing; • Programs and services to increase the number of units dedicated to persons with living with HIV/AIDS over five years; • Ways to improve the services people with HIV/AIDS need in order to remain independent; and How the plan should be implemented and resources allocated over the next five years. 9 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Priority population recommendations Many people living with HIV/AIDS have a hard time finding and keeping safe affordable and appropriate housing. Although the community based planning committee would prefer that all persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS would be targeted for the programs and services recommended by the plan, limited resources require that assistance be targeted to those most in need. HIV/AIDS housing resources should be targeted to individuals who meet these`threshold' characteristics: 1. Be disabled with HN/AIDS; 2. Be low income; and 3. Be either homeless or have unstable housing, including those being released from prisons or treatment programs and those at risk of homelessness by paying greater than 50 percent of their income for rent. (People paying greater than 30 percent of their income for housing costs are considered cost-burdened. People paying greater than 50 percent of their income for housing costs are considered to be severely cost-burdened). Within these `threshold' characteristics, the following populations of people receive. priority for HIV/AIDS housing and services: 1. Low-income people disabled with HIV/AIDS who have families and/or young children; and 2. Low-income people disabled with HIV/AIDS who are dually and triply-diagnosed with another disability(i.e. mental illness or chemical dependency). HIV/AIDS housing system recommendations The limited amount of resources available to create and maintain HIV/AIDS housing means that services need to be focused on those most in need: the homeless and people disabled with HIV/AIDS. The plan recommends four ways to improve the HIV/AIDS housing system for all people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, and for the agencies and individuals that provide support: 10 Contra Costa County IW/AIDS Housing Plan 1. Build on the existing system to centralize affordable housing information and referral; and facilitate access to the HIV/AIDS housing continuum. 2. Require people in HIV/AIDS housing programs to have a case manager and, when appropriate, money management services; and increase the number of money management slots and HIV/AIDS housing advocates in the County to the extent possible. 3. Create standards to help ensure the quality of all HIV/AIDS housing. 4. Encourage new housing developed for people disabled with HIV/AIDS to have the ability to become licensed. HIV/AIDS housing development recommendations There are two pressures on the HIV/AIDS housing system: to meet the immediate needs of homeless people disabled with HIV/AIDS and to develop a system of housing and services which will last for the duration of the epidemic. The pian recommends that resources be used to both meet the immediate needs of people who are homeless or at very high risk of homelessness through emergency assistance, to increase access of existing affordable and special needs housing, and to create housing programs through new construction, and/or acquisition and renovation of existing homes and apartments: 1. Continue funding for emergency housing but relocate program administration to the Centralized Housing Information and Referral and Intake System and re-configure the program as a limited Emergency Housing Fund. 2. Create a new short-term Intensive Housing Intervention program which provides rent subsidies with case management services and links to permanent housing. 3. Explore developing a new permanent supportive housing program for people who are living with HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and/or mental illness, are on the street, or are being discharged from drug treatment and/or correctional facilities. 4. Increase access to mainstream disabled and supportive housing, Section 8 certificates and vouchers, and permanent affordable housing stock, which contain many units which could be accessed by people living with HIV/AIDS. Continue efforts to increase usage of Shelter Plus Care. tt Contra Costa County HIV AIDS Housing Plan 5. Encourage the use of set-asides for persons with disabilities, including HIV/AIDS, in all.appropriate low income housing in development. Work specifically to create units in low income housing that are set aside for families in which a member of the family has HIV/AIDS. Ensure that these are at affordable rent levels and connected to appropriate supportive services. 6. Encourage the County to create new service-enriched emergency housing for medically-frail, low-income people being discharged from hospitals who are homeless but still need medical attention and provide funding for set aside-beds for people living with HN/AIDS in this program. 7. Participate with Alameda County in developing a plan to establish licensed long-term care facility to serve individuals in the final stages of HIV/AIDS in both Counties. , Support service recommendations Independent housing is preferred by the person living with HIV/AIDS, can help reduce community concerns, and can be cost efficient; however, maintaining independence is not simply a question of paying the rent. Many people with HIV/AIDS need supportive services in order to avoid a more institutional setting. The plan recommends: 1. Work within existing priority-setting systems to ensure that support services linked to housing for people with HIV/AIDS are funded adequately. 2. Maintain, and increase as needed, levels of support services which are most critical to success in housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, such as: case management; money management; transportation; attendant and home health care; and nutrition. Plan implementation and allocation recommendations There are not enough resources to meet the housing needs of all people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. The key to meeting the need is to coordinate planning and fund allocation, maximize existing resources and leverage other funds and programs. Homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness and poverty all intersect with HIV/AIDS, and each of the systems which provide support and housing to individuals affected by these issues share an obligation to meeting the needs of people with HIV/AIDS. 12 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1. Coordinate planning and fund allocation for HIV/AIDS housing and services and set criteria to encourage and maximize the efficient use of limited resources. 2. Increase community acceptance of the need for and benefits of HIV/AIDS housing and conduct an educational audit to determine the extent of HIV/AIDS-related housing discrimination in Contra Costa County. 3. Update the community on implementation of the HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1 and update the plan as needed to reflect community needs and achievements. Who can help? P It is true people are suffering because of the critical lack of HIV/AIDS housing, but due to the effort of housing and service providers and local public agencies, the situation in Contra Costa County is beginning to improve. • During the time this report was being written, 25 new units of HIV/AIDS housing were either opening their doors or in the planning stages. • Thislan was undertaken by Contra Costa Count Comunit P Y Y Development Department in large part to increase cooperation and understanding between County jurisdictions, housing developers, providers and HN/AIDS service organizations. The plan is a strong statement of the cities', County's, and broader community's commitment to respond to the housing needs of its citizens living with HIV/AIDS. • These goals will give both established and emerging housing and HIV/AIDS service providers a shared foundation on which to make tough decisions about the types of programs to develop. LThe plan illustrates clearly the crucial need for HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County and the clear community benefits of HIV/AIDS supportive housing. Providing a safe, appropriate and affordable home for people with HIV/AIDS—and all under-served populations—saves money, saves fives, affirms a sense of community and is supportive of community values. The entire community shares a responsibility to ensure that safe, affordable and appropriate housing exists for people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. The uncertainty of HIV/AIDS-specific housing funds (called HOPWA) from the federal government makes other resources, especially Ryan White funds, even more important. The plan makes specific recommendations for how HOPWA and other housing funds should to be allocated to programs and services. 13 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Creating a system of housing for people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa will take time, resources and cooperation. Real improvements will be made by people living with HIV/AIDS, housing providers, community-based and HIV/AIDS service organization& working toward common goals. Several individuals and agencies have already begun this work by coming together to create this plan. The plan was undertaken by Contra Costa County Community Development Department, with assistance from AIDS Housing of Washington. Special appreciation goes to the more than 40 people who participated in community meetings to j develop these recommendations, and to the 90 people living with HIV/AIDS who took the time to complete surveys and participate in focus groups. The next five years Creating a system of housing in Contra Costa County will take time, resources and cooperation. Real improvements will be made when people living with HN/AIDS, housing providers, community based organizations, HIV/AIDS service providers, federal, state and local government join forces to implement the strategies outlined in this plan. Accomplishment of plan objectives will be facilitated by: • Acceptance of this report as an important planning document by governmental jurisdictions within the County; • Advocacy and monitoring of progress by local jurisdictions and the broader HIV/AIDS community. This plan outlines a year-by-year strategy to increase housing options over the next five years. In light of the major changes anticipated in federal funding for housing, health and support services, the plan should be revisited approximately every six months. At that time the community should share progress on the specific recommendations of the plan, and troubleshoot any barriers to implementing the plan. The semiannual evaluation can also provide a time to reexamine the changing needs of people with HIV/AIDS. Meeting the goals of this plan-- creating a continuum of housing resources able to meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County now and into the future--will take leadership and commitment on the part of government agencies, housing providers, HIV/AIDS services providers and people with HIV/AIDS. The recent progress in HIV/AIDS housing and the voices contained in this plan speak to the challenges and opportunities. 14 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan n{ �£''}??i>i)+,,,v,.tv::}vt'}{:i::i>i"'::'::�•:ivy .4:i:2`}i�?:i:R2'•#}�:i}}ic:£:`:t` :>��{i,2v�t}:},}y �i�Y}i3�h4>>',:2•,�9�i,:,S,�N`?t�;i`.v%�i:i�{5.�}4»��},i,`D4kj`{.jY< . iii..iii::::: I 'C 1 on }:>.�:»3';:wRilM!?n?.;•`!.jt:"•ifir.::.:Six This section provides an introduction to the multi-year plan for HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County. It summarizes: • the planning process; • the region and funding sources discussed in the plan, including the Oakland Eligible Metropolitan Area and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds; • how the plan will be used; • critical issues raised in the planning process and addressed by.the plan; and • community and governmental roles in implementing the plan. jIt also provides a brief description of a similar planning effort in neighboring Alameda County and how these two HIV/AIDS housing plans are similar. How was the Contra Costa County Multi-Year HIV/AIDS Housing Plan created? ' The plan was initiated by the Contra Costa County Community Development Department and the City of Oakland in 1995. The community-wide planning process took place in the context of a larger HIV/AIDS housing planning effort taking place in the East Bay area. 15 Contra Costa County]W/AIDS Housing Plan The principal consultants for the plan were the staff of AIDS Housing of Washington, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization which both develops HIV/AIDS housing in Seattle and provides technical assistance to communities nationwide. The plan is the final product of a community-based process which sought to gather and summarize the needs and opinions of people and agencies with the greatest stake in HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County. The information gathering strategies included: • 90 HIV/AIDS Housing Surveys completed by persons living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County; • 15 HIV/AIDS Housing Surveys completed by housing developers; • 16 case managers and service providers surveys completed by service providers/agencies; • 3 focus groups and site visits held at HIV/AIDS housing facilities and health and supportive service centers in the County; • Review of current HIV/AIDS epidemiology reports for the County provided by the HIV/AIDS Epidemiology and Surveillance Office of the Contra Costa County Public Health Department; • Review of 13 focus groups conducted in 1994 for the Oakland (EMA) �. Ryan White CARE Act Title I Needs Assessment (referred to as the'1994 Oakland EMA Focus Groups'); • Review of the survey data collected for the 1994 Oakland EMA HIV Services Needs Assessment Report (referred to as the `1994 Oakland EMA Needs Assessment') and Oakland EMA Ryan White CARE Act Title I Supplemental Application; • Review of additional key information, including the Contra Costa County Consortium Consolidated Plans for Housing and Community Development; and • Meetings with housing, HIV/AIDS service, community development, and human service staff at several cities and towns in the County. 16 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan From June of 1995 through May of 1996, over forty dedicated citizens came together at five community meetings to review this information and deliberate on how the Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS housing continuum could be improved. At the initial meeting participants identified the goals and critical issues which would guide the development of the plan. The second meeting identified existing services and gaps in the HIV/AIDS housing continuum and reviewed the data collection instruments designed for the HIV/AIDS Housing Surveys. The third meeting looked at preliminary results of the HIV/AIDS Housing Surveys and generated ideas for how the gaps could be filled and priority needs established. The fourth meeting focused on the results of the HIV/AIDS Housing Surveys and the preliminary recommendations. The final meeting reviewed the plan and approved priority recommendations. Acknowledgments The plan was created with participation from HIV/AIDS housing and service providers, local health and community development agencies, and people living with HIV/AIDS. Special appreciation goes to the forty individuals who attended community meetings which developed these recommendations, to Christine Leivermann of the County Department of Health who oversaw the data collection and analysis, and Elizabeth Gearin of the Community Development Department, who documented the community meetings and oversaw the housing developer survey and provider data-collection and analysis. !� Special thanks go to the 90 individuals living with HIV and AIDS who took the time to complete yet another survey. The names of the planning participants precede the Executive Summary of the plan. The plan was funded with the support of the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Development of the City of Oakland. What area, funds and programs does the plan cover? In 1990, Congress authorized the Ryan White CARE Act. This Act provides emergency ,j funding to states and cities to provide health care and supportive services to people living with HIV/AIDS. Contra Costa and Alameda Counties together make up the `Oakland Eligible Metropolitan Area', the region of this part of California designated to receive CARE Act Title I funds. This area is referred to as the`Ryan White Title I EMA' or the Oakland EMA. A second Care Act allocation, Title H, goes to the state and is allocated on a regional level through Title H consortia, based on cumulative number of reported AIDS cases. 17 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan The main source of HIV/AIDS-specific housing funds in Contra Costa County is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program(HOPWA). HOPWA funds follow the CARE Act EMA designation and are allocated under the same formula to the largest municipality within the EMA. In Contra Costa County, HOPWA funds first go to the City of Oakland, which then gives funds to Alameda and Contra Costa counties based on the cumulative number of AIDS cases reported in each County. In Contra Costa County, HOPWA funds are administered by the Community Development Department at the County level. Why is this important? First, different federal grants have different requirements for how the local communities decide which services are most needed and how funds will be distributed to the community. CARE Act funding priority decisions are made by the Ryan White Title I Planning Council. This is a body of individuals selected from the community to represent diverse experiences and opinions during the funding priority and allocation process. Members include health care providers, social service agencies, and people living with HIV/AIDS. Each year, the Planning Council conducts an HIV/AIDS services needs assessment for the Oakland EMA, which sets priorities for services which should receive Ryan White CARE Act funds for Contra Costa and Alameda. For this reason, some of the information about the needs and preferences of people living with HIV/AIDS included in this report covers both Counties. The HOPWA program does not require a standing body of community members to oversee the priority setting process for these funds. Instead, agencies which administer HOPWA are required to consult with all local HIV/AIDS planning bodies and funders. Decisions about the use of HOPWA funds have been coordinated by the Contra Costa County Community Development and Health Services Departments, using competitive Requests for Proposals(RFP) process. Funding to date has been based on annual community input and consultation with the various community HN/AIDS priority-setting bodies, including the Title I Planning Council and the HIV/AIDS Consortium and the other entitlement cities. How will the plan be used? ' The Contra Costa County Multi-Year HIV/AIDS Housing Plan describes the existing housing continuum, identifies existing needs, and makes recommendations to improve the continuum. The plan will be used to: 18 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1) Set priorities for how HOPWA funds will be used in Contra Costa County; and 2) Provide guidance and direction to the Ryan White Title I Planning Council, Contra Costa County and local city and town governments as they seek to share in the creation of housing programs and services to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS. The creation of a multi-year plan: • Allows anonymous participation in decision making through the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey, making it possible for more people to be involved in the priority setting process. • Provides a long-term proces$that builds each year so that providers of HIV/AIDS housing can design or enhance programs based on a set of priorities. • Serves to increase cooperation and understanding between housing i developers, providers and HIV/AIDS service organizations. • Provides a strong statement of the cities', County's, and broader communities' commitment to respond to the housing needs of their citizens living with HIV/AIDS. • Establishes common mission and goals for HIV/AIDS housing outlined by the plan and sets clear priorities for the most efficient and cost effective use of the region's limited resources for HIV/AIDS housing. These elements of the plan will give both established and emerging housing and HIV/AIDS service providers a shared foundation on which to make tough decisions about the types of programs to develop. What is the oal of the plan? g The plan illustrates the crucial need for HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County and the clear community benefits of HIV/AIDS supportive housing. Providing safe, appropriate and affordable homes for people with HIV/AIDS—and all under-served populations—saves money, saves lives, affirms a sense of community and is supportive of community values. 19 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Hdusink Plan One of the strengths of a community planning process is the rich and varied experiences people contribute when joining together for a common purpose. The first(and sometimes most difficult) step is for the group to decide on a common vision of what the plan should accomplish. In addition to the three goals identified by the community planning group, the committee described and debated several critical issues. These goals and issues became the guiding tools for the development of the plan. Goals To develop a pragmatic and specific multi-year strategy to create a continuum of housing to meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in all regions of Contra Costa County by: ' • Identifying the housing needs of people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County; • Developing strategies to meet those needs with limited resources, including both housing and supportive services; and • Developing prioritized annual goals to address strategies and gaps in the system, including targeted populations to be served and integrating services and housing. Critical Issues and Criteria Several critical issues which will influence the success of the plan were also identified early in the planning process: • The funds available for housing and services will not be able to meet the needs of all people living with HIV/AIDS; therefore both mainstream affordable housing providers and special needs housing providers are essential. 20 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • Most people living with HIV/AIDS have a need for housing assistance of some type, including help finding a place they can afford as their income declines, assistance paying rent, and help to stay independent, like homemaking and home health care. There are not enough funds available to meet the needs of all people living with HIV/AIDS, therefore prioritizing both the populations to be served by HIV/AIDS-specific housing programs and the programs which should be funded with HIV/AIDS-specific funds is crucial. • There is little information about the housing needs or preferences of people living with HIV or AIDS, or how those needs and preferences differ by race, gender, life experience or area of the County. Who can help implement the plan? When this planning process began in the Spring of 1995, fewer than 10 units of housing were set aside for people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. Since that time, the six group home beds in Amara House have been joined by a program by Shelter, Inc. (4 1-bedroom units)Resources for Community Development's 11 unit Aspen Court, (in planning stage), and Rubicon Programs, Idaho Motel (10 Single Room occupancy units) in planning stage. This plan outlines a year-by-year strategy to increase the number of available units and resources over the next five years. Making sure that a continuum of HIV/AIDS housing exists in Contra Costa County is a shared and critical responsibility: • The governmental agencies which oversee and administer funding for HIV/AIDS housing and the supportive services which can help people maintain their homes, including the Contra Costa Department of Public Health, and the Contra Costa Community Development Department must continue to work together in order to ensure that existing housing programs, those coming on line and those envisioned in this plan, are supported in an efficient, effective and cooperative manner; • It is critical that all governmental jurisdictions within the County, including cities with the greatest numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS like Richmond, Antioch and Pittsburg, continue to increase their commitment and support to HIV/AIDS housing-, • Non-profit housing developers must continue to strengthen their capacity Y and commitment to serving people living with HIV/AIDS; 21 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan . • HIV/AIDS service organizations must integrate their programs with those of housing providers to ensure that people receive safe and appropriate housing; and People living with HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS service agencies must continue to advocate for the needs of people with HN/AIDS and actively monitor the progress made in implementing this plan and improving the continuum of HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County. The Alameda Housing Plan Alameda and Contra Costa Counties together comprise the"Oakland EMA" for the purposes of allocating funding and implemeliting programs for the HIV/AIDS housing and care services under the federal Ryan White CARE and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA)Programs. Although the two counties differ in many ways; there are strong similarities, and, more importantly, residents in the two counties cross County lines in their search for appropriate housing and services to meet their needs. In recognition of this phenomenon, and in hopes of better coordinating services to East Bay residents, the City of Oakland—the recipient jurisdiction for Ryan White and HOPWA funds—has taken the lead to coordinate bi-County needs assessment and planning. Recommendations in the two plans parallel each other, and fall within five common areas: priority populations, systems, housing development, support services and implementation. The attached summary of recommendations will enable the reader to quickly perceive the similarities and differences between the two plans. Of note, is one recommendation that occurs in both plans and requires bi-County coordination to implement. This recommendation calls for a planning process which will result in the development of a licensed long term care facility. The costs of such a facility, for both capital development and ongoing operations, and the necessity of achieving some economies of scale to provide operating efficiency preclude either county's ability to complete such a facility independently. Rather, the permeability of the County boundary, easy transportation links, and need to assure an adequate referral base dictate collaboration as the key to success. Further, both plans include a recommendation to develop standards to help ensure the quality of all HIV/AIDS housing To the extent possible, developing and implementing these standards should be undertaken jointly. 22 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan +!i!{:�:{;}:aiSSf iri�:}7JTT.'NJ}.%•Nr>S.`rn`iF 7»:jir}; ::v;j;;iYYY�y.{?;}y'ij:r}{j:},.\jj}jj}y:-.`.v{isj:• 'F. { in Contra Costa County NM­ "These are some of the factors potentially contributing to the setting and the continuation of the HIV epidemic: The lack of full acceptance of gay life-styles in the communities of the East Bay.... The economic disempowerment of residents of 1 the inner cities[makes]concerns about HIV infection likely to be secondary to the financial challenges of daily subsistence. The reality of sexism and women's oppression adds another layer to the contextual medium where HIV disease continues to propagate. " —'IV/AIDS Epidemiology of the East Bay', 1994. This section of the plan provides an overview of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Contra Costa County and how it differs by region. It includes: • an overview of Contra Costa County and the regions of the County; • the number of people estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in the entire County and by region; and • projections for how the epidemic is changing. An epidemic is defined as a sudden and unexpected appearance of disease. In 1996, however, high rates of HIV and AIDS—particularly among certain ethnic populations—is the norm for many parts of Contra Costa County. Public health officials have begun to redefine the HIV/AIDS crisis, saying that rather than a single epidemic, there are many `mini' epidemics affecting some neighborhoods and communities more than others. 23 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan This is the case in Contra Costa County. The County is one of California's most geographically and culturally diverse regions and includes five large cities, the"urban County" of Contra Costa, which includes thirteen additional cities, and ten unincorporated communities. While people living with HIV/AIDS live in each region of the County, depending on where one lives, the risk of becoming infected, the communities most affected, and the services available can be very different. Nevertheless all people, including people living with HIV/AIDS share a similar basic need—housing. Contra Costa County is geographically, ethnically and economically diverse. The County spans over 800 square miles and 28 towns and cities. Contra Costa County is often thought of as a collection of middle class suburban bedroom communities of the San Francisco and East Bay area; however, the County is far more diverse. This diversity and natural geographic boundaries have led residents to describe their County by regions: • East County is the fastest growing region of the County and includes large areas of agricultural land as well as the cities of Antioch, Brentwood and Pittsburg and the communities of Byron, Oakley, and Bay Point. The area has a large Hispanic population(20 percent). • Central and South County includes the cities and towns of Moraga, Clayton, San Ramon, Lafayette, Danville, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Walnut Creek and Concord. This area is predominately Caucasian (88.3 percent). • West County, includes the shoreline area of the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. This area is somewhat cut off from the rest of the County by the East.Bay Hills and includes Crockett, Kensington, Rodeo, El Sobrante, Hercules,North Richmond, Pinole, El Cerrito, San Pablo and Richmond. This area has the highest proportion of African American (25.6 percent) and Asian(6.2 percent) residents. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Contra Costa County In Contra Costa County, cases of AIDS and AIDS deaths are required to be reported to the department of health. Cases of HIV infection are not required to be reported, and thus, most epidemiological information is about AIDS and not both AIDS and HIV infection. The County operates a number of HIV testing sites, and information about people who choose to seek testing can also be analyzed. Because cases of AIDS and death from AIDS, as well as HIV testing data are available, this information can help discern the number of people assumed to be living with HIV/AIDS. 24 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan Contra Costa has the ninth highest incidence of AIDS in the state of California. As of January 19, 1996:` • 1,684 cumulative adult cases of AIDS have been reported throughout the County; .� 8 pediatric cases.have been reported; • 599 individuals were presumed to be currently living with AIDS. In addition to these reported cases of AIDS:' • 200 new HIV infections are reported each year•, 16 new cases each month; • Over 4,000 people are estimated to have become HIV-infected in Contra Costa County; and • 2,600 persons are currently estimated to be living with HIV-infection and/or AIDS. The Contra Costa County Health Services Department AIDS Program issues regular reports which measure the epidemic in the Contra Costa County and the East'Bay"'. These reports and others draw the following conclusions about the region's epidemic: • Contra Costa County has the state's ninth highest rate of HIV infection. 1,546 individuals have been diagnosed with AIDS in Contra Costa County; over 2,600 are estimated to be currently alive with HIV and AIDS. . • At least .5 percent of the entire County's population is estimated to be HIV infected, including 10 percent of all injection drug users (IDUs) and 11 percent of gay and bisexual men.. • Although white gay men continue to be the largest group (63 percent) of people living with HIV and AIDS, the epidemic is growing among heterosexual injection drug users (IDUs), women, African Americans and Latinos. In 1989, IDUs accounted for 14 percent of reported cases; in 1995, they accounted for 39 percent—a nearly three fold increase. Over 6 ' percent of IDUs entering treatment programs in Contra Costa County in 1994 were found to be HIV-infected; the rate for African Americans was four times as high-25 percent. 25 Contra Costa County MWAIDS Housing Plan • Injection drug users in Richmond have the highest HIV prevalence rate in the East Bay. In 1992, the rate was 27 percent compared to 17 percent in Northwest Oakland.' • Heterosexual drug use accounts for nearly 20 percent of all cases. The infection rate of HIV among African American drug users is 30.5 percent. • The number of people reported with AIDS in the 1990's will be twice that of the 1980's. An estimated 200 new HIV infections will be reported annually in Contra Costa County. • The incidence of HIV is highest among African Americans. While African Americans represent only 9 percent of the population they make up 27 percent of the cumulative cases of AIDS. • Women are increasingly affected by HIV/AIDS in the East Bay and in Contra Costa County. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) found that 1 out of 60 African American women in the East Bay is HIV-infected, the highest incidence in the state.of California." Women now represent 17 percent of all cases in Contra Costa County. More than half(53 percent) of these women have histories of injection drug use and over 30 percent are African American. • As more women are diagnosed with HIV and AIDS, more children will be affected. Nearly 50 HIV-infected babies have been born in Contra Costa; 8 children have been diagnosed with AIDS. One woman delivering a child in every thousand in the County is estimated to be living with HIV. HIV prevalence among childbearing women is higher in the East Bay than in any other area of California. To illustrate, in 1992, less than 6 percent of all California babies were born in the East Bay, but almost 20 percent of the state's HIV-infected babies were born in the East Bay. • Most cases are being reported in West and Central County. The cities with the largest numbers of cases of AIDS are Richmond (371), Concord (221) and Pittsburg (141). However, there are cases of AIDS reported in each community in Contra Costa County. 26 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan How does the epidemic differ by region of the County? While people living with HIV/AIDS live in each area of the County, the housing'and supportive services (such as transportation, in-home care and substance abuse treatment) available to individuals and families in need differ widely. Depending on where one lives, the risk of being infected(as measured by the`case rate') and the communities most affected can be very different. East County • A total of 314 cases of AIDS have been reported in the East County since • 1982; • 121 persons are estimated to be currently living with AIDS; 20 percent of the County's total; • The majority of AIDS population cases have been reported in Pittsburg (141) and Antioch (89); and • East County has the highest proportion of cases associated with heterosexual contact (7 percent), a high proportion associated with injection drug use(49 percent) and the highest proportion of cases among women(18 percent) and Hispanics(18 percent). Central County • A total of 722 cases of AIDS have been reported in Central County; • 247 persons are estimated to be currently living with AIDS (41 percent of the County's total) • The largest number of cases have been reported in Concord (221), Walnut Creek(153), and Martinez(74); and • Central County has the highest proportion of cases associated with male to male sex(77 percent) and among Caucasians (83 percent). 27 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan West County A total of 648 cases of AIDS have been reported in West County; Y; • 231 persons are estimated to be currently living with AIDS (39 percent of the County's total) • The largest number of cases in a Contra Costa city have been reported from the City of Richmond(371); San Pablo has reported 93 cases; and • West County has the highest proportion of cases among Afiican Americans (51 percent) and the highest proportion associated with injection drug use (31 percent). The proportion of cases among women is also high(15 percent). Conclusion The HIV/AIDS epidemic in each area-of the County may differ, but the information gathered in the creation of this plan reveals that the housing needs of people with HIV/AIDS are similar no matter where they reside in Contra Costa County. The`quantitative' data(like the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey and other studies) and the`qualitative' data gathered at focus groups and site visits point to several shared issues. The recommendations in this plan address both these similar issues and needs and the specific HIV/AIDS housing issues faced in each area of the County. Chief among these is people's need for a home that is safe, that meets their physical needs, and that they can afford. `Data for this section are taken from AIDS surveillance reports generated by the Contra Costa County Department of Public Health. 2TheHIVIAIASEpidemiologyRepor4 Contra Costa County,April 1995,which includes cases reported through March 31,1995,and the Oakland EMA Needs Assessment Report,1994. 'The HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Report,Contra Costa County,April 1995,and MAIDS Epidemiology Profile of the East Bay,Juan Reardon,MD,MPH,October 1994. ' HIVIAIDS Epidemiology Repor4 Contra Costa County,April 1995. University of California,San Francisco,Institute of Health Policy studies,Urban Health Study,John Waters,Ph.D. 6 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Profile of the East Bay, 1994. 28 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan X Nix: n Contra Costa County: 4:.•}j{iii n..i?:1....}?{?;}{:v v; S'?:;.:;.::i::i ii}:.S.::ii:.,>.•?'•;}:;ir4?:Cjni?::vfv.v] . ;.}}}}};.v{i:.i?;}iii%S•:L-:JCS}}:i�:;}3JY?:_ii There's way more people in Contra Costa than there 's room for—and I can see the changes since I went into San Quentin. The city has gone down hill. There is no work and there is no decent cheap housing. Pittsburg focus group participant This section of the plan provides an overview of housing in Contra Costa Count p g Y and places housing for people with HIV/AIDS in the broader context of ' homelessness, low income and special needs housing in the region. It discusses: • the characteristics of the housing market in Contra Costa County; • the average rents in each area of the County; • the number of HIV/AIDS housing units available in each region; and • the degree to which homelessness is an issue for all residents of Contra Costa County, including people living with HIV/AIDS. What is affordable housing? According to the federal government, housing is considered `affordable' if the amount a family or individual pays for housing, including utilities, is equal to or less than 30 percent of the adjusted household income. In other words, to be considered affordable, housing should cost no more than 30 percent of a person or family's total combined income, adjusted for certain allowances like unreimbursed medical costs, household size and reasonable child care expenses. Lack of affordability is measured in terms of`cost burden'. If a family or individual pays more than 30 percent of their total income for housing they are considered to have a`cost burden'; if they pay more than 50 percent the burden is considered`severe'. 29 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan If a single person disabled with HIV/AIDS received as their only source of income the average Social Security Insurance(SSI) income of$626, for example, their monthly rent and utility payments would have to be no more than $187 to be considered `affordable'. What Is the housing market In Contra Costa County? Affordable housing is elusive for many individuals and families in Contra Costa County. r Housing construction has not kept pace with the area's growth, and as a result affordable housing has diminished. Rents are higher here than in many parts of the nation, and the vacancy rates are lower. Like many areas of California, some parts of Contra Costa County, particularly the more urban regions, have recently faced economic hardships. Other regions of the County, however, have seen a growth in the economy, and, consequently, in the value of their homes and the cost of housing. • The median value of homes was over$250,000 in 1990, not within reach of many working families.' • The Contra Costa Consolidated Plan for 1995-1999 estimates that 5,700 new units of housing are needed every year to meet the need of people moving into the area. Contra Costa County has the third highest average annual income in the State of California. For many individuals and families, the rising prosperity has not reached their homes and neighborhoods: • Richmond, the area with the highest number of reported AIDS cases (353) also has one of the lowest median annual household income, ( $38,429) (1990). By contrast, unincorporated Alamo had the lowest number of reported AIDS cases (9) and one of the highest median annual incomes($117,595). The rising economy and subsequent growth in housing has not, however, always resulted in the development of new affordable housing. The Contra Costa County HOME Consortium found that the greatest housing problems facing residents were overpayment, or`cost burden'. • Nearly% of all extremely low income households pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent—more than 16,700 families in all. 30 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan - r • . 59 percent of these families pay more than 50 percent of their income on rent— 13,100 households. • The Association of Bay Area Governments estimated that an additional 8,600 units of housing are needed or families with incomes under$19,075 a year. • Less than 20 percent of the entire stock of rental housing is affordable to households which earn less than 50 percent of the area median income, or $22,425. Many people with HIV/AIDS who receive disability, however, have annual incomes of$7,512. • There are a total of 11,183 households on Section 8 and public housing unit waiting lists in Contra Costa County, excluding the city of Richmond.' How does housing differ in the regions of Contra Costa County? The cost and availability of affordable housing differ widely across the regions of Contra Costa County. In 1990, median rents in the area ranged from a low of$257 per month in North Richmond to a high of$1,046 in Clayton. The number of units dedicated to people living with HIV and AIDS does not differ as widely: less than 20 units of housing are dedicated to persons with HIV/AIDS in all of Contra Costa County. The following outlines the general housing market and the HIV/AIDS dedicated units by region: • The median rent for Contra Costa County in 1990 was $615. • In East County the 1990 median rent in Pittsburg was $506; in Antioch it was $564. There are 4 assisted/affordable 1 bedroom units reserved for low-income people with HIV and AIDS in East County. • Central and South County had some of the highest average rents in 1990 in the region and the highest percentage of home owners. The median rent in Concord was $618; in Walnut Creek it was $675. Although there are currently no HIV/AIDS-dedicated units in Central County, 11 units are in development. • West County 1990 median rents were $504 in Richmond and $503 in San Pablo. This area has the lowest percentage of owner-occupied housing in the County. A total of 6 HIV/AIDS-dedicated beds in a group setting are available in West County and an additional 10 units are in development. 31 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan Homelessness in Contra Costa County Given the scarcity and expense of market-rate housing it is not surprising that: • Between 2,722 and 4,000 individuals and families are homeless in any given month in Contra Costa County; and • 15,000 individuals and 4,000 families are estimated to experience an episode of homelessness during any one year. The areas with the greatest degrees of homelessness are North Richmond, Bay Point, Pittsburg, San Pablo and the Pacheco area near Concord. These areas also have among the highest numbers of residents living with HIV and AIDS. For people with HIV/AIDS, very low incomes and the expense of the market combine to make the risk of homelessness even more acute: • The average Social Security Income payment to a persons with HIV/AIDS is $626; • The median gross rent in Contra Costa County is $615; and • HIVIAIDS Housing Survey respondents spent an average of$20 a month on medical care. This scenario leaves a typical low income person with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County a deficit of$9 a month! The stress of not having a place to live or enough money for food is overwhelming to many. As one homeless focus group participant said, "You can't go find a job when you're hungry and don't have food. I have never experienced this kind of hunger. " This situation is even more acute for people with non-disabling HIV infection who do not qualify for SSI and may receive only $300 in General Assistance. One study of General Assistance recipients found that the average amount a single, low income person needs to spend on expenses each month is $161 for food and $106 for nonfood items; since people with AIDS need a high caloric and high protein diet to help keep healthy their costs may be even higher.' 32 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing:Plan The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey, which reached people most likely to be in need of housing assistance, provides the details of the crisis implied by this scenario: • 31 percent of respondents had experienced homelessness since learning of their HIV status; and • 35 percent of respondents had experienced at least 1 episode of homelessness in the past 5 years • 4 percent were currently homeless, living on the streets, in cars, in abandoned building or in shelters. The results of the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey are described in the following section of the plan and illustrate the realities of finding and keeping affordable housing in Contra Costa County for people living with HIV and AIDS. 1 Information for this section is taken from the HOME Consortium Consolidated Plan,Contra Costa County,February, 1995.The Consortium does not include the City of Richmond. 'Consolidated Plan,Contra Costa County HOME Consortium,June,1995. 'Homelessness in Alameda County,The Housing and Community Development Program of the Alameda County Planning Department,1995. I 33 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan l '{ r}:?:ii: iiY::i:;'iiii:.t;_.:.'>{:.<?{:ii'4::i F". '14 n'tii•:J:\�,�j3.V W{ :r;:' ,. ..: A: Housing Survey Results [i}....;..iii:::>.;:}y,'�::•:+Y'::Y,n4: i::0:;::'i.i.:.,y. M::.: Man, I wish I had control of these funds. My top priority would be mothers with kids who are homeless. I would provide shelter to these kids. " - focus group participant This section of the plan presents the results of 90 HIV/AIDS Housing Surveys and the three focus groups conducted for the HIV/AIDS Housing Plan. It also describes the methodology and limitations of the survey research, the demographics of respondents, and major conclusions which can be drawn from the research. The HIV/AIDS Housing Study Methodology The quantitative and qualitative data collection process for the Contra Costa County Multi-Year HIV/AIDS Housing Plan had several components: a sur:ey of 90 people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, three focused discussion groups of individuals living with HIV/AIDS held at a variety of HIV/AIDS service providers in the County; and a review of additional data collection efforts conducted for previous or concurrent planning processes. This section of the plan presents the data from these efforts. ' The information from these activities was presented and reviewed by a community-based planning committee, whose members provided input and information to the process. The following provides a brief overview of the methods associated with the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey data collection activity and the limitations of the process. 1 35 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan ._ The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey Originally, it was hoped that the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey could be completed by 10 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS in the County, or about 200 people. This `sample' (or group of people who filled out the survey) would be large enough to be `representational' (or be like) all the people living with HIV/AIDS in the County. It became apparent that the ideal sample size of 10 percent.was beyond the resources of the County Health Services Department AIDS Program. There are several reasons why the Department felt that the original number was not achievable, including: • People with living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, particularly West County, have been asked to complete many surveys about their needs and experiences over the past few years. As a result, many people living with HIV/AIDS are tired of participating in surveys, and did not agree to participate; • People living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, particularly people who receive their health care from private doctors and people staying at public emergency shelters, are leery of losing their confidentiality; and • The budget for this plan did not allow for substantial payment for - completing the survey, while other surveyors are offering significant compensation for participation in current and upcoming surveys. These reasons led to the decision to strive for a sample of 100 individuals, approximately 5 percent of the estimated HIV-infected community, to use as a baseline assessment of housing needs in the County. In all, 90 people completed the survey, about 4 percent of people estimated to be alive with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County. The survey was based on similar surveys used for HIV/AIDS Housing Plans in other jurisdictions. Separate surveys were developed for people living with HIV/AIDS, for case managers and for housing providers in the County. A small group, consisting of three HIV/AIDS case managers, an HIV/AIDS Housing Advocate, a planner from the Contra Costa County Community Development Department, and a planner from the County AIDS Program modified the consumer survey tool to solicit the additional information required by this County. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey contained over 40 questions designed to help the planning group better understand the barriers people living with HIV/AIDS face when trying to find and keep housing which meets their financial and physical needs and to 36 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan access which types of housing program and services people in Contra Costa County prefer. The broad interest was for information on stage of disease, household size, monthly household income, amount of income spent on housing, barriers which might influence the type of housing available to individuals with HIV/AIDS, and use of existing resources. In several questions, respondents were asked to rank choices. Many individuals did not rank but simply marked the number 1 or the letter"x" next to many of the variables. All those who marked at least one response were included in the tally. The numbers (one through five) were assigned opposite values and then summed across respondents. In the instance where an"x" was placed, the response was interpreted as a number 1 (one). This survey was conducted as a`convenience sampling', meaning that participation was not based on a random or scientific process but on individuals agreeing to participate when asked. More than 700 surveys were distributed to service agencies, providers, related County programs, hospitals, and to Kelevant members of the HIV Interagency Service Providers' Network. Five outreach workers facilitated the distribution of surveys to individuals not currently accessing public services. Case managers, agency volunteers and other providers distributed surveys to their clients. The County AIDS Program offered"housing clinics" at several sites to provide additional assistance to consumers in completing the forms. An attempt was also made to encourage responses from individuals currently within the private-sector health care system. None of the completed surveys are coded with the private sector code, indicating that all those who returned the surveys are receiving publicly funded services, know where to access publicly funded services, or have been contacted by publicly funded outreach workers. The fact that no surveys were completed by people in the private pay sector, who may be of higher income or currently employed, also influences the high need indicated among most housing survey respondents. Therefore, some of the conclusions drawn are the direct result of the population surveyed - very-low income individuals with unstable housing who require a multiplicity of services. The characteristics of this population guided subsequent development of priority population recommendations. Additional studies consulted iThis plan also draws on additional sources of information regarding the housing and service needs of people living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County, including: iThe 1994 Oakland EMA Needs Assessment, which surveyed 316 individuals receiving HIV/AIDS care and services—one quarter of whom were Contra Costa County residents; 37 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • The Contra Costa County.Consolidated Plan, 1995-1999; and The 1995 Title I EMA Application for CARE Act funding. ' PP .g Limitations of the data gathering strategies Any survey data based on a convenience sample its by nature not statistically representative, and the conclusions cannot, thereiFore, be generalized to the entire population being studied. To know if a survey is representational, one needs to know the total number of people who could be surveyed and what those people are like in terms of their demographics(race, age, sex, etc.). The total number of individuals living with HIV and/or AIDS in Contra Costa County, however, its unknown. Estimates are also hard to create, since the decision to seek testing or health care treatment is influenced by many. factors. First, not all people who have HIV are aware that they may be infected and thus do not seek testing. Second, continued concerns about breach of confidentiality lead some people to seek anonymous testing outside the County, and these tests are not included in estimates. Third, people who have little or no access to health care may not know how or where to access HIV testing. Finally, despite Health Department policy to provide services to all individuals regardless of their residency status, undocumented people fear they will be deported if found to be HIV-infected, and Proposition 187 has only increased this fear. Because the total number of people living with HIV infection, or the total number of people alive with HIV/AIDS, cannot be determined,.it is not possible to state with complete certainty to what degree this survey research effort is representative of all people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. Therefore, the results can not be generalized to the entire HIV/AIDS population in Contra Costa County. , Some HN/AIDS housing advocates, case mangers and people living with HIV/AIDS expressed concerns that the reading level of the survey was very high and that the complexity of the survey instrument reduced the number of people who were willing to take part. The other primary limitation of the study has to do with the small sample size and the fact that, like with most surveys, not all respondents answered all questions. Questions asking respondents to rank choices and preferences were poorly completed by those who self-administered the survey. Because participants were offered a small stipend for participation and were largely recruited through HIV/AIDS service providers, the degree to which the survey is representative of the population is further diminished. Additionally, analysis of some questions identified areas where not enough information was requested, such as the amount illegal drugs used or concurrent use of different substances. 38 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Finally, because the questions did not focus on cultural issues, little data is available about the housing needs or preferences of specific ethnic or language groups. Nonetheless, demographic comparisons between the HIV/AIDS population at large and the survey respondents indicate that the results of this survey are a reasonable baseline from which to develop a plan for housing services within the County. Both nationally and locally the epidemic is moving from the predominantly gay white male population to the ' heterosexual injection drug using population. The number of new cases among heterosexual women of color who either have used drugs or who are partners of injection drug use(IDU) has sky rocketed. In the 1980's women constituted 4.7 percent of the total East Bay women diagnosed with AIDS. Currently, women in Contra Costa comprise 17 percent of the population living with AIDS. Nearly 70 percent are women of color and more than half have a history of IDU. This data is particularly helpful in designing a continuum of HIV/AIDS housing to meet the needs of people with low incomes and more complex health and social service needs. , Focus Groups The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey provided the planning process with a great deal of quantitative data about the needs and experiences of people living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County. This information is objective and measurable—but it is only part of the picture. To fully understand the HIV/AIDS housing continuum in the County and the needs and hopes of people trying to find their way through the housing system, it was important to spend time at the actual housing sites and with individuals. These conversations took the form of focused group discussions with seventeen people who were willing to share their experiences. The three focus groups were held at the Pittsburg Pre-school, the Tranquillium Center and the Antioch office of AIDS Alliance. The results from these more `qualitative' aspects of the data collection are included throughout the plan in the form of quotations which illustrate the main findings of the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey and the gaps in the housing continuum. How do people who completed the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey and participated in the focus groups compare to people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa ' County? The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey participants are broadly representative of all people living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County, but is particularly representative of people who are most likely to be in need of housing and housing related services. Respondents indicated high levels of poverty and complex health and social support needs. While not all people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County have extremely low incomes, the 1 39 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan recommendations of the HIV/AIDS Housing Plan are designed to assist those in greatest need: the homeless and extremely low income people disabled with HIVWDS. Therefore, while the survey sample is small and not representative of the diversity of individuals whose lives are affected by HIV and AIDS, it does provide information which is of particular use to the purposes of this plan. The survey data and the information gathered r from the focus groups are also useful because it is more reflective of trends in the epidemic, particularly the rise in cases among people of color, injection drug users, and women. Participants in the focus groups were also representative of higher-need people living with HIV/AIDS. The majority had experienced homelessness since their HIV infection, and most had a history of substance abuse or were currently using drugs, primarily heroin. All were low income, and all had current housing needs. Table 1 illustrates the survey sample as coMpared to people living with AIDS (not HIV) in the County. How do these respondents compare to people who receive HIV and AIDS services? In a review of housing advocacy data.of 151 clients served by HOPWA- and CARE-funded housing advocates during the period between April 1, 1994 and March 31, 1995, several similar themes emerged which complement and validate the survey findings: • 59 percent of service recipients are African American, 7 percent Latino/Hispanic, and 34 percent Caucasian. Half the population served during this period had a diagnosis of AIDS, and the majority of those served received their diagno-sis some time in the last five years. • 16 percent are homeless, 93 percent have incomes under$900 per month and 59 percent live alone and/or do not have others contributing to their household income. • 87 percent received some form of public insurance/entitlement program , assistance. These percentages closely mirror the survey results presented above and offer further , validation of its use as baseline information on which to support a housing plan for low- income people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. 40 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Table 1:Comparison of HIV/AIDS Epidemiology and Survey Respondents I Demographic Variable Persons living with AIDS only as Survey respondents of October 1,1995 (includes both AIDS and (n=608) HIV)n--90 Age at diagnosis Age when surveyed <5 6 (<1 percent) 0 (<1 percent) 5-12 2 (<1 percent) 0 (<1 percent) 13-19 4 (<1 percent) 0 (<1 percent) 20-29 197 (12.1 percent) 1 (1 percent) 30-39 689 (42.4 percent) 25 (27.8 percent) 40-49 492 (30.3 percent) 37 (41 percent) 50 and above unknown 235 (14.5 percent) 12 (13.3 percent) n/a 15 (16.6 percent) Note:reflects cumulative AIDS cases(n=1625) Sea of Adults Male 503 (83 percent) 40 (46.6 percent) Female 105 (17 percent) 42 . (44.4 percent) Transgender unknown 1 (1.1 percent) unknown n/a 7 (7.7 percent) Race Caucasian 327 (54 percent) 27 (30 percent) African American 200 (33 percent) 45 (50 percent) Hispanic 63 (10 percent) 4 (4.4 percent) Asian/P.I. 13 (2 percent) 1 (1.1 percent) Native American 4 (<1 percent) 1 (1.1 percent) Other/Unknown 1 (<1 percent) 12 (13.3 percent) Residence West county 619 (38.1 percent) 51 (56.6 percent) East county 300 (18.5 percent) 12 (13.3 percent) Central county 694 (42.7 percent) 9 (10.1 percent) Unknown/other 12 (0.74 percent) 18 (20 percent) Note:reflect cumulative AIDS cases(n=1625) 41 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan What did the survey reveal about people living with HIV and.AIDS? l with Sin The survey and focus groups reveal the difficulty of living wit HIV/AIDS Contra Costa County and the impact that poverty and health status have on people's ability to ' find and keep safe, secure and affordable housing. • Finding and keeping housing is a crisis for many people living with HIV/AIDS. • Homelessness and HIV/AIDS are an overwhelming—and common—combination. • Many more people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County could , lose their housing at any time because of poverty. • People living with HIV/AIDS have complex health care needs and can't always get the health and supportive services they need to stay independent. • Many people are struggling with substance abuse and mental illness in addition to HIV/AIDS. • Women and families with children affected by HIV/AIDS have unique social and support service needs which negatively impact their ability to maintain housing. • Poor rental and previous criminal histories make it hard for many people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing; , • Some people living with HIV/AIDS feel they face discrimination when looking for and trying to keep housing in Contra Costa County. , • People want to remain in their own homes and live as independently as possible for as long as possible. Finding and keeping housing is a crisis for many people living with HIV/AIDS `I need someone to help me find housing can afford. I've been homeless ten times in the past three years. " -- survey respondent 42 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey asked people to identify their current housing situation and found that significant numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS in the County face barriers and difficulties locating and keeping their housing, are currently homeless, or are at risk of losing their housing: • More than half of all survey respondents felt they needed housing assistance; • 25 percent indicated that they were on a waiting list for government assistance; and • 27 percent of those currently on the waiting list indicated that they have been waiting for more than 5 years for government housing assistance. Many people also did not feel that the services available to them would be much help, and felt largely unaware of the services which do exist: • 44 percent said that a lack of client and/or provider knowledge prevented them from receiving assistance. ' The individuals surveyed also had a high degree.of instability in their housing: • 35 percent indicated that they had been homeless at least once in the last 5 years; and • 26 percent had moved 3 or more times in the last 3 years. • The primary reason for moving was to get away from the old neighborhood, but other reasons included a decline in income/no money for rent and to move closer to family. The consequences of instability in housing among people living with HIV/AIDS have both individual and public health consequences. Since learning of their HIV/AIDS diagnosis, • 30 percent of people who experienced difficulties locating a place to sleep had spent the night in a car; and • 9 percent had traded sex for a place to spend the night. 43 Contra Costa CountyMV/AIDS-Housing Plan- - The Oakland EMA Needs Assessment gives us other information about the need for HIV/AIDS housing services in the East bay as a whole: • More than 40 percent of the people who said they needed housing services were not receiving help; • 27 percent of the people who got help were unsatisfied with the help they received; • 23 percent received financial assistance to help pay for utilities; • 28 percent reported needing ongoing rental assistance(Section 8); and • 18 percent reported needing free or subsidized housing for 6 months or more (transitional housing)., Homelessness and HIV/AIDS are an overwhelming—and common—combination "I am homeless right now. I should have a place to live. It has been damn rough. " I -- focus group participant The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey performed for this study found: • 31 percent of all respondents had experienced homelessness since they learned of their HIV infection; • Half had been homeless at least once in their lives; and , • 35 percent homeless in the last 5 years; and • 4 percent were currently without a place to live. In addition, 13 percent of CARE Act clients in Alameda and Contra Costa counties stated they were homeless. 1 . - r 44 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1 Current Housing Status Transitional Housing SRO Rented Room Rental Unit Public Housing Own Home Homeless Group Home Friends Home Emergency Shefter ' 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 The impression given by this data was confirmed in the focus groups and in the community planning meetings, Time and again, individuals voiced their concerns about homelessness or the threat of be coming`homeless. A 1992 report by the National Commission on AIDS estimated the rate of HIV infection -among homeless persons to be between 15 and 20 percent. Using this estimate rate, between 390 and 520 people living with HIV or AIDS in Contra Costa County are without shelter, and many more are at risk of becoming homeless. ' The reasonsP eople became homeless are numerous and interrelated, including: ' 0 97 percent were unable to afford their rent (30 of 31); • 90 percent because of alcohol or drug use (28 of 31); • 39 percent became homeless because of eviction due to non-payment of rent, drug use, and/or discrimination, fire, etc. (12 of 31); and • 35 percent were`forced out' by family or partners (11 of 31). People living with HIV/AIDS who participated in the focus groups had even higher ' degrees of homelessness. Of the seventeen focus group participants, 80 percent were currently homeless. Drug use was identified as the primary reason for homelessness, with high costs of rents as the second reason. 45 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan:: ' Many in the focus groups were frustrated by the lack of opportunity for stable lives and stable housing. Concerns include: limited job opportunities; limited housing; the ' widespread availability of drugs; decreased income; frustration generated at providers and local government; issues of the cost of telephone calls to access programs, services and the voice mail systems used by housing program providers; perceived and discrimination based on HIV/AIDS status and drug addiction. Some of the focus group participants had recently been released from San Quentin federal penitentiary. For these individuals, the chances of finding work and a place to live seemed even more remote: , Many more people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County could lose their homes at any time because of poverty `I want something stable, but you have to have three times your income to move into an apartment, and I can It save that. " --focus group participant Like other Americans, many low-income people living with HIV/AIDS are only one unexpected financial emergency away from homelessness. The highest rates of AIDS in the East Bay are in those neighborhoods with the lowest median annual incomes.' The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that people live on very low fixed incomes and spend most of their income on housing. Theoverty of many people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa Count was well P Y documented by the survey: The majority of families and individuals surveyed exist on monthly incomes I J Y Y Y of$650 or less; • 60 percent of the respondents indicated that their income was the only source of income in the family; • 37 percent indicated that they supported at least one other individual; and • Of those with one or more dependents, 42 percent claimed 2-5 dependents. 46 1 Contra Costa County MMAIDS Housing Plan Table 2: Incomes Individual Monthly Income n=77 Household Monthly Income n=50 Income Number Percent Income Number Percent <$650 51 66.2 <$650 21 42 $651-1,000 19 24.7 $651-1,000 11 22 $1,001-1,500 4 5.2 $1,001-1,500 12 24 >$1,500 3 3.9 >$1,500 6 12 Table 2 indicates the degree of poverty faced by these families and individuals. Only 3 out of 77 individuals had incomes of over $18,000; only 6 of 50 households had incomes in that range. The majority of low income people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, as in other parts of the country, rely on public assistance to survive: • 14 percent of respondents receive government assistance in order to keep the housing that they have; and • 89 percent of respondents receive at least one form of public assistance. ' The poverty experienced by these families is further exacerbated by the fact that most of what little money they have is spent on rent: • 33 percent of respondents spent between $400 and $590 per month on rental payments; and • 32 percent paid between $600 and $900 on their monthly rent. The largest percentage of respondents (50 percent) lived in a rented room or apartment. While these individuals have a place to stay currently, many are in unstable housing because of high housing cost. To be considered `affordable', housing should cost no more than 30 percent of a family's adjusted income. Households which spend more than 30 percent of their gross monthly income on housing are considered to be `cost burdened'. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey measured the incidence of cost burden by comparing income, expenses, and rent, and found that: 47 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Benefits Received Waiver Veterans Prioete Insurance SSI SSA SDI Pd%ete Disability Medicare Medi-Cal General Assistance AFDC ' 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 • 60 percent of HIV/AIDS Housing Survey respondents renting or owning housing spent more than 50 percent of their income on their rent or mortgage; and • An additional 23 percent spent more than 30 percent. 48 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Pian This means that only 17 percent of those individuals who completed the survey were in `affordable 'housing! Percentage of Income Spent on Housing 1 17% ❑<30% 23% :>50% 60% Y In addition to the 4 percent of survey respondents who were currently without a place to live, an additional 18 percent are in danger of losing their housing because they are in transitional housing, are staying with friends, or are staying in a shelter. Table 3 summarizes all the information from the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey which illustrates the degree to which homelessness and unstable ' housing is a factor in the lives of low-income people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County: 49 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housinnflan - Table 3: Housing Instability Risk Percentage Currently homeless 4 Staying in temporary-housing 18 Spend 50 percent or more of income on 60 P housing Spend 30 percent or more of income on 23 housing Previous eviction 39 ' People living with HIV/AIDS have complex health care needs and can't always get the health care or supportive services they need to stay independent "Now I got to go to the doctor because I am real sick, but I don It have an address so I don't know how I am going to work that. The doctor's got his house—let me get one too and then I'll see about a doctor!" -- focus group participant Both people living with symptomatic HIV infection and those disabled with HIV/AIDS face an array of painful, complex health issues ranging from severe weight loss and fatigue in the earliest stages, to mental impairment, pneumonia, cancers, blindness, and loss of major organ functions in the later stages. The housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS can change as the disease progresses; often in-home and.ancillary supportive services are needed in order to avoid costly institutionalization. These services are not always available. Most of those surveyed have a diagnosis of AIDS or disabling HIV. While slightly more women than men have a diagnosis of AIDS, the HIV status by gender is relatively consistent between men and women. More than 63 percent of the respondents have received their current diagnosis since 1991. Fully one third of this number(21 percent of the total respondents) received their current diagnosis in 1995. 50 Contra Costa Count HN/AIDS HousingPlan Respondents' HN Status 19SG ❑HN Disabled a HN Positive 51 SG xAIDS - 3oX Respondents were also likely to have more than one health condition that could impact their ability to maintain independent housing. One third indicated that they had a physical- disability, including hearing or vision loss. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey, the 1994 Oakland EMA Needs Assessment, and other information about the health care status of people living with HIV/AIDS in the region reveals: ' 23 percent of HIV/AIDS Housing Survey respondents had an AIDS diagnosis and were potentially in need of a higher degree of support services to maintain housing. • Tuberculosis(TB) continues to be a concern. (It is estimated that by the year 2000, 10 percent of all people living with HIV/AIDS will be co-infected with this highly contagious airborne infection and ' life-threatening disease). Contra Costa County reported 103 new cases of TB in 1995. Of these, 8 were resistant to one drug therapy and need more intensive health care services. When questioned as to the most important housing-related supportive services necessary to retain housing, transportation was ranked the most important, followed by benefits counseling, emotional support, practical support and access to meals/nutritional counseling. Not surprisingly, the same five issues were also identified as the top unmet needs. Transportation is particularly important since the survey found that 18 percent of respondents received their health care at hospitals outside of Contra Costa County. 51 I,.ontra-Costa County HIVUEDS.Housing Plan Many people are struggling with substance abuse and mental illness in. addition to HIV infection and AIDS `7f you say no to drugs in this Countyyou are really in the minority. It's a sad reality. There is nothing here but drugs. -- focus group participant In Contra Costa County, substance abuse, homelessness and HIV/AIDS go hand in hand. Both focus group and survey participants indicated that substance abuse both placed them at risk for acquiring HIV/AIDS and continues to place them at risk for losing their housing: • More than half the survey respondents indicated that using needles placed , them at risk for HIV/AIDS; • 31 percent indicated that they had a chemical dependency; ' • 32 percent are in a methadone program currently; • 44 percent report using drugs and/or alcohol; • 44 percent report having used heroin; • 22 percent report having used crack; • 38 percent report having used cocaine; and • 31 percent of all respondents say they had become homeless because of , substance abuse. People are also struggling to maintain or reattain a degree of recovery and sobriety, but substance abuse treatment slots are hard to come by and illness and poverty add to the difficulty of this goal: • 45 percent of the respondents indicated that they are currently in some type of substance abuse program; and ' • Another 43 percent indicated that they felt they needed some form of treatment. , 52 ' r Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1 Drugs Ever Used No Drugs Other Prescription Drugs Non-prescription Pills Marijuana Heroin Crack Cocaine Alcohol 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 1 This means that only 12 percent of respondents had no current or previous 1 chemical dependency or did not want drug treatment. ' Substance abuse services are also hard to receive in the East Bay: • 17 percent of the 1994 Oakland EMA Needs Assessment participants were Iunable to receive the substance abuse services they said they needed in that survey; and ' 14 percent of people in the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey who wanted help to quit using drugs were unable to get the help they needed. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that the most common reasons for not entering therapy/treatment included lack of transportation, location of site and cost of program. Mental illnessresents an additional challenge to man people living with HIV/AIDS. p g YP P g National studies indicate that 10-20 percent of homeless individuals suffer from severe mental illness.4 Forty percent of all people living with HIV/AIDS eventually develop significant neurological problems; as many as 90 percent have central nervous system damage by the end of life.' Of the survey respondents: • 21 percent indicated a history of depression. 1 53 r Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan Mental health care is also difficult for people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County to obtain: • 23 percent of those persons using mental health services were not satisfied , with their care. Women, and families with children affected by HIV/AIDS, have unique social and support service needs which negatively impact their ability to maintain housing "Seems that services are too sparse. I have four children and have been homeless three times in the last three years. I'm in active recovery now, and sharing a living situation. I ' desperately need my privacy. I want to live in as safe a neighborhood as possible, where smoking weed as medicine is tolerated--hopefully, not where people who openly use drugs and/or sell them live. I'm skeptical of living where it's been advertised housing' because of the many fears surrounding contracting HIV I'd personally be afraid someone would bomb the place." --survey respondent ' As has been noted, women—and subsequently children and families—are a growing component of the epidemic. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that for women living ' with HIV and AIDS, particularly those with children, finding safe and affordable housing s a primary concern. Women were well represented in the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey which revealed significant differences between women and men in the area of housing. A third of the respondents live alone, and 34 percent live with children. While half of the ' respondents with children indicated that they had only one child, 27 percent indicated that they had 3 children. Of those respondents living with children of all ages, 35 percent of the children are less than 5 years of age. More than half of all children living with the respondents are teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18. The data revealed other important differences between men and women: ' • Women were much more likely to say they were depressed than men (40 percent compared to 8 percent); • Women were more likely than men to be living with other people (75 percent as compared to 57 percent); • 45 percent of all women respondents were living with their children or step children. , 54 ' Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Although 53 percent of the women living with HIV/AIDS in the County reported injection drug use as a risk factor 6 women were somewhat less likely than men to have a history of using drugs, but were more likely to be in recovery and as likely to say they were ' chemically dependent. Several focus group participants were women who shared their concerns about their children's health and safety. Each woman stressed the importance of having a safe, drug free neighborhood in which to raise their children. Several women had lost custody of their children and were struggling to become sober. One child, who attended the Tranquillium Center focus group with his mother, and spent the time enjoying a bowl of stew and a coke, said"I like this place." Families also present special needs: • 29 percent of all respondents lived in at least three-person households; and • 21 percent of all HIV/AIDS Housing Survey respondents lived in households where at least one other person was also living with HIV or AIDS. ' Child care and mental health services for women were particularly seen as lacking in the EMA. Female participants in the 1994 Oakland EMA focus groups reported insensitivity among service providers and the need for on-site child care if women are to take 1 advantage of existing services and feel welcome. Poor rental and criminal histories make it harder for some people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing "I figure if I am dying who cares?I didn't care about moving the right way out. I didn't notify people even though I left the apartment clean. In order to be able to move it costs 1 $1,300 dollars so you burn them for the last month rent. That is the real reason—to get money for next month. So you don't realize what you are doing to yourself when you get an eviction. It is not easy to move with all this credit stuff. It isn't even easy now with ' Section 8. Those places don't usually do credit checks—but now a lot of them want credit checks. " --focus group participant rThe HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that many individuals had poor rental histories. Thirty five percent of the surveyed population indicated they had been homeless at some point in the past five years: 55 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan; •_ 65 percent of all respondents had moved since learning.of their HIV . infection or AIDS; • 25 percent of all homeless respondents had been evicted; • 62ercent of these had been asked to move because of drug or alcohol ' P g use; and not cover i • 62 percent moved because they could o co a their rent Recent incarceration also creates problems finding housing because landlords are often unwilling to rent to people with felony convictions. Some people living with HIV/AIDS feel they face discrimination when looking for and trying to keep housing in Contra Costa County `7 was evicted because of my HIV status. She said it was because I was 3 days late with the rent. " -- written survey response For some people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, particularly those who , participated in the focus groups, housing discrimination is a concern. This discrimination could be based on HIV status, on race, or on perceived drug use. It is not possible to state to what extent discrimination based on HIV status is a factor in the difficulty people have finding and maintaining housing. What is clear, however, is that some individuals feel discriminated against and that there is a considerable perception that discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS exists in the County. The majority of the people living with HIV/AIDS who participated in the focus groups were people of color, particularly African Americans. Many of these individuals voiced their general dissatisfaction with the housing system and their concern that people of color were not afforded the same access to health and housing services as whites, particularly r when compared to the services available to people living with HIV/AIDS across the Bay in San Francisco. , In addition, a number of focus group participants spoke of recent acts of discrimination in the areas of housing and employment. , 56 Contra Costa County.HIV/AIDS Housin .Plan • "I was working with food and I thought I should tell him. Well, as soon as I did, I was fired You have to keep it a close secret in this town." • "Some of my family don't understand, they don't want me no more. They ' are watching me like I am a germ. They almost make me hate them, which I don It want to do. " ' People want to remain in their homes and live as independently possible for P P Y as ' as long as possible The most important qualities I would seek in a new home are the same as those that you would like. " -- survey respondent ' Respondents were asked to rank(from 1 to 9, best to worst)thoughts on what type of housing best serves their needs given current health status as well as if health changes as a ' result of HIV/AIDS. They were also asked to identify all support services that best served their needs given their current health and should their health change as a result of HIV/AIDS. Most survey respondents feel their needs are best served now, and in the future, in their own homes. Emotional support and case management were identified as the most desirable support services to maintain this option. ' Preferences by type and location ' The overwhelming top choice for where people would like to live now was independently. The preferences are ranked (most favored to least) in Table 4. ' In terms of location, should they be forced to move, high value was placed on: • living close to doctors; g livin in safe neighborhoods; ' g ' easy access to transportation and shopping; and ' living near friends and family. 57 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan ' Preferences by quality People were asked to rank several housing qualities that were important to them. The most important qualities they would be looking for in a different home were: • living in clean and sober housing; ' • living with people of the same ethnic or cultural background; and ' • living in a wheelchair-accessible building. Half of the respondents indicated that they preferred not to live with other HIV- positive individuals, citing their need for privacy as the primary reason. Table 4: Housing and Service Preference Over Time Listed in Priority Order Which Best Suits Your Needs ... Which Best Suits Your Needs ... , given your current health? should you become more ill? Housin Service Housing Service ' Rental Unit Case Management Rental Unit Emotional Support Owned Home Emotional Support Owned Home Case Management , Single Room Practical Support Skilled Nursing Medical Care Occupancy Facility Transitional Medical Care Residential Assist with Daily Housing Hospice Activities Shared/Group Money Shared/Group Money Home Management Home Management ' Emergency Shelter Mental Health Single Room Home Delivered Counseling Occupancy Meals ' Skilled Nursing Home Delivered Transitional Practical Support Meals Housing Residential Hospice Assist with Daily Emergency Mental Health ' Activities Shelter Counseling 58 ' Contra Costa County HMAIDS Housing Plan Case Manager Survey Results ' As of December 23, 1995, the Contra Costa County Health Services Department AIDS Program had received 16 `Case Managers and Services Providers" surveys completed by service provider and case management agencies. (This figure is believed to be very representative of the existing network of service providers serving people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa.) The majority of survey respondents, or 75 percent (n=12) offer case management services. Additionally, 50 percent (n=8) of respondents provide emotional support services and 44 percent(n=7) provide practical support services. ' Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage of their agencies', non-housing services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The average of the percentages given was 65.5 percent with nine, or 56 percent of respondents indicating that 100 percent of their ' agencies' services are provided to people living with HIV/AIDS. Findings of the survey 1 When asked to rank the types of housing assistance most needed by their clients, respondents gave higher rankings to `emergency/ short term financial assistance for rent and utilities', `shared houses/apartments with little or no on-site support services', and ' `subsidized independent living in an apartment with no on-site support services'. According to these responses, it appears as though service providers support the desires of most clients (as per the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey results) for independent living situations and minimal on-site support service. It is also interesting to note that although as many as 53 percent of HIV/AIDS Housing ' Survey respondents indicated past and/or present drug use, Case Managers and Services Provider Survey respondents gave relatively low rankings to the `housing program that tolerates drug/alcohol use off premises', and `clean and sober housing program' options. ' In terms of barriers to access housing assistance, respondents ranked inadequate rental assistance as the greatest barrier. When asked to rank, in order of importance, the services required for their clients to 1 maintain an independent housing situation for the longest feasible period, respondents scored `protective payee/money management' as the most important service. `Alcohol and drug treatment/counseling' received the second highest ranking. These responses ' underscore a reality for many people living with HIV/AIDS in this County: as the proportion of income to housing costs approaches one and as alcoholldrug use continues 59 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan ' to be a competing priority for personal funds, the combination of money management and drug treatment/counseling services has become a significant need. It appears that while service providers want to support their.clients' desires for independent living, they recognize that it is not a feasible option for this population without appropriate supportive services. ' Conclusion ' The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that low income people living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County face substantial barriers when seeking and keeping housing that is ' safe, meets their needs, and is within their budget. Poverty, the challenge of substance abuse, perceived or actual discrimination, limited options for families, and the physical devastation of HIV/AIDS combine to create homelessness and unstable housing among ' people living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County. 1 1995 Title I EMA Supplemental Application,CARE Act clients,first quarter Fiscal Year 1994. , 2 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Profile of the East Bay, 1994. 3 Oakland Ryan White Title I EMA Needs Assessment, 1994. ' Tessler,RC and Dennis,DL A Synthesis of Research Concerning Persons who are Homeless and Mentally Ill.National Institutes of Mental Health,Rockville,NO;(1989) , 5 Elders,GA&Sever,JL,AIDS&Neurological Disorders:an overview.Annals of Neurology 23(Suppl):54-5-6.Nov. 1988. 6 Contra Costa County AIDS Epidemiology Report. ' 1 60 ' Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housin .Plan ?:>< t> ijj;:tits\;.ii<CLC{J.jjyGj�jO}•.}}y.}}±}}:.}:.±u' ry 'rovider Survey Results This section of the plan presents the results of surveys of housing providers from across Contra Costa County. Methodology and limitations The survey was sent to 28 nonprofit and other developers of affordable housing active in the East Bay Area on September 22, 1995. A follow-up survey was sent to 19 non-respondents on December 20, 1995. Fifteen(15) developers had responded to the survey, representing a 54 percent response rate. ' Limitations to the survey application include a discrepancy in responses. For example, some respondents placed senior/disabled housing in an"other" category, rather than by unit size. In addition, rather than responding in the negative, some agencies simply skipped questions on the survey which they felt did not apply to them. The following summarizes the main findings of the survey. ' Experience with development of affordable housing Contra Costa County surveyed nonprofit developers with experience creating affordable housing. Of those agencies responding to the survey, only one indicated they have no development experience in Contra Costa County. Four agencies currently have projects in development; four have completed one acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction project; three have completed 2-3 projects and five have completed 4 or more projects. 61 , Contra Coat&County 111WAIDS Houainx Plan. All responding agencies had development experience in other counties, ranging from . projects currently in development to completion of 4 or more projects. , The projects these developers have completed or in development in both Contra Costa County and other jurisdictions cover a range of options, as illustrated in Table 1. Other housing owned or developed includes farm worker housing, housing for seniors/disabled, and single-room occupancy(SRO) housing. Table 1 ' Type of Housing Project Number developed Number Owned ' Group homes 6 4 Single family rental 3 16 2 - 4 Unit multifamily rental 1 4 5 - 20 Unit multifamily rental 10 17 20 - 50 Unit multifamily 15 79 housing ' Transitional.housing 7 26 The survey identified the following HIV/AIDS-specific housing experience, although not ' all of this experience is specific to Contra Costa County. • 1 agency provides 14 group home beds for people living with HIV/AIDS; • 2 agencies provide a total of 17 units in 5-20 unit complexes dedicated for , people living with HIV/AIDS; • 1 agency provides 20 SRO units for people living with HIV/AIDS and ' • 1 agency provides 24 units for persons with functional limitations due to a physical disability. These units are not limited to people living with HIV/AIDS, although at the time of survey completion all residents I currently did have HIV/AIDS. 62 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Although not all these programs are in Contra Costa County, the information illustrates the capacity which exists in the County. Provision of supportive services Only four housing development agencies report providing any support services directly to residents of assisted rental housing. • The most common services are practical support, emotional support and service coordination, which are each provided by 3 agencies. ' Case management services, money management, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and assistance in daily living are all provided by 2 agencies • The majority of agencies provide only one service, including transportation services, pre-vocational activities and activities for children. Only three agencies provide services specifically for people living with HIV/AIDS: one provides emotional support; one provides mental health counseling; one provides service coordination; and one provides transportation services. Seven agencies report providing support services to residents through formal agreements with service providers to people living in permanent or transitional affordable housing, including case management, money management, practical support, emotional support, medical care, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, and assistance in daily ' living. In addition, one agency provides nutritional support and job training; one provides food; one provides transportation; two provide service coordination/referrals; and one provides SSI advocacy and legal services. Four agencies report providing support services through formal agreements with service ' providers, to people living with HIV/AIDS living in permanent or transitional affordable housing, including two which provide case management, money management, practical support, medical care, substance abuse counseling, and assistance with daily living. Three 1 agencies provide both emotional support and mental health counseling; one provides transportation and service coordination; one provides nutritional support and job training. 63 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan , Agency,plans to develop affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS . Five agencies report they would consider or are considering providing supportive services as part of the development of supportive housing for people living with HIV/AIDS; seven report they would consider or are considering developing/owning/managing such housing, including two agencies which are considering participating in both aspects. Only one agency explicitly indicated they are not interested in this aspect of affordable housing, although seven respondents left this section blank. • One agency indicated they currently do not have a project identified. • Another agency is working to develop five units in the South Lake Tahoe area. ' • A third agency is developing 50 units, affordable to households with low, very-low, and extremely-low incomes, within a large multifamily rental complex in San Francisco. • A fourth agency is working to develop 29 units in a large multifamily rental property, affordable to very-low and extremely-low income households, including 10 units reserved for people with HIV/AIDS in West Contra Costa County. • A fifth agency is developing 10 hospice units for extremely-low, very-low, and low income households in Berkeley. , • A sixth agency is working to develop: 20 units of rental housing affordable to very-low income households; and 20 units of transitional housing ' affordable to very-low and low-income households,both in East County. • A seventh agency is in pre-development on the following three projects: 12 1 units of multifamily rental housing for very-low and extremely-low income households in Central Contra Costa County including 11 units reserved for people with HIV/AIDS; 8-12 units of either group home housing or ' multifamily rental units affordable to very-low and extremely-low income households, in Central or West Contra Costa County; and 6-8 units of group home housing or multifamily rental housing affordable to very-low and extremely-low income households in Berkeley. Note that not all of these projects are in Contra Costa County. , 64 Contra.Costa County HIMEDS.Housing Plan_. Perceived barriers to development of affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS Meeting the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS however, is seen by some providers as challenging. Many of the issues identified by providers are outlined in the `Context of HIV/AIDS Housing in Contra Costa County" section of this plan, and include, 1 in order of the number of respondents identifying the barrier: #1 Long-term funding of services; #2 Lack of politically feasible sites; #3 Lack of financially feasible sites; 44 Unfamiliarity with [other] housing developers or service providers that ' could be partners in the development and management of affordable housing for people living with HN/AIDS; and I #5 Unfamiliarity with the needs of persons with HIV/AIDS. LAdditional barriers included inadequate fiscal and/or administrative systems, inadequate staffing, the limited amount of available development funding, community concerns, and need for community outreach and approval in selected jurisdictions. ' One agency with significant experience in the provision of housing forspecial needs populations, including people living with HIV/AIDS, is concerned with the need for a housing continuum-group homes, independent living, hospice services, transitional housing-within the community. They identified the legally-required community process ' as an enormous hindrance in the development of such housing, due to community concerns, and related homophobia; as well as the issue that the community process results in labeling future residents as having HIV/AIDS. An agency which has been researching the possibilities of developing housing for people living with HIV/AIDS has found two issues to be especially problematic: ensuring ongoing ' support service funds to serve future residents; and coordinating the worlds of service provision and development funding into single projects. 65 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS-Housing-Plan, Agencies,which have had experience developing and operating housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, cite the following project operations issues: • Attracting and retaining appropriate tenants, especially people who are clean and sober, was a concern for the community and the agency both; • Unit retention in the event of disease progression/tenant hospitalization; • Unit vacancyand tenant transition to facilities designed to provide g comprehensive medical care; • Legal or other issues of providing hospice care in existing units; and t • Death of tenants in their units. r Addressing perceived barriers to development of affordable housing for people ' living with HIV/AIDS Housing developers were asked to rank possible strategies to address barriers to the development of housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. These strategies are listed below, again in rank order: , #1 Technical assistance in the areas of funding applications, licensure requirements, and program design; #2 Training in the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS; #3 Assistance in identifying housing/services partners or consultants and assistance in identifying politically and/or financially feasible sites; and #4 Training in affordable housing development. 66 ' Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Conclusion ' A number of additional pieces of information were received from survey P P participants, which indicate a willingness to be part of the solution to the need_ for a continuum of ' HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County. For example: ' An agency with experience managing a 24-unit building where the majority of residents have a functional disability due to HIV/AIDS indicated they would be happy to discuss their knowledge/experience. • Two agencies indicated they would consider collaborative efforts with other agencies in any aspect of supportive housing. • Although a third agency has not identified special needs housing as part of their mission, they have designed units in all new projects to be in compliance with ADA. Providing people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County a safe, appropriate and affordable place to live will require the considerable experience and efforts of the County's ' nonprofit developers. In order to benefit from their expertise, however, the HIV/AIDS community and local public agencies government must work together to address the specific barriers they identify to facilitate the creation of more affordable HIV/AIDS ' housing. 67 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey, which reached people most likely to be in need of housing assistance, provides the details of the crisis implied by this scenario: • 31 percent of respondents had experienced homelessness since learning of their HIV status; and • 35 percent of respondents had experienced at least 1 episode of homelessness in the past 5 years • 4 percent were currently homeless, living on the streets, in cars, in abandoned building or in shelters. The results of the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey are described in the following section of the plan and illustrate the realities of finding and keeping affordable housing in Contra Costa County for people living with HIV and AIDS. 1 Information for this section is taken from the HOME Consortium Consolidated Plan,Contra Costa County,February, 1995.The Consortium does not include the City of Richmond. 'Consolidated Plan,Contra Costa County HOME Consortium,June,1995. 'Homelessness in Alameda.County,The Housing and Community Development Program of the Alameda County Planning Department,1995. 33 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Pian 34 Contra Coat&County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 3 Housing Survey Results Man, I wish I had control of these funds My top priority would be mothers with kids who are homeless. I would provide shelter to these kids." - focus group participant ' This section of the plan presents the results of 90 HIV/AIDS Housing Surveys and the three focus groups conducted for the HIV/AIDS Housing Plan. It also describes the methodology and limitations of the survey research, the demographics of respondents, and major conclusions which can be drawn from the research. 1 The HIV/AIDS Housing Study Methodology The quantitative and qualitative data collection process for the Contra Costa Count 4 4 P Y Multi-Year HIV/AIDS Housing Plan had several components: a survey of 90 people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, three focused discussion groups of individuals living with HIV/AIDS held at a variety of HIV/AIDS service providers in the County; and a review of additional data collection efforts conducted for previous or concurrent planning processes. This section of the plan presents the data from these efforts. The information from these activities was presented and reviewed by a community-based planning committee, whose members provided input and information to the process. The following provides a brief overview of the methods associated with the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey data collection activity and the limitations of the process. 35 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey Originally, it was hoped that the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey could be completed by 10 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS in the County, or about 200 people. This `sample' (or group of people who filled out the survey) would be large enough to be `representational' (or be like) all the people living with HIV/AIDS.in the County. It became apparent that the ideal sample size of 10 percent.was beyond the resources of the County Health Services Department AIDS Program. There are several reasons why the Department felt that the original number was not achievable, including: • People with living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, particularly West County, have been asked to complete many surveys about their needs and experiences over the past few years. As a result, many people living , with HIV/AIDS are tired of participating in surveys, and did not agree to participate-, • People living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, particularly people who receive their health care from private doctors and people staying at public emergency shelters, are leery of losing their confidentiality; and • The budget for this plan did not allow for substantial payment for completing the survey, while other surveyors are offering significant compensation for participation in current and upcoming surveys. These reasons led to the decision to strive for a sample of 100 individuals, approximately 5 percent of the estimated HIV-infected community, to use as a baseline assessment of housing needs in the County. In all, 90 people completed the survey, about 4 percent of people estimated to be alive with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County. The survey was based on similar surveys used for HIV/AIDS Housing Plans in other jurisdictions. Separate surveys were developed for people living with HIV/AIDS, for case managers and for housing providers in the County. A small group, consisting of three HIV/AIDS case managers, an HIV/AIDS Housing Advocate, a planner from the Contra Costa County Community Development Department, and a planner from the County AIDS Program modified the consumer survey tool to solicit the additional information required by this County. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey contained over 40 questions designed to help the , planning group better understand the barriers people living with HIV/AIDS face when trying to find and keep housing which meets their financial and physical needs and to 36 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan access which types of housing program and services people in Contra Costa County prefer. The broad interest was for information on stage of disease, household size, monthly household income, amount of income spent on housing, barriers which might influence the type of housing available to individuals with HIV/AIDS, and use of existing resources. In several questions, respondents were asked to rank choices. Many individuals did not rank but simply marked the number 1 or the letter"x" next to many of the variables. All those who marked at least one response were included in the tally. The numbers (one through five) were assigned opposite values and then summed across respondents. In the instance where an"x" was placed, the response was interpreted as a number 1 (one). This survey was conducted as a`convenience sampling', meaning that participation was not based on a random or scientific process but on individuals agreeing to participate when asked. More than 700 surveys were distributed to service agencies, providers, related County programs, hospitals, and to Kelevant members of the HIV Interagency Service Providers' Network. Five outreach workers facilitated the distribution of surveys to individuals not currently accessing public services. Case managers, agency volunteers and other providers distributed surveys to their clients. The County AIDS Program offered"housing clinics" at several sites to provide additional assistance to consumers in completing the forms. An attempt was also made to encourage responses from individuals currently within the private-sector health care system. None of the completed surveys are coded with the private sector code, indicating that all those who returned the surveys are receiving publicly funded services, know where to access publicly funded services, or have been contacted by publicly funded outreach workers. The fact that no surveys were completed by people in the private pay sector, who may be of higher income or currently employed, also influences the high need indicated among most housing survey respondents. Therefore, some of the conclusions drawn are the direct result of the population surveyed - very-low income individuals with unstable housing who require a multiplicity of services. The characteristics of this population guided subsequent development of priority population recommendations. i n Additional studies consulted rThis plan also draws on additional sources of information regarding the housing and service needs of people living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County, including: jThe 1994 Oakland EMA Needs Assessment, which surveyed 316 individuals receiving HIV/AIDS care and services—one quarter of whom were Contra Costa County residents; 37 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • The Contra Costa County.Consolidated Plan, 1995-1999; and The 1995 Title I EMA Application for CARE Act fundin • PP .g Limitations of the data gathering strategies Any survey data based on a convenience sample is by nature not statistically representative, and the conclusions cannot, therefore, be generalized to the entire . population being studied. To know if a survey is representational, one needs to know the total number of people who could be surveyed and what those people are like in terms of their demographics(race, age, sex, etc.). The total number of individuals living with HIV and/or AIDS in Contra Costa County, however, is unknown. Estimates are also hard to create, since the decision to seek testing or health care treatment is influenced by many factors. First, not all people who have HIV are aware that they may be infected and thus do not seek testing. Second, continued concerns about breach of confidentiality lead some people to seek anonymous testing outside the County, and these tests are not included in estimates. Third, people who have little or no access to health care may not know how or where to access HIV testing: Finally, despite Health Department policy to provide services to all individuals regardless of their residency status, undocumented people fear they will be deported if found to be HIV-infected, and Proposition 187 has only increased this fear. Because the total number of people living with HIV infection, or the total number of people alive with HIV/AIDS, cannot be determined,.it is not possible to state with complete certainty to what degree this survey research effort is representative of all people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. Therefore, the results can not be generalized to the entire HIV/AIDS population in Contra Costa County. , Some HIV/AIDS housing advocates, case mangers and people living with HIV/AIDS expressed concerns that the reading level of the survey was very high and that the complexity of the survey instrument reduced the number of people who were willing to take part. The other primary limitation of the study has to do with the small sample size and the fact that, like with most surveys, not all respondents answered all questions. Questions asking respondents to rank choices and preferences were poorly completed by those who self-administered the survey. Because participants were offered a small stipend for participation and were largely recruited through HIV/AIDS service providers, the degree , to which the survey is representative of the population is further diminished. Additionally, analysis of some questions identified areas where not enough information was requested, such as the amount illegal drugs used or concurrent use of different substances. 38 Contra Costa County HMAIDS Housing Pian Finally, because the questions did not focus on cultural issues, little data is available about the housing needs or preferences of specific ethnic or language groups. Nonetheless, demographic comparisons between the HIV/AIDS population at large and the survey respondents indicate that the results of this survey are a reasonable baseline from which to develop a plan for housing services within the County. Both nationally and locally the epidemic is moving from the predominantly gay white male population to the heterosexual injection drug using population. The number of new cases among heterosexual women of color who either have used drugs or who are partners of injection drug use (IDU) has sky rocketed. In the 1980's women constituted 4.7 percent of the total East Bay women diagnosed with AIDS. Currently, women in Contra Costa comprise 17 percent of the population living with AIDS. Nearly 70 percent are women of color and more than half have a history of IDU. This data is particularly helpful in designing a continuum of HIV/AIDS housing to meet the needs of people with low incomes and more complex health and social service needs. , Focus Groups The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey provided the planning process with a great deal of quantitative data about the needs and experiences of people living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County. This information is objective and measurable—but it is only part of the picture. To fully understand the HIV/AIDS housing continuum in the County and the needs and hopes of people trying to find their way through the housing system, it was important to spend time at the actual housing sites and with individuals. These conversations took the form of focused group discussions with seventeen people who were willing to share their experiences. The three focus groups were held at the Pittsburg Pre-school, the Tranquillium Center and the Antioch office of AIDS Alliance. The results from these more `qualitative' aspects of the data collection are included throughout the plan in the form of quotations which illustrate the main findings of the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey and the gaps in the housing continuum. How do people who completed the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey and participated in the focus groups compare to people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County? The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey participants are broadly representative of all people living ' with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County, but is particularly representative of people who are most likely to be in need of housing and housing related services. Respondents indicated high levels of poverty and complex health and social support needs. While not all people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County have extremely low incomes, the 39 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan recommendations of the HIV/AIDS Housing Plan are designed to assist those in greatest need: the homeless and extremely low income people disabled with HIV/AIDS. Therefore, while the survey sample is small and not representative of the diversity of individuals whose lives are affected by HIV and AIDS, it does provide information which is of particular use to the purposes of this plan. The survey data and the information gathered from the focus groups are also useful because it is more reflective of trends in the epidemic, particularly the rise in cases among people of color, injection drug users, and women. Participants in the focus groups were also representative of higher-need people living with HIV/AIDS. The majority had experienced homelessness since their HIV infection, and most had a history of substance abuse or were currently using drugs, primarily heroin. All were low income, and all had current housing needs. Table 1 illustrates the survey sample as coippared to people living with AIDS (not HIV) in the County. How do these respondents compare to people who receive HIV and AIDS services? In a review of housing advocacy data.of 151 clients served by HOPWA- and CARE-funded housing advocates during the period between April 1, 1994 and March 31, 1995, several similar themes emerged which complement and validate the survey findings: • 59 percent of service recipients are African American, 7 percent Latino/Hispanic, and 34 percent Caucasian. Half the population served during this period had a diagnosis of AIDS ' g , and the majority of those served received their diagno_is some time in the last five years. • 16 percent are homeless, 93 percent have incomes under $900 per month and 59 percent live alone and/or do not have others contributing to their household income. • 87 percent received some form of public insurance/entitlement program , assistance. These percentages closely mirror the survey results presented above and offer further ' validation of its use as baseline information on which to support a housing plan for low- income people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. 40 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1 Table 1: Comparison of HIV/AIDS Epidemiology and Survey Respondents Demographic Variable Persons living with AIDS only as Survey respondents of October 1,1995 (includes both AIDS and (n=608) HIV)n=90 Age at diagnosis Age when surveyed <5 6 (<1 percent) 0 (<1 percent) 5-12 2 (<1 percent) 0 (<1 percent) 13-19 4 (<1 percent) 0 (<1 percent) 20-29 197 (12.1 percent) I (1 percent) 30-39 689 (42.4 percent) 25 (27.8 percent) 40-49 492 (30.3 percent) 37 (41 percent) 50 and above unknown 235 (14.5 percent) 12 (13.3 percent) n/a 15 (16.6 percent) Note:reflects cumulative AIDS cases(n=1625) Sea of Adults Male 503 (83 percent) 40 (46.6 percent) Female 105 (17 percent) 42 . (44.4 percent) Transgender unknown I. (1.1 percent) unknown n/a 7 (7.7 percent) Race Caucasian 327 (54 percent) 27 (30 percent) African American 200 (33 percent) 45 (50 percent) Hispanic 63 (10 percent) 4 (4.4 percent) Asian/P.I. 13 (2 percent) 1 (I.I percent) Native American 4 (<1 percent) I (1.1 percent) 1 Other/Unknown I (<I percent) 12 (13.3 percent) Residence West county 619 (38.1 percent) 51 (56.6 percent) East county 300 (18.5 percent) 12 (13.3 percent) Central county 694 (42.7 percent) 9 (10.1 percent) Unknown/other 12 (0.74 percent) 18 (20 percent) Note:reflect cumulative AIDS cases(n=1625) 41 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan What did the survey reveal about people living with HIV and AIDS? r reveal the difficult of livin with HIV/AIDS in Contra The survey and focus groups e y g Cot a Costa County and the impact that poverty and health status have on people's ability to find and keep safe, secure and affordable housing. • Finding and keeping housing is a crisis for many people living with , HIV/AIDS. • Homelessness and HIV/AIDS are an overwhelming—and common—combination. • Many more people living with HN/AIDS in Contra Costa County could lose their housing at any time because of poverty. • People living with HIV/AIDS have complex health care needs and can't ' always get the health and supportive services they need to stay independent. • Many people are struggling with substance abuse and mental illness in addition to HIV/AIDS. • Women and families with children affected by HIV/AIDS have unique social and support service needs which negatively impact their ability to maintain housing. • Poor rental and previous criminal histories make it hard for many people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing; , • Some people living with HIV/AIDS feel they face discrimination when looking for and trying to keep housing in Contra Costa County. , • People want to remain in their own homes and live as independently as possible for as long as possible. Finding and keeping housing is a crisis for many people living with HIV/AIDS r `I need someone to help me find housing can afford. I've been homeless ten times in the past three years. -- survey respondent 42 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey asked people to identify their current housing situation and found that significant numbers of people livingwith HIV/AIDS in the County face barriers and difficulties locating and keeping their housing, are currently homeless, or are at risk of losing their housing: • More than half of all survey respondents felt they needed housing assistance; • 25 percent indicated that they were on a waiting list for government assistance; and • 27 percent of those currently on the waiting list indicated that they have been waiting for more than 5 years for government housing assistance. Many people also did not feel that the services available to them would be much help, and felt largely unaware of the services which do exist: • 44 percent said that a lack of client and/or provider knowledge prevented them from receiving assistance. ' The individuals surveyed also had a high degree.of instability in their housing: • 35 percent indicated that they had been homeless at least once in the last 5 years; and • 26 percent had moved 3 or more times in the last 3 years. • The primary reason for moving was to get away from the old neighborhood, but other reasons included a decline in income/no money for rent and to move closer to family. The consequences of instability in housing among people living with HIV/AIDS have both individual and public health consequences. Since learning of their HIV/AIDS diagnosis, • 30 percent of people who experienced difficulties locating a place to sleep had spent the night in a car; and • 9 percent had traded sex for a place to spend the night. 43 Contra Costa County 11lV/AIDSHousing Plan The Oakland EMA Needs Assessment gives us other information about the need for HIV/AIDS housing services in the East bay as a whole: • More than 40 percent of the people who said they needed housing services were not receiving help; • 27 percent of the people who got help were unsatisfied. with the help they received; • 23 percent received financial assistance to help pay for utilities; • 28 percent reported needing ongoing rental assistance(Section 8); and • 18 percent reported needing free or subsidized housing for 6 months or more (transitional housing)., Homelessness and HIV/AIDS are an overwhelming—and common—combination "I am homeless right now. I should have a place to live. It has been damn rough. " I -- focus group participant The HN/AIDS Housing Survey performed for this study found: • 31 percent of all respondents had experienced homelessness since they learned of their HIV infection; • Half had been homeless at least once in their lives; and • 35 percent homeless in the last 5 years; and • 4 percent were currently without a place to live. In addition, 13 percent of CARE Act clients in .Alameda and Contra Costa counties stated they were homeless. ` 44 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Current Housing Status Transitional Housing SRO Rented Room Rental Unit Public Housing Own Home Homeless Group Home Friends Home Emergency Shelter ' 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 The impression given by this data was confirmed in the focus groups and in the community planning meetings. Time and again, individuals voiced their concerns about homelessness or the threat of becoming homeless. A 1992 report by the National Commission on AIDS estimated the rate of HIV infection among homeless persons to be between 15 and 20 percent. Using this estimate rate, between 390 and 520 people living with HIV or AIDS in Contra Costa County are without shelter, and many more are at risk of becoming homeless. The reasonseo le became homeless are numerous and interrelated, including: P P • 97 percent were unable to afford their rent (30 of 31); • 90 percent because of alcohol or drug use (28 of 31),- 39 1);39 percent became homeless because of eviction due to non-payment of rent, drug use, and/or discrimination, fire, etc. (12 of 31); and • 35 percent were`forced out' by family or partners (11 of 31). People living with HIV/AIDS who participated in the focus groups had even higher ' degrees of homelessness. Of the seventeen focus group participants, 80 percent were currently homeless. Drug use was identified as the primary reason for homelessness, with high costs of rents as the second reason. 45 Contra Costa County HW/AIDS Housing Plan Many in.the focus groups were frustrated by the lack of opportunity for stable lives and stable housing. Concerns include: limited job opportunities; limited housing; the widespread availability of drugs; decreased income; fiustration generated at providers and local government; issues of the cost of telephone calls to access programs, services and , the voice mail systems used by housing program providers; perceived and discrimination based on HIV/AIDS status and drug addiction. Some of the focus group participants had recently been released from San Quentin federal penitentiary. For these individuals, the chances of finding work and a place to live seemed even more remote: ' Many more people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County could lose their homes at any time because of poverty `I want something stable, but you have to have three times your income to move into an apartment, and I can't save that." --focus group participant Like other Americans, many low-income people living with HIV/AIDS are only one unexpected financial emergency away from homelessness. The highest rates of AIDS in the East Bay are in those neighborhoods with the lowest median annual incomes.' The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that people live on very low fixed incomes and spend most of their income on housing. The poverty of many people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County was well documented by the survey: ' The majority of families and individuals surveyed exist on monthly incomes , of$650 or less; • 60 percent of the respondents indicated that their income was the only source of income in the family; • 37 percent indicated that they supported at least one other individual; and • Of those with one or more dependents, 42 percent claimed 2-5 dependents. 46 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Table 2: Incomes T Individual Monthly Income n=77 Household Monthly Income n=50 Income Number Percent Income Number Percent <$650 51 66.2 <$650 21 42 $651-1,000 19 24.7 $651-1,000 11 22 $1,001-1,500 4 5.2 $1,001-1,500 12 24 >$1,500 3 3.9 >$1,500 6 12 Table 2 indicates the degree of poverty faced'by these families and individuals. Only 3 out of 77 individuals had incomes of over $18,000; only 6 of 50 households had incomes in that range. The majority of low income people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, as in other parts of the country, rely on public assistance to survive: • 14 percent of respondents receive government assistance in order to keep the housing that they have; and • 89 percent of respondents receive at least one form of public assistance. ' The poverty experienced by these families is further exacerbated by the fact that most of what little money they have is spent on rent: • 33 percent of respondents spent between $400 and $590 per month on rental payments; and • 32 percent paid between $600 and $900 on their monthly rent. The largest percentage of respondents (50 percent) lived in a rented room or apartment. While these individuals have a place to stay currently, many are in unstable housing because of high housing cost. To be considered `affordable', housing should cost no ' more than 30 percent of a family's adjusted income. Households which spend more than 30 percent of their gross monthly income on housing are considered to be`cost burdened'. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey measured the incidence of cost burden by comparing income, expenses, and rent, and found that: 47 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housins Plan Benefits Received Waiver Veterans Private Insurance SSI SSA SDI Private Disability Medicare Medi-Cal General Assistance AFDC 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 • 60 percent of HIV/AIDS Housing Survey respondents renting or owning housing spent more than 50 percent of their income on their rent or mortgage; and • An additional 23 percent spent more than 30 percent. i . 1 • 1 1 1 • f48 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan This means that only 17 percent of those individuals who completed the survey were in `affordable 'housing! Percentage of Income Spent on Housing r3<30% ®>30% j023% M>50% 60% In addition to the 4 percent of survey respondents who were currently without a place to live, an additional 18 percent are in danger of losing their housing because they are in transitional housing, are staying with friends, or are staying in a shelter. Table 3 summarizes all the information from the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey which illustrates the degree to which homelessness and unstable ' housing is a factor in the lives of low-income people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County: 49 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Table 3: Housing Instability Risk Percentage Currently homeless 4 Staying in temporary housing 18 Spend 50 percent or more of income on 60 housing Spend 30 percent or more of income on 23 housing Previous eviction 39 , People living with HIV/AIDS have complex health care needs and can't always get the health care or supportive services they need to stay independent ' "Now I got to go to the doctor because I am real sick, but I don It have an address so I don't know how I am going to work that. The doctor's got his house—let me get one too and then I'll see about a doctor!" -- focus group participant Both people living with symptomatic HIV infection and those disabled with HIV/AIDS face an array of painful, complex health issues ranging from severe weight loss and fatigue , in the earliest stages, to mental impairment, pneumonia, cancers, blindness, and loss of major organ functions in the later stages. The housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS can change as the disease progresses; often in-home and.ancillary supportive services are needed in order to avoid costly institutionalization. These services are not always available. Most of those surveyed have a diagnosis of AIDS or disabling HIV. While slightly more women than men have a diagnosis of AIDS, the HIV status by gender is relatively consistent between men and women. More than 63 percent of the respondents have ' received their current diagnosis since 1991. Fully one third of this number(21 percent of the total respondents) received their current diagnosis in 1995. 50 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan Respondents' HN Status 191A ❑HN Disabled a HN Positive 51 SG xAIDS ' 0030% Respondents were also likely to have more than one health condition that could impact their ability to maintain independent housing. One third indicated that they had a physical- disability, including hearing or vision loss. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey, the 1994 Oakland ENa Needs Assessment, and other information about the health care status of people living with HIV/AIDS in the region reveals: • 23 percent of HVAIDS Housing Survey respondents had an AIDS diagnosis and were potentially in need of a higher degree of support services to maintain housing. • Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a concern. (It is estimated that by the year 2000, 10 percent of all people living with HIV/AIDS will be co-infected with this highly contagious airborne infection and ' life-threatening disease). Contra Costa County reported 103 new cases of TB in 1995. Of these, 8 were resistant to one drug therapy and need more intensive health care services. When questioned as to the most important housing-related supportive services necessary to retain housing, transportation was ranked the most important, followed by benefits counseling, emotional support, practical support and access to meals/nutritional counseling. Not surprisingly, the same five issues were also identified as the top unmet ' needs. Transportation is particularly important since the survey found that 18 percent of respondents received their health care at hospitals outside of Contra Costa County. 51 Contra Costa County HMAIDS.Housing Plan Many people are struggling with substance abuse and mental illness in addition to HIV infection and AIDS `7f you say no to drugs in this County you are really in the minority. It's a sad reality. There is nothing here but drugs. -- focus group participant In Contra Costa County, substance abuse, homelessness and HIV/AIDS go hand in hand. Both focus group and survey participants indicated that substance abuse both placed them at risk for acquiring HIV/AIDS and continues to place them at risk for losing their housing: • More than half the survey respondents indicated that using needles placed , them at risk for HIV/AIDS; • 31 percent indicated that they had a chemical dependency; , • 32 percent are in a methadone program currently; • 44 percent report using drugs and/or alcohol-, , • 44 percent report having used heroin; , • 22 percent report having used crack; • 38 percent report having used cocaine; and • 31 percent of all respondents say they had become homeless because of ' substance abuse. People are also struggling to maintain or reattain a degree of recovery and sobriety, but substance abuse treatment slots are hard to come by and illness and poverty add to the difficulty of this goal: • 45 percent of the respondents indicated that they are currently in some type of substance abuse program; and , • Another 43 percent indicated that they felt they needed some form of treatment. 52 ' Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan ' Drugs Ever Used No Drugs Other Prescription Drugs Non-prescription Pills Marijuana Heroin Crack Cocaine Alcohol 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 This means that only 12 percent of respondents had no current or previous 1 chemical dependency or did not want drug treatment. ' Substance abuse services are also hard to receive in the East Bay: • 17 percent of the 1994 Oakland EMA Needs Assessment participants were I unable to receive the substance abuse services they said they needed in that survey; and ' 14 percent of people in the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey who wanted help to quit using drugs were unable to get the help they needed. Th HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that the most common reasons for not entering The g y e g therapy/treatment included lack of transportation, location of site and cost of program. fMental illness presents an additional challenge to many people living with HIV/AIDS. National studies indicate that 10-20 percent of homeless individuals suffer from severe mental illness." Forty percent of all people living with HIV/AIDS eventually develop significant neurological problems; as many as 90 percent have central nervous system damage by the end of life.' Of the survey respondents: • 21 percent indicated a history of depression. 53 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Mental health care is also difficult for people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County to obtain: • 23 percent of those persons using mental health services were not satisfied ' with their care. Women, and families with children affected by HIV/AIDS, have unique social , and support service needs which negatively impact their ability to maintain housing "Seems that services are too sparse. I have four children and have been homeless three times in the last three years. I'm in active recovery now, and sharing a living situation. I ' desperately need my privacy. I want to live in as safe a neighborhood as possible, where smoking weed as medicine is tolerated--hopefully, not where people who openly use drugs and/or sell them live. I)"skeptical of living where it's been advertised housing' ' because of the many fears surrounding contracting HIV I'd personally be afraid someone would bomb the place." --survey respondent ' As has been noted, women—and subsequently children and families—are a growing component of the epidemic. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that for women living , with HIV and AIDS, particularly those with children, finding safe and affordable housing s a primary concern. Women were well represented in the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey which revealed significant differences between women and men in the area of housing. A third of the respondents live alone, and 34 percent live with children. While half of the ' respondents with children indicated that they had only one child, 27 percent indicated that they had 3 children. Of those respondents living with children of all ages, 35 percent of the children are less than 5 years of age. More than half of all children living with the respondents are teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18. The data revealed other important differences between men and women: • Women were much more likely to say they were depressed than men (40 percent compared to 8 percent); , • Women were more likely than men to be living with other people (75 percent as compared to 57 percent); ' • 45 percent of all women respondents were living with their children or step children. 54 ' Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Although 53 percent of the women living with HIV/AIDS in the County reported injection drug use as a risk factor 6 women were somewhat less likely than men to have a history of using drugs, but were more likely to be in recovery and as likely to say they were chemically dependent. Several focusPP participants artici ants were women who shared their concerns about their g children's health and safety. Each woman stressed the importance of having a safe, drug free neighborhood in which to raise their children. Several women had lost custody of their children and were struggling to become sober. One child, who attended the Tranquillium Center focus group with his mother, and spent the time enjoying a bowl of stew and a coke, said "I like this place." ' Families also present special needs: • 29 percent of all respondents lived in at least three-person households; and r21 percent of all MWAIDS Housing Survey respondents lived in households where at least one other person was also living with HIV or AIDS. ' Child care and mental health services for women were particularly seen as lacking in the EMA. Female participants in the 1994 Oakland EMA focus groups reported insensitivity among service providers and the need for on-site child care if women are to take advantage of existing services and feel welcome. Poor rental and criminal histories make it harder for some people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing r "I figure if I am dying who cares?I didn't care about moving the right way out. I didn't notify people even though I left the apartment clean. In order to be able to move it costs $1,300 dollars so you burn them for the last month rent. That is the real reason—to get money for next month. So you don't realize what you are doing to yourself when you get an eviction. It is not easy to move with all this credit stuff. It isn't even easy now with ' Section 8. Those places don't usually do credit checks—but now a lot of them want credit checks. " --focus group participant rThe HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that many individuals had poor rental histories. Thirty five percent of the surveyed population indicated they had been homeless at some point in the past five years: 55 r Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan r •. 65 percent of all respondents had moved since learning.of their HIV infection or AIDS; • 25 percent of all homeless respondents had been evicted; • 62ercent of these had been asked to move because of drug or alcohol , P g use; and ' • 62 percent moved because they could not cover their rent. r Recent incarceration also creates problems finding housing because landlords are often unwilling to rent to people with felony convictions. r Some people living with HIV/AIDS feel they face discrimination when looking for and trying to keep housing in Contra Costa County "I was evicted because of my HIV status. She said it was because I was 3 days late with the rent. " -- written survey response For some people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, particularly those who , participated in the focus groups, housing discrimination is a concern. This discrimination could be based on HIV status, on race, or on perceived drug use. It is not possible to state to what extent discrimination based on HIV status is a factor in the difficulty people have finding and maintaining housing. What is clear, however, is that some individuals feel discriminated against and that there is a considerable perception that discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS exists in the County. The majority of the people living with HIV/AIDS who participated in the focus groups were people of color, particularly African Americans. Many of these individuals voiced their general dissatisfaction with the housing system and their concern that people of color r were not afforded the same access to health and housing services as whites, particularly when compared to the services available to people living with HIV/AIDS across the Bay in San Francisco. r In addition, a number of focus group participants spoke of recent acts of discrimination in the areas of housing and employment. , 1 56 1 ' Contra Costa Count .HIV/AIDS Housin .Plan • `I was working with food and I thought I should tell him. Well, as soon as ' I did, I was fired You have to keep it a close secret in this town." • "Some of my family don't understand, they don't want me no more. They are watching me like I am a germ. They almost make me hate them, which I don It want to do." ' People want to remain in their homes and live as independently possible for P P Y as ' as long as possible "The most important qualities I would seek in a new home are the same as those that you would like. " -- survey respondent Respondents were asked to rank(from 1 to 9, best to worst) thoughts on what type of housing best serves their needs given current health status as well as if health changes as a ' result of HIV/AIDS. They were also asked to identify all support services that best served their needs given their current health and should their health change as a result of HIV/AIDS. Most survey respondents feel their needs are best served now, and in the ' future, in their own homes. Emotional support and case management were identified as the most desirable support services to maintain this option. Preferences by type and location The overwhelming top choice for where people would like to live now was independently. The preferences are ranked (most favored to least) in Table 4. ' In terms of location, should they be forced to move, high value was placed on: • living close to doctors; living g in safe neighborhoods; ' easy access to transportation and shopping; and • living near friends and family. ' 57 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan ' Preferences by quality People were asked to rank several housing qualities that were important to them. The ' most important qualities they would be looking for in a different home were: • living in clean and sober housing; ' • living with people of the same ethnic or cultural background; and ' • living in a wheelchair-accessible building. Half of the respondents indicated that they prefbrred not to live with other HIV- positive individuals, citing their need for privacy as the primary reason. Table 4: Housing and Service Preference Over Time Listed in Priority Order Which Best Suits Your Needs ... Which Best Suits Your Needs ... t given your current health? should you become more ill? Housing_ —T—ServiceHousin Service ' Rental Unit Case Management Rental Unit Emotional Support Owned Home Emotional Support Owned Home Case Management , Single Room Practical Support Skilled Nursing Medical Care Occupancy Facility Transitional Medical Care Residential Assist with Daily Housing Hospice Activities , Shared/Group Money Shared/Group Money Home Management Home Management Emergency Shelter Mental Health Single Room Home Delivered Counseling Occupancy Meals , Skilled Nursing Home Delivered Transitional Practical Support Meals Housing Residential Hospice Assist with Daily Emergency Mental Health , Activities Shelter Counseling 58 ' Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan Case Manager Survey Results ' As of December 23, 1995, the Contra Costa County Health Services Department AIDS Program had received 16 `Case Managers and Services Providers" surveys completed by ' service provider and case management agencies. (This figure is believed to be very representative of the existing network of service providers serving people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa.) The majority of survey respondents, or 75 percent(n=12) offer case ' management services. Additionally, 50 percent (n=8) of respondents provide emotional support services and 44 percent (n=7) provide practical support services. ' Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage of their agencies', non-housing services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The average of the percentages given was 65.5 percent with nine, or 56 percent of respondents indicating that 100 percent of their ' agencies' services are provided to people living with HIV/AIDS. Findings of the survey When asked to rank the types of housing assistance most needed by their clients, respondents gave higher rankings to `emergency/ short term financial assistance for rent and utilities', `shared houses/apartments with little or no on-site support services', and ' `subsidized independent living in an apartment with no on-site support services'. According to these responses, it appears as though service providers support the desires of most clients(as per the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey results) for independent living ' situations and minimal on-site support service. It is also interesting to note that although as many as 53 percent of HIV/AIDS Housing ' Survey respondents indicated past and/or present drug use, Case Managers and Services Provider Survey respondents gave relatively low rankings to the `housing program that tolerates drug/alcohol use off premises', and `clean and sober housing program' options. ' In terms of barriers to access housing assistance, respondents ranked inadequate rental assistance as the greatest barrier. When asked to rank, in order of importance, the services required for their clients to 1 maintain an independent housing situation for the longest feasible period, respondents scored `protective payee/money management' as the most important service. `Alcohol and drug treatment/counseling' received the second highest ranking. These responses ' underscore a reality for many people living with HIV/AIDS in this County: as the proportion of income to housing costs approaches one and as alcohol/drug use continues 59 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan , to be a competing priority for personal funds, the combination of money management and drug treatment/counseling services has become a significant need. It appears that while , service providers want to support their.clients' desires for independent living, they recognize that it is not a feasible option for this population without appropriate supportive services. ' Conclusion ' The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that low income people living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County face substantial barriers when seeking and keeping housing that is , safe, meets their needs, and is within their budget. Poverty, the challenge of substance abuse, perceived or actual discrimination, limited options for families, and the physical devastation of HIV/AIDS combine to create homelessness and unstable housing among ' people living with HIV and AIDS in Contra Costa County. 1 1995 Title IFMA Supplemental Application,CARE Act clients,first quarter Fiscal Year 1994. , 4 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Profile of the East Bay, 1994. l Oakland Ryan White Title I EMA Needs Assessment, 1994. 4 Tessler,RC and Dennis,DL A Synthesis of Research Concerning Persons who are Homeless and Mentally 111.National Institutes of Mental Health,Rockville,MD;(1989) , 3 Elders,GA&Sever,JL,AIDS&Neurological Disorders.an overview.Annals of Neurology 23(Suppl):S4-5-6.Nov. 1988. 6 Contra Costa County AIDS Epidemiology Report. ' 1 60 ' ' Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing-Plan )v:•.'•7+%rhr y:>yt?;ryfi);:;:'•.••,•i{�ikn�%:%h rf• viSiiii>:f??:::i:???:X=??i::•i:;'{ii:i?`\j;`-:rL??ii;:i h ' a► rovider Survey Results `i This section of the plan presents the results of surveys of housing providers from across Contra Costa County. Methodology and limitations The survey was sent to 28 nonprofit and other developers of affordable housing active in the East Bay Area on September 22, 1995. A follow-up survey was sent to 19 non-respondents on December 20, 1995. Fifteen (15) developers had responded to the survey, representing a 54 percent response rate. Limitations to the survey application include a discrepancy in responses. For example, some respondents placed senior/disabled housing in an"other" category, rather than by unit size. In addition, rather than responding in the negative, some agencies simply skipped questions on the survey which they felt did not apply to them. The following summarizes the main findings of the survey. Experience with development of affordable housing Contra Costa County surveyed nonprofit developers with experience creating affordable housing. Of those agencies responding to the survey, only one indicated they have no development experience in Contra Costa County. Four agencies currently have projects in development; four have completed one acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction project; three have completed 2-3 projects and five have completed 4 or more projects. 61 Contra Coat&County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan All responding agencies had development experience in other counties, ranging from projects currently in development to completion of 4 or more projects. , The projects these developers have completed or in development in both Contra Costa County and other jurisdictions cover a range of options, as illustrated in Table 1. Other housing owned or developed includes farm worker housing, housing for seniors/disabled, and single-room occupancy(SRO) housing. Table 1 ' Type of Housing Project Number developed Number Owned ' Group homes 6 4 Single family rental 3 16 2 -4 Unit multifamily rental 1 4 5 - 20 Unit multifamily rental 10 17 20 - 50 Unit multifamily 15 79 housing Transitional.housing 7 126 The survey identified the following HIV/AIDS-specific housing experience, although not ' all of this experience is specific to Contra Costa County. • 1 agency provides 14 group home beds for people living with HIV/AIDS; ' • 2 agencies provide a total of 17 units in 5-20 unit complexes dedicated for ' people living with HIV/AIDS; • 1 agency provides 20 SRO units fbr people living with HIV/AIDS and ' • 1 agency provides 24 units for persons with functional limitations due to a physical disability. These units are not limited to people living with HIV/AIDS, although at the time of survey completion all residents currently did have HIV/AIDS. 62 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan - Although not all these programs are in Contra Costa County, the information illustrates 1 the capacity which exists in the County. Provision of supportive services Only four housing development agencies report providing any support services directly to residents of assisted rental housing. • The most common services are practical support, emotional support and service coordination, which are each provided by 3 agencies. ' Case management services, money management, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and assistance in daily living are all provided by 2 agencies ' • The majority of agencies provide only one service, including transportation services, pre-vocational activities and activities for children. 1 Only three agencies provide services specifically for people living with HIV/AIDS: one provides emotional support; one provides mental health counseling; one provides service coordination; and one provides transportation services. Seven agencies report providing support services to residents through formal agreements ' with service providers to people living in permanent or transitional affordable housing, including case management, money management, practical support, emotional support, medical care, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, and assistance in daily ' living. In addition, one agency provides nutritional support and job training; one provides food; one provides transportation; two provide service coordination/referrals; and one ' provides SSI advocacy and legal services. Four agencies report providing support services through formal agreements with service providers, to people living with HIV/AIDS living in permanent or transitional affordable housing, including two which provide case management, money management, practical support, medical care, substance abuse counseling, and assistance with daily living. Three ' agencies provide both emotional support and mental health counseling- one provides transportation and service coordination; one provides nutritional support and job training. 63 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan ' Agency plans to develop affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS Five agencies report they would consider or are considering providing supportive services as part of the development of supportive housing for people living with HIV/AIDS; seven report they would consider or are considering developing/owning/managing such housing, including two agencies which are considering participating in both aspects. Only one agency explicitly indicated they are not interested in this aspect of affordable housing, although seven respondents left this section blank. • One agency indicated they currently do not have a project identified. • Another agency is working to develop five units in the South Lake Tahoe area. ' • A third agency is developing 50 units, affordable to households with low, very-low, and extremely-low incomes, within a large multifamily rental complex in San Francisco. • A fourth agency is working to develop 29 units in a large multifamily rental property, affordable to very-low and extremely-low income households, including 10 units reserved for people with HIV/AIDS in West Contra Costa County. • A fifth agency is developing 10 hospice units for extremely-low, very-low, and low income households in Berkeley. ' • A sixth agency is working to develop: 20 units of rental housing affordable to very-low income households; and 20 units of transitional housing ' affordable to very-low and low-income households,both in East County. • A seventh agency is in pre-development on the following three projects: 12 ' units of multifamily rental housing for very-low and extremely-low income households in Central Contra Costa County including 11 units reserved for people with HIV/AIDS; 8-12 units of either group home housing or ' multifamily rental units affordable to very-low and extremely-low income households, in Central or West Contra Costa County; and 6-8 units of group home housing or multifamily rental housing affordable to very-low and extremely-low income households in Berkeley. Note that not all of these projects are in Contra Costa County. 64 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Perceived barriers to development of affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS ' Meeting the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS however, is seen by some providers as challenging. Many of the issues identified by providers are outlined in the `Context of HIV/AIDS Housing in Contra Costa County" section of this plan, and include, 1 in order of the number of respondents identifying the barrier: #1 Long-term funding of services; 1 #2 Lack of politically feasible sites; #3 Lack of financially feasible sites; #4 Unfamiliarity with [other] housing developers or service providers that ' could be partners in the development and management of affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS; and 1 #5 Unfamiliarity with the needs of persons with HIV/AIDS. ' Additional barriers included inadequate fiscal and/or administrative systems, inadequate staffing, the limited amount of available development funding, community concerns, and need for community outreach and approval in selected jurisdictions. ' One agency with significant experience in the provision of housing forspecial needs populations, including people living with HIV/AIDS, is concerned with the need for a housing continuum -group homes, independent living, hospice services, transitional housing-within the community. They identified the legally-required community process ' as an enormous hindrance in the development of such housing, due to community concerns, and related homophobia; as well as the issue that the community process results in labeling future residents as having HIV/AIDS. An agency which has been researching the possibilities of developing housing for people living with HIV/AIDS has found two issues to be especially problematic: ensuring ongoing ' support service funds to serve future residents; and coordinating the worlds of service provision and development funding into single projects. 65 1 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing.Pian . 1 Agencies which have had experience developing and operating housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, cite the following project operations issues: • Attracting and retaining appropriate tenants, especially people who are clean and sober, was a concern for the community and the agency both; • Unit retention in the event of disease progression/tenant hospitalization; • Unit vacancyand tenant transition to facilities designed to provide g comprehensive medical care; , • Legal or other issues of providing hospice care in existing units; and • Death of tenants in their units. Addressing perceived barriers to development of affordable housing for people , living with HIV/AIDS Housing developers were asked to rank possible strategies to address barriers to the development of housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. These strategies are listed below, again in rank order: 1 #1 Technical assistance in the areas of funding applications, licensure requirements, and program design; 1 #2 Training in the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS; #3 Assistance in identifying housing/services partners or consultants and assistance in identifying politically and/or financially feasible sites; and #4 Training in affordable housing development. , 1 1 1 66 1 ' Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan }"4:S<t:ii{p.in;:i•';':{}ii'.is\.F^.±'i•.{�++t(�ij:YY Housing in Contra Costa County S1v:'rH S,S',. v riii?t`! ^:i:Y• •`M1.-: ................... "I have a sleeping bag and you just wake up and hope it will be warm. You go to bed hoping that it will get better, but eventually you want to die. You get grubby, a little stinky, and nobody wants you around I miss being warm. Going to the bathroom is a hassle. My T cells are down to 4, and I just may not wake up one morning in the cold Maybe I'll be blessed. " —East County Consumer Focus Group participant This section of the plan provides an inventory of the current `continuum of HIV/AIDS housing and resources in Contra Costa County. It includes: • definitions of the types of housing covered in the continuum; • issues specific to HIV/AIDS for each type of housing; • an inventory of current and planned units; and • a summary of gaps for each type of housing. Information to create this inventory of HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County was gathered in a number of ways: through input from the community-based planning group, from the focus groups and site visits, and from resource directories and other information sources. The gaps listed in this section of the plan were developed through a consensus process during the planning group meetings. i 69 Contra Costa.Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan The continuum of HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County The following provides an overview of the total number and type of housing beds/units , reserved for individuals with HIV infection or AIDS in Contra Costa County. HIV/AIDS Specific Housing Resources in Contra Costa County ' Type of Resource Total Number of Units Available Emergency shelter beds None Emergency vouchers and assistance 2 Emergency voucher and assistance programs ' Transitional housing 6 Group home beds 4 Current 21 In development Permanent housing 180 Tenant-based Shelter Plus Care certificates for homeless people with HIV/AIDS, mental illness and/or substance abuse Skilled nursing and hospice beds 2 - 7 Beds HIV/AIDS-specific services are extremely limited. In addition to these HIV/AIDS-specific sites and resources, there are the following non-AIDS specific programs and services available for people with disabilities: 280 emergency shelter beds for men, women and families, 4 non-HIV/AIDS specific emergency housing voucher programs, 17 transitional housing programs, and over 1,650 permanent assisted rental housing units. Although these resources are not specifically designed for people with HIV/AIDS, they may be used by them. Please note that the information in this section of the plan is not representative of all housing programs which have been used by people living with HIV/AIDS over the course of the epidemic. It is likely that nearly every low income or special needs housing program in the County -- from battered women's shelters to public housing units apartments -- has provided homes to people living with HIV/AIDS and their families, ' whether or not units were reserved for this specific population. 70 Contra Costa County Housing IMAMS sin Plan The Appendix of this plan includes inventories of Assisted Rental Units and Emergency and Transitional Housing as well as street sheets. These documents provide information about housing programs and services which may be accessed by people living with HIV/AIDS although their programs are designed for low-income and/or homeless ' populations, not specifically people with HIV/AIDS. The following is a description of the HIV/AIDS-specific housing resources and the ' non-HIV/AIDS specific resources which were mentioned by people living with HIV/AIDS and service providers as regularly accessed by people with HIV/AIDS. Included is a brief ' exploration of the HIV/AIDS issues particular to that type of housing, gaps in the current continuum, and comments from participants in the focus groups illustrating their concerns and desires. Emergency Housing Resources , Definition: Emergency resources include both shelters and vouchers for a very temporary place to spend the night. Emergency housing is designed to keep people off the streets when they are confronted with an immediate loss of housing due to eviction, release from an institution, or the dissolution of a household. For people who are already homeless, emergency housing provides immediate housing and a potential first step away from living on the streets. The core of emergency housing is homeless shelters; additional resources include hotel/motel vouchers for short stays in single room occupancy(SRO) hotels. Emergency resources also include vouchers to help individuals meet emergency rent and 1 utility payments on a short-term basis. These programs typically have an annual cap, and demand always exceeds supply by a wide margin. HIV/AIDS issues: ' While there are no shelter beds specifically dedicated to people with HIV/AIDS,people can obtain emergency housing in existing shelters—if they are not full. However, shelters which are not designed to meet the needs of medically fragile individuals are largely inappropriate for people with HIV/AIDS because these settings can pose a health risk to persons with compromised immune systems,particularly TB. In addition, shelters often require individuals to leave the premises during the day, which can be very difficult for those who are ill. 71 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1 HIV/AIDS-Specific Emergency Housing , Zero emergency shelter beds set Total Resources aside for persons with HIV/AIDS Two sources for emergency assistance and hotel/motel vouchers ' .Location County wide Low income persons with Target Population HIV/AIDS who are homeless or about to become homeless Resources: ' There are approximately 280 additional emergency shelter beds for homeless single men, women and'families; 20 beds targeted for the mentally disabled; 24 beds targeted for i battered women; and 95 beds for people recovering from substance abuse. None of these emergency beds are specifically reserved for people with HIV/AIDS, although they are , accessible to them. In spite of their relative inappropriateness, emergency shelters provide an important , resource for homeless persons living with HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, accessing emergency shelter is very difficult for all persons in Contra Costa County. Currently, an answering machine takes names for the waiting list, which is limited to 20 names. Individuals must call back each week to keep their name on the list. One individual who answers the emergency housing request line characterized the current system this way: "The bottom line is that there is not service you can imagine how frustrating it is for the homeless , person. " Emergency voucher resources for individuals with HIV/AIDS are available but are limited , in the length and amount of assistance and are in high demand. These emergency resources each have different requirements about length of stay or the number of times people can use a voucher, but each is a short-term, stop gap measure. ' 72 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • PittsburgPre School Coordinating Council in Pittsburghousing advocacy services in East and Central County using Ryan White CARE Act funds. Emergency housing vouchers can be used for a one-to-seven-night stay in a hotel or motel. An additional $18,000 in emergency assistance is available for eviction prevention, initial housing costs, rent and utilities: Case managers also work with clients to assist them in securing and maintaining affordable housing. Funds are available County-wide to people living with HIV infection and AIDS who also meet income eligibility requirements. • Catholic Charities of the East Bay provides housing advocacy services in i West Contra Costa County to the homeless, marginally housed, or those at risk of becoming homeless. Emergency vouchers are provided for up to I seven nights stay. Rental assistance is provided to assist with deposits, first month's rent and rental arrears. • Contra Costa Health Services Department, which administers the County's emergency shelter program, is developing a toll-free line for the homeless which will facilitate access to the emergency beds which are 1 available. In addition, the AIDS Program provides direct case management services and coordination of housing referrals for people living with HIV/AIDS. Although not HIV/AIDS-specific, these voucher programs are regularly accessed by people living with HIV/AIDS: . • St. Vincent de Paul and the Pittsburg Alliance of Technology and 1 Homeless Services (PATTY) provide emergency vouchers for up to 3 nights of motel stay and up to $300 in short term rental assistance to homeless families and individuals and those at high risk of homelessness in ' East County. • SHARE provides vouchers for 2 nights in a motel for homeless persons in Central County. • Shelter Inc. can provide motel vouchers for up to 5 nights for individuals and families, County-wide. ' 73 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Placa • Crisis and Suicide Intervention also provides County-wide motel , vouchers to individuals and families, with no set limit to the number of nights. The County Health Care for the Homeless program schedules regular visits to area , shelters, including the Concord_Shelter and the Richmond Rescue Mission. , Emergency Shelter Gaps , There are not enough shelter beds in the County for people without a place to stay the night, regardless of their HIV status. Even though some people who attended the community planning meetings felt that shelters were inappropriate for people living with IMAMS, these resources are vital to people who would otherwise be on the streets. Gaps in the emergency housing continuum exist. For people with special medical needs, , the gap in emergency shelter is even more acute. • There are no emergency shelter beds set aside for people living with HIV/AIDS. "Emergency means.today. You are already dying and then you get a death , wish!" • There is no emergency shelter in East County, and no transportation services to allow individuals in need to access an emergency bed. "It's sag but I tell my clients to call the hotline for the homeless. I try to , get them in Phoenix Rescue Mission in Richmond—but if they don't have a way to get there I can It help. I do whatever I can, but it is really hard , because there are no options. " • People living with HIVAIDS who are well enough to leave the hospital ' but not well enough to be alone at home have no `step down' or intermediate care options. `I was released from the hospital without a place to go. I had no one. It would have been nice to have a little assistance then." 74 , Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • There is a shortage of hotel and motel vouchers for those in need and a lack of transitional and permanent housing options for those able to leave the emergency housing system. People with HIV/AIDS state that the emergency voucher system is not quick to respond to their needs. "There is too much red tape, especially since they are going to give you nothing anyway." ' There are not enough daytime privileges for people with chronic illness at local shelters. "It would be nice to have a place to be where you can have a cup of coffee,put[your issues]on the table and relieve your stress". • Emergency shelter effectiveness may also be hampered by a decrease in the 1 amount of time a person is able to use the program, from 6 months to 90 days. ' `I know that if I don It do well I will get arrested again and get back in prison. I want to go forward I want to have my private life without ten people hanging out. I came home and there were four people shooting dope in my bedroom. I said `this ain It no shooting gallery—I got a nine year old girl coming home from school!I am going to call the shelter every day at 4:00 to try and get a bed The shelter lets you stay 90 days and I have already used 20. " Transitional Housing Resources Definition: Transitional supportive housing provides an interim home for people who are leaving emergency shelters but are unable to move into permanent housing, or for people trying to gain access to, or exiting from, mental health or substance abuse treatment programs. Transitional programs can provide housing for a period of several weeks or months, up to two years. These programs are often targeted to a specific subpopulation, and residents can be required to participate in counseling and other programs to assist them in 1 overcoming a specific problem, such as substance abuse, or to receive more general life ' 75 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan ' skills training to prepare for a move into more independent permanent housing such as Section 8 or a rental apartment. Many people entering transitional housing programs have complex histories, including substance abuse, prison records, and little previous success maintaining stable housing. These individuals need a great deal of assistance as they transition to permanent housing. As in other areas of the continuum, the families have special needs. Larger and multi-bed room units are needed to house families with children, and many transitional housing programs have been developed with single adults in mind. For women with HN/AIDS whose children are not infected, additional child , care support can be needed. For children who are themselves infected or diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, the medical and developmental issues can be even more complex, and may require onsite child care, family counseling, and medical care. , HIV/AIDS issues: ' As the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey illustrated, people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County face a constellation of complex social, health and personal crises. Poverty, , substance abuse, family size and declining health impact an individual's ability to remain independent. Housing designed to assist people with HIV/AIDS to transition to , permanent, independent housing must include an array of supportive services. Many transitional housing programs for people with HIV/AIDS offer case management, emotional and/or practical support, drug and alcohol counseling or treatment, mental , health counseling and rehabilitation and vocational training programs, both on-and off-site. Resources: ' There is one 6-bed group home which provides long-term transitional housing for people , living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County: HIWAIDS-S ecific Transitional Housing g Total Resources 6 Group home beds Location West County People who need assistance to move Target Population from homelessness to permanent housing , 76 , Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan r _ •' Amara House(Catholic Charities of the East Bay)provides six transitional beds for very low income homeless persons with HIV/AIDS in unincorporated West County. This is.a group home setting and services are ' provided off-site. The program requires residents to be clean and sober. rAlthough not MV/AIDS-specific, according to the Contra Costa Consortium Consolidated Plan, the following programs offer services which may be accessed by people living with HIV/AIDS. Additional programs are available in the City of Richmond. 5 transitional housing units for adults who are both substance abusers and • g mentally ill. r • There are 10 transitional programs with 168 beds, including those housed in Detox programs, for men and women in recovery from substance abuse. • 10 transitional housing beds for the mentally disabled; • Phoenix Housing provides a two-year transitional housing program for people with mental illness. ' There are 6 transitional housing programs for homeless individuals and families. rThere are no residential drug treatment slots set aside for people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, although people living with HIV/AIDS who disclose their HIV status receive preference. Transitional Housing Gaps • There are limited transitional housing programs for people living with ' HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. J's homelessness is very hard on his daughter who fears for her father's safety and health. `I can't put him up where I live and I want to help take care of him, but I can't tell my roommate. I can't jeopardize where I live. r It is so frustrating that I can't help my father the way I want to. I love him, and it hurts to see him living like this. The thing I would like to see for him is to get him his own place. " The situation is made more frustrating to M because she works for a local social service agency and is well connected r 77 1 Contra Costa County HVtAIDS Housin Plan : . r to HIV/AIDS services in Contra Costa County. Even with her knowledge and connection there is little she,can do for her father. Her father's homelessness has made M see things differently, "You look at the homeless and you're kind of scared But now it is my dad " • There is no transitional housing option for people living with HIV/AIDS who are currently using drugs or alcohol, or for people living with HIV/AIDS who have mental health issues(sometimes called`dually or triply diagnosed'). This type of housing requires 24-hour supervision and on-site supportive social services. , "We need something for people who are still using, because they are; and- they can It all stop. " • There is no transitional housing for people living with HIV/AIDS who are leaving incarceration or have a criminal history—which makes locating and succeeding in permanent housing more difficult. , `I could have dealt with being homeless after I got out of prison if I didn't have AIDS I have done it before. But AIDS gets in your mind Being , homeless and not being able to sleep is the worst. You wake up with miserable thoughts. You try to be normal and you say you don't want to hurt anyone and you don't want to—but it is hard Homelessness is a ' disease that the government has created" • There are no HIV/AIDS set-aside slots for substance abuse treatment and no housing designed to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS coming out of residential substance abuse treatment. , "We don't have to be users. Let's be real. I say I'm not going to shoot no more dope—but excuse me, the urge is still going on. You try to put your e life back together, but some of us are strong and some of us ain't. And if you don't have a house it's even harder. " 78 Contra Costa Count HN/AIDS Housing Plan Permanent Housing Resources i - Definition: Simply put, permanent housing means a home orapartment. In housing planning terms, permanent housing is defined as housing which has no limit on the length of residency and can be part of a broad array of independent and supportive living arrangements. These include independent living in homes and apartment units, small group homes, single room occupancy(SRO) residential hotels, and sites for which the Residential Care Facilities for tthe Chronically Ill (RCF-CI) licensure category is appropriate. Some programs provide a minimum amount of support services while others provide a full range, including 24-hour on-site residential management. Permanent housing programs may require residents to participate in at least a minimum level of support services, such as weekly house meetings; others provide support services such as money management, case management, mental health counseling, and drug and alcohol counseling and treatment. HIV/AIDS issues: Many of the issues outlined in transitional housing exist in the area of permanent housing; ' chief among them are lengthy waiting lists, a lack of available units, and the tenants' declining health and income. While people living with HIV/AIDS, like most of us, would prefer to live independently for as long as possible, their unique health challenges may ' require transition to more supportive care settings. Allowing people to remain safely in their own homes as long as possible and then transition to more acute settings is one of the primary challenges of the HIV/AIDS housing system. i Resources: 1 There are currently 4 permanent housing units dedicated to people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. 79 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan HIV/AIDS-Specific Permanent Housing Resources 4 Current units 21 Units in development Total resources 180 Tenant-based Shelter Plus Care r certificates for homelessness individuals with disabilities, including HIV/AIDS. Current units: East County(Pittsburg) Location of resources Units in development: Central County (Pacheco)West County(El Cerrito) Clean and sober men and women, , Target population homeless people with HIV/AIDS, and low income people with disabling HIV/AIDS. • Shelter, Inc. provides four units of independent permanent housing in East County for very low income people living with HIV/AIDS who are ambulatory. • The HousingAuthority of Contra Costa County provides tenant based ty ty rental assistance through the Shelter Plus Care program for up to 180 units County-wide. Shelter Plus Care is designed to assist homeless people with , disabilities, including HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and/or substance abuse. An additional 21 units of permanent housing are currently in development, including the first housing dedicated for people living with RMAIDS in Central Contra Costa County. , • Aspen House sponsored by Resources for Community Development, (RCD) will provide 11 one-bedroom units for people living with , HN/AIDS in the community of Pacheco (Central County). RCD will provide on-site management, while supportive service coordination will be provided by Catholic Charities of the East Bay. ' • Rubicon Inc. is planning to acquire and rehabilitate an existing, primarily vacant motel in El Cerrito (West County) in order to develop 28 units of single room occupant (SRO) housing affordable to very low income homeless adults. Ten of the units will be reserved for people living with HIV/AIDS. Committed development funding resources include HOPWA, 80 , Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan County CDBG, and Low Income Housing Funds. In addition, Rubicon has _ received allocations of HUD McKinney Act Supportive Housing Program funds and SRO Moderate Rehabilitation Program Section 8 Certificates. If funding applications are successful, site acquisition is estimated for September, 1996. 1 Although not HIV/AIDS-specific, these programs offer services which may be accessed by people living with HIV/AIDS: ' Riverhouse in downtown Martinez, which was originally developed as affordable housing for the elderly and/or disabled, provides housing for persons with disabilities, including HIV or AIDS. There are no support services provided on site. • There are an additional 1,650 County-assisted rental housing units available to seniors and disabled adults through the Contra Costa Consortium. It should be noted that units are designed for seniors and/or the disabled and do not include any set-asides specifically for people disabled with AIDS. • Phoenix Apartments in Concord has 11 project-based Section 8 certificates for people who are mentally ill. The Phoenix Clean and Sober House in San Pablo has 5 units for people who are dually diagnosed with ' mental illness and substance abuse. Permanent Housing Gaps There are clearly insufficient numbers of permanent, affordable HIV/AIDS housing units in Contra Costa County. • There is too little affordable permanent independent housing available to or ' designed to meet the needs of low-income individuals and households in Contra Costa, including people living with HIV/AIDS. ' `I used to make $30,000 a year selling cars. I got pneumonia one day and I found out it was AIDS. Since then it has all fallen apart. And I ask myself How did this happen?'All I want is a roof over my head I'm clean. I have no record I am just an average guy. And I just want someplace to stay the night, but I can't get the first and last[month's rent]and security[deposit]together. I just will never have that kind of money. " 81 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • Landlords are reluctant to provide housing to low income people and even more reluctant to rent to people living with HIV/AIDS. , "I meet with landlords regularly to try and find places for my clients—but they don't want low income people living in their apartments and they , don't want people with AIDS even more." • Zero drug tolerance policies make it even more difficult for people who continue to use drugs to find permanent housing. There is no `harm reduction' model housing project. This model of housing allows people to , live in a safe environment while striving to achieve sobriety or to reduce their drug use, provided they do not place others at harm or use illegal drugs on the premises. One man gets his health care through the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic. He , says that substance abuse services are better in San Francisco: "They would put you in one of their houses and then supervise you to come off drugs. They help you through it." • There are no permanent supportive housing options for people who are triply diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and substance abuse. One focus group member said the best way for him to deal with AIDS and addiction is having his own place far away from the drug scene in Richmond "The remedy for the whole thing is that 1 have to be alone. I have to be far away. But it don't cost me nothing but,$1.25 to come back in on the bus and run through the jungle." • Focus group respondents were unanimous in feeling that housing and support services are better in San Francisco, which receives a great deal more federal funding for HIV/AIDS services and has a stronger network of ' community-based service organizations. The proximity of this city to 'Contra Costa County makes the sense of neglect even stronger. "We need to be more like San Francisco. Aey take care of their people there. They don't care about us here because it is a poor city. Period " r 82 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • There is a need for more,rental subsidies, both shallow and full so that people can live independently. There are no permanent rental assistance grants. "We need studio apartments and what not. Individuals. Where they don't have to necessarily share with somebody, because in some cases you are also taking on that person's burden. And that can exacerbate the illness." v • The typical waiting list for Section 8 certificates and vouchers is longer 1 than the average life expectancy of many people disabled with HIV/AIDS. There is no Terminally III Section 8 Program. ' "We need an expedited program where you can jump ahead on the list to get Section 8, which we don't even have here at all. We can't get on 1 Section 8, there is like a two or three year waiting list." • For people who do have a Section 8 certificate or voucher, locating an apartment or home is extremely difficult. "This is an ongoing situation. The issue isn't just AIDS. They are labeling people as drug addicts. " • There is anecdotal evidence of ongoing discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS who seek housing ' `It is AIDS discrimination. I was living in a hotel in Point Richmond and one of the residents said I had messed up the bathroom because I had 1 AIDS. I was thrown out. I was never late on my rent, but they ended up using the AIDS against me. I took them to court for five months. They turned off my heat to force me out, but by the grace of God I found a ' place in EI Cerrito. It is$500 a month and I only get$614—but it is clean and I don't have to deal with anyone hassling me because I have AIDS." ' Cities in the County cite a shortage of affordable supportive and independent housing for people with all disabilities. In addition, few units ' are available on the ground level, and the cost of rehabbing older, existing units to make them handicapped accessible may be prohibitive. 83 Contra Costa County.HIV/AIDS Housina Man Skilled Nursing Care and Hospice Resources Definition: Skilled nursing facilities which are sometimes called nursing homes provide 24-hour 5 g g , nursing and attendant care services. Residents are placed there because they are too sick to stay at home, but don't need immediate access to the sophisticated diagnostic and life-support services of a hospital. Skilled nursing care is defined as nursing care to patients who are not in need of acute(hospital) care, but who require frequent medical , intervention, and around-the-clock licensed nursing services. Each patient is under the care of an attending physician. Care at skilled nursing facilities may also include occupational, physical, and respiratory therapies; meals and nutrition counseling; hospice care; and activities programs. Hospice can be either a place or a type of care delivered in the home. Hospice is based on , a philosophy of terminal care that.emphasizes quality of life, limits invasive procedures, and offers only palliative(pain relief) measures. "Hospice care focuses on alleviating physical pain and symptoms while providing psychosocial, practical, spiritual, and bereavement support. It provides an interdisciplinary team approach: physicians, nurses, social workers, nurse's aides, pastoral care, therapists, and volunteers are all involved with the patient. HIV/AIDS Issues: Providing long term care for people living with HIV/AIDS is a very complex issue, in part because reimbursement for this service varies depending on the setting and degree of care provided. The cost of this level of care is very high and because reimbursement does not fully cover the cost, a stand-alone hospice is virtually infeasible in California. Rather than provide a full discussion of this topic here, Appendix IV includes an overview of the long term care reimbursement structure in California and recommendations for how to obtain blended reimbursement streams to increase the feasibility of such a program. In addition to the reimbursement issues which make many facilities reluctant to serve people living with HIV/AIDS, placing this population in traditional nursing homes geared for the elderly also presents problems. The recreational activities designed for these r populations are different, and the cultural difference between people affected by HIV/AIDS(primarily gay men and people with a history of substance abuse) and the frail elderly can also present problems. Staff of homes geared for the elderly may not have received sufficient training to be sensitive to the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS or to deal with the resulting tension between types of residents. 84 r Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing.Plan L� • There are not enough in-home health care and support services available (' for very ill people with HIV/AIDS and AIDS-related dementia who would L . be able to stay in their homes with support from care givers and volunteers. • There is a general lack of information about what steps are needed to i_.. create a licensable long-term care facility in the East Bay, particularly among HIV/AIDS housing providers, HIV/AIDS service providers and ' those with expertise in skilled nursing facilities. L Housing Information, Referral and Advocacy Resources ' Definition: \ These services are designed to prevent homelessness by helping people locate housing which meets their financial and physical needs or by advocating on their behalf. Services of this type are available to individuals regardless of their disability status or affiliation L with an agency or case management program. Typical services include eviction prevention, housing rights advocacy and tenant counseling, and information and referral services. �j HIV/AIDS issues: I, For people living with HIV/AIDS, health and income and thus housing needs can change rapidly. Most people with HIV/AIDS must access an array of complex and piecemeal systems, including housing, health care, mental health, drug treatment and social services. The simplicity of centralized information, referral and advocacy services is even more important to those who are physically or mentally impaired. The typical length of waiting lists for most public housing programs may be longer than the average life expectancy of a person diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. This underlines the importance of proactive tenant counseling and quick, efficient information, referral and assistance to get them into an appropriate home. r, L✓ L; 87 Contra Costa Count HN/AIDS Housing Plan Conclusion _ The continuum of HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County has gaps in each area. ' Some gaps, such as centralized access to information about HIV/AIDS housing, or transitional and supportive housing for people multiply diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and ' substance abuse or mental health issues, are specific to the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Other gaps in the housing continuum affect all low- income people living in Contra Costa County, such as the need for more permanent, affordable units of housing in ' safe neighborhoods, and supportive services that can help people with difficult pasts succeed in housing. Additional units dedicated to people living with HIV/AIDS are needed across the spectrum of the housing continuum and in each part of the County. Not all of ' these units need to be provided though programs specifically targeted to people living with HIV/AIDS. The challenges are to target services to those most in need, to create HIV/AIDS-specific housing programs with limited resources and to use existing, mainstream, affordable and supportive housing more effectively. i'Building or renovating a few apartments or helping people pay their rent will not be enough. To truly make a difference in the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County, housing and services must be seen as interdependent and, to maximize their effectiveness, must be targeted to those most in need. The Contra Costa County Multi-Year HIV/AIDS Housing Plan is based on these principles. ' i' I' n 90 n Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan <}(:ffi::3.}':,.svj•),•i:;ifi}:},ii}f'f::'F. ;}::}}:4}?•}:•iT g, in •}f$i�+nv�.$`V~.viX��:'•ii�.if'$:i.??,,yl+�,,{?}.::i'}'3�n + 'fiiN t of HIV/AIDS Housing in Contra :......iv:}:F:..} M. Oh ty -::: .......... . 2.li�i}hYhiN:y .:.. .yf.`v`:2rf:tvtii2•}i:i.0"}Y''::" 1 This section of the plan presents an overview of the major issues which will influence the ability of the community to create the changes in the Contra Costa ' County HIV/AIDS housing continuum recommended by this plan. These issues are complex and interrelated and include: • funding for the development and continued operation of HIV/AIDS housing; ' the importance of cost effectiveness to insuring the future of current and planned HIV/AIDS housing; and ' the role of community acceptance and jurisdictional leadership in the successful implementation of the plan. ' Providing safe, affordable and appropriate housing for people living with HIV infection and AIDS has been a major concern of the HIV/AIDS community for years. In Contra Costa County, the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS have been met, for the most part, by a relatively small group of dedicated community-based organizations, nonprofit housing developers and public agencies. Their foresight and commitment created the area's BMAIDS-dedicated beds, and the community is indebted to them. 91 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housin .Plan 1 The final section of this plan makes specific recommendations to build on the work of community-based organizations`and expand housing opportunities for people living with HIV/AIDS in the County. Clearly, many complex issues and constraints—such as funding, cost effectiveness and community acceptance—must be addressed for implementation to occur. These issues are interrelated and must be considered together when making recommendations. For example, the size of a project to serve people with high needs (such as the disabled people living with HIV/AIDS who are chemically dependent) may have ramifications both in the area of initial costs and ongoing cost effectiveness and in the area of community acceptance. Providing scattered-site housing through rental subsidies to meet the needs of ' this population may decrease initial capital development costs and increase community acceptance, but it may be programmatically far less cost-effective in the long nun. Building a larger facility may have high initial costs and may create a degree of community concern, , but it may allow the project to provide a higher level of service at a lower cost per resident over a much longer period of time. This section of theP lan discusses those critical issues and trade-offs. ' Funds are limited and decreasing, but local decision-making authority is increasing and needs to continue becoming better coordinated One of the most pressing challenges in the implementation of this HIV/AIDS housing plan is how to fund the programs and projects that are called for and needed to expand and ' improve the HN/AIDS housing continuum in Contra Costa County. Funds are limited ' The main sources of HIV/AIDS-specific housing funds in Contra Costa County have been federal Housing and Urban Development agency grants, especially the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program. In Contra Costa County, ' HOPWA has been leveraged with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for services, Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) resources for operating funds, and HOME funds for acquisition and rehabilitation. HOPWA funds follow the CARE Act Eligible ' Metropolitan Area(which includes both Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) designation and are allocated under that formula to the City of Oakland. The City provides Alameda and Contra Costa Counties HOPWA funds on a pass-through basis to help provide housing and housing-related services to low income people living with HIV/AIDS. In 1995, Contra Costa County received $384,377 in HOPWA funds to support these activities. Several trends are working to limit funding for HIV/AIDS housing: 92 ' Contra Co§ta County 11MAIDS Housing Plan • While Congress and the Clinton Administration are proposing overall funding cuts for all housing and entitlement programs, Ryan White CARE Act and HOPWA programs are maintaining stable levels of funding for 1996. As the epidemic continues to grow, however, the number of cities which become eligible for these funds is growing, but because funding is flat, the amount of funds allocated to each community is smaller. As a result, the demand on the CARE Act and HOPWA funds will continue to iincrease. • The division of EMA-wide funds is based on the proportionate ratio of cases in each county to the EMU as a whole. As the number of HIV infections escalates in Alameda County, the proportionate percentage of EMA funds available for Contra Costa diminishes. This trend will continue until such time as Alameda County gains control of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. iDiscussions at the federal level indicate that the HOPWA program may be combined in`Block Grants' with other`special needs' housing programs at HUD. Block granting will increase the level of competition for these scarce resources because HIV/AIDS could be eliminated as a specific grant program and be grouped together with other special needs populations, such as the mentally ill. This could have the effect of making funding of housing for people living with HIV/AIDS even more competitive. • Other HUD grants which assist disabled and low income people are also in jeopardy. MediCal, which pays for the majority of health care services for people living with HN/AIDS, has been cut on both the state and federal ' levels and the benefit plan may be revised in this session of Congress. In addition to these government resources, private foundations, churches and synagogues, and community-based organizations play a fundamental role, particularly in funding projects in the planning stage and providing a volunteer base. The burden on these organizations and their memberships will continue to grow as community needs become more intense and federal and state safety nets provide less. A more complete listing of resources which can be used to address the County's commitment to HIV/AIDS housing is included in Appendix III. Successful implementation of this plan requires community groups, local politicians and individuals to advocate for: ' Maximizing the level of funds provided to local government under the • g P block grants; 93 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • The input of community-based agencies that serve and advocate for people living with HIV/AIDS.to influence decisions about how funds are spent; and • As much funding as possible to be made available specifically to provide housing and services to people living with HIV/AIDS. Coordination �s p 'n n ' important . Funding for HIV/AIDS housing and services is complicated not only by the funding shortage, but also by the number of federal, state, County and city government agencies which are involved in administration and allocation decisions. The federal government provides the vast majority of HIV/AIDS service funds through programs such as CARE Act, HOPWA, MediCal and others. These programs are administered by different federal and state agencies and each of these funding streams has its own set of regulations and restrictions. Some of the federal funds are awarded competitively, meaning that the County or city has to apply and compete with other jurisdictions for funds; while others, including the CARE Act and HOPWA funds, are awarded to local government units based ' on the cumulative number of reported HN/AIDS cases. The government agencies which administer these programs and funds also vary: on the local level County governments generally coordinate and pay for health care and welfare entitlements; both County and city governments generally pay for housing. CARE Act funding decisions are made by the community-based Title I Planning Council. Each year, the Council conducts an HIV/AIDS services needs assessment which sets priorities for funding for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Decisions about the use of HOPWA funds have been coordinated by the Contra Costa County Conununity Development Department, using a competitive Requests for Proposals (RFP) process. Funding to date has been based on annual community input and consultation with the various community HIV/AIDS priority-setting bodies, including the Title I Planning Council and the HIV/AIDS Consortium, and the entitlement cities. This plan is intended to set HIV/AIDS housing funding priorities for five years for Contra Costa County. It is important to note that similar plans have been completed in Alameda County and the City of Berkeley. Once long range priorities are set, it is hoped that: • Community-based providers can begin to develop housing programs that meet those funding priorities and be assured that priorities for , funding—regardless of the actual level of funds available—remain relatively stable over the planning period. 94 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan • Additionally, community-based service providers can use the.plan to design ' housing-related supportive services which can help people with HIV remain independent, meet the needs identified in the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey and help ensure that quality housing and related services are made available. Trade-offs among different approaches to providing HIV/AIDS housing—development costs, cost effectiveness and community acceptance There are essentially two ways to provide more housing to people who need it: capital development or rental assistance. Capital development means building new buildings or rehabilitating existing ones. Rental assistance means providing subsidies to individuals that enable them to rent housing that is available in the private market but is too costly for them without subsidy. The divergent implications of these two choices follow: Capital Development • Requires both an up-front subsidy to buy and build or rehabilitate a residence, and often requires ongoing subsidies for property management and supportive services. • Costs to develop an ap artment in Contra Costa County range from about $80,000 to $140,000 per unit (new construction). • Annual per-unit management costs(what it costs to keep the building open) range from about$3,000-$3,600 for regular affordable housing to $10,000 for licensed facilities,_and $18,000 for hospice and other service-intensive residences. ' Costs will also vary depending upon the location of the building, whether it is being brought up to licensing standards(see below), the cost of the property, and the extent of rehabilitation required, if any. Rehabilitating an existing building may be as expensive as new construction, depending on the condition of the building and the level of service to be provided. It is possible, however, to achieve economies(or savings) in service costs by concentrating people in a single site or cluster in adjacent properties instead of scattered throughout a community. A home health nurse, for example, can see all of his/her clients in one location, thereby saving tirae and related salary and transportation costs, instead of traveling from place to place to place. 95 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Pian In general, it takes a minimum of two years, and often three,for a capital development , project to get from planning to actually housing tenants. Sometimes, if a building can be found that requires very little rehabilitation, the time can be substantially reduced; and projects can open more quickly. The primary advantage of capital development is that the units created will be permanently available and'affordable for people living with HIV/AIDS. With respect to projects serving extremely low-income individuals and families., monthly rental payments may not be �. sufficient to cover even basic operating and property management costs without some ongoing subsidy. Rental Subsidies • The initial cost associated with rental subsidy programs is generally less .than that associated with housing development because rental assistance programs do not typically involve any major up-front costs. • In general, rental subsidy programs can be started quickly, with the primary timing issue related to how fast those receiving subsidies are able to locate suitable apartments. There are likely to be some additional costs required to bring available r • Y q g apartments up to code, or make them accessible to disabled people. • Providing rental subsidies requires long-term, ongoing payments for both rental costs and supportive services; rental payments reimburse owners for the costs of operating and managing the apartments and typically include some owner's profit. Costs may vary depending upon the type of rental subsidy established and the cost to rent apartments. HUD programs, such as Section 8, set limits on the amount of rent that can be charged for an apartment and also specify that tenants can pay only 30 percent of their income for rent. Thus, under the Section 8 program, someone with an income of$600 per month might pay$200 for an apartment that rents for$650, and HUD would pay$450. This is considered a`deep' subsidy. Deep subsidies often cost as much as $6,000 to �. $8,000 per family per year, making it expensive to.assist very many individuals or families. In an effort to increase the number of people assisted, some communities have chosen to serve more people with lower, or`shallow' subsidy levels. Thus a community might offer shallow subsidies of a fixed amount of$200 for example. Tenants with a $600 monthly 96 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing;Plan income might pay$450 for the apartment, while the subsidy program pays $200. Under . ' the federal HOPWA program, assisted tenants must pay 30 percent of their income for rent (no more and no less). In order to use HOPWA funds for a shallow subsidy program (where households may pay more than 30 percent of their income for rent)the City of ' Oakland (as the HOPWA grantee)would be required to obtain a waiver from HUD. ' Although future funding remains uncertain, both deep.and shallow rental subsidies are used to create stable housing;the hope is that people would not have to move again unless their health declined to a point where more intensive services were needed than could be delivered in the home. That means that someone could potentially require a rent subsidy for 10 or more years. If 100 individuals or families were assisted with deep subsidies averaging$7,000 a year for five years, the total cost would be $3,500,000—the cost of a new building! While the cost goes down with shallow subsidies, if 100 people were to use a shallow rent subsidy program each year for ten years in Contra Costa, the cost is over 2.4 million dollars, and no long-term housing solution has been created. In contrast, capital investment provides a very long-term or permanent source of affordable housing. Barriers and feasibility of rental subsidies and capital development Rental subsidy programs assume that affordable units will be available to people living with HIV/AIDS once a subsidy is provided. In a tight and costly rental market, affordable apartments, including those subsidized through Section 8, may be in high-crime neighborhoods. Further, private landlords may be'reluctant to rent to the very people targeted by the rental subsidy program—especially if they are homeless, have a problematic credit or criminal history, or have other issues such as mental illness(although discrimination based on disability is illegal). Nationally, racial discrimination continues to make it very difficult, even with a subsidy, for many minorities to find rental units. • According to the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a recent study of mentally ill homeless adults participating in the Section 8 housing subsidy program found that the issue that most affected their ability to find 1 apartments using the subsidy was not their mental illness, but their race. Although the study is not specific to Contra Costa County, this is an issue across communities in the United States. Some of these issues can be addressed simply by educating landlords, having people share apartments to bring down costs, and targeting a portion of a rental subsidy program to .� prevent homelessness for those who may be evicted from their current apartment due to a decrease in income. I 97 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Capital development requires that either suitable land, or buildings in need of rehabilitation be found and purchased at a reasonable price. ' Capacity is a key issue , There must be agencies that have the capacity and skills to develop and operate affordable housing, as well as provide or ensure the provision of needed support services. The process of developing housing is complex and requires an array of skills from financial analysis to construction oversight. Housing management is also difficult, especially for housing that includes people who may have special needs and in projects that integrate supportive services programs. Providing services in long-term housing is different from providing services to homeless people who are transient or in other settings. Supportive services linked to permanent housing must be designed to ensure maximum tenure of residents. , HIV/AIDS housing itself is a new field, combining the fields of housing, supportive services, health care and, often, HIV/AIDS prevention and education. At site visits and focus groups, providers spoke of the need for emotional support and financial assistance if they are to meet the growing need and the increasing complexity of their resident's concerns. Providers are asked not only to house people living with HIV/AIDS, but also to encourage recovery from drug addiction, provide highly nutritious meals to people whose ability to eat is diminishing and give emotional support to people who are facing a terminal illness. These same providers are required to write grants, submit reports, manage and support both boards of directors and volunteers, file paperwork on clients and to operate and maintain properties which are sometimes in dangerous neighborhoods and, like most homes, in need of constant upkeep. And they are asked to do all this on very limited budgets and with very limited staffs. ' It is rare to find a single agency that can perform all of these activities. Generally, successful supportive housing requires partnerships between service and housing agencies—often involving more than two agencies. There are relatively few agencies in Contra Costa County that have begun to develop service-enriched housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, although Catholic Charities of the East Bay, Resources for . r Community Development, Rubicon Programs and Shelter, Inc. are notable in their efforts to develop housing specifically for people living with HIV/AIDS. Increasing and supporting organizational capacity among those agencies which are serving the communities most affected by HIV/AIDS is critical to the success of this plan. 1 98 l 1 1 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1 If funding is cut, property lasts; subsidies might not One last important trade-off between rental subsidies and capital development is that if ongoing rental and service subsidies are no longer available, due to government funding reductions or other issues, the entire rental subsidy program might shut down, and those housed right end up homeless immediately or in the near future. ' On the other hand, once a building has been developed, tenants can continue to live there as long as the operator can cover operating and property management costs through rent supplemented by private fund-raising as needed. Over time, people living with HIV/AIDS could still be housed, although the population might shift to those better able to maintain independent living without rental subsidies or service support. Licensure of P P g buildings servingpeople living with HIV/AIDS ' An issue related to the potential cost of developing housing for people with HIV/AIDS, especially those disabled with HIV/AIDS, is state requirements for licensure of the housing. The new Residential Care Facilities for the Chronically Ill (RCF-CI) licensing 1 category applies to both proposed and existing projects. These requirements establish physical plant standards, including compliance with certain fire safety and seismic requirements, and mandated staffing levels; based on the number of occupants. The key issues determining whether or not a building must be licensed are: (1) whether the people in the building have a need for"care and supervision' which includes a range of services from money management to medication management and assistance with arranging for health care; and (2) whether individuals in the building access services independently, or if the building owner arranges for tenant services and has a financial or organizational relationship with the agency, or agencies, that provide tenant services. In general, licensure is not required for independent housing that offers assistance with organizing recreational activities or even some case management, or in which tenants access services on their own from outside agencies. A building begins to cross the line to one that might have to be licensed when it serves a high percentage of people who are disabled with AIDS, requires tenants to participate in a service program arranged by the building owner(for example money management), or arranges for an array of services to Itenants that might, for example, include home health care. This plan suggests that all housing that will or might provide a high level of services to people disabled with FUWAIDS be licensable under the new regulations. It is possible that the RCF-CI license will eventually carry with it some additional reimbursement for supportive services. It is also especially important that fire safety and staffing standards be met in buildings that serve large numbers of highly disabled people. 1 99 Contra Costa County IMAIDS Housing Plan l A key issue related to licensure is that while a building might open,without a license and function successfully, if it is operating in a way that would require licensure under the law the costs to renovate a structure to comply with licensing standards would be much greater if done after the fact and the disruption of residents could be significant. While licensed buildings are often more costly to develop and operate than other buildings, they can appropriately serve people who are more highly disabled and in need of a wider range of in-depth services than other buildings. Costs and cost effectiveness of supportive services Several studies have found that offering service-enriched housing to people with HIV/AIDS and other disabilities can save money. Two studies in 1990 and 1992 in Massachusetts found that at any given time,approximately 30 percent of all people with HIV disease in acute care hospitals were there because no community-based residential program was available(Hunter-Young et al., 1990; Massachusetts Rate Setting Commission 1992). • The cost of an acute care bed is more than$500 per day and the cost of community-based, service-enriched housing with a high level of service is less than $100 per day. • In Seattle, a University of Washington study in 1994 found that providing health care in supportive housing to people living with HIV/AIDS resulted in a reduction in tenants' use of emergency health care services from $62,710 a year to $15,639 a year per person. Other savings can be found for those with substance abuse problems and HIV/AIDS. For ' g example, a study of 201 graduates of Eden Programs, a Minneapolis treatment program, found that participants who live in supportive housing have stayed clean at a rate of 90 percent, compared to 55 percent of those who moved into other types of housing. The cost of providing services to people with FIIV/AIDS in housing varies, with costs being higher for those more severely disabled with HIV/AIDS, and for those with other disabilities such as substance abuse or mental illness. Some people can live in buildings or apartments with none or a very low level of on-site services other than property management, because they are able to access services in the community. Others need a high level of on-site service and support either because of , serious disabilities due to HIV/AIDS, or other issues including mental illness and substance abuse. 100 1 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan The Corporation for Supportive Housing estimates that annual per=client support service - costs range from about $3,600 for buildings that house individuals with relatively low levels of service needs to $13,000 annually for licensed facilities and $33,000 for hospice and other long term care facilities. These cost estimates depend on the size of the housing facilities and the intensity/frequency of service needs of the population. The higher end of the range is more common for buildings serving people already disabled with HIV/AIDS, or who have disabilities in addition to HIV/AIDS such as mental illness or substance abuse. RCF=CI licensing requires threshold-level staffing linked to the number of clients served. It is more cost effective to house 12-15 people, or 22-25 people at a single site, than to house fewer than 12, or between 16 and 21 people at a single licensed site. The cost of services may also vary depending upon the type of housing offered. For example, if a single building houses many people living with HIV/AIDS at one site, then some economies may be achieved by locating support services staff there. If people living with HIV/AIDS are living scattered throughout the community, the cost of travel for service staff, and the time involved in getting from one place to another may increase costs. In some cases people may not live in widely scattered sites, but in apartments that are geographically clustered, reducing travel and related costs. While these observations about increased costs for travel and travel time have been made by many service providers, there is not yet very much empirical evidence about the costs of providing services to people in scattered site versus single or clustered sites. 1 Community acceptance and jurisdictional leadership The forces which work against the creation of housing for people living with HIV/AIDS are essentially twofold: community concerns, and jurisdictional resistance to siting housing. This resistance may be based on fears of becoming a magnet for homeless and other"undesirable" populations. While jurisdictions may not deny funding or permits to a project based on factors deemed discriminatory under federal law, communities may find issues that can be used to legally 1 oppose a particular development related to the size or density of a proposed project, its costs, or other factors. In addition,just the existence of opposition and accompanying lawsuits can delay projects so much that their cost rises beyond what is feasible for a sponsoring agency or funders to tolerate. 1 101 t Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan i Some governments argue that if housing for a.population, such as people living with HIV/AIDS, is located in their communities, the community will in essence become a `magnet' for that population. They argue-that housing should be spread out in communities, that each community should accept:its`fair share' of special needs housing. Often these arguments are based on a lack of awareness of what other areas are currently , doing and a false sense that'we are the only ones doing anything.' The role of this plan in laying out the need across the County is to promote a sharing of information and joint planning so that each area of the County can take:responsibility and do its share in meeting , the needs of its citizens. This plan sets forth recommendations which will spread the burden and are reflective of the actual relative need in each area of the County. As the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey illustrated, the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County are complex. The more complex the needs of the population, the more likely that opposition may occur. Neighboring Alameda County has already lost a number of much-needed projects because of misplaced community fears, a continued gap in understanding of both the need for H1V/AIDS housing and the public health and social benefits of providing a home to people living with HIV/AIDS. The loss of these units of housing has directly resulted in more people living with HIV/AIDS being homeless and more men, women, children and entire families suffering without the common decency of a home. The recommendations created by this community-based process stand little chance of being implemented if the forces which resist Hl[V/AIDS housing are not countered by community acceptance and community leadership in every region of the County. Conclusion , These critical issues—availability and coordination of funding choices about how to best provide housing, addressing community acceptance issues and making programs cost effective--can either be barriers or opportunities to carrying out the goals of this H1V/AIDS housing plan. Public officials, advocates,people living with HIV/AIDS, service and housing providers will be more successful in implementing this plan if they confront and address these issues by moving forward together. The recommendations in the next section include suggestions for how best to do so. r r 102 1 I Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 1 . t?:2fj2}-voyv-,J:9ax.:,2}:•2y;2i;`�fi::a�v,#;:t.}:?i . '•:'••2T%t::i;5>:L:i:}:22:+�'•:R�Ct::iiti\2222ti`.i$., >tiM122•`:��i.aij:;i2-.d�;:+:t2yiy3i�. :;r;;i..•:.iy:'moi:?tt�}{:•::a.r.,.::.3{::}:}::>.•.:2 iii#'iiw�22#x�':'•f:"ii::�::;`'•R:?i�Y:ii�,}Y•3:.^;.ti.'•:2 dations ((nf���.7Y}rriAn.�if: �3 3 rgi•.}T:;thv-•.+iiijt...tity}.;•:,t tt•.,> ;; �'•�:.>`:}2;T..:•±'- :::•. '- 5:2:2+ �' ,C•:':+vp+!:^?:s}'{.-,?}'i~•..:y�{+:itOuj:W yy'µt.ttZ "Give me a call when everything is fixed "-- focus group participant This section details recommendations in five areas which are designed to improve the HIV/AIDS housing continuum in Contra Costa County. Prioritypoopulation recommendations which address populations to be targeted for assistance: HIV/AIDS housing resources should be targeted but not limited to individuals who meet all three of these`threshold' characteristics: I 1. Be disabled with HIV/AIDS; 2. Be low income; and 3. Be either homeless or have unstable housing, including those individuals recently released from prisons or treatment programs and those at risk of homelessness by paying greater than 30 percent of their income for rent. Within these`threshold' characteristics, the following populations of people receive priori tX for HIV/AIDS housing and services: 1. Low-income people disabled with HIV/AIDS who have families and/or young children; and 1 2. Low-income people disabled with HIV/AIDS who are dually and triply-diagnosed with another disability (such as mental illness or chemical dependency). 103 Contra Coat&County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan' Systems recommendations, designed to improve access to HIV/AIDS housing resources:- 1. Build on the existing system to centralize affordable housing information and referral and facilitate access to the HIV/AIDS housing continuum. 2. Require ,people in HN/AIDS housing programs to have a case manager and, when appropriate, money management services; and increase the number of money management slots and HIV/AIDS housing advocates in the County to the extent possible. , 3. Create standards to help ensure the quality of all HN/AIDS housing. 4. Encourage new housing developed for people disabled with HIV/AIDS to have the ability to become licensed. Housing development recommendations to increase the number of units available or dedicated to people living with HIV/AIDS over the next five years. 1. Continue funding for emergency housing but relocate program administration to the Centralized Housing Information and Referral and Intake System and re-configure the program as a limited Emergency Housing Fund. 2. Create a new short-term Intensive Housing Intervention program which provides rent subsidies with case management services and links to permanent housing. 3. Explore developing a new permanent supportive housing program for people who are living with HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and/or mental illness, are on the street, or are being discharged from drug treatment and/or correctional facilities. 4. Increase access to mainstream disabled and supportive housing, Section 8 certificates and vouchers, and permanent affordable housing stock,which contains many,units which could be accessed by people living with HIV/AIDS, continue efforts to increase usage of Shelter Plus Care. 5. Encourage the use of unit set-asides for persons with disabilities, including HIV/AIDS, in appropriate low-income housing in development. Work specifically to create units in affordable housing that are set aside for families in which a member of the family has HIV/AIDS. Assure that these are at affordable rent levels and cormected to appropriate supportive services. 104 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 6. Encourage the County to create new service-enriched emergency housing for medically-frail people being discharged from hospitals who are homeless but still need medical attention and provide funding for set aside-beds for people living with HIV/AIDS in this program. 7. Create a plan which will result in the development of a licensed long-term care facility. Service recommendations to improve access to the services people with HIV/AIDS need in order to remain in housing. 1. Work within existing priority-setting systems to ensure that support I services linked to housing for people with HIV/AIDS are funded adequately. 2. Maintain, and increase as needed, levels of support services which are most critical to success in housing for people living with HIV/AIDS: case management, money management, transportation, attendant and home health care and nutrition. Plan Implementation recommendations which outline how the plan .should be implemented and resources allocated over the next five years. 1. Coordinate planning and fund allocation for HIV/AIDS housing and services and set criteria to encourage and maximize the efficient use of limited resources. 2. Increase community acceptance of the need for and benefits of HIV/AIDS housing and conduct an educational audit to determine the extent of HIV/AIDS-related housing discrimination in Contra Costa County. 3. Update the community on implementation of the HIV/AIDS housing plan and update the plan as needed to reflect community needs and 1 achievements. This section also provides a detailed implementation strategy, including target ' dates and funding amounts for priority programs and services. The unmet housing needs of lower-income people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County present this community with a serious social and public health crisis. The results from the qualitative and quantitative data collected and analyzed for this plan indicate that there are hundreds of people living with HIV/AIDS who may be in immediate need of housing, or who may lose their housing in the near future. 105 i Contra Costa County MMAIDS Housing Plan The recommendations of this plan are designed to address the main findings of the. HIV/AIDS Housing Survey, including: • Finding and keeping housing is a crisis for many people with HN/AIDS. • Homelessness and HIV/AIDS are:an overwhelming—and common—combination. • Many more people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County could lose their housing at any time because of poverty. • People with HIV/AIDS have complex health care needs and can't always get the health and supportive services they need to stay independent. • Many people are struggling with substance abuse and mental illness in addition to HIV/AIDS. • Women and families with children affected by HIV/AIDS have unique social and support service needs which negatively impact their ability to maintain housing. • Poor rental and previous criminal histories make it hard for many people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing; • Some people living with HIV/AIDS feel they face discrimination when looking for and trying to keep housing in Contra Costa County. • People want to remain in their homes and live as independently as possible ' for as long as possible. Existing resources earmarked for people living with HIV/AIDS are extremely limited. Fiscal year`95 HOPWA funds and FY '96 CARE Act funds were allocated prior to plan preparation. Therefore the implementation of this plan should begin in this year with lobbying by the Planning Council and Consortium to leverage available resources in the coming years. Priority Populations Recommendation `7 don't see why we have to be dying in order to get help! We have a lot of people in Contra Costa County and Richmond especially who won It come to get help." -- focus group participant 106 1 Contra Costa Count HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Need The HIV/AIDS Housing Suryey found that many low-income people living with HIV infection and AIDS in Contra Costa County had housing needs. This need is created because the County as a whole has limited affordable housing, because people living with HIV/AIDS have complex and multiple health and social support needs, and because units of housing dedicated to individuals and families living with HIV and AIDS are insufficient to meet demand. The data from the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey, which reached lower income people with very high health care and social support needs, the voices heard in focus groups, and the information gathered through the community planning process each indicate that the need for HIV/AIDS housing outweighs the resources available. Because resources are limited, the community planning group was faced with difficult decisions. If there are not sufficient resources to serve everyone in need, who should be targeted for assistance? This was a particul4rly hard discussion because many members of the planning body struggle every day to help clients meet their basic needs with limited staffing and resources. First, the community planning group identified those individuals which faced greater obstacles finding and keeping housing. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey confirmed the committee's feeling that some groups were greater in need than others: • People with extremely low incomes. Sixty-Six(66) percent of individuals and 42 percent of families surveyed had monthly incomes below$650, or less than $7,800 a year. • People who were currently homeless or had a history of chronic homelessness. Thirty-One (3 1) percent have been homeless at some time since learning of their HIV infection and 36 percent of people with HN/AIDS have experienced a bout of homelessness within the past five years. ' Families, including single women with children and larger families with adults and children. Twenty-Seven(27) percent of survey respondents lived with three or more children. Women were more likely to be living with family and friends, and they were more likely to be staying in shelters than men. 107 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • People living with both HIV/AIDS and another disability, especially mental illness or chronic substance abuse. Only 12 percent of respondents had no current or previous drug use history; 31 percent indicated they were chemically dependent, and 21 j percent had a history of depression. People, who because of current or past behavioral issues like substance abuse or felony convictions, cannot access existing programs. Three of the homeless respondents had been evicted. (The sample size was n=12.) When discussing which among these needy populations should receive priority for assistance, the committee also stressed the goal of helping people with HIV infection and AIDS achieve a degree of health and social stability that would enable them to succeed in long term independent housing. This need to help clients achieve stability and independent housing was supported by the client survey responses. Note that client survey responses are considered to be representative of the people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa who have the greatest level of need. The recommendations about priority populations were very difficult to make. Committee members were concerned that targeting housing programs based on degree of illness as opposed to people who might benefit most from the stabilizing affects of housing suggest short-term solutions, as opposed to long-term investment. Others felt uncomfortable distinguishing between people in need and felt that the system should be on a first-come, first-served basis. Some people felt that people who are marginally housed, such as those living for free with family and friends, should be targeted for assistance. All participants in the community planning process felt uncomfortable having to distinguish among people in need. The planning group did agree, however, that individuals who are disabled with HIV/AIDS need the highest levels of physical support and that people facing a life-threatening illness should have a safe and secure home, and the fact that there are very ill people living on the streets in Contra Costa County is not acceptable. , 108 ' Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan r HIV/AIDS-Specific Skilled Nursing Care and Hospice Resources Total resources 2 - 7 skilled nursing beds Residential care in Central and East County ' Location In home hospice available in limited areas throughout Contra Costa County Target population People in need of 24 hour care Access to hospice care delivered in the home is also dependent on a number of factors. First, the person in need must have a stable home. Second, services are not available in all areas of the County. The neighborhoods where some people living with HIV/AIDS reside ' are quite dangerous, and a number of focus group participants spoke about the difficulty of getting in-home care because of providers' fear for safety. In addition, the hospice concept of care is not as historically accepted or seen as desirable by some cultural groups, particularly among African Americans. Resources: There are currently 2 to 7 beds specifically set aside for people living with HIV/AIDS in ' Contra Costa County long-term care facilities; most hospice care is provided in the home. • Facility-based short-term respite or end-of-life hospice care is provided through the combined efforts of Oak Park Convalescent Hospital in Pleasant Hill, Guardian of Concord Skilled Nursing Facility, St. Luke's subacute care facility in San Pablo, Hospice of Contra Costa, and the Genard AIDS.Foundation. These organizations work together to provide ' an average of 2-7 long-term care beds in these three facilities, allowing care to be available in Central, East and West County. Eligible clients are low-income people living with HIV/AIDS who have a medical need and ' who receive MediCal benefits. Hospice and the Genard Foundation provide funds to cover the cost of room and board and MediCal funds the cost of medication. St. Luke's provides respite care only. r 85 Contra Costa.County HIMIDS Housing Plan,, • The Circle of Care program of the Hospice of Contra Costa provides„a `pre-hospice' model that bridges between acute and hospice care. Unlike hospice, Participants can continue to receive treatment, including IV therapy. Hospice of Contra Costa County serves about 15 individuals per month. • Pathways Hospice and Home Health provides in-home hospice and home care services throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The , hospice team provides direct and respite services to terminally ill patients; home health services include skilled nursing care. Individuals must have an in-home care provider. • Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of Northern California serves Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, San Francisco and Solano Counties. It provides a full range of in-hgme, professional and paraprofessional services to people with HIV/AIDS, including hospice services. , In addition to these resources, the Genard AIDS Foundation and Hospice of Contra Costa are working cooperatively to develop a long term care option for the County. Skilled Nursing Care/Hospice Gaps ' The complexity of providing this level of care and licensing requirements may account for the gaps in skilled nursing care, and the complexity of people's lives are such that not all ' people living with HIV/AIDS can access the services which are available. • Too few people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County have the intact personal support system needed to supplement in-home hospice care, which is the service most available in the County. "I knew someone, and they were too sick to be alone; but there they were. I kept on checking in on them, and I'ire pretty sick too. They are dead now. I felt I had to help people because all we have is each other. • While in-home hospice and end-stage beds are available in Contra Costa ' County, the MediCal reimbursement is.too low for most skilled nursing facilities to accept high-need people living with HIV/AIDS. 86 Contra Costa County BMAIDS Housing Plan Recommendation It was within this context—the underlying instability of manyP eople's lives brought on by poverty, the high rates of current and chronic homelessness and substance abuse, the difference that providing a home can make in the lives of people for whom HIV/AIDS is one of several challenges, and very limited resources for HIV/AIDS housing—that the committee makes this recommendation: HIV/AIDS housing resources should be targeted to individuals rv�duals who meet these characteristics: 1. Be disabled with HIV/AIDS; 2. Be low income; and 3. Be either homeless or have unstable housing, including those being released from prisons or treatment programs and those at risk of homelessness by paying greater than 30 percent of their income for rent. Within these `threshold' characteristics, the following populations of people receive priority for HIV/AIDS housing and services: 1. Low-income people disabled with HIV/AIDS who have families and/or young children; and 2. Low-income people disabled with HIV/AIDS who are dually and triply-diagnosed with another disability but who receive SSI for a diagnosis other than substance abuse(i.e. mental illness or chemical dependency), and who are working with a case manager to develop and implement an individualized plan for self-sufficiency (Care-Plan-compliant). Implementation 1 This decision impacts the rest of the plan. Pnoritizing who among people with this disease should be served first by HIV/AIDS-specific housing impacts how local resources will be allocated and the development of Requests for Proposals for housing programs Targeting I the limited resources available to these populations--the most needy of people living with HIV/AIDS--also under scores the role other low income and disabled housing providers must play in order to meet the needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS whose primary need is affordable housing. Most of the recommendations about new programs and 109 Contra Costa County 11MAIDS Housing Plan services are designed to get and keep people who are disabled with HIV/AIDS into safe permanent housing. Targeting means developing a centralized intake and assessment system which measures need, confirms eligibility status, and helps people get into housing that will meet their needs. While not all programs will be designed for people who are disabled with HIV/AIDS, the plan recommends that the majority of the money available for HIV/AIDS housing be .targeted to people who are disabled and homeless. The remaining resources should be used for strategies that target both the entire HIV/AIDS housing system and people with MWAIDS who have very low incomes and may have other disabilities such as mental illness or substance abuse history. HIV/AIDS Housing System and Programmatic Recommendations , The limited amount of resources available to create and maintain MWAIDS housing resources in Contra Costa County means focusing on those most in need: people disabled with HIV/AIDS who are.homeless or at high risk of losing their housing. There are, however, ways to improve the HIV/AIDS housing; system both for all people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County and for the agencies and individuals that provide support. These four linked recommendations are designed to improve the HIV/AIDS housing system for all people affected by HIV and AIDS, regardless of their income, disability status or residence. System Recommendation #1 Build on the existing system to centralize affordable housing information and referral and facilitate access to the HIV/AIDS housing continuum. (See HIV/AIDS Housing Development Recommendation #5.) "They move like they are in mud. You want to go on with this thing, and they want another piece of paper, another interview. I need a place to live!" —focus group participant Need Currently, access to HIV/AIDS housing-related information and services i g es n Contra Costa County is largely dependent on establishing a relationship with a housing advocate or case manager, and the individual's initiative, persistence—and luck. The lack of housing 110 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan 'i resources, too few housing advocates, and the County's confusing and generally inaccessible housing crisis hotline system were seen by both planning committee and focus group participants as contributing to a widespread general frustration with accessing HIV/AIDS housing resources. • More than half of the people surveyed said they needed housing assistance; r44 percent felt that lack of information was preventing them from receiving the assistance they needed. ' The relative lack of HIV/AIDS specific housing resources in Contra Costa County means that more mainstream affordable and special needs housing providers need to provide housing and services available to people living with HIV/AIDS. Housing programs for the disabled and elderly are available in the County, and could serve large elements of this population. People living with HIV/AIDS, however, have had little experience in the larger disabled and low income housing system. Likewise the efforts of HIV/AIDS service organizations to locate landlords willing to rent to people living with HIV/AIDS have met with only limited success. The need for a more focused and concerted effort persists. Recommendation This recommendation is to enhance mechanisms to improve and better coordinate access to the HIV/AIDS housing continuum in Contra Costa County. There are several components to the improved system: 1. A centralized information, referral and intake system; 2. A Housing Coordinator position whose job is to advocate for increased access to existing affordable housing and increase the availability of low income and disabled housing options for people living with HIV/AIDS; and 3. An increase in the number of housing advocates. The need for a centralized intake system heightened by the recommendation to target services to those most in need, including people who have had little past success in 1 maintaining permanent independent housing. Also impacting this recommendation are the planning committee's recognition of the role of housing in stabilizing people's '_ives and the hope that with sufficient support, people with histories of chemical dependency, incarceration and evictions can find and keep a home. Ill Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan In order to give people their best chance at succeeding, however, they must be referred to the program that is best able to meet their needs, and agree to receive the services that can help them maintain independence. The plan recommends employment of a single, Centralized HIV/AIDS Housing Information, Referral and Intake system for Contra Costa , County. This system, which can be built on existing resources, will be charged with: • Compiling and maintaining comprehensive information on all disabled, supportive and low income housing available to people targeted by the plan, including eligibility requirements, supportive services, targeted population, rents and fees and application processes; • Compiling and maintaining comprehensive information on all emergency resources, including emergency funds and shelter beds, permanent and I transitional housing resources which are available to people with HIV/AIDS; , Disseminatin this resource inventory to housing advocates and case ' g rY g managers on a regular basis; • Educating landlords about the specific needs of people living with HIV/AIDS so that they are more able to rent to people living with HIV/A.IDS. • Establishing a centralized intake system for all HIV/AIDS specific housing including single application, screening process and centralized waiting lists and coordinating the development of this system with all relevant parties; and • Assisting people living with HIV/AIDS to identify which housing options, including market rate housing, Section 8, disabled housing and HIV/AIDS - specific housing, are available and which best meet their needs. Implementation The Contra Costa County Community Development Department should draft a competitive Request for Proposals using HOPWA.funds that will result in a centralized system of information, referral and intake. The agency selected should demonstrate cultural competency with under served or hard to reach populations and should have materials available that are culturally appropriate, understandable to persons with low levels of literacy and available in languages other than English. A new service could be established or this work could build on existing services. 112 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan The following outlines the various elements of the system and staff roles. Centralized Information, Referral and Intake System Position Role Location Compile and maintain data on all housing programs people with HIV/AIDS could use. Conduct central intake, create housing Centralized Information, Housing Coordinator plan for individuals (in Referral and Intake System conjunction with case managers). Advocate with mainstream housing providers, including landlords, to increase access. Work directly with clients to Centralized Information, Housing Advocate implement their housing plan and Referral and Intake System access housing. Benefits advocacy, social service Case Manager support coordination, medical Various agencies ' case management. Money Management Manage funds to help people with Rubicon Programs budgeting. Cost The estimated cost is $50,000 annually to HOPWA to develop and manage the new centralized system and $45,000 for the first year to fund a full-time Housing Coordinator. If non-HOPWA sources (such as CARE Act funds) can be found to support this effort, the amount from HOPWA can be reduced. Timeline ' Should be implemented in Year 1 and, if successful, continue throughout the following five years. The Housing Coordinator's job will be refocused to housing advocacy in years 2-5. 113 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan System Recommendation #2 Require people in HIV/AIDS housing programs to have a case manager and, when appropriate, money management services; and increase the number of money management slots and HIV/AIDS housing advocates in the County to the extent possible. (See Systems Recommendation #1.) "I just recently got into an apartment. I'm in Shelter Plus Care. My case manager got me in, and got me to all the meetings it takes to;get you there. I just lost everything after I found out I had AIDS. " , --focus group participant Need People with HIV/AIDS who attended focus groups spoke with a great deal of admiration and appreciation for the work of the area's MWAIDS case managers, housing advocates, and the government and housing program professionals who work hard to help them access housing and support services. Housing advocates should work with the individual in the area of housing specifically ' helping the client to understand the housing system and identify housing options will best suit their current needs and future plans. As the work of the current housing advocates demonstrates, it requires a specialized knowledge;which is different than that of social or medical case management. Given the plan's recommendation to target services to people with complex physical and support service needs;, especially those with poor rental histories and histories of substance abuse, intensive case management is crucial to both the individual and a potential landlord. Money management services, which manages funds on behalf and in cooperation with clients, were seen by case managers as equally crucial to their ability to help some people: • Money management was ranked highest by case managers among services that were most important to keeping their current home; , • 63 percent of people who had been homeless lost their housing because they could not afford their rent; and • 59 percent became homeless because of drug and/or alcohol use. There are currently insufficient money management services and not enough positions dedicated to housing advocacy to meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS or to improve the HIV/AIDS housing continuum. 114 Contra Costa County H MAIDS Housing Plan 1 ' Recommendation The plan recommends that people in HIV/AIDS housing programs be required to have a primary case manager and, when appropriate, money management services. In addition, the number of HIV/AIDS housing advocates and money management slots reserved for people with HIV/AIDS in the County should be increased. The function of housing advocacy should be distinct from that of case management. Housing advocates should focus on locating housing and administering emergency housing assistance for people who go through intake at the Centralized Housing System. Case managers should work cooperatively with these individuals, but will not be required to keep up-to-date on all housing options, waiting lists, etc. Implementation This recommendation has several implementation components. First, people who enter the Centralized HIV/AIDS Housing Information and Referral and Intake System and are I accepted for placement into a housing program, including Section 8, HIV/AIDS-specific housing or other supportive housing programs, should be required to have a relationship with a case manager. If those individuals have histories of eviction or are currently chemically dependent, they should also be required to participate in a money management program. Ten additional money management slots should be purchased from Rubicon or other qualified providers using Ryan White CARE Act funds. Case managers should have ' a significant role in identifying the individuals who would benefit from money management services. Second, the number of housing advocate positions in the County should be increased by 1 FTE so that there is coverage for each area of the County. In the second through fifth years of the plan, the function of the Housing Coordinator position described in the Centralized Housing Information, Referral and Intake System recommendation can be changed to housing advocacy. Third, all current and new housing advocate positions and all HIV/AIDS-specific emergency housing funds should be administered out of the proposed Centralized HIV/AIDS Housing Information. Referral and Intake System, and funds to cover all of these services should be included in that RFP. (See budget sheet for more detail). The database of housing resources and funds should include all resources available. It should be acknowledged that these two recommendations mark a departure from the current system, where housing advocate positions are split between two agencies. The goal of this recommendation—and of the entire plan—is to make the HIV/AIDS housing system as efficient, effective and simple as possible. 115 1 Contra Costa County HTWAIDS Housing Plan r COSI , Should begin Year 1. Money management slots purchased through Rubicon are $100 a month per client. The addition of 10 money management slots provided by this agency is therefore $12,000 annually. Funds could be allocated through Ryan White or HOPWA, or matching funds could be requested of a private foundation, particularly if an existing non- HIV/AIDS specific organization adds this service to its programs. System Recommendation#3 Create standards to help ensure the quality of all HIV/AIDS housing. `I moved out of an apartment building that was drug-infested even though it was right across from the Police Department! I never thought it would be like this. I remember thinking I couldn't go outside. I was clean for ten years. I felt I had to move because the setting was too rough for my kids and it was hard for me to stay clean and sober with all the drug trafficking and drinking going on. " -focus group participant Need As more housing for people with HIV/AIDS has been created in the County, consumers, ' providers, public officials and others have all staked the importance of ensuring the quality of the housing developed. Both the County's Community Development and Health Departments have recognized the importance of measuring not only units of service provided, but the outcomes, or quality, of that service. Additional quality assurance and evaluation efforts are taking place at the EMA level through the Ryan White Planning Council. As funds become more competitive, efforts to measure the benefits of providing support services in conjunction with housing to people with HIV/AIDS become even more important. This work to measure the relationship between increased support services and increased life span, reductions in unnecessary emergency room visits and reductions in drug-related incidents or violence in supportive housing projects can help make the case for HIV/AIDS housing. Providers note the parallel need for good, consistent responses from police to increase residents' confidence in the ability to police to assist. r r r 116 r r Contra Costa County RMAIDS Housing Plan 1 ' Recommendation The plan recommends that all sectors of community build on current efforts of the County Health and Community Development Departments and the Title 1 Planning Council by working together to develop common quality standards for non-licensed HIV/AIDS housing and other tools which can be used to evaluate HIV/AIDS-specific housing programs. These standards can: 1) help ensure people get the same minimum set of services at similar programs; 2) evaluate the quality of housing and services; and 3) help ensure that the programs funded will be viable for the long term. Appendix II, Standards for HIV/AIDS Housing Programs, includes an outline of information gathered for this plan which may inform the development of these standards. Work on this issue will continue throughout the implementation of the plan. r . Implementation As has been noted, the Title 1 Planning Council is creating a series of standards as part of its efforts to evaluate service delivery options. The specific standards for HIV/AIDS housing proposed by this plan, as outlined more fully in Appendix II would focus on residents' safety, health, and quality of life and could be integrated into those being developed by the Council. Outcome measures currently used in contracts for services by the Contra Costa Health Department and Community Development which might be used in developing system-wide standard include: • Consumer satisfaction; • Physical accessibility; • Residents' ability to move into and succeed in permanent, independent housing; and • Degree of safety and appropriateness of physical environment; r As the Title 1 Planning Council is planning to do, these standards should be created with broad community input and review, including residents of HIV/AIDS housing programs, housing providers and HIV/AIDS service providers. r r 117 1 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Cost r While there are no direct programmatic costs to this recommendation it should be noted that there are personal costs to agencies, including HIV/AIDS services organizations, housing providers and governmental agencies in creating and implementing these standards. Funds to cover these activities should, therefore, be built into program and staff budgets. Timeline To begin in Year I and be complete in Year 2 to the extent that the community, including the Title I Planning Council, provide the additional staff resources needed. , System Recommendation #4 Encourage new housing developed for people disabled with HIV/AIDS to have the ability to become licensed. Need As discussed in the previous section, the new Residential Care Facilities for the Chronically Ill (RCF-CI) licensure requirements of the State Department of Social Services apply to both proposed and existing projects and establish standards for both the physical plant (health, fire and seismic safety) and staffing levels. According to regulation implementing the new RCF-CI licensure standards, the State is likely to require any housing people living with HIV/AIDS with a significant service component to meet licensure guidelines. Furthermore although RCF-CI licensure does not currently provide any reimbursement for services, there is a serious statewide effort in include such provisions in future state budgets. Recommendation This plan suggests that new housing programs which plan to provide a high level of services to people who are, or eventually will become, disabled with HIV/AIDS be licensable under the new regulations. In other words, the building(s) should be able to meet licensure standards, even if a license is not initially sought, or staffing levels do not initially meet RCF-CI requirements. There are two reasons for this: 1) it is possible that the RCF-CI license will eventually carry with it some additional reimbursement for 118 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan supportive services; and 2) most housing specifically focused on people disabled with HIV/AIDS (the targeted population of this plan) must either provide a high level of service to them as they become disabled, or transfer them to more suitable long-term care facilities. If the buildings are not licensable and licensing becomes a requirement in the future, it is possible that the housing will have to be closed down or the target population changed to individuals who are not disabled or who are less physically needy. If the building cannot be made licensable, it will still be important to make sure that fire safety standards can be met and that the service program is structured so that licensure would not be required—for example, by ensuring that residents obtain services independent of the building owner. Implementation ' In evaluating proposals to develop housing for people with HIV/AIDS under this plan Contra Costa County Community Development and other funders of HIV/AIDS housing should include whether or not the proposal has considered licensing, especially if the proposed population is likely to need services requiring RCF-CI licensure. 1 Cost ' Costs will vary depending upon the building(s) developed and the extent of modifications needed to meet particular fire seismic and safety requirements. Annual per unit operating costs are about $10,000 for licensed facilities. The annual per client support service costs will be about $13,000 depending on the size of the housing facilities and the service needs of the population. r - Timeline Add as criteria in Year 1 and continue throughout the five years of implementation of this plan. HIV/AIDS Housing Development Recommendations There are two sometimes-competing pressures on the HIV/AIDS housing system: to meet the immediate needs of homeless people disabled with HIV/AIDS and to develop a system of housing and services which will last for the duration of the epidemic. The most 119 i Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan common way to immediately make some housing available is to provide rental assistance. The development of housing through purchasing ;and rehabilitating existing buildings, or , building new structures, which typically takes two to three years, nonetheless results in long-term housing solutions. The preceding section("the Context of HIV/AIDS Housing in Contra Costa County") discusses the trade-offs between these two approaches in detail. Keeping the priority populations in mind, the plan recommends that resources be used both to: 1) meet the immediate needs of people disabled by HIV/AIDS, who are homeless or at very high risk of homelessness through a,program of rental and emergency housing assistance and 2) create housing through new construction and/or acquisition and rehabilitation of existing houses and apartments. Funding both rental assistance and capital development will meet people's immediate: needs and help ensure that units are here for people living with HIV/AIDS in the future. The majority of these recommendations are,for programs which will allow people to gain the skills needed to succeed in permanent housing, rather than for building a great deal of new HIV/AIDS-specific facilities. The reason for this is simple: Contra Costa County has very limited funds to develop HIV/AIDS Housing and a great deal of need for housing and services that people can access quickly. The link between housing and support services is key. Need There is a real need in Contra Costa County for safe, secure and low-cost housing for people with HIV/AIDS who can live on their own without on-site help (`independent housing'). Many people with HIV/AIDS in the County, however, have little history of being able to maintain truly independent housing. Factors such as poverty, family size, chronic chemical , dependency and homelessness—the very issues facing the population targeted by this plan mean that whatever independent housing is developed must be strongly linked with supportive services. These services must be seen as integral to the housing provided. This means that funding for independent housing:must take into account the potential for funding services needed by residents. • Rents in Contra Costa County are generally too high for people living on very low incomes, but most people; with HIV/AIDS would prefer to stay in their current housing for as long as possible; • According to the H1V/AIDS Housing Survey, 60 percent of respondents who rented apartments or owned their own homes spent more than 50 percent of their income on housing; and 120 1 1 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • Rental or owned housing linked with case management and emotional support was the overwhelming preference of people surveyed, both with their current level of health and if they were to become more ill. The plan outlines a variety of ways that the number of affordable independent housing units can be increased. There are seven recommendations in this area which are outlined in a continuum, from emergency through permanent housing. Each will maintain or increase the number of independent HIV/AIDS housing units. HIV/AIDS Housing Development Recommendation #1 Continue current funding for housing assistance, but relocate program administration to the Centralized Housing Information, Referral and Intake System and re-configure the program as a limited Emergency Housing Fund ' `I need more money, and not just emergency assistance. Forget the phone bill—I would rather eat! You have to run from place to place. They get mad if you go to more than one place for help, but we need all the help we can get. They will suspend you for three months if they catch you getting services from more than one place! But I have to go to more than one place because I need more BART vouchers than you are allowed and I have to go to the doctor's all the time. " --focus group participant Need Currently, the County lacks adequate access to dependable and appropriate emergency assistance for all those in need. In 1995, funding for emergency assistance ran out five months before the end of the fiscal year, with the result that people living with HIV/AIDS in need of a one-time or short-term cash assistance grant or a hotel voucher were left without. There are no consistent standards defining the appropriate or maximum level of assistance people can receive. In addition, because of the lack of emergency set-aside ' beds for people with HIV/AIDS, more expensive hotel vouchers are frequently used. i 1 121 Contra Costa County BMAIDS Housing Plan Recommendation The plan recommends that the current system of emergency funding for hotel/motel vouchers and other needs be reconfigured as an Emergency Housing Fund. The Fund could provide small grants, and sometimes loans, to individuals from the targeted populations who are homeless and need immediate assistance, or to the individuals `graduating' from transitional housing or working with a Housing Advocate who need ' help paying first and last months' rent or a security deposit. Through flexibility is important, the current system's lack of guidelines, has created misunderstanding among people with HIV/AIDS. The fund should have clear guidelines about the amount of funding available on an annual basis and the limit on the number of times or nights an individual or family is to be provided assistance. It is important that this Fund be seen as equally accessible by all people who meet the eligibility criteria. Implementation The plan recommends that this fund be administered through the County Health Services Department and transitioned to the Centralized Housing Information, Referral and Intake System in order to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS who access the system are linked to a housing advocate. Cost About $80,000 annually to create approximately 300 emergency grants averaging $200 to $300 per year. Funds should come from either Ryan White, HOPWA, or a combination of the two. Timeline In Year 1 continue program administration at County Health Services Department and transfer to Centralized System in Year 2. HIVIAIDS Housing Development ment Recommendation #2 , Create a new short-term Intensive Housing Intervention program which provides rent subsidies with case management services and links to permanent housing. 1 122 e Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan "Your life is like a cigarette butt someone flipped out the window, and you're looking for a mud puddle to land in, looking for a place to be put out, and if you don't get put out you'll end up causing a big fire. " --focus group participant Need Having to move because you can no longer afford the rent, being evicted because of behavioral issues like substance abuse, needing to `crash' for free from place to place, felony records and chronic homelessness all make it more difficult for people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County to succeed in independent housing. Landlords are ioften unwilling to rent to people with these histories, yet, these are the very populations most in need and targeted by this plan. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found that in addition to the 4 percent of survey respondents who were homeless, more than half were in imminent danger of losing their housing, many because of poverty. The HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found: • Only 17 percent of people surveyed had housing that met HUD standards of affordability; • The majority of families and individuals subsist on incomes of less than ' $8,000 a year; • 36 percent indicated they had moved because they could no longer afford ' the rent; and • Of the 155 people receiving assistance through the Pittsburg Pre-School housing advocacy program in 1995, 23 percent had no permanent home. Planning group participants also stressed the role housing can play in providing stability to ' people's lives. People with HIV/AIDS in the focus groups, however, agreed with case managers that there is a gap between wanting independent housing and the ability to successfully maintain a leased unit. People disabled with HIV/AIDS who have no history of eviction or chemical dependency could also benefit from this program if they need some short-term assistance to learn how to live within their very limited incomes. Life skills, help getting to medical appointments, child care, intensive case management and housing advocacy are needed to help people break out of, or avoid, the too-common cycle of eviction and homelessness. This recommendation seeks to address these realities. 123 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Recommendation ' The plan recommends the development of an intensive Housing Intervention Program which will provide one-on-one housing counseling and subsidized rent to people with disabling HIV/AIDS who have not previously been able to succeed in independent housing. The program will function as a `Shelter Plus Care look-alike' program. The program subsidy will make up the difference between 30 percent of the residents' income ' and the actual rental amount. It can be administered using either a voucher or project- based model. As a recommended for all HIV/AIDS housing programs, the client will be required to have a case manager and a housing advocate. The individual will work with , the housing advocate to meet goals set in their housing plan, and the case manager will assist in coordinating supportive services, such as transportation, to ensure that the individual can remain safely in their apartment. When the individual has established a track record, they may be `graduated' to permanent, independent housing, perhaps at one of the mainstream disabled housing programs, Section 8 (if available) or to an HIV/AIDS- specific housing program. Implementation The plan recommends that rent subsidies be used to help reduce the cost burden of rents so that people are able to maintain their current homes or find fair market housing on limited incomes. These subsidies should reduce the amount people are paying for housing to a maximum of 30 percent of their income, with the result that more people will be able , to stay in their housing, thereby reducing homelessness. The program could be administered as a Shelter Plus Care 8 look-alike and could be project- or tenant-based. One additional benefit of this recommendations is that it provides immediate assistance to ' those most in need and, in essence, creates a serviceable scattered-site independent housing program which can provide anonymity and mitigate community concerns that can arise when group housing is created. The Contra Costa County Community Development or Health Services Department should issue an RFP using CARE or other funds to select an agency or agencies able to provide intensive case management to individuals receiving the transitional housing subsidies. The housing advocates assigned to the Centralized Housing Information, Referral and Intake System will assist in setting the housing aspect of the care plan and provide intervention in the housing area. r 124 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan Cost The costs of providing this intensive Housing Intervention Program is primarily in the area Q of rent subsidies, since the case managers and housing advocates positions are included in other recommendations. Assuming 40 people will.receive a maximum subsidy of$250 per month for a maximum of 5 months, the average cost per person is $1,250 and total annual 8 program cost is $50,000. The program is designed to minimize client duplication from one year to the next. Timeline The program could be started in Year 1 and continue throughout the duration of the plan. HIV/AIDS Housing Development Recommendation #3 Explore developing a new permanent supportive housing program for people who are living with RIV/AIDS, substance abuse and/or mental illness, are on the street, or are being discharged from drug treatment and/or correctional facilities. "The said I wasn't homeless because I was in a hotel. The said anytime I wasn't y y y outside I wasn't homeless. Well, I needed a shower and a night's sleep! Besides the fact 1 that I have very little money, I think I'm having a hard time finding housing because I've spent a lot of time in San Quentin. I made parole last March. " --focus group participant Need The planning committee was committed to seeking to serve those with very highest needs, ' including people whose life circumstances make it more difficult for them to succeed in independent housing. The stress of living with HIV/AIDS makes supportive, sober housing even more important for people coming out of treatment programs or trying to maintain recovery. Landlords are often reluctant to rent apartments to people who have recent criminal convictions, and people coming out of prison generally do not have the money to make the security, and first and last months' rent deposits, often required in this ' housing market. These individuals need even more direct assistance than is available through the Intensive Housing Intervention model. 125 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan S Recommendation This plan recommends that Contra Costa County explore the feasibility of developing permanent housing for people who are either disabled with HIV/AIDS or multiply ' diagnosed with non-disabling HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and/or substance abuse. Limited HIV/AIDS-specific funds require that this recommendation use other sources, such as a competitive HOPWA Special Projects of National Significance grant, or other sources. , In order to keep people housed who are disabled with HIV/AIDS and have multiple disabilities, it will be critical to provide adequate supportive services tied to the permanent housing. These programs must link people to mental health, drug counseling and aftercare programs as needed and, for those disabled with HIV/AIDS, to appropriate medical care. This kind of housing program can be developed in several different ways, depending upon ' the specific issues presented by those served and their level of disability with HIV/AIDS. , It may be possible, to cost-effectively serve individuals with a need for a very high level of service in a serviceable scattered-site program. This alternative would place people in privately-owned apartments with rental subsidies in a variety of buildings and locations, although it will be important to carefully design the program so as to not trigger licensure requirements. It is difficult to cost-effectively serve people with a very high level of service needs in small buildings housing 5-10 people, especially if those needs are for"care ' and supervision" or other services that may require the building to meet licensure requirements for physical plant and staffing levels. Conversely, potential neighborhood opposition may make it difficult to site a larger building that serves this particular , population. This issue bears further examination. Implementation The Contra Costa County Community Development should bring together those service , agencies, housing development corporations and housing owners interested in housing persons with multiple disabilities to discuss both potential partnership and the different approaches to providing this type of needed housing. It should provide housing models ' from other cities that have worked effectively so that groups can understand their options clearly. Following the meeting, the County should provide technical assistance a-d leadership to agencies interested in providing this type of housing either as a single site or in set asides in existing or new projects. Funds may be allocated in a competitive RFP for the assistance creating this type of housing. Once it has selected an agency, or agencies, the County should provide both technical assistance and support to the groups to develop the most realistic and cost-effective model and secure the necessary capital, operating and service support to move forward with development. If capital development is selected, the County should work with the city in which the project is to be sited to expedite the development process to the extent possible. 126 , Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Cost If a development for 30 persons is undertaken, the total costs might be $2 to $3 million or more in capital and, once operating, about $120,000, or more, annually for operating and management excluding any service costs. 8 Two projects in Contra Costa County recently received allocations of HUD Section 811 Program Funds to develop housing for persons with physical disabilities. A 12-unit new construction multifamily rental project in Central County has a total estimated development cost of$1.5 million, or $125,000 per unit. Total annual operating costs, excluding supportive service, are about $4,200 per unit. A second project, a 24-unit new construction multifamily rental facility in East County for physically disabled persons will cost approximately $2.5 million to develop, including HUD Section 811 funds. The per unit development cost is $105,000. Total annual operating expenses, excluding any supportive services are about $3,800 per unit. HOPWA funds are budgeted at well under one third of the total development cost, or about $230,000 in each of Years 2 and 3. Additional funding would have to come from a mix of other funds, which might include the HOPWA Special Projects of National ' Significance grants, HUD Supportive Housing Program, HOME and low income housing tax credits. Services costs are dependent on the total number of hours staff must be on site (24 hours in licensed facilities) and the amount of assistance an individual requires in the home, in the case of scattered-site housing. In addition to the level of services required by an ' individual, the costs associated with scattered sites may also be dependent on the distance between sites and the ability of programs to coordinate services and maximize resources. ' Funds for support services must be sought from a variety of different sources, especially the Ryan White CARE Act, CDBG, Medi-Cal and managed care programs. In addition, given the limited amount of funding, funds to develop this housing cannot be dependent ' solely on HOPWA. ' Timeline An initial meeting should be convened by the County in late Year 1 and technical ' assistance provided throughout the plan if interest develops. If the model is to provide scattered-site rental subsidies, a project could be started by the end of Year 2. 127 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan HIVIAIDS Housing Development Recommendation #4 Increase access to mainstream disabled and supportive housing, Section 8 certificates and vouchers and permanent affordable housing stock, which contain many units ' which could be accessed by people living with HIV/AIDS. Continue efforts to increase usage of Shelter Plus Care. `I desperately need more advocacy. I have seizures and I take a risk every time Igo up the stairs. I live on the third floor. I feel weak all the time. I have been on the Section 8 ' waiting list for 6 years. I am on a list to move downstairs in my apartment but nothing is happening. I need to move. " --survey respondent ' Need The waiting lists for Section 8 certificates and vouchers is extremely long in all areas of the County-longer than the average life expectancy for many people with HIV/AIDS. For many people with HIV/AIDS Section 8 means nothing but a waiting list: • 25 percent of all survey respondents were on a waiting list for housing ' assistance and more than a quarter of them had been waiting more than 5 years; and the average life expectancy for person diagnosed with HIV/AIDS is two , ' g P Y P g years. In addition the information from the focusgroups indicates that many landlords are ' reluctant to rent to people with Section 8. The Section 8 program itself is going through , changes at the federal level which may mean that people will be given vouchers to use on the rental market, and that no additional Section 8 certificates will be available. These changes make it even more important to maintain. and increase access for people with HIV/AIDS to Section 8 certificates and vouchers by working with and educating landlords and Public Housing Authorities. The Shelter Plus Care program provides subsidy similar to the Section 8 program but it is targeted to chronically homeless persons with disabilities. To be eligible for the County's Shelter Plus Care Program a person must have one of three targeted disabilities: mental illness, substance abuse or HIV/AIDS. In addition, the individual must have been homeless for 12 of the last 36 months and, in most cases, on the streets for the last 30 ' 128 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan e days prior to applying to the program. This program is designed to serve the hardest-to- serve homeless people who would not succeed in housing without this program. Some people have felt that these requirements are prohibitive for people living with HIV/AIDS, who may be doubling up with friends or family or staying in shelters to avoid the streets and are therefore deemed ineligible. Shelter Plus Care and HIV/AIDS service providers have been working together to identify ways in which the program can reach more people living with HIV/AIDS and the County has agreed to seek out more Shelter Plus Care resources that can be specifically targeted to people with HIV/AIDS who have not been chronically homeless. Recommendation - DTheP lan recommends that a short-term effort be undertaken to increase access to Section 8 vouchers across the County and the housing information and referral system. These efforts should be spearheaded by the HIV/AIDS Housing Coordinator described in the Centralized Housing Information, Referral and Intake System recommendation. The ' County should continue working with HIV/AIDS service providers and people living with HIV/AIDS to identify ways in which Shelter Plus Care can reach more eligible people with HIV/AIDS and to secure new Shelter Plus Care resources. Implementation The County should work closely with advocacy organizations in the community to identify a strategy for obtaining some dedicated Section 8 assistance, including local preferences for Terminally ill persons. Because the use of Section 8 and the perception among landlords varies throughout the County, it is important to take several approaches to increasing their use. To increase access in one area might mean educating landlords about ' the program and developing a referral process. For other areas this may mean asking the local housing authorities to prioritize terminally ill people on the Section 8 and other waiting lists and to increase their outreach to persons with HIV and AIDS. ' Cost No direct costs. This responsibility can be incorporated into the job description of the ' housing coordinator and housing advocates (positions currently jointly funded with HOPWA and Ryan White program funds). 129 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Timeline ' Beginning in Year 1. HIVJAIDS Housing Development Recommendation #5 Encourage the use of set-asides for persons with disabilities, including MWAIDS, for ' all appropriate low-income housing in development, work specifically to create units , in low income housing that are set aside for families in which a member of the family has HIV/AIDS, ensure that these are at affordable rent levels and connected to appropriate supportive service. Ensure that Housing Advocates are aware of existing and new affordable housing opportunities in Contra Costa. (See System Recommendation 1.) Need A few communities across the country have done a great job of working with low income ' and `special needs' housing developers to get them to reserve, or `set aside' units in their buildings for people with disabilities, including HIV/AIDS. This encourages innovative ' partnerships with housing providers who may not be currently involved in HIV/AIDS housing. It also mainstreams people living with HIV/AIDS into affordable housing developments, reducing community acceptance concerns and allowing for anonymity. ' The need for HIV/AIDS housing is particularly acute for women and families with children, a growing part of the epidemic in Contra Costa County. There are as many , women with HIV/AIDS living in the East Bay as in San Francisco despite a much lower overall rate of HIV/AIDS in this area. Most of these women have a history of substance abuse and are low-income. In the HIV/ADDS Housing Survey and focus groups, women ' said they were frightened for their safety, and that of their children, and tired of living in high-crime neighborhoods that make it harder to stay off drugs. They prefer scattered site housing in apartments not dedicated solely to people living with HIV/AIDS. Although the ' plan does not recommend the development of an HIV/AIDS housing program specific to women, this recommendation can meet their needs. 130 1 ' Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Recommendation The plan recommends that set-asides for disabled populations including those with HIV/AIDS be encouraged in all appropriate new housing—including new housing for families—in development in the County. The housing could be developed for disabled people or low income people living with HIV/AIDS, especially those in need of family- sized units. This recommendation is directed to all areas of the County and can be instrumental in meeting the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in lower incidence areas. Ensure that Housing Advocates are aware of available and new affordable housing opportunities as they develop. Implementation To implement this recommendation, the County and other entitlement jurisdictions in 8 Contra Costa should include as funding criteria for affordable housing the reservation of units for and/or accessible to disabled populations, including people with HIV/AIDS. If HOPWA funds are reserved for this purpose, other housing applications should note that HOPWA funds are specifically available for developing affordable units for people with HIV/AIDS. The effort should begin in Year 1, with construction likely in Years 2-5. Cost ' Costs will comprise either development assistance to permanently reduce debt burden and/or operating subsidies that would allow owners to bring rents down to affordable ' levels. HOPWA funds should be used to commit units. Depending on the gap in the budget for financing construction and/or operations the additional subsidy required could amount of hundreds of thousands of dollars. ' This budget allows for HOPWA to commit a maximum of$40,000 per unit. Eight units are targeted for Year 1 and 24 units are targeted in Years 2-5. Timeline ' Implement reservation of funds for set asides in Year 1. 131 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan r HIV/AIDS Housing Development Recommendation #6 Encourage the County to create new service-enriched emergency housing for medically-frail low-income people being discharged from hospitals who are homeless but still need medical attention and provide funding for set aside-beds for people living with HIV/AIDS in this program. ' "I've been sleeping in a park and empty car I can find I make a little fire, or I eat out of the can. But you have to hide your food from other people, and you have to keep moving ' because the police get after you. I feel sick all the time and I'm not doing too good Now I got to go to the doctor because I am real sick, but I don't have an address so I don't know how I am going to work that. " --focus group participant Need ' The homeless and emergency shelter system in Contra Costa County currently has no beds 1 set aside for people with more intensive medical needs. Getting into the shelter system is very difficult for most people, and focus group participants felt that emergency shelter was by and large simply not available to them. People living with HIV/AIDS are not the only individuals in need of a more medically-oriented emergency shelter, and there is no need to create a facility specifically for people living with HIV/AIDS. ' Recommendation ' The plan recommends the creation of a `service-enriched' emergency housing program which provides on-site medical services for people with a variety of illnesses, including ' HIV/AIDS. People could stay until in-home services, such as visiting nurses and personal care attendants, are arranged, or, in the case of a homeless individual, until a permanent housing solution is available. This important addition to the existing housing continuum ' could be accomplished by increasing on-site services in an existing shelter or housing program. Alternatively, these services could be purchased through existing `board and care' facilities. 132 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Pian Implementation Contra Costa County Community Development Department and Health Departments e should meet with housing providers and hospitals to determine whether an existing site could offer this kind of service if adequate funding, technical assistance and support is made available. If an existing site is to be used, it would be important to ensure access for people throughout the County either at that site, or through purchase of this service at board and care homes. If no existing site can be identified, the County should work with the State Department of Social Services to convene a meeting of board and care operators 1 to discuss the potential for using that resource to provide for this need. Cost Costs to provide the 5 to 7 licensed beds needed will depend on the facility and number of staff, although 24-hour staffing is required for licensing. HOPWA funds could be used to set aside beds, but the majority of funding should come from other sources. Purchasing beds at board and care facilities may be less expensive. Funding should be sought from HOPWA and other sources, including Medi-Cal, managed care and CARE Act funds. Timeline Efforts should be targeted for Year 1. If an existing facility can be modified to provide limited medical services then the program may be made available as early as 1997. Housing Development Recommendation #7 Participate with Alameda County to develop a plan to establish a licensed long-term care facility or other feasible alternatives to serve individuals in the final stages of ' HIV/AIDS in both Counties. `7 can't live with my sister because her husband does not want someone with AIDS in the house. My wife and mother won't let me live with them because of AIDSphobia. Some of my family don't understand, they don't want me no more. They are watching me like I am a germ. They almost make me hate them, which I don't want to do. " --focus group participant 133 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Need One issue which was raise consistently in the community meetings was the lack of a safe place for people with HIV/AIDS facing death or in need of 24-hour intensive medical care. The costs associated with this level of care are tremendous; and since reimbursement does not cover the costs of the service, a new stand-alone hospice is virtually not feasible in California. It is therefore vital that any effort to create a long-term care facility use alternative reimbursement strategies and be linked to those settings and systems, particularly hospitals, that will create the highest and most flexible sources for reimbursement. Hospice services provided are able to meet the needs of some people; but , others, largely African Americans, are not accessing hospice and a different model of care is needed. Recommendation 1 The plan recommends funding a plan to create a licensed long-term care facility designed specifically to be sensitive to, and meet the needs of, homeless and very-low income people disabled with HIV/AIDS in both Contra Costa and Alameda Counties and which will be financially viable for the long-term. The plan does not recommend using CARE or HOPWA funds to create a long-term care option until all the issues surrounding reimbursement are well thought out. Implementation There are a number of options for reimbursement which can be used to create a long-term t care option for people disabled with HIV/AIDS in the region, but many of these are specifically designed for a single type of facility. Designing a program that will take advantage of these funding streams is crucial because the costs of this kind of housing and the required medial services and licensing are so high. The plan recognizes that many participants in the planning process identified this as a very high need, but the complexity ' of the licensing and reimbursement issues requires a deliberative planning process. The plan recommends that a planning grant be issued with Alameda County HOPWA funds for a third party to convene a series of meetings with hospitals, long term cac proviuers, nonprofit housing developers, HIV/AIDS service providers and people with HIV/AIDS to develop and fine-tune a strategy for developing this important resource. This planning process should take full advantage of the materials presented in Appendix IV: Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California and of models which have been successfully created in California and other states. By the end of the planning period, a plan including financing requirements and timeline should be created by the grantee and funds sought to , carry out the development of this much-needed service. 134 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan COSI None - Funds were allocated in the Alameda County plan. Timeline Plan to be created in Year 1, and implementation to commence in Year 2. A facility could be open by Year 3 if a commitment of sufficient resources and a long-term funding stream are identified. Support Service Recommendations As the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey found, most people living with HIV/AIDS want to remain in their own homes with as much independence as possible for as long as possible. Independent housing, preferred by people living with HIV/AIDS, both reduces community acceptance issues and is most cost efficient when intensive services are not needed. Maintaining independence, however, is not simply a question of paying the rent. Many people living with HIV/AIDS need some supportive services in order to avoid a more institutional setting. These services can range from case management and money management, home-delivered meals and transportation assistance to home health care service and primary medical care. This recommendation focuses on how to maximize people's ability to access and use those services that can help them stay in their own homes. Support Service Recommendation #1 Work within existing priority-setting systems to ensure that support services linked to housing for people living with HIV/AIDS are funded adequately. Support Service Recommendation #2 Maintain, and increase as needed, levels of support services which are most critical to success in housing for people living with HIV/AIDS: case management, money management, substance abuse programs, transportation, attendant and home health care, and nutrition. 135 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan "My kids had to change schools five times and they don't live with me anymore. They need grief counseling, and I need a place where I can get support groups and help with my mental illness and chemical dependency issues. I need help to remember to take my AZT. " . --focus group participant Need Funding for services linked to HIV/AIDS housing must be adequate and sustainable. Funds must be sufficient to support the costs of services which are required and received by people living with HIV/AIDS in transitional, rental assistance and permanent housing settings. As demands on CARE ACT and HOPWA funds increase, creating interdepartment agreements which outline the integration of these and other funding sources becomes more important. A number of thelan's housing recommendations involve service-enriched setting. These P g services are what make the programs both viable for people living with HIV/AIDS and acceptable to the broader community. Recommendation The plan recommends that the CARE ACT and other funding stream priority-setting groups continue to cover the costs of at least a portion of the housing related services. The plan also recommends that Contra Costa County continue to maximize its use of the AIDS Medicaid waiver, managed-care systems and other third-party payers to relieve pressure on CARE Act and HOPWA funds. The plan further encourages the involvement of HIV/AIDS housing providers in HIV/AIDS service-planning and priority-setting processes so that the vital role of services in maintaining health and housing in underscored and understood. Implementation The Contra Costa County Community Development and Health Departments should work , with the Title 1 Planning Council and HIV/AIDS Consortium to better integrate funding priorities for HIV/AIDS programs throughout the County. 136 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Cost While there are no direct costs associated with this recommendation, staff at both HIV/AIDS service providers and HIV/AIDS housing organizations, as well as governmental agencies, will be required to implement this effort. Timeline Beginning in 1996 and then ongoing to the extent that the agencies are able to dedicate staff resources. Housing Plan Implementation Recommendations As has been stated throughout this housing plan, there are not enough resources to meet the housing needs of all people living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. Key to meeting the need are coordinated planning and fund allocation, maximization of existing resources and leveraging of other funds and programs. Homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness and poverty all intersect with HIV/AIDS, and each of the systems which provides support and housing to individuals affected by these shares an obligation to meeting the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. The increased pressure on HIV/AIDS funding, the overwhelming need for HIV/AIDS housing and the pressing demands on staff of HN/AIDS service providers mean that every effort must be made to reduce duplication of services. These four recommendations outline ways in which HIV/AIDS housing can be improved by increasing the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS housing programs and funds through coordination of planning and fund allocation, increasing efficiency of programs and increasing the capacity of providers. Implementation Recommendation #1 Coordinate planning and fund allocation for HIV/AIDS housing and services P g g and set criteria to encourage and maximize the efficient use of limited resources. 137 1 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan Need Although this plan focuses on Contra Costa County, many of the issues are similar in Alameda County. These two counties make up the Oakland CARE Act Title 1 EMA, which oversees many HIV/AIDS services in both counties. Alameda County has developed a similar HIV/AIDS housing plan, as has the City of Berkeley. The high need i and limited resources for HIV/AIDS housing programs in all regions of the County mean that all programs should demonstrate program effectiveness and efficiency. The standard for efficiency applies to both administrative agencies and HIV/AIDS housing providers. There are improvements that can be made in efficiencies in both these areas. (Note that the funding cycles for the various resources are on various fiscal years.) In the administrative arena, fiscal years are different for the CARE Act and HOPWA programs, resulting in duplication of reporting by both providers and the grantee. As a result, the County must negotiate and monitor separate contracts for Title 1 and Title 11, and HOPWA services. Recommendation First, the plan recommends that on specific issues where coordination would lead to good programs and increase cost-effectiveness, Contra Costa County and Alameda County should work together in the implementation of their HIV/AIDS housing plans. HOWPA administrators for Alameda and Contra Costa counties should meet annually to share strategies and resources in order to avoid duplication. It also recommended that planning for HIV/AIDS services at the Title 1 Planning Council and other forums include persons with an interest in HIV/AIDS housing. Second, the plan recommends that to the extent possible, the CARE Act Titles 1 and 11, HOPWA, the County funding bodies develop similar reporting and contract requirements so that the paper work is cut down for both providers and people living with HIV/AIDS. This recommendation has the added benefit of reducing administrative time and cost, recognizing that much of this paperwork is controlled by federal requirements and cannot be streamlined at the local level. Third, the plan recommends that Contra Costa Community Development use the following set of unranked criteria to gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of proposed projects, and hereby, maximize resources: • Long-term agency and program viability; i 138 1 . Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan • Current licensure or ability to become licensed (if applicable); • Ability to leverage other resources; • Geographic area served; • Capacity to develop or operate programs and projects effectively; • Utilization rate and cost effectiveness; and • Relevance of project/program to identified gaps in the HIV/AIDS housing system. The County already uses many of these elements in evaluating whether or not new programs should be funded. The challenge in this recommendation comes if programs which are in existence are not meeting these standards. The community then faces a difficult decision: should projects which cannot or do not meet standards for quality or efficiency be closed? What is the benefit of this action compared to the immediate loss of units or housing? The critical aspect of this recommendation, therefore, comes not so much through the fund allocation process, but across funding years. The plan recommends assistance and capacity building efforts; but, given concerns about safety, licensing and efficience, programs which still do not meet the needs of their residents or of . the housing continuum as a whole should be considered for closure, merger with other programs, or transition to a more appropriate level of housing and services. Finally, the plan suggests that the County continue to foster collaboration among existing small projects in areas such as food/supply purchases, volunteers and administrative functions. This cooperation offers one way in which projects can begin to meet some of the criteria in this recommendation without jeopardizing their programs. The Centralized HIV/AIDS Housing System is a continuation of this recommendation. !� Implementation Contra Costa County Community Development and Health Departments should identify funding and contract coordination as key issues for interagency coordination. The County should use these criteria as part of the RFP process. These criteria should be considered supplemental to the proposed HIV/AIDS housing standards to be developed by the Title 1 Planning Council and are meant to evaluate the feasibility of both existing and planned programs. 139 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Cost While there are no direct programmatic costs to this recommendation, it should be noted that there are personnel costs to agencies, including HIV/AIDS services organizations, housing providers and governmental bodies to take these actions. Funds to cover these activities should, therefore, be built into program and staff budgets. Timeline To be begun in Year 1 and completed by Year 2. Implementation Recommendation #2 Increase community acceptance of the need for and benefits of HIV/AIDS housing and conduct an educational audit to determine the extent of HIV/AIDS-related housing discrimination in Contra Costa County. `I was not so shocked when I ound out I was HIV and I was praying that m son would .f � P a1' g y not be infected, and he isn't thank God. I have been through some problems because of my HIV. A person in the building told everyone, and some people had a problem with it. r They hassled me all the time and wanted me gone. I have to learn to deal with it myself, and people need to deal with it too. There was nothing either of us can do about it. " --focus group participant Need To the extent that the County moves forward with capital development projects recommended by this plan—for example permanent housing for people disabled with HIV/AIDS, or with multiple disabilities, or transitional housing for graduates of substance abuse treatment programs—it is likely that opposition from the communities in which those projects are to be suited may emerge. Community opposition and jurisdictional reluctance to siting HIV/AIDS housing in neighborhoods because of fears of their becoming `magnets' for high-need populations may threaten needed HIV/AIDS housing projects in Contra Costa County. People living with HIV/AIDS, particularly those who participated in the focus groups, mentioned the extent to which they felt their HIV status caused them to either lose or be denied housing. 140 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Recommendation Strong leadership from elected officials, government agencies, community-based organizations and the religious community are needed to proactively address community concerns and counter misinformation that leads to community and jurisdictional opposition to HIV/AIDS housing. The plan recommends that these public forces, which are entrusted with providing for their most needy citizens, work to educate the greater public about the need for HIV/AIDS housing and the consequences of denying housing to people living with HIV/AIDS. Endorsement of this plan and acting towards its swift implementation are crucial steps in creating a community which is accepting of HIV/AIDS housing. Completion of an HIV/AIDS fair housing audit will both measure the extent of discrimination and provide a needed response to the concerns of people living with HIV/AIDS. Additionally, the County should work closely with existing efforts underway by the Non- Profit Housing Association of Northern California(NPH) and its local coordinator, East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO) to address community acceptance of supportive housing. Implementation Contra Costa County, including the 18 city jurisdictions, should work in conjunction to encourage each city and planning body to formally endorse this plan. Elements of the plan should be incorporated into the HOME Consortium, and local Consolidated Plans and housing elements. The recommendations of the plan should be incorporated into the EMA's AIDS Response Plan. Additionally, they should make sure that all Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS housing providers are aware of the materials and assistance offered by NPH and EBHO related to community acceptance. The County should also work with cities in which projects will be located to make sure that appropriate public officials from, for example, the police or planning departments, ^re available at comm­ ty forums that take place during the effort to site specific projects, to address issues related to crime or property values and to indicate the success of this kind of housing elsewhere. 141 Contra Costa County HIWAIDS Housing Plan Cost There are minimal costs associated with this recommendation, primarily for materials purchased and reproduction. As with other similar recommendations, however, there are costs associated with staffing this effort. Timeline Throughout the five years of implementation. Implementation Recommendation #3 Update the community on implementation of the ]EIIWAIDS housing plan and update the plan as needed to reflect community needs and achievements. Need It will be important to ensure that ongoing, annual progress is made on implementation of the plan, and that the plan is updated to reflect new developments related to community needs, and gaps in the continuum of services and housing. Recommendation The plan recommends that Community Development Department convene the group that developed the HIV/AIDS Housing Plan on an as-needed basis to assess progress on implementation, and recommend updates to the Plan to reflect community needs, and changes in gaps in the continuum of services and housing. Community and County groups that have worked on specific implementation issues, such as the development of a strategy for providing hospice or skilled nursing level care to people disabled with HIV/AIDS, would be expected to report to the group on their progress. Allocation recommendations If funds are found to fully implement the plan, it will identify or create additional resources and units of HIV/AIDS housing over the next five years. The budget following illustrates full funding for all recommendations over the next 5 years and can be used to set further priorities for which recommendations should be implemented. 142 _ Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Evaluation Recommendations Many individuals participated in the development of this plan, and many will watching to see that the recommendations they helped create are implemented. For some people who attended the community planning meetings or who participated in a focus group, this plan represents the hope that something will be done—and the fear that their needs will again be overlooked. This plan outlines very specific steps that can reduce homelessness and improve the quality 1 of life for people living with HIV/AIDS. These recommendations are not impossible goals, but they will not solve the housing need of every person living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. They do not address the root causes of homelessness, drug addiction and HIV infection that are so harmful to residents of Contra Costa County. They cannot, by themselves, end the prejudice that continues to stand in the way of humane services for people living with IRWAIDS. But if fully implemented, which will require both hard work and collaborative funding, more than 25 additional housing units and resources will be available for people with HIV/AIDS over the next five years. This plan will not be successful simply by virtue of its having been published. The true achievement will be through Contra Costa Cities and the County working with non-profit and for-profit housing developers and service providers to achieve the goal of creating a comprehensive continuum of safe, affordable and appropriate housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. Who can help implement the plan? 1 This plan has stressed that the entire community shares the responsibility to ensure that safe, affordable and appropriate housing exists for people with HIV/AIDS in the County. The uncertainty of HIV/AIDS funding, changes in the health care and social welfare systems of this nation, and the changes in the epidemic itself will all impact the ability of people living with HIV/AIDS to find and keep housing—and the community's ability to help. Creating a system of housing for people with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County will take the time, unique resources and abilities of each facet of our community and the continuation of the cooreration that developed this plan. How can the community measure the success of this plan? First, the community planning group which created the plan should reconvene during the first year following its adoption to publicly evaluate the process made to date in each area of recommendation. 143 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Second, the plan can be used in funding documents, such as the Consolidated Plans submitted to HUD by eligible jurisdictions. These plans measure the degree of homeless and housing problems in communities and in specific populations, including people with HIV/AIDS. A lack of specific information has hampered the ability of some areas to create programs for people with HIV/AIDS. With the advantage of the new information provided in this document, these Consolidated Plans should be much more specific in their attempts to address the needs of people with HIV/AIDS and in their continued monitoring of the needs of this population. Third, the success of the plan can be reviewed and documented by the Oakland EMA's annual CARE Act Title 1 application—and an increased attention to housing in the needs assessments undertaken as a part of the application. A measure of the plan's success will be, for example, a reduction the number of people who report that they are homeless or have housing problems in the annual assessments conducted by the Planning Council and the number of main stream housing options available to people living with HIV/AIDS. The most effective evaluation of the success of this plan will come from the experience of people living with HIV/AIDS in all parts of Contra Costa County. If asked, they will tell us how far we have come, and how far we have to go. 144 Contra Costa County HMAIDS Housing Plan HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Proposed Implementation Timeline and Budget i 145 $ * w N — W J a, t-A 4a w N — 'y A W N N r E� � � C3 'f7 9• it * Fy cr rAr7+ ry O r � O O a.� rte~ te O .fes. 0O tTj �G �'" W W 12 r Ln CrQ Ell OQ 00 t� ` CA o w b 'U a b �' c o " c U o o o 9 ao $ � o ►� O p p� to (9 rn N in L7 0 = ''+ p� CD eb r Oo x y ^ �y (n A IZI 80 R, go CIQ y a CD o9. 91 c K a x n tea . 0 o' A coc�o cv'o Z cl) A p a o c O ITI q '71 o co � a s � a Q OQ a fA a 0 0 0 0 0 0 a 0 o 69 69 69 to p. A 69 r•+ A O� S �' q F 5 W F' 69 CA a ra,• 69 fA ►, �D w N t/t to to io to W gg (J� 00 qg g 69 �D t.A p CIt Vt O, O� A 1 3 ON t O O 3i 1 to O to O rte.+ o 0 0 0 0 0 g g a o o g o o g g o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 � o 0 0 0 W eC V l�D f/n P1 fii 69 fA O 0. m G. m 0. 69 69 6! p• 69 69 p 0 A Q' 69 00 r• r'• c'• t;. yti' qg J J 4�,• w W 69 6) 69 toA. t p`E O PIP c/t N w w LA O VA N Os N ffnn C� �-+ O O N w $ O O O O O O O O N .� ,.. w O O O, 'D 6A O O O 69 69 69 O O O O O O O O O 0 0' O O O O O O O O O 0 0 0 0 Cl O O ►b 1 a vj, W p 0 0 0 0 0 0 69 41 69 0 N 6! N 0 0 A p � fA t� w N � gKg K�oo S �S�eo X4�0o' ��$C'' 0, LA - O 4�p' i� w J limit 000 �RC¢pa 69 � :i O O CO O O >i U -11 W - O O 00 Fin O O O O O O O O O O O O 00 -P. O �? O O O O , 69 O O O O O O N — 69 001177 CD Q03 n n n n o o- o- o- p n m Z 0tj co 69 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 46, 65 0 0pq (~D O N r eb ? J S 0. F ca,' ra.•• S 69 69 W �,• ... 69 61 (c1 F/f 69 O w w N ND Vt 00 {o 6) 1�0 -P. ^1 --4 00 Z "b ? O 00 LI) to to O O O $ O 00 �D j X0000 � CD 00 0 0 g 0 0 000 0 y py O O O O O O O 0 O N eo — 60)A � GG�oo �Oi' S F F �0 69 69 W tea,• 69 69 60) CL K N Cf� O 0�0 ;i �. t� 't O\ O\ w to r_ N I LA 00 co co 6) O LA N N O O O O O ',1 lA O O CJ1 �D O J O O O O O O0 O 69 O ' O 9 O O O O O O 00 A A 2 O OO O 0 W C7 �r b G � O n Ps OLA N O d C, arA 4. by opo a c to Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan Appendix I: Glossary of Terms Affordable. This plan considers housing to be affordable when households pay no more than 30 percent of their income for housing costs. AIDS Dementia Complex. A neuropsychiatric (brain) dysfunction that impairs thinking and/or motor skills. This illness is believed to occur in anywhere from 30 percent to 70 percent of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Assisted Living. A level of care that is less than skilled nursing (like a nursing home) but higher than congregate care. Assisted living facilities include some degree of support for activities of daily living (ADLs) and some medical monitoring. All assisted living programs provide assistance with activities of daily living such as toileting, dressing, bathing, and getting in and out of bed. An I assisted living project may have services that are provided contractually or by a combination of paid and volunteer staff. Case Management. The central component of HIV/AIDS care is case management. P g Essentially, case managers coordinate all the care that a client receives from all providers in the community. Typically, case management services are provided by agencies separate from the housing providers. When a case management client resides in a residence, however, the residential staff members have the most frequent contact with the resident and end up taking on 1 more of the care coordination. Congregate or group housing. Housing that does not provide private baths or private cooking facilities. Contingency reserves. A small amOLnt of funds held in reserve for use in addressing special or emergency needs. Disabled. For the purposes of this plan, any person who is HIV-symptomatic and has a letter from a physician indicating that they are disabled. Disability Insurance. Provides income for up to 52 weeks based upon inability to work due to illness or injury (not work related). Eligibility is tied to work history and earnings. (See also Social Security Disability Insurance). 149 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Emergency Housing. Emergency housing is intended to keep people with HIV/AIDS off the street when they are confronted with an immediate loss of housing, or in the case of a person who is already homeless, to provide them with housing as soon as possible. The core of emergency housing in most communities consists of homeless shelters. Additional emergency resources can include hotel or motel vouchers, short-stay apartments, or group living situations. Agencies may obtain long-term leases on these units, to use them as emergency shelter for homeless individuals or families. Enhanced access. People with terminal illnesses, including all people disabled due to HIV infection, should be considered for priority access to publicly-subsidized housing programs. Extremely-low income. Extremely-low-income households are households which have income at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income for the Oakland PMSA as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and adjusted for household size. Family. Fort'he purpose of this plan, family is defined as single adults, partners, single and two parent familieswith children, other relatives living together and adults living together as a family unit. Homelessness. Accordingto the U.S. Department of and Urban Development, a g P , homeless person is an individual or family who: Lacks a fixed regular, and adequate nighttime residence; or • Has a primary nighttime residence that its : I • A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill); • An institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be �. institutionalized; or • A public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. The term"Homeless Individual" does not include any individual imprisoned or otherwise detained under an Act of the Congress or a State law. • Individuals paying more than 50 percent of their income for housing are also considered at such high risk for homelessness that they are included in the federal definition of homeless. 150 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan High Risk for Homelessness. This plan categorizes some people as being at `high risk' for homelessness. For the purposes of this plan, this category includes people who pay more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing. Hospice. A level of care based on the philosophy of palliative care meaning easing pain and suffering for terminal illness. The services provided in a hospice facility often include nursing care, treatments, dietary services, and pain medication. Typically, hospices do not attempt to cure the diseases; they attempt to ease suffering. Housing unit or `bed'. A single unit of residence for a household of one or more persons. Independent Living. Independent living is a situation in which each resident can maintain full functioning and activities of daily living (ADLs) —toileting, dressing, bathing, I transfers—without assistance. However, the fluctuating care needs of persons with - symptomatic HIV infection can stretch the meaning of the term "independent"; if their care needs are not met, residents may have to move, even though the housing might be appropriate again after the current episode is past. For this reason, monitoring residents' status and helping them manage their health crises are critical components of keeping people independent, and in their own homes, as long as possible. The use of volunteer-based services can make a huge difference in keeping people in their own homes. The services that are most useful to residents in independent living situations typically include: emotional support, home-delivered meals, transportation assistance, and chore services. Whether or not a person living with HIV/AIDS can remain at home, and for how long, is determined in part by the extent to which that person has family or care-givers in the home, by his or her ability to pay for services not available on a volunteer basis, and by the range and accessibility of volunteer services available. Low-income. Low-income households are households with incomes which do not exceed 80 percent of the Area Median Indome for the Oakland PMSA as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and adjusted for household size. Mainstreaming. The process by which individuals in need of services are integrated into existing systems. Integrating people living with HIV/AIDS into existing low income and supportive housing projects is an example of mainstreaming. Attempting to combine populations requires thorough evaluation of each group's needs. l 151 Contra Costa County MWAIDS Housing Plan MediCal/Medicaid. A medical assistance program providing health insurance to persons with low or no income, and real and personal property within the limits established by the program. Program is available to certain families or individuals meeting eligibility linkages such as: Aid to Families with Dependent Children(AFDC); aged 65 or older; disabled/blind; pregnant women; refugee in the country 18 months or less; or children under 21 years of age where no AFDC deprivation exists. Medicare. A federal health insurance program for people aged 65 years old or older, people who have been disabled more than 24 months, and people of any age who have permanent kidney failure. It provides basic protection against the costs of health care, but does not cover all medical expenses. To be eligible one must have worked long enough and recently enough to get Social Security benefits or railroad retirement, or are entitled to benefits based on spouse's work record, or have worked long enough for federal, state, or local government to be insured for Medicare. Primary Benefits for Disabled Persons. 'The Social Security Administration offers two programs for people with disabilities: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI, also called SSA). Both programs assess one's medical condition to determine disability. Disability is defined (for SSI and SSDI) as"any medical condition (either physical or mental) that prevents or is expected to prevent you from working for at least 12 months." Residential settings. A residential setting is defined as a single family home, group home, single room occupancy hotel room(SRO), an apartment, or bed in a residential facility. Section 8 Certificates. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development operates a rental subsidy program known as Section 8. Section 8 certificates allow tenants who meet the income guidelines to pay only 30 percent of their income in rent for privately owned apartments that meet Section 8 criteria. Section 8 pays the difference between that amount and the amount of rent based on the fair market rents of each area. There are two kinds of Section 8 certificates—those that are tied to specific project-based or tenant based units, as in Section 811 housing, and those that are transportable throughout the city, County, or elsewhere. Unfortunately, in most jurisdictions the wait for Section 8 housing can be five years. As a result, few communities can access this important source of subsidized housing effectively. In addition, a number of housing authorities have designated Section 8 certificates providing rent subsidy in units approved by HUD. This particular option often allows people living with HIV/AIDS to remain in their own homes if their home or apartment passes HUD inspection, and if rent payment is within HUD guidelines. 1 r 152 h' , Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Shared Living. One way to cut housing costs is to share living quarters. Although the majority of people living with HIV/AIDS would rather have their own apartment or house, shared living becomes an attractive option for some as their income and ability to do everything for themselves is affected by illness. This is particularly true where houses are organized around shared cultural values—African-American, Latino, youth, or families. An agency's involvement in shared living can run the gamut—from maintaining a roommate matching bulletin board to owning and managing shared-living apartments or houses. Skilled Nursing. A level of care consisting of continuous skilled nursing observations, restorative nursing, and other services under professional direction with frequent medical . supervision. Facilities with this level of care are used for patients who need care and more intense treatment after they have been very ill or during recurrences of symptoms in long-term illness. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSDI is a federal insurance program for people who have a recent work history and whose employers paid Social Security taxes (FICA). SSDI assesses one's employment history. SSDI provides monthly payments to persons who become disabled and have worked long enough and recently enough under Social Security. Benefits are available starting at any age. (If receiving SSDI when age 65 is attained, those benefits become retirement benefits, although the amount remains the same). Certain family members can also draw disability benefits based upon the program contributions of a parent or spouse. Eligibility requirements are: • Disabled. • You must have paid into the Social Security system for 5 out of the last 10 years. ("Paying into the system" means that one worked in a job(s) where Social Security taxes (FICA)were withheld from one's paycheck, or one paid own taxes if self-employed). SSDI Benefits include: • No fixed amount - benefits depend on how much and how long you paid into the Social Security system. • Average range: $550 - $750 per month. • Current maximum benefit is approximately $1,100 per month. 1 153 Contra Costa County RMAIDS Housing Plan Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI is a federal pubiic assistance program that provides monthly income to people who are aged 65 or older, blind, or have a disability and who have a monthly income, real and personal property within limits established by the program. SSI assesses one's current financial (income and assets) and living situation. In most states when you get SSI you also get Medicaid. In 1994 eligibility requirements include: • Disabled. • Assets must be less than $2,000. • Monthly income must be less than$620. • If you own a house, you must live in it. • If you own a car, it must be worth less than $4,500. • There are several resources which are not included in determining one's assets: Plot or burial funds set aside not exceeding $1,500; and Insurance policies valued at $1,500 or less. • SSI Benefits include: SSI supplements income from other sources up to the benefit amount of$614.; If you have no other income SSI pays $454 per month. Supportive services. An array of services provided to clients with HIV/AIDS to enable them to remain in the most independent setting as long as possible. Services may include: representative payee; money management and 'benefits counseling; substance abuse/mental health counseling; emotional and practical support; attendant care; home health care; case management; and advocacy for services they may need to meet other needs. Transitional Housing. Transitional housing provides an interim placement for people coming from emergency housing, the correctional system, or from mental health or drug treatment programs. Usually, the tenants are waiting for a permanent placement and may remain in transitional housing for several weeks, months, or up to 2 years (by HUD definition). Some transitional housing programs typically offer a support service package tailored specifically to the target population with the goal of helping them transition to permanent housing. Treatment. An intensive rigorous service program administered by trained professionals that addresses mental health and/or substance addiction. 154 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Tuberculosis (TB). A potentially fatal communicable disease caused by a bacterium that produces lesions primarily on the lungs, but that can also attack other organs. The symptoms of active TB are weight loss, coughing, and fatigue. People with HIV/AIDS can catch TB more easily than others because their immune systems are compromised. Transmission is most likely to occur from patients with unrecognized pulmonary TB who are not on an effective anti-TB therapy and have not been placed in TB isolation. Some people need directly Observed therapy to make sure that they are taking their medications and decreasing the risk to others. Very low-income. Very low-income households are households with incomes between 50 and 80 percent of the Area Median Income for the Oakland PMSA as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and adjusted for household size. 155 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Pian Appendix II: Program Recommendations for HIV/AIDS Housing Programs Both the HIV/AIDS Housing Survey conducted for this plan and the experience of HIV/AIDS housing providers in Contra Costa County and across the nation have identified issues which lead to recommendation about the programs and services which should be components of HIV/AIDS housing. These programmatic suggestions could be incorporated into the standards of care recommended by the plan, or used by agencies to evaluate their services. i A. Recommendations For Program Components of HIV/AIDS Housing I 1. Programs for people who are homeless or at high risk for homelessness: HIV/AIDS housing services and programs designed to meet the needs of people who do not have a place to live or are at immediate risk for homelessness should include the following: • Immediate access to emergency vouchers or eviction prevention funds to help get and/or keep individuals who meet criteria for assistance off the streets. • A 24-hour shelter which provides nursing or medical services on a very limited basis. • Immediate and direct links-to transitional housing programs specifically designed for people who have been homeless, who have poor rental histories, and who have complex health and/or psycho-social issues. • Shallow rental subsidies to assist people who pay more than 30 percent of their income but who do not qu^'.ify for Section 8 or other permanent housing programs. • Immediate access to eviction prevention funds and short-term rental assistance subsidies to help keep people from becoming homeless. • Assignment of a case manager to help individuals cut through red tape and access financial programs, benefits and medical care. 157 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 2. Housing programs for people with complex health care needs: HIV/AIDS housing programs and services to meeting the needs of people with complex health care needs—outside of those that can only be met by end stage care through a residential skilled nursing facility—should include the following: • Adequate ventilation and isolation facilities to serve people living with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in a manner consistent with OSHA regulations: People with active TB should be kept in an acute hospital isolation room until no longer contagious and then followed in directly-observed therapy for one calendar year. • Memoranda of Understanding or contracts for home health care homemaker, personal care attendant and in-home hospice services. • Memoranda of Understanding or contracts for case management services and transportation to ongoing primary care. 3. Housing programs for dually and triply diagnosed persons: Housing programs and services to meet the needs of the people dually and triply diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, mental illness, dementia and/or substance abuse, should include the following: • Intensive on-site services, including case management, residential management, money management, and at least one daily congregate meal. • On-site counseling, including one-on-one and group mental health services, substance abuse counseling, and HIV prevention education. • Limited on-site medical services, primarily visiting nursing services and personal care attendant services, and transportation to off-site primary medical care appointments. • Assignment of a case manager and/or benefits advocate to help individuals ' cut through red tape and access financial programs, benefits and medical care. ' r 158 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan 4. Housing programs for women and families with children: HIV/AIDS housing programs and services to meet the needs of women and families should include the following: • The high degree of drug use history and active drug use of women living with HIV/AIDS mean that housing programs must be linked to drug treatment services and recovery programs. 1 On-site child care and memoranda of understanding or contracts with home makers and respite care providers. • Housing should be in safe, drug-free neighborhoods, near schools and bus lines. 1 Apartments and homes should provide separate bedrooms for children and adults, and providers should anticipate the effect of mixing adults who are sick and dying with those who are relatively healthy. • Formal contracts or memoranda of understanding with hospitals and clinics P that serve pediatric patients. ' Additionally, housing should be located in safe, drug free neighborhoods and housing programs and services should include the following where appropriate: • Formal contracts or memoranda of understanding with substance abuse programs. • Formal contracts or memoranda of understanding, or where possible, on-site staff services, including resident management, money management, counseling, mental health services, and HIV prevention education. • Assignment of a case manager and/or benefits advocate to help individuals access financial programs, benefits and medical care. • Cultural and language diversity and cultural competency awareness training. • Linkages with community-based organizations. 159 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan B. Social Services/Building Management Plan Evaluation Checklist This document has been developed by the Corporation for Supportive Housing to assist supportive housing providers in evaluating the supportive service and building management issues inherent in supportive housing. These can be used as a component of program evaluation and in the development of the recommended standards. 1. Sponsor/Development Team: Philosophy, Mission& Objectives • How does the proposed project fit within the philosophy, mission and objectives of the sponsor/development team? Experience of the Sponsor/Development Team • What is each organization's experience with this type ofproject? • What is each organization's experience in the specific role which it will .play in the project (e.g. landlord, service provider, consultant)? Staff/Board of Directors of the Sponsor/Development Team • What are the background and experience of key staff/board members? • How many years have they been with the organization? Turnover rates? • Is there an adequate number of staff with necessary skills assigned to develop the project? • Are the Boards of Directors involved and supportive of the sponsor/development team's activities? 160 Contra Costa County HIVIAIDS Housing Plan Financial Condition of the Sponsor/Development Team • Size& diversity of funding • Size and solidity of asset base (e.g. fixed assets, endowments) • Status of current indebtedness (e.g. timeliness of payments) • Do fees earned from services support projects? 1 Adequacy of assets and income to support/sustain growth • Operate with a surplus/break-even/deficit? Why? Plan to correct? Current with all taxes? jIs the auditors opinion unqualified (i.e. indicating that financial statements are not prepared in full accordance with generally accepted accounting principles)? 2. Proposed Project ' Philosophy/Objective of the Proposed Project • What will the approach to residents be (empowering, paternalistic, etc.)? • What level of independence of the tenants will the program be designed to encourage? Size of Project IAre the number of housing units being developed appropriate for the population being served? (i.e. projects for people with HIV/AIDS typically ' include less that 50 units) • Is the project large enough to be financially feasible (i.e. includes some economies of scale to cover fixed costs)? 161 Contra Costa County 11MAIDS Housing Plan Type of Housing • Will the housing be permanent, transitional or emergency? (Support of transitional and emergency housing projects not currently in CSH's mandate) • Will the residence be licensed? • Does the sponsor understand the licensing approval process? • Does the structure and design of the project fit with the expected fund source and licensing? Profile of Targeted Tenancy • Described proposed tenants. Why was this target population chosen? • What is the target population mix(e.g. special needs, homeless, low income, etc.)? Why was this mix chosen? • What is the expected functional capacity of the tenants at initial occupancy? In three years? How will the program respond to changes in the population over time? • Does the sponsor/development team have a good understanding of the , target populations' needs? Do the sponsor, funding source(s) and community agree on the proposed tenant mix? Tenant Referral/Selection Criteria/Process • Where will be population come from (e.g. shelters, streets, hospitals, other housing)? • Do the funding source(s) and/or community require that a specific referral protocol be followed? If so, what is the protocol? 162 Contra Costa County HMAIDS Housing Plan Organizational Structure • Will the owner of the project be a separate entity or part of the sponsor? • Are memoranda of understanding in place? • Does the structure involve a partnership between separate organizations? • What is the structure of the partnership? What is the track record for each organization in working in partnerships? • Are the roles of landlord and service provider separated? (can be a successful strategy; allows landlord to set and enforce rules; service provider to act as advocate for tenants) • What will the flow of the capital, operating and social services funds be? (e.g. paid to sponsor, then to program, etc.) Administrative Staffing 1 Number of individuals, title, experience/expertise • Adequacy of number and experience of staff 1 Building Layout/Design • Does the building's proposed layout/design fit with hc!-,sing& services 1 concept? 3. Social Service Plan for Proposed Project: Philosophy (e.g. tenant/community involvement) • Will the services provided be mandatory or voluntary? • Will the project include Peer Support Groups, a Tenant Advisory Committee or Council (i.e. empowerment programs) and/or a Community Advisory Committee (community programs)? 163 Contra Costa County MWAMS Housing Plan Social Services • Which of the followingservices are to be provided? B whom? P Y Case Management (i.e. service coordination, including linkages to off-site services) Crisis Intervention Psychiatric Services Bereavement Counseling/Pastoral Services Recovery Readiness Services (for individuals who have active addictions) Substance Abuse Counseling Methadone Maintenance(must be done through off-site linkage) Harm Reduction Services Daily Living Skills Assistance Medication Management Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Pain Management (esp. for PWAs) Medical/NursingNisiting Nurse Care Dental & Ophthalmology Services Counseling (Individual/Group) Recreational/Socialization Job/Educational Training Personal Financial Management Entitlement Programs Assistance Legal Assistance , Transportation Food/Nutritional Services Services Coordination (i.e. off-site linkages) • Will the service(s) be provided on-site or off-site? If off-site, where? How 1 will the tenants get there? • How many hours of each service will be available to the tenants? , • If service are available on a 24 hour basis, for what reason and what , mechanism? • How many and which individuals do you expect will utilize each service? 164 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan • What are the target goals for on-site and off-site service usage? (After project is in operation, should compare to how many people actually anticipate?) What monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are proposed? ' What, if anything, will be done to stimulate the involvement of those who don't participate? • Are the type& level of social services to be provided adequate for population served? • What is the staff/client ratio? How does ratio company to similar projects? • Are memoranda of understanding in place for all key services to be provided by outside entities, both on-and off-site? Staffing Pattern ' Days, shifts, hours, full-time/part-time? • What is the professional vs. nonprofessional makeup of the staff on the different shifts? Does this make sense? • Do the salary levels of the staff make sense? • Does the staffingplan fit with anticipated level of social services provided? P P Management • What is the record keeping plan? What information will be kept? How long will information be kept? • What is the crisis management plan & incident review process? ' What is the plan to assure quality control (particularly important for projects which serve people suffering from mental illness)? L 165 Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Funding • What is the likelihood of thero'ect securing government contract (s)? J gg (s ?) Likelihood of renewal? • Amount, term and adequacy of social service contract(s) for population served? ' • Are the funding requests within a reasonable range for anticipated funding sources? • What is the percent breakdown of direct vs. administration costs? (Administrative costs should not exceed 20 percent - 30 percent of total budget)? 4. Building Management Plan for Proposed Project: Management/Philosophy • Lease/Occupancy Agreement (leases for permanent housing required if using HUD funds) • What will the House Rules be? Are they reasonable? • Will the tenants be involved in the management of the residence (e.g. Tenant Security Patrol)? Payments or stipends for the work performed by the residents may jeopardize tenant entitlements. Building Services • What are the services to be provided in the following areas? By whom? • Property Management (in-house/contracted, experience (current vacancy rates, turnover rates, collection losses, 3rd party payment experience) • Security (in-house/contracted, 24-hour or evening/weekend, trained in crisis management) • Janitor/Building Manager (residing on-site?) 166 i Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan 1 • Housekeeping/Maintenance • Are the types and levels of building services provided adequate for populations served? • What is the staff/client ratio? How does ratio compare to similar projects? Staffing Pattern • Days, shifts, hours, full-time/part-time • Fit with anticipated level of building services provided? • Do the salary levels of the staff make sense? Operating Funding • Tenant rent paying ability (i.e. probable income levels & sources) • Likelihood of securing operating subsidies (e.g. Project-Based or competitive Section 8, McKinney, Shelter Plus Care, Mod/Rehab, SRO, HOPWA, etc.) • Likelihood of renewal of operating contracts • Amount, term and adequacy of operating subsidies • What is the agency's ability to satisfy funders' reporting requirements (e.g. for HOPWA, Section 8 funding, tax credits, etc.)? 167 Contra Costa County HMAMS Housinit Plan Appendix III: Resources For HIV/AIDS Housing • Independent living: Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program (HOPWA), Section 8, Public and Indian Housing, Home Investment Partnership Act Community Development Block Grant Program(CDBG), Low Income Housing&Historic Tax Credits, bond financing, Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program (AHP), and the Resolution Trust Corporation Affordable Housing Disposition Program(AHDP). • Assisted or supported housing: Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities (section 811), Shelter Plus Care, Supportive Housing Program (SHP), HOPWA, Section 8, HOME, CDBG, Surplus Federal Property to Use to Assist the Homeless, HUD-Owned Single Family Disposition, Low Income Housing and Historic Tax Credits, bond financing, AHP, and AHDP. • Transitional housing: SHP, Transitional Living Program, Surplus Federal HOME Property, Shelter Plus Care, HOPWA, HOME, HUD-Owned Single Family Disposition, bond financing, Mental Health and Chemical Dependency facility housing, Federal Emergency Shelter Grants. • Emergency housing: FEMA Emergency Shelter Grants, Surplus Federal ' Property, HOPWA, CDBG, and Bond financing. • Skilled nursing care: Section 232 Program, and bond financing. HOPWA, CDBG • Housing referral services: HOPWA, Ryan White CARE Act (Title II), Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), Community Mental Health Research Demonstration Projects for the Homeless Chronically Mentally Ill, and Community Services Block Grant Program. • Supportive services linked to HIV/AIDS housing: HOPWA, Ryan White I CARE Act Titles I, II and III b (which provides early intervention and primary health care and case management), private insurance, managed care insurance programs, MediCal, Medicare and other third party payors. 169 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan Appendix IV: Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California i 1 i 1 1 1 t i 1 1 171 1 Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Prepared by: Bill Haskell 175 Belvedere Street San Francisco, CA 94117 For: AIDS Housing of Washington 2025 First Avenue, Suite 420 Seattle, WA 98121 December 4, 1995 Table of Contents Critical Issues Topic Area I. Existing reimbursement mechanisms for long term care in licensed health care facilities............................................ 1 A. Congregate Living Health Facilities (CLHF)........................................................................................ 1 B. Nursing Facilities (NF)......................................................................................................................... 1 1) Nursing Facilities Providing Level A Services (previously ICFs).................................................... 1 2) Nursing Facilities providing Level B Services (previously SNFs)................................................... 2 3) A New Option in Licensed Health Care: Transitional Inpatient Care in Nursing Facilities............ 4 Topic Area II. Federal/state service reimbursement programs which cover components of long term care..................................................5 A. Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit.................................................................................................................... 5 1) Reimbursement Rates................................................................................................................... 5 B. Medicare Hospice Benefit................................................................................................................... 6 C. Medi-Cal Long Term Care Coverage.................................................................................................. 7 D. Medicare Long Term Care Coverage .................................................................................................7 E.AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program ......................................................................................................... 7 F.AIDS Case Management Program...................................................................................................... 9 Topic Area III. Strategies to maximize reimbursements in licensed health care facilities and residential programs............................. 11 A. Maximizing Reimbursement for Hospice Care by Combining Medi-Cal/Medicare Hospice Benefits with Nursing Facility Rates.................................................................................. 11 1) Collaborations between hospice programs and nursing homes to provide hospice care for AIDS patients in nursing homes..................................................................................... 11 2)The use of Medicare and Medi-Cal programs to provide long term care, including hospice care, for AIDS patients in nursing facilities.................................................................... 12 B. Maximizing Reimbursement for Care in Residential Settings by Using State-Funded Home- & Community-Based Programs for Services........................................................................ 13 1) Use of the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver and AIDS Case Management Programs to provide long term care in licensed and unlicensed residential settings................................................... 13 Topic Area IV. Health care facilities using reimbursement from Medi-Cal, Medicare and other sources for long term care. ........................ 14 A. Coming Home Hospice, San Francisco, CA: A Residential Hospice Facility................................... 14 B. St. Mary's Hospital, San Francisco, CA: A Hospital-Based AIDS Dementia Care Unit.................... 15 C. Laguna Honda Hospital, San Francisco, CA: A Hospital-Based AIDS Skilled Nursing Unit............ 16 x � , y Ir y17" ,•J• r„ ,, xong�'T"ermGare Reimbursement Structure In.GalI.M.IT - C�>tt��rait lay ssuAs' s ❑ None of the case studies presented fully cover their operating costs through reimbursement sources. Actually, all had to raise between 22% and 40%, which came from fundraising, Ryan White CARE grants, and contributions from the hospitals with which the program is affiliated. ❑ Should CARE funds be reduced or eliminated in the future, programs will have to replace these grants in their budgets by increasing fundraising activities, and/or relying more heavily:on institutional contributions. There will probably be increasing competition for CARE dollars. This doesn't mean programs should not plan to use CARE funds; it does mean the program planners should be careful and diversify the program's risk by obtaining a variety of funding sources to support the ongoing annual operating budget. ❑ It is important to be aware that the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit program is designed to be all inclusive. When an individual is under the care of a hospice program supported by the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit, no separate payments can be obtained from Medi-Cal for hospital care, nursing facility care, home health agency care, medical supplies and appliances, drugs durable medical equipment, medical transportation, and any other service related the individual's terminal , diagnosis. It is either the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit or other Medi-Cal reimbursement programs. Not both. ❑ The Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for a hospital-based nursing facility is higher than that available for a freestanding nursing facility, but there are often costs to cover hospital administrative expenses which must be incurred. However, if , necessary, a hospital institution can usually underwrite some of the cost of care in such a nursing facility. ❑ The Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for the new transitional inpatient care , licensure category, which will become available in January 1996, is being set at between $300 to $320 per patient per day. Given that the reimbursement ' rate for a distinct-part nursing facility is $214.90 per patient per day and that for a freestanding nursing facility the rate is approximately $85 to $92 per patient per day, this is a dramatic increase to cover the cost of patients who require institutional care but do not need acute hospital care. Long Term Care Reimbursement Stricture in California page[ r . , l�eimbursemiM mechanisms for long term care I 7� x ilq l�,lay yi x4'14 N;1�I"�11d�i14_,.�'I�ul� I�AY� Y1�I yyy�� -• a : i '. -- r r I II} t;! t Mat",;;, a ...... ......::JC:.l�la.u.is w�:::...... .........: ..,...... .......it.....................................s,:..w1 �r..,,..x........::'............w....,....,.�i�....��...l:t",.............. ......... ........, ' A. Congregate Living Health Facilities (CLHF) This licensure category is specific to California, and is not recognized by the federal government. Because CLHF is not considered a health care facility under federal law, there is no federal or state reimbursement. One AIDS housing program in California is ' under this licensure category: Chris Brownlee Hospice, in Los Angeles. Although there is no reimbursement for this category, the AIDS Health Care Foundation, which operates the program, obtained a unique reimbursement through the state legislature for this facility. B. Nursing Facilities (NF) Prior to 1987, California had a reimbursement structure which included two typesof subacute health care facilities: skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and intermediate care facilities (ICFs). Under the federal Omnibus Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1987, SNFs and ICFs were consolidated under nursing facilities (NFs). However, even though this consolidation has taken place for purposes of federal reimbursement, California continues to have licensed skilled nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities. The California Code of Regulations (Title 22, Division 3, Health Care Services), defines nursing facility as a licensed a skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility. Service definitions also continue to be based on the level of care provided in SNFs and ICFs. Nursing facilities providing Level A services are the old ICFs, and nursing ' facilities providing Level B services are the old SNFs. Medi-Cal reimbursement rates presented below are defined in terms of nursing facilities, and will correspond to these different levels of services. 1) Nursing Facilities Providing Level A Services (previously ICFs) Level A services refer to intermediate care services which are for persons who require protective and supportive care, because of mental or physical conditions or both, above the level of board and care. Except for brief spells of illness, these patients do not require continuous supervision of care by an RN or LVN, and do not have an illness, injury, or disability for which hospital or skilled nursing facility services are required. The primary purpose of this institution (or distinct part thereof) is to provide a program of health or rehabilitative services ' for developmentally disabled persons. For nursing facilities, hospitals, or public institutions providing Level A services, ' the per diem reimbursement rate depends on licensed bed capacity and county, as follows: Bed Size Los Angeles County San Francisco,Alameda, All Other Counties Contra Costa,San Mateo, Santa Clara Counties 1-99 1 $67.59 1 $67.59 $57.14 100+ $56.38 1 $56.38 $56.38 Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in Calitbrnia page 2 a 2) Nursing Facilities providing Level B Services (previously SNFs) Level B services refer to skilled nursing services which are for persons who require the continuous availability of skilled nursing care provided by RNs or LVNs for the treatment of illness or injury, but do not require the full range of services provided in an acute care hospital. These patients need a level of service which includes the continuous availability of procedures such as the administration of injections, infusions, tube feedings, nasopharygeal aspiration, insertion or replacement of catheters, application of dressings, treatment of skin disorders, and restorative nursing procedures. When used, the term "skilled nursing facility" includes the terms "skilled nursing , home", "convalescent hospital", "nursing home", or"nursing facility". Reimbursement rates are separately established for hospital-based distinct part NFs and freestanding NFs. a. Hospital-Based Distinct Part Nursing Facilities - For nursing facilities, hospitals, or public institutions providing Level B services that are distinct parts of acute care hospitals, if such facilities are not state operated, the per diem reimbursement rate is based on projected costs up to the median of $214.90. 11p2 of Ucensure Tye of Facility Rate of Reimbursement Hospital-Based, Level B Nursing Services $214.90 Distinct Part Nursing Facility The Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for a hospital-based nursing facility is higher than that available for a freestanding nursing facility, but there are often costs to cover hospital administrative expenses which must be incurred. However, if necessary, a hospital institution can usually underwrite some of the cost of care in such a nursing facility. One half of NFs get less than this amount. The weighted State per diem reimbursement rate is $186.60, which is the average payment a Level B hospital-based, distinct part NF receives. b. Freestanding Nursing Facilities For nursing facilities that are freestanding (i.e., not part of acute care hospitals) providing Level B services, the per diem reimbursement rate depends on licensed bed capacity and county, as follows: Bed Size Los Angeles County San Francisco,Alameda,Contra Costa, All Other Counties San Mateo,Santa Clara Counties 1-59 1 $76.14 $85.11 $79.25 60+ 1 $73.26 $92.31 1 $80.88 Note: These rates are lower than hospital-based NFs, because freestanding NFs are typically ' designed for geriatric patients who require custodial care.) 1 ' Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page 3 C. Subacute Care in Nursing Facilities ' Subacute care services refer to a level of care which is needed by persons who do not require hospital acute care, but who require more intensive licensed skilled nursing care than is provided to the majority of patients in a skilled nursing facility. Subacute care is intended for medically fragile persons including quadriplegics, paraplegics, and persons with tracheotomies. A subacute care unit is an identifiable unit of a skilled nursing facility accommodating beds including contiguous rooms, a wing, a floor, or a building approved for such purpose. This category is not designed for chronically ill persons, including persons with AIDS. ' For subacute care services in either. (1) a hospital-based distinct part nursing facility, or (2) a freestanding nursing facility, the all inclusive per ' diem rates are as follows: Typt of Licensure I Type of Patient Rate of Reimbursement* ' Hospital-based Ventilator Dependent $423.67 Freestanding Ventilator Dependent $267.84 Hospital-based Not Ventilator Dependent $401.08 F nding Not Ventilator De dent $245.26 ' ('Rates effective as ofAugust 1.1995.) d. Ancillary Services and Items ' Nursing facilities are able to bill Medi-Cal separately for additional ancillary services and items required for patient care, not included in NF reimbursement rates. Not included in the payment rate, and to be billed ' separately by the nursing facility service provider, are the following: 1. Allied health services ordered by the attending physician. 2. Altemating pressure mattresses/pads with motor. ' 3. Atmospheric oxygen concentrators and enrichers and accessories. 4. Blood, plasma and substitutes. 5. Dental services. 6. Durable medical equipment(DME). 7. Insulin. ' 8. Intermittent breathing equipment. 9. IV trays, tubing &blood infusion sets. 10. Laboratory services. 11. Legend drugs. 12. Liquid oxygen system. 13. MacLaren or Pogon Buggy. 14. Medical supplies 15. Nasal cannula. 16. Osteogenesis stimulator device. 17. Oxygen. 18. Parts and labor for repairs of DME. 19. Physician services. 20. Portable aspirator. 21. Portable gas oxygen system. 22. Precontoured structures. 23. Prosthetic&orthotic devices. 24. Reagent testing sets. 25. Therapeutic air/fluid support systems/beds. ' 26. Traction equipment&accessories. 27. Variable height beds. 28. X-rays. Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure m California Page 4 , 3) Inpatient A New Option in Licensed Health Care: Transitional In , P P Care in Nursing Facilities , A new category of care is being developed called transitional inpatient care, which will soon be incorporated into a portion of the health care facilities in California. Transitional inpatient care is intended to make institutional care more accessible to persons who require short term care outside of an acute care hospital. It is designed for individuals who need IV therapy, rehabilitative services, wound care, respiratory therapy, or traction. This level of care results ' from AB 911, which provides the statutory authority for its creation. Regulations are currently being established by the State Department of Health Services. The Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for the new transitional inpatient care , licensure category, which will become available in January 1996, is being set at between $300 to $320 per patient per day. Given that the reimbursement rate , for a distinct-part nursing facility is $214.90 per patient per day and that for a ' freestanding nursing facility the rate is approximately $85 to $92 per patient per day, this is a dramatic increase to cover the cost of patients who require institutional care but do not need acute hospital care. , Transitional inpatient care refers to the level of care which is needed by persons who have suffered an illness, injury, or exacerbation of a disease, and whose , medical condition has clinically stabilized so that daily physician services and procedures immediately available in an acute care hospital are not medically necessary. Transitional inpatient care services will be available for Medi-Cal ' beneficiaries who do not meet the criteria for subacute care but who need more medically complex and intensive services than are generally available in a skilled nursing facility. For the first two years of this program, transitional , inpatient services will only be available to Medi-Cal beneficiaries 18 years of age and older. This new category may provide an additional option for the care of persons with ' AIDS who do not require an acute care hospital or a long stay in a nursing facility but who need an institutional setting for medically complex or intensive rehabilitative services of short-term duration. While this new category is not intended for terminal care, those who are terminally ill are not excluded. Although it can be provided in a variety of settings, transitional inpatient care will , probably be provided in the higher acuity areas of existing freestanding nursing facilities and in hospital-based distinct part nursing facilities. Long Tenn Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page S oprcrAroa hllL p ' Federal/state senrlce reimbursement programs which cover M „w, uau��w'”tiF ^,xr components ofi long term care ..... ......... •in•••...•••.•.• • •.M..••• .......« ......•.. ......... .......•. ......... ••....... .....�.... ........................................... ' A. Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit The Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit is designed for the care at home of terminally ill persons in hospice programs. However, it is also available to support the care of terminally ill persons in inpatient hospice facilities and nursing facilities, when their homes are no longer appropriate or available. Any Med-Cal eligible recipient certified by a physician as having a life expectancy of six months or less may elect to receive hospice care in lieu of normal Medi-Cal coverage, for services related to the terminal condition. ' Hospice providers may include hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, home health agencies, and any licensed health provider certified by Medicare to provide hospice services and enrolled as a Medi-Cal hospice care provider. 1 1) Reimbursement Rates ' Reimbursement rates for the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit are initially set by HCFA for the Medicare Hospice Benefit. These rates are then reviewed by the State Department of Health Services, which calculates the reimbursement rates for California. The Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit is designed to be more all inclusive than the reimbursement rates for nursing facilities. Accordingly, in addition to the reimbursement rates for the four different levels of care, a hospice program can only bill Medi-Cal for room and board, and for physician care. ' When an individual is under the care of a hospice program supported by the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit, separate payment will not be made for the following: hospital care; nursing facility care (Level A and B); home health agency care; medical supplies and appliances; drugs; durable medical equipment; medical transportation; and any other services related to the individual's terminal ' diagnosis. No ancillary services or items can be billed by nursing facilities for patients on the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit. In addition, in accordance with federal requirements, no Medi-Cal copayments may be collected from Medi-cal ' recipients who are receiving hospice services for any Medi-Cal services, including services that are not related to the terminal illness. ' Medi-Cal will make payments to a hospice provider for services rendered to an individual living at home, or who is a resident of a Level A or Level B nursing facility. Reimbursement will be provided for four levels of care, for room and board, and for physician services provided by the hospice not included in one of the levels of care. ' The four levels of care are: (1) Routine Care, which is care received in the patient's home or in a facility in which hospice care is provided; it is not continuous care. Payment is made on an all inclusive per diem basis without regard to the volume or intensity of services provided on any given day; (2) Continuous Care, which is predominantly skilled nursing care provided on an Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page 6 hourly basis, for a minimum of eight hours during brief crisis periods. Home health aide and/or homemaker services may also be provided; (3) Inpatient , Respite Care, which occurs when a patient being cared for in the home receives care in an approved inpatient facility, on a short-term basis, to provide respite for family members or others caring for the individual. Each episode is , limited to five days. This rate is not available for the care of an individual who is already a resident of a nursing facility; and (4) General Inpatient Cale, which occurs when the patient receives general care in an inpatient facility for pain ' control or acute/chronic symptom management that cannot be managed in other settings. Below are Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit reimbursement rates for specific counties: Location by County` Routine Continuous Inpatient General , Care Care Respite Inpatient (hourly) Care Care , Los Angeles $109.54 $26.62 $114.76 $480.95 San Francisco,Marin, 115.38 28.03 119.76 505.10 San Mateo Alameda, 106.91 25.98 112.51 470.07 Contra Costa Santa Clara 109.02 26.49 116.32 478.81 Santa Cruz 1 99.27 1 24.12 1 105.96 438.42 Rural Areas 1 91.30 1 22.18 99.14 405.45 , National Rates 1 90.65 1 22.02 1 98.56 402.67 ('Rates effective as of October 1.1994.) a. Room and Board In addition, Medi-Cal will make payments to a hospice provider for room and board, for an individual who is a resident of a Level A or Level B Nursing Facility for each day an individual resides in the Facility, not to , exceed the following: Type of Facil' Services Reimbursement Rate ' Level A Nursing Facil' Section 27112 $56.75 Level 8 Nursing Facility Section 27110 $75.75 b. Physician Services , Reimbursement for physician services is by report (which means no reimbursement rates are established). There are no limitations on ' physician services. This provides the physician and the hospice program with the flexibility needed for the care of the patient's condition and provide what the patient requires. , B. Medicare Hospice Benefit , This program has the same requirements, regulations, and essentially the same payment structure as the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit. However, there are two important differences: (1) a patient can only participate in one Medicare program at a time, either ' the Medicare Hospice Benefit or the limited Medicare coverage for nursing home care; and (2) Medicare requires a 20% copayment for medications. The reimbursement rates for the Medicare Hospice Benefit are established by HCFA, with wage components subject to indexes. Below are Medicare Hospice Benefit reimbursement rates for specific Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs): Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California page 7 ' Location by MSA' Routine Continuous Inpatient General Care Care Respite Inpatient hour) Care Care San Francisco,Mann, $115.22 $28.03 $113.77 $505.10 San Mateo ' Alameda Contra Costa 106.77 25.96 106.88 470.07 Santa Jose 108.88 26.48 108.60 478.81 Santa Rosa Petaluma 101.90 24.78 102.91 449.89 Vallejo Fairfield Napa 110.99 26.99 110.32 487.55 National Rates 90.63 1 22.02 98.56 402.67 ('Rates effective as of October 1,1994) C. Medi-Cal Lon Term Care Coverage 9 9 Long term care in health care facilities is covered by Medi-Cal only in terms of the per diem nursing facility reimbursement rates. Once qualified, there is no restriction on the number of days an individual will be covered by for long term nursing facility care. Other types of long term care services, including home health care, personal care,and ' adult day health care are separately covered under Medi-Cal. D. Medicare Long Term Care Coverage Medicare is not designed to support long term nursing facility care. There is a benefit for nursing facility care under Medicare Part A (hospital care), limited to 100 days per ' individual for a lifetime. To qualify, an individual must be very sick, meet the strict definition for skilled care, and have been hospitalized for 72 hours in the prior 30 days. Once an individual qualifies, Medicare pays for all or some of 100 nursing home days of skilled care. The first 20 days are at 100% of the Medicare skilled level rate, which is approximately $400 per day. The next 80 days are at a fixed rate, approximately $310 per day. The family or commercial insurance must cover the remaining $90 per day. This benefit requires that rehabilitative activity will be undertaken as a goal of treatment. E. AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program The AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program (MCWP) provides comprehensive nurse case management and home and community-based care to Medi-Cal recipients with mid- to late-stage HIV/AIDS. Services are provided in lieu of placement in a nursing facility or hospital. The purpose of this program is to maintain clients safely in their homes and, ' thereby, avoid more costly institutional care. Clients remain at home as long as possible. Without these services, clients would be in a nursing facility or hospital for an extended period. This program is approximately 50% federally funded and 50% state funded; total paid program expenditures for 1994 were $5.3 million. The Office of AIDS contracts with 32 ' county health departments, licensed home health agencies, and community-based organizations to administer this program at the local level. These agencies subcontract with licensed providers for direct care. MCWP services are available in 42 counties in California. Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page 8 ' 1) Who Is Served MCWP clients tend to be more frail than those on the AIDS Case Management , Plan. The average length of enrollment is approximately four months. Most disenrollment is due to death. The remaining clients are disenrolled from the program because their cost of care reached the cost cap, the clients leave the service area, and/or they opt to disenroll. Clients temporarily hospitalized or placed in a nursing facility remain enrolled and, upon discharge, will resume MCWP services. 2) Eligibility The MCWP serves adults and children with HIV/AIDS who meet the following requirements: (1) are medically eligible and enrolled in fee-for-service Medi-Cal (not managed care); (2) are at a nursing facility level of care or above, (3) have an acuity level rating of 60 or below on the acuity level scale; (4) have a safe home setting; (5) have exhausted coverage for health care benefits similar to those available under the MCWP; (6) children must be mildly, moderately, or severely symptomatic on the CDC�Classification System for HIV Infection in Children under 13 Years of Age. ' 3) Program Services A case management team consisting of the nurse case manager, social worker, client, and attending physician oversees the delivery of services. The nurse case manager and social worker conduct ongoing client assessments, develop and maintain a service plan to meet the client's needs, and coordinate the , provision of cost effective, quality services for the client. Services such as attendant care are provided in the client's home, while psycho-social counseling and emotional support can be provided in a community-based setting. All services include: attendant care; homemaker services; benefits counseling; psycho-social counseling; in-home skilled nursing (including infusion therapy); non-emergency medical transportation; durable medical equipment and supplies; minor physical adaptations to the home; nutritional supplements and home delivered meals; nutritiongil counseling; and supplements for infants and ' children in foster care. 4) Cost of Care Each client has an annual cost cap of $13,209 (excluding administrative fees). The average per client cost of care for MCWP services for 1994 is estimated at $3,189. Most clients expire before they reach the annual cost cap. If the cap is , reached, the nurse case manager disenrolls the client from this program and coordinates the appropriate transfer to the AIDS Case Management Program or an institutional setting. 5) Linkages with Other State and/or Federal Programs Most MCWP contractors also have contracts for the AIDS Case Management ' Program. Typically, when AIDS Case Management Program clients become Medi-Cal eligible, they are transferred to the MCWP. The co-existence of these programs in the same agency allows clients a seamless continuum of care , without interruption of services or change of care providers. Likewise, as clients Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page 9 become ineligible for the MCWP, they cavi be disenrolled and transferred to the AIDS Case Management Program. The MCWP is formally linked with the Medi- Cal Program which provides primary care services for MCWP clients. MCWP contractors are required to maximize services available through Medi-Cal before using MCWP services. Since the MCWP does not provide for all client needs, the nurse case manager or social worker will access other available resources (e.g., AIDS Drug Assistance Program, Medi-Cal Health Insurance Premium Payment Program, HOPWA for subsidies and/or other housing resources, Shelter Plus Care, or Section 8 housing to address housing needs. For children, the MCWP 1 contractor may connect with California's Children's Services, Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program, and the Foster Care Program. F. AIDS Case Management Program The AIDS Case Management Program (CMP) provides comprehensive nurse case management, and home-and community-based care to persons with AIDS or symptomatic HIV. Services are provided in lieu of placement in a nursing facility or hospital. The purpose of the program is to maintain clients safely in their homes and, �j thereby, avoid more costly institutional care. Clients remain in their homes as long as possible. Without these services, clients would be in a nursing facility or hospital for an extended period. ' This program is funded by the State General Fund ($6.42 million) and supplemented by CARE Title II funds ($1.32 million for 1995-96). Total funding for FY 1995-96 is $7.74 million. The Office of AIDS currently contracts with 36 county health departments, licensed home health agencies, and community based organizations to administer the program at the local level. These agencies contract with licensed providers for direct care. AIDS CMP services are available in 42 counties in California. 1) Who Is Served . AIDS CMP clients tend to be healthier than those on the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program. Their average length of survival from enrollment is approximately 12.8 months. In FY 93-94, close to 50% of these clients were disenrolled due to death. Other reasons for disenrollment included transfer to the Medi-Cal Waiver Program, transfer from the service area, improved health, and/or voluntary disenrollment from the program. Clients temporarily hospitalized or placed in a nursing facility remain enrolled and, upon discharge, will resume AIDS CMP services. 2) Eligibility The AIDS CMP serves adults with AIDS or symptomatic HIV who are unable to function independently in some area (an acuity of 70 or less on the Karnofsky scale) and HIV positive children at all stages. �1 Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure m California Page 10 ' 3) Program Services The services provided under the AIDS Case Management Program are the same as those provided under the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program. 4) Cost of Care Funding is allocated at $536 per client per month which covers case management, data collection and reporting, and purchased direct care services. Because the AIDS CMP was not intended to fully fund all client services and is the payor of last resort, projects must augment reimbursement for direct care services with other funding sources and community resources (e.g., local govemment grants, Ryan White CARE funds, In-Home Supportive Services, private insurance, and third-party payors). 5) Linkages with Other State and/or Federal Programs Linkages under the AIDS CMP are the same as those established under the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program. i� Lo Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Long Pagel! IG'Are111. Strategies to rrraxlmlze relmbcresemnts Ind llcense+ healh care � ,.:.w �i facill�es and residential prolgrarns t 7 A. Maximizing Reimbursement for Hospice Care by Combining Medi- Cal/Medicare Hospice Benefits with Nursing Facility Rates Some California hospice programs, such as the UC Davis Hospice, have established relationships with nursing homes (freestanding nursing facilities) to provide hospice care for terminally ill AIDS patients. 1) Collaborations between hospice programs and nursing homes to provide hospice care for AIDS patients in nursing homes The initial expectation was that nursing homes, through collaboration with hospice programs, could care for a mix of AIDS patients. Some would require routine care (reimbursed at a lower rate), while other, more medically complex patients would require acute inpatient care (reimbursed at a much higher rate). It was anticipated that with this higher rate of reimbursement from the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit, both the nursing homes and hospice programs could both cover their costs for care. While regulations for the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit specify that general inpatient care for hospice patients can be provided in an inpatient facility, in practice Medi-Cal has denied every request made by UC Davis Hospice for this reimbursement rate to cover the cost of such care in nursing homes. The only time a general inpatient care rate was approved was when this level of care was provided in an acute care hospital. Due to this finding by Medi-Cal, nursing homes caring for AIDS patients through collaboration with hospice programs have only received the regular per diem Medi-Cal reimbursement rate (Level B) of approximately $80 (for freestanding nursing facilities). This rate is intended to cover room, board and services. Under this model, the hospice programs bill Medi-Cal for this reimbursement and tum it over to the nursing homes to cover their room and board costs. The hospice programs also bill Medic-Cal for their own reimbursement which has ' usually been only the per diem routine care Hospice Benefit of approximately $100. Continuous care and inpatient respite care rates have rarely, if ever, been approved. Note: 1. It has been suggested that the general inpatient care rate allowable under the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit may be more easily approved by Medi-Cal if the nursing facility is hospital-based and provides a level of care that falls between a hospital and a nursing home. 2. As a result of the collaboration with hospice programs, the actual room, board, and services rate is S%less than the regular Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for freestanding nursing facilities; this is because the hospice programs provide a significant portion of the services for hospice patients. 3. It is important to be aware that the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit program is designed to be all inclusive. When an individual is under the care of a hospice program supported by the Medi-Cal Hospice Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California page 12 Benefit, no separate payments can be obtained from Afedi-Cal for hospital care,nursing jaciliry care, home health agency care, medical supplies and appliances, drugs durable medical equipment, medical transportation, and any other service related the individual's terminal diagnosis. It is either the Medi-Cal hospice Benefit or other Afedi-Cal reirnbursanent programs Not both _ It is important to be aware that once a nursing home is in collaboration with a hospice program, billing Medi-Cal for all services related to the care of hospice patients must go through the hospice program. Nursing facilities can no longer bill Medi-Cal directly. This is intended to ensure coordination of care for the terminally ill patients. However, some nursing homes have experienced this as losing control of their reimbursement stream. Accordingly, because of lower Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit reimbursement rates than anticipated and because of what some nursing homes consider to be a loss of control over their reimbursement streams, collaborating with hospice programs to provide terminal care to AIDS patients has generally not been found to be financially beneficial for nursing homes—at least for those affiliated with the UC Davis Hospice. 2) The use of Medicare and Nledi-Cal programs to provide long tern care, including hospice care, for AIDS patients in nursing facilities The UC Davis Hospice employs several different options in the effective use of Medicare and Medi-Cal to provide long-term care, including hospice care, in nursing facilities. Each one is based on whether the AIDS patient is eligible for Medicare (qualifies as disabled for more than two years) or Medi-Cal (qualifies as indigent), or both (qualifies as disabled and indigent), as follows: If an AIDS patient has Medicare coverage only: Medicare can cover most of the cost of up to 100 days of skilled nursing care in a nursing facility, or until the patient no longer qualifies for skilled care days. (NOTE: the maximum of 100 days of skilled nursing care is not always authorized by Medicare.) Then, once these skilled care days are used, the Medicare Hospice Benefit can begin to pay for hospice care. However,the patient or family must pay for the room and board in the nursing facility, which is not covered by Medicare. The nursing facility can charge either the established Medi-Cal rate for room and board or, if it is private, the facility can charge a higher rate. • If an AIDS patient has Medi-Cal coverage only: Medi-Cal can pay for all of the required skilled nursing care days in the nursing facility, the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit to cover the cost of hospice care, and also the room and board costs of the nursing facility. • If an AIDS patient has both Medicare and Medi-Cal coverage: Medicare can cover most of the cost of up to 100 days of skilled nursing care in the nursing facility, or until the patient no longer qualifies for skilled care days. Then, once these skilled care days are used, the Medicare Hospice Benefit can pay for the hospice care. In this instance, Medi-Cal can pay for the room and board in the nursing facility. Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page 13 B. Maximizing Reimbursement for Care in Residential Settings by Using State-Funded Home- & Community-Based Programs for Services While long term care for persons with AIDS is often provided in licensed health care settings, the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program and the AIDS Case Management Program have been developed specifically to provide case management and home and community-based care, which allow clients to remain in their own homes, or in residential settings, as long as possible. 1) Use of the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver and AIDS Case Management Programs to provide long term care in licensed and unlicensed _ residential settings In San Francisco, Westside Community Mental Health Services is the local contractor with the State Office of AIDS that operates these two home-and community-based care programs. Westside has used these programs in combination to care for persons with AIDS in a variety of different residential settings, including: (1) homes, (2) SRO hotels, (3) residential settings offering primarily independent living which do not require a license to operate, and'(4) residential care facilities licensed by the State Department of Social Services to provide board and care. Both licensed and unlicensed residential programs can take advantage of these State-funded long term care services for their residents with HIV/AIDS, and case managers can arrange for any of the wide range of home-and community-based services covered by the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver and AIDS Case Management Programs. The residential programs do not have to cover the cost of this care. However, it is important to be aware that, in each setting where these services are provided, reimbursement goes from the State, directly to the contracted service provider to cover the costs of this care. Clients on the AIDS Case Management Program are often moved onto the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program when they become more frail and/or terminally ill. Conversely, clients on the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program who must be hospitalized are often moved onto the AIDS Case Management Program. These clients continue to receive case management services during hospitalization, but they care be billed to the AIDS Case Management Program. Once a person is placed on the Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit, however no services can be provided under the AIDS Medi-Cal Waiver Program or the AIDS Case Management Program. Long Team Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page 14 �oplc��re�lll� r Heap"care�faclli#les�using l relm6ursemew���rom�Med>~-G"al, }n ' s�ryjl 16 fi�q I�i dill� x' I Medlca�e andl!oterso�rces fao~.ran� term�care ««...«.. ......«««. A. Coming Home Hospice, San Francisco, California: A Residential Hospice Facility None of the case studies presented fully cover their operating costs through reimbursement sources. Actually, all had to raise between 22% and 40%, which came from fundraising, Ryan White CARE grants, and contributions from the hospitals with which the program is affiliated. Should CARE funds be reduced or eliminated in the future, programs will have to replace these grants in their budgets by increasing fundraising activities, and/or relying more heavily on institutional contributions. There will probably be increasing competition for CARE dollars. This doesn't mean programs should not plan to use - CARE funds; it does mean the program planners should be careful and diversify the program's risk by obtaining a variety of funding sources to support the ongoing annual operating budget. Coming Home Hospice is a residential hospice facility operated by Visiting Nurses and Hospice (VNH) of San Francisco, a program of California Pacific Medical Center. This residential hospice facility is licensed as an RCFCI under the State Department of Social Services. It has 15 beds, approximately 10 are for persons with AIDS and 5 of which are for persons with other terminal illnesses. Hospice care in Coming Home Hospice is provided by VNH, which is a licensed Medicare hospice provider. (Note: Coming Home,a separate non-profit organization,provides money management and conservatorship services for persons with AIDS and the elderly in San Francisco. Coming Home Hospice was named in honor of this organization's inspiration for the development of a residential hospice facility and its initial financial commitment in 1985. There is no present relationship between these two programs.) In Calendar Year 1994, the total expenses incurred to operate Coming Home Hospice amounted to $1,576,892. Given 4,817 patient days of care that year, the total daily cost per AIDS patient was $327. This included all labor, materials, services, and some cost allocations for VNH overhead for support functions like patient registration, billing, management and administration. Step-down costs from California Pacific Medical Center are only partially included in the total expenses. (NOTE: The 1994 total expenses reflect a relatively low staffing pattern for Coming Home He pice; in 1595, to improve quality of care, staffing will be increased at an annual cost of approximately $50,000, which will increase the total daily cost for each patient approximately $10.) Total revenues to operate Coming Home Hospice in 1994 amounted to $1,218,170. This included revenue from residents who pay a percentage of income based on a sliding scale, commercial insurance, private pay, reimbursement from both the Medi-Cal and Medicare Hospice Benefit (hospice care was reimbursed primarily at a routine care rate), and a portion of Ryan White CARE contract amounting to $449,400. Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page 15 VNH has special negotiated s g p I rates with private insurance companies which are often higher than what insurance companies allow for hospice care, because room and board is included. In some instances, insurance reimbursement for hospice care amounts to $350 per patient per day. Because total revenues did not equal total expenses, the shortfall was made up by fundraising in the amount of$358,722. Below is a budget for the residential hospice program at Coming Home Hospice: Coming Home Hospice: Budget for Calendar Year 1994 Operating Revenue Gross Patient Revenue: $331,884 Medicare Hospice Benefit 316,448 _ Medi-Cal Hospice Benefit 57,888 Kaiser Hospice Benefit 23,155 Private Insurance/Hospice 11,577 Medicare(regular) 15,436 Medi-Cal(regular) 15,436 Private Insurance 771,824 Total Gross Patient Revenue (43.056) Deductions from Revenue Total Net Patient Revenue 728,768 Other Operating Revenue: Other 38,576 Fees 1,426 Government Grants(CARE) 449,400 United Way 0 Fund Raising 358,722 Total Other Operating Revenue 848,124 Total Operating Revenue $1,576,892 Operating Expenses Total Labor 1,066,842 Total Materials and Services 330,472 VNH Overhead Allocation 95,230 Corporate Allocation 14,510 r, Fund Raising Charge 69,838 �( Total Operating Expenses $1,576,892 B. St. Marys Hospital, San Francisco, California: A Hospital-Based AIDS Dementia Care Unit St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center operates an AIDS dementia care unit for patients with "moderate to severe" and end stage AIDS-related dementia. This 20-bed unit provides care to those who have skilled nursing needs and require a secure facility to accommodate dementia-related behavioral problems. The average daily census is 13.4 persons. This unit is licensed as a hospital-based distinct part nursing facility and provides care for patients recovering from acute medical illnesses where the diagnosis of AIDS- related dementia has been established. Both ambulatory and non-ambulatory patients are cared for; and staff provide IV therapies, ongoing medical evaluations and Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page 16 behavioral interventions and assure corn liance with chronic drug regimens. P 9 Emergency medical care, specialized diagnostic and therapeutic services, and case management services are also provided. In FY 94-95, total expenses for the dementia care unit amounted to $2,692,008. Given 4,893 days of care, the total daily cost per AIDS patient was $550. This included labor, materials, services, and some cost allocations for St. Mary's Hospital overhead expenses. Most care is subacute and includes a high level of occupational, physical and speech therapy. Costs were high for pharmacy, radiology and laboratory services. Total revenues to operate the dementia care unit amounted to $2,449,214. This included reimbursement from: (1) Medicare in the amount of$711,870 for skilled care days, at a daily rate of$441, which included $196 for labor, $213 for ancillary services and items, and $32 for capital expenses; (2) Medi-Cal in the amount of$781,769 for skilled care, at a daily rate of$278.40, which included $214.90 for hospital-based distinct part nursing facilities, $15.00 for ancillary services and items, $7.50 for pharmaceuticals, and $41.00 for other costs beyond insurance coverage; (3) commercial insurance, amounting to $351,696; and (4) a Ryan White CARE contract amounting to $603,879. Because total revenues did not equal total expenses, the shortfall was made up by contributions from St. Mary's Hospital in the amount of $242,794. Below is a budget for the dementia care unit: SL Mary's Hospital AIDS Dementia Care Unit. Budget for Fiscal Year 9994-95 Operating Revenue Net Patient Revenue: Medicare(Skilled Nursing) $711,870 Medi-Cal(Skilled Nursing) 781,769 Government Grants(CARE) 603,879 Commercial Insurance 351.696 Total Net Patient Revenue 2,449,214 Contributions from St. Mary's 242.794 Total Operating Revenue $2,692,008 Operating Expenses Total Labor 1,252,500 Total Materials and Services 388,910 Building g Equipment Depreciation 69,188 Hospital Support and Overhead (for 981,410 Dementia Unit g Ancillary Services) Total Operating Expenses $2,692,008 C. Laguna Honda Hospital, San Francisco, California: A Hospital- Based AIDS Skilled Nursing Unit Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH) is the largest municipally owned long term care facility in the country. It is licensed as a hospital-based distinct part nursing facility, with a total licensed capacity of 1,457 beds. A total of 1,202 beds are being operated at the current time. This facility is owned and operated by the City and County of San ' Francisco; if provides long term care and limited acute care services to city residents. ' Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure in California Page 17 During FY 94-95, over 400,000 days of inpatient care were provided at LHH, primarily nursing facility level care, but also rehabilitation, acute, hospice, AIDS, and respite care services. An AIDS skilled nursing unit provides comprehensive and coordinated care to persons with AIDS who cannot be cared for at home and who do not require the services of an acute care hospital. This unit, which has 23 beds, provides a variety of treatment options for AIDS patients, including long term skilled nursing care, rehabilitation services, completion of acute therapy and comfort care in dying. An interdisciplinary team provides medicine, nursing, social work, bereavement, pharmacy, dietary, volunteer and activity therapy services. Ancillary services include occupational, physical and speech therapy. (NOTE: no other volunteer or bereavement services are l provided on this unit by any outside nonprofit organization.) The AIDS skilled nursing unit is not a separate or distinct part of the hospital. Therefore, it is not possible to break out expenses and revenues unique to this program. However, it is possible to look at all of the expenses and revenues for the institution and to consider the additional services and expenses required for the nursing care of the AIDS patients. This determines the total daily cost of care for these patients. For FY 94-95, given that the total operating expenses for LHH amounted to $101,864,000, the total daily cost per patient was $244.11. For AIDS patients on the AIDS skilled nursing unit, the cost of pharmaceuticals and ancillary services was an additional $50 per day, so LHH's total daily cost per AIDS patient was approximately $294.11. This included all salaries and benefits, materials, services and supplies. Total revenues for LHH amounted to $99,826,645. This included reimbursement from: (1) Medicare in the amount of$4,186,182 for skilled care; (2) Medi-Cal in the amount of $92,993,043 at a daily rate of$214.90 for hospital-based distinct part nursing facilities; (3) medically indigent adult(MIA) charity care (from the tobacco tax fund for indigent care) in the amount of$654,000; and (4) commercial insurance and private pay, in the amount of $1,993,420. Because total revenues did not equal total expenses, the shortfall was made up by an allocation from the City General Fund in the amount of $2,037,355. Again, because the AIDS skilled nursing unit is not a distinct part of the facility, it is not possible to provide a separate budget. However, a budget for the entire Laguna Honda Hospital is provided in order to demonstrate the reimbursement sources which cover the majority of expenses incurred by this large long term care facility: Long Term Care Reimbursement Structure m California Page 18 Laguna Honda Hospital: Budget for Fiscal Year 199495 Operating Revenue Patient Revenue: Medicare(Skilled Nursing) $4,186,182 Medi-Cal(Skilled Nursing) 92,993,043 MIA/charity care 654,000 Commercial Insurance/Private Pay 1.993.420 Total Patient Revenue 99,826,645 Contributions from General Fund 2.037.355 Total Operating Revenue $101,864,000 Operating Expenses Total Salaries and Benefits $89,110,000 Total Materials and Services 6,390,777 Services from other City departments 6,393,223 , (including contracted services) Total Operating Expenses $101,864,000 r Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan Appendix V: Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Survey Instruments .1 T 195 CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HIV/AIDS HOUSING SURVEY - CONSUMERS This is a housing needs survey for people who have HIV/AIDS. Your participation is very important and we would like to have your input. The information gathered ir this needs assessment will be used to develop a five-year plan for HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County, and to help our community meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS. If you should have any questions about this survey or the HIV/AIDS planning process, please contact Christine Leivermann at the County AIDS Program at (510/313-6786). Thank you for your participation. 1. Have you completed this survey before? [ ] Yes (If yes, please do not fill out this form again.) No. The first part of the survey is all about you. Remember, all answers are anonymous. Your answers to these questions will help make sure that we are reaching all kinds of people and that this survey reflects the community of people who are living with HIV and AIDS: 2. What is your current HIV status? [ ] HIV-positive, no physical problems What year did you learn of your HIV status? [ ] HIV-positive with physical problems (specify) What year did you learn of your HIV status? [ ] AIDS diagnosis - have been told I have AIDS What year did you get your AIDS diagnosis? ' [ ] HIV-negative (If you are HIV-negative,please do not continue) 3. What is your gender? [ ] Female [ ] Male [ ] Transgender (M-F) [ ] Transgender(F-M) 4. What is your sexual orientation? [ ] Lesbian - Woman who has sex only with other women [ ] Gay - Man who has sex only with other men [ ] Bisexual - Woman or man who has sex with people of both same and opposite gender [ ] Heterosexual - Woman or man who has sex only with people of opposite gender 5. What is your racial/ethnic group? Hispanic [ ] African American [ ] Native American [ ] White [ ] Asian/ Pacific Islander `� [ ] Other racial/ethnic group: :ontra Costa County HIVlAIDS Housing Plan-Con'sumer Survey Page 2 6. What is your primary language? , [ ] Spanish [ ] English [ ] Other: 7. What year were you born? 8. Do you have any disability other than HIV/AIDS? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Physical handicap [ ] Chemical dependency [ ] Blind/sight impaired [ ] Deaf/hearing impaired [ ] History of depression, anxiety, or other mental health condition [ J Other: 9. Where do you get your primary healthcare? (i.e., clinic name, hospital name, emergency room,private doctor, other) 10. What do you believe put you at risk for HIV infection? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Unprotected sexual activity [ ] Sharing needles/equipment [ ] Tainted blood products/hemophilia [ ] Other: The following questions have to do with your living situation. Household means you and the pggle you live with. 11. Who do you live with. (Check only one answer.) [ ] No one - live alone [ ] Spouse/partner [ ] Spouse/partner and children [ ] Your children [ ] Other adults and children [ ] Parent(s)/family [ ] Friend(s) [ J Shared living/roommate(s) How many people are in your household? Total: How many children? What are their ages? 12. Is there another person in your household who is HIV-positive? [ ] Yes How many? Specify relationship(s): No stra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan-Consumcr Survey Page 3 13. How long have you lived where you are now? [ ] Less than 6 months [ ] 6 months to 1 year [ J 1 to 2 years [ ] 3 to 5 years [ ] More than 5 years [ ] All your life 14. What is your zip code? 15. Please check the kind of place you live in now (check only one), and then check all those places you have lived in the past five years (check all that apply). Live Ever Now Lived [ ) [ ] Homeless, on the streets [ ] [ ] Emergency shelter [ J [ ] Car, vacant building or commercial building [ ] [ ] Halfway house Public housing building [ ] [ ] Transitional housing [ ] [ ] Rented room in a house [ ] [ ] Individual (rented) home or apartment [ ] [ ] Drug or alcohol treatment center [ ] [ ] Single-room occupancy (SRO) facility [ ] [ ] Shared living/group home [ ] [ ] Residential hospice [ ] [ ] Skilled nursing facility [ ] [ ] Friend's or relative's home [ ] [ ] Owned house or condo [ ] [ ] Other 16. Are you in your current housing as a result of having HIV/AIDS? [ ] Yes No 17. Do you need housing assistance? [ ] Yes [ ] No (If no, skip to question 21) r. 18. Do you get any kind of assistance from the government to help with rent? [ ] Yes (If yes, specify type(s) of assistance.) [ ] Section 8 housing voucher [ ] Shelter Plus Care [ ] Other: What is approximate monthly amount of assistance? $ No :ontra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan-Consumer Survey Page 4 19. Are you on any waiting lists for housing or rental assistance? , [ ] Yes (If yes, specify type(s) of assistance) [ ] Shelter Plus Care - how long? [ ] Section 8 - how long? [ ] Other waiting list - specif dhow long? No 20. If you need housing assistance and aren't currently receiving it, what do you think prevents you from receivin g housing assistance? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Language barrier [ ] Providers don't know what is available or how to access [ ] Clients don't know what is available or how to access [ ] Application process is too difficult [ J Location of services [ ] Lack of transportation [ ] Lack of client motivation [ ] Not enough appropriate housing options [ ] Rental assistance isn't enough to get a decent place [ ] Not enough clean and sober housing programs [ ] Not enough drug/alcohol tolerant programs [ ] Not enough options for families with children [ J Other: 21. For respondents who rent or own housing, please: (1) rank the five most important for maintaining independent housing for the longest feasible period (I=most important, 5=1east important); and (2) mark the ones you need but are not getting. (Check all that apply.) Rank Check Importance Unmet Need a. [ ] Practical/chore service support b. [ ] Meals/nutrition counseling C. [ ] Protective payee/money management d. [ ] Personal care/personal hygiene assistant e. [ ] Alcohol/drug treatment/counseling Day mental health program g. [ ] Emotional support/buddy h. [ ] Transportation assistance i. [ ] Benefits counseling j. [ ] Home health care i. [ ] Other support service: Stra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan-Consumer Survey Page 5 The following questions have to do with household income. Individual refers to your income Household means you and the people you live with. 22. Not counting yourself, how many people do you support? Does anyone else in your household contribute financial support? [ ] Yes [ ] No 23. What is your individual monthly income? What is your total monthly household income? [ ] Under$300 [ ] Under $300 [ ] $300 - $500 [ ] $300 - $500 j ] $501 - $650 [ ] $501 - $650 [ ] $651 - $750 [ ] $651 - $750 [ ] $751 - $1,000 [ ] $751 - $1,000 [ ] $1,001 - $1,500 [ ] $1,001 - $1,500 [ ] $1,501 - $2,000 [ ] $1,501 - $2,000 [ ] $2,001 - $2,500 [ ] $2,001 - $2,500 [ ] Over $2,500 [ ] Over $2,500 24. Do you receive any of the following benefits? (Check all that apply.) [ ] GA (General Assistance Unemployable) [ ] SSI (Supplemental Security Income) [ ] SDI (State Disability Income) [ ] SSA/ SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) [ ] AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) [ ] Medi-Cal [ ] Medicare Veterans' benefits 1 [ ] Waiver services (I-HWAIDS Home and Community Services) [ ] Private health insurance(Kaiser, Blue Cross, FHP, QualMed, etc.) [ ] Private disability insurance (specify): [ ] Other: 25. What approximate percentage of your total household income do you spend each month on your housing, including rent/mortgage and utilities? [ ] Less than 30 percent [ ] More than 30 percent [ ] More than 50 percent 26. What is the total monthly housing expense for your household, including rent/mortgage and utilities?$ 27. What are your monthly cash (out of pocket) costs for health care and prescriptions for you and the people you support? $ 28. How much do you spend each month on childcare? $ ontra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan-Consumer Survey Page 6. The following questions have to do with changes you may have had in your housing. 29. Have you moved since you learned you have HIV/AIDS? r Y Y [ ] Yes If Yes, What were the reasons for your move? (Check all that apply.) [ ] I was asked to move because I am HIV-positive [ ] I was asked to move because of my drug/alcohol use [ ] I moved because I no longer had enough money to pay my rent [ ] I moved for support from a caregiver or friends [ ] I moved to live with/near family [ J I moved to be in a safer neighborhood [ ] I moved to get away from my old neighborhood [ ] I moved to so that I could remain clean and sober in a new neighborhood [ ] I moved to get better HIV/AIDS-related services [ ] I moved to be closer to my doctor [ ] I was released from a correctional facility/jail : [ ] I moved due to a decline in income [ ] Other: No 30. How many times have you moved in the past 3 years? 31. Have you had to do any of these things to have a place to sleep since you found out about your HIV status? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Slept in a car [ J Traded sex for a place to spend the night [ ] Slept in a shelter - [ ] Slept at a friend's house [ ] None of these j 32. Have you ever been homeless? Homeless means: lacking a regular nighttime residence; or living in a temporary shelter; or living in a place not ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations. [ ] Yes (If yes,please answer the following questions.) How many times in the last 3 years? How long was your most recent period of homelessness? Since your first homelessness, what was the longest time you lived in one place? No 33. Why did you become homeless? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Couldn't afford rent [ ] Alcohol or drug use issues [ J Health status, i.e., hospitalization [ ] Family/partner/roommate made me move [ ] Mental health issues [ ] Evicted (if so, why?) [ ] Other: ontra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan-Consumer Survey Page 7 1 The following questions have to do with drug and alcohol use. 34. Have you in the past or do you now use any of the following? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Prescription medications [ ] Alcohol [ ] Marijuana [ ] Crack [ ] Cocaine [ ] Heroin [ ] Non-prescription pills ( ] Other: - [ ] None 35. Are you currently participating in a substance abuse treatment/recovery program? [ ] Yes (If yes, what kind? Check all that apply.) [ ] Methadone maintenance program [ ] Drug-free counseling program [ ] 12-step program(AA, NA, CA) [ ) Residential rehabilitation program [ ) Inpatient detox program [ ] Other: � No 36. Have you ever thought you might need substance abuse treatment? [ ] Yes (If yes, and you are not currently receiving treatment, why not? Check all that apply.) [ J Don't know where or who to call for help [ ] Currently on a waiting list for a methadone program [ ] Currently on a waiting list for a treatment program (not methadone) L ] Was in a program but was asked to leave [ ] Don't want treatment right now [ ] Cost of treatment is too high L ] Location of treatment program [ J Lack of transportation [ ) Lack of child care [ ] Language barrier [ J No referral [ ] Other: No ;ontra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan-Consumer Survey Page 8 The following questions have to do with housing preferences. 37. Based on your current health status,what kind of housing situation would best serve your needs? (Rank in order of choice: I =first choice, 9 = last choice.) a. Emergency shelter b. Transitional housing C. Individual (rented) home or apartment d. Owned house or condominium e. Single-room occupancy(SRO) facility f. Shared living/group home g. Skilled nursing facility h. Residential hospice i. Other: 38. What kinds of support services would best serve your needs? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Case management [ ] Money management [ ] Practical support [ J Emotional support [ ] Meal delivery/preparation [ ] Medical care [ ] Mental health counseling [ ] Substance abuse counseling [ ] Assistance in daily living [ ] Other(describe): [ ] Other(describe): 39. If your health changes as a result of HIV/AIDS and you require more assistance, what kind of housing situation would best serve your needs! (Rank in order of choice: I =first choice, 9 = last choice.) a. Emergency shelter b. Transitional housing C. Individual (rented) home or apartment d. Owned house or condominium e. Single-room occupancy (SRO) facility f Shared living/group home g. Skilled nursing facility h. Residential hospice i. Other: tra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan-Consumer Survey Page 9 40. What kinds of support services would best serve your needs? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Case management [ ] Money management [ ] Practical support [ ] Emotional support [ ] Meal delivery/preparation [ ] Medical care [ ] Mental health counseling [ ] Substance abuse counseling [ ] Assistance in daily living [ ] Other(describe): [ ] Other (describe): 41. How would you feel about living with other people with HIV/AIDS? [ ] Like - why? [ ] Don't care - why? [ ] Dislike - why? 42. If you had to move, what is most important about the location where you might live? (Rank in order of choice: 1 =first choice, 8 = last choice.) a. Close to shopping areas b. Close to doctor, clinic, or hospital C. Close to friends or family d. Close to public transportation e. Close to a child care or day care center f. Close to employment g. Living in a safe neighborhood h. Other: 43. If you had to move,what are the most important qualities you would seek in your new home? (Rank in order of choice: I =first choice, S = last choice.) a. Living with people of same cultural group/language. (specify) b. Living in a building where drug and alcohol use is tolerated c. Living in a wheelchair accessible building d. Living in clean and sober housing e. Other: ontra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan-Consumer Survey Page 10 44. Additional comments. Thank you! Please return completed Housing Consumer Surveys to: Christine Leivermann Contra Costa County Health Services Department 597 Center Avenue, Suite 200 Martinez CA 94553 313-6786 CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HIV/AIDS HOUSING QUESTIONNAIRE HOUSING PROVIDERS This questionnaire is part of a comprehensive county-wide needs assessment and planning process to address the housing needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. The information gathered in this survey will be used to develop a five-year plan for HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County. As developers of affordable housing, your participation is very important. If you should have any questions about this survey or the HIV/AIDS planning process, please contact Kathleen Hamm, Principal Planner, Housing, or Elizabeth Gearin, Planner II at (510/646-4208). Thank you for your participation. The first part of the survey is about your agency's ex erience in the development, ownership and management of affordable housing. 1. What is your agency's experience in the DEVELOPMENT (acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction) of permanent or transitional affordable housing? Contra Other Costa Jurisdictions [ ] [ ] No development experience [ ) [ ] Project(s) currently in development [ ] [ ) Completed one acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction project [ ] [ ) Completed 2-3 acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction projects [ ] [ ] Completed 4 or more acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction projects Projects completed or in development (in all locations) include: Completed In Development [ ] [ ] Group homes [ ) [ ] Single family rental properties [ ] [ ] Homeownership properties [ ] [ ] 2-4 unit multifamily rental properties [ ] [ ] 5-20 unit multifamily rental properties ( ] [ ] Multifamily rental properties with more than 20 units [ ] [ ] Transitional housing - any number of units [ ) [ ] Other: 2. Does your agency OWN any permanent or transitional affordable housing projects (all locations)? [ ] Group homes How many properties? [ ] Single family rental properties How many properties? [ ] Homeownership properties How many properties? [ ] 2-4 unit multifamily rental properties How many properties? [ ] 5-20 unit multifamily rental properties How many properties? [ ] Multifamily rental properties with more than 20 units How many properties? [ ] Transitional housing - any number of units How many properties? [ ] Other: How many properties? Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Survey-Housing Providers Page 2 3. Does your agency MANAGE any permanent or transitional affordable housing projects (all locations)? [ ] Group homes How many properties? [ ] Single family rental properties How many properties? [ ] Homeownership properties How many properties? [ ] 24 unit multifamily rental properties How many properties? [ ] 5-20 unit multifamily rental properties How many properties? [ ] Multifamily rental properties with more than 20 units How many properties? [ ] Transitional housing - any number of units How many properties? [ ] Other: How many properties? 4. How many and what type of permanent or transitional affordable housing units provided by your agency (OWNED or MANAGED) are dedicated for persons living with HIV/AIDS (all locations)? [ ] Group homes How many beds? [ ] Single family rental properties How many units? [ ] Homeownership projects How many units? [ ] 2-4 unit multifamily rental properties How many units? [ ] 5-20 unit multifamily rental properties How many units? [ ] Multifamily rental properties with more than 20 units How many units? [ ] Transitional housing - any number of units How many units? [ ] Other: How many units? The following questions are about support services your agency provides, directly or indirectly, to people with HIV/AIDS. 5. Please indicate what types of support services, if any, your agency provides to people living in permanent or transitional affordable housing, and which, if any, are provided only to persons living with HIV/AIDS (dedicated services)? ('heck all that apply.) Support Dedicated Services to PWAS [ ] [ ] Case management [ ] [ ] Money management [ ] [ ] Practical support [ ] [ ] Emotional support [ ] [ ] Medical care ( ] [ ] Mental health counseling [ ] [ ] Substance abuse counseling [ ] [ ] Assistance in daily living [ ] [ ] Other(describe): [ ] [ ] Other (describe): r Contra Costa County H1V/AIDS Housing Survey-Housing Providers Page 3 6. Please indicate what types of support services, if any, are provided through agreements with service providers to people living in permanent or transitional affordable housing which is developed or managed by your agency, and which, if any, are provided only to persons living with HIV/AIDS (dedicated services)? (Check all that apply.) Support Dedicated Services to PWAS [ ] [ ] Case management [ ] [ ] Money management [ ] [ ] Practical support [ ] [ ] Emotional support [ ] [ ] Medical care [ ] [ ] Mental health counseling [ J [ ] Substance abuse counseling [ ] [ ] Assistance in daily living [ ] [ ] Other (describe): [ ] [ ] Other (describe): 7. Is your agency considering participating in any of the following aspects of supportive housing for people with HIV/AIDS? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Providing supportive services (specify: ) [ ] Development/Ownership/Property Management (Please complete chart below.) Type Household Income (% a=group home Area Median Income- D=Develop b=single family rental Size/ AMI) Project O=Own c=2-4 unit rental # Estimated Cost of General u d=5-20 unit rental - L=50-80%AMI Development Location M=Manage a=20+unit rentals Units AMI f---transitional EXE-35%AMI g--other: ' 1 2 3 [ ] Not interested in any of the above. Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Survey-Housing Providers Page 4 8. What are the barriers you face in moving forward with the activities you identified in question 7? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Concern about liability issues(specify: ) [ ] Concern about limited long-term funding for services. [ ] Inadequate internal fiscal and administrative systems. [ ] Inadequate staffing/limited staff capacity. [ ] Unfamiliarity with needs of people with HIV/AIDS. [ ] Unfamiliarity with housing developers (or service providers) that could be partners in developing, owning, or managing housing. [ ] Lack of politically feasible sites. [ ] Lack of financially feasible sites. [ ] Other. Please describe: 9. How could the barriers you identified in question 8 be addressed? [ ] Technical assistance regarding liability issues. [ ] Fiscal system upgrade. [ J Agency/staff training in affordable housing development. [ J Training in addressing the needs of people with HIV/AIDS. [ ] Assistance in identifying housing or services partners or consultants. [ J Assistance in identifying politically/financially feasible sites. [ ] Technical assistance on how to apply for funds, licensure requirements, program design, or other issues. [ J Other. Please describe: 10. Do you have anything else you'd like to tell us about how your agency could provide housing for people with HIV/AIDS? Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Survey-Housing Providers Page 5 11. What else would you like to share with us regarding the housing needs of the housing system for persons living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County? (Attach additional sheets as necessary.) Name ofer n completing hi ry p so t s survey: Agency: Address: Telephone: Fax: Thank you! Please return completed Housing Provider Surveys by October 27 to: 1Elizabeth Gearin Contra Costa County Community Development Department 651 Pine Street, 4th Floor, North Wing Martinez CA 94553 (510)646-4208 CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HIV/AIDS HOUSING QUESTIONNAIRE CASE MANAGERS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS This questionnaire is part of a comprehensive county-wide needs assessment and planning process to address the housing needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County. The information gathered in this survey will be used to develop a five-year plan for HIV/AIDS housing in Contra Costa County. As case managers and service providers for this populations, your participation is very important. If you should have any questions about this survey or the HIV/AIDS planning process, please contact Christine Leivermann at the County AIDS Program at (510/313-6786). Thank you for your participation. The first questions are about services your agency provides to people living with HIV/AIDS. 1. Please indicate the types of services your agency provides to people living with HIV/AIDS. ' (Check all that apply.) [ ] Case management [ ] Money management [ ] Practical support [ ] Emotional support [ ] Meal delivery/preparation [ ] Medical care [ ] Mental health counseling [ ] Substance abuse counseling [ ] Assistance in daily living [ ] Other(describe): [ ] Other (describe): 2. What percentage of your agency's non-housing services are for persons living with HIV/AIDS? % 3. What percentage of your agency's housing-related services (e.g., housing advocacy, benefits assurance) are for persons living with HIV/A1LDS? % 4. What percentage of your agency's housing assistance services (e.g., subsidized housing, rental assistance) are for persons living with HIV/AIDS? % 5. What is the point-in-time capacity of your agency to serve clients with HIV/AIDS? non-housing services housing-related services housing assistance 6. As of the date of this survey, how many HIV/AIDS clients are being served by your agency? non-housing services housing-related services housing assistance r 7. How many HTV/AIDS clients received housing and other non-housing services through your agency in the past twelve months (ending July 31, 1995)? non-housing services housing-related services housing assistance 1 The following questions are about your client population's housing needs. 8. What is the estimated percentage of your agency's client population who need some type of housing assistance? % h 9. Of that portion needing housing assistance, what are the most needed types of assistance? , (Please rank the following as to which are most needed by your clients: I = most needed 11 = least needed) a. Homeless shelter b. Emergency/short-term financial assistance for rent and utilities C. Transitional housing(6-24 months with life skills/job skills training) d. Shared houses/apartments with little or no on-site support services e. Subsidized independent living in an apartment with no on-site services f. Long-term rental/mortgage assistance to keep people in their own home g. Shared houses/apartments with some on-site support services h. Housing program that tolerates druglalcohol use off-premises i. Clean and sober housing program j. Residential hospice k. Skilled nursing facility 10. Please rank the following barriers your clients face in receiving housing assistance. (1 =greatest barrier, 14 = least barrier) a. Language b. Providers don't know what is available or how to access C. Clients don't know what is available or how to access d. Application process is too difficult e. Location of services f. Lack of transportation g. Lack of client motivation h. Not enough appropriate housing options i. Rental assistance isn't enough to get a decent place j. Not enough clean and sober housing programs k. Not enough drug/alcohol tolerant programs 1. Not enough options for families with children M. Client capacity to access may be impaired n. Other: r r Contra Costa County FHWAIDS Housing Plan-Case Managers and Service Providers Survey Page 3 11. For the clients that you see who rent or own their own housing, please (1) rank the following in order of importance for maintaining independent housing for the longest feasible period (I=most important, 11=least important); and (2) mark the ones they need but are not getting. (Check all that apply.) Rank Check Importance Unmet Need a. [ ] Practical/chore service support b. [ ] Meals C. [ ] Protective payee/money management d. [ ] Personal care/personal hygiene assistant e. [ ] Alcohol/drug treatment/counseling f. [ ] Mental health counseling g. [ ] Emotional support/buddy h. [ ] Transportation assistance i. [ ] Benefits counseling j. [ ] Home health care/skilled nursing i. [ J Other support service: r 12. Please answer the following two-part question regarding housing services and assistance. First, please indicate which services your clients access. (Check all that apply.) Then, please rank them in order of utilization. (1 = most used, 10 = least used.) Check Rank Access Utilization [ ] a. Housing information or referral [ ] b. Housing advocacy [ ] c. Emergency financial assistance(deposits, utilities, rent, etc.) [ ] d. Short-term rent or mortgage assistance [ ] e. Long-term rent or mortgage assistance [ ] f. Section 8 housing [ ] g. Residential drug/alcohol treatment [ ] h. Residential mental health or developmental disability programs [ ] i. HIV/AIDS specific housing program (specify which): [ ] j. Other housing describe): Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan-Case Managers and Service Providers Survey Page 4 The following questions are about your agency's experience in the development, ownership, and management of affordable housing. 13. What is your agency's experience in the DEVELOPMENT (acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction) of permanent or transitional affordable housing? Contra Other Costa Jurisdictions [ ] [ ] No development experience [ ] [ ] Project(s) currently in development [ ] [ ] Completed one acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction project [ ] [ ] Completed 2-3 acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction projects [ ] [ ] Completed 4 or more acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction projects Projects completed or in development(in all locations) include: Completed In Development [ ] [ J Group homes [ ] [ ] Single family rental properties [ ] [ ] Homeownership properties [ ] [ ] 2-4 unit multifamily rental properties [ ] [ ] 5-20 unit multifamily rental properties [ ] [ ] Multifamily rental properties with more than 20 units [ ] [ ] Transitional housing- any number of units [ ] [ ] Other: 14. Does your agency OWN any permanent or transitional affordable housing projects (all locations)? [ ] Group homes How many properties? [ ] Single family rental properties How many properties? [ ] Homeownership properties How many properties? [ ] 2-4 unit multifamily rental properties How many properties? [ J 5-20 unit multifamily rental properties How many properties? [ ] Multifamily rental properties with more than 20 units How many properties? [ ] Transitional housing - any number of units How many properties? [ ] Other: _ How many properties? 15. Does your agency MANAGE any permanent or transitional affordable housing projects (all locations)? [ ] Group homes How many properties? [ ] Single family rental properties How many properties? [ ] Homeownership properties How many properties? [ ] 2-4 unit multifamily rental properties How many properties? [ ] 5-20 unit multifamily rental properties How many properties? [ ] Multifamily rental properties with more than 20 units How many properties? [ J Transitional housing - any number of units How many properties? [ ] Other: How many properties? Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan-Case Managers and Service Providers Survey Page 5 16. How many and what type of permanent or transitional affordable housing units provided by your agency (OWNED or MANAGED) are dedicated for persons living with HIV/AIDS (all locations)? [ ) Group homes How many beds? [ ] Single family rental properties How many units? [ ] Homeownership properties How many units? [ ] 2-4 unit multifamily rental properties How many units? [ ] 5-20 unit multifamily rental properties How many units? [ ] Multifamily rental properties with more than 20 units How many units? [ ] Transitional housing - any number of units How many units? [ ] Other: How many units? 17. Is your agency considering participating in any of the following aspects of supportive housing for people with HIV/AIDS? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Providing supportive services (specify: ) [ ] Development/Ownership/Property Management (Please complete chart below) Type Household Income (% 1 a=group home Area Median Income- b=single family rental AMI) D=Develop c=2-4 unit rental Size/ Estimated Cost of General Project O=Own d=5-20 unit rental # Low--50-80%AMI M=Manage a=20+unit rentals Units Very Low--35-50% Development Location f--transitional AMI g--other: Extremely Lowes-35% i AMI i 2 3 4 [ ] Not interested in any of the above. Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan-Case Managers and Service Providers Survey Page 6 18. What are the barriers your agency faces in moving forward with the activities you identified in question 17? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Concern about liability issues (specify: ) [ ] Concern about limited long-term funding for services. [ ] Inadequate internal fiscal and administrative systems. [ ] Inadequate staffing/limited staff capacity. [ ] Unfamiliarity with needs of people with HIV/AIDS. [ ] Unfamiliarity with housing developers(or service providers)that could be partners in developing, owning, or managing housing. [ ] Lack of politically feasible sites. [ ] Lack of financially feasible sites. [ ] Other. Please describe: 19. How could the barriers identified in question 18 be addressed? [ ] Technical assistance regarding liability issues. [ ] Fiscal system upgrade. [ ] Agency/staff training in affordable housing development. [ ] Training in addressing the needs of people with HIV/AIDS. [ ] Assistance in identifying housing or services partners or consultants. t [ ] Assistance in identifying politically/financially feasible sites. [ ] Technical assistance on how to apply for funds, licensure requirements, program design, or other issues. [ ] Other. Please describe: 20. Do you have anything else you'd like to tell us about how your agency could provide housing for people with HN/AIDS? Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Housing Plan-Case Managers and Service Providers Survey Page 7 21. What else would you like to share with us regarding the housing needs of the housing system for persons living with HIV/AIDS in Contra Costa County? (Attach additional sheets as necessary.) 1 1 1 1 Name of person completing this survey: Agency: Address: Telephone: Fax: Thank you! Please return both this questionnaire and completed Housing Consumer Surveys by October 27 to: Christine Leivermann Contra Costa County Health Services Department ' 597 Center Avenue, Suite 200 Martinez CA 94553 313-6786 Contra Costa County HN/AIDS Housing Plan 1 ' Appendix VI: Assisted Housing Inventories j t 1 1 221 1 Contra Costa County Assisted Rental Units Inventory COMPLEX CITY PHONE CONTACT TOTAL ASSISTS TYPE UNITS D UNITS Antioch River Town I seniors Senior Housing Antioch 510-706-0874 Betty Johnson 50 50 62+ Brid emont Antioch 510-757-2925 Gwen Miller 36 36 family seniors Casa del Rio Antioch 510-777-9294 Sandora Becks 81 81 62+ Baywood Antioch 510-757-5565 Julie Clark 128 26 family family/sr/ Delta View A is Antioch 510-757-9212 Nancy Thurm 204 51 disabled Elder Winds Antioch 510-757-2925 Gwen Miller 100 100 sr/disabled 1 Hudson Manor Susanne Townhouses Antioch 510-757-0110 Tumlinson 119 119 family family/3 Lakeshore A is Antioch 510-779-0601 Wendy Martin 268 54 Handicap Meadow Wood Antioch 510-754-4488 Sherry Hendrix 136 27 family Runaway Bay Antioch 510-779-9999 Helen Spencer 280 68 family Somerset Senior seniors Apartments Antioch 510-778-7299 Veronica Bulfair 156 41 55+ Denise Twin Creeks A is Antioch 510-778-5300 Watchem ino 240 48 family 2 for Elaine Null Court Bay Point 510-841-4410 Kate Emanual 14 14 disabled Hidden Cove A is Bay Point 510-458-4844 Cheri Valencia 88 88 family Rivershore A is Bay Point 510-458-1666 Joseph LaFleur 245 49 family Handicap /srs 62+/ mentally disabled/ Willow Brook A is Bay Point 510-458-6107 Toni Bergman 72 72 family Green Valley A is Brentwood 510-634-8558 Anita Delao 28 28 family Los Nogales Brentwood 510-625-2245 Gwen Miller 44 44 family Kirker Court (Peace mentally Grove) Clayton 510-673-9557 Candy Kelly 20 19 disabled Arcadian A is Concord 510-825-1739 Karen Dunlap 192 39 family family+ 6 Bel Air A is Concord 510-680-7744 Veronica Valdez 86 18 Handicap Broadway Towers Concord 510-671-9701 Joanne Spry 72 14 family Ed & Gloria California Hill Concord 510-686-1700 Raymond 153 31 lindep living 1 family/ 1 mental/3 Clayton Creek Concord 510-676-3003 Cathy Golden 208 5 handicap 1sr 62+/disabl Clayton Gardens Concord 510-686-4220 Carolyn Crim 131 130 ed mobility impaired/sr Clayton Villa Concord 510-671-2433 Betty Mc Dermitt 80 79 /disabled Concord Green Concord 510-687-8460 Judy Krummen 130 57 family 1/10/97 aAE93-2lasstdinv.x1s Contra Costa County Assisted Rental Units Inventory COMPLEX CITY PHONE CONTACT TOTAL ASSISTS TYPE UNITS D UNITS Concord Residential dev Club Concord 510-689-4939 Sister Mary Ann 20 19 disabled Concord Royale Seniors Retirement Center Concord 510-676-3410 Man Phifer 126 41 60+ Coral Court Concord 510-686-1761 Lynn Bradford 47 11 family , Crossroad Concord 510-676-7827 Judy Curtis 130 26 family Rhonda La Vista Apts Conccrd 510-676-1724 Rodriguez 75 75 family dev disabled Las Tram as Concord 510-284-1462 Mary Thomas 6 6 adults Lime Ride Concord 510-686-2232 Karen Billecci 70 14 family sr/ Paris Terrace Concord 510-674-8941 Helena Gonzalez 45 9 individuals Phoenix A is Concord 510-827-3683 Royal Myers 11 11 mentally ill ' 76 Market 20 Plaza Towers Concord 510-687-1200 Barbara Smith 96 Assist. sr/disabled The Heritage Concord 510-687-1200 Barbara Smith 196 121 sr/disabled Valley Terrace Concord 510-674-0924 Virginia Clark 312 63 family , Mead Property Mgmt, 6680-B Alhambra Ave, #182, Martinez Grillo Gardens Danville 510-944-6356 CA 94553 10 3 seniors sr 62+/ Del Norte Place EI Cerrito 510-237-8300 Shawna Snyder 135 27 family sr/congreg EI Cerrito Royale EI Cerrito 510-234-5200 Mary K. Mones 102 51 ate seniors Eskaton/Hazel Shirley EI Cerrito 510-232-3430 Janet James 63 63 62+ EI Creekside Terrace Sobrante 510-223-8373 Lauretta Russell 56 56 family EI Captain seniors Silvercrest Sobrante 510-758-1518 Willdonna Prack 50 49 62+ sr 62+/disabl Chateau Lafayette Lafayette 510-283-2727 Tom Thomas 66 65 ed dev disabled Las Tram as Lafayette 510-284-1462 Gina Jennings 12 12 adults mentally Las Tram as Lafayette 510-284-1462 Gina Jennin s 35 35 disabled 1110787 aAE83.2\asstdinv.xls 2 Contra Costa County Assisted Rental Units Inventory COMPLEX CITY PHONE CONTACT TOTAL ASSISTS TYPE UNITS D UNITS abused youthyouth aged Youth Homes Lafayette 510-933-2627 Stuart McCllou h 6 1 12-18 Alhambra Terrace Martinez 510-687-8791 Sharon Jackson 52 52 family Emerson Arms Martinez 510-228-5205 Rebecca Dowling 32 32 famil Hacienda Martinez 510-687-8791 Sharon Jackson 50 50 seniors Martinez Senior Citizens A is Martinez 510-370-7218 Bonnie Smith 100 100 sr/disabled Muirwood Gardens Martinez 510-372-6940 Ann Murray210 42 family Plaka A is Martinez 510-372-0725 -Meling Desan les 168 10 family Rid ecrest A is Martinez 510-372-9422 Hank Narasaki 72 15 family Riverhouse Martinez 510-229-9093 Candy Kelly 75 75 sr/disabled Valley Ridge A is Martinez 510-228-1990 Lois Mc Bride 120 6 family sr/ Mora a Royale Mora a 510-376-8900 Laura Re nier 95 19 congregate North Las Deltas Richmond 510-232-8492 Beth Campbell 76 71 family North Las Deltas Annex#1 Richmond 510-232-8492 Beth Campbell 90 75 family North Las Deltas Annex#2 Richmond 510-232-8492 Beth Campbell 60 51 family Casa de Manana Oakley 510-625-2245 Gwen Miller 40 40 sr/disabled Los Arboles Oakley 510-625-2245 Gwen Miller 30 30 family Orinda Sr Village Orinda 510-254-8895 Irene Thomas 150 150 sr/disabled 2101 San Pablo Avenue Pinole 510-724-9038 Jim Schutz 1 1 family Bayside Willows, Inc. Pinole 510-724-4844 Glen Wilson 148 22 family Pinole Grove Pinole 510-741-1900 Barbara Hawkins 70 70 seniors East Sante Fe A is Pittsburg510-439-9106 Yvette Amtt 20 19 sr/disabled EI Pueblo Pittsburg510-432-3523 Terri Lockett 176 172 family Fountain Plaza Pittsburg510-439-5655 Jennifer Pitts 224 40 family family, Lori Bowley, X people with The Landings Pittsburg510-827-3598 116 8 8 HIV/AIDS Lido Square Townhouse 18t II Pittsburg510-432-6000 Kay Andrus 171 171 family Lovedd a Terrace Pittsburg510-427-2202 Ellen Johnson 148 30 family PittsburgPlaza Pittsburg510-432-0333 ShirleyBarton 126 125 family Stoneman Village Pittsburg510-427-1870 Karen Bodiford 145 145 sr/disabled Woodland Hills Pittsburg510-427-1225 Doris Lee 220 44 family Woods Manor Pittsburg510-432-6161 Diana Wino 80 45 family Pleasant Brookside A is Hill 510-682-2424 Kay Flippo 144 29 family Pleasant Chil ancin o Vista Hill 510-685-2385 Lenora Doyle 25 25 disabled Pleasant Urban Pacific Ellinwood A is Hill 510-827-2044 Properties 154 56 sr/disabled 1/10/87 aAE83-2\asstdinv.x1s 3 i Contra Costa County Assisted Rental Units Inventory , COMPLEX CITY PHONE CONTACT TOTAL ASSISTS TYPE UNITS D UNITS dev ,Pleasant disabled Las Tram as Hill 510-2841462 Carol Conrad 6 1 6 adults dev Pleasant disabled Las Tram as Hill 510-284-1462 Carol Conrad 6 6 adults Pleasant seniors Pleasant Hill Village Hill 510-937-7370 Betty Musser 100 100 62+ Kenneth people with Amara House Richmond 510-8345656 Richardson 5 5 AIDS The Arbors Richmond 510-236-4935, Fanny Lee 36 23 family Barrett Plaza Townhouses Richmond 510-237-3467 ShirleyStewart 58 58 family Barrett Terrace A is Richmond 510-237-3467 Shidey Stewart 115 114 family , seniors The Carquinez Richmond 510-215-2850 Charlote Nelson 36 35 62+ City Center , Apartments Richmond 510-236-4350 Patricia Wilkins 62 19 family Crescent Park Richmond 510-237-5377 Ray Hall 378 331 family Deliverance Temple Richmond 510-2332626 Ruby Haynes 50 48 sr/disabled Deliverance Temple II Richmond 510-233-2626 Ruby Haynes 32 32 sr/disabled Easter Hill Village Richmond 510-237-3271 Donnie Bell 300 237 family homeless women and Family Support families- Center Richmond 510-235-1516 Michelle Pinckney 77 transitional Friendship Manor Richmond 510-237-3271 Sylvia Gray 58 58 seniors Hacienda Richmond 510-237-6917 Sylvia Gray 50 150 seniors John F. Kennedy Manor I Richmond 510-529-0722 Adrainne Gray 156 19 famil John F. Kennedy Manor II Richmond 510-5290722 Adrainne Gray 168 26 family Nevin Plaza Richmond 510-237-3271 Sylvia Gray 142 142 seniors Nystrom Village Richmond 510-237-3271 Ronald Keeton 102 98 family homeless- Ohio Ave A is Richmond 510-235-1516 Michelle Pinckney 6 6 transitional Richmond Center Richmond voicemail sr/family Richmond T6wnhouses Richmond 510-235-5689 Dorthalia Hill 199 146 family sr/mentally Rubicon Homes Richmond 510-235-1516 Michele Pinckney 10 10 disabled disabled/ homeless- transitional San Joaquin I Richmond 510-235-1516 Michelle Pinckney 9 9 (men) ' homeless, SanJoaquin II - job training Supported Living -transition Trai ning Program Richmond 510-235-1516 Michelle Pinckney 10 10 al ' 1!1(ll87 aAE832tasstdinv.xis 4 ' Contra Costa County Assisted Rental Units Inventory TOTAL ASSISTE COMPLEX CITY PHONE CONTACT UNITS D UNITS TYPE 1 St. John's A is Richmond 510-237-6426 Zelia An ele 158 157 family The Summit at Hilltop Richmond 510-223-7001 Sam Vasquez 240 96 family homeless- 21 st A is Richmond 510-235-1516 Michelle Pinckney 7 1 7 transitional Virginia St. A is Richmond 510-235-1516 Michelle Pinckney 12 12 disabled disabled/ ' homeless- West Richmond A is Richmond 510-235-1516 Michelle Pinckney 4 4 permanent Triangle Court Richmond 510-237-3271 Sylvia Gray 98 98 family Bayo Vista Rodeo 510-799-0400 Gwen Miller 250 250 family Casa Adobe San Pablo 510-236-3153 ShirleyMartin 54 53 seniors family, Church Lane mentally ' Apartments San Pablo 510-235-1516 Michele Pinckney 22 22 disabled EI Portal Gardens San Pablo 510-235-3900 Chanes Dulcan 80 80 sr/disabled Judson Homes San Pablo 510-215-2989 Anna Smith 56 56 sr/disabled 1 Kidd Manor San Pablo 510-215-3081 Julia Abdala 41 41 seniors mentally ill substance I Phoenix Clean & abusers Sober House San Pablo 510-825-4700 5 5 DD Rumrill Gardens San Pablo 510-232-6651 Darlene Walker 61 60 family Vista del Camino San Pablo 510-215-3081 Julia Abdala 100 100 family San Cedar Pointe Ramon 510-833-1813 Michelle Fraser 248 50 family San Villa San Ramon Ramon 510-803-9100 Durwin She son 120 24 sr/disabled Walnut Byron Park Creek 510-937-1700 Judy Deibler 187 19 seniors Walnut sr 55+/ Carmel Pines Creek 510-938-2375 ShirleyPutnam 50 21 disabled Walnut Casa Montego Creek 510-451-8622 Carol Severin 80 79 sr/disabled Walnut Four Seasons A is Creek 510-947-0844 Came Kirkpatrick 176 36 family Walnut Heritage Pointe A is Creek 510-943-7427 Sharon Spizey 147 38 sr/disabled Walnut seniors Kensington Place Creek 510-943-1121 Barbara Williams 178 36 60+ dev Walnut disabled Las Tram as Creek 510-284-1462 Heather Amaral 12 12 adults ' Walnut Paris Place Creek 510-256-0506 Gail Taylor 148 2 family Pleasant Paris Regency Hill BART 510-937-7275 Judy Baker 892 134 family Walnut dev Phoenix Creek 510-825-4700 1 1 disabled Walnut Sierra Gardens Creek 510-649-850011 Mary Dorst 28 24 famil 1/10197 aAE93.21asstdinv.x1s 5 Contra Costa County Assisted Rental Units Inventory COMPLEX CITY PHONE CONTACT TOTAL ASSISTE TYPE UNITS D UNITS Walnut The Oaks Creek 510-937-5559 Sandra McCall 36 36 family Walnut Tice Oaks Creek 510-943-1670 Aloha Baker 91 91 sr/disabled abused Walnut Stuart youth aged Youth Homes Creek 510-933-2627 McCollou h 6 1 12-18 1/10197 aAE93-2lasstdinv.x1s 6 1 1 CD C v o Q) N E E L U U c c 3 3 0 0 o H O c c v o _ d EO W ca Co C E (D T c E E c c 0 Z` o co m N co L N L C eo E c o o N c = c U ' Q <`> (D c C O c ca o c < s> _U o a) a) W w O i; ::yi : U O a a) 7 »> Q CL E co as E E E O m o m e 0 0 o az H 0 0 :?`::z<:r: = 7n 0 v 3 T O T y 3 3 3 y 0 E 3 3 0 _m : d aD cu m coo cuE 3 :'``,`:, c m Ia c a aEi aEi c c c w c c ? #>z<:` Y2 c O co Q) Q) O O a) :?:Nz: y 0 E c co as E E E cn w E E >< > n.U N � N `- N T 0 ` 0 ` r W ' Q C Q a) C ' CL a) Z U' Q 0 a � r— N 0 .....Oc y Z C to C C vi C L U_ CL �. d T cTC a) N H N co `i N w 1 U C cv co co ` ca p II vi H > ^ °% o 41 O co -D O co a3 m U T co %::a:;:; ;: O O L c J O NO a0 O O co a) a) co co M st O r _'O 'O — N o r a� ap o E c a� oa w L N 0 N A q� �+ w m EE a0 w0N L o a) v '� 0 cn o fcc 76 ; 0 E ami ami m 0 m E a) ami _ a a a? c cv .0 sv Z O 00 a) O C O cn O n O O N c N N � L O .� E w N � T c i; C C O C C C C C C C 3 7 0 0 0 0 o f o V E o' o 0 0 o o �j o U L 0 -- U V08 VUE U UE _ N U o �'iciiv Tnc=i ? o � y � V hcLiEO :: c`a « J <: aaQ 0 C 0 � m U m o � cod a� � cU '' c `'<: w u� w �. w ti v 0 U U co xxx Q O O C O V V, cu = o o E 2 V - o 1 L O O V C O L m " O o U o a m U U � Q � v oUQ o > y E cL c U � CD m 0 � 0 0 c0a v x ``:'<' Q ' = E L U U co o a) "DCD� � Dx H cc '0 w C 7 C U O C E < �` m O L a) N = a) O m ' C O76 E O ` 'iti i cD m: o a� E 0 .. 0 0 o d�Ad x L c M c cc °� o aci E m m m o `�-' U cc a Q m Q m v w w 0 z - of to w a ■ ■ y w E Ec v 'v $ NE w o m O 0 C 3 O N 2 a N N O 0 L N ao N N N O C N O O_ cc C > L C cep cc N 0 yyO O O = _ f� 0 — c`—o c o E v -0 E O a) a) c c L IL E o = cc= w E E .0 cu m `c c w ; H ui ??> o 0 0o W ca 0cc N co m W N N N _ � 3 c LEH , NL cc c = c0 o 0 � c a cc N E E 3 N N Z (nC14y) N N , 0 �. d L L U O O O C C U) cnN E E C t Cl) C O` N Co w .� N m <`«` c o c « D �O c 3 E E C J = N p 0 C O Fl- �) •r::n N N Q O W 3 3 ch E r� cv U) `• co co Z Ln rn V) m o is NC N C C C w O ? .0 N O N N E p C 0 (n m N N N 4 tN 7 7 O _ co V C d cc N a > _ > > _ > > L >::><: N E N N N N E cc c w a) o c v o) m m 0 E cc °: `� :: :: to :? :: L) ::. .0 a .0 a m = Z o p o o o o o �, '> co a1) co O ch V cn v E cc E E cc E E <c '::::::::; cn . � f- N () a) o c c 7 p 'a =p N p N 7 O G O N C L L tc UU E U NU U) c c c N "ia N m w m c O O — 0 .0 cc Wcc a U U U U (D 3 (=) � ?� N ac) (1c) � w U U U U U "Do E m w co CO a) E N = P U N U E Q U C C I.: U C13CD t cin cl Q n cin voi o c Q C o V !� > = L C r O O i'�' L m O O � n. a0U m m a m U U C a^ 0 N0a�i m N c y 0 (D C O L O CD E U (L a) E m CO aNi a) — ad ani m ani a�i '� Em Em a oU Qrn T Q U U U V 'tYl: 0 N 0 cn U) O = >% , C = C" a 7 7 7 �: N C o 0 .0 c 'D > > cc > > E m E cc co o > rn c N _ x E � L �) �, :: w cD E () E co co U ) v ; a y o o �, o o m a) cc (n m m a U' U) otSF— U) � � Q }!' mQ mQ U 0 Ow0 C M T O C CM U) ca E Z o °�-' :° E m 8 E o 3 E 1 m d > :E w n E w cm E C c w a U) as . „a_ E c E Lym o N ocy .0 E0 o `o a> > m c ca a ca o> a voi N `� = a w o H � 0 cy ca M � ca ca cm E ca ca E E ca F C E c o a> E r°cc o v :° 'Cl ca v cEa a� ' N a. L 3oc c_ Moi. = cc° c�aaci E cc° v� r- cn CL LD c a`�i c ani m c o c L m — E — m 5 — Zca (n m 6 o > o m y — cu y m c�a Q cu E w OC O O 0 O E0 0 N O c cc O O N 4) d a E L E ca t t 3 �' vii 3 � E E L 'v 2 E in U) Z m z � w N� C L N w O :EO C N = avi L Jas co E E n ° w t CL (n o .c cn E oco a ao CEE cc E E Nr OrO 0) M c0 7 Oi c0 N co M c N N N O C �_ O E v . E a> fA N E O L .: _ r w N = co n O C L C m O C L O L a .. O a W �- O w cn N C 10 t�/ la N w-' 'NQ C tin N to C o = .0 , E c m m > b C c m CD m Z M yiN O r L O LO > > c L co cc c0 C r cp c'7 It co .- r M N O Ln L M C C j n vc w > > o C O o a4) C Cif Cc E o f� O 0c0OLu0o ooOCjU U Ev -sU EU ENLU E U _ C a ooo n 0p C � � U � � � i � � � � �� � u � 0ju � o U U _o U (D m O U U w 0 0 ` o O U m 44) in o � 2 0 c`a C � Q D U) CO r y CL x c o = c c o c c c ». X U U y cg a? U : 0 coi U E L N� c0i c0i o U ' O L O L cc m > U • cu 'C O U_ N > O C L Q U d to W m J �7 c H Q d = 0 o ca 0c N a: •o c c a> U jC aci Ca j d m ca = E U y : C cn v� — ca o L a) a) m (DOL m m O N c E C o 7 C O to Z Q L = 0 0 0 > > C = o 0 c _ > 3 d o c m c�a o a� d = co c Q n a co 0= E 0 in = ai v v0i rn 00 L C m n Q) U C C () U)i c a U- z O a m Q H cn m t`- cn cLo m coo c° v aci aci 3 3 3 3 3 c N C Vcc m C C C N '0 tU N c c c C C O N a E a) ¢ E E E E E V rA �a 0 E m m N N N ami 42 ;�' n c r•- c <>. w csR vcss � � N N N E E co CX 75 _sr ns 3 0 0 tv v v N d c v a: 0 E E =° =° 'u w ca c° o N Ct. :+ 3 :i o N N N N � 4f N 3 E a E E v � c — 0 3 `° v E E m e c a c o 0 0 0 0 ca m a E E E c S E > aci > > CD > > as a CL = 3 3 rn co :<:»:. E v E E v v v E E E E N Z L CJ CD4 N G 0 U �' E = 0 m E E E E E E_ E_ E E E E E a E co E N N o a a o a 0 0 0 0 a o a a� C c0 r r C C C c c c c C C c C c N N E co 0 a o 0 0 = d W G N tJ U V G _ N E CJ N o d? 0 a 0 O O Cy N N cv r cc m rr 0 3 U = N c c c c + c (nc c a 0 a> as 0c m a> � c o �� N G % < N > > .0 .0 .0 .0 -0 d .0 G c� O Z Z .G d rs O >. s! Cq C:, N N N N O CO O TJ (0 .0 1`- N r r dO .�^. T O c C C C N C G C .. c 75 Ste+ C? 99 td vp cUhpois U w �y . ° � osr`t° = V 000ac � cc 0ococc Ua C (�0 } oUO ( Vd A E E U H a 0 ogcc ti yco y U 0 c CN'.U c m G _I C cu cc G a U � Z Uaai U m cc cc c co C E o b E E E E c x c c O V1 0 Gpp U Q3 C (D O C d (DN a O 0. a� H H H H C) U O 7 3:<' f cc b W L cc N cN0 cN0 d t d d J G LL CL J J J � CCL CL 11 CCL L= (D w a z0OL E L Q C� c c° Y c f°m 'c m Cc E CD a 0 E (nO c C? Ltt? (no N tJ 0 a E E N o p yd. o E O "a O Q C3 v = Q . = c 7" 0 0 T m 0 U' x N c 1L F- Ups E � N E o E = 'Q v> CD a� c ao 0 °� E E a s a a toss o 'c a c N N N tx ¢ .`�t v c� i � � = cid an > Cf) a 26 vs 0 40 40 06 V4 is r,- "a in cs 2P C3 8 14 C6 C4 C. 0 .5 0 4n 1.04 go ws gn VI cs tj (L ob ro Ln r, 96 CL. UJ c:l ar ul 4:A -'a W Lu LLI U. ct $P cc a ujLy Ja S ¢ cro rA 0 at ex 0 CL Iu LL. 0 j 03 wni z izt202. 1. 7 -c C 0 tj 0 U. cc x '' $3;,6= v 8 :2 1• ;4 a . a A IM Q r �aC (A CA Ul UA dl$ 52 4:i Ul C am U- 19 w? II�n -c tj ISM., t2,7- CL OC 0 > r A rz oz La Q. ell0 vi u 0...................... .19 At ��.�r. Y d u .►N �r? r yc� � �. �.� .b Y i N� �� iL1 xi f!lt,,..S,, G .'� � .,o�Fa oo ula� V �Nw 'L <0�7�.nr. �"•.��W44� � O < � '� FG (�,j� u �y�C� �� � � Gi � u M N r C µ H M its Y Vi V r q w U M }V ` Y? s " ~ Yr" � `� •" t Ott V C4 -a WDu q�Wit .r, u yq 1►i1, � C6. om - Vey+: t o. n s s s ' o 4� � O%�aN< g rLgXycs�NO< y u u N %yL� „4 ' r .. a 4,0: °c' ;s ems•era�C r Ca c r ° 1-0 C.. •i u M �� moo,"IT C�' C a u O •� it d U r �' j J"�{Y M d, �► EK G � YY YY� � �Ltit i o� .� °'t7 �in C'�U �'= a c a�,• za',E M�•� �`�' c�j r'�rr+ t e O c o .. a G V C v K am Y � r V .r-H� O- U .•it+ y•. i « M_ � ' r " .fin d N-..�j� �j✓3' tI ® �+`� r ,d 'G o •amu w �" YYa � .+ eV �c,C? r'S r'�6-v � �� � � � � r< � `� : X43 �n�y •o x `� C'� oe o •r Y 'j M Q � J Y•P � � � �- r C•O, � r � y }. Q(� Y Q� E Yis �w 'spa ccr $ G 1S 1S c U VIA V � cj elld ffi . o . Y n p 5 a 9 a 0 4r, a �t ursa' ul -,I;- Y ` w Ul ' -.► .ts ct o,� : Y � U n ,{�s W < F' a `15� m $� "'� ¢�tr�+, ch 1, �w ' g in to .•• � � G y .n� 4 £' o r uius XL ilvl C4 @ 3` cl W + .8 o V� G � 'CL R�' ,tit+��"��'""�R'�• a y e�•,a< r � ca P a �RB.+,W �t °'1 u iG er•+ rc t�,`3�9�} t� ��g t+i;,$R`��y o ?e�, a .y'R': C. = Q �N`ge�4 �'b aC•� a f y o, yla A •r �` is .�+ „aC.'i a o.nc'R ,C: Ak Q � Sa u: iZll ca wca t w A r a! at Z F V 3 �. r w 14 I yj O. � �• � 7 � + � .n N 4 "1' v eT Qi C� g u a �i '""� • ro e 4 �A u b ' G y tS r i t '4i C7 a ��MIS H ^ 0 i cri g �, `� � „'��R+•-- � � � .fes' � b � � W T 0 C4 V -00 U ` 0