The Family Reunification Housing Pilot in Alameda County, CA, aims to reduce family homelessness by partnering with child welfare agencies, offering rapid rehousing and prevention services for families involved in the child welfare system. The program, funded by $850,000 from a federal foster care waiver, provides housing assistance, case management, and financial support to help families either reunite with their children or maintain housing after reunification. Key partners include Abode Services, Building Futures with Women and Children, and local child welfare agencies, emphasizing the importance of stable housing for family reunification success.

1. FAMILY REUNIFICATION
HOUSING PILOT
ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA
6.1 Partnering with Child Welfare Agencies to End Family
Homelessness
National Conference on Ending Homelessness
Washington, DC July 22-24, 2013

2. Alameda County, CA

3. Alameda County, CA
 Population 1.5 million
 14 cities, largest Oakland, Berkeley and Fremont
 821 sq miles
 Urban, suburban, and rural
 High rental costs
 Aprox. 4k homeless
 73% single 27% families

4. Building Futures with
Women and Children
To build communities with women and children
where they are safely and supportively housed, free
from homelessness and domestic violence.

5. BFWC Services
 2 emergency homeless shelters for women and children
(55 beds)
 Domestic violence shelter (20 beds)
 52 units of transitional and permanent housing for
formally homeless survivors of domestic violence with
disabilities
 Full range of community domestic violence services
including support groups
 Housing Resource Center that provides homeless
prevention and rapid rehousing services (including
Supportive Services for Veterans Families program and
Family Reunification Housing program)

6. Program Description: What
Rapid rehousing and homeless prevention program
 Helps homeless parents obtain housing so child can be
returned to their custody
 Helps parents not suitably housed relocate to safe,
stable housing
 Helps families “in care” and at risk of homelessness
maintain permanent housing
 Provides housing search assistance, case management
and rental subsidies

7. Program Description: $$
 Funded by Title IV Foster Care Waiver Funds
 Alameda County one of two in California using a federal
foster care waiver that block grants funds and allows for
innovative strategies to reduce costs and out of home
placements
 Will operate from August 2012
thru June 2014 when waiver
expires.
 Total funding = $850,000

8. How Did We Make this Happen?
 Used data
 Demonstrated overlap of foster care and shelter
families
 Demonstrated cost effectiveness of rapid rehousing
 “Our expertise can solve your problem”
 Made the case that stable housing supports successful
family reunification and we know housing
 Focus on housing services and some income supports,
not the clinical or parenting needs of the families

9. How Did We Make this Happen?
 Negotiated by EveryOne Home, Alameda County’s
CoC, rather than single provider
 Built on existing relationships and success of HPRP
 Program pilots are much easier to say yes to

10. Program Description: Who
For families in “Reunification” or “Maintenance” with
Child Welfare
 Reunification = children currently in foster care and
parent(s) that Child Welfare is working with to reunite
with kids. Families have a housing need that must be
addressed as part of the reunification process.
 Maintenance = children have been reunified with
parent(s) but the family faces a housing crisis.
 Families who have lost housing due to children being
taken from home.

11. Program Description: Partners
Abode Services and Building Futures: family and
rehousing providers provide the direct services
 EveryOne Home: takes referrals, developed forms
and procedures, manages reports
 Alameda County Housing and Community
Development: administers sub-contracts
 Alameda County Social Services Agency Child
Welfare: funder and source of referrals

12. Program Description: What
Housing Assistance Includes:
 Housing Services: housing stabalization
plan, budgeting, connections to employment and
benifits, credit repair, applications to wait lists…
 Housing location: search, applications, negotiating
with landlords, etc.
 Financial assistance:
 One time costs such as, deposit and move-in costs, utility arrears
and deposits, application fees, motels
 Rental subsidies for 3 months at a time, capped
 Family pays up to 50% of income. Rent capped at $1,200 month

13. What We Are Learning?
 Income makes a difference
 19% of enrolled families have income over $1,000/month as reported at
time of referral
 36% have moved to PH so far compared to 13% of families with incomes
below $1,000/month
 The sample size is small so inconclusive
 A number of families are choosing site-based TH
 Some families in Reunification may benefit from longer
subsidies and more services than rapid rehousing
typically provides.
 A pilot is an excellent opportunity to advocate for
change!

14. What Are We Learning?
(as of 6/30/13)
 Households referred to program = 88
 Households enrolled = 78
 HUD homeless individuals = 25%
 Number of households into PH = 19
 Number of households into TH = 4

15. For more information:
Building Futures with Women and Children
San Leandro, CA
Website: www. bfwc.org
Email: lvarela@bfwc.org
Phone: 510-357-0205 x202
Liz Varela, Executive Director

16. For more information:
EveryOne Home, Alameda County, CA
• Website: www.everyonehome.org
• Email: everyonehome@acgov.org
• Phone: 510-670-9796
Executive Director, Elaine de Coligny
• Email: e.decoligny@acgov.org