MACH 2015 Continuum of Care Letter of Intent Request
Letters of Intent (LOI) are requested from MACH member agencies intending to make application for the
2015 Continuum of Care (CoC) national competition for projects within the 14 counties of MACH. All
applicants and any subcontractors must be MACH members in good standing prior to submission of the
letter of intent. For information pertaining to program eligibility, definitions, and requirements please
refer to www.onecpd.info. Letters of intent are due by Friday, July 10th, 2015 by 4:00 p.m. Please
submit letters of intent and questions to Gina Amato, United Way of the Midlands at
gamato@uway.org.
Agency Name: Healing Properties, Inc.
Program Name: Condemned Houses, Reconstructed Lives
Contact Name, Phone & Email: Debra Quilling Smith, 803-467-6251, dqsmith@stjohnsrh.org
New project
Currently funded project Yes
Component type proposed: Permanent Supportive Housing; Component Type PH
Is the applicant delinquent of federal debt or debarred? Yes
No X
Overview of your program:
Healing Properties, Inc. provides permanent supportive housing for disabled homeless persons and
their families. We are able to serve 62 clients with our 37 units of housing. While the housing units are
located in Richland County, Healing Properties’ housing is available to potential participants in all 14
of the counties served by the Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless. Our target population is
disabled homeless persons and their families. We serve persons with mental, physical, and emotional
impairment, drug and alcohol addiction, and also persons living with HIV/AIDS. We prioritize the
chronically homeless, and follow the Housing First guidelines.
What percentage of your total program budget reflects CoC HUD funding?
69%
For currently funded programs, are you requesting any changes in your project such as reallocation to
HUD priority activities such as rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing for chronically
homeless people?
No, all of our HUD funding requested is part of four line items, maintenance of housing units, case
management and bus transportation for participants, and HUD determined administrative allowance
for the program. While we will continue to prioritize housing for the chronically homeless, this does
not change our funding request.
For new projects, describe how your project meets HUD stated priorities in the 2015 registration notice
(https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/FY-2015-CoC-Program-Registration-Notice.pdf):
N/A
Does your project participate fully in the Community’s HMIS and Coordinated Entry System?
YES
Describe your program’s population focus (include information such as any subpopulations, dedicated
beds, and numbers expected to be served by population and subpopulation):
Our target population is disabled homeless persons and their families. We serve persons with mental,
physical and emotional impairments, drug and alcohol addiction, and also persons living with
HIV/AIDS. We prioritize the chronically homeless, and follow the Housing First guidelines. We expect
to serve 62 clients with our 37 units of housing and currently have 10 beds prioritized with MACH CoC
for the chronically homeless, although all of our housing is ready to serve disabled chronically
homeless persons, and their families, whenever beds are available .
Describe where your project is located and the primary geography served:
Our office is located at 1225 Laurel Street, Suite 109 in Columbia, S.C.. Housing units are scattered
apartments and single family residences and are all located in Richland County. While the housing
units are located in Richland County, Healing Properties’ housing is available to potential participants
in all 14 of the counties served by the Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless.
Maximum length of assistance provided:
We offer permanent supportive housing so there is no time limit imposed on participation.
Describe the housing in depth – the number of units - are the units in the same location or scattered
site?
Healing Properties’ offers 37 units of housing for 62 participants. Housing units are scattered
apartments and single family residences all located in Richland County.
Describe your HMIS data quality and staffing to ensure accurate and timely data entry:
Our Program Coordinator stays up-to-date with all HMIS trainings and enters data in a timely manner.
Describe your outreach efforts to reach potential participants:
Healing Properties, Inc. has a lengthy waiting list as referrals come from USC Supportive Housing,
Transitions, Sister Care, Dorn Veterans Hospital, emergency shelters, churches and other homeless
assistance organizations such as United Way of the Midlands, as well as other agencies of the
Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless.
Describe your eligibility requirements and efforts to reduce barriers to entry:
To be eligible for participation in our program, a participant must have documentation that they meet
the HUD definitions of Homeless (Category 1 or Category 4) and Disabled.
In order to reduce barriers to entry, Healing Properties follows the Housing First Model:
1. Meeting the HUD definitions of homelessness and disability are the only requirements for
admission to our program.
2. Supportive Services are offered to our participants on a strictly voluntary basis.
3. Sobriety is not a condition for admission to our program.
4. Healing Properties offers flexible payment options for participants who fall behind on rent
payments in order to encourage housing stability.
Describe your HUD required performance measures and your program’s success in meeting or
exceeding those measures as of your most recent APR (self-prescribed measures should not be
reported):
Measure 1: Housing Stability – The % of persons who remained in the permanent housing program as
of the end of the operating year or exited to permanent housing (subsidized or unsubsidized) during
the operating year.
Actual percentage of Healing Properties’ participants who accomplished this measure: 88%
Measure 2: Increase Total Income – The % of persons age 18 and older who maintained or increased
their total income (from all sources) as of the end of the operating year or program exit.
Actual percentage of Healing Properties’ participants who accomplished this measure: 48%
Measure 3: Increased Earned Income – The % of persons age 18 through 61 who maintained or
increased their earned income (i.e., employment income) as of the end of the operating year or
program exit.
Actual percentage of Healing Properties’ participants who accomplished this measure: 14%
Please note: Our housing Stability Measure has increased significantly since last year. We are pleased
we surpassed HUD’s expectation of 85% success on this measure. We also surpassed our projection in
Earned Income…because our participants are disabled, we do not anticipate any of them being able to
earn an income. Similarly, because almost all of our participants receive public assistance, their
income does not generally decrease. Therefore, in our follow-up contacts with stayers, we did not
collect income information. This is reflected in Q24a. as 22 persons with missing information. Had we
included these persons’ incomes in our HMIS reporting, we would have achieved the Total Income
performance goal. We are collecting and reporting this information as we go forward.
Describe the condition of your property(s) and resources for maintenance:
Most of our properties are in good to excellent condition.
We do continue to have issues with the exiting of properties, usually due to eviction for nonpayment
of multiple months of rent or illegal activities in the housing unit. In these cases we often have
extreme vandalism and/or removal of light fixtures, HV/AC systems and/or appliances when
frustrated participants leave the program in the middle of the night.
Resources for maintenance include skilled volunteers, rental income, HUD grant funding, private
donations, partnership with Home Depot for supplies donated to Healing Properties on a monthly
basis.
Describe your internal controls and grants management procedures:
All maintenance expenditures and all purchase orders and receipts are reported and submitted by our
Project Coordinator to our Healing Properties Board Treasurer and Board Chairperson/Executive
Director so that grant drawdowns may be completed by our Healing Properties’ HUD
approved/authorized LOCCS user, who is another member of the Healing Properties Board of
Directors, on a timely basis. When drawdown funds reach the Healing Properties’ bank account, bills
are paid by the Healing Properties Treasurer within the required 5 days so that grant funds will not be
held in the bank account but expended as required. Our authorized LOCCS user is recertified in the
timeline as required by HUD. All receipts paid from each grant drawdown are attached to a
downloaded copy of the e-LOCCS Payment Voucher corresponding to that drawdown. We have a
Certified Public Accountant who also reviews our financial records on an annual basis.
Describe your sustainability plans if HUD funds were diminished/not available:
Because Healing Properties’ very existence is for the purpose of housing the homeless, and the 37
units of housing are held by Healing Properties as a 501c3 public charity, if HUD funding is diminished
or not available, we will still do everything possible to keep the program going by reaching out to
churches and other charitable groups and individuals. We are committed to this work for as long as
we are able to serve the disabled homeless and their families. The funds we receive from HUD are
very important to our program and it would not be a simple thing to keep going forward, but many of
us who have given years of our lives to this work, will do so as long as possible.
Sources of Match/Leverage:
Value of cash commitments (during the expected grant term): $ 19,979 (This is our 25% grant match)
Value of in-kind commitments (during the expected grant term): $ 175,000 (Leverage – HP’s properties)
Value of all commitments: $ 194,979
Budget proposed (ensure that all line items are eligible):
Supportive Services:
Eligible Costs
1. Assessment of service needs
2. Assistance with moving costs
3. Case management
4. Child care
5. Education Services
6. Employment Assistance
7. Food
Quantity and Description
salary
Annual
Assistance
Requested
n/a
n/a
$35,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
8. Housing/Counseling Services
9. Legal Services
10. Life Skills
11. Mental Health Services
12. Outpatient Services
13. Outreach Services
14. Substance Abuse Treatment Services
15. Transportation
16. Utility Deposits
17. Operating Costs
Bus Tickets
Total Annual Assistance Requested
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$ 500
n/a
n/a
$ 35,500
-
Operating Budget:
Eligible Costs
1. Maintenance/Repair
2. Property Taxes and Insurance
3. Replacement Reserve
4. Building Security
5. Electricity, Gas, and Water
6. Furniture
7. Equipment
Quantity and Description
Repair and maintenance of 37 units of housing
Total Annual Assistance Requested
Annual
Assistance
Requested
$40,650
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$ 40,650
-
Summary Budget:
Eligible Costs
1a. Leased Units
2b. Leased Structures
2. Rental Assistance
3. Supportive Services
4. Operating
5. HMIS
6. Subtotal
7. Admin
8. Total Assistance Requested
Quantity and Description
Case management and Bus tickets
Maintenance and repair of housing units
HUD Renewal grant
Annual
Assistance
Requested
n/a
n/a
n/a
$35,500
$40,650
n/a
$76,150
$ 3,689
$79,839
9. Cash Match
10. In-Kind Match
11. Total Match (not CoC leveraging)
12. Total Budget
(Our 25% match is represented in property)
Value of one single family dwelling
$19,979
$40,000
$59,979
$139,818