7004-9316 Residential Assistance for Families in Transition

For a program to provide assistance in addressing obstacles to maintaining or securing housing for families with: (i) a household income not greater than 30 per cent of area median income that are homeless and moving into subsidized or unsubsidized housing or are at risk of becoming homeless; or (ii) a household income greater than 30 per cent but not more than 50 per cent of area median income that are homeless and moving into subsidized or private housing, or are at risk of becoming homeless due to a significant reduction of income or increased expenses; provided, that assistance shall be administered by the department through contracts with the HomeBASE agencies; provided further, that not less than 50 per cent of the funds shall be provided to households with an income not greater than 30 per cent of area median income, subject to the department's discretion based on data reflecting program demand and usage; provided further, that in distributing 50 per cent of the funds, the department shall prioritize those families most likely to otherwise require shelter services under item 7004-0101; provided further, that the amount of financial assistance provided to a family shall not exceed $4,000 in any 12-month period; provided further, that the combined sum of benefits received by a family in a 12-month period from this item and item 7004-0108 shall not be more than the maximum level of short-term assistance in item 7004-0108; provided further, that prior to authorizing a residential assistance payment for a family, the administering agency shall make a finding that the payment will enable the family to retain its current housing, obtain new housing, or otherwise avoid homelessness; provided further, that residential assistance payments may be made through direct vendor payments according to standards to be established by the department; provided further, that the agencies shall establish a system for referring families approved for residential assistance payments whom the agencies determine would benefit from these services to existing community-based programs that provide additional housing stabilization supports, including assistance in obtaining housing subsidies and locating alternative housing that is safe and affordable for those families; provided further, that the program shall be administered under guidelines established by the department; provided further, that up to $3,000,000 may be expended to provide assistance to households of all sizes and configurations including, but not limited to, elders, persons with disabilities and unaccompanied youths; and provided further, that household assistance funds shall be advanced to the administering agencies at the end of each month and before the next month's disbursement, the amount of which shall be estimated based on the prior month's expenditure with a reconciliation not less than annually