Guidance for Service Providers Working with SHV In-State Transfers

This guidance applies to when a State Housing Voucher (SHV) participant requests to transfer to another jurisdiction outside the current service provider’s jurisdiction. This applies to both SHV Project Partners with and without a DOH-funded Tenancy Support Services (TSS) grant. In this instance, the service provider shall follow the below procedure:

1. Discuss the participant's plan to move and set expectations.

This involves exploring with the participant the reasons they want to move and asking what supports they have in the area. This also includes emphasizing client choice, while being upfront about what to expect, such as the following:

• The provider does not know the area the participant wants to move to and therefore does not have the network of landlords, services, and resources in the new area that they have in the current area;
• As a result, it may be very difficult to find housing in the new area, especially without that local housing navigation assistance (this can include taking a look at the average rent, vacancy rate, and voucher payment standard in the area); and
• Services will look different in the new area because the type of services you are currently providing (i.e., TSS, and/or anything else unique to your program and/or other services they may be currently connected to) may not exist in the new area.

With all this in mind, the participant should have the understanding that they will need to have a greater deal of ownership over this process.

In this discussion, it also should be explained to the participant that, once they find housing in the new area, they are strongly encouraged to agree to participate in an initial warm handoff meeting with their new voucher administrator and a new community-based services provider in that area. The reason for this is that these vouchers are intended to be paired with services as part of the supportive housing model, and these services are intended to help the participant remain stably housed.

We follow Housing First principles, so it's up to the participant whether they follow up with the provider after that. However, it is the responsibility of the current service provider to do everything they can to ensure that first handoff meeting occurs so that the participant knows who to contact in that area should they need support.

If, in this discussion, the participant refuses to agree to that warm handoff meeting, they can still choose to move.

2. Provide basic housing counseling and support as the participant starts the process of looking for housing / moving.

The expectation here is NOT that the current service provider is bending over backwards to help the participant find housing and services in the new area, since it is outside the provider's jurisdiction.

But the minimum expectation is that you provide basic housing counseling in that initial meeting (step #1), and be available as a resource and support to the participant for questions they may have. If you want to also help them find housing units, you can but it is not expected.

If the participant is struggling to find housing in the new area, and they're already out of unit in the provider's jurisdiction, we strongly encourage finding and sharing some backup housing options for them so they know that remaining in their current area is still an option.

As explained in step #1, that initial meeting should help the participant manage expectations as to what type of support you can provide in this process.

3. Outreach the participant regularly.

At a minimum, attempt to contact the participant every 2-3 weeks to get a status update on their housing search and offer appropriate support.

4. Once the participant finds housing, facilitate the warm handoff.

This involves:

• Coordinating with the current voucher administrator and DOH to complete an in-state transfer to a new voucher administrator in the new area
• Helping connect the participant to services in the new area; and
• Scheduling and attending a warm handoff meeting(s) between the participant, current voucher admin, new voucher admin, current service provider, and new provider.

You are not responsible for following up to see if the participant continues to engage with the new services provider; it is ultimately up to the participant after that first handoff meeting.

The participant is strongly encouraged to attend this meeting, as discussed in step #1, but if they refuse to attend, they will not lose their voucher.

5. Once the participant is leased up, exit them from the service provider's HMIS program (as applicable).

This only applies to SHV Project Partners who are using HMIS. All SHV Project Partners who have a DOH-funded TSS grant are required to use HMIS and therefore follow the below procedure.

Once you know the participant is leased up (whether through self-report or via the voucher software Elite), exit them from your Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) program and inform your HMIS Lead Agency of the change in HMIS voucher/bed inventory. At this point, you are no longer responsible for the participant's outcomes or HMIS data entry.

However, do not refill the voucher. The SHV Program Manager will track the participant on a separate SHV In-State Transfers tracking sheet and should the participant's voucher turn over down the road, the SHV Program Manager will let you know so you can refill the voucher.

Note that this is an interim solution and DOH is working on a solution that does not result in the participant no longer being in HMIS. In the meantime, DOH will manually report these participants for the Housing Inventory County (HIC).