CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY SIXTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-24-109 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Renée Grout and Nichole Rogers
RESOLUTION
title
Directing The Department Of Health, Housing, And Homelessness To Make The Housing Voucher Program More Efficient And Transparent (Grout, Rogers)
body
DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, HOUSING, AND HOMELESSNESS TO MAKE THE HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM MORE EFFICIENT AND TRANSPARENT.
WHEREAS, Albuquerque is facing a housing crisis with many residents, especially the most vulnerable populations, experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and
WHEREAS, the City administers housing voucher programs funded by various sources (collectively, Housing Voucher Programs); and
WHEREAS, the Department of Health, Housing, and Homelessness (HHH) has developed Administrative Requirements to administer contracting for Housing Voucher Programs, and these can be improved, clarified, and expanded; and
WHEREAS, HHH requires policies and procedures for all aspects of its Housing Voucher Programs; and
WHEREAS, at this time, individuals needing Housing Program Vouchers must contact several different agencies to check for availability, and a standardized central referral and intake system would reduce the barriers, confusion, and delay this causes; and
WHEREAS, HHH can develop and improve the tracking of long-term outcomes of its Housing Voucher Programs, making it easier for the City and its residents to evaluate the effectiveness of the Housing Voucher Programs; and
WHEREAS, a critical step in making the Housing Voucher Program more efficient and transparent is to initiate a collaborative process through a working group, which will provide guidance and input to help the Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness carry out the directives of this Resolution; and
WHEREAS, the City requires a real-time software system that integrates the relevant systems and allows the timely monitoring of voucher use, streamlining data reporting, and supporting data-driven program funding.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The Department of Health, Housing, and Homelessness is directed to take the following steps to increase the efficiency and transparency of its Housing Voucher Programs including but not limited to: Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Vouchers, Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) Vouchers, Transitional Housing Vouchers (THV), Motel/Hotel Vouchers, and Project Based Housing Vouchers (PBV). Because each of these voucher programs are administered differently, HHH shall take the following steps for each voucher type separately.
A. HHH shall outline existing policies and procedures for the administration of its Housing Voucher Programs. Based on its review and analysis of existing policies and procedures, HHH shall identify necessary improvements and develop new and expanded policies and procedures that improve the administration of its Housing Voucher Programs.
B. HHH shall coordinate with the current Coordinated Entry System (CES) contractor to identify and evaluate existing intake and referral processes for all Housing Voucher Programs. Based on its review and analysis of existing processes, HHH shall identify necessary improvements and develop an expanded and improved centralized intake and referral system for all Housing Voucher Programs, and require all applicants for Housing Voucher Programs to go through this standardized entry program.
C. HHH shall outline existing long-term outcome goals for each of the Housing Voucher Program types, including the specific measures each provider is required to track pursuant to their contracts with the City and how HHH currently evaluates the effectiveness of each program and tracks outcomes for each program participant. Based on its review and analysis of its existing processes, HHH shall identify necessary improvements and develop new long-term and expanded short-term outcome goals, program evaluation processes, and methods for tracking and reporting individual outcomes for program participants.
D. HHH shall procure and implement software for tracking its Housing Voucher Programs to include but not be limited to the following core requirements. To the extent that HHH can use existing financial systems for any of the following requirements, it is directed to do so.
1. HHH shall outline and review its existing procedures for processing reimbursement requests. To enhance efficiency, agencies shall be able to enter requests for reimbursement into the City’s financial system, and HHH shall be able to review the submissions electronically;
2. The software shall integrate with the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and the City’s financial systems, such as PeopleSoft;
3. The software shall include a public-facing live dashboard to track voucher use, financial spend-down, and program outcomes in real-time; and
4. The software shall include a platform for Housing Voucher Program participants to provide feedback on services, barriers, and outcomes.
E. HHH shall set an internal Department goal to fully execute all housing voucher contracts and encumber funds within thirty (30) days of funding allocation, including funds allocated in the City’s annual processes.
F. HHH shall outline and review the administrative requirements for all contracts to ensure applicability to each Housing Voucher Program, including all funding sources for each voucher type.
SECTION 2. HHH shall submit a report on its current practices and an implementation plan for updated practices pursuant to SECTION 1 of this Resolution to the City Council within 90 days of the effective date of this Resolution, followed by quarterly reports on progress. All reports and plans shall include a separate breakdown of all information for each voucher type. The implementation of these directives shall be completed within one-year of the submission of the implementation plan.
SECTION 3. Within 30 days of the effective date of this Resolution, the Administration shall convene a Housing Voucher Program Working group that is staffed by the Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness and includes members from City Staff, nonprofit agencies, and other stakeholders. The Working Group shall include staff from the following City Departments:
A. Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness
B. City Council Services Department
C. Department of Technology and Innovation, for advice and input on existing City technology and any proposed new technology
D. Department of Finance and Administrative Services Accounting Division, for advice and input on the billing and payment systems
E. Department of Finance and Administrative Services Purchasing Division, for advice and input on the procurement of software
F. City Legal Department, for advice and input on policies and procedures
G. Albuquerque Community Safety and any other Department that may be tasked with distribution of vouchers or other outreach services
The Working Group shall also include representatives from nonprofit agencies and other groups as necessary. These may include, but are not limited to:
H. New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness
I. The Barrett Foundation
J. Heading Home
K. Cuidando Los Niños
L. Healthcare for the Homeless
The Working Group shall provide guidance and input necessary to help the Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness carry out the directives of this Resolution.
SECTION 4. The Administration shall work with HHH and Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) to explore and provide a recommendation and propose a process to allow ACS to directly administer Motel/Hotel Vouchers to unhoused individuals.
SECTION 5. SEVERABILITY. If any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word, or phrase of this Resolution is for any reason held to be invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Resolution. The Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Resolution and each section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word, or phrase thereof irrespective of any provision being declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid.
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