Title 24

SECTION 578.53

578.53 Supportive services.

§ 578.53 Supportive services.

(a) In general. Grant funds may be used to pay the eligible costs of supportive services that address the special needs of the program participants. If the supportive services are provided in a supportive service facility not contained in a housing structure, the costs of day-to-day operation of the supportive service facility, including maintenance, repair, building security, furniture, utilities, and equipment are eligible as a supportive service.

(1) Supportive services must be necessary to assist program participants obtain and maintain housing.

(2) Recipients and subrecipients shall conduct an annual assessment of the service needs of the program participants and should adjust services accordingly.

(b) Duration. (1) For a transitional housing project, supportive services must be made available to residents throughout the duration of their residence in the project.

(2) Permanent supportive housing projects must provide supportive services for the residents to enable them to live as independently as is practicable throughout the duration of their residence in the project.

(3) Services may also be provided to former residents of transitional housing and current residents of permanent housing who were homeless in the prior 6 months, for no more than 6 months after leaving transitional housing or homelessness, respectively, to assist their adjustment to independent living.

(4) Rapid rehousing projects must require the program participant to meet with a case manager not less than once per month as set forth in § 578.37(a)(1)(ii)(F), to assist the program participant in maintaining long-term housing stability.

(c) Special populations. All eligible costs are eligible to the same extent for program participants who are unaccompanied homeless youth; persons living with HIV/AIDS; and victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

(d) Ineligible costs. Any cost that is not described as an eligible cost under this section is not an eligible cost of providing supportive services using Continuum of Care program funds. Staff training and the costs of obtaining professional licenses or certifications needed to provide supportive services are not eligible costs.

(e) Eligible costs. (1) Annual Assessment of Service Needs. The costs of the assessment required by § 578.53(a)(2) are eligible costs.

(2) Assistance with moving costs. Reasonable one-time moving costs are eligible and include truck rental and hiring a moving company.

(3) Case management. The costs of assessing, arranging, coordinating, and monitoring the delivery of individualized services to meet the needs of the program participant(s) are eligible costs. Component services and activities consist of:

(i) Counseling;

(ii) Developing, securing, and coordinating services;

(iii) Using the centralized or coordinated assessment system as required under § 578.23(c)(9).

(iv) Obtaining federal, State, and local benefits;

(v) Monitoring and evaluating program participant progress;

(vi) Providing information and referrals to other providers;

(vii) Providing ongoing risk assessment and safety planning with victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and

(viii) Developing an individualized housing and service plan, including planning a path to permanent housing stability.

(4) Child care. The costs of establishing and operating child care, and providing child-care vouchers, for children from families experiencing homelessness, including providing meals and snacks, and comprehensive and coordinated developmental activities, are eligible.

(i) The children must be under the age of 13, unless they are disabled children.

(ii) Disabled children must be under the age of 18.

(iii) The child-care center must be licensed by the jurisdiction in which it operates in order for its costs to be eligible.

(5) Education services. The costs of improving knowledge and basic educational skills are eligible.

(i) Services include instruction or training in consumer education, health education, substance abuse prevention, literacy, English as a Second Language, and General Educational Development (GED).

(ii) Component services or activities are screening, assessment and testing; individual or group instruction; tutoring; provision of books, supplies, and instructional material; counseling; and referral to community resources.

(6) Employment assistance and job training. The costs of establishing and operating employment assistance and job training programs are eligible, including classroom, online and/or computer instruction, on-the-job instruction, services that assist individuals in securing employment, acquiring learning skills, and/or increasing earning potential. The cost of providing reasonable stipends to program participants in employment assistance and job training programs is also an eligible cost.

(i) Learning skills include those skills that can be used to secure and retain a job, including the acquisition of vocational licenses and/or certificates.

(ii) Services that assist individuals in securing employment consist of:

(A) Employment screening, assessment, or testing;

(B) Structured job skills and job-seeking skills;

(D) Books and instructional material;

(E) Counseling or job coaching; and

(F) Referral to community resources.

(7) Food. The cost of providing meals or groceries to program participants is eligible.

(8) Housing search and counseling services. Costs of assisting eligible program participants to locate, obtain, and retain suitable housing are eligible.

(i) Component services or activities are tenant counseling; assisting individuals and families to understand leases; securing utilities; and making moving arrangements.

(ii) Other eligible costs are:

(A) Mediation with property owners and landlords on behalf of eligible program participants;

(B) Credit counseling, accessing a free personal credit report, and resolving personal credit issues; and

(iii) Housing counseling, as defined in § 5.100, that is funded with or provided in connection with grant funds must be carried out in accordance with § 5.111. When recipients or subrecipients provide housing services to eligible persons that are incidental to a larger set of holistic case management services, these services do not meet the definition of Housing counseling, as defined in § 5.100, and therefore are not required to be carried out in accordance with the certification requirements of § 5.111.

(9) Legal services. Eligible costs are the fees charged by licensed attorneys and by person(s) under the supervision of licensed attorneys, for advice and representation in matters that interfere with the homeless individual or family's ability to obtain and retain housing.

(i) Eligible subject matters are child support; guardianship; paternity; emancipation; legal separation; orders of protection and other civil remedies for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; appeal of veterans and public benefit claim denials; landlord tenant disputes; and the resolution of outstanding criminal warrants.

(ii) Component services or activities may include receiving and preparing cases for trial, provision of legal advice, representation at hearings, and counseling.

(iii) Fees based on the actual service performed (i.e., fee for service) are also eligible, but only if the cost would be less than the cost of hourly fees. Filing fees and other necessary court costs are also eligible. If the subrecipient is a legal services provider and performs the services itself, the eligible costs are the subrecipient's employees' salaries and other costs necessary to perform the services.

(iv) Legal services for immigration and citizenship matters and issues related to mortgages and homeownership are ineligible. Retainer fee arrangements and contingency fee arrangements are ineligible.

(10) Life skills training. The costs of teaching critical life management skills that may never have been learned or have been lost during the course of physical or mental illness, domestic violence, substance abuse, and homelessness are eligible. These services must be necessary to assist the program participant to function independently in the community. Component life skills training are the budgeting of resources and money management, household management, conflict management, shopping for food and other needed items, nutrition, the use of public transportation, and parent training.

(11) Mental health services. Eligible costs are the direct outpatient treatment of mental health conditions that are provided by licensed professionals. Component services are crisis interventions; counseling; individual, family, or group therapy sessions; the prescription of psychotropic medications or explanations about the use and management of medications; and combinations of therapeutic approaches to address multiple problems.

(12) Outpatient health services. Eligible costs are the direct outpatient treatment of medical conditions when provided by licensed medical professionals including:

(i) Providing an analysis or assessment of an individual's health problems and the development of a treatment plan;

(ii) Assisting individuals to understand their health needs;

(iii) Providing directly or assisting individuals to obtain and utilize appropriate medical treatment;

(iv) Preventive medical care and health maintenance services, including in-home health services and emergency medical services;

(v) Provision of appropriate medication;

(vi) Providing follow-up services; and

(vii) Preventive and noncosmetic dental care.

(13) Outreach services. The costs of activities to engage persons for the purpose of providing immediate support and intervention, as well as identifying potential program participants, are eligible.

(i) Eligible costs include the outreach worker's transportation costs and a cell phone to be used by the individual performing the outreach.

(ii) Component activities and services consist of: initial assessment; crisis counseling; addressing urgent physical needs, such as providing meals, blankets, clothes, or toiletries; actively connecting and providing people with information and referrals to homeless and mainstream programs; and publicizing the availability of the housing and/or services provided within the geographic area covered by the Continuum of Care.

(14) Substance abuse treatment services. The costs of program participant intake and assessment, outpatient treatment, group and individual counseling, and drug testing are eligible. Inpatient detoxification and other inpatient drug or alcohol treatment are ineligible.

(15) Transportation. Eligible costs are:

(i) The costs of program participant's travel on public transportation or in a vehicle provided by the recipient or subrecipient to and from medical care, employment, child care, or other services eligible under this section.

(ii) Mileage allowance for service workers to visit program participants and to carry out housing quality inspections;

(iii) The cost of purchasing or leasing a vehicle in which staff transports program participants and/or staff serving program participants;

(iv) The cost of gas, insurance, taxes, and maintenance for the vehicle;

(v) The costs of recipient or subrecipient staff to accompany or assist program participants to utilize public transportation; and

(vi) If public transportation options are not sufficient within the area, the recipient may make a one-time payment on behalf of a program participant needing car repairs or maintenance required to operate a personal vehicle, subject to the following:

(A) Payments for car repairs or maintenance on behalf of the program participant may not exceed 10 percent of the Blue Book value of the vehicle (Blue Book refers to the guidebook that compiles and quotes prices for new and used automobiles and other vehicles of all makes, models, and types);

(B) Payments for car repairs or maintenance must be paid by the recipient or subrecipient directly to the third party that repairs or maintains the car; and

(C) The recipients or subrecipients may require program participants to share in the cost of car repairs or maintenance as a condition of receiving assistance with car repairs or maintenance.

(16) Utility deposits. This form of assistance consists of paying for utility deposits. Utility deposits must be a one-time fee, paid to utility companies.

(17) Direct provision of services. If the service described in paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(16) of this section is being directly delivered by the recipient or subrecipient, eligible costs for those services also include:

(i) The costs of labor or supplies, and materials incurred by the recipient or subrecipient in directly providing supportive services to program participants; and

(ii) The salary and benefit packages of the recipient and subrecipient staff who directly deliver the services.

[77 FR 45442, July 31, 2012, as amended at 81 FR 90660, Dec. 14, 2016]