ATTACHMENT A_SHPF RFI Response Form .docx

Attachment A: Response Form Please answer as many of the questions as you’re interested in. If a question doesn’t apply to you, feel free to skip it or answer “Don’t Know.”

Respondents should enter their answers on Attachment A (Response Form). If you need more space to write any of your answers, you can send a separate Word document. You’re welcome to provide feedback on any or all of the RFI topics.

1. What organization do you represent?

2. Which category best describes your organization?

· Direct care service provider

· Community Development Corporation (CDC)

· Housing developer (private or nonprofit)

· Property management company

· Shelter provider

· Housing finance agency

· Municipality or government organization

· Bank or lender

· Foundation or philanthropic

· Advocacy organization

· Healthcare entity

· Other (please describe)

3. What population(s) does your organization serve? (Check all that apply)

· Individuals experiencing homelessness or chronic homelessness

· Families experiencing homelessness or chronic homelessness

· Older adults (age 65+)

· Individuals and families with behavioral needs, serious mental illness, or substance addiction needs

· Survivors of domestic violence

· Survivors of human trafficking

· Survivors of sexual violence

· Transitional age youth

· Veterans

· Other (please describe)

4. What is your organization’s background as it relates to supporting the above population(s) within supportive housing? Describe the type of supportive services you provide the populations your organizations and/or partners serve?

Topic 2. Existing Operating and Supportive Services Funding

1. Attachment B (Tab 2) includes a list of identified supportive services costs. Are there any additional supportive services that you utilize not captured on this list?

2. Attachment B (Tab 1) includes a list of identified operating costs. Are there any additional operating costs you incur not captured on this list?

3. How do you track which service costs your service funds are being spent on?

· For example, if your client is enrolled in MassHealth Community Support Program for Homeless Individuals (CSP-HI) for case management or Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) enhanced vouchers, how is that being tracked for a specific service or operating cost (aka how are you tracking sources and uses)?

4. Are you leveraging Medicaid-reimbursable services (e.g. CSP-HI, Group Adult Foster Care (GAFC), etc.) for supportive services?

· If yes, what specific services?

· What % of people in your portfolio are you able to claim billing to support?

· For new projects, how do you project out the role of Medicaid-reimbursable services when submitting an operating and services plan?

5. If yes to question 4, what are the existing barriers to billing MassHealth and how does this impact the percentage of clients you’re able to claim billing for? Do you bill directly through MassHealth or through an intermediary? What % of total supportive services costs are covered through MassHealth reimbursement?

6. Are there services that are provided by external agencies to your clients?

· How does service provision and payment/cost reimbursement for these services work?

· What are the successes and challenges of these partnerships?

7. Are there services that could be provided by external agencies, or costs that could be covered by external agencies, but there is a barrier or drawback to partnering?

8. Is there anything else you would like to share regarding operating and supportive services funding?

Topic 3. Development, Private Market Units, and Tenant Selection Processes

1. For new projects, how do you structure, identify, and/or build in assumptions on potential sources for your proposed services costs/budgets when requesting project funding from EOHLC’s Division of Housing Development? What works well and what are the challenges with the current process?

2. For respondents that have previously developed supportive housing, have any of your earlier projects dealt with operating and service gaps? Did this occur before or after your project closed? How did you mitigate those gaps?

3. For respondents that have not previously developed and/or funded supportive housing, are there particular gaps or barriers that discouraged you? What resources, tools, or partnerships would you need to develop supportive housing?

4. How is your tenant selection process informed by your potential sources of capital, operating, and service funding? (Note: if any of your potential sources of funding impose household eligibility criteria for housing and/or services, please identify the particular sources and the eligibility criteria below).

· a. Capital:

· b. Operating:

· c. Services:

5. How could the Commonwealth better support providers as it relates to developing their operating and supportive services budgets?

Topic 4: Supportive Housing Pool Fund (SHPF) Implementation

1. Are there specific populations needing supportive housing that the Commonwealth should prioritize when considering applicants for the pool? Please share any rationale and relevant data to demonstrate prioritized need for a specific population.

2. At what time period would be most beneficial for your organization to seek funding from the SHPF? For example, would your organization prefer to seek funding from the SHPF at the same time as completing or in advance of a OneStop application?

3. The SHPF will require applicants seeking funding to maximize and/or exhaust all existing funding sources for operating and supportive services. How do you envision demonstrating these efforts to the Commonwealth and what are the challenges in doing so?

4. Similar models implemented in other States, often referred to as “flexible funding pools”, are designed to incentivize philanthropic, healthcare, and other private entities to contribute funding. How do you envision non-government entities being a funding source for the SHPF? What considerations should EOHLC take into account when considering the role of non-government funding sources?

5. Are there any best practices the Commonwealth should consider from national examples of flexible funding pools?

6.