Georgia Supportive Housing Association

 State Action Plan – 9000 by 2015

2014 Legislative Session

 

•Services

Support a DBHDD budget.

Expand Medicaid eligibility to 650,000 people using 93% federal dollars available under the Affordable Care Act. Go towww.coverga.org for educational materials and information.

Develop a Georgia Medicaid “Health Home” Plan Amendmentto integrate medical and mental health treatment. Utilize the 90/10 federal dollars.

Where caseloads warrant, require service agencies to establish on-site support.

Expand housing programs connected to Accountability Courts.

Expand the regional housing coordinator program to work with the criminal justice re-entry programs

Remove the food stamp ban for drug felons

•Development Capital

Require every Low Income Housing Tax Credit project to have a minimum of 10% supported housing. Follow the lead of North Carolina.

Create a source of capital for small single site projects.

Create a source of capital for Host Homes.

Create a source of capital for transitional re-entry housing for persons with significant behavioral health concerns.

•Rent Subsidy

Ask local housing authorities to follow DCA’s lead and create a“preference” for 1/2 of its recycled Section 8 subsidies to persons in the targeted Settlement population.

Create a DCA program that enables Shelter Plus Care participants to receive a Section 8 vouch.er

Continue the expansion of the State Housing Voucher Program begun in FY 2011. Reach the 2000 household goal by FY 2015.

Create a state housing voucher program for persons with disabilities leaving prisons and jails.

•Federal

Support expanded McKinney Vento Funding and its Shelter Plus Care Program.

Support project based VASH.

Support federal funding for Mental Health First Aid.

•Research

Determine the number of persons in the state with a disabling condition who are homeless or in jail or prison.

Determine the cost benefit of supportive housing using Georgia data.

Study the satisfaction of persons receiving supportive housing in both scattered sites and single sites.

 

For Information: Paul Bolster, executive director bolsterp@bellsouth.net, 404-664-0059 www.supportivehousingassociation.com