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Alameda Countywide Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan 13 Goal (H): Increase Housing Opportunities for Targeted Populations Preferably, people who are homeless should be offered a housing opportunity as quickly as possible, and have some choice in where they live. Whenever possible, consumers should be offered housing without any preconditions of service participation. In supportive housing, the level of property management and supportive services available to residents should be carefully planned, sufficiently intensive, and appropriately targeted to ensure that the housing is a success for consumers, providers, and the community at large. Because people who have been homeless are more likely to have chronic health conditions and physical disabilities, it is particularly important that housing options of many kinds be physically accessible. Finally, any changes to the housing system must not result in homelessness for current residents. While Alameda County already has many types of affordable and supportive housing, the number of people in each of the populations targeted by this plan who need housing and related services is much greater than the existing housing dedicated to serving them. Increasing the amount and variety of types of housing for the plan's populations will be essential to ending homelessness in Alameda County. "I just love (my apartment) because it is mine and I have a key and I can come and go." "An apartment that I can afford and I can't beat it. A place I can call my own and it feels great. I love my place." "It will take an act of God to get me out." Fonnerly homeless adults in Alameda County, on their pennanently affordable housing ObJective. H..1 >: >UsingeX.istil1g..>re$?LArCe$,iinCl'ecl$e.andSuStaillthe~~~qntof housi ng...>forth~tarQetec:tif)9puIQtic:ms .inAltlt'nect~~()i~l1t~. Strategy H-I-A: Within existing programs, work with each jurisdiction in the county, especially Community Development Block Grant and HOME entitlement communities, to target state and federal housing funds to extremely low- income, vulnerable populations at or below 30 percent of area median income (AMI), and below 15 percent of AMI in particular. Strategy H-I-B: Collaborate with jurisdictions and developers to explore mechanisms for coordinating and pooling funding for supportive housing development, operations, and services. (See program model on page 14.) Strategy H-I-C: Encourage housing development that exceeds minimum requirements for physical accessibility, to accommodate the higher than average rate of physical disability and chronic illness among the homeless population as well as the anticipated needs of an aging population. Strategy H~l-D: Maintain funding and identify new sources for partial- and graduated-rent subsidy programs for those households who don't need a long-term deep subsidy to gain or maintain housing. (See program models on page 8.) Strategy H-I-E: Negotiate unit set-asides or master leasing for the plan's populations in new and existing developments of nonprofit housing developers.