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In this Week's Edition
News
Errors / False Information In Tenant Background Checks Raise Costs
And Barriers To Quality Rental Housing
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HUD In Depth:
Overcoming Energy Inequities Among
Low-Income and Renter Households
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NLIHC Releases Blueprint
For A Permanent Emergency
Rental Assistance Program
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ALICE In Focus:
Veterans Research Brief New Data Update
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New Funding Opportunity
Harm Reduction and
Public Safety Pilot Projects
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Capital Impact Partners Offers
Equity Bond In Support Of
Real Estate Developers Of Color
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SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access,
and Recovery (SOAR) Leadership
Academy Training Opportunity
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DDD Update: New Support
Coordinator Monitoring Tools
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Medicare Part B Coverage
Changes Coming In 2023
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MetroMSP Offering Free Employee
Cyber Awareness Training To
NJ Companies & Non Profits
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CSH 2023 Housing Summit
Request For Proposals
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ANCHOR Tax Relief
Deadline To Apply Dec. 30th
Resources & Virtual Forums
Administration For Community
Living Releases Housing and Services Resource Center Webinar Recordings
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Register for the Rutgers CSS IRP Development Workshop
November 30 - December 7, 2022
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Arc of New Jersey Webinar
On Navigating The Division of
Developmental Disabilities Service System
December 6, 2022
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Free Fall/Winter 2022-23
Webinars From DCM Associates
November 16 - December 21, 2022
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Thank you to everyone who made our conference a success! | |
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All SHA Meetings
Will resume in 2023
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On Monday, SHA joined the celebration for The Community Builders at the ribbon cutting for Bergenview Apartments in Jersey City. SHA congratulates everyone who helped bring this project to completion, which was also one of two Project Of The Year Awardees for the 2022 Supportive Housing Awards. | |
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SHA applauds our friend and colleague on the SHA Board of Trustees, Barbara Coppens, who last week received the President's Award at The Arc National Convention in Denver. Congratulations, Barbara!
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A shoutout to DCM Associates, Inc. which welcomes Jermaine “Jay” Suggs as Managing Director. Jay is a fantastic speaker as his skills include motivating and coaching groups into action. He is the CEO and Founder of Suggcess Consulting, which provides impactful inclusion strategies, executive coaching, and sales training to for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Jay’s expertise is leading and cultivating inclusive team development, coaching, and strategic planning. He has extensive experience developing and implementing creative DEI strategies for leadership accountability and employee engagement.
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SHA Welcomes New & Returning
Members In 2022
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Errors / False Information In Tenant Background Checks Raise Costs And Barriers To Quality Rental Housing | |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued two reports on the tenant background check industry. The reports describe how errors in these background checks contribute to higher costs and barriers to quality rental housing. Too often, these background checks – which purport to contain valuable tenant background information – are filled with largely unvalidated information of uncertain accuracy or predictive value. While renters bear the costs of errors and false information in these reports, they have few avenues to make tenant screening companies fix their sloppy procedures. The CFPB’s analysis of more than 24,000 complaints highlighted the renter challenges associated with the industry’s failures to remove wrong, old, or misleading information and to provide adequate investigations of disputed information.
Both reports reveal that people are denied rental housing because negative information is reported that belongs to someone else; outdated information remains on reports; and inaccurate or misleading details about arrests, criminal records, and eviction records are not corrected nor removed from reports.
As described in the two reports:
- Tenant background check content for landlords has questionable relevance, particularly given the lack of rental payment history
- As corporate landlords have increased their rental holdings, the demand for digital, algorithmic scoring of prospective tenants has increased
- Renters pay for the reports, but often do not see them, and struggle to get errors fixed
- Market dysfunctions result in companies selling erroneous data to landlords
- Renters often do not receive adverse action notices, a legal right for renters
Ultimately, the reporting of inaccurate negative information can contribute to difficulty finding affordable, quality housing, and result in people living farther from school or work, paying more in rent and fees, and undermining household financial stability.
Read the Tenant Background Checks Market Report .
Read the Consumer Snapshot: Tenant Background Checks .
Consumers can submit tenant background check complaints, or complaints about other financial products and services, by visiting the CFPB’s website or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372).
Employees who believe their companies have violated federal consumer financial protection laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act, are encouraged to send information about what they know to whistleblower@cfpb.gov.
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HUD In Depth: Overcoming Energy
Inequities Among Low-Income And Renter Households
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The In Depth section on HUD User’s Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse (RBC) takes a closer look at innovative state and local strategies, activities, and plans to mitigate the impacts of regulations on the development of affordable housing. Each In Depth article highlights a particular plan, ordinance, or strategy in the RBC database and elaborates on aspects such as the approval process, stakeholder participation, and the progress made in reducing regulatory barriers.
Improving the energy efficiency of housing is an important component of reducing carbon emissions in the United States. Lower-income households disproportionately live in units and buildings that lack energy-efficient features and spend more than 6 percent of their income on energy bills, the threshold for having a high energy burden. A report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, seeks to guide local governments in identifying opportunities for equitably greening rental properties, offering a general framework of action and proposing solutions aimed at both subsidized and naturally occurring affordable housing. The report also includes a series of case studies reviewing rental housing energy-efficiency efforts in four U.S. cities, providing insight into real-world examples.
Visit HUD User’s RBC In Depth page to learn more about the ACEEE report, as well as other plans and initiatives that state and local governments have enacted to reduce impediments to affordable housing.
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NLIHC Releases Blueprint For A
Permanent Emergency Rental Assistance Program
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NLIHC released a new report titled, Emergency Rental Assistance: A Blueprint for a Permanent Program. The report examines the implementation of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury) Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program by state and local organizations in order to identify policies and practices that led to successful implementation and provide recommendations for model programs. By offering a compendium of new research, innovative tools, and shared experiences in the implementation of ERA, the report aims to provide a blueprint that could be used to establish a permanent ERA program in the future. | |
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New Funding Opportunity
Harm Reduction and Public Safety Pilot Projects
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The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), invites nonprofit organizations to apply for grant funding to support one-year pilot projects integrating harm reduction strategies and public safety initiatives.
Through a competitive Request for Funding Applications (RFA) process, up to eight sites will be selected to implement evidence-based or promising strategies through collaborative partnerships with public safety to reduce risk of overdose and other drug-related harms for people who use drugs (PWUD) and people with substance use disorders (PWSUD) who are or may become justice-involved.
Awards will be made in amounts of up to $81,250 for a yearlong project beginning in January 2023.
In addition to funding support, selected implementation sites will receive and participate in training and technical assistance (TTA) opportunities.
Eligible applicants will be nonprofit organizations in the U.S. that a) provide harm reduction services, including syringe services, naloxone or fentanyl test strips, peer-based overdose prevention or response, medications for opioid use disorder or linkages to substance use treatment to people who are at risk of drug overdose and b) can demonstrate current or past collaborations with public safety agencies.
Applications must be submitted online by Friday, December 23, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Click here to apply for this funding
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ALICE In Focus: Veterans Research Brief New Data Update | |
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The latest ALICE in Focus: Veterans Research Brief and interactive dashboards from the research engine United For ALICE reveal that while 4% of veterans live in poverty, another 20% — five times as many — are ALICE® Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) and living paycheck to paycheck in our state.
The ALICE data uncovers the harsh realities faced by these struggling veterans. In 2019, 64% of New Jersey’s veterans living in financial hardship spent at least 35% of their income on rent, stretching their budgets even thinner. And just 13% of veterans living paycheck to paycheck participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – which means more than 62,000 may have gone to bed hungry.
The research also sheds light on factors that may have made financial insecurity more likely for some veterans. For example:
– 30% of veterans with disabilities
– 28% of veterans with a high school diploma only
– 32% of Black veterans
– 29% of Hispanic veterans
… were all unable to afford basics in New Jersey.
But the ALICE in Focus research doesn’t stop there. While many veterans were struggling financially, the data shows that, overall, they fared slightly better than nonveterans – with 24% of veterans statewide living in struggling households, compared to 28% of nonveterans. What makes the difference? Veterans are more likely to be employed full time, own a home, and have more comprehensive health insurance coverage and disability benefits. Learning what works for veterans can help inform action to improve the lives of all ALICE households in the state.
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Capital Impact Partners Offers Equity Bond
In Support Of Real Estate Developers Of Color
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SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 (Arlington, VA/San Diego, CA) – Momentus Capital announced today that U.S. Bank has purchased a $5 million Racial Equity Bond from Capital Impact Partners, part of the Momentus Capital family of companies. It is the first time that Capital Impact Partners has offered a bond like this; the use of funds is restricted to ensure investors’ funds go to developers of color and the work is achieving its intended racial equity impact.
This investment will help support Momentus Capital’s continued work toward helping real estate developers of color in an industry where they are starkly underrepresented to create generational wealth, construct developments that are aligned with community needs, and build more affordable housing.
Only 2% of real estate development companies in the United States are Black-led, and real estate firms led by people of color control only 1.5% of real estate assets under management, according to Enterprise Community Partners. And only 5% of the Urban Land Institute’s members are African American and 9% are Latino, according to a 2020 report. Additionally, U.S. Bank structured and closed the bond with Capital Impact Partners. These types of bonds help Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) raise capital to address critical social challenges.
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SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) Leadership Academy Training Opportunity | |
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Seeking to end homelessness through increased access to SSI/SSDI income supports.
The SOAR Technical Assistance Center will be offering states the opportunity to send two people per state to a SOAR Leadership Academy in FY 2023 with travel, lodging, and per diem expenses (when applicable) paid through our contract with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Leadership Academies are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Space limitations mean that we may not be able to accommodate all states. All attendees must be selected by their State Team Lead (STL) or TA Center Liaison.
What is a SOAR Leadership Academy?
The SOAR Leadership Academy is a three-day training program presented by the SAMHSA SOAR Technical Assistance (TA) Center designed to prepare individuals to serve as Local Leads within their communities, guide the SOAR initiative, and support individuals who complete the SOAR Online Course.
Topics Covered:
- Creating and Leading a Local Steering Committee
- Facilitating Effective Meetings
- Using the Online Application Tracking (OAT) program
- Funding and Sustaining SOAR in Your Community
- Conducting a one-day SOAR Online Course (OLC) Review Session
- Supporting Quality SOAR Applications in Your Community
- Working with Special Populations and Special Considerations; Veterans, Children, Justice
- Involved Persons, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and Appeals
- Creating a Local Action Plan
Expectations of Leadership Academy Registrants
- Receive recommendation from the State Team Lead
- Successfully complete the SOAR Online Course prior to attending
- Attend all three days of the program from 8:30 AM ET – 4:30 PM ET
Roles and Responsibilities of Local Leads Post-Leadership Academy
- Conduct periodic SOAR OLC Review Sessions to refresh SOAR core elements and train on state-specific SOAR processes
- Follow-up with SOAR trainees in regular meetings to discuss issues and progress on completing applications
- Collaborate with community providers and local SSA and DDS contacts to plan, implement and support local SOAR initiatives
- Work closely with the State Team Lead and SAMHSA SOAR TA Center to carry out the SOAR implementation plan in your region and to track and report outcomes Successful SOAR Local Leads
- Have experience completing SSI/SSDI applications using the SOAR model (recommended but not required)
- Are invested in SOAR and the success of SOAR within their community
- Have the time and ability to work with multiple agencies and/or the Continuum of Care within their community
- Have the capacity to lead a SOAR steering community and follow-up with trainees regarding outcomes
- Will maintain and update their community’s SOAR action plan
- Will be able to conduct SOAR OLC Review Sessions for individuals who successfully complete the SOAR Online Course
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DDD Update: New Support Coordinator Monitoring Tools | |
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The Division of Developmental Disabilities is pleased to announce that the current Support Coordinator Monthly Monitoring Tool (MMT) has been revised. The previous MMT is being replaced by two documents:
Now through December 31, 2022, use of the new Support Coordinator Monitoring Tools is optional, but use is strongly recommended and encouraged by the Division. Effective January 1, 2023 - Use of the new Support Coordinator Monitoring Tools will be required.
Support Coordinator Monitoring Tool – Work Instructions have been created to provide instruction and guidance on the use of the new tools. Links to the new Support Coordinator Monitoring Tools and Work Instructions are included in this announcement and are available on the Support Coordinator Information Webpage.
The first of several training opportunities on the new Support Coordinator Monitoring Tools is being offered on November 22, 2022, from 1pm-2:30 pm. You may register for this training through the following link: New Support Coordinator Monitoring Tools Training
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Medicare Part B Coverage Changes Coming In 2023 |  | |
The following announcement was shared from the Social Security Administration:
Starting January 1, 2023, the start dates for Medicare Part B coverage will change. Coverage will start the first day of the month after a person signs up, if they sign up during the last three months of their Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) or during the General Enrollment Period (GEP).
Before this change, if your clients signed up during the last three months of their IEP, their Medicare Part B coverage started two to three months after they enrolled. If your client doesn’t sign up for Medicare Part B during their IEP, they have another chance every year during GEP which runs from January 1 through March 31.
What is not changing:
If your client is eligible at age 65 for Medicare, their IEP will still:
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begin three months before their 65th birthday.
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include the month of their 65th birthday.
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end three months after their 65th birthday.
If your client is automatically enrolled in Medicare Part B, or if they sign up during the first three months of their IEP, their coverage will start the month they’re first eligible. If your client signs up the month that they turn 65, their coverage will start the first day of the following month. This will not change with the new rule.
You and your clients can learn more about these updates on our Medicare webpage at www.ssa.gov/medicare and our Medicare publication at www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10043.pdf.
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MetroMSP Offering Free Employee Cyber Awareness Training To NJ Companies & Non Profits | |
CSH 2023 Housing Summit Request For Proposals | |
ANCHOR Tax Relief Deadline To Apply Dec. 30th | |
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Attention ANCHOR Applicants
The deadline for filing your ANCHOR benefit application is December 30, 2022. We will begin paying ANCHOR benefits in the late Spring of 2023. ANCHOR payments will be paid in the form of a direct deposit or check, not as credits to property tax bills. We are currently mailing ANCHOR benefit information mailers to homeowners and tenants. Allow until the first week in October to receive your mailer. Homeowners who filed a homestead benefit application last year may be able to obtain their ID and PIN numbers online. Tenants do not need an ID or PIN number to file. Visit the Division’s ANCHOR page for all filing information. Due to high call volume, the ANCHOR and Homestead Benefit Hotline may be unable to take your call at certain times. If that occurs, please try your call at another time. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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More than three million residents are eligible for up to $1,500 in property tax relief under the ANCHOR program.
To be eligible for this year's benefit, you must have occupied your primary residence on October 1st, 2019. You must also file (or be exempt from) NJ income taxes. Payments will be sent no later than May 2023. The deadline for filing is December 30th, 2022. ANCHOR replaces the Homestead Benefit program.
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Homeowners
You are considered a homeowner if, on October 1, 2019, you:
- Owned a house,
- Owned a condominium and paid property taxes on your unit;
- Were a resident shareholder of a cooperative housing complex;
- Were a resident of a continuing care retirement community and your continuing care contract requires you to pay the proportionate share of property taxes attributable to your unit.
You do not qualify if your residence was completely exempt from paying property taxes or you made P.I.L.O.T. (Payments-in-Lieu-of-Tax) payments.
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Tenants
You are considered a tenant if, on October 1, 2019, you:
- Rented an apartment, condominium, or house;
- Rented or owned a mobile home located in a mobile home park.
You do not qualify if you lived in tax-exempt, subsidized, or campus housing.
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Resources & Virtual Forums | |
Administration For Community Living Releases Housing and Services Resource Center Webinar Recordings | |
Register for the Rutgers CSS IRP Development Workshop | |
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November 30 - December 7, 2022 | 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM ET
The Rutgers School of Health Professions (SHP) is offering an Individualized Rehabilitation Plan (IRP) Development Workshop to CSS staff who develop and complete IRPs (e.g., licensed staff and RNs). Participants will meet with SHP CSS staff (Emilie and Earle) and other CSS staff who complete IRPs to ask for and receive feedback during the workshop.
This 2.5 hour workshop is designed for CSS staff who develop and submit plans to the IME. Workshop participants must bring a de-identified IRP in development or have previously been submitted and received feedback but are not currently on hold to discuss and review. This will be entirely practice-based, and participants must be willing to bring a de-identified plan and provide feedback to others. Participants will work in small groups led by a SHP CSS staff. Each participant will present their plan, ask questions, and receive feedback and suggestions from those in their group. CSS programs should limit registration to 1 to 2 staff.
The CSS IRP Development Workshop will be remote and held live through Zoom on Wednesday, November 30th , and Wednesday, December 7th, from 9:30 am until 12:00 pm. Space is limited, so licensed staff and RN’s should register as soon as possible. Registration information must be for the staff attending the training.
Register for the CSS IRP Development Workshop
If you have any questions regarding the CSS IRP Development Workshop, please contact Emilie Banz or Earle Leitch.
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Arc of New Jersey Webinar On Navigating
The Division of Developmental Disabilities Service System
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Tuesday, December 6, 2022 | 6:00pm - 7:00 pm
This presentation or webinar will provide an overview of entering the DDD service system and explain eligibility requirements, the intake process, what services are available, and information related to DDD’s care management system (Support Coordination).
Click here to register for the webinar
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Free Fall/Winter 2022-23 Webinars From DCM Associates | |
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November 16, 2022
1:00 p.m. EST / 10:00 a.m. PST
Nurturing Safe Space – Ensuring a Healthy Organizational Culture
Ginny Waller, Esq. CFRE, Managing Director
Click here to register
November 30, 2022
1:00 p.m. EST / 10:00 a.m. PST
Nonprofit Board Service: Impact and Expectations
Jay Weisman, CAP®, Managing Director and Dennis C. Miller, Founder & Chairman
Click here to register
December 7, 2022
1:00 p.m. EST / 10:00 a.m. PST
Mission Ambassadors - Developing Effective
Advocates and Ambassadors for Your Mission
Gregory Nielsen, Managing Director
Click here to register
December 14, 2022
1:00 p.m. EST / 10:00 a.m. PST
The Value of Executive Coaching for Today’s Nonprofit Leaders
Dr. Jim McGuirk and Dr. Terrence Cahill, Managing Directors
Click here to register
December 21, 2022
1:00 p.m. EST / 10:00 a.m. PST
How to Become One of America’s
Most Successful Nonprofit Organizations
Dennis C. Miller, Founder & Chairman
Click here to register
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There are many great ways of supporting SHA: Join as a member, send donations, or shop with AmazonSmile. Thank you for your support!
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Want all the member benefits with SHA? Visit our website or contact Joseph Christensen to apply or manage your membership.
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Members can post jobs to find applicants within the wider supportive housing community. Click on the button to visit our job page.
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Advocate ● Educate ● Support
The Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey unites its diverse coalition of members engaging development, resources, and information to sustain supportive housing systems within New Jersey. Since 1998, our statewide mission seeks to enhance lives and accessibility to enable independent living within our communities.
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Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey
185 Valley Street, South Orange, NJ 07079
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