Press Release
☷Biden Harris Administration Partners with States to Address Homelessness
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ( By Press Release office)
Feb 11,2024
| 9| 1
HHS and HUD ' s Accelerator Program is gonna help states expand services to make it easier for people with complex medical needs to get and keep stable housing . The Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Housing and Urban Development are announcing that eight states and the District of Columbia have been selected to participate in a new federal initiative called the "Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator" to strengthen partnerships across housing , disability , aging , and health sectors . The program will provide technical assistance to states implementing HHS ' guidance on clinically appropriate and evidence - based services that can be covered under Medicaid and CHIP . States can support healthcare access through Medicaid demonstrations that provide services like housing transition services and case management . They can also cover short - term housing costs like security deposits and rental application fees to help connect people to HUD housing programs . The Accelerator was announced in November 2023 as a competitive technical assistance opportunity for states that have approved federal Medicaid section 1115 demonstrations or section 1915 ( i ) state plan amendments covering housing - related support services for people experiencing or at - risk of homelessness when clinically appropriate . As part of their application for the Accelerator program , states were asked to put together teams with partners from their health , housing , and aging and disability sectors . They also had to outline their progress in implementing Medicaid - covered housing services and supports , their goals for the Accelerator , and areas where they needed technical assistance . HHS and HUD received a lot of applications from fifteen eligible states and DC . After a thorough review and scoring process , including interviews with state teams , the following states were chosen: Arizona , California , District of Columbia , Hawaii , Maryland , Massachusetts , Minnesota , North Carolina , and Washington . Over the next year , HUD and HHS will provide intensive technical assistance and opportunities for these states to exchange ideas with each other . The goal is to help them implement housing services and supports for people with complex health needs who are homeless or at risk of homelessness . This includes people with disabilities , older adults , people with mental health disorders , people with substance use disorders , and people with other chronic medical conditions . By receiving this assistance , these states can improve the coordination and delivery of services like navigation services , case management , transition assistance , and home modifications . This will help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness find and maintain stable housing . You can find summaries of each state ' s focus areas and goals for the Accelerator program here . The Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator is part of the federal commitment to scaling housing and supports to address homelessness , as outlined in the Biden Administration ' s Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness . Secretary Becerra , who chairs the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness , has prioritized expanding supportive services to prevent and address homelessness . Last week , HUD announced $3 . 16 billion in funding for 7 , 000 housing and services projects for people experiencing homelessness . This is the largest expansion of annual federal funding for HUD ' s Continuum of Care program in history . In November 2023 , the HHS published guidance and a framework to help states cover services like housing and nutrition for eligible enrollees . The selected eight states and DC will receive support through the Accelerator program . States not selected for the Accelerator can apply for the National Academy for State Health Policy’s Health and Housing Institute . The HHI supports states working to increase access to affordable housing and support for homeless individuals . Applications for the HHI are due on February 13 , 2024 . Later this year , there will be a meeting for the states and communities involved in these programs to share and discuss their efforts to address homelessness .
PLAY the NEWS
* May be useful for visually impaired persons .
Press release information:
Direct link to press release:
Click here .