Homeless Assistance Exceptions

[EAS 44-211.513]

Rule

An eligible AU may receive HA once every 12 months for one incident of continuous homelessness that is caused by the same specific circumstances. The 12-month period begins on the day the first payment of either TS or PH is issued and ends 12 months later. Once the instance of homelessness is resolved, the AU is not eligible for any further HA payments until the next 12-month period, unless an exception is met.

Exceptions

HA based on an exception is available once, at any point, during the established 12-month period. The issuance of an HA payment based on an exception does not restart the established 12-month period. The following are exceptions to the once every 12-months HA rule:

Homelessness as the direct result of a state or federally declared disaster, or
Domestic violence by a spouse, partner or roommate, or
A medically verified physical or mental illness, excluding alcoholism, drug addiction or psychological stress, or
Uninhabitability of the former residence caused by sudden or unusual circumstances beyond the client's control, including but not limited to, fire, natural catastrophe, or condemnation.

The recipient must provide verification of the reason for the exception, before the homeless payment is issued. Also, there is no required waiting period between the established 12-month period and when an AU may receive HA under a exception.

Refer to Homeless Assistance for detailed information on domestic violence and homeless assistance.

Example Example On March 1, 2017 an AU begins receiving temporary HA. The AU locates permanent housing in the same month and receives a benefit for PH in 3/2017. On September 1, 2017, the AU becomes homeless again because their residence is condemned and determined to be uninhabitable. Upon the receipt of verification, additional HA benefits are issued to AU based on the exception. The AU’s 12-month period continues to be 3/1/17 through 2/28/18. The AU would be potentially eligible for HA again starting on 3/1/18.

Note: An AU that applies for HA under an exception criteria can receive up to three days of TS benefits pending verification of the exception. However, after the AU receives payment for the initial three days, any payments for the remaining 16 days of TS is based on the AU submitting verification of the exception as well as the “Permanent Housing Search Document” (CW 74).

Federal and/or State Declared Disaster

The information regarding HA due to a state or federally declared disaster has been moved to Homelessness due to State or Federally Declared Disaster.

Verifications For Exceptions

The HA exceptions require verification by a third party governmental or private health and human services agency. Examples of verification for the exceptions include the following:

EXCEPTION	VERIFICATION
Domestic Violence	Copies of records or reports from police departments, medical facilities, Adult and Child Protective Services, Family Service Bureau, or Crisis Counseling Service Agencies. Statements from battered women shelters, signed by an administrator, counselor, or designated staff member.
Physical or Mental Illness Excluding Drug Addiction, Alcoholism, or Psychological Stress	Medical verification from the appropriate treating physician, state certified nurse, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, therapist, psychologist, licensed counselor, medical or clinical personnel with access to the patient’s records who can verify the diagnosis.
Uninhabitability of Residence	Written statements or copies of reports from police departments, fire departments, the Red Cross, health department or any other agencies authorized to verify the uninhabitability of the former residence.
State or federally declared disaster	Written documentation of the state or federally declared disaster and the areas affected by the disaster.

Example Example An AU applies for Homeless Assistance under the exception of mental illness. The AU had been homeless for some time and had no interim contact with any governmental or human services agency which could verify that homelessness was caused by the mental condition. The AU was able to provide proof of the mental condition from a psychologist and a written statement from the former landlord stating that the AU was evicted because of disruptive behavior towards the other tenants. Based upon the verification provided by the AU, the EW determines that the AU is eligible for Homeless Assistance due to the mental illness exception.

Incident of Homelessness