Supportive Housing Narrative
Instructions: Only applicants with projects that qualify as primarily supportive housing (50% or more of the total units will serve High Priority Homeless (HPH), People with Disabilities (PWD), or other homeless households must complete this narrative. This includes all applicants that would like to be considered for Housing Infrastructure funding for supportive housing (refer to the Housing Infrastructure Guide for Permanent Supportive Housing eligibility criteria). 
 
Applicants must consult with the local Continuum of Care (CoC) to develop a plan for the supportive housing units and with the county or Tribal human services department for the PWD units to determine if the proposal meets a need for supportive housing in the proposed location. Applicants must also confirm that there is a demonstrated market of eligible households for the units as proposed and must determine whether the planned resources for rental assistance and services are appropriate and feasible. Refer to the CoC Contact List for CoC contact information. 

To be considered a competitive applicant for supportive housing units, the narrative responses must reflect and demonstrate a joint response by the developer, the primary service provider, the management agent, and the county or Tribal human services department (as applicable). The narrative must be signed by the primary service provider and a representative from the county or Tribal human services department (if PWD units are included in proposal).

For information about supportive housing, refer to the Supportive Housing webpage.

Project Information	
Property Name	     	
Property Address 	     	
Owner/Sponsor	     	
Primary Service Provider	     	

Property Eligibility and Key Partners
1.	Is the proposed project one of the following types of licensed facilities? Check all that apply:
 Nursing home
 Assisted living 
 Boarding and lodging establishment
 Supervised living facility
 A property where residents require a 24-hour plan for supervision and/or medical health care
 Not a licensed facility
2.	Describe the partnership between the owner, the property management company, and the service provider(s), and any previous experience working together. 
     
3.	PWD units are intended to serve low-income people with disabilities who are not necessarily homeless, and who receive, or are eligible to receive, mainstream services through the county or Tribal human services. Each county or Tribe may provide the services directly or they may contract with local providers to provide the service(s). 
If the project proposal includes PWD units, describe the collaboration between the applicant/ owner and county or Tribal human services department to create these units to address the needs of people with disabilities in the community.
     

Supportive Housing Unit Types and Tenant Characteristics
4.	
Total Number of Housing Units	     	
5.	Enter the housing unit distribution, proposed populations, referral sources, and rental assistance resources for the supportive housing units in the table below. NOTE: Units primarily targeting families should be at least two bedrooms. 
KEY: HPH = High Priority Homeless; PWD = People with Disabilities; SH = Supportive Housing; SRO = Single Room Occupancy; Eff = Efficiency; BR = Bedroom
	HPH units	PWD Units	Other SH Units	Units that are not SH	
Total Number of Units	     	     	     	     	
Number of Units by Size
(SRO, Eff, 1 BR, etc.)	     	     	     	     	
Population Characteristics and Referral Sources 	Population characteristics
     
	Disability Type(s):      
Referral Sources:
     	Population characteristics
     
Referral Sources:
     	Population characteristics
     
	
Will Homelessness Eligibility be Required? 	Yes	Y  N 	Y  N 	N/A	
Other Eligibility Requirements	     	     	     	     	
Rental Assistance Source(s)* /Number of Units	     /     
Secured        or
Applied For 	     /     
Secured        
or
Applied For 	     /     
Secured        or
Applied For 	     /     
Secured        
or
Applied For 	
	     /     
Secured        or
Applied For 	     /     
Secured       
or
Applied For 	     /     
Secured        or
Applied For 	     /     
Secured        
or
Applied For 	
*Rental assistance sources include but are not limited to: Project-based Section 8 (PBA), Housing Support – General or LTH (long-term homeless), HUD (U.S. Housing and Urban Development) CoC (Continuum of Care), HUD-VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing), and rents set at Supportive Housing levels, or describe any other type. If you are using Housing Support, indicate if you are using general or LTH Housing Support and also include “LTH” under the “Other Eligibility Requirements” section above. Note that Section 811 is not an eligible rental assistance source for primarily supportive housing projects.
The rents for HPH, PWD and other supportive housing units must be affordable to the proposed population. Refer to the Multifamily Underwriting Standards-Supportive Housing Underwriting Standards for information on underwriting rent levels for supportive housing units. 
6.	If using Housing Support for rent, the owner and service provider should work together to determine the amount of Housing Support that can be used for rent (and operations such as front desk). The Housing Support provider must provide all of the room and board requirements (e.g., beds, linens, cleaning supplies). The underwriting standards assume $200/unit for these expenses, but this is negotiable if the Housing Support provider can provide these requirements for a lower amount or by using other resources. In addition, to allow tenants to affordably transition from Housing Support to Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) housing assistance, at least 15% of the Housing Support rents must be set no higher than the rent restriction level for the unit and must not exceed $734.
If using Housing Support for rent, describe the maximum amount that may be used for rent and operations (of the current rate of $1185) and how the room and board requirements will be met, as determined in consultation with the Housing Support provider. 
     
7.	Provide additional narrative to describe proposed rental assistance resources as needed (optional):
     
8.	For applicants that are applying for deferred funding sources and would like to be considered for Housing Infrastructure funding for supportive housing, note that all units must serve people experiencing homelessness (HPH or other homeless1 populations, including people leaving institutions who do not have a permanent residence, or those experiencing homelessness who are not referred through Coordinated Entry). 
a)	For new projects, will all units serve households experiencing homelessness?
Yes    No     N/A 

b)	For existing projects with occupied units, will all the tenants meet the homeless eligibility by the time of closing on the financing?
Yes    No     N/A 
9.	Describe any distinctive development design elements of the supportive housing, including unique characteristics or composition of the unit(s) and/or the office/common space(s) that will be accessed by supportive housing tenants. (e.g., roommates or a shared housing model, community space, service provider office space)
     
10.	Will meals be provided on site, and if so, how will meal provision be funded?
     

Tenant Referral and Application Process 
11.	The applicant acknowledges that the project will use Coordinated Entry as the referral source for HPH units:
Yes    No 	
12.	If there are populations the project intends to serve in supportive housing units that are not included in the Coordinated Entry system, describe the population(s) and why they are not included or served through the Coordinated Entry system:
     
13.	For applicants that are proposing to serve homeless populations not referred through the Coordinated Entry system, confirm that, if selected, outreach and assessment process for these supportive housing units will be outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and/or service plan during underwriting, in collaboration with community partners and Minnesota Housing:
Yes    No 
14.	Tenant Screening: In December of 2020, Minnesota Housing released updated Tenant Selection Plan (TSP) Guidelines that provide explicit requirements for tenant screening for supportive housing units. Projects selected beginning with the 2021 Multifamily RFP must comply with these requirements. Minnesota Housing will review TSPs prior to approval for loan closing or housing tax credit (HTC) carryover to make sure the TSP is structured to adequately reach the intended population. 
The applicant acknowledges that the project’s TSP will comply with Minnesota Housing’s TSP Guidelines?
Yes    No 
For more information on the impact of criminal history on success in housing, refer to the Wilder Research report, Success in Housing: How Much Does Criminal Background Matter?
15.	There cannot be additional criteria to determine applicant acceptance beyond unit eligibility and screening practices that comply with Minnesota Housing TSP guidelines. Confirm whether the project will be able to meet this expectation.
Yes    No 

Occupancy Requirements 
16.	Will the tenants hold a lease or rental agreement?
Yes    No 
17.	Will there be any specific occupancy requirements for the supportive housing units beyond standard lease terms (e.g. sobriety, participation in services, curfew)?
Yes    No 
If yes, describe the requirements and the rationale for these requirements:
     

Service Delivery
The Supportive Housing Alliance (SHA), formerly known as the Stewardship Council, is an interagency working group of designees from organizations that fund the development and operation of supportive housing throughout Minnesota, whose purpose is to directly impact the creation, preservation, and stabilization of supportive housing as a key component in Minnesota’s work to prevent and end homelessness. 

SHA has initiated a funding alignment project aimed at strengthening the supportive housing infrastructure statewide. The goal is to align funding for capital operating expenses and services and to secure additional resources. As a first step in this process, SHA has developed supportive housing standards so that housing providers and funders have a clear understanding of what is needed for quality supportive housing to serve the needs of the intended populations. 

To develop the supportive housing standards, SHA contracted with North Star Policy Consulting in 2021 to engage stakeholders to develop recommendations for the standards. SHA then used those recommendations to draft the standards in 2022 and again conducted stakeholder engagement sessions for feedback for the final draft of the standards. SHA approved the final draft of the supportive housing standards in November 2022. SHA recommends that both capital and service funders of site-based supportive housing adopt these standards for organizations and developments they fund to provide supportive housing.

The Supportive Housing Standards are considered best practices, and Minnesota Housing encourages owners and project partners to incorporate the standards into their operations and as funding allows.  

18.	Are the supportive housing partners for this proposal (service provider, property management, and owner) willing to work to adhere to the Supportive Housing Standards as funding allows, and use them to guide service delivery expectations?
Yes    No 
19.	Describe how the supportive housing partnership will be rooted in or engaged in anti-racism and equity work for this property. 
     
20.	The project will have specific practices and policies that will be used by the service provider and property management to address lease infractions and prevent eviction or loss of housing for the supportive housing tenants. This policy will be described in the MOU and service plan for the project.
Yes    No 
21.	The HPH units will require data entry into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Will the primary service provider or another identified entity maintain responsibility for HMIS entry for the HPH units?
Yes    No 

Service Staffing and Funding Resources
22.	In the table below, indicate the total staffing full-time equivalent (FTE) and costs related to the provision of supportive services by the primary service provider, front desk staffing, and the planned funding sources for those costs. Staffing should be adequate to support the intended population, including on-site service provision and front desk staffing with consideration for external services brought on-site, such as behavioral health services, nursing services, etc. (do not include the external services in the budget- describe in question 23)
Staffing Type:	FTE	Annual Cost	Planned Funding Sources (must correspond to sources listed in Question #26)	
Case Manager(s) or Tenant Service Coordinator(s)	     	     	     	
Other – list:      	     	     	     	
Other – list:      	     	     	     	
Front Desk	     	     	     	
Senior Service Coordination
If project is restricted to 55+	     	     	     	
TOTAL 	Total FTE
     	Total Annual Cost
     		
23.	If there are other service providers that will be providing significant supports and services to households on a regular basis, describe the type of service(s) and anticipated level of services.
     
24.	Will the development have a staffed front desk or on-site security?
Yes    No 
a.	If yes, will the front desk be staffed by property management or service provider staff?  
 Service Provider
  Property Management
  A mix of Service Provider and Property Management Staff
25.	Will property management be on site on a regular basis?
Yes    No 
a.	If yes, how many hours per week?      
26.	In the table below, describe the planned and secured funding sources for services provided by the primary service provider for the HPH, PWD, and other supportive housing units, including sources to cover front desk costs. NOTE: HH = households. 
The funding sources for the FTE from the staffing table in Question #22 must be reflected in the table below. Documentation for secured service funding must be included with application materials uploaded to the Multifamily Customer Portal. 
Funding Sources	# of HHs	Estimated Annual Amount	Secured	Applied For	
Housing Support Service Rate	     	$     	Yes 
No  	Yes 
No  	
Medicaid Billable or Waiver Services*   
Type      	     	$     	Yes 
No  	Yes 
No  	
Medicaid Billable or Waiver Services*  
Type      	     	$     	Yes 
No  	Yes 
No  	
Development Operating Budget:
     	$     	Shown on Workbook under Unique Costs	
State Grant/Funding Source (be specific)
     	$     	Yes 
No  	Yes 
No  	
Federal Grant/Funding Source (be specific):
     	$     	Yes 
No  	Yes 
No  	
Other – Name:
     	$     	Yes 
No  	Yes 
No  	
Other – Name:
     	$     	Yes 
No  	Yes 
No  	
TOTAL ESTIMATED ANNUAL SERVICE BUDGET**	$     		
* Medicaid Mental Health Services (ARMHS, TCM, ACT, etc.), Medicaid Waiver Services (CADI, BI, EW), Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services (HSS). List sources proposed to be used and upload verification of secured sources to the Multifamily Customer Portal.
**The Total Estimated Annual Service Budget total should match or be greater than the total cost outlined in the table for Question #22. 
NOTE: The Medicaid Housing Stabilization Service enrollment began in July 2020. Minnesota Housing expects all service providers serving eligible households to become enrolled providers.
27.	Is the designated service provider an enrolled provider in Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services?
Yes  No 
a.	If the answer is no, describe the plan to become enrolled. 
     

Service Provider Confirmation
I,      , hereby certify that the organization stated below has agreed to be the primary service provider for the supportive housing units for this development and has participated in completing the Supportive Housing Narrative.

     	     	
Name of Organization	Signature 	
			
     	     	     	
Printed Authorized Signatory	Title of Authorized Signatory	Date 	

County or Tribal Human Services Entity
The signature of the human services entity is necessary if the project proposal includes PWD units. The signature confirms the collaboration and consultation between the owner/applicant and the human services entity in determining the target population and resource types for the PWD units, as described in Question 3 and the table in Question 5.

     	     	
Name of County/Tribal Nation	Signature 	
	
     	     	     	
Authorized Signatory	Title of Authorized Signatory	Date