The DASH supportive housing program is a federally-funded program in Durham County that provides rental assistance and supportive services to help the most vulnerable households with an adult family member who has a disability move from homelessness to affordable permanent housing. The program links participants to independent, affordable housing opportunities and provides access to supportive services including care coordination, medication management, life skills training, tenancy and budgeting training, behavioral health counseling, and transportation and vocational services to increase housing stability, increase income opportunities and obtain greater self-sufficiency.
The DASH program follows the guidelines for residency established in Entry Point Durham’s service prioritization. Applicants to the DASH program must meet the HUD eligibility standard for being chronically homeless. The head of household must be an adult with a documented long-term disabling condition.
Section A: Eligible Participants (Who Can Be Housed)
For purposes of this program, only households headed by an adult member with a documented disabling condition and experiencing one of the following homeless situations will be considered. Each situation listed below must have some documentation to support the claim:
- Living in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks or abandoned buildings (“on the street”).
- Living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state and local government programs). Households coming from transitional housing must have originally come from the streets or emergency shelter).
- Exiting an institution where the household has resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.
For the purposes of this program, only households with a documented disabling condition with one of the following chronically homeless situations will be considered. Each situation below must have some documentation to support the claim:
- Living in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or in an emergency shelter AND
- Has been homeless continuously for at least 12 months OR
- On at least four separate occasions in the last three years where the combined occasions must total at least 12 months (365 days).
Note: Occasion is defined by a break of at least seven nights not residing in an emergency shelter, safe haven, or residing in a place meant for human habitation (e.g., staying with a friend, in a hotel/motel paid for by program participant). Stays in institutions of fewer than 90 days do not constitute a break and count toward total time homeless.
Section B: Disability
Applicants must have a primary diagnosis of one or more of the following:
- Serious mental illness
- Chronic substance abuse
- Developmental disability
- HIV/AIDS
- Physical disability
Section C: Income
This program does not require a source of income at the time of application and/or program entry. When a participant obtains a source of cash income they will be required to pay 30% of their monthly adjusted income towards rent and/or utilities.
Section D: Criminal Background
If an applicant has one of the following criminal activities they may be deemed ineligible for the program. No other felony convictions will be considered.
- Applicant has been convicted of manufacturing or producing methamphetamine on federally-assisted housing property.
- Applicant is a convicted sex offender subject to a lifetime registration requirement under a state sex offender registration program.
Note: The applicant may seek a “reasonable accommodation” if his/her criminal activity is a direct result of the disabling condition identified in the verification of disability.
Section E: Substance Use
This program uses a Housing First model and has no programmatic preconditions such as demonstration of sobriety, completion of alcohol or drug treatment or agreeing to comply with a treatment regimen upon entry in the program.
Section F: Other Requirements
Applicants must complete the Vulnerability Index Service Prioritization Decision Assessment Tool (VI-SPDAT) and must be listed on the Durham Continuum of Care Permanent Supportive Housing By-Name List. Applicants may be added to the list by contacting Entry Point Durham at (984) 287-8313 for a phone intake.
To be considered for DASH applicants must have a VI-SPDAT score of 10 or higher and meet the definition of chronically homeless.