How to Benefit from HUD’s Service Coordinators Program

Service coordinators can be an enormous boon to residents and staff. Here’s how to get with the program.

For federally assisted housing sites, having an on-site service coordinator means vulnerable residents can have easier access to supportive services and other community resources and, ultimately, be able to get help they may need. Service coordinators act as advocates for residents and are members of the management team. And in many cases, services obtained for residents help them stay housed and healthy.

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the important role service coordinators hold in the support and well-being of older residents at affordable housing sites. During this time, many service coordinators have had to pivot into emergency resource roles. Luckily, service coordination as a profession had prepared for this transition.

In the past few years, service coordinators have had to navigate through various social distancing orders to ensure residents had continued access to regular food deliveries and prescriptions. According to a report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, during the pandemic, service coordinator survey respondents “estimated that 40 percent of residents of their properties did not have the food, medicine, or household supplies they would need to isolate for a week.” And because of these shortages, the report found that, “service coordinators spent much more time on both procurement and distribution of food, medicine, and household goods.”

Service coordinators also called, emailed, and left notes on the doors of residents to maintain social connections and to make sure residents received reliable information and assistance with regard to vaccines during the pandemic. Michelle Missler, president and CEO of the American Association of Service Coordinators (AASC), points out that AASC members quickly organized clinics to vaccinate residents as soon as the COVID-19 vaccine became available in the United States. In fact, since December 2020, AASC members organized 2,863 vaccine clinics to inoculate 51,834 residents at their sites.

If your site is designated for older adults or people with disabilities, it could benefit greatly from a service coordinator skilled in linking residents with services that provide food, healthcare, and socialization. We’ll give you an overview of HUD’s Service Coordinator in Multifamily Housing Services Program. We’ll also go deeper, and explain the benefits of having a service coordinator on staff, the scope of service coordinator roles and responsibilities, and funding sources for service coordinator positions. 

HUD’s Service Coordination Model

HUD established its Service Coordinators in Multifamily Housing Program (SCMF) in 1990 through the National Affordable Housing Act, Section 808. This law gave HUD the authority to use Section 8 funds to employ service coordinators in Section 202 housing. SCMF received additional authority through the 1992 Housing and Community Development Act (HCDA), which expanded the program by broadening authority for funding service coordinators in most HUD-assisted and conventional public housing developments designated for the elderly and people with disabilities.

For most of the program’s existence, the HUD Management Agent Handbook (Agent Handbook 4381.5, REV-2, CHG-2) has been the operating guide for the service coordinator program. However, four years ago, HUD devoted resources to create the SCMF resource guide, which is the reference manual now. It supplements the standards for service coordination programs outlined in the HUD Management Agent Handbook. You can find this resource guide at https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/Service-Coordinators-in-Multifamily-Housing-Program-Resource-Guide.pdf.

The resource guide recognizes a shift that has occurred in service coordination from when the program began. HUD’s resource guide outlines a “new service coordination model” in which the “role of the service coordinator has evolved to a more proactive level of coordination, engagement, outreach, assistance, and case management.” The resource guide states that HUD expects all site service coordinator programs to provide this new level of service.

The resource guide outlines seven key functions of effective service coordination:

Proactively engage with residents. Service coordinators shouldn’t wait for residents to visit them. Instead, service coordinators should make it a priority to build relationships with residents through frequent interactions that are formal and informal.

Conduct assessments and develop service plans. Service coordinators should conduct annual assessments with residents to understand their circumstances, needs, and interests. Service coordinators should use assessment information to develop plans for making referrals and helping residents obtain services and resources.

Develop a property-wide profile. Service coordinators should aggregate individual resident data to create a picture of resident needs across the housing community. This information should be used to develop responsive, community-wide programming.

Establish partnerships with community-based service organizations. Service coordinators must develop a network of supportive service providers that can assist residents. Coordinators should also maintain an up-to-date resource directory.

Make referrals for support services. Service coordinators should refer residents to service providers that can help meet their identified needs. Coordinators should also monitor whether residents have followed up on those referrals.

Educate and advocate for residents. Service coordinators should organize onsite educational events provided by community-based organizations, advocate for residents so they can obtain needed benefits and services, and support residents in advocating for themselves.

Interface with other property staff. Service coordinators should be active members of the site management team. Coordinators and site staff should meet regularly to share information and discuss issues that may affect residents, while being mindful of each other’s roles and responsibilities.

Role of Service Coordinators

Service coordinators ARE

• Advocates on behalf of their residents
• Resources for residents on available community-based services, and can answer any questions
• Facilitators of wellness and other educational programs for residents
• Motivators who empower residents to be as independent as possible
• Monitors who follow up with services provided to residents
• Champions who encourage residents to adhere to a healthy lifestyle
• Educators who provide trainings and assistance to residents and other site staff
• Advisors who can assist residents with building support networks and consult with tenant organizations and resident management
• Referral agents who connect residents to service providers who can meet their needs
• Community partners to assist residents with accessing community-based services

Service coordinators ARE NOT

• Direct service providers
• Recreation or activity directors
• Duplicators of existing community services
• Distributors of medical aids, medications, or medical advice
• Handlers of residents’ funds
• Managers or leasing agents
• Drivers of residents
• Organizers or leaders of resident associations or councils
• Powers of Attorney for residents or individuals who sign checks for residents

How Service Coordinators Benefit Management

The benefits of service coordination for residents are apparent. Linking residents to needed social services improves their quality of life. Service coordination can keep elderly people in their homes, allowing them to age-in-place with community-based supportive services rather than moving to a nursing facility. Although these supportive services may be available to your residents in the neighborhood, locating them can be difficult, especially for site managers who don’t have the time or the training to do so. So, many site owners hire a service coordinator, a full-time staff member with specialized training who’s responsible for linking assisted residents with the services they need.

The services obtained by the coordinator help seniors age-in-place in their homes with dignity and avoid premature placement into assisted living or nursing care facilities. Services that can be arranged include, but are not limited to, home-delivered meals; transportation; public assistance such as Medicaid, food stamps/SNAP, and Medicare Part D prescription drug plan; home healthcare; house cleaning services; and assistance with medical bills or insurance claims.

Owners and management also benefit from having a service coordinator on staff. Sites with a service coordination program save money on unit turnover because service coordination can lengthen your site’s average length of residency. According to figures provided by the AASC, in 2021, 93 percent of residents with service coordinators continued living independently instead of moving to facilities with higher care levels.

In addition, the one-on-one trusted relationship fostered between service coordinators and residents can help minimize costly evictions at your site. Service coordinators regularly assess residents’ needs and are in constant communication with management. The increased communication about a vulnerable resident’s circumstance can mean the resident receives timely help and the management company knows a late rent payment won’t be habitual.

“For example, an elderly resident with a fixed income may have to choose between paying for medication and rent due to some unexpected expenses. A service coordinator can help residents be able to pay their rent on time by helping them apply for programs that could reduce their costs for prescriptions, medical care, food, and more,” says Missler.

Is Your Site Eligible and How Can It Get Funding?

HUD-assisted housing sites that are designated for older adults and people with disabilities are eligible to participate in the Service Coordinators in Multifamily Housing Program. Eligible properties include Section 202 Housing for the Elderly properties, designated properties with project-based Section 8, or properties developed under the Section 221(d)(3) Below Market Interest Rate and Section 236 programs. There are two main funding sources for the Service Coordinators in Multifamily Housing Program:

Operating budget. The first method involves using your site’s operating budget or other eligible project resources such as residual receipts, budget-based rent increases, and debt service savings to fund the service coordinator position. Under this approach, the service coordinator becomes a permanent part of the management team and the cost of the service coordinator program becomes a standard budget expense.

The salary and benefits of the service coordinator position and related program costs are eligible operating expenses according to Section 8 of the Housing Act of 1937 and Project Rental Assistance contracts. Owners must obtain HUD approval to add a service coordinator program to any site’s budget, regardless of whether or not an increase in rental rates is proposed. Owners of Section 202 PRAC projects can include a service coordinator program in their operating budget at any time after the project is fully occupied [Handbook 4571.3, Ch. 1, par. 1-8.C].

In addition to including the cost of the service coordinator program in a site’s operating budget, owners of HUD-assisted multifamily housing may also use other eligible site resources to fund the program with approval from HUD. HUD may approve the use of residual receipts to fund some or all of a site’s service coordinator program. Owners of applicable sites are required to deposit any surplus cash into a residual receipts account semiannually or annually as required by their Regulatory Agreement. Surplus cash is the cash remaining after all necessary and reasonable expenses of the site have been paid or funds have been set aside for such payment. Owners with funds in their residual receipt accounts must use all available residual receipts prior to receiving any service coordinator grant funds.

HUD grants. The second method is to apply for grants awarded through a HUD-issued Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). The NOFA describes the application eligibility criteria, eligible program activities, and the method of application preparation and submission. Service coordinator grants are made for an initial three-year term and provide funding for the salary, fringe benefits, and related administrative costs associated with employing a service coordinator. Grants are renewed annually thereafter if no other funding source is available to cover costs.

SCMF Program Monitoring

Regardless of whether the source of funding is operating funds or grants provided by HUD, all service coordinator programs in multifamily housing are expected to adhere to the same requirements as outlined in the SCMF Program Resource Guide. To ensure compliance, HUD conducts monitoring reviews of service coordinator programs to ensure that grant funds and operating funds are used for their intended purpose. HUD is responsible for ensuring monitoring reviews are scheduled and conducted, and HUD Regional/Satellite Office staff will determine how often they will conduct on-site reviews.

The frequency of reviews will depend on the nature of a site’s day-to-day operations and service coordinator program activities. HUD staff may periodically perform a desk or “remote” off-site review of the program, in lieu of an on-site assessment. This review will include examining financial information and reports, the Semi-Annual Performance Report, other program activities, and compliance with training and Quality Assurance requirements.

Hiring and Training Service Coordinators

HUD doesn’t assign service coordinators to sites. A site owner will hire a service coordinator through job listings like any other staff. And hiring qualified professionals is critical to the success of the SCMF program. HUD has its own recommendations and requirements regarding the minimum qualifications for service coordinators and their training.

HUD notes that the number of residents that a service coordinator can effectively serve will depend on the needs of residents. HUD says, in general, a ratio of one full-time service coordinator to 50 to 100 residents is a reasonable ratio to use as an initial benchmark. However, at sites with large numbers of residents with mental health conditions or other high needs, a smaller ratio may be appropriate.

Recommended minimum qualifications. As specified in Chapter 8 of the Management Agent Handbook 4381.5, the minimum requirements for service coordinators in multifamily housing are:

• A bachelor’s degree in social work or a degree in psychology or counseling, preferably; however, individuals without a degree but with appropriate work experience may be hired;
• Two to three years’ experience in providing social services to families;
• Demonstrated working knowledge of social services and resources in your area; and
• Demonstrated ability to advocate, organize, problem-solve, and “provide results” for families.

The SCMF program resource guide adds that training in cultural competency and bilingual skills are also assets for many service coordination positions.

You may wish to include aides to assist service coordinators in carrying out their functions. Aides should have appropriate education or experience working with elderly people and/or persons with disabilities. College students working towards a degree in social work or a health-related field may look to gain hands-on experience, and may be able to receive academic credit for an internship or work-study program. In addition to interns, volunteers may have more time to coordinate events, find service providers, or complete other tasks that enhance service coordination at the organization.

HUD says it’s important to note that volunteers don’t have the same role as service coordinators, and shouldn’t be given sensitive information without resident consent. In addition, service coordinators are encouraged to review their employer’s policy on the use of volunteers and the use of criminal history background checks. In some cases, it may be helpful to use residents as volunteers. If doing so, care should be taken to avoid the appearance of favoritism.

Training requirements. As specified in Chapter 8 of the Management Agent Handbook, all new-hire service coordinators must have met a minimum of 36 training hours of classroom/seminar time before hiring, or must complete these minimum training requirements within 12 months of initial hiring, on age-related and disability issues. The training is on seven topics within the first year for all service coordinators.

In response to a White House directive to better recognize and treat mental health needs, HUD has recently underscored the importance of training in these areas for service coordinators and other housing staff. AASC is supporting these efforts through webinars and on-demand training focused on mental health.  Through its AASC Online case management system, the organization has also increased access to assessments for depression and social isolation.

If a service coordinator has recently completed college courses from an accredited academic institution within the past three years on aging, mental health, or other relevant topics related to the resident population being served, these courses can be counted towards the initial 36-hour training requirement.

With regard to ongoing or continuing education, HUD requires service coordinators to remain current on changing statutes at all levels of government and current practices in aging and/or disability issues. HUD says that, after the initial training requirements at hiring, service coordinators should receive 12 hours of continuing education each year. Training for both new hires and to meet ongoing training requirements must be documented and verified by the owner.

Required and Recommended Training Areas for Service Coordinators

> Required Training Areas for New Hires

• The Aging Process
• Federal and Applicable State Programs and Eligibility
• Elder Services
• Disability Services
• Legal Liability relating to Service Coordination
• Drug and Alcohol Use/Abuse by Elders
• Mental Health Issues

> Required Ongoing Training Areas

• SCMF Program Online Learning Tool
• The Role of the Service Coordinator
• Ethics in Service Coordination
• Networking in the Community and Identifying Resources
• Basics of Documentation
• Outcomes and Program Evaluation
• Mental Health and Aging
• Healthy Aging
• Medications and Older Adults
• Communication Strategies in Working with Older Adults
• Fair Housing and Reasonable Accommodations
• Professional Boundaries

> Additional Recommended Training Areas

• Identifying and Assessing Capabilities and Needs
• Monitoring and Evaluating Services
• Effective Advocacy
• Crisis Prevention and Intervention
• Working with Other Members of the Site Management Team
• Cultural Competency
• Chronic Diseases of the Elderly
• Dealing with Cognitive Impairments
• Sensuality/Sexuality and Older Adults
• Mediation and Conflict Resolution
• End of Life Issues
• Isolation and Older Adults
• Effective Communication
• Supportive Service Needs of Persons with Disabilities
• Current Trends in Affordable Housing and Healthy Aging
• Disease Prevention
• Hoarding
• Bullying
• Creating and Sustaining Successful Partnership Models

HUD Secretary, Senators Seek

Section 202 and Section 811 Program Expansion

Forty senators recently signed a letter in support of expanding affordable senior housing. The letter was directed to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development as the committee considers its FY 2023 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

Specifically, the letter seeks “full funding for contract renewals for the Section 202 Housing for the Elderly program and an additional $600 million for capital advances and operating subsidies for new 202 homes to keep up with existing and increasing need; and full funding for Section 811 Mainstream tenant-based vouchers to renew all existing vouchers, $100 million for new 811 Mainstream vouchers, full funding for all expiring 811 Project-Based Rental Assistance Contracts (PRACs), and $500 million for new 811 Project Rental Assistance (PRA).”

The letter was issued the same day HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development on expanding the Section 202 program. “As we look at housing in general across the country, programs like 202 and 811 are going to be more and more important as our society continues to age, and people want to age in place,” Fudge testified. “For many—too many—years, we’ve not done the kind of work in those particular areas that we should have.”

Before 2011, Congress regularly provided $400 to $500 million annually for new Section 202 homes. After that, the program’s funding for new Section 202 homes went down to zero until its revival in 2017. But it has not yet reached its prior funding levels.

In response to Secretary Fudge’s testimony, House Subcommittee Chair David Price (D-NC) said the nation has to get HUD’s Section 202 program “back in business” and get back to the “muscle memory” of “how to go after these funds and how to put these deals together.”