12/05/24 - We are currently NOT accepting HARPS requests due to budget constraints. We will have limited funding available again on January 2nd for individuals enrolled in qualifying mental health and/or SUD services. Requests submitted prior to January 2nd will be denied. Funding is always made available on a first come, first served basis. Thank you.

HARPS Bridge Housing Subsidy

The Housing and Recovery through Peer Services (HARPS) bridge subsidy is funding made available to Great Rivers Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization (BH-ASO) on a quarterly basis by the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) to assist at-risk individuals with securing or maintaining housing. The priority population for the HARPS subsidy is adult individuals discharging from inpatient mental health or SUD residential settings. These limited funds are also available to other individuals who meet our eligibility criteria (see below) and are on the verge of crisis due to the stress caused by homelessness, or from the fear of losing housing due to their current economic situation.

The intention of the subsidy is to help “bridge” the costs of securing or maintaining housing. The subsidy is a temporary funding source and not meant for long-term housing costs. The maximum lifetime limit of HARPS subsidy one can receive is $1,500.

We discourage applying for the HARPS subsidy for anyone without an income to avoid putting someone in the position where they are unable to maintain future housing expenses. When applying for the subsidy please provide a detail explanation of an individual’s current financial status in the comments section if you feel it is warranted. 

What Can the Subsidy be Used For?

    • Monthly rent

    • Rental arrears (money owed to landlord or property manager)

    • Move-in costs (i.e. security deposits, first/last month’s rent, pet deposit)

    • Utility bills and deposits (submit a standalone request for utility claims)

    • Rental application fees and background checks

    • Lot rental fees for manufactured homes and RVs

    • Parking spaces when connected to a rental unit

    • Landlord incentives (provided there are written policies and/or procedures explaining what constitutes landlord incentives, how they are determined, and who has approval and review responsibilities)

    • Reasonable storage costs

    • Reasonable moving costs such as truck rental and hiring a moving company

    • Hotel/Motel expenses for up to 28 days if unsheltered households are actively engaged in housing search and no other shelter option is available - Hotel/Motel requests must be preapproved by Great Rivers BH-ASO before the individual checks in.

    • Temporary absences. If a household member is temporarily away from his or her unit, but is expected to return (e.g. hospitalized or participant violates conditions of their DOC supervision and is placed in confinement for 30 day), HARPS can provide rental assistance for up to 60 days while the individual is away.

Eligibility Criteria

Consumers Enrolled in Mental Health Services:

    • Individuals must be enrolled in at least intensive outpatient mental health services (LOC3 or above)

      • Eligible for 3 months’ rental assistance not to exceed $1500 lifetime limit

      • Requests must be submitted by a staff member where client is receiving mental health services

Consumers Enrolled in SUD Services:

    • Individuals enrolled in residential inpatient and intensive outpatient SUD services (ASAM 2.1 or above)

      • Eligible for 3 months’ rental assistance not to exceed $1500 lifetime limit

      • Requests must be submitted by a staff member where client is receiving SUD services

Eligibility Exceptions:

    • Individuals who are Native American Indian who meet above mental health or SUD eligibility criteria but have not opted into Medicaid mental health or SUD coverage

    • Individuals without Medicaid discharging from a psychiatric inpatient setting or an SUD residential treatment facility

      • These individuals will be reviewed for the subsidy on a case-by-case basis

Who Can Apply for the Subsidy?

Only mental health and SUD agency staff members can apply for the subsidy on behalf of their individual clients that meet criteria. Clients must be current residents of one of the 5 counties in the Great Rivers BH-ASO catchment area - Cowlitz, Lewis, Grays Harbor, Wahkiakum and Pacific. Residential status will be verified through Provider One.

How to Apply/Required Documents

Submit all HARPS requests online. To begin the request process click on the “Subsidy Application” box at the bottom of this page. The data we collect within the online application is contractually required by the HCA and will be reported to them in the form of a monthly deliverable spreadsheet. Please try to be as accurate as possible when filling out the application since data collection and reporting is integral component of maintaining the subsidy into the future.

Each request submitted should be for 1 transaction only and not a combined request (i.e. rent + utility bill).

Only apply for 1 month’s rental assistance at a time. Initial request can include additional move-in costs such as a deposit or fees.

Upload all required documentation via our Titanfile Secure Submit website at: https://upload-grbhaso.titanfile.com/

Documents required for rental assistance:

    • IRS Form W-9 filled out and signed by the landlord or property manager

    • Copy of Lease Agreement or Letter of Intention to Rent

      • Must reference client by name and be specific regarding rental costs being applied for

    • ROI signed/dated by client authorizing Great Rivers BH-ASO to process request

    • Attestation to Level of Care

Documents required for utility assistance:

    • Copy of utility bill or letter issued by utility company

      • Utility bill or letter must reference the client by name and be specific regarding amount being requested

      • Utility bills under a roommate’s name will not be considered

    • ROI signed/dated by client authorizing Great Rivers BH-ASO to process request

    • No IRS Form W9 needed for utility claims

    • Attestation to Level of Care

Processing Requests

When your request has been successfully submitted you will receive an auto-generated secured email that has assigned your request a reference number and will direct you to upload all required documentation via our Titanfile Secure Submit website: https://upload-grbhaso.titanfile.com/. We will make all efforts to review requests on the day they were submitted. If the request is approved for payout you will receive another auto-generated email confirming approval and noting a date when the check will be mailed out to the person/entity you listed on the request. If for any reasons we have questions regarding your request, you will receive an email from us stating that your request is pending. This pending email will also cite the concern(s) we have with the request and how to reconcile the issue.

If a request is denied you will receive an auto-generated denial email noting the request number and reason for denial. The most common reasons for a denied request is that the individual does not meet our criteria for the subsidy, or was previously awarded the individual limit and no longer qualifies for assistance.

Once a request is approved it is then forwarded to our finance department for payout. All payouts are processed in the form of a check mailed directly to the person/entity listed on the IRS Form W9. If you want the check mailed to a different address than the one listed on the IRS Form W9, please make note of this in the comments section of the online form. Checks must be made out to the person/entity listed on the IRS Form W9.

If our finance department has questions or concerns prior to processing an approved request for payout you will be notified via email of the issue and how to reconcile the matter. If there are no concerns from our finance department you will receive an email stating approval from our finance department that lists who the check will be mailed out to and on what date.

All approved requests are paid out via a check that is made out to the person or entity listed on the request form. Approved requests on any given week will not be paid out until the following week’s check run on Thursday. It can take anywhere from 7 to 10 business days for a check to arrive at its destination via mail. If a landlord or property manager reports a check not being delivered after 10 business days, please contact Guy Cochran - gcochran@grbhaso.org.

Please note:

The HARPS subsidy is not intended to be used for emergency housing so do not contact Great Rivers BH-ASO to expedite payments.

Any communication regarding the status the subsidy at any point in the request process should be between the agency staff member submitting the request and Great Rivers BH-ASO staff. Individuals contacting Great Rivers BH-ASO inquiring about the status of the request will be referred back to the agency staff member who made the request on their behalf.

Great Rivers BH-ASO does not locate housing for individuals but only offers the subsidy as a means to assist with securing and maintaining housing.

If you have any questions or concerns prior to submitting a request please contact Guy Cochran at gcochran@grbhaso.org or 253-336-3406.