The original item was published from June 14, 2016 4:37 pm to June 14, 2016 4:38 pm
Between October 2013 and June 2016, Pensacola Housing, in conjunction with EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless (ECOH), administered a Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program (TBRA) to house homeless residents of the metropolitan Pensacola area and Escambia County, using HOME funds allocated by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC).
ECOH, which served as the referring agency, referred 47 families to Pensacola Housing, of whom 37 leased up in rental units using TBRA vouchers.
The program guidelines specified that qualified families would be eligible for 12 months of rental assistance, with the possibility of renewing for a second 12-month period. Approximately 40% of the assisted families received 12 months of rental assistance; the other 60% were subsidized for 24 months.
As 
each family neared the end of the TBRA assistance period, Pensacola Housing Counselor Mary Nathan (pictured right) worked with them to ensure they would not revert to homelessness. She encouraged them to apply for the Section 8 waiting list; provided referral information for public housing, subsidized multifamily housing, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties (LIHTCs), first-time homebuyer programs, and other affordable housing providers in our area; and, when necessary, referred the families back to ECOH for additional counseling.
Of the 37 assisted families:
• 1 family reached self-sufficiency after 15 months of TBRA assistance and graduated from the program;
• 1 reached the top of Area Housing Commission’s waiting list and moved into a public housing unit;
• 2 are in the process of transitioning to first-time homeownership;
• 3 reached the top of Pensacola Housing’s waiting list and transitioned to traditional Section 8 vouchers; and
• 11 are on the waiting list, and expected to reach the top in the next 3 to 10 months, depending on their application dates.
Overall we felt the program was a huge success, and we look forward to collaborating with ECOH again in the future.