Chapter 17. Homeless Women — Crisis Shelter Home
Regulation .01 Purpose.LinkCopy Citation
The purpose of the crisis shelter home program is to provide temporary shelter, meals, counseling, and information and referral to homeless women of the State.
Regulation .02 Definitions.LinkCopy Citation
A.
“Department” means the Department of Human Services.
B.
“Homeless woman” means a female 18 years old or older who is without shelter, and who is not eligible for or not able to be housed by another shelter facility or housing service at the time of application.
C.
“Resident of the State” means a person who is living in the State voluntarily and not for temporary purposes, with no immediate intention of moving from the State at the time of application.
D.
“Crisis shelter home” means a facility that provides shelter, meals, information and referral service, and counseling.
Regulation .03 Eligibility.LinkCopy Citation
A.
A homeless woman who is a resident of Maryland, as defined in Regulation .02C, and not excluded by the provisions below is eligible for service to homeless women in a shelter home.
B.
The shelter home may not accept:
(1)
An applicant who is a resident of a Maryland Department of Health facility for whom discharge planning responsibility rests with the Maryland Department of Health.
(2)
A person who is a clear and present danger to herself or others;
(3)
A person who is intoxicated by alcohol or under the influence of unprescribed drugs;
(4)
A person who is in need of acute medical, psychiatric, or nursing care; or
(5)
A person who is not willing or able to abide by shelter rules.
C.
In order to continue in the residence beyond 3 days, the applicant shall be:
(1)
Willing to participate in a service contract;
(2)
Willing to abide by residence rules including fee payment, when required;
(3)
Without sufficient financial resources to enable her to purchase a stable alternative living arrangement; and
(4)
Cooperative in taking responsibility for housekeeping duties in the shelter home, including maintaining acceptable standards of housekeeping in her assigned room.
Regulation .04 Application and Admission.LinkCopy Citation
A.
A homeless woman may apply for admission directly or be referred from another source.
B.
A staff person shall assess the application and determine whether the applicant is eligible, and whether services are available and appropriate for the applicant.
C.
For the applicant who is accepted into the shelter home, the staff person shall explain the services available and attempt to obtain the applicant's written agreement to abide by shelter rules.
D.
Within the first 3 working days from date of admission to the shelter home, the staff person, with the applicant, shall develop and begin to implement a service contract.
E.
The staff person shall determine any fee to be paid for services based on fee scales set in Regulation .11 of this chapter. The agreement to pay any required fee is a part of a signed service contract.
F.
The staff person shall attempt to locate and secure alternate appropriate services when the applicant cannot be admitted to the shelter home for lack of space or ineligibility.
Regulation .05 Services Provided by the Crisis Shelter Home.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The shelter home shall offer the following services:
(1)
Receipt of and response to crisis calls on a 24-hour basis;
(2)
Safe accommodations and board for residents;
(3)
Assessment with the resident of the resident's needs, capacities, and resources;
(4)
Planning and counseling with the resident to link her to appropriate community services.
B.
The shelter home shall develop a service contract with the resident that is designed to:
(1)
Secure a stable living environment;
(2)
Secure any entitlements or benefits;
(3)
Secure education, training, or employment opportunities, as appropriate to the client's capacity; and
(4)
Resolve the problems that led to the resident's homelessness.
C.
The shelter home shall provide:
(1)
Direct referral to appropriate service resources, including housing services, physical and mental health care, education, training, or employment;
(2)
Advocacy on behalf of a resident to ensure access to service resources;
(3)
Counseling with the resident about progress in achieving the goals in the service contract; and
(4)
Follow-up case management service as needed to the client in the community, if the service is not available elsewhere.
Regulation .06 Duration of Service.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Maximum residence in the shelter home is 12 continuous weeks.
B.
A former resident of the shelter home may return to the shelter for service for up to 3 days if space is available and she is not excluded by Regulation .03B of this regulation.
C.
A former resident may return to the shelter home for service beyond 3 days only at the discretion of the director of the crisis shelter home, and not more than one time during any 12-month period.
D.
The shelter home shall terminate services when the:
(1)
Goal set in the service plan is reached;
(2)
Resident requests termination of services;
(3)
Resident fails to abide by the shelter rules, including taking responsibility for housekeeping duties in the shelter home and maintaining acceptable standards of housekeeping in her assigned room;
(4)
Resident has reached the maximum length of stay in the shelter home.
Regulation .07 Requirements for the Crisis Shelter Home.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The shelter home shall have available:
(1)
Room and board capacity for each resident;
(2)
Counseling and supportive services; and
(3)
Staff or volunteers under staff supervision trained to:
(a)
Assess need;
(b)
Establish eligibility;
(c)
Develop service contracts;
(d)
Assist the resident to use community resources; and
(e)
Monitor effectiveness of plans and services.
B.
The shelter home shall conform to the applicable State and local fire codes, health codes, and all local zoning ordinances.
C.
The shelter home shall employ professional staff and volunteers who are trained in provision of crisis services to persons who need a shelter.
D.
The shelter home shall send to the Department a copy of the shelter rules.
Regulation .08 Reporting Requirements.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Fiscal Reporting.
(1)
The shelter home shall maintain books, records, documents, and other evidence of all expenditures and income. The shelter home shall furnish monthly expenditure statements and other reports as required by the Department.
(2)
All books, records, documents, and other evidence shall be presented upon receipt of reasonable notice of inspection, review, or audit by the Department or other agency authorized to monitor the performance of the shelter home.
B.
Case Record.
(1)
The shelter home shall maintain a case record that includes basic identifying and demographic data concerning the applicant, nature of the request for service, and a copy of the service plan.
(2)
Upon termination of service to a recipient, the shelter home shall collect and retain data concerning the services rendered and disposition.
(3)
The shelter home shall record all data on forms approved for this purpose by the Department.
C.
Statistical Reporting. The shelter home shall compile and transmit statistical data as required by the Department.
D.
The shelter home shall retain all records for a period of 3 years following completion of services.
Regulation .09 Confidentiality.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The shelter home may not disclose identifying information regarding an applicant or recipient of service to any agency or individual without written authorization to do so from the applicant or recipient, except to Department of Human Services employees authorized to monitor or audit the program.
B.
The shelter home shall maintain all written records regarding applicants and recipients of service in a secure locked location.
Regulation .10 Grievance Procedure.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The local program shall make available to any applicant or recipient of service aggrieved by a decision, action, or inaction of the local program, a procedure by which the grievance may be heard. The procedure shall include a notice of the grievance rights and the steps to take to initiate the grievance process, an opportunity to be heard, and a written decision by the local program director or designee that affirms or reverses the local program's action. The written determination shall include the basis for the decision.
B.
The local program shall forward to the Department a summary of each decision rendered, including finding of fact concerning each grievance heard.
Regulation .11 Charges and Fees.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The shelter home shall charge fees to the resident.
B.
Determination of Fee.
(1)
The amount to be charged to the resident of the shelter home is set according to available monthly income and resources. The income scale and fee amounts are set in §C of this regulation.
(2)
Income from the following sources is included in determining the monthly income of a recipient of services:
(a)
Wages received by the recipient after any required deductions;
(b)
Child support received directly;
(c)
Alimony payments received directly;
(d)
Dividends or interest actually received from savings, stocks, or bonds;
(e)
Social Security, V.A., or other disability or retirement pension plan payments actually received;
(f)
Public assistance payments actually received; and
(g)
Other money income, such as tips, donations, or rents.
(3)
The following fixed continuing expenditures are deducted from the monthly income of a recipient:
(a)
Housing obligations such as rent, mortgage payments, utility costs, security or utility deposit actually paid by the client;
(b)
Child care payments actually paid by the client;
(c)
Work related expenses such as transportation costs, uniform costs, meal expenditures;
(d)
Health related expenses actually paid by the client, such as monthly doctor, hospital, or dental bills, health insurance; and
(e)
Any regular payments such as for charge accounts, car payments, loans.
(4)
The remaining income is considered the available monthly income of the recipient.
Chapter annotations
Authority: Human Services Article, §§6-430—6-438, Annotated Code of Maryland
History: Effective date: March 25, 1985 (12:6 Md. R. 593)
History: Regulations .01, .02D, .05, .06A, and .07 amended effective December 30, 1985 (12:26 Md. R. 2543)
History: Chapter recodified from COMAR 07.06.03 to COMAR 07.01.17 effective June, 2009