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Even when housing is available and a household can afford the rent payment, there are barriers which make it difficult for households to obtain and maintain the housing. The move -in costs of first and last month's rent and security deposit are a large barrier to low income households who have difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month. Any crisis such as job loss, health emergency, alcohol or drug (AOD) problems can cause the household to begin the spiral into homelessness. Rental assistance programs are part of the Urban County's efforts to keep individuals and families in housing. Most of these rental subsidies are directed specifically at populations with disabilities who tend to be more at risk than other populations of losing their housing. HCD is funded directly by HUD for Project Independence, a Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Special Project of National Significance which provides shallow rental assistance and accessibility modifications to people living with HIV /AIDS throughout Alameda County. Prevention activities need to be expanded in programs that provide short-term rental assistance, rental guarantees, move -in costs, and long term rental assistance such as Section 8 to homeless and very low income people. It is usually less expensive to prevent someone from becoming homeless then to help them once homeless and far less disruptive to the family. As an additional countywide program to address homelessness, the County has received Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re- Housing Program (HPRP) funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Funding for this program is being distributed based on the formula used for the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program. A regional hub has been established in Livermore to distribute resources and services in the East County region. The HPRP funds have created an opportunity for jurisdictions within the County to centralize and coordinate homeless service systems in order to enhance delivery, and create more effective and efficient programs. Alameda County is comprised of fifteen different jurisdictions. Each jurisdiction has agreed to create distinct geographic hubs in order to provide HPRP services. Households in need of assistance will be able to access a centralized referral system by calling 211, who will refer callers to the HPRP hub in their area. Each geographic hub may include linkages to existing resources for homelessness prevention and rapid re- housing other than HPRP, including programs funded through the Continuum of Care process. Objectives The objectives presented in this section reflect the broad areas which will be pursued under this priority. Implementation will be contingent on current and projected need, availability of financial and other resources, and regular re- assessment of the proposed objectives and accomplishments. Strategic Plan FY2010 FY2014 City of Pleasanton Page 30