§ 4–754.52. Powers and duties of the Shelter Monitoring Unit.

(a) The Shelter Monitoring Unit ("Unit") shall monitor the conditions, services, and practices at shelters, evaluating the following, to the extent applicable:

(1) Health, safety, and cleanliness of shelters;

(2) Existence of, content of, and notice to clients of policies, practices, and program rules;

(3) Accessibility of shelters to clients with disabilities;

(4) Appropriateness of shelters for families;

(5) Compliance with client rights established by §§ 4-754.11 and 4-754.12; and

(6) Compliance with provider standards established by §§ 4-754.21 through 4-754.25.

(7) Repealed.

(8) Repealed.

(9) Repealed.

(a-1) The Unit shall perform the monitoring tasks in subsection (a) of this section, using client surveys and interviews, staff interviews, and shelter site visits.

(b) The Unit shall conduct announced and unannounced inspections in accordance with the policies and procedures described in § 4-754.56 on the premises of each shelter covered by § 4-754.01.

(c) The Unit shall receive complaints about programs, facilities, and services provided within the continuum of care and shall investigate programs not in compliance with the applicable standards established in this subchapter , in accordance with the policies and procedures described in § 4-754.56.

(d) The Unit shall establish procedures for notifying providers of deficiencies and procedures for correcting those deficiencies in a timely manner.

(e) During any inspection or investigation conducted pursuant to this section, the provider shall make available to the Unit for examination any records or other materials related to the delivery of its services, including records related to clients and to internal complaints, in accordance with the confidentiality requirements of 4-754.11(a)(7)[§ ].

(f) The Unit shall ensure confidential treatment of the personal, social, legal, financial, educational, and medical records and information related to a client or any member of a client’s family, whether obtained from the client or from any other source, consistent with confidentiality requirements of District and federal law. The Unit shall not disclose the identity of any person who brings a complaint or provides information to the Unit without the person’s consent, unless the Unit determines that disclosure is unavoidable or necessary to further the ends of an inspection or investigation.

(g) The Unit shall encourage appropriate use of mediation, fair hearing, and administrative review processes for resolving grievances, pursuant to §§ 4-754.39, 4-754.41, and 4-754.42.

(h) Every provider within the Continuum of Care shall post in prominent places at each program and shelter site the Unit's contact information, its procedures for accepting complaints, and procedures for requesting mediation, a fair hearing, or administrative review of grievances.