Acting Administrator
Paul Prouty
General Services Administration

RESOURCES AND TOOLS
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT — USICH ANNOUNCES ITS NEWEST STAFF MEMBERS

Introducing Anthony Love, USICH Deputy Director, National Programs 

Anthony Love, a Texas native, most recently served as President and CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, the principal agency for the Homeless Continuum of Care for a county of almost four million people. 

Love first began work on poverty and homelessness issues more than 15 years ago following the completion of his Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After returning to Houston, his experience with vulnerable populations including at-risk youth and women graduating from welfare led to his being named Site Director of the not-for-profit U.S. Veteran's Initiative. During his leadership there, US Vet's Houston became the largest provider of housing and support services to homeless veterans in Texas providing services to more than 20,000 homeless veterans. "I saw first-hand how programs and services can make a real difference in the lives of homeless veterans," Anthony says.

Love is most looking forward to the coordination aspect of his new job and states, "I have always believed that so much more can be accomplished when you're able to bring together the key stakeholders. In my new position I will have the opportunity to bring together all entities-federal, state and local. While homelessness has the biggest impact locally, great local strides cannot be made without help from state and federal resources."  He believes that the biggest challenge in ending homelessness is "in getting agreement on goals." 

Anthony earned his Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Texas State University and enjoys reading, exercising and watching sports.

USICH welcomes Jennifer Ho as its Deputy Director, Accountability Management

Jennifer comes to the USICH from her most recent work as Executive Director of the Hearth Connection, which manages a network of supportive housing providers helping people with long histories of homelessness find stability, recovery and prosperity.  Since 2001, over 2,000 people have benefited from Hearth Connection's work, including 380 families with over 750 children.  Their programs also target single adults and unaccompanied youth.  Prior to joining the Hearth Connection in 1999, Jennifer was VP of product development in United Health Group's AARP division and managed government programs at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota.  She holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Bryn Mawr College and is a Board Member of the Corporation for Supportive Housing.

Jennifer's work with USICH will involve serving as the lead on the Federal Strategic Plan, aggregating and promoting research and evaluation of homelessness programs, policies, strategies at every level, and managing the results and accountability of this research and evaluations.  Jennifer sees her future work with USICH as an opportunity to take what she's learned in Minnesota "to the next level to address homelessness across the Country."

Ho believes that "when people are given a choice of a home, they take it."  There are skeptics, she says, who believe "there will always be the homeless."  That may or may not be true, but in any event, "let's help 95% of them, if we can."  "The important thing is that we've learned so much and how, in a small way, we can make a big difference."

When not working, Jennifer enjoys cooking, to include enjoying her own cuisine, and golfing.

Meet Sharon Price, USICH Deputy Director, Policy

Sharon Price is most excited about pulling together all of the stakeholders involved in the issue of homelessness who "care about the same issues, but sometimes speak different languages."  Her work as the Deputy Director of Policy for USICH will use her expertise gained while working at the Office of Management Budget and on the Hill with advocacy groups to do so.  Most recently Sharon as the Director of Policy at the National Housing Conference.  Earlier in her career, she also worked on the financial side of housing as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Sharon became acutely aware of  just how serious the issue of homelessness in the U.S. was while growing up in New York City, where she saw firsthand such disparity between the wealthy and the city's poorest populations, all in the same place.  She got involved early on as a child by volunteering and later doing work on employment and training for homeless adults.  Price believes that "everybody deserves a safe place to live."

Her prior advocacy group and federal policy work gives her a foundation for her work at USICH where she will manage the agency's relationships with its federal and congressional partners, as well its relationships with other stakeholder groups, including advocates working on homelessness issues. 

Price believes that one of the biggest challenges in work on homelessness is changing people's belief that we can end homelessness, but her inspiration to continue her work on this issue comes from people who have dedicated their lives and careers to ending homelessness for the millions affected by it.

Sharon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Bowdoin College, a Master of Public Policy and Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan, and enjoys painting, yoga and her dog, Rosie, an Assyrian Firehound, in her spare time.

HUD AWARDS $1.4 BILLION IN GRANTS TO HOMELESS PROGRAMS

WASHINGTON – As winter extends its chilly embrace around the nation, the Federal government is taking steps to ensure that families and individuals facing homelessness due to foreclosures, evictions, layoffs or other financial woes are not left out in the cold.

In declaring that help is on the way, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan has announced nearly $1.4 billion in grants that will help an unprecedented 6,400 programs to continue offering critically needed housing and services to homeless persons and families.

The grants are being awarded through HUD’s Continuum of Care programs.  For the first time ever, HUD is quickly providing renewal grants to local programs to prevent any interruption in Federal assistance and will announce funding to new projects in early 2010.  For a local summary of the grants, visit HUD’s website.

“As we move into the coldest time of the year, it’s critical that no program risk running out of money to keep their doors open,” said Donovan.  “These grants will make certain that those programs on the front lines of helping the homeless have the resources they need to house and serve persons who might otherwise be forced to turn to the streets.”

Barbara Poppe, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said, “We extend the federal partnership with communities to meet demand for homeless assistance and support programs that successfully end homelessness. This public-private partnership has demonstrated tremendous success at ending chronic homelessness and we are now working to build partnerships to end homelessness among veterans and prevent family, youth, and child homelessness.”

HUD’s Continuum of Care Grants provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons. In addition, Continuum grants fund important services including job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care. Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to local programs to meet the needs of their homeless clients. These grants fund a wide variety of programs from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families.

HUD’s homelessness grants are reducing long-term or chronic homelessness in America.  Based on the Department’s latest homeless assessment, chronic homelessness has declined since 2005.  This decline is directly attributed to HUD’s homeless grants helping to create significantly more permanent housing for those who might otherwise be living on the streets.  However, data also indicates that family homelessness may be on the rise, particularly in suburban and rural areas.
Earlier this year, HUD allocated an additional $1.5 billion through its new Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing (HPRP) Program. Made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, HPRP is intended to prevent persons from falling into homelessness or to rapidly re-house them if they do.

Highlights of HUD's Homeless Assistance

• HUD is awarding nearly $1.4 billion to renew funding to 6,445 local programs. HUD awarded $1.2 billion to 5,825 renewal projects last year.

• More than $738 million is being awarded to 2,997 projects that provide permanent housing solutions for homeless families and individuals, including persons who are chronically homeless

• More than 3,200 local projects that serve families with children will receive over $733 million.

HUD’s housing and service programs funded through the Continuum of Care competition establish the foundation for communities to serve many of the nation’s most vulnerable individuals and families. Based on the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) released by HUD in July 2009:

• Nearly 1.6 million people use emergency or transitional housing programs over the course of a year; and

• On a given night, approximately 664,000 people are homeless. Of those:

  1. More than 124,000 are chronically homeless;

  2. 36.5 percent are chronic substance abusers;

  3. 26.3 percent are severely mentally ill; and

  4. About 15 percent are veterans.

2009 US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS SURVEY REPORTS INCREASES IN FOOD NEED AND FAMILY HOMELESSNESS

• HUD Secretary and USICH Chair Shaun Donovan affirms Administration commitment to increasing the availability of affordable rental housing

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 9. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has released its 2009 Hunger and Homelessness Survey and it shows the steepest increase in demand for food assistance in 18 years along with an increase in the number of families experiencing homelessness, and a drop, or leveling off, in the number of homeless single adults.

The report presents the results of a survey of 27 cities whose mayors are members of the Conference of Mayors’ Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness. Respondents were asked to provide information on emergency food assistance and homeless services provided between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009. Not all cities replied to every question.

The surveyed cities reported that, on average, the need for emergency food assistance jumped by 26 percent from last year. The cities also reported an increase in food requests from middle class households that used to donate to food pantries, as well as an increase in the frequency of repeat requests from those needing help. Unemployment, housing costs, and low wages were cited as the three main causes of food assistance need.

76 % of the cities reported an increase in family homelessness, while homelessness among individuals decreased or stayed the same for 16 of the 23 cities. The report notes that most of the cities that experienced drops in individual homelessness attributed the decline to a policy strategy by federal, state and local governments of adopting 10-year plans to end chronic homelessness among single adults. The recession and a lack of affordable housing were cited as the top causes of family homelessness in the surveyed cities.

The Conference of Mayors has been documenting hunger and homelessness issues in the nation’s cities, as well as efforts cities are making to address these challenges, for the last 23 years.  The report was released Tuesday at a press conference where Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran and Task Force Co-chairs Mayor Jennifer Stultz of Gastonia, NC and Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento, CA were joined by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Janey Thornton, USDA Deputy Undersecretary  for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Issues  to discuss the findings.  New US Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Barbara Poppe was also on hand.

Secretary Donovan, who  chairs the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said that one of the most tragic consequences of our housing and economic crisis are those who fall into homelessness as a result – whether through foreclosures, evictions, layoffs, or other financial problems. The Secretary noted that with increases in rural and suburban family homelessness, the issue is not an urban problem, but one every community struggles with.  He said, “As diverse as our homeless population is, there is one thing that everyone who is homeless shares: a lack of housing they can afford.  And as this study finds, high housing costs often lead families to cut back on necessities like food.”

He continued, “That’s why today I want to reiterate very clearly what I’ve said before – that the Federal government is getting back into the business of affordable rental housing.You only need look at the $14 billion HUD is investing in our communities through the Recovery Act to see that we are (doing so) – from our $2 billion investment in full funding of Project-Based Section 8 to our $2.25 billion injection of funding to stabilize affordable housing developments financed by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.”

Cities reported that the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), funded through the Recovery Act  will “fundamentally change the way [their] community provides services to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.” Cities are using HPRP funding to develop central intake systems for homeless services, coordinate services more closely with surrounding areas, and offer homeless prevention assistance for the first time.

To combat hunger, many cities have instituted programs to address the challenge over the long term. Examples of successful initiatives include gleaning food that would otherwise go to waste to supply food banks; programs that serve children during the summer and on weekends when they are not receiving subsidized meals at school; food banks offering greater diversity of foods to serve a diverse cultural-client base; and food pantries that help recipients to determine their eligibility for food stamps.

Gastonia Mayor and Task Force Co-chair Stultz, who presented the hunger data said, “Although 87% of our nation’s wealth is generated in our nation’s cities, hunger and homelessness persist in most of our country’s urban centers. Even working families are increasingly at risk for hunger and homelessness as a result of the crippled economy and rising unemployment and foreclosures. As mayors, it is our responsibility to ensure that those most in need are the people we put first.”

The full report is posted on the Conference of Mayors web site.

A DETERMINED, RESOURCED, AND COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS IN FIVE YEARS

"President Obama and I are personally committed to ending homelessness among Veterans within the next five years. Those who have served this nation as Veterans should never find themselves on the streets, living without care and without hope."

                                  VA Secretary Shinseki

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki unveiled a five-year plan framework to end Veteran homelessness at a National Summit on Homeless Veterans last week in Washington, DC. Addressing approximately 1200 government, business, community and faith based providers, Secretary Shinseki was clear about the mission: “My name is Shinseki and I am here to end Veteran homelessness."  The Secretary outlined a comprehensive framework that will enlarge and enhance the scope of VA’s efforts to combat homelessness "aiming as much if not more on prevention as it does rescuing those who live on the streets."

The VA plan calls for leveraging the full range of VA housing, service, and benefit resources and expanding collaborations with other federal agencies, State Directors of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Service Organizations, and national, state and local social service providers and community groups.  The VA’s goal is to have a “no wrong door” approach so that Veterans who seek assistance directly from VA’s programs, or from community partners or through contract services will be able to access the needed services.

“If we want to end Veteran homelessness, we must attack the entire downward spiral that ends in homelessness—we must offer education and jobs ( see related story below on President Obama’s new Executive Order), treat depression and fight substance abuse, prevent suicides, and provide safe housing,” said the Secretary. 

The VA will spend $3.2 billion this year to prevent and reduce homelessness among Veterans—$2.7 billion on medical services; and $500 million on specific homeless programs, a 23% increase over FY 2009 that includes a six-fold increase in funding for contract residential care.  The VA currently partners with more than 600 community organizations to provide transitional housing to 20,000 Veterans while these Veterans leverage VA’s health care and other benefits to return to productive lives.  The VA is developing regulations to implement legislation that strengthens the VA’s ability to prevent Veteran homelessness by enabling the VA to offer grants to organizations offering supportive services for low-income Veterans and their families. 

Under the five year plan, outreach will focus on “screening in”; housing options and mental health care will be expanded; discharge planning for Veterans coming out of long term institutionalized care or incarceration enhanced; and benefits processing improved.  Every year, 40,000 Veterans are released from prison. The Incarcerated Veterans Re-Entry program has contacted and provided discharge planning assistance to more than 13,000 Veterans since 2007 and has contacts in more than 1,000 federal and state prisons across the country (two-thirds of all prisons). Complementing this effort is a new VA initiative for justice-involved Veterans begun in FY2009 to support State and local Veterans Court Programs. Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists are working with courts to develop relationships and referral procedures to provide VA health care instead of incarceration for eligible Veterans with substance use disorders, PTSD or mental health conditions.

Federal Interagency Collaboration

Also addressing the Summit participants were U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Ron Sims and U.S. Department of Labor Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training Ray Jefferson, both of whose remarks affirmed  Secretary Shinseki observation that federal interagency collaboration “ is just beginning --  we are going to do some monumental things for Veterans.”  Deputy Secretary Sims noted that the federal interagency collaborations allow the agencies “to take advantage of what each does best” with synergistic results, citing the HUD-VASH collaboration in which HUD through its public housing agencies is making available housing choice vouchers while the VA provides case management and supportive services for homeless Veterans including homeless Veterans with families. He noted that HUD’s Recovery Act funded Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP) is a complement to the HUD-VASH program, providing resources to prevent homelessness and which communities can also use to provide security deposits in conjunction with HUD-VASH vouchers. In 2008, HUD provided 10,150 HUD-VASH vouchers for homeless Veterans. HUD-VASH II, approved in 2009 for 2010 implementation, provides 10,290 more vouchers.   Of the 13,000 Veterans accepted for HUD-VASH housing to date, 11 percent are women, and another 12 percent are Veterans with family members. Deputy Secretary Sims also noted that HUD is making reductions in homelessness a measure of success for every HUD program. HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs Mark Johnston has been tasked with leading a comprehensive review of HUD’s mainstream programs to identify barriers that limit their potential for preventing and ending homelessness.

DOL Assistant Secretary Jefferson described new initiatives in the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP).  This year, the program’s budget has been increased by 34%.  $4 million of the increase will support an incarcerated Veterans initiative that is expected to serve 1500 veterans.  $5 million will be used to provide customized services to homeless women Veterans and those with families. The Department’s Women’s Bureau has held over 60 listening sessions and will shortly make its report available.

The VA is working with the Small Business Administration and the General Services Administration to certify Veteran-owned small businesses and service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses for listing on the Federal Supply Register, which enhances their visibility and competitiveness, creating jobs for Veterans.

“Real strategies, with real measurements and outcomes”

Over three days, Summit participants were exposed to the latest data, research, and numerous best practice programs from around the country. Participants were encouraged to brainstorm with each other and with the presenters, all toward the ultimate goal of implementing measurable strategies that will produce the outcome of preventing and ending Veteran homelessness in communities across the nation.

PRESIDENT SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER AIMED AT OPENING UP MORE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR VETERANS IN THE FEDERAL SERVICE

On Monday November 9, President Obama signed an Executive Order to increase employment opportunities for Veterans in the Federal Government. The Executive Order creates an interagency Council on Veterans Employment cochaired by VA Secretary Shinseki and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and establishes a Veterans Employment Program office within numerous federal agencies that will be responsible for helping Veterans identify employment opportunities in the federal Executive Branch and helping the recently employed Veterans adjust to civilian live and the different workplace culture.

 "Honoring our sacred trust with America's Veterans means doing all we can to help them find work when they come home so they never feel as if the American Dream they fought to defend is out of reach for them and their families," the President said in an accompanying statement noting also that recruiting and hiring Veterans would “ continue to fill the ranks of federal employees with men and women who possess the skills, dedication and sense of duty that Americans deserve from their public servants."

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION HOLDS SECOND MEETING IN FOUR MONTHS OF THE U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS

OCTOBER 20, 2009. WASHINGTON, D.C. The Obama Administration held the second Full Council meeting of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness yesterday. It was the first meeting chaired by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, who was elected chair by his fellow Cabinet Members and agency heads at the Council's first meeting on June 18, 2009. Members of the homeless advocacy community including the National Law Center on Homelessness and Policy, National Alliance to End Homelessness, and National Coalition for the Homeless attended and participated for the first time in several years.

Secretary Donovan noted that we live in very challenging times. Even as we see most major housing indicators improving and responding to the Administration's comprehensive approach to stabilizing the housing market, the country's overall economic situation continues to put stress on families - and has resulted in numbers of Americans becoming homeless for the first time, many of whom are families with children.

The first action of the meeting was the appointment of Barbara Poppe as the new Executive Director of the Council. For the past 15 years Poppe has served as executive director of the Community Shelter Board in Ohio, which allocates over $12 million annually to support homeless programs and services in Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio. CSB has been nationally recognized in particular for its innovative Rebuilding Lives program. Former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretaries Henry Cisneros and the late Jack Kemp in their 2004 report, coauthored with Kent Colton and Nic Retsinas and published by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University: "Opportunity and Progress - A Bipartisan Platform for National Housing Policy," cited CSB's program as a model for the nation in ending chronic homelessness. Pictured are Council members congratulating Poppe (standing) after announcing her appointment.

Barbara Poppe brings both a deep understanding of how to make federal programs work to benefit homeless persons at the local level and years of engagement at the national level as an advocate, resource person, and thoughtful analyst. No stranger to the challenges and importance of federal agency collaboration in making federal funds more responsive to the needs of local communities, Poppe was invited to represent the 11 grantees of the original HUD-HHS-VA Collaborative Initiative to help end chronic homelessness at the 2003 meeting of the Council where the grants were announced. It’s expected she will take over the duties of Council Executive Director  in mid November.

Secretary Donovan also reported that HUD recently issued its annual Notice of Funding Availability for its competitive Continuum of Care homeless programs. Just over $1.4 billion dollars will be awarded to communities. HUD is encouraging communities to continue to use these resources to end chronic homelessness as well as to house other homeless sub-populations, including families with children. HUD expects to fund well over 6,000 projects. This money is in addition to the $1.5 billion dollars HUD received under the Recovery Act for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program, which have been awarded to states and communities. Pictured here are Council Chair Donovan and other Council members and newly named Council Executive Director Barbara Poppe with advocates attending the meeting including Maria Foscarinis of the National Law Center, Steve Berg of NAEH, and Neil Donovan of the National Coalition for the Homeless who addressed the Council.

The meeting also highlighted emerging collaborations among federal agencies to end homelessness. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius discussed the HUD-HHS partnership to strengthen the link between housing, health care and social services. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki updated the Council on the status of the HUD/VASH partnership creating housing opportunities for veterans. He also reported that earlier this month the VA awarded more than $17 million in grants to community groups in 19 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico that will create 1,155 transitional housing beds for homeless veterans this year. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis spoke about the emerging new levels of partnership between Labor and VA on employment for homeless veterans.

Council members also discussed the 2010 Census with Department of Commerce Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Rebecca Blank and received a report on trends in homeless student data from the Department of Education which oversees administration of the McKinney- Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth program (EHCY) designed to work with states and local educational agencies to improve education outcomes for children and youth in homeless situations. Pictured here is Under Secretary Blank with Cabinet Secretaries Sebelius, Donovan. Solis, and Shinseki and Council acting director Pete Dougherty.

Nearly half a million children were reported to have received EHCY funded services in the 2007-2008 school year. The Recovery Act provided $70 million in additional EHCY funds to the Department of Education which has been allocated to school districts across the nation. Zollie Stevenson, Department of Education Director of Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs, is shown here during his presentation to the Council.

Michael German, who leads the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness’ team of Regional Coordinators created through interagency partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, has been awarded the Citizen Services Award by the Partnership for Public Service.

The award was presented at the Service to America formal gala in Washington DC during which nine federal employees were recognized for their commitment, innovation, and significant contributions to the nation.

In awarding the Citizen Services Medal to Michael, the Partnership cited his achievement in having “created partnerships to reduce homelessness with more than 850 state and local leaders, which has contributed to a 30 percent reduction in long term homelessness.” For the past five years, Michael has crisscrossed the country tirelessly meeting with mayors, governors, county executives, business and non profit leaders promoting and assisting the development of jurisdictional business- principled 10 Year Plans that are bringing housing solutions and best practices in outreach and engagement, supportive services, and benefits acquisition to the prevention and ending of homelessness. Saying he was “humbled and honored” to receive the award, Michael acknowledged the work of his colleagues at the Council including Regional Coordinators Paul Carlson (Seattle), Ed Cabrera (San Francisco), and John O’Brien (Boston) and the support he has received from Acting Council Executive Director Peter Dougherty. He also paid tribute to the Council’s federal agency members, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, International Downtown Association, the United Way, and the “ thousands of providers on the front lines" across America who are partnered in the quest to end homelessness.

Several senior Obama Administration officials participated in the event including Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry who read a letter of congratulations from President Obama, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag who presented Michael with his award, Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair, and VA Secretary and past Council Chair Eric Shinseki. Dr. Janet Kemp of the VA was named Federal Employee of the Year for her work establishing a suicide-prevention hot line that employs more than 400 full-time counselors and interventionists who have fielded more than 160,000 inquiries and intervened in more than 3,000 potential suicides.

HUD SECRETARY AND CHAIR OF THE U.S. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS SHAUN DONOVAN AFFIRMS OBAMA ADMINISTRATION COMMITMENT TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A FEDERAL STRATEGY TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS

"It's a question of whether we believe in our ability as Americans to do great and important things," said U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan as he addressed the National Alliance to End Homelessness Annual Conference in Washington DC on Thursday. Pointing to the success of reducing the number of chronically ill, long term homeless by nearly a third in three years through the delivery of permanent supportive housing via a targeted pipeline of resources, Secretary Donovan said, "We have proven we can house anyone. Our job now is to house everyone - to prevent and end homelessness. All homelessness."

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HUD AWARDS HUD-VASH PROGRAM VOUCHERS THAT WILL PROVIDE HOUSING ASSISTANCE TO 10,000 HOMELESS VETERANS, INCLUDING WOMEN VETERANS AND VETERANS WITH FAMILIES

July 16. When the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness met on June 18 for the first time under the Obama Administration, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, elected at the meeting as Chair of the Council, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki announced that $75 million would soon be going to public housing authorities in the states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam to provide permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans under the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) which combines housing resources from HUD with dedicated case management and clinical services from the VA. This week HUD announced the specific allocations to individual housing authorities of the more than 10,000 housing choice vouchers (also known as Section 8 vouchers).

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HUD RELEASES 2008 ANNUAL HOMELESS ASSESSMENT REPORT TO CONGRESS; OVER A BILLION DOLLARS IN HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION AND RAPID RE-HOUSING PROGRAM AWARDS ALSO ANNOUNCED

July 10. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued its 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, a national study that explores changes in homelessness nationwide. HUD's assessment concludes that while overall homelessness in America held fairly steady from 2007 to 2008, the number of homeless families, particularly those living in suburban and rural areas, increased.

HUD measures homelessness through the Annual Homeless Assessment Report in two ways: Point-In-Time 'Snapshots’- this data accounts for sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night, usually at the end of January. Homeless Management Information Systems - this data provides more detailed information on persons who access a shelter over the course of a full year. In the 2008 AHAR, 222 local communities contributed HMIS data to produce national estimates of sheltered homeless. HUD estimates that approximately 1.6 million persons experienced homelessness and found shelter between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008. HUD notes that the 2008 Report "is the fourth Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) and the first to provide year-to-year trend information on the prevalence of homelessness nationwide, the demographic characteristics of homeless people, and the way homeless people use the residential services system."

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"THE YEAR OF COMMUNITY LIVING"

• 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision commemorated with announcement of new Administration effort to assist Americans with disabilities 

• Housing Choice vouchers and funding for expanding the availability of Aging and Disability Resource Centers in states are among the first resource opportunities announced

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C., and seeking to further the goal of that decision that persons with disabilities have meaningful choices to live and participate in the community, President Barack Obama this week launched "The Year of Community Living."

"The Olmstead ruling was a critical step forward for our nation, articulating one of the most fundamental rights of Americans with disabilities: having the choice to live independently," said President Obama. "I am proud to launch this initiative to reaffirm my Administration's commitment to vigorous enforcement of civil rights for Americans with disabilities and to ensuring the fullest inclusion of all people in the life of our nation."

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UNITED STATES INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS CONVENES FOR FIRST FULL COUNCIL MEETING OF OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

• HUD Secretary Donovan Elected Chairperson

• HUD and VA announce $75 million for HUD-VASH program to provide rental housing and support for homeless veterans

June 19. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) yesterday convened for the first Full Council meeting of the Obama Administration, under the leadership of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary and Council Chairperson Eric Shinseki. U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan was elected Chairperson for the upcoming year, and U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis was elected Vice Chairperson. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, also participated in the meeting.

In a statement released for the meeting, President Obama said: "It is simply unacceptable for individuals, children, families, and our nation's Veterans to be faced with homelessness in this country. I am confident that the Interagency Council on Homelessness, under Secretary Donovan's leadership, will have a renewed focus on coordinating efforts across federal agencies and working closely with our state, local, community-based, and faith-based partners to address these serious issues."

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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS HOLDS HEARING ON ENDING VETERANS' HOMELESSNESS

“. . . until we reach a day when not a single Veteran sleeps on the street, our business is unfinished.” -- President Obama remarks during a March 26, 2009 online town hall meeting.

June 5. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, chaired by Congressman Bob Filner, held a hearing this week on “A National Commitment to End Veterans’ Homelessness.”  In opening remarks at Wednesday’s hearing, Chairman Filner noted that the Committee and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, who is also the current chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, have made ending Veterans homelessness a priority and encouraged the four panels of  witnesses to tell the Committee “what’s working, what’s not, and what you need”  to accomplish this goal.

The Committee received testimony from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Labor officials, national and community based organizations, and researchers on the effectiveness of service and treatment programs being provided to homeless Veterans directly by the VA and in partnership with other federal agencies, local governments, and community based organizations.  During the hearing, attention was also focused on the special needs of homeless and at risk women Veterans and on expanding outreach/marketing and early intervention efforts to prevent homelessness. Witnesses widely praised the VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program, the VA’s largest collaborative effort with local communities that has resulted in the development of nearly 14,000  supportive transitional housing beds for homeless Veterans with funding for another 1000 beds due to be awarded later this summer. Several recommendations were made for improving administration of the program, including the calculation and payment of the per diem rate, and increasing the program funding level to $200 million a year.

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VA STRENGTHENS LEADERSHIP ROLE IN PROMOTING RECOVERY ORIENTED CARE FOR HOMELESS AND AT RISK VETERANS WITH NEW NATIONAL CENTER ON HOMELESSNESS AMONG VETERANS

May 23, 2009. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary and current Interagency Council Chair Eric Shinseki announced on Wednesday the creation of a National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans. The announcement was made by the Secretary during remarks at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) National Conference. “President Obama has made it clear that homelessness among Veterans is unacceptable,” Secretary Shinseki said. “We have a moral duty to prevent and eliminate homelessness among Veterans.” The Center will be an opportunity to “develop, promote, and enhance policy, clinical care, research and education to improve homeless services, so that Veterans may live as independently as possible in a community of their choosing.”  The VA estimates there are 131,000 homeless veterans on any given night.

The Center is designed to be a national resource for both VA and community partners, improving the quality and timeliness of services delivered to homeless or at-risk Veterans and their dependents.  The Center will be co-located with the Philadelphia VA Medical Center and the Tampa VAMC with the support of host-site academic affiliates, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of South Florida.  Initial research studies include  Evaluating Housing Programs for Homeless Veterans (in conjunction with the University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute) and Applying Administrative Data to Estimate the Prevalence of Veterans Among Homelessness Program Users and their use of VA-Funded Health Services (in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania).  Both research efforts will be rolled out first in VISNs 4 and 8. The VA provides services to veterans through 21 VA Service Networks (VISN). VISN 4 covers 104 counties in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Ohio. VISN 8 includes Florida, Southern Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  

Learn more about the Center.

Read about President Obama’s FY 2010 budget request for VA homeless programs.

Note: On June 3rd, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Veterans Affairs will hold a hearing on “A National Commitment to End Veterans’ Homelessness.”

NEW DATA SHOW JURISDICTIONAL EFFORTS TO END CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS THROUGH 10 YEAR PLAN STRATEGIES ARE PROVIDING HOUSING SOLUTIONS AND DEMONSTRATING COST SAVINGS

• Massachusetts statewide pilot Housing First program for chronically homeless individuals data show a 67% decrease in annual health care costs per person after housing placement.

• Data from Seattle/ King County's WA 1811 Eastlake Housing First initiative demonstrates $4 million in savings.

• Sioux Falls/Minnehaha County, SD permanent supportive housing pilot for 20 individuals documents 50% decrease in per person costs for health care, detox, law enforcement, and other county services.

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RECOVERY ACT INCLUDES RESOURCES TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS

On February 17, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This wide-ranging legislation included a number of provisions providing additional assistance and resources to states and communities to prevent and end homelessness. Key provisions are listed below:

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT:
Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Grants, $1.5 billion
Neighborhood Stabilization Program, $2 billion
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), $1 billion
HOME, $2.250 billion to coordinate with Low Income Housing Tax Credits
Public Housing Capital Fund, $4 billion
Promoting HUD Assisted Housing Stability and Increased Energy Efficiency, $2.250 billion

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES:
Community Health Centers, $2 billion
Community Services Block Grant, $1 billion
Child Care and Development Block Grant, $2 billion

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:
Education for Homeless Children and Youth, $70 million

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY:
Weatherization Assistance Program, $5 billion

FEMA:
Emergency Food and Shelter Program, $100 million

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE:
Violence Against Women Transitional Housing, $50 million

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR:
Employment and Training. $2.95 billion for WIA formula grants; $50 million for YouthBuild
Jobs Corps, $250 million

USDA (Department of Agriculture):
Rural Housing, $200 million will support over $11 billion in single family loans
Rural Community Facilities, $130 million to support over $1.2 billion in loans and grants
Emergency Food Assistance (Commodity), $150 million
SNAP (Food Stamps), 13.6% increase in benefits

TAX PROVISIONS INCLUDE:

"Making work Pay" Tax Credit
For 2009 and 2010, a refundable tax credit of up to $400 for working individuals and $800 for working families. This tax credit is calculated at a rate of 6.2% of earned income, and  phases out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income in excess of $75,000 ($150,000 for married couples filing jointly).

Economic Recovery Payment of $250 for social security, SSI, railroad retirement and disabled veteran compensation recipients

Unemployment Compensation Benefits
$25 weekly increase in unemployment benefits through 2009 and the up to 33 weeks of extended unemployment benefits for workers who've exhausted their regular 26 weeks of benefits will continue through December 31, 2009.

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
For married couples filing a joint return, raises the beginning of the phase-out threshold by $1880 and also increases the value of the credit for working families with three or more children

Tax Incentive for hiring unemployed veterans and disconnected youth
Under current law, businesses are allowed to claim a work opportunity tax credit equal to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages paid to employees of one of nine targeted groups. The new law creates two new targeted groups of prospective employees: (1) unemployed veterans; and (2) disconnected youth. An individual would qualify as an unemployed veteran if they were discharged or released from active duty from the Armed Forces during the five-year period prior to hiring and received unemployment compensation for more than four weeks during the year before being hired. An individual qualifies as a disconnected youth if they are between the ages of 16 and 25 and have not been regularly employed or attended school in the past 6 months.

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CREATING RESULTS THROUGH INNOVATION

Are you eager to learn how communities are achieving results in preventing and ending homelessness? The Council’s Innovation Series has answers for you! In 2008, our three-part Innovation Series put the spotlight on 33 far-ranging replicable efforts focused on our common mission to end homelessness. Beginning with our “20 innovations in 20 days” series in May, followed by the July “5 in 5” series, and concluding with our holiday “08 in 08” series, each innovation was profiled in a special edition of our e-newsletter that identified the innovation and the innovator, how it works, who benefits, the results being achieved, and who to contact for more information.

Interested in learning how communities have created successful dedicated revenue streams?
You’ll want to read the five innovations we profiled in our July “5 in 5” series.

Interested in learning about successful veterans housing and reintegration strategies?
You’ll want to read Innovations 11, 13, and 20 in our May “20 in 20” series.

Are your homeless consumers challenged in their efforts to access programs and benefits by lack of identification?
You’ll want to read Innovation 7 from our “08 in 08” series and Innovation 3 in our “20 in 20” series.

Want to enhance the effectiveness of your downtown engagement and housing strategies? 
Innovations 14 and 17 from our “20 in 20” series and Innovations 2, 4, and 6 in our latest “08 in 08” series will help you.

These are just a few of the subject areas covered in our 2008 Innovation Series, which together with other innovative ideas, can be found on our Innovations web page

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