-
Bush
Administration Announces Record $1.27 Billion to Help Hundreds
of Thousands of Homeless Individuals and Families
ICH Executive Director Philip Mangano today joined HUD Assistant
Secretary for Community Planning and Development Roy Bernardi
at a press conference to discuss HUD's
2003 Continuum of Care awards. The announcement
of the awards was made earlier in the day by HUD Acting
Secretary Alphonso Jackson.
As
someone who has worked in the field of homelessness as a volunteer,
provider, and advocate for 24 years before coming to Washington,
I know how exciting this day is all over the country for those
who are on the front lines of this national disgrace of homelessness.
These
new and increased resources will make a difference on the streets
and in the shelters across our nation. And, I'm honored to be
here with Secretary Bernardi today for this announcement that
will touch the lives of so many of our poorest neighbors in
the coming months and years. And Secretary Bernardi is an appropriate
person to announce these awards. As a mayor he has been on the
frontline of this issue, as have mayors across this country.
That's
why this Administration has emphasized partnerships in responding
to homelessness. We've learned that no one level of government
can get the job done alone. No state, no county, no city, no
rural area. Nor can we do it alone in Washington.
Across
the country momentum is constellating to create the partnership
that will get the job done.
In
Washington the 20 federal agencies in the Council are meeting
together and collaborating to make their resources more available
and accessible to homeless people.
In
states, 40 governors have responded to our planning strategy
and have created state interagency councils on homelessness
to make state resources more available.
And
on the front lines, more than 60 mayors, county executives,
and city managers are moving forward to create 10-year plans
to end homelessness in their communities.
Through
inclusive partnerships at every level of government, new partners
have come to the table and old partners have returned - business,
faith based groups, and philanthropy have recommitted to homelessness
through results oriented partnerships. For example, the 10 year
planning process in Atlanta has resulted in a new commitment
of $6.2 million from private philanthropy.
Those
new resources, together with increased federal investment in
homelessness at a time when states and cities are financially
strapped, offers a continuation of hope to reduce and end homelessness.
-ICH Executive Director Mangano
more in Word | more
in PDF
-
December
18 The U.S. Conference of Mayors today released its annual
survey of Hunger
and Homelessness in America. The report was based on a survey
of 25 major cities and provided information on the demand for
emergency food assistance, emergency shelter, causes of hunger
and homelessness, demographics of the population seeking services,
exemplary programs to respond to hunger and homelessness and
the availability of housing for low income persons. While the
report showed that the need for emergency food and shelter increased,
the rate of growth in the demand for emergency food and shelter
did decline from 2002 to 2003. More information about the report
can be found on the Conference of Mayors website.
ICH
Executive Director Philip Mangano, who has been working closely
with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to promote the development
of city 10 year plans to end chronic homelessness attended the
news conference and spoke of the "spirit of partnership"
that exists now between the Administration and the cities.
"On
this issue of homelessness, partnership trumps partisanship.
On this issue, there is no D or R or I or G. We're just Americans
partnering to end a national disgrace.
"Mayors
understand that the old ad hoc, siloed approach led to a status
quo that enabled the problem, without solving it.
"Our
partnered management agenda calls for visible, measurable, quantifiable
change on our streets,in homeless programs, and, most especially,
in the lives of homeless people."
-ICH
Executive Director Mangano
-
National
League of Cities Passes Resolution Endorsing 10-year Plans to
End Chronic Homelessness
 |
| Nashville
Mayor Purcell and ICH Director Mangano |
On
Saturday, December 13, the National League of Cities officially
adopted a resolution considered earlier in the week by its Human
Development Committee supporting the Bush Administration goal
of ending chronic homelessness in the United States in ten years
and pledging to “ help advance” efforts to create
10- year plans in cities around the country. ICH Executive Director
Philip Mangano praised the NLC action noting the spirit of partnership
that exists between the cities and the federal government on
the issue of ending homelessness.
The
National League of Cities becomes the third major association
of city and county officials to support the Bush Administration’s
call to end chronic homelessness in 10 years. In June the U.S.
Conference of Mayors approved a similar resolution and pledged
to work toward having 100 cities develop 10- year plans. In
July, the National Association of Counties passed a resolution
encouraging counties to develop 10 year plans
ICH
Executive Director Mangano, who had addressed the NLC Human
Development Committee earlier in the week, commended the NLC
and in particular New Haven Alderwoman Rosa Santana who authored
the resolution.
“There
is a fundamental shift taking place in Washington when it comes
to housing and serving homeless people. We are creating a partnership
that extends from the White House to streets - through federal
agencies, state houses, city halls, counties, the private and
non profit sectors, and now we're proud to say through the National
League of Cities”.
Resolution in Word
| PDF
The
ICH Regional Coordinators are
available to provide technical assistance to any city interested
in developing a 10 year plan.
-
New
England States and New York City Move Forward to End Homelessness
- Mayor
Bloomberg announces that New York City will develop a 10 Year
Plan to End Chronic Homelessness
Three largest cities in US now committed to the 10-year planning
process
- Three
New England Governors signed Executive Orders this week creating
state interagency councils
New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts join Rhode Island in
establishing a council more...
November
21 New York City - At a breakfast press conference this
morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the City of
New York, in partnership with leaders from the business and
non profit communities, will develop a 10-Year Plan to End Chronic
Homelessness. The effort will be co-chaired by Peter Madonia,
the Mayor's Chief of Staff; William Ruden, Chairman of the Association
for a Better New York, and Lilliam Barrios-Pauli, Senior Vice
President and Chief Executive of the United Way of New York
City. Thirty individuals representing the public, non profit
and business sectors will form the Coordinating Committee to
guide and review ideas and recommendations by task forces looking
at 1) prevention and diversion 2) outreach, shelter services
and permanency, 3) community based services collaboration and
resource reinvestment and 4) research and quality improvement.
Speaking
at the press conference, ICH Executive Director Mangano praised
the City for its commitment and vision in moving forward with
a ten year planning process.
"Today New York joins cities all across our country
- including Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis, and many
more in moving beyond the status quo of an ad hoc response to
homelessness to the common sense of a strategic plan to end
chronic homelessness." He noted that "Around
the country, homelessness is yielding to innovative, results
oriented strategies. As always, we will expect more from New
York given its record of offering the country innovative ideas
and strategic solutions".
New
York City's 10 year plan is expected to be completed by spring
2004.
 |
| Picture
1 - ICH Director Mangano with Vermont Governor Douglas.
Picture 2 - Director Mangano with New Hampshire Governor
Benson. |
November
24 - At a press conference Monday morning, Governor Jim
Douglas of Vermont announced that he had signed an Executive
Order creating the Vermont Interagency Council on Homelessness.
The Council will serve as the single, statewide homelessness
planning agency and policy development organization. The Vermont
Council will also develop a plan to reduce and end homelessness
in Vermont.
At a similar press conference Monday aftenoon, New Hampshire
Governor Craig Benson noted that he "was proud to stand
with President Bush in this effort to end homelessness"
and announced that New Hampshire was establishing a state interagency
council that would develop a ten year plan to end homelessness
in that state.
more...
 |
| Lt.
Governor Kerry Healey, HHS Secretary Ronald Preston, Mr.
Mangano, and Transitional Assistance Commissioner John Wagner |
November
20 Boston - Governor Romney signs an Executive Order creating
a permanent Interagency Council on Homelessness and Housing;
Lieutenant Governor Healey, who will chair the Council, releases
a report by the Governor's Executive Commission for Homeless
Services Coordination that recommends that homeless assistance
be redirected toward helping homeless individuals and families
find stable housing rather than the historic reliance on emergency
shelters and hotels.
The
creation of a permanent Interagency Council on Homelessness
and Housing was one of the recommendations contained in the
report, "Housing
the Homeless- A More Effective Approach" prepared by
the Governor's Executive Commission for Homeless Services. In
addition to the creation of a state council, the report also
recommended a greater focus on prevention, better coordinated
services, improved data collection, coordinating and reporting
and more emphasis helping homeless families and individuals
into stable housing. Massachusetts spends more than $250 million
per year on homeless individuals and families. Approximately
3000 individuals and 1600 families with children are in emergency
shelters on any given night.
 |
| Picture
of Lt. Governor Kerry Healey |
"Governor
Romney and I …view assistance to the homeless as a core
function of government that, to the extent possible, should
not be compromised, even in bad fiscal times". In light
of the Commission's findings a new approach will be taken to
tackle the state's homeless problem. Instead of focusing exclusively
on ways to improve the existing emergency shelter system, the
focus will be on shifting homeless families and individuals
out of emergency shelters and into more stable housing."
- Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey
 |
| ICH
Director Philip Mangano and Lt. Governor Healey |
ICH
Executive Director Philip Mangano joined Lieutenant Governor
Healey at the press conference. "Today, Massachusetts
takes a big step forward in the right direction for all its
homeless citizens. Massachusetts moves forward in partnership
with the federal government in a commitment to change the verb
of homelessness. For too long, we've been "managing"
this social wrong. Now the time has come to begin "ending"
this national disgrace".
-
Nation's
2nd Largest City to Adopt 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness
 |
| Participants
included L.A. Mayor Jim Hahn, L.A. County Sheriff Leroy
Baca, and ICH Director Philip Mangano |
BRING
LA HOME!, a partnership of more than 50 government, faith based,
social service, advocacy, law enforcement, entertainment and
business leaders and persons who've experienced homelessness,
moved forward yesterday on developing a 10 year plan to end
homelessness in Los Angeles County. The meeting of the blue
ribbon panel was convened by LA Mayor James Hahn and included
several members of the City Council, Santa Monica Mayor Richard
Bloom, Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard, Sheriff Leroy Baca, Pastor
of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church Cecil Murray,
the President of the United Way of Los Angeles Joseph Haggerty,
the Executive Director of U.S. VETS Stephani Hardy, and the
Executive Vice President of Washington Mutual Antonio Manning.
BRING
LA HOME, with coordination assistance from the Los Angeles Homeless
Services Authority and the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger
and Homelessness, is committed to creating and implementing
a "realistic, workable and widely accepted " plan
to end homelessness in Los Angeles County. Estimates are that
as many as 84,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County
on any given night.
"Today,
Los Angeles joins cities and counties across our nation committed
to ending the national disgrace of homelessness. Congratulations
to Mayor Hahn, his fellow mayors and fellow city official. What
might have seemed naïve just five years ago, planning to
end homelessness, has now become common sense. Across the country
homelessness is yielding to innovative initiatives, strategic
solutions and purposeful partnerships…
In
bringing together government, business, labor, philanthropy,
non-profits, academia, the United Way, the Sheriff and police
departments, faith based organizations, providers, advocates
and our homeless neighbors, this Blue Ribbon Panel offers the
breadth of partnership to forward a plan that will accomplish
its mission…
Here
in Los Angeles and across our country, new partnerships are
undoing the endless cycling of homelessness and creating change
by adopting innovative prevention and intervention strategies…
those partnerships extend literally from the White House to
the streets, moving through state houses, city halls, county
buildings, non profits and include our poorest neighbors. They
reject isolated polarization and stalemate in favor of inclusive
collaboration and results….
...we
shall not be in the words of the old hymn " resigned to
an evil we abhor", nor will we be constrained by the voices
of cynicism. Instead today, we are summoning the "better
angels" of our nature to abolish the evil of homelessness."
- Philip Mangano speaking at the November 13 Bring LA Home meeting
- States
Create 10 Year Plans to Address Homelessness
Rhode Island
 |
| Picture
of Governor Donald L. Carcieri of Rhode Island |
November
14, 2003
Governor Donald L. Carcieri of Rhode Island announced the
appointment of the Rhode Island Interagency Council on Homelessness.
The Governor held the press conference to announce the appointment
of the Council at the John O. Pastore Center in Cranston, RI,
where he also announced the opening of the 85-bed temporary winter
shelter for homeless people. He indicated emergency shelter was
not the answer, that there must be long-term solutions to the
homeless crisis in Rhode Island. He said the appointment of the
Interagency Council on Homelessness is critical to developing
those long-term solutions.
The Interagency Council on Homelessness will be composed of directors
of key state agencies, including human services, corrections,
health, elderly and emergency management. Susan Baxter of the
Rhode Island Housing resources Commission will chair the Council.
Missouri
At a press conference in St. Louis Monday morning, Governor Holden
and Mayor Slay were joined by ICH Executive Director Philip Mangano
as the Governor signed an Executive Order establishing a state
interagency council on homelessness and the mayor spoke of the
effort to create a 10 year plan to end homelessness in his city.
Missouri becomes the 41st state to either establish or be in the
process of establishing a state interagency council on homelessness.
(See a list of the states in Word
or PDF)
Agreeing with ICH Executive Director Mangano that the abolition
of chronic homelessness requires collaboration and coordination
of resources at all levels of government, and with the private
sector, Mayor Slay and the Department of Human Services had hosted
a Summit on Homelessness in May. In June, Mayor Slay joined other
mayors at the US Conference of Mayors meeting in adopting a resolution
endorsing the 10 year planning process.
 |
Photo
courtesy Bill Greenblatt/UPI
From left to right, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, Governor
Bob Holden and Philip Mangano. |
"The City of St. Louis is committed to ending chronic
homelessness and we'll be developing and releasing our 10 year
plan, or as we call it, our blueprint for change over the next
few months."
-Mayor Slay
"We've grown weary of bailing the leaking boat of homelessness
- moving some people out the back door to stability while others
fall in the front door to uncertainty. All across the country
a new partnership is being created. That partnership extends literally
from the White House to the streets, moving through state houses,
city halls, non profits to our poorest neighbors … I say
to the "show me" state, show me your creativity, innovation
and determination."
-Philip Mangano
 |
| Governor
Holden, Mayor Slay and Mr. Mangano receive a tour of the
Christian Services Center, site of the press conference,
by its Executive Director Robert Nelson. |
While
in Missouri, Mr. Mangano also spoke at the 20th anniversary dinner
of the St. Patrick Center.in St. Louis.The St. Patrick Center
is a grassroots faith based homeless services agency that has
served over 65,000 individuals during its twenty-year history.
It is a model for volunteerism with more than 200 faith-based
congregations and 3100 volunteers participating in its public-private
partnership. Over 2/3 of its funding comes from 13,000 donors
and foundations. The St. Patrick Center is also Missouri’s
largest outpatient alcohol and drug treatment program.
Colorado
 |
| The
meeting of the Denver Commission on Homelessness |
The Denver Commission on Homelessness met on November 3rd to continue
its work to develop a city 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness.
Also meeting on the same day across town at the State House was
the Governor's newly created Colorado Interagency Council on Homelessness,
which expands on the role previously played by the state's Homeless
Policy Academy team.
Wyoming
The Wyoming Advisory Council on Homelessness sponsored a statewide
conference on November 4-5 in Sheridan that included state and
local officials, educators, social workers, counselors and service
providers. Speaking at the conference, Mr. Mangano, noted that
the state of Wyoming had been one of 10 states to participate
in the most recent Policy Academy in Denver. Mr. Mangano applauded
the Wyoming team's work at the Academy and encouraged the conference
attendees to "get on the train of (homelessness) abolition
to create a home on the range for every Wyoman."
While in Wyoming, Mr. Mangano also met with Northern Arapaho tribal
leaders to discuss homelessness on tribal lands and reservations.
- October
15 Funding Availability for HOME Program — Competitive
Reallocation of Funds to Provide Permanent Housing for the Chronically
Homeless
more...
| HOME
Program
-
Grant
awards and New Initiatives Announced at October 1 Meeting of
Interagency Council at White House Conference Center
Highest
Ranking Meeting Ever of the Council on Issue of Homelessness
 |
| Cabinet
Secretaries make presentation to Barbara Poppe of the CSB. |
With
four Cabinet Secretaries in attendance and senior policy officials
from the sixteen other member agencies, the October 1 meeting
of the Interagency Council on Homelessness became the most senior
level meeting ever held on the issue of homelessness. Department
of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who currently
chairs the Council,
was
joined
by Council vice-chair VA Secretary Anthony Principi as well
as Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez and
Labor Department Elaine Chao in announcing a series of grant
awards and new initiatives to address housing, health services
and employment needs of homeless persons, particularly the long
term disabled homeless.
Eagerly
anticipated by the community partnerships in 106 communities
across the nation who had responded to the invitation to apply
for funding under the joint HUD/HHS/VA Collaborative Initiative
to End Homelessness, was the announcement of the 11
community partnerships that had been selected for funding.
| Collaborative
Initiative on Chronic Homelessness: FY 2003 Grant Awards |
| Lead
Agency |
Combined
Award to All Partners |
| Fortwood
Center Chattanooga, TN |
$2,195,550 |
| Chicago
Department of Human Services Chicago, IL |
$3,443,140 |
| Community
Shelter Board Columbus, OH |
$3,332,285 |
| Colorado
Coalition for the Homeless Denver, CO |
$3,440,650 |
| Broward
County Board of County Commissioners Human Services Department
Fort Lauderdale, FL |
$3,408,640 |
| Skid
Row Housing Trust Los Angeles, CA |
$2,110,187 |
| Contra
Costa County Public Health Homeless Program Martinez, CA |
$3,425,565 |
| Project
Renewal New York, NY |
$2,814,063 |
| City
of Philadelphia Managing Directors Office-Adult Services
Philadelphia, PA |
$3,297,784 |
| Central
City Concern Portland, OR |
$3,431,371 |
| San
Francisco Department of Public Health San Francisco, CA |
$3,460,761 |
| Total |
$34,359,996 |
These programs reflect the combined energies
of our departments toward protecting and enhancing the well
being of chronically homeless persons, some of our nation's
most vulnerable neighbors. In the U.S. approximately 200,000
people are chronically homeless. The large majority of these
individuals have serious and disabling health conditions, including
psychiatric and substance use disorders. Together our agencies
have taken real steps to connect our resources to help end chronic
homelessness and to prevent the cycle of chronic homelessness
in the future.
- HHS Secretary and ICH Chair Thompson
People
experiencing chronic homelessness are disproportionately on
the streets and these initiatives are intended to create a visible
and measurable change for that population. This is the first
time federal agencies have collaborated on this scale to improve
the delivery of federal homelessness assistance across the country.
The development of more effective service delivery through such
interagency collaborations is a key theme of the Interagency
Council's work.
- ICH Executive Director Mangano
 |
| HUD
Secretary Martinez and Labor Secretary Chao with a check
to address chronic homelessness. |
In
addition to the HUD/HHS/VA Collaborative Initiative announcement,
Labor Secretary Chao and HUD Secretary Martinez jointly announced
demonstration grant awards to 5 community partnerships in Portland,
Boston, San Francisco, Indianapolis and Los Angeles supporting
two important Administration goals-ending chronic homelessness
over the next decade and integrating persons with disabilities
into the workforce. The DOL
grant recipients will work in partnership with HUD housing
providers to provide permanent housing and customized employment
strategies for chronically homeless persons with disabilities.
| DOL
- HUD Joint Initiative |
| Worksystems
Inc. of Portland, Oregon |
$625,000
a year from DOL for up to 5 years and the Housing Authority
of Portland which receives $3 million in HUD funding |
| Boston
Private Industry Council |
$622,912
a year for up to five years from DOL and Metropolitan Boston
Housing Partnership, who receives $1 million in HUD funding |
| Private
Industry Council of San Francisco, Inc. |
$624,823
for from DOL for up to five years, and San Francisco Department
of Human Services, who receives $2.2 million in HUD funding |
| Indianapolis
Private Industry Council, Inc. |
$623,951
from DOL for up to five years and the City of Indianapolis,
who receives $1 million in HUD funding |
| Workforce
Development Division of the Community Development Department
of the City of Los Angeles |
$625,000
from DOL for up to five years and the Los Angeles County
Department of Mental Health, who receives $3 million in
HUD funding |
More from the October 1 Meeting of the Council
on Issues of Homelessness
- Social
Security Administration: availability of $8 million to assist
with outreach and enrollment efforts for homeless people eligible
for Social Security benefits and SSI, including a focus on
chronically homeless persons. SSA will use these 2003 funds
to improve the quality of assistance that medical and social
service providers offer to homeless persons, including those
with disabilities.
- HUD:will
be announcing the availability of $6.5 million in recaptured
HOME funds for the development of rental housing units for
chronically homeless persons.
- VA:
awarded grants totaling $12.5 million to 66 agencies that
provide essential services to homeless veterans. Recipients
are nonprofit and faith-based organizations, as well as state,
local and Indian tribal governments. In the past nine years,
the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Homeless Providers
Grant and Per Diem Program has awarded more than 300 grants
for transitional housing and service centers, for renovations
needed to meet fire and safety code requirements and for vehicles
to transport homeless veterans to needed services and places
of employment
Chairperson
and Vice Chairperson Elected for 2004 term
In
other business, the Council elected a new chairperson and vice
chairperson for the coming year. For the first time, a Secretary
of Veterans Affairs, Anthony Principi, will serve as chairperson.
Labor Secretary Chao, who has been an active partner in the
Council, was elected vice-chairperson.
 |
| From
left to right Holly Schottenstein Kastan, Council Chair
and HHS Secretary Thompson and Barbara Poppe |
Council
Guest Presentations
In
other business, Council members heard a presentation from Barbara
Poppe, Executive Director of the Columbus Shelter Board and
Holly Schottenstein Kastan, a member of the CSB Advisory Council
on their efforts to alleviate homelessness in Columbus and Franklin
County, Ohio including their innovative Rebuilding Lives strategy
which has received national recognition. CSB has succeeded in
creating 372 units of permanent supportive housing through the
Rebuilding Lives effort.
Fact Sheet | Powerpoint
Presentation | Website
Remarks
of Executive Director Mangano
The
funding announcements and interagency collaborations as well
as our intergovernmental initiatives that will be announced
at this meeting are encouraging signs of our commitment to the
field of providers, advocates, and consumers. As I've traveled
across our country, I have seen the importance of our work here
in Washington. The enthusiasm created by our initiatives. But
most importantly, our on-going commitment and presence has converted
a demoralized, cynical response into a remoralized, strategic
focus. Across the country, governors and mayors are creating
state interagency councils and ten-year plans to end chronic
homelessness.
more...
- October
6 Executive Director Mangano addresses National Coalition
for the Homeless "Bringing America Home" conference
Remarks | Letter
- October
3 San Francisco City Hall announcement of chronic homelessness
grants
Remarks by Mr. Mangano
- October
2 Public Policy Breakfast sponsored by the Archdiocese of
Los Angeles
Remarks by Mr. Mangano
- October
1 Congratulations to Collaborative Initiative Interagency
Team for job well done
more...
-
Collaborative
Initiative Grant Awards to be Announced at Interagency Council
Meeting Today
The
Interagency Council on Homelessness will meet in the Truman
Room of the White House Conference Center later this morning
to discuss the Administration's efforts to address homelessness
and in particular, the effort to end chronic homelessness. Twenty
federal departments and agencies are members of the Council,
which is currently chaired by Department of Health and Human
Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. At least 3 Cabinet Secretaries
are expected to announce new funding awards and initiatives
aimed at addressing long term homelessness. The most signifcant
of these announcements will be the grant awards for the $35
million HUD/HHS/VA Collaborative Initiative announced last July.
More than 100 applications were received from communities around
the country and evaluated jointly by the three federal agencies.
Applicants could request up to $3.5 million to provide housing,
mental health, substance abuse treatment , primary health care
and veterans services for chronically homeless persons in their
community.
-
ICH
Director Meets With Utah's Elected Leaders and Tours Homeless
Service Programs
Since
1987, the Berlin Wall has fallen, and apartheid in South Africa
has been abolished. These and other travesties of justices have
been eliminated, yet we have yet to eliminate homelessness within
the United States, the greatest country on earth. If we can
eradicate such major inequities, we can eliminate homelessness.
- ICH Executive Director Mangano in remarks at
state capitol with Lieutenant Governor Olene Walker
 From
the state capitol where new members of the State Homeless Coordinating
Council were being sworn in by Lieutenant Governor Olene Walker
to meetings with Salt Lake County elected officials and visits
to housing and service providers that included conversations
with formerly homeless persons, ICH Executive Director Philip
Mangano crisscrossed Salt Lake County on Thursday August 21
bringing the message that homelessness can be ended.
more...
-
Social
Security Administration Launches Homelessness Webpage
August
11 - The Social Security Administration, one of the Interagency
Council's twenty federal member agencies, has launched a homelessness
webpage http://www.socialsecurity.gov/homelessness/.
The SSA webpage, which was unveiled at this morning's bimonthly
meeting of the Interagency Council's Senior Policy Group, provides
detailed information about social security resources that are
available to help prevent and end homelessness. The new SSA
webpage can also be accessed by clicking on the Social Security
Administration link to the left.
-
VA
Awards Providers Grant Per Diem Program
VA announces 44 grants to support housing and supportive services
for homeless veterans; awards bring resources to 5 additional
states.
VA's
homeless program awards make a real difference in the lives
of thousands of homeless veterans each year, but we will not
rest until the President's goal of ending chronic homelessness
is achieved.
-VA Secretary and ICH Vice-Chair Tony Principi
Press
Release | VA Website
-
Using
HOME Grants to Address Homelessness
While interagency collaboration has been a focus of the Council,
some of the most exciting efforts are taking place in intra-agency
initiatives. A prime example is the recent HUD notice providing
guidance on the use of HOME funds in the larger efforts to end
homelessness.
HUD
Secretary Martinez 's prioritization of homelessness, Deputy
Secretary Jackson's intra-agency task force, Assistant Secretary
Bernardi's direction, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Carlile's
persistence have focused on HUD's mainstream housing resources
in the effort to induce the creation of more housing targeted
to homeless households.
The
guidance from the HOME Program to all of HUD and the participating
jurisdictions and Partnerships puts substance in the efforts
of Secretary Martinez to invest in the very antidote to homelessness
- housing. The Notice gives advocates and developers in the
field another handle on HOME funds for homeless people.
-Philip Mangano, Executive Director of the Interagency
Council
Notice
in PDF... | Notice
in Word... | HOME
Program
-
Council
Members Promote Interagency Collaboration at the Federal and
Local Levels
July
17 - $13.5 million interagency Notice of Funding Opportunity
on Ending Chronic Homelessness Through Employment and Housing
published in today's Federal Register. $2.5 million will be
available through the Department of Labor and $10 million through
the Department of Housing and Urban Development to increase
and improve housing and employment opportunities for persons
experiencing chronic homelessness. In addition the Department
of Labor will contribute $1 million for technical assistance.
The application deadline is August 20, 2003.
Today we take another step toward a day when persons living
with disability, addiction or mental illness will no longer
have to call the streets their home.
-HUD Secretary Martinez
In keeping with the promise of President Bush's New Freedom
Initiative and his goal of ending chronic homelessness, today's
action will expand the delivery and implementation of "customized
employment" strategies for people with disabilities, so that
they may live, work and fully participate in their communities.
-Labor Secretary Chao
Today's Federal Register announcement is the latest in a
series of innovative interagency collaborations by Council members
to provide more effective federal assistance to communities
to end chronic homelessness. More than 100 applications were
received in response to the historic $35 million HUD-HHS-VA
collaboration on chronic homelessness announced by the Council
last July. The announcement of awards for that initiative is
expected to be made in the next few weeks.
NOFA
in PDF | Press
Release from HUD | DOL Website
-
Efforts
to End Chronic Homelessness Continue to Gain Momentum
July
17- ICH Executive Director Philip Mangano addresses opening
Plenary Session of the annual conference of the National Alliance
to End Homelessness attended by more than 1300 people; introduces
keynote speaker VA Secretary/ ICH vice-chair Anthony Principi.
As Vice Chair of the Council, Secretary Principi has been
thoughtful, challenging and deeply committed to ending homelessness.
He has put his resources where his rhetoric is. His resolve
where his responsibility lies. He's on the front lines again.
This time with us, battling homelessness.
Our job is ending homelessness. Whether we're providers,
advocates, homeless people, Mayors, Governors or the President.
Our job isn't creating stalemate. No, it's to create houses.
Homes for our neighbors. And there are some new resources out
there to help you get the job done. (One) proposed resource
is the $70 million Samaritan Initiative in the President's FY
'04 budget. It's an interagency collaboration targeted to chronic
homelessness. It's new funding. Now it needs to make it through
Congress. The work of the Council is to make your work in the
field more effective and results oriented - through new partnerships
-Excerpts from ICH Director Mangano's remarks
more in PDF... | more
in Word... | NAEH Website
-
This
week Veterans Affairs Secretary and Council Co-chairman Anthony
Principi joined Labor Department Secretary Elaine Chao in the
announcement
of $17.5 million in grants to programs in 18 states that
will train and provide employment services to 10,000 homeless
veterans. The funds were awarded through the Homeless
Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), authorized under
the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. HRVP expedites the reintegration
of homeless veterans into the labor force by providing funds
to state and local workforce investment boards, local public
agencies and non profit faith-based and community organizations
which directly or though linkages with other community organizations
provide occupational training, remedial education, placement
assistance and supportive services including clothing, shelter,
transportation and referrals to medical and substance abuse
treatment.
ICH
Executive Director Philip Mangano, who attended the announcement,
noted that this program is an example of the collaboration and
coordination of resources that is taking place on an unprecedented
scale among federal agencies and in local communities.
2003
New Funding | 2003
Second Year Funding
-
July
16 - Senior officials from 40 cities came to Washington
for ICH-sponsored City Focus Group to discuss developing 10
year plans to end chronic homelessness, using street counts
to ensure performance outcomes, improving city-provider relations
and "moving from turf to trust" among city agencies. An ICH
written Step
by Step Guide to developing 10- year Plans was distributed.
Special presentations were made by Horace Sibley, appointed
by Atlanta Mayor Franklin to head that city's successful effort
to develop a 10-year plan and Leepi Shimkhada, lead organizer
for the Los Angeles plan with the Los Angeles Coalition to End
Hunger and Homelessness,who joined Mitchell Netburn, Executive
Director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority in describing
the public-private partnership that created the Los Angeles10
year plan. The importance of developing 10 year action plans
to end homelessness was underscored by a July 15 New York Times
article which described the more than 5000 persons living homeless
in Los Angeles' Skid Row. This was the third City Focus Group
conducted by the ICH in the past year and offers a unique opportunity
for city representatives to exchange information with their
peers and with the ICH.
more... | who
participated? | Step
by Step Guide - Powerpoint
Viewer
-
July
15 - National Association of Counties passes resolution
supporting Bush Administration's efforts to end chronic homelessness
and endorses 10 year planning processes for counties. This action
by county officials at their annual conference in Milwaukee
follows similar action by the U.S. Conference of Mayors last
month.
more in PDF... | more
in Word...
-
July
15 - ICH Executive Director Philip Mangano addresses conference
on Policy Application of HMIS Data.
more in PDF... | more
in Word...
-
U.S.
Conference of Mayors Endorsed City 10-year Plans to End Chronic
Homelessness
Efforts
to prevent and end chronic homelessness got a boost when the
U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution encouraging cities
to create and implement performance based, results oriented
strategic plans to end chronic homelessness in 10 years. Offered
by a bipartisan group of mayors, the resolution acknowledges
that new housing and service strategies, driven by research,
exist to make the ending of chronic homelessness possible and
calls on cities to develop plans using these new housing and
service strategies to end chronic homelessness in ten years.
The resolution
was offered by Mayors Menino (Boston), Garner (Hempstead NY),
Brown (San Francisco), Daley (Chicago), Young (Augusta GA),
McCrory (Charlotte) and Lord (Beaumont, Tx).
Speaking at the Conference, ICH Executive Director Philip Mangano
noted that "ten years ago our best expectation might
have been to manage homelessness but now new research and new
technologies have created such movement and innovation on the
issue- helping us to understand where homeless people come from
and who they are and what works in engagement and housing solutions,
that the new standard of expection is that we will end chronic
homelessness."
Cities interested in developing 10 year plans are encouraged
to contact the Interagency Council Regional
Coordinator for your region. Also, in a partnership between
the National Alliance, the Conference of Mayors and the Interagency
Council on Homelessness, a Tool
Kit has been developed which you can download.
Resolution in PDF...
| Resolution in Word...
| Regional Coordinator
Tool Kit (PDF) | Toolkit
(Powerpoint)
-
ICH
Executive Director Philip Mangano delivers the keynote address
at Homeless Policy Academy
"We're
looking for a new standard of expectation. We expect visible,
measurable, quantifiable change, in the streets of our county,
in our homeless programs, and especially in the lives of homeless
people.No longer are we content to shuffle homeless people from
one community to another, from one part of town to the other,
from one homeless program to another".
Governor's
staff, state legislators and key program officials from 10 states
attended a Homeless Policy Academy in Chicago this month to
learn ways to improve access to mainstream services for people
experiencing chronic homelessness. This was the fourth group
of states to attend a Policy Academy, an effort funded by the
Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human
Services and the Veterans Affairs to promote strategic planning
by the states on how they can more effectively utilize mainstream
resources to prevent and end homelessness.
"Mainstream
resources" is a term used to describe a variety of government
assistance programs for which people may be eligible because
of their economic or disability status. Examples of "mainstream
resource" programs include: Medicaid, SSI, TANF, Substance
Abuse Block Grant, Community Mental Health Services Block Grant,
and the Workforce Investment Act. A 1999 US General Accounting
Office report revealed that while funding for programs specifically
targeted to homeless persons under the McKinney Vento Homeless
Assistance Act amounted to $1.2 billion a year, more than $200
billion in assistance was available in the mainstream programs.
See
full text of ICH Director
Mangano's remarks.
-
 |
Click
to enlarge - (left to right) Neil O'Connor, Assistant Director
of Homelessness Directorate for Local Authority Strategies
Louise Casey, former head of "Rough Sleepers Unit"
Gordon Campbell, head of Homelessness Directorate
Philip Mangano, ICH Executive Director
Jane Everton, Assistant Director of Homelessness Directorate
responsible for performance management |
Interagency
Council Hosts Meeting of US and British Homelessness Policy
Officials
British
officials discuss how they were able to reduce "rough sleeping"
by 2/3
The
historic White House Indian Treaty Room was the site Monday,
May 12 for a meeting hosted by ICH Executive Director Philip
Mangano between four senior government officials from Britain's
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and senior policy officials
from HUD, HHS, Labor, VA, Social Security and other federal
agencies to discuss prevention and intervention strategies to
end chronic homelessness. Led by Gordon Campbell, head of the
Homelessness Directorate and Louise Casey, former head of the
"Rough Sleepers Unit", the British delegation described
their successful effort to reduce the number of homeless persons
"sleeping rough" on the streets by two-thirds. They
identified several factors as being key to their success, including:
- having
a " single, clear target with top-level commitment to
reduce rough sleeping by two thirds by 2002"
- creating
a Rough Sleepers Unit as a "cross cutting office with
an integrated budget" involving housing, drug, alcohol
and mental health programs
- the
use of repeated street counts " as a well tested, independent
methodology" to establish a baseline and measure progress
toward the target
- creating
a data collection system to determine service demands and
track outcomes
- establishing
specific performance targets for providers and holding them
accountable for meeting the targets
- funding
of multidisciplinary Contact and Assessment Teams to carry
out intensive street outreach efforts to help people "sleeping
rough" to move into accommodation
This
meeting between US and British homelessness policy leaders was
held as part of the federal effort being coordinated by the
Interagency Council to establish results oriented homelessness
prevention and intervention efforts to meet the Administration's
goal of ending chronic homelessness in a decade. In addition
to coordinating the efforts of federal agencies to adopt more
results oriented prevention and intervention policies and programs,
the Interagency Council is encouraging governors to create state
interagency councils to better coordinate their state homelessness
efforts and asking cities to create 10 year plans to end homelessness.
See the State and Local Info section of this website to view
the 10 year plans to end homelessness created by Atlanta,
Chicago, Phoenix,
Philadelphia and
other cities.
- Atlanta
Joins Growing List of Cities with 10 Year Plans to End Homelessness
In late March 2003 Mayor Shirley Franklin unveiled Atlanta's Blueprint
to End Homelessness in Atlanta. Convened by the United Way in
Atlanta, and chaired by Horace Sibley, a Commission invested months
to create a plan that would engage the whole Atlanta community.
In a recent conversation with ICH Executive Director Mangano,
Chair Sibley indicated that the plan is part of that increasing
number of efforts across the country to end homelessness in ten
years.
Recently, the nation's third largest city, Chicago, adopted a
10-year plan when Mayor Daley endorsed the effort a few months
ago. Indianapolis, Memphis, and other cities have created Mayor-endorsed
10-year strategies.
The Council is working with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and
the National Alliance to End Homelessness to support the creation
of Mayor-endorsed plans across the country. The Council's ten
Regional Coordinators will be providing assistance and direction
for communities in the creation of 10-year plans. It's our "Ten
for Ten" Plan.
If your community is contemplating a planning process, please
contact the Council. We can help!
more...
| Plans from different communities...
- Application
Period for Collaborative NOFA on Chronic Homelessness has Closed
more...
- Interested
in viewing the Ten Year Plans to End Homelessness developed
by Chicago and other communities?
more...
- Bush
Administration ’04 Budget proposes to increase funding
for homeless assistance programs by 14% including increases for
the Healthcare for the Homeless program, Housing Assistance Grants,
the Veterans Grant and Per Diem program and a Samaritan Initiative
targeted to providing housing and services for long term homeless
persons.
more...
- January
23, 2003 Addressing the Plenary Session of the U.S. Conference
of Mayors at their winter meeting in Washington, ICH Executive
Director Philip Mangano challenges the mayors to develop 10 year
plans to end homelessness in their cities. “Like the abolitionists
of old, we are faced with a social evil. Our neighbor has no place
to live. For how long can we resign ourselves to this disgrace
before we stand as Americans to keep the promise – to draft
the plans and get the job done: A Home for Every American."
see the remarks of Executive Director
Mangano...
- January
21, 2003 Chicago Mayor Daley embraces 10 year plan to end
homelessness in the 3rd largest city in the nation. ICH Executive
Director Philip Mangano joins Mayor Daley at the announcement
hailing the spirit of partnership and calling the Chicago plan
“ a national model”.
see the remarks of Executive Director
Mangano...
On December 5, a day that saw much of the Washington
area paralyzed by an early winter storm, senior government
officials gathered at the White House Conference Center
to push forward collaborative efforts that will reduce the
number of homeless people on the streets of America and
strengthen homeless prevention efforts. The members of the
newly revitalized Interagency Council on Homelessness reported
on the intra-agency, interagency and inter- governmental
collaborations that are taking place on an unprecedented
scale to help those who are homeless and those who are at-risk
of homelessness.
more... |
- Bush
Administration Unlocks $140 Million to Help Provide Emergency
Food and Shelter for Local Homeless Programs
more...
- Martinez
Names Mangano Director of Interagency Council on Homelessness
more...
|
