News of the Interagency Council
on Homelessness - 2009
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx2009 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.”
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."
The Secretary went on to note the central role housing and homeless policy have in the health care reform effort. "The epicenter of that debate is how we can reduce the soaring cost of health care at the same time we make sure that every American can get the health care they need. Well, the truth is, there are few platforms better suited to improving health outcomes and reducing costs than housing," said the Secretary citing several examples of major savings in health care systems from permanent supportive housing. He also noted family homelessness research that has shown that homeless parents and their children are significantly less healthy than their housed counterparts. "Simply put, if we want to tackle health care reform - if we want to lower costs - we must tackle homelessness," said the Secretary.
As the newly elected chair of the Interagency Council on Homelessness, Secretary Donovan reaffirmed the Obama Administration's commitment to develop and implement a federal strategy to prevent and end homelessness. "I believe the mission of the Interagency Council is simple," he said. " [It is] to bring as many partners as possible to the table - at the local, state and federal levels -- to prevent and end homelessness."
The Council will work to strengthen existing partnerships such as HUD-VASH which addresses the housing and service needs of homeless veterans who today comprise 15 percent of America's homeless population, he promised. It will also work to forge interagency partnerships across the Federal government. He said he believes no partnership will offer a bigger opportunity to prevent and end homelessness than that with the Department of Health and Human Services, where he and Secretary Sebelius are already in discussions "to link HUD's housing work with HHS programs to address a broad range of issues from homelessness and aging in place to unnecessary institutionalization and designing more livable, healthy communities. We want to connect homelessness, public and assisted housing programs with Medicaid and Medicare services and HHS's major block grant programs - and have each designated senior staff to recommend how we can do so."
"For a quarter century, we've known that ending homelessness is bigger than any one agency or level of government," said Secretary Donovan noting that the time has come to fully realize the inter-agency vision so many in the audience championed for McKinney-Vento more than twenty years ago.
Addressing the need for affordable rental housing as a key element in ending homelessness, Secretary Donovan said that President Obama's Recovery Act, along with HUD's Fiscal Year 2010 budget, make it clear that the Federal government intends "to get back into the business of building and preserving affordable rental housing." He reaffirmed the Administration's commitment to seeing that the final FY 2010 budget includes $1 billion to capitalize the National Housing Trust Fund. HUD's budget would also increase funding for the Housing Choice Voucher Program by $1.8 billion. The Secretary announced that he has asked HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs Mark Johnston to lead a "comprehensive review of HUD's "mainstream" programs - public housing, Section 8 and major block grant programs like HOME and CDBG- to ensure they are working in an integrated way toward preventing and ending homelessness." .
In his concluding remarks, Secretary Donovan noted that "Just as some say we can't afford to reform our health care system, so too do they claim we can't afford to end homelessness . . . Whether it's reforming our health care system or preventing and ending homelessness, the fundamental question is the same: It's not one of ability - rather, it's a question of will."
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).
"Numerous men and women voluntarily leave their families and put their lives on the line to ensure that we, their fellow Americans, live safely in our homes," said HUD Secretary Donovan. "These vouchers offer veterans a permanent home and critically needed supportive services to those who have served our nation."
"The announcement of an additional 10,290 HUD-VASH vouchers for homeless Veterans and their families allows us to take another giant step forward with a collaborative effort to reach some of the most vulnerable Veterans; including women Veterans and Veterans with children," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki "We will connect these Veterans with dedicated case managers to insure they receive the health care and benefit assistance to help them to move on with their lives with dignity."
HUD allocates the HUD-VASH designated vouchers to local public housing agencies based on a variety of factors, including the number of reported homeless Veterans and the proximity of a local VA Medical Center with the capacity to provide case management to voucher recipients. Local public housing authorities and local VA Medical Centers work collaboratively to manage the program. View the award list by state. With this week’s announcement, HUD will have provided $150 million over the last two years for 20,000 vouchers which in coordination with the VA will support the housing and service needs of homeless Veterans across America. In addition to participation in the HUD-VASH program, the VA provides medical services to more than 100,000 homeless Veterans each year. For more information about efforts to prevent and end Veteran homelessness, read story below on a recent U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing.
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."
According to HUD, key findings from this new report include:
About 664,000 people nationwide were homeless - either sheltered or unsheltered - on a single night in January 2008, down about 7,500 people (or one percent) from the previous year.
The number of people using homeless residential programs during the course of the year remained steady. Between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008, approximately 1.6 million homeless people used shelters or transitional housing programs at least once.
While the number of homeless individuals in shelters was about the same as last year, the number of people in families increased by 9% to 516,700, suggesting that family homelessness was on the rise at the time of the data collection.
Homeless persons in shelters and on the street continued to be most heavily concentrated in urban areas. One in five people homeless on a single night in January were located in Los Angeles, New York, and Detroit.
However, in the twelve months ending on September 30, 2008, the share of the sheltered homeless populations in suburban and rural areas increased substantially, from 23 percent in 2007 to 32 percent in 2008.
There were early signs that the economic crisis may have affected trends in homelessness nationally. Notably, a greater share of people accessing the homeless system in 2008 came from stays with friends and family and from places where they had lived a year or more, suggesting that people who had been stably housed were becoming homeless after exhausting their housing options.
In addition to the release of the annual report, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, who was recently elected Chairperson of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, announced that HUD is, for the first time ever, beginning to measure homelessness on a quarterly basis to gain a better understanding of the impact of the current economic crisis on homelessness. "The annual report tells us a great deal but it also begs many questions about how today's housing crisis and job losses are playing out in our shelters and on our streets," said Secretary Donovan. "The Administration's aggressive approach to economic recovery recognizes that during these difficult times, families in certain areas of the country are at extreme risk of falling into homelessness. With our new Quarterly Homeless Pulse Report, we will be able to better understand the impact of the current economic crisis on homelessness across the country." Read the first “Homelessness Pulse Project” report.
OVER $1 BILLION IN HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION AND RAPID RE-HOUSING PROGRAM AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Also this week HUD Secretary Donovan announced Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) awards to over 400 states and communities totaling $1.2 billion. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (“Recovery Act”) included $1.5 billion to support community efforts to provide homelessness prevention assistance to individuals and families who would otherwise become homeless – many due to the current economic crisis – and to rapidly re-house and stabilize those who have become homeless. More than 500 states and communities were deemed eligible to receive a direct allocation of these formula-based funds subject to HUD approval of a plan for the use of the funds which must be spent within 3 years. Plans could include a combination of eligible activities such as short and/or medium term (not to exceed 18 months) rental assistance, housing relocation and stabilization services including housing search, mediation or outreach to property owners, credit repair, security and utility deposits, rental assistance for a final month at a location, moving cost assistance and case management. HPRP assistance does not include mortgage assistance.
"This is money that will not only spare families the hardships of homelessness, but will save taxpayers significant money in the long run," said Secretary Donovan. "Oftentimes, a little bit of financial assistance can make all the difference between a stable home and being forced to live in a shelter or on the streets." Learn more about HPRP. View the list of awards announced this week. Plans submitted by other eligible communities are being reviewed and further award announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
"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."
President Obama directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to have their departments work together to identify ways to improve access to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. In keeping with that direction and funding made available in the FY 2009 appropriation, HUD announced this week that it will allocate funding for up to 4000 housing choice vouchers for non-elderly families with disabilities, including 1,000 vouchers specifically targeted to those transitioning out of nursing homes and other care facilities. The 1,000 vouchers are intended to fill a gap identified in an HHS initiative which is helping persons who reside in health care settings move to community-based living. While HHS' Money Follows the Person (MFP) program offers health care, case management and other services to qualified families, it does not include funding for housing. HUD's funding initiative is designed to fill that gap.
"As individuals with disabilities leave institutional care, it is essential that they have housing options that will allow them to live independently," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "As we prepare to launch this initiative, we also want to make certain that we get input from local housing experts, disability rights advocates and others who can help us target this assistance to those who need it most. We also recognize how important it is for HUD and HHS to coordinate our resources to enable community-living for those individuals that live with disabilities." The Proposed Notice of Funding Availability for these resources as well as the Request for Comments appears in the June 22nd Federal Register. Comments are due by July 13.
At HHS, Secretary Sebelius also made an announcement of new resources intended to help achieve the goal of enabling “individuals of all ages to live in the most integrated community setting suited to their medical needs, have meaningful choices about their living arrangements, and exercise more control over the services they receive.” Since 2003, HHS’ Administration on Aging (AoA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have jointly funded Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) pilot programs in 45 states and territories. $10 million in new funding is being made available to build on and expand the existing pilots and ensure that every state can offer this program and its services to their citizens. Read more about ADRCs and view the AoA funding opportunity. Additionally, CMS is offering an opportunity to programs in California, Hawaii, Maryland and North Carolina to strengthen ADRC partnerships with hospitals so that more people who are being discharged and need post- acute care will be able to receive that care at home rather than in a nursing home. Read More about HHS "Year of Community Living" efforts.
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."
Secretary Shinseki welcomed Council members and noted the importance of continuing efforts to end chronic homelessness, continuing to reduce veterans' homelessness, and addressing the homelessness of families during the economic downturn. The Secretary indicated that the Council's record showed the importance of collaboration in making progress in preventing and ending homelessness. On behalf of the White House, Ms. Barnes greeted Council members and noted that the meeting came a "critical moment" which both recognizes past efforts and renews focus on the problem of homelessness with the promise of Administration leaders to partner both policy and budget in the effort to prevent and end homelessness.
HUD Secretary Donovan reported that progress has been made during the first 150 days of the Administration, pointing to the successful collaboration of HUD and VA through the HUD-VASH housing program, as well as through the new $1.5 billion Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program under the Administration's Recovery initiative. Secretary Donovan noted the recent reauthorization of the Department's homeless programs under the HEARTH legislation (Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009, enacted as Division B of PL 111-22) signed by the President last month, including the creation of a new rural homelessness initiative.
"Ending the continuing tragedy of homelessness demands thoughtful and focused leadership," said Secretary Donovan. "President Obama and I are committed to working through the USICH, the agencies it represents and our state, local and non-profit partners to build a thoughtful and compassionate response to this crisis. The bottom line is that through our combined efforts every man, woman and child in this nation should have access to a safe, affordable place to lay their head at night."
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said her agency "stands ready" to be a partner in making services accessible for people experiencing homelessness and in promoting best practices. Secretary Sebelius described increases proposed in the President’s 2010 budget for targeted mental health and treatment services.
U.S. Department of Labor Secretary and new Council Vice Chairperson Hilda Solis reported to the Council on Labor's initiatives for homeless veterans, youth, and women, including women veterans. She noted the potential for increasing the impact of Job Corps for youth aging out of foster care, and the proposed 2010 budget increase of over 30% for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. Secretary Solis pointed out the proposed $4 million funding level for the Department's initiative for incarcerated veterans employment services.
Secretary Shinseki asked all Council members to report on agency initiatives ranging from the Department of Commerce's preparation for the 2010 census to the Department of Energy's job creation goals using Recovery Act resources, and including results from a multi-year Social Security Administration initiative to enroll homeless persons into SSA benefits. Council partners heard about the Department of Homeland Security's continuing post-Katrina housing and case management activities, the Department of Agriculture's accessibility opportunities for food and nutrition programs, the Department of Justice's reentry and special courts efforts, and the Department of Education's resources for education of homeless children during the economic downturn. Xavier de Souza Briggs, Office of Management and Budget Associate Director for General Government Programs, and Mark Weatherly, Deputy Associate Director, Housing, Treasury and Commerce Division, affirmed recent federal increases in targeted spending on homelessness.
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.
Testifying on behalf of the VA, Homeless Programs Director Pete Dougherty, who is also the Acting Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, told the Committee that Secretary Shinseki’s goal is to eliminate homelessness among Veterans in five years. Mr. Dougherty spoke of the “unprecedented commitment and collaborative relationships at the Federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local government level . . . and the more than 500 community, non profit and faith based service providers working in tandem with the VA’s health care and benefits staff.”
Mr. Dougherty told the Committee the VA has estimated from local data that there were approximately 131,000 homeless Veterans on any given night in 2008, a 33 percent reduction in homelessness over the last three years. “This progress demonstrates to us that this scourge of homelessness, while difficult to address, is not impossible,” he said. He reviewed with the Committee members progress being made through existing programs and new initiatives being developed, particularly those focused on homelessness prevention including a congressionally authorized VA-HUD pilot prevention program for at risk Veterans and their families and a VA-Department of Labor pilot effort which will begin in FY 2010 to demonstrate effective homeless prevention approaches for Veterans being discharged from institutional settings. Department of Labor Deputy Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training John McWilliams also testified on the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.
Additional presenters at the hearing were: John Driscoll, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans; Dwight Radcliff, Sr, US Vets; Marsha Four, Vietnam Veterans of America Committee on Women Veterans; Sam Fann, Manna House-Johnson City, TN; Phil Landis, Veterans Village of San Diego; Carol Adams, Ph.D, Illinois Department of Human Services; George Basher, VA Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans; and Carol Caton, Ph.D, and Brendan O’Flaherty, Columbia Center on Homelessness Prevention Studies, which is the nation's only NIMH-funded research center on more effective approaches to homelessness prevention. Center Director Caton provided a brief summary of the Center’s work that has included studies on the efficacy of Housing First and Critical Time Intervention strategies, and several ongoing and upcoming studies.
New York City Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Rob Hess reported on the continuing progress of the City’s efforts to end Veteran homelessness led by the 2006 Operation Home initiative of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and then VA Secretary James Nicholson which charged a Task Force with “creating a dedicated veterans service system outside the transitional homeless service system that would meet the unique needs of homeless Veterans and tie them to the rich array of resources already provided by the VA.” A first goal of housing “100 veterans in 100 days” while the Task Force completed its work was not only exceeded when 135 Veterans were housed but since then 1900 more Veterans have moved from temporary shelter into permanent housing.
Between December 2006 and May 2009, the number of Veterans living in New York City shelters has been reduced by 60%. The City’s new system includes a multi-service center which became operational in May 2008 serving as a single point of access for homeless Veterans and for those at-risk of becoming homeless which integrates DHS intake services with access to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment available through the VA medical system, as well as housing and other support services. The Center also makes available preventive services needed to divert those Veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless. Soon to open is a Veteran specific Safe Haven, a housing model proven to be particularly effective at engaging those living on the streets. Mr. Hess credited the “creation of specific and measurable goals” as a major factor in the City’s success so far and also spoke of the importance of “federal partners in bringing initiatives to scale.” He noted that of the 1000 HUD-VASH funded vouchers the city received from the $75 million funding made available nationally last year, 701 had already been distributed by May 1. Commissioner Hess was accompanied by Mr. Ronald Marte, who after serving in Iraq had become homeless and has been able to move from a shelter into permanent housing with a HUD-VASH voucher.
Visit the Committee’s website to read the witnesses’ prepared statements and Committee members statements.
(note: The Committee held a special roundtable in May on women Veterans issues. On Thursday, the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health considered and approved with an amendment legislation, HR 1211, on health care services for women Veterans. Also this week, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, along with cosponsors Senators Durbin of Illinois, Menendez of New Jersey and Brown of Ohio, formally introduced S 1160, the Homes for Heroes Act of 2009, housing assistance legislation for homeless and very low income Veterans and their families which had been championed by President Obama when he was a Senator.)
Did You Know?
VA staff include Homeless Veterans Outreach Coordinators at every Veterans Benefit Administration regional office who network with other community agencies to identify homeless Veterans, advise them of any VA benefits and services for which they are eligible, and assist them in receiving expedited claims processing.
VA is the nation’s largest integrated health care system and provides health care to over 100,000 homeless Veterans annually. VA has adopted strong performance measures and a Mental Health Uniform Service Package to ensure that homeless Veterans receive prompt access to mental health and substance abuse care.
VA’s 42 Domiciliary Care programs treated nearly 6000 homeless Veterans in FY 2008.
As of April 2009, 7300 Veterans have received HUD-VASH housing vouchers and data reveals that 12% of the units are occupied by women Veterans and 14% have one or more children in residence.
The best strategy to prevent homelessness is early intervention. Outreach efforts to combat theater Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are especially important. Community organizations and 10 Year Plan implementation efforts can become familiar with the health care and other benefits available to these returning Veterans by visiting the VA’s Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom website at http://www.oefoif.va.gov/. Each VA Medical Center also has an OEF/OIF Care Management Team ready to welcome OEF/OIF Veterans and help coordinate care.
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness continues to encourage every state, county, or city jurisdictional 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness to include specific strategies for preventing and ending Veteran homelessness. Some examples of 10 Year Plans with veteran specific strategies are provided on our State and Local page where you can also find contact information for our Regional Coordinators.
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.
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.
New data from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Seattle/King County, WA, and Sioux Falls/Minnehaha County, SD demonstrate clearly that the random ricocheting of vulnerable and disabled persons experiencing chronic homelessness through health care, treatment, and law enforcement systems comes at great expense to the taxpayer and with no improvement in the lives of these individuals. The new data affirm the importance of jurisdictional commitment to strategies that invest in housing solutions with supportive services that end the homelessness of those who are not only the most vulnerable and disabled but also the most costly to the community, and in doing so, improving the quality of life for everyone - housed and homeless alike.
The study, funded by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and led by University of Washington professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and adjunct professor of psychology Dr. Mary E. Latimer, documented cost savings of over $4 million for the 95 individuals who were the subject of the study and who had previously cost local taxpayers $8.2 million in hospitalizations, emergency services, jail time, detox, and sobering center visits. After being housed, the per person costs per month declined to $1,492 after six months and $958 after one year. The total cost for all 95 participants for one year was $4,094,291, a reduction of more than $4 million. The researchers also found that residents drank less the longer they remained housed, and their cost to public systems continued to decline.
Outgoing King County Executive Ron Sims, who has been nominated by President Obama to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, attended the news conference along with Dr. Latimer and Downtown Emergency Service Center Executive Director Bill Hobson, whose agency operates 1811 Eastlake. Mr. Sims, acknowledging that he’d originally been skeptical about a Housing First strategy for chronically homeless alcoholics, said “This is an extraordinarily successful program” and noted, “Our return on investment has exceeded any expectation.” Read More.
Massachusetts State Data on Home and Healthy for Good (Housing First) Initiative Shows Dramatic Medicaid Savings
When the Massachusetts Legislature passed an FY 2007 line time to invest state resources in a new statewide pilot Housing First program for chronically homeless individuals, the expectation was that the Home & Healthy for Good (HHG) initiative would replicate the national success rate of Housing First and end the costly random ricocheting of chronically homeless individuals through state systems. New state data released last week from an unprecedented state research initiative relying on Medicaid claims data show a 67% decrease in annual health care costs per person after housing placement. The Home & Healthy for Good Initiative is operated by the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) with twelve partner agencies around the state.
The Massachusetts Medicaid system tracked chronically homeless individuals successfully stabilized through the statewide initiative and used individual state Medicaid health care payment data to identify annual health care costs per person that decreased from an average of $26,124 before housing placement to $8,500 after housing placement, a savings of $17,625 per person. Read More.
Sioux Falls/Minnehaha County 10 Year Plan Permanent Supportive Housing Pilot
Project Safe Home, a permanent supportive housing pilot for 20 individuals undertaken as one implementation strategy of the Sioux Falls/Minnehaha 10 Year Plan, has documented a 50% decrease in per person costs for health care, detox, law enforcement, and other county services. Costs dropped from $32,000 per person to $16,529. The most dramatic decline was in health care costs, which fell from a total of $109,109 in the first quarter of the initiative to $12,730 in the last quarter of the pilot program, according to data presented to Minnehaha County commissioners by Human Services Director Hugh Grogan. Read More.
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:
"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 Paymentof $250 for social security, SSI, railroad retirement and disabled veteran compensation recipients
Unemployment Compensation Benefits
$25 weekly increase inunemployment 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.
On February 17, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("Recovery Act"). This wide-ranging legislation included a number of provisions that are described below that provide additional assistance and resources that can help prevent and end homelessness. As the White House and federal agencies release information about the allocations, application processes, and awards for these funds, the information will be posted on our newly created Recovery Act page.
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Emergency Shelter Grants. $1.5 billion for homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing activities to be distributed through this formula program to states, cities and local governments. HUD Secretary may establish minimum grant size. HUD to publish a notice within 30 days. Eligible activities include short or medium term rental assistance, housing relocation and stabilization services including housing search, mediation or outreach to property owners, credit repair, security and utility deposits, rental assistance for a final month at a location, moving cost assistance and case management. Emphasis is on the timely expenditure of funds. Grantees must expend 60% of funds in two years or Secretary can reallocate unspent funds.
Neighborhood Stabilization Program. $2 billion to assist states, local governments and non profits entities or consortia of nonprofit entities, which may submit proposals in partnership with for profit entities, in the purchase and rehabilitation of foreclosed, vacant properties in order to create more affordable housing and reduce neighborhood blight. These funds are in addition to $3.92 billion made available in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, but unlike the earlier funds will be awarded through competitive application. HUD must publish selection criteria within 75 days and applications will be due within 150 days of enactment. ( note: day of enactment is February 17). In selecting grantees, HUD shall ensure that the grantees are in areas with the greatest number and percentage of foreclosures and grantees must be able to spend at least 50 percent of allocated funds within 2 years and 100 percent of such funds within 3 years. Renter Protection: provisions are included that tenants in foreclosed properties purchased with these new Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds receive a minimum 90 days notice before eviction and may be allowed to remain for the term of their leases.
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). $1 billion
HOME. $2.250 billion to coordinate with Low Income Housing Tax Credits to jumpstart stalled housing development projects.
Public Housing Capital Fund. $4 billion to Public Housing Authorities (PHA) for building repair and modernization, of which $3 billion will be distributed by existing formula grant and $1 billion will be awarded bySeptember 30, 2009 by competition for priority investments including investments that leverage private sector funding for renovations and energy conservation retrofit investments. PHAs are to give priority consideration to capital projects that can award contracts based on bids within 120 days from the date the PHA receives funds and also to the rehabilitation of vacant rental units. PHAs must obligate 100% of the funds within 1 year or Secretary will reallocate.
Promoting HUD Assisted Housing Stability and Increased Energy Efficiency
$2 billion for full year payment to landlords participating in the Section 8Project Based program and $250 million to assist owners of Section 202, Section 811 and Section 8 properties increase energy efficiency, which may include new insulation, windows, and furnaces.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Community Health Centers: $500 million for services; and $1.5 billion for construction, renovation and equipment, and acquisition of health information technology systems. The $500 million in services money "are to be used to support new sites and service areas, to increase services at existing sites, and to provide supplemental payments for spikes in uninsured populations. Grants for new sites and service areas are to be two years in length as startup is phased in." HRSA is encouraged to consider supporting currently unfunded but approved community health center applications.
Community Services Block Grant: $1 billion with 1% of the funds made available to each state to be used for benefits enrollment coordination activities relating to the identification and enrollment of eligible individuals and families in federal, state, and local benefit programs. States may elect to allow services to be provided with these funds to individuals and families with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level during fiscal years 2009 and 2010.
Child Care and Development Block Grant: $2 billion. Expected to serve 300,000 children.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Education for Homeless Children and Youth: $70 million to be distributed to states within 60 days in proportion to the number of homeless students identified during the 2007-2008 school year. States shall then subgrant the funds by competition or formula to local educational agencies within 120 days based on number of homeless students.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Weatherization Assistance Program. $5 billion for this program which assists low income individuals and families make their homes more energy efficient. Income eligibility ceiling increased from 150% to 200% of poverty level and funding assistance per dwelling unit increased to $6500 from $2000.
FEMA
Emergency Food and Shelter Program: $100 million
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Violence Against Women Transitional Housing. $50 million included as part of a $225 million appropriation to the Office on Violence Against Women for prevention and prosecution programs. DOJ to prepare intended spending plan for this and all other funding for DOJ programs under this Act within 60 days.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training. $2.95 billion for WIA formula grants to states including $500 million for adults, $1.25 billion for dislocated workers and $1.2 billion for youth programs. Increase age limit for youth funding from 21 to 24. $50 million provided for YouthBuild and for program years 2008 and 209 would allow participation by young people who've dropped out of high school and re-enrolled in alternative school if that re-enrollment is part of a sequential service strategy.
Job Corps. $250 million for construction, rehabilitation, and acquisition of ready to go Job Corps Centers. Up to 15 percent for operations, which may include training for careers in the energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental protection industries.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)
USDA Rural Housing: $200 million will support over $11 billion in direct and guaranteed single family loans.
USDA Community Facilities Program: $130 million will support over $1.2 billion in loans and grants for essential rural community facilities.
FOOD ASSISTANCE
Emergency Food Assistance (commodities purchase for food banks): $150 million of which up to $50 million may be used for costs associated with the distribution of commodities.
Increase to SNAP (Food Stamps) 13.6% increase food stamp benefit beginning April 2009. Suspends for 18 months the 3 month time limit on assistance that many unemployed childless adults face. Click here to view USDA memo and chart of new maximum monthly food stamp allotments by household size.
(Also, $100 million to FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter program as noted above)
AMONG PROVISIONS THAT PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES :
"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 Paymentof $250. Recipients of Social Security, SSI, Railroad Retirement ,and Veterans Disability Compensation Benefits will receive a one-time payment of $250. The one-time payment is a reduction to any allowable Making Work Pay credit.
Unemployment Compensation Benefits. $25 weekly increase inunemployment 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 TO BUSINESS TO HIRE 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.
www.recovery.gov. The Federal Government has established the recovery.gov website to allow the American people to track over time the expenditure of funds and results from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
CONTINUING PREPARATIONS FOR FY 2009 HOMELESS ASSISTANCE GRANTS COMPETITION, HUD ISSUES NOTICE ON ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION AND OTHER IMPORTANT MATTERS
July 16. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this week continued preparations for the FY 2009 Homeless Assistance Grants competition with the publication of a Notice for Continuums of Care on electronic registration procedures and also outlining some important changes from previous competitions. This follows HUD’s December 29 publication, which was later amended on April 16, of its General Section providing policy requirements applicable to all HUD FY 2009 discretionary program applications. Still to come is the actual Homeless Assistance Grants Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) which HUD states will not be published before August 15. HUD will announce the release of this year’s NOFA via its Homeless Assistance listserv. To join HUD’s listserv, go to http://www.hud.gov/subscribe/mailinglist.cfm and click on Homeless Assistance Program. Again this year, HUD is using the e-snaps electronic registration and submission system rather than grants.gov for the Homeless Assistance Grants Program.
While some of the major Notice provisions are highlighted below, it is very important that all potential applicants read this week’s Notice in full.
In an effort to streamline the renewal award process in 2009, HUD has modified the selection process. Eligible Supportive Housing Program (SHP) and Shelter Plus Care (S+C) renewal projects will be conditionally awarded as quickly as possible. New projects will be awarded after the project threshold review and the scoring of the CoC application have been completed. During a July 15 webcast on the Notice, HUD officials indicated that they expected that it would be sometime after the new year before the new project monies were awarded.
In 2009, CoCs in hold harmless status (HHN) will not be able to reallocate funds to new projects. New project applications must be either new projects within FPRN (Final Pro Rata Need) for CoCs in PPRN or projects that will be funded with permanent housing bonus funds (described below).
For 2009, the Samaritan Bonus Initiative will be replaced with a Permanent Housing Bonus. CoCs will be able to use funds for homeless disabled individuals and families or for chronically homeless individuals. As creating new permanent housing beds for chronically homeless individuals is still a HUD priority, HUD strongly encourages CoCs to use at least a portion of available bonus funds to create a project that will exclusively serve the chronically homeless.
In order to be eligible to submit an application in the FY2009 Homeless Assistance competition, CoCs must register in the electronic database, e-snaps, prior to the beginning of the 2009 CoC competition. CoCs that applied for funds in 2008 will only need to update registration information in e-snaps. During the registration phase, CoCs will be asked to identify the CoC lead agency, contact information for lead agency staff, and the geography that the CoC is claiming. CoCs will also be required to attach their SHP and S+C grant inventory worksheets. CoCs will receive confirmation from HUD concerning claimed geography, PPRN and HHN Amounts.
Through the CoC Registration process, CoCs will use the SHP and S+C grant inventory worksheets to establish those projects that are eligible for renewal in 2009. Projects will be considered eligible for renewal in the 2009 CoC competition if they expire in calendar year 2010 and if they meet all other HUD requirements in regards to performance and capacity.
For grants originally awarded in 2002 or 2003 that have not yet been renewed, the funds associated with these grants will only be available for use through the end of Federal Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010 respectively. After that date, these funds will automatically be returned to the U.S. Treasury and will no longer be available for expenditure, even if the end date established in the grant agreement is later. Read the Notice for more details.
In 2009, CoCs that are in PPRN (preliminary pro rata need) status will be permitted to request one, two, or three years of funding for SHP renewal projects up to the maximum amount of available pro rata need. HUD reserves the right to not allow multi-year grant term requests for renewal projects in future competitions; therefore, CoCs may want to consider moving to one-year renewals to maximize funding.
Beginning in 2009, applicants for the Shelter Plus Care program will only be permitted to apply for 100 percent of the FMR and will no longer be permitted to request any amount that is greater or less than the local Fair Market Rent (FMR)
To ensure that the CoC system addresses the needs of homeless veterans, the Notice states that it is particularly important that CoCs involve veteran service organizations with specific experience in serving homeless veterans
FEMA 2009 HURRICANE SEASON PREPAREDNESS MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE
2009 Hurricane Season began June 1. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has developed a number of resources to help citizens, local governments, and community organizations better prepare for responding to a disaster:
the 2009 Disaster Housing Plan, an operational guide for working with Federal partners, States, territories, Tribes, local communities, and individual disaster survivors to meet disaster related sheltering and temporary housing needs
FEMA You-Tube channel including an introductory video to the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide for state and local governments
www.disasterhelp.gov web site to apply online for assistance after a Presidential declaration of disaster
LET'S END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS
VA invites community providers to a national summit November 3-5 to promote research findings, innovative thinking, and partnerships to achieve the goal of ending veteran homelessness in five years
“We are going to take (the) 131,000 homeless Veterans off the streets over the next five years . . . To do this well, we will have to attack the entire downward spiral that ends in homelessness—we must offer education, jobs, treat depression, fight substance abuse, and offer safe housing. We have to do it all—no missed opportunities in going from 131,000 to zero and keeping it there . . .
VA Secretary Shinseki remarks to VFW
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is inviting multidisciplinary teams, individuals, and federal, state and community agencies responsible for the organization, management and treatment continuum for homeless veterans and their families to attend and participate in the Homeless Veterans Summit: Ending Homelessness among Veterans in Five Years being held November 3-5 in Washington, DC at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.
The Conference will focus on research studies, emerging best practices, or clinical demonstrations that are producing results, particularly in the areas of Homeless Prevention, Incarceration Diversion/Community Reentry, Outreach to Special Populations, HUD-VASH, Grant and Per Diem, Homelessness and Residential Treatment, Transitional Housing, Vocational Rehabilitation, Homelessness and Substance Abuse, Homelessness and Women, OEF/OIF Veterans and Homelessness, Homelessness and Serious Mental Illness, Homelessness and Medical Issues, Promoting Continuity Among the Homeless Continuum of Care, Rural Homelessness, Community Collaboration, and Homelessness and Families.
Conference Registration deadline is October 16. Hotel registration deadline is October 9.
15,000 homeless Veterans to benefit from U. S. Department of Labor (DOL) job training grants under the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (full story below)
$851 million released in Recovery Act Capital Improvement Grants for Community Health Centers (full story below)
Over $1 billion in Recovery Act TCAP funds awarded to state housing finance agencies in 26 states to jumpstart stalled affordable rental housing projects (full story below)
HUD Secretary Donovan AnnouncesExpanded Eligibility for ” Making Home Affordable” Refinancing
The VA has released a handbook on the VA portion of procedures for the HUD-VASH program that combines HUD “Housing Choice” voucher rental assistance with case management and clinical services provided by the VA to assist homeless Veterans and their families. This new handbook clarifies the admission process and procedure for homeless Veterans into the HUD-VASH Program and the duties of those assigned responsibilities under the program including the responsibility of VA case managers to provide housing search assistance to HUD-VASH participants with rental vouchers.
HUD and USDA team up to add HUD Recovery Act-funded project data to the USDA-created geospatial web mapping tool. The tool allows an internet user to locate USDA – and now HUD - projects that are funded by the Recovery Act nationwide. Users can view the total amount of Recovery Act funds going to each state and how many grants and/or contracts are being signed under a specific program. Users can search by agency, state or amount of money that is obligated to grantees.
U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Solis Announces Over $25 million in Homeless Veterans Reintegration Grants
Assisting homeless Veterans to reintegrate back into the civilian workforce is the goal of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). 15,000 homeless Veterans are expected to benefit from this week’s announcement by U.S. Department of Labor Secretary and U.S. Interagency Council Vice Chairperson Hilda Solis of the award of 98 HVRP grants totaling more than $25 million. "This funding will help Veterans across the country access the resources they need to find good jobs and build a bright future for themselves and their families," said Secretary Solis.
The 50 new grants and 48 second and third year continuing grants were awarded on a competitive basis to state and local workforce investment boards, local public agencies and nonprofit organizations, including faith- based and community organizations. Grantees coordinate their efforts with local, state and federal social service providers to see that homeless Veterans receive occupational, classroom and on- the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance, including follow-up services. The grants included continuation funding for cooperative agreements with the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans and Virginia Commonwealth University for the HVRP National Technical Assistance Center. The Center provides technical assistance to current grantees, potential applicants and the public; gathers grantee best practices; conducts employment-related research on homeless Veterans; conducts regional grantee training sessions and self-employment boot camps; and performs outreach to the employer community to increase job opportunities for Veterans.
Read more about HVRP and other DOL programs to benefit Veterans and returning service members in testimony
by DOL Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training John McWilliam at the June 3rd House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on A National Commitment to End Veterans Homelessness. The President’s FY 10 budget calls for a 34% increase in funding for the HVRP program.
First Lady Michelle Obama Announces $851 million in Community Health Center Capital Improvement Grants from the Department of Health and Human Services
During a visit to the Unity Upper Cardozo Health Care Center in downtown Washington DC this week, First Lady Michelle Obama announced the release of $851 million in Department of Health and Human Services Recovery Act-funded Capital Improvement Grants to address immediate and pressing community health center facility and equipment needs. "Community Health Centers provide care to the Americans who need it most and their work has never been more important," said Mrs. Obama.
This week’s announcement is the third set of grants for health care centers provided through the Recovery Act. On March 2, President Obama announced grants worth $155 million to establish 126 new health center sites. Those grants will provide access to essential preventive and primary health care for more than 750,000 people in 39 states and two territories. On March 27, $338 million in Increased Demand for Services grants were awarded to health centers. Health centers are using the Increased Demand for Services grants to provide care to more than 2 million additional patients over the next two years, including approximately 1 million uninsured people. Altogether the Recovery Act included $2 billion for grants to Health Care Centers over a 2-year period -- $500 million to be used to support new health center sites and service areas, increase services at existing sites, and address spikes in uninsured populations; and $1.5 billion to support construction, renovation and equipment, including health information technology systems, in health centers and health center controlled networks. Read More about the Recovery Act funded health care center initiatives. .
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan Announces over $1 billion in Recovery Act Funds to Jump Start Affordable Rental Housing Construction Stalled by the Recession in 26 States
On Tuesday, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary and U.S. Interagency Council Chairperson Shaun Donovan announced HUD is approving plans submitted by 26 state housing finance agencies for $1,035,322,485 under the Recovery Act’s Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) to jumpstart stalled affordable rental housing projects that rely on Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
"The funding being announced today is an important step in achieving the goal of putting the American people back to work while providing quality, affordable housing options for low-income families at a time when those options are needed more than ever,” said Secretary Donovan.
Tax credits create an incentive for investors to provide capital to developers to build multi-family rental housing for moderate- and low-income families across the nation. Since the contraction of the credit market, and as traditional investors remain on the sidelines, the value of tax credits has plummeted putting many projects on hold. In response, the Recovery Act provided HUD with $2.25 billion for TCAP, a grant program to provide capital investments in these stalled LIHTC developments that ultimately is expected to provide affordable rental housing for an estimated 35,000 households. All 50 state housing credit agencies plus the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are eligible to receive a formula-based allocation of TCAP funds upon submission and approval of their plans. Projects awarded low income housing tax credits in fiscal years 2007, 2008, or 2009 are eligible to be selected by the state housing credit agencies for funding, however, since a major purpose of the Recovery Act is job creation, state housing credit agencies are required to give priority to projects that can begin immediately and be completed by February 16, 2012.
State housing credit agencies in the following states received plan approval this week: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin. The remaining 26 state agency applications are expected to receive approval in the coming weeks. Learn more about TCAP. For a list of state housing finance agencies with links to their websites, click here.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
United We Serve - a nationwide call to service by President Barack Obama to encourage Americans to respond to growing community needs resulting from the economic downtown and create meaningful change in their communities by engaging in service - launched this week with an 81-day summer initiative that began with a National Day of Service on June 22 and will culminate with the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11, 2009.
Traveling to California to keynote the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, co-convened by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Points of Light Institute, First Lady Michelle Obama led by example--joining California First Lady Maria Shriver and over 300 volunteers in kicking off the United We Serve initiative by rebuilding a playground at the Bret Harte Elementary school in San Francisco. Providing other examples of opportunities to serve,
HUD Secretary and Interagency Council Chairperson Shaun Donovan repaired homes in New Orleans
VA Secretary and Interagency Council member Eric Shinseki transported veterans to the Washington DC VA Medical Center. The VA reports that last year 80,000 people volunteered more than 11 million hours to service to VA. They drove patients to medical appointments, welcomed returning combat Veterans home, helped homeless Veterans and donated time to maintain VA's 128 national cemeteries.
Defense Secretary and Interagency Council member Robert Gates spent time with veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Commerce Secretary and Interagency Council member Gary Locke read to children at La Mesita Homeless Shelter in Mesa, Arizona while Secretary of Education and Interagency Council member Arne Duncan joined the President of the American Library Association in reading to children at the Fanwood Memorial Library in New Jersey. The Department of Education is teaming up with libraries across the nation and civic organizations to combat summer reading skills loss. Research shows that if a young person reads only five books over the summer, the effect is potentially large enough to prevent a decline in reading achievement scores.
The www.serve.gov web site, where you can search for volunteer projects in your community and also register projects for which you are seeking volunteers, is being managed by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service. Toolkits to inspire projects in education, health, energy and environment, and community renewal have been posted to the site.
Project Homeless Connect and VA Stand Downs offer volunteer opportunities to participate directly in the effort to end homelessness. Please visit our National Project Homeless Connect web page to learn more about this innovation including a toolkit and other resource information for planning a Project Homeless Connect in your community. Several communities already have PHC events scheduled between now and September 11. Click on the links below to learn about volunteer opportunities at these Connect events and others that have been scheduled through October 8.
The VA currently estimates there are 131,000 homeless Veterans on any given night. The first Stand Down was organized in 1988 by Vietnam veterans in San Diego to reach out to homeless veterans in their community. In 2008, more than 30,000 Veterans and 4,500 family members received outreach services from Stand Downs aided by 24,500 volunteers. Each 1 to 3 day event is a collaborative effort of the local VA, other government agencies, and community organizations to offer homeless veterans a welcoming atmosphere, safe gathering place, and access to a broad range of services and resources. This calendar includes the local VA contact for each scheduled event
COEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO UNVEILS CITY/COUNTY 10 YEAR PLAN FOCUSED ON HOUSING FIRST AND ONE - STOP SERVICES
June 2009. Even as they were working to formally complete their 10 Year Plan, Coeur D’Alene leaders began adopting the strategies that will help them prevent and end homelessness in the community— Project Homeless Connect, creating a single point of entry, and securing housing grants for persons who are homeless with disabilities.
Earlier this month, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson joined community leaders at the unveiling the completed Coeur D’Alene/Kootenai County plan which calls for the creation of new permanent supportive housing units in a community that in the past has had few such resources, establishing a unified system of emergency care, and coordinating case management services among the area non-profit and government agencies. In her introduction to the plan, Mayor Sandi Bloem said, “While it may be difficult, in America and in Coeur d’Alene, nothing is undoable, and we need to do what we can, in our community, to once and for all end homelessness. . .it’s time to stop wringing our hands and time to get to work.”
City Councilor Mike Kennedy, who championed creation of the plan and who has convened a broad group of elected officials, executive level public officials, and prominent local citizens to oversee the implementation, noted that the City had determined that the local community was spending in excess of $6.5 million annual “just to service homelessness.” This cost data which he noted “was just the cost of our homeless systems, and doesn’t include our hospital and jail costs” helped solidify support for the now completed plan.
Meeting with the community leaders, Regional Coordinator Carlson said, "This plan will work to the degree that the community backs it with authority. The providers are using smart strategies but they can’t do it by themselves. They must have your active support and leadership."
The community is eagerly awaiting the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing funding being made available through the Recovery Act. "We have a building and plan to co-locate the work of fourteen local agencies," said St. Vincent de Paul director Jeff Conroy. "The new HUD Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing grant, comes at the perfect time when we were already starting to coordinate all the efforts in our community to prevent homelessness."
Coeur D’Alene is the second community in Idaho to have completed development of a 10 Year Plan. Boise adopted its 10 Year Plan in 2007.
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."
Secretary Shinseki welcomed Council members and noted the importance of continuing efforts to end chronic homelessness, continuing to reduce veterans' homelessness, and addressing the homelessness of families during the economic downturn. The Secretary indicated that the Council's record showed the importance of collaboration in making progress in preventing and ending homelessness. On behalf of the White House, Ms. Barnes greeted Council members and noted that the meeting came a "critical moment" which both recognizes past efforts and renews focus on the problem of homelessness with the promise of Administration leaders to partner both policy and budget in the effort to prevent and end homelessness.
HUD Secretary Donovan reported that progress has been made during the first 150 days of the Administration, pointing to the successful collaboration of HUD and VA through the HUD-VASH housing program, as well as through the new $1.5 billion Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program under the Administration's Recovery initiative. Secretary Donovan noted the recent reauthorization of the Department's homeless programs under the HEARTH legislation (Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009, enacted as Division B of PL 111-22) signed by the President last month, including the creation of a new rural homelessness initiative.
"Ending the continuing tragedy of homelessness demands thoughtful and focused leadership," said Secretary Donovan. "President Obama and I are committed to working through the USICH, the agencies it represents and our state, local and non-profit partners to build a thoughtful and compassionate response to this crisis. The bottom line is that through our combined efforts every man, woman and child in this nation should have access to a safe, affordable place to lay their head at night."
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said her agency "stands ready" to be a partner in making services accessible for people experiencing homelessness and in promoting best practices. Secretary Sebelius described increases proposed in the President’s 2010 budget for targeted mental health and treatment services.
U.S. Department of Labor Secretary and new Council Vice Chairperson Hilda Solis reported to the Council on Labor's initiatives for homeless veterans, youth, and women, including women veterans. She noted the potential for increasing the impact of Job Corps for youth aging out of foster care, and the proposed 2010 budget increase of over 30% for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. Secretary Solis pointed out the proposed $4 million funding level for the Department's initiative for incarcerated veterans employment services.
Secretary Shinseki asked all Council members to report on agency initiatives ranging from the Department of Commerce's preparation for the 2010 census to the Department of Energy's job creation goals using Recovery Act resources, and including results from a multi-year Social Security Administration initiative to enroll homeless persons into SSA benefits. Council partners heard about the Department of Homeland Security's continuing post-Katrina housing and case management activities, the Department of Agriculture's accessibility opportunities for food and nutrition programs, the Department of Justice's reentry and special courts efforts, and the Department of Education's resources for education of homeless children during the economic downturn. Xavier de Souza Briggs, Office of Management and Budget Associate Director for General Government Programs, and Mark Weatherly, Deputy Associate Director, Housing, Treasury and Commerce Division, affirmed recent federal increases in targeted spending on homelessness.
EX-OFFENDER RE-ENTRY IS FOCUS OF US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS SURVEY AND BEST PRACTICE REPORT; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONSIDERS FY 2010 FUNDING FOR SECOND CHANCE ACT
June 16. Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island June 12-15 for their 77th Annual Meeting, the U.S. Conference of Mayors released a 79-city survey on prisoner re-entry efforts including greatest challenges and successful approaches. The survey, which included cities large and small in varying parts of the country, was produced by the Conference’s Ex-Offender Task Force co-chaired by Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and Irvington, CA Mayor Wayne Smith. In a press release accompanying the release of the report, Mayor Dixon said, “A job and a place to live are the most essential elements of a stable life for any person returning from prison. Unfortunately, they are the elements most seriously compromised by the current economic crisis.” Mayor Smith urged all mayors to review the report. “This is a time when we need to identify reentry models that work, and we need to share them with mayors across the nation who are struggling through this recession to find the jobs, housing, and support services that keep people from returning to prison.”
Among survey findings, 36% of the survey cities have made changes in ordinances or policies that had been preventing ex-offenders from successfully reentering the community. Among these, 77 percent changed ordinances or policies relating to employment, and 58 percent changed those relating to access to housing. These changes are described in the report. 43% of the survey cities have a re-entry council at the local level; for 53%, a re-entry council functions at the state level. 72% of survey cities are partnered in their re-entry efforts with non profits most often in providing employment services (93%). Two thirds of the survey cities involve multiple city agency collaborations, most often among police departments, social service, and workforce development agencies. Two thirds of the cities are working with correctional agencies including probation and parole departments, jails and detention centers and prisons. 47% of the survey cities are using federal funding in their efforts.
The survey cities provided descriptions of re-entry approaches and initiatives that are working in their community. Three cities - Miami, St. Louis, and Spokane - specifically identified homelessness prevention as a key goal of their re-entry efforts. Results for the St. Louis Reconnect program, which is part of their 10 Year Plan implementation and was profiled in the Council’s 2008 Innovation Series, show that from March 2007- December 2008, only 8.2% of the Project ReConnect participants re-offended compared to 34.5% of the non program participants.
This week the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to consider an appropriations bill, HR 2847, which includes FY 2010 funding recommendations for the Second Chance Act. (See Council’s March 18, 2008 special edition e-newsletter for background
on the Second Chance Act). The House Appropriations Committee has recommended $100 million for Offender Reentry Programs authorized by the Second Chance Act, the same level as requested in the President’s budget which would be a $75 million increase over FY 2009. The report accompanying the bill notes that,
. . . The (Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations) Subcommittee conducted seven hearings focused on the challenges facing offenders as they reenter communities, programs that facilitate reentry and reduce recidivism, and the state of research on `what works' for offender reentry. An eighth hearing focused on efforts by many states to reform fundamentally their criminal justice systems in a way that responsibly reduces prison populations while reinvesting a portion of the associated savings on services to prevent crime and reduce recidivism.
. . . The lessons learned from those hearings are that investments in prisoner reentry program demonstrations and research are critical to making prisoner reentry more successful and reducing the rate of recidivism, and that successful prisoner reentry can significantly reduce the personal, social and economic costs associated with crime and incarceration. The hearings also made clear that, in order to have a significant impact on reducing recidivism, prisoner reentry efforts must be coordinated at the State level, based on comprehensive plans developed through input from a broad array of stakeholders.
Of the $100 million,
$37 million would be for grants for adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects .The Attorney General would be allowed to waive matching requirements for demonstration grants awarded in FY 2009 and 2010.
$15,000,000 for grants for mentoring and transitional services
$10,000,000 for reentry courts
$7,500,000 for family-based substance abuse treatment
$2,500,000 for evaluation and improvement of education at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities
$5,000,000 for technology careers training demonstration grants
$13,000,000 for offender reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration
$10,000,000 for prisoner reentry research
Additionally within the $529 million recommended for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants program, $10 million would be for activities related to criminal justice reform and recidivism reduction efforts by states.
House consideration of the bill is just one step in the congressional appropriations process which will be followed by Senate action and later reconciliation of any differences. The new fiscal year begins October 1.
WHITE HOUSE "ROADMAP TO RECOVERY" AIMS TO ACCELERATE RECOVERY ACT SPENDING INCLUDING CREATING MORE CAPACITY AT HEALTH CARE CENTERS
June 15. The White House announced last week that following the first 100 days of the Recovery Act implementation, a new thrust to accelerate Recovery Act spending (“Roadmap to Recovery”) is beginning that will continue through the summer. Cabinet agencies have identified ten initial categories of Recovery Act activity for this accelerated effort including enabling 1,129 Health Care Centers in 50 states and 8 territories to provide expanded services to 300,000 patients. Altogether the Recovery Act included $2 billion for grants to Health Care Centers over a 2-year period -- $500 million to be used to support new health center sites and service areas, increase services at existing sites, and address spikes in uninsured populations; and $1.5 billion to support construction, renovation and equipment, including health information technology systems, in health centers and health center controlled networks. To find a local Health Care Center, click here.
Among the communities benefiting from the Recovery Act funding to expand the number of, and services available, through Health Care Centers is Nashua, New Hampshire where on June 29 Harbor Homes, Inc. will open a health care walk- in clinic for homeless adults and children funded with a $930,000 2-year Health Care for the Homeless grant. In addition to providing prevention and primary care services, the Center will link patients with community partners for substance abuse counseling, and mental health outreach. Center services will also include discharge planning assistance and assistance with health and disability insurance enrollment.
The non-profit Harbor Homes Inc, was established in 1980 to “create and provide quality residential and support services for persons (and their families) challenged by mental illness and homelessness.” Starting with a 9 bed group home, Harbor Homes now serves more than 1,000 clients annually, about half of whom receive residential housing services integrated with supportive services. The 20 unit Buckingham Place project opened by Harbor Homes in 2007 was unique in the nation for providing up to 24 months of transitional housing for homeless male and female veterans and homeless families in a single facility. The project was funded with a combination of government and private funds including Grant and Per Diem funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and resources from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development CDBG and HOME programs.
Peter Kelleher, CEO of Harbor Homes, provided significant leadership in the 2004 development and subsequent implementation of the Nashua 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. The result has been a significant decrease in homelessness. Between 2003 and 2008, the number of persons experiencing chronic homelessness dropped by 61% and overall homelessness dropped by 45%. Harbor Homes also serves as the site for Nashua’s annual Project Homeless Connect.
The Recovery Act also includes $200 million to encourage 3300 primary medical care, dental and mental health clinicians to work at health care centers and other community based programs in medically underserved areas that have been approved for participation in the National Health Service Corps program. In exchange for two years of service during which they are paid a competitive salary by the employing site, participants in the National Health Service Corps receive education loan repayments up to $50,000. Locate vacancies. Learn More.
NEW YOUTHBUILD GRANT AWARDS ANNOUNCED
June 15. On Friday, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced $114 million in YouthBuild grants to 183 community groups, which included over $47 million in Recovery Act funding and over $66 million from the regular FY 2009 competition. Organizations chosen for YouthBuild funding include workforce investment boards, faith-based and community groups, and local and nonprofit housing development agencies.
YouthBuild provides job training and educational opportunities for at-risk youth ages 16-24 while constructing or rehabilitating affordable housing for low-income or homeless families in their own neighborhoods. Youth split their time between the construction site and the classroom, where they earn their GED or high school diploma, learn to be community leaders, and prepare for college and other postsecondary training opportunities. YouthBuild includes significant support systems, such as a mentoring, follow-up education, employment, and personal counseling services; and participation in community service and civic engagement. Participants in YouthBuild programs include individuals who have been in the juvenile justice system, youth aging out of foster care, high school dropouts and others. Many YouthBuild participants are learning "green" building techniques, assisting with retrofitting existing homes, and discovering how to help make their communities sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Read More about YouthBuild and other Department of Labor youth programs.
USDA HOUSING HELP FOR RURAL LOW INCOME FAMILIES
USDA has published a Federal Register Notice that final congressional action on the FY 09 budget included nearly $5 million for implementation of the Demonstration Rural Development Voucher Program which is intended to prevent low income residents of Section 515 USDA funded multifamily housing projects from facing economic hardship that could lead to homelessness resulting from an increase in rent due to prepayment or foreclosure of the property. In order to be eligible for the Rural Development voucher a family must (a) be residing in the Section 515 project on the date of the prepayment of the Section 515 loan or upon foreclosure by Rural Development; (b) the date of the prepayment or foreclosure must be after September 30, 2005; (c) as required by 42 U.S.C. 1436a the tenant must be a citizen, United States non-citizen national or qualified alien. Read the Notice.
On June 9, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that he has appointed Tammye Trevino to be the Administrator for Housing and Community Facilities Programs in USDA's Rural Development agency.
“SITUATION SOLVED!”
June 10. “Situation solved!” With those words, Jackson County, OR Circuit Court Judge Lisa Greif demonstrated the “immediacy of service” and problem solving that are hallmarks of the Project Homeless Connect innovation. During last week's Project Homeless Connect held at the Oregon National Guard Armory in Medford, Judge Greif resolved numerous outstanding warrants for minor offenses that had kept the homeless consumers appearing before her from being able to access housing and employment. “I was able to work with one homeless man who had a warrant out for failure to complete his community service,” reported Judge Grief. “I had him complete that service right here by working in the kitchen. Situation solved!” Homeless Court proceedings to clear minor warrants and quality of life infractions on the spot for homeless consumers have become a Project Homeless Connect Best Practice.
Jackson County is located along the Oregon - California border in an area known as the Rogue Valley and includes the communities of Medford and Ashland. Many of the community's homeless live in informal camps in the nearby forests. This was the community's first Project Homeless Connect and it kickstarted implementation of the Jackson County 10 Year Plan that had been endorsed earlier in the week by the Jackson County Board of Supervisors. The plan was developed by the Jackson County Government, United Way of Jackson County, and the Jackson County Homeless Task Force together with community partners. Jackson County became the 10th Oregon County to adopt a 10 Year Plan (see related Oregon 10 Year Plan story below). U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson joined County Commissioner C.W. Smith, who officially released the plan during a press conference at the Connect event, during which 400 homeless and at risk persons were welcomed and helped by over 100 volunteers and 45 service agencies. A hot lunch, dental care, mental health assessments, bus passes, clothing vouchers, haircuts, food distribution, even veterinary care were among the many valuable services offered at the event which was organized by Ed Angeletti of ACCESS Inc, the local community action agency, with support from the Jackson County United Way and Jackson County Bar Association.
A calendar of upcoming Project Homeless Connect events, descriptions of more best practices and other information about the Project Homeless Connect innovation can be found on our National Project Homeless Connect web page.
Learn how delivering what homeless veterans wanted yielded the national innovation of homeless courts by reading Innovation 20 from our “20 in 20” Innovation Series.
Jurisdictional leaders in Albany and Linn County, Oregon unveil 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness
May 28. Last week, Linn County became the 9th Oregon County to unveil a 10 Year Plan to end homelessness. County Commissioner Roger Nyquist and Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa were joined by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson and Oregon Housing and Community Services Deputy Director Rick Crager at an unveiling ceremony held just before the doors opened for Albany’s third Project Homeless Connect, known locally as “Heart to Heart.” Mr. Crager is also chair of the Governor’s Ending Homelessness Advisory Council, which is Oregon’s state interagency council on homelessness.
Another key community leader at the unveiling was Albany Police Captain Ben Atchley who after being called upon to shut down a homeless camp in 2006, became a driving force behind the Heart to Heart event and together with then Albany Councilor and now Mayor Konopa and County Commissioner Nyquist helped lead the development of the “There’s No Place Like Home . . .” 10 Year Plan. Since 2006 when Portland/Multnomah County became the first Oregon community to adopt the innovation of Project Homeless Connect, there have been nearly two dozen Connect events in the state.
Jurisdictional Leadership to End Homelessness: Some Oregon Milestones
A state interagency council on homelessness is established by Executive Order of Governor Ted Kulongoski in 2006, building on the work done by the federally supported Oregon State Policy Academy on Ending Chronic Homelessness. Lincoln County Commissioner Bill Hall, actively leading development of a 10 year plan in his county, is appointed vice-chair.
The State and the Oregon Association of Counties join with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness in June 2006 to sponsor the first ever Oregon Leadership Summit on Ending Chronic Homelessness, bringing together 100 state executive and legislative leaders, city and county officials, 10 Year Plan leaders, United Way and other innovative service providers.
Community leaders throughout the state and nationally take note when implementation of the Portland/Multnomah County Home Again 10 Year Plan leads to a reported 20% reduction in street homelessness in Portland in the first 18 months. By the end of 2008, four years into the Home Again plan implementation, 1,923 chronically homeless persons have moved into housing; 1,795 homeless families had been housed; and 1,394 permanent supportive housing units were open or in development, representing 63% of the Plan’s 10 year goal of 2200 permanent supportive housing units.
The State of Oregon 10-Year Plan, a Home for Hope, is unveiled at the State Capitol in 2008, supporting jurisdictionally- led local 10-Year Plans in the state.
In addition to Portland/Multnomah County and Linn County/Albany, the following jurisdictions have also partnered and completed development of a plan: Washington County/Beaverton; Clackamas County/Oregon City; Lincoln County/Newport; Yamhill County/McMinnville; Marion-Polk Counties/Salem; Lane County/Eugene; and Deschutes-Jefferson-Crook Counties/Bend. Plans committed to and still in development include Jackson County/Medford; Coos County/Coos Bay; Curry County; and Benton County/Corvallis.
CONGRESS TO BEGIN MARKING UP THE FY 2010 APPROPRIATIONS BILLS
May 26. House and Senate action on the FY 2010 federal budget will move forward when Congress returns next week from the Memorial Day recess. With House leaders having indicated a desire to have all 12 appropriation bills passed in the House by the scheduled August recess, House Appropriations Subcommittee markups are expected to begin in early June. FY 2010 begins October 1. After providing Congress and the nation in February with an overview of his budget themes, A New Era of Responsibility: Renewing America's Promise, President Obama’s submitted his detailed FY 2010 budget to Congress earlier this month. Click here to read a summary analysis of the President’s budget proposals by agency for both targeted federal homelessness assistance programs, including new initiatives for homeless and at risk veterans and their families, and for other federal programs that offer resources that can help prevent and end homelessness.
MORE 10 YEAR PLAN COMMUNITIES REPORT DECREASES IN CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS
Sacramento, Tacoma/Pierce County, and Riverside 2009 Point-in-Time Counts demonstrate results from plan implementation
May 2009. SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. California's capital city has reported the second straight year of decrease in chronic homelessness, with a 31% decrease from 2008 to 2009, and a 35% decrease in the two year period 2007 to 2009. Sacramento's Policy Board to End Homelessness and Sacramento Planning Council comprise the leadership team for Sacramento's city-county 10 Year Plan, and new Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and County Supervisor Roger Dickinson have this year reaffirmed their commitment to the plan. Leaders credit the new decrease with the successful housing of 320 individuals.
TACOMA, WASHINGTON. "The Road Home" is Tacoma and Pierce County's Ten Year Plan, and the latest data from the city-county partnership show that the plan is working to end chronic homelessness, even in the face of the economic downturn. The city with Mayor Bill Baarsma's leadership and the county undertook their plan focused on chronic homelessness when their assessment showed that a five-year initiative on family homelessness was working. Now the latest point-in-time data show the results for the chronic population. 2009 data show a 30% decrease in chronic homelessness, with a 20% decrease in chronicity among veterans. Decreases were strong for all profiles of individuals, with a 12% decrease in the singles population, and a 24% decrease in the number of unsheltered men.
RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA. Results of Riverside, California's most recent point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness have been released and show a 25% decrease over two years. The January 2009 count found 3,366 people homeless, a decrease of 1,142 people from 2007. 41% of those identified were considered chronically homeless, and 69% were men. Read More.
FY 2010 BUDGET RELEASED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA WOULD EXPAND HOUSING AND HOMELESS VETERANS INITIATIVES
President Barack Obama released his FY 2010 budget on Thursday, giving detail to the themes outlined in his February budget overview, A New Era of Responsibility. His FY 2010 budget proposals continue to build on the investments being made through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Updated May 15. Below are highlights of the budget proposals for targeted federal homelessness assistance programs and other federal programs that offer resources that can help prevent and end homelessness. Read compilation.
At the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the $1.79 billion request for Homeless Assistance Grants is a 7% increase over the recently enacted FY ’09 appropriation. The budget notes “the continued request for increased funding for the Homeless Assistance Program reflects the documented success in decreasing homelessness through these programs. Furthermore, this requested increase signals the Administration's intent to provide dedicated funding for new supportive housing."
Also noted is that “many communities have made great strides in creating comprehensive approaches to ending chronic homelessness through the development of State Interagency Councils and local plans."
(Although it is not part of the HUD budget, readers may wish to note that the President's budget for Federal Payments to the District of Columbia includes " $19 million to support permanent supportive housing in the District. This program, modeled on the best practices of other public programs, places vulnerable individuals and families in permanent housing first, and then provides treatment for other challenges that may be at the root of the homelessness. This approach has had success in other cities and is a new Federal partnership with D.C. for 2010.")
HUD proposes to continue the focus on prevention initiated in the Recovery Act for the $150 million that is being requested for the Emergency Shelter Grants program. Read more HUD FY 2010 program funding proposals.
At the Department of Veterans Affairs, the nearly $113 billion FY 2010 budget request represents a 15% increase over FY 2009 and is the largest one year percentage increase for the VA requested by a President in over 30 years. On September 30, 2008, there were an estimated 23.3 million veterans living in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Of these, the VA currently estimates there are 131,000 homeless Veterans on any given night. The President’s FY 2010 budget includes $500 million for VA targeted homeless assistance programs. The VA is forming partnerships with other Federal agencies, community coalitions and faith-based organizations to participate in a coordinated approach in delivering services to homeless Veterans and those at the greatest risk of homelessness. The Department also expects to spend more than $2.7 billion providing health care treatment to homeless Veterans.
The President’s budget includes a new $26 million pilot program with non profits to help maintain stable housing for vulnerable Veterans and their families while the VA provides needed support services. As authorized in the Veterans’ Mental Health and Other Care Improvement Act of 2008, Public Law 110-387, the VA also plans to begin implementation of supportive services for low-income Veterans living in permanent housing. VA will provide grants to community and faith-based agencies to assist low-income Veterans and their families by providing case management and other supportive services to help prevent the onset of homelessness. VA will develop program regulations and guidance in 2009 and award grants for the program in 2010.
Funding for the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program, through which the VA assists community-based organizations to create and sustain transitional housing and service programs for homeless Veterans, would be increased to $144 million. Both grants and per diem funding would be available and the VA would continue to fund community-based organizations that offer services for special needs populations including the chronic mentally ill, elderly, terminally ill, and homeless women Veterans, including women Veterans with children. Read more VA program budget requests.
At the U.S. Department of Labor, funding for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program for employment is proposed at $35 million, an increase of $9 million. The Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) was the first nationwide Federal program focused on placing homeless veterans into jobs, authorized initially in 1987 as part of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. Through competitive grant awards, HVRP provided employment and training services to an estimated 14,000 homeless veterans in FY 2008 at an average cost of $1,560. This proposed $9 million increase in funding is a 34% increase and would allow the program to serve an additional 7,200 homeless veterans. Read more DOL FY 2010 program budget requests.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would expand support for the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), with a proposed increase from $60 million to $68 million. The requested increase would allow services to an additional 11,000 homeless persons. View table of projected state allocations. The Health Care for the Homeless program, which is receiving increased resources from the $2 billion included in the Recovery Act for Community Health Centers, would be funded at the recently enacted FY 09 level of $180 million. In FY 2007, nearly 931,000 persons experiencing homelessness were served by Community Health Centers including the specialized Health Care for the Homeless program. The Consolidated Runaway and Homeless Youth program would be funded at $53.5 million for Basic Centers and $43.8 million for the Transitional Living Program. These funds would continue to support 375 Basic Center Programs and 218 Transitional Living Programs. View table of projected state allocations. Read more HHS FY 2010 program budget requests.
At the U.S. Department of Education, the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program would be funded at $65 million. This program has also benefited from a special allocation of $70 million included in the Recovery Act. Education Secretary Duncan announced the state allocations of the Recovery Act monies on April 10.
The FY 2010 budget request for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program in FEMA/ Department of Homeland Security is $100 million. This program also benefited from $100 million included in the Recovery Act.
U.S. Department of Justice: To address America’s post-incarceration crisis, the FY 2010 budget request makes a significant down payment on the Second Chance Act by funding $114 million in Prisoner Reentry programming, including an additional $75 million in grant program and research funding, and $14 million for federal inmate skills development. DOJ efforts are coordinated with the U.S. Department of Labor. (Read More)
Among new initiatives proposed in President Obama's first budget is a Social Innovation Fund. The President is requesting $50 million in seed capital to create this new Fund which would identify the most promising, results-oriented non-profit programs and expand their reach throughout the country. According to Michele Jolin, Senior Advisor for Social Innovation for the Domestic Policy Council, "This is a dramatically different way for the government to do business - and it reflects the President's new governing approach - finding and scaling the best social innovations; partnering with those who are leading change in their communities; and creating a policy environment for all these innovations to thrive." President Obama has said that this is an "all-hands- on-deck" moment and that government cannot solve our nation's problems alone. He has said that it is critical to partner with citizens, nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, foundations and corporations to make progress on our nation's great challenges. The President has also talked about finding new solutions to old problems, and this is where the social innovation can play a unique role.
COUNCIL'S NATIONAL TEAM LEADER MICHAEL GERMAN HONORED AS 2009 SERVICE TO AMERICA MEDAL FINALIST FOR HIS LEADERSHIP IN NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP TO END HOMELESSNESS
Michael German, who leads the Council's team of Regional Coordinators created through interagency partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was honored this week by the Partnership for Public Service at a luncheon on Capitol Hill as a finalist for the 2009 Service to America Medals. The Service to America Medals recognize outstanding dedication and accomplishment by federal employees in eight categories: Call to Service, Career Achievement, Citizens Services, Environment, Homeland Security, Justice and Law Enforcement, National Security and International Affairs, and Science and Technology. Nominated by Council Director Philip Mangano, Michael is a finalist for the Citizens Service Medal.
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, who joined Senators Daniel Akaka and Ted Kaufman, and Congressmen Chris Van Hollen, Gerald Connolly, and John Sarbanes in speaking at this week’s event for the 30 medal finalists, recognized Michael saying, “"I am especially proud that one of HUD's own staff members is a finalist being honored today.” Secretary Donovan commended the Interagency Council's work as "a great example" of a federal agency that was accomplishing its mission and effective in government and Council Director Philip Mangano as "one of the most inspiring public servants." The Secretary noted that the Council's record shows that "something that seems could never be made right, could be." Michael is pictured above (center) with HUD Secretary Donovan (right) and Council Director Mangano at the event.
"Michael German has provided the high-level and experienced leadership, engagement, and coordination essential to implementing nationally the Council's strategy," indicated Mr. Mangano. "Over the last four years in his role as National Team Leader of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Michael has been key to the Council's results-oriented partnerships,” said Mr. Mangano adding, “ Governors, Mayors, and County Executives across the nation, through their new expression of political will, are committed to preventing and ending homelessness through jurisdictionally led, community based, business oriented planning partnerships that rely on innovation, business principles, and field-tested, evidence-based strategies." Read More
ACTIVITY AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS
Washington, DC. March 13, 2009. This week Congress completed action on the FY 2009 Federal Budget. The legislation, signed by President Obama on Wednesday, funds federal agencies and programs through the remainder of this fiscal year which ends September 30, 2009. The final FY 09 funding levels for many of the programs that provide resources to prevent and end homelessness are increased over FY 08. More information can be found in our March 11 Special Edition e-newsletter.
This action to complete the FY 09 budget is the latest in a series of notable actions taken by Congress and the Administration over the past month that include:
• Enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Visit our
Recovery Act page for up-to-date information on federal agency funding
announcements and implementation guidance for these new resources. This
week President Obama and Vice President Biden hosted a White House
Conference on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Implementation.
Governors were invited to send their most senior state official working on
Recovery Act implementation to the conference. Many Governors have
appointed Recovery Act “czars” to oversee implementation of Recovery Act
funds and more than half the states have created special state Recovery Act websites where citizens can track how Recovery Act funds are being spent in their state.
• March 4. Release of the Administration’s Foreclosure Plan (“Making Home Affordable") Program Detailswebsite
• February 26. The Administration releases a summary of President Obama's upcoming FY 2010 budget, “A New Era of Responsibility: Renewing America's Promise.” Read More.
• February 19. Nearly $1.6 billion awarded by HUD in homeless assistance grants - Click here for a list of the awards. You may also wish to bookmark HUD's searchable data bank of these and previous years awards, reports, and Continuum of Care contacts.
While Washington has been at work on these items to provide additional assistance and resources, state and local government jurisdictional leaders are moving to refine implementation of their 10 Year Plans in light of the increase in family homelessness due to the “double trouble” of mortgage foreclosures and job loss and to strategically plan for the effective utilization of the new resources coming from Washington. Last week, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano was invited to join California city and county officials at meetings in Riverside, Orange, and Santa Clara counties to discuss how to effectively invest the new resources becoming available through the Recovery Act to achieve the goals of their strategic 10 Year Plans to prevent and end homelessness for individuals and families. Similarly in San Diego, Director Mangano met with Mayor Jerry Sanders and his recently appointed 10 Year Plan Commissioner Brian Maienschein, a business attorney and former city council member, for a similar discussion.
In Florida this week Director Mangano joined Governor Charlie Crist and State Senator Mike Fasano of New Port Richey at a meeting in the State Capitol where the Governor indicated he is asking the Florida state interagency council on homelessness to consider a number of issues relating to family homelessness and also will convene a statewide summit of city and county 10 Year Plan jurisdictions to share best practices and innovations. While in Florida Director Mangano also met with Tallahassee Mayor John Marks to discuss that community's 10 Year Plan and with Florida Association of Counties officials Chris Holle and Letreze Gooding.
NEW RESOURCES REINVIGORATE PARTNERSHIP AMONG ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. March 20, 2009. Nearly 2,500 mayors and other local jurisdictional leaders gathered in Washington, DC this week for the National League of Cities annual legislative conference designed to “inform municipal leaders about federal policy issues while providing an opportunity for city leaders to bring local concerns to their federal elected officials.” Much of the focus of this year’s conference was on the unprecedented level of federal resources becoming available to states and local governments through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and from the recent finalization of the FY 2009 federal budget.
Senior Administration officials, including U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, were on hand to provide insight into when and how these new federal resources will be distributed and to listen to the local leaders’ suggestions and concerns. NLC President Mayor Kathleen Novak of Northglenn, CO told the delegates that the “recovery effort has reinvigorated the partnership among the different levels of government and demonstrates the responsibility the President is giving cities and towns.”
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, invited to address the local officials on "Neighborhood Triage: Overcoming Economic Setbacks," was hosted for the session by Michael Wallace, NLC Senior Legislative Counsel and was joined by Dennis E. Greenhouse, Director of the Community Capacity Development Office, U.S. Department of Justice. “I’m glad to be here again and most appreciative of the continuing partnership between the National League of Cities and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness," indicated Director Mangano, noting NLC's support at its last meeting for policy resolutions endorsing the bipartisan partnership with the Council and calling for expansion of the HUD-VASH permanent supportive housing program for homeless veterans.
Director Mangano described the new opportunities to address homelessness with more resources available than ever before, more innovation, and better planning through the more than 350 Ten Year Plans at work in the nation. He stressed the importance of bringing the new resources out of their federal cylinders and urged adoption of proven one-stop strategies to coordinate resources at the street level for consumers which would “concentrate, rather than dissipate, the new resources being invested.”
February 27, 2009. Over the past two weeks, Congress and the Administration have moved forward on a number of items that are of importance to the effort to prevent and end homelessness:
• Enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act —
Visit our Recovery Act page for up-to-date information on federal agency funding announcements and implementation guidance for these new resources.
• Nearly $1.6 billion awarded by HUD in homeless assistance grants —
Click here for a list of the awards. You may also wish to bookmark HUD’s searchable data bank of these and previous years awards, reports, and Continuum of Care contacts.
• Passage by the House with pending consideration by the Senate of a bill that would complete action on the FY 09 federal budget
• Release of the President’s Summary FY 2010 budget proposal (read more)
• An outline of the Administration’s Foreclosure Plan (“Homeowners Affordability and Stability Plan”). View Executive Summary.
While Washington has been at work on these items to provide additional assistance and resources, state and local government jurisdictional leaders have continued to move forward the development and implementation of results-oriented 10 Year Plans to prevent and end homelessness. Inviting participation by U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, Palm Beach County and West Palm Beach, Florida leaders unveiled a Housing First- focused 10 Year Plan this week (read more), while Pasco County, Fl elected officials and community leaders announced a 10-Year Planning process for their community (read more). In Orlando, Mayor Buddy Dyer interviewed Director Mangano for the city's first ever webcast and in his State of the City address took note that Orlando was one of the 23 communities recently awarded funds to participate in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Family Rapid Re-housing Demonstration (read more).
Last week, public and private sector partners in ending homelessness around the nation were invited to Miami for the Community Partnership for Homeless National Seminar, designed to disseminate information to as many communities as possible on "what's working" in Miami, a city that has continued to report decreases in chronic homelessness (read more). In Massachusetts, the Cape Cod Council of Churches held an in-gathering of faith communities following the recent $765,000 award by the Massachusetts Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness to the Capewide Regional Network where Director Mangano was invited to discuss the relation of the state money and the recent record federal investments in ending homelessness to the work of the faith community in caring for their neighbors in time of need. (read more)
HUD Secretary Donovan Awards Record $1.6 billion in FY 2009 Homeless Assistance Grants
February 19, 2009. In a busy week that has included President Obama signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on Tuesday, and the release on Wednesday of the Administration's Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan to help up to 7 to 9 million families restructure or refinance their mortgages to avoid foreclosure, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan on Thursday announced nearly $1.6 billion in awards under the annual McKinney Vento homeless assistance competition. The FY 2009 funds were awarded to more than 6300 local programs to provide housing, shelter, and supportive services to hundreds of thousands of homeless individuals and families. Nearly half of the funds were awarded to projects that provide permanent housing solutions for homeless persons.
Also included in this record level of funding were grants totaling nearly $24 million for a Family Rapid Re-Housing Demonstration program, and the formula Emergency Shelter Grants through which communities receive funding for homelessness prevention activities. Click here for HUD's state by state summary of the funding awards.
IN KENTUCKY, REAFFIRMATION OF PARTNERSHIP AND A FOCUS ON RESOURCES TO MITIGATE IMPACT ON FAMILIES OF FORECLOSURE/JOB LOSS "DOUBLE TROUBLE"
January 30, 2009. Continuing progress in moving forward implementation of the state and local 10 Year Plans and efforts to mitigate the impact on families of the “double trouble” of mortgage/foreclosure and job loss were the topics of discussion this week when United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano met this week with Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry, and addressed the Executive Committee of the Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Meeting in Lexington on Wednesday following the Governor’s press conference on the state of emergency declared after a winter storm left over a half of million Kentucky residents without power, Governor Beshear, Director Mangano, Mayor Newberry, and Kentucky Housing Corporation CEO Rick McQuady discussed the progress that has been made implementing the state’s 10 Year Plan and coordination with local plans, the role of the Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessness which Governor Beshear said he will strengthen even further with a new Executive Order, and state and federal efforts to help homeless and at risk families. Director Mangano underscored the importance of HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program resources to address the needs of Kentucky's poorest families.
Since taking office, Governor Beshear has focused attention on safety net programs for Kentucky’s families and reducing use of emergency rooms by uninsured families. Earlier this month, Governor Beshear announced Kentucky's campaign to encourage more Kentuckians to apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), noting "The EITC is one of our best anti-poverty tools, and I want to make sure every eligible Kentuckian takes advantage of it and gets the money they deserve." New outreach initiatives for Food Stamps and meal programs are also part of the Governor's agenda, with new efforts to identify eligible families that include training employees at Federally Qualified Health Care Centers, free clinics, and local health departments to assist customers with application completion. Families who disenrolled from the program within the past year will be contacted and encouraged to reapply for benefits. Read more about the Governor’s initiatives including K-CHIP.
In a separate meeting at City Hall with Mayor Newberry, Anthony Wright, Director, Mayor's Office of Economic Development for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and KHC CEO McQuady which focused on both the NSP resources and on progress in implementing the city’s 10 Year Plan that had been developed under the Mayor’s predecessor, Director Mangano discussed innovations from around the country that are creating results in reducing homelessness. With the mayor's bookshelves filled with management and leadership books, including Jim Collins' Good to Great, and Larry Bossidy's Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, conversation included the application of business principles and practices to strategic planning to reduce and end homelessness.
On Tuesday, members of the Executive Committee of the Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessness, chaired by Senator Gerald A. Neal and Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) CEO McQuady, had welcomed Director Mangano to their meeting.. Addressing the Council, Director Mangano noted that State Interagency Councils are answering the how and why of sustaining political will and resources to end homelessness “through rapid dissemination of innovation, Ten Year Plans, and promoting state agency collaboration in the key areas of creating housing with support services and preventing homelessness.” The meeting included an overview of the Council’s work by Ms. Gerry Roll, an update on the 2008 Point-In-Time Count by Davey King, a case study by Mary O'Doherty, an update on regional strategies by Eileen Dougherty, and a presentation by Marlene Gordon of Louisville's Coalition for the Homeless on the results of a cost study funded by Louisville Metro Government and released in 2008.
IN CALIFORNIA, DEEPENING COMMITMENTS TO 10 YEAR PLANS AND AMERICA'S ROAD HOME
Federal, state, and county officials also meet to recognize effort by California Department of Social Services and federal partners to create innovative approaches to prevent homelessness among aging out of foster care youth
January 16, 2009. During events in California this week, jurisdictional leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the goal of ending chronic homelessness and results-oriented 10 Year Plans. Additionally, federal, state, and county partners gathered at a press conference in Sacramento to recognize innovative initiatives from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to use mainstream benefits of SSI and Food Stamps to help ensure stability and prevent homelessness among youth aging out of foster care, particularly those with disabilities.
California Department of Social Services Director John Wagner (at podium) was joined by federal, legislative, county, and private sector partners including, right to left, Social Security Administration Deputy Regional Commissioner Patty Robidart, Council Director Philip Mangano, Assembly Member and Budget Committee Chair Noreen Evans, and Angie Schwartz of the Public Interest Law Project, in recognizing the partnerships involved in creating CDSS' replicable innovative initiatives for aging out of foster care youth.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (shown standing) and Council Director Philip Mangano addressed the northern California Keys meeting, a partnership of California jurisdictional 10 Year Plan leaders, whose meetings are organized by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Eduardo Cabrera, to share innovations and challenges with peers.
Fresno County new Board of Supervisors Chair Susan Anderson (right) and newly elected Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin (left), who affirmed her commitment to the City-County 10 Year Plan developed under former Mayor Alan Autry, are joined by Council Director Mangano as they sign onto America's Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions, joining more 400 jurisdictional leaders from across the country who've signed the pledge. See Resources section on this page for more information about America's Road Home.
In Sacramento, newly elected Mayor Kevin Johnson and Supervisor Roger Dickinson were joined by Council Director Mangano who addressed a meeting of the Sacramento Policy Board to End Homelessness, which is guiding implementation of the Sacramento City-County 10 Year Plan.
The
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
409 Third Street SW | Suite 310 | Washington, D.C. 20024
Phone (202) 708-4663 | Fax (202) 708-1216
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.
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.
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.
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.
Council members also discussed the 
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.
"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."
July 10. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued its 
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. 
HUD Secretary Donovan reported that progress has been made during the first 150 days of the Administration, pointing to the successful collaboration of HUD and VA through the 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said her agency "stands ready" to be a partner in making services accessible for people experiencing homelessness and in promoting best practices. Secretary Sebelius described increases proposed in the President’s 
Findings from the first controlled study of the Seattle/King County 1811 Eastlake project for chronic inebriates were presented at a news conference in Seattle this week and are also presented in a new issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, 
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: 
2009 Hurricane Season began June 1. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (
June 2009. Even as they were working to formally complete their 10 Year Plan, Coeur D’Alene leaders began adopting the strategies that will help them prevent and end homelessness in the community— Project Homeless Connect, creating a single point of entry, and securing housing grants for persons who are homeless with disabilities. 
May 28. Last week, Linn County became the 9th Oregon County to unveil a 10 Year Plan to end homelessness. County Commissioner Roger Nyquist and Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa were joined by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson and Oregon Housing and Community Services Deputy Director Rick Crager at an unveiling ceremony held just before the doors opened for Albany’s third Project Homeless Connect, known locally as “Heart to Heart.” Mr. Crager is also chair of the Governor’s Ending Homelessness Advisory Council, which is Oregon’s state interagency council on homelessness. 
Michael German, who leads the Council's team of Regional Coordinators created through interagency partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was honored this week by the Partnership for Public Service at a luncheon on Capitol Hill as a finalist for the 2009 Service to America Medals. The Service to America Medals recognize outstanding dedication and accomplishment by federal employees in eight categories: Call to Service, Career Achievement, Citizens Services, Environment, Homeland Security, Justice and Law Enforcement, National Security and International Affairs, and Science and Technology. Nominated by Council Director Philip Mangano, Michael is a finalist for the Citizens Service Medal. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. March 20, 2009. Nearly 2,500 mayors and other local jurisdictional leaders gathered in Washington, DC this week for the National League of Cities annual legislative conference designed to “inform municipal leaders about federal policy issues while providing an opportunity for city leaders to bring local concerns to their federal elected officials.” Much of the focus of this year’s conference was on the unprecedented level of federal resources becoming available to states and local governments through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and from the recent finalization of the FY 2009 federal budget.
On Tuesday, members of the Executive Committee of the Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessness, chaired by Senator Gerald A. Neal and Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) CEO McQuady, had welcomed Director Mangano to their meeting.. Addressing the Council, Director Mangano noted that State Interagency Councils are answering the how and why of sustaining political will and resources to end homelessness “through rapid dissemination of innovation, Ten Year Plans, and promoting state agency collaboration in the key areas of creating housing with support services and preventing homelessness.” The meeting included an overview of the Council’s work by Ms. Gerry Roll, an update on the 2008 Point-In-Time Count by Davey King, a case study by Mary O'Doherty, an update on regional strategies by Eileen Dougherty, and a presentation by Marlene Gordon of Louisville's Coalition for the Homeless on the results of a cost study funded by Louisville Metro Government and released in 2008.
