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HUD
Secretary Mel Martinez, Chairman
Philip Mangano, Executive Director
Office of Public Affairs, Washington, DC 20410
Brian
Sullivan Thursday
(202)708-0685 x7527 January 10, 2002
MARTINEZ
NAMES MANGANO DIRECTOR OF INTERAGENCY HOMELESS COUNCIL
WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel
Martinez today announced Phil Mangano is the new executive director
of the Interagency Homeless Council, an independent working group
that will coordinate the activities of 15 federal agencies to improve
the delivery of housing and services to homeless individuals and
families.
Mangano leaves his current position as president of the Massachusetts
Housing and Shelter Alliance, a coalition of 75 agencies that operate
more than 200 programs for the homeless in the Commonwealth. Under
his leadership, Mangano helped transform Massachusetts' system of
care for the homeless into a national model recognized by the National
Alliance to End Homelessness.
"Phil
Mangano brings more than 20 years of compassion and commitment to
the Interagency Homeless Council and will be a tremendous asset
to this Administration's continuing efforts to house and serve the
homeless," said Martinez, who is serving as the Council's chairman.
"HUD and our other government partners are dedicated to increasing
the teamwork needed to meet the challenges faced by homeless families
and individuals."
Congress
established the Council in 1987 to help streamline the government's
approach to homelessness by coordinating the multiple efforts of
federal agencies and other designated groups. The Council will review
federal programs that assist homeless persons and will take necessary
actions to reduce duplication. The Council can recommend improvements
in programs and activities conducted by federal, state and local
government as well as local volunteer organizations. In addition,
Council staff will provide technical assistance to local governments
and non-profit groups to increase the effectiveness of their homeless
programs.
HUD
and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), both Council
members, are working closely to coordinate the government's approach
to serving the homeless. A senior level task force was put into
place last April by both Departments to identify and remove obstacles
to the enrollment of homeless persons' in mainstream federal programs.
The
two departments are also sponsoring training academies with state
agencies to improve access by homeless men and women to the services
they need. These academies bring senior state and local policy makers
together to discuss how to improve access to mainstream federal
service programs by persons who are homeless. The first academy
was held in November and the next is scheduled for the spring and
will focus specifically on increasing this access for chronically
homeless persons.
"While
none of us working alone can stop homelessness, this Administration
is committed to strengthening federal efforts and working together
with partners at the state and community level to coordinate health,
social service and housing programs to enhance our efforts to meet
the diverse needs of homeless individuals and families," said
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson.
Ending
chronic homelessness is a primary goal of HUD's homeless assistance
programs. It's estimated 650,000 people are homeless on any given
night in America. The most recent federal report on homelessness,
Homelessness: Programs and People They Serve, found that homeless
clients are predominantly male (68 percent) and a majority of homeless
women (60 percent) have young children. Homeless individuals are
about equally divided between non-Hispanic whites (41 percent) and
African-Americans (40 percent). The report also found Hispanics
account for approximately 11 percent of the nation's homeless population.
HUD
will further refine and improve the Department's approach to serving
the homeless, including:
- Developing ways to meet the special needs of the chronically
homeless by moving them toward permanent housing and the supportive
services they require;
- Preventing homelessness through programs that reach those
most at risk; and,
- Nurturing stronger ties with faith- and community-based organizations
that are closest to the root causes of homelessness.
In
addition to HUD and HHS, members of the Council include the Departments
of Agriculture; Commerce; Defense; Education; Energy; Interior;
Labor; and Transportation. Also included are Federal Emergency Management
Administration; General Services Administration; Veterans Affairs;
Corporation for National and Community Service; Postal Service;
and other federal entities that the Council deems appropriate.
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