CARSON CITY, NEVADA. "Effectively addressing homelessness requires collaboration among state agencies, local government, the private sector, and service provider networks." The Executive Order creating the Nevada State Interagency Council on Homelessness charted a course for the state to form a partnership to meet the needs of the state's homeless population. Governor Kenny Guinn, who signed the order, last week named several new members to the Council and charged them with creating a state-wide 10-year plan.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano was invited by Governor Guinn to the State Capital to confer on next steps for the State Interagency Council Director Mangano met with the new members including United Way of Northern Nevada President Ann Corey, who will serve as Chair, Las Vegas City Homeless Coordinator Trina Robinson, Wells Fargo Bank Vice President Nancy Hamilton, Charles Schwab Community Development Manager Nancy Muniv, Sparks Council Member Judy Moss, and Washoe County School District Supervisor Elizabeth Noonan. Director Mangano and Council Region Coordinator Ed Cabrera also met with Governor Guinn's Deputy Chief of Staff Lisa Foster, and Cabinet Officer Michael Whitten.

In addition to the State Interagency Council and Plan, development of 10-Year Plans is already underway in four Nevada communities - Reno, Sparks/Washoe County, Las Vegas, Clark County, and Carson City, the capital of Nevada (see related stories this issue).

Governor Guinn and Director Mangano are pictured here.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and members of the City Council gave unanimous approval last week to the City's new 10-Year Plan to Reduce Homelessness presented by the City's Homeless Coordinator Trina Robinson. The $5.3 million Plan, which is aligned with efforts underway in the county and region, calls for housing 900 homeless individuals and families in the next 10 years and for prevention services to assist another 1,000 individuals and families in helping them remain housed.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, who addressed the Council, called housing the "antidote to homelessness" and noted the Plan's emphasis on basic quality of life and treatment services from substance abuse and mental health to showers, laundry facilities, and bathrooms. He also noted that the City's plan is results-oriented, underscores the importance of data collection, and incorporates innovative tracking of success as well as performance standards for funded providers.

Mayor Goodman, in conjunction with the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition's Committee on Homelessness, recognized the need to establish a plan for Las Vegas. When the Plan was subsequently developed side-by-side with regional partners, including Clark County, under the direction of the City's Neighborhood Services Director Orlando Sanchez and Homeless Coordinator Trina Robinson. City Manager Douglas Selby, and Clark County Regional Homeless Services Coordinator Shannon West were also on hand to support the Plan announcement, as was Council Regional Coordinator Ed Cabrera.

The city's 10-year plan to end homelessness includes initiatives to:

1. Promote interagency coordination of human service delivery programs
2. Increase the availability of stable and sustainable housing
3. Enhance coordination between non-profit organizations and government
4. Prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless
5. Provide seamless client services through effective partnerships
6. Foster self sufficiency through access to education, training, and employment opportunities
7. Facilitate the transition from homelessness through intensive case management
8. Increase access to medical, dental, and vision care services
9. Ensure availability of basic needs services
10. Improve availability of mental health services
11. Improve substance abuse treatment programs

Director Mangano is shown here addressing (from left to right) Councilman Steve Wolfson, Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese, Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, Councilman Larry Brown, Councilman Lawrence Weekly, and Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian.

Also this week, Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn named several members to the State Interagency Council on Homelessness, and the Carson City Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to begin the development of the capital city's 10-Year Plan, making it the 32nd state capital to commit to a 10-year plan (see related stories this issue).

CARSON CITY, NEVADA. A coalition of community members, service providers, faith-based organizations, government and business representatives, and homeless and formerly homeless individuals will soon begin development of a 10-Year Plan to end chronic homelessness in Carson City, the 211th community in the nation to commit to a jurisdictionally-based 10-Year Plan. On March 2, Mayor Marv Teixeira and the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to confirm the planning process, making Carson City the 32nd state capital to engage in the planning process.

Before passing the resolution, supervisors heard from Wendy Wilke and David Sorensen, two people who talked about their experiences while homeless and how they were able to regain housing and stability.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano (pictured here) addressed the Board. "The President has called on us to end chronic homelessness and that calls for partnerships," said Director Mangano. "We've all grown tired of shuffling people from the street to treatment centers . . . and back to the street again."

Director Mangano also commended city officials for their innovative approach to conducting street counts. After a brainstorming session at a local shelter, Administrative Health and Human Services Officer Kathy Wolfe, who coordinates the count, recruited a team of people experiencing homelessness to work alongside city workers to visit shelters, encampments, and other places identified by these additional workers.

Other Nevada communities to commit to 10-Year Plans include Las Vegas, Clark County, Reno, and Sparks/Washoe County. Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn last week named several members to the State's Interagency Council on Homelessness (see related stories, this issue). United Way of Northern Nevada President Ann Corey, who has been named as Chair of the State Council, was present at the Board of Supervisors meeting, along with City Manager Linda Ritter, Health Director Daren Winkelman and Ms. Wolfe. Council Regional Coordinator Ed Cabrera also attended the meeting.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. Mayors, senior policy staff, representatives from government agencies, and 10-Year Plan leaders from 18 cities gathered in San Diego last week for the first Mayors' Summit: Preventing and Ending Homelessness Among Veterans. The summit was sponsored by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness in partnership with Common Ground Community and the Rockefeller Foundation.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and OliverMcMillan Chief Executive Officer and San Diego 10-Year Plan Czar Dene Oliver welcomed the city partners. Representing United States Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) Secretary and former United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Chair R. James Nicholson was newly named VA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental and International Affairs William McLemore. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, whose public-private partnership has thus far raised $20 million to support the city's 10-Year Plan, made opening remarks the second day.

Expert national faculty detailed innovation and best practices for engaging and moving currently homeless veterans into housing. Discussion topics included peer to peer/veterans serving veterans models; reentry for incarcerated veterans; models of permanent supportive housing for veterans, including home ownership and co-op housing; strategies to engage and serve returning veterans to prevent future homelessness, and the unique issues facing women veterans. The faculty provided specific and proven ideas and strategies that would be immediately useful for 10-Year Plan implementation. Building more aggressive local strategies for incorporating veteran's resources into the 10-year planning process was also a priority throughout the summit. (A forthcoming Special Edition of the newsletter will feature these best practices.)

Faculty included members of the VA Secretary's Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans, including its Chair, Robert Van Keuren; Roxbury, Massachusetts Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse Executive Director Ralph Cooper; Volunteers of America of Florida Executive Director Kathy Spearman; National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Chief Executive Officer and President Cheryl Beversdorf; West Haven Veterans Affairs Medical Center Errera Care Community Director Dr. Laurie Harkness;and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Director John Lee. Council Regional Coordinator John O'Brien,who is the USICH liaison to the VA Secretary's Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans and a Veteran, served as facilitator.

Communities represented at the Summit include Atlanta, Bridgeport, Chicago, Denver, Contra Costa County, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Portland, Quincy, Raleigh, Reno, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Pittsfield/Berkshire County. Officials from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and Social Security Administration also attended.

While in San Diego, Veterans Village of San Diego Executive Director Al Pavich hosted Summit participants on a tour of Village facilities and programs. Veterans Village is a "one stop" for homeless veterans.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. Project Homeless Connect organizers knew they would need more space after December's inaugural event at a local church drew more than 500 people experiencing homelessness. On Monday, space was not an issue as the City and Hennepin County hosted the community's second Project Homeless Connect at its new location in the Minneapolis Convention Center. More than 1,200 participants attended, along with 450 volunteers and 250 representatives from service providers and agencies.

"Project Homeless Connect is a terrific example of how we want our system to work every day," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. "The project supports the city's broader goal of ending homelessness." Mayor Rybak, County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, The Family Housing Fund Executive Director Tom Fulton, who co-sponsored the event with the City and County, were on hand to greet volunteers, along with United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, Minnesota State Director to End Homelessness Laura Kadwell, and Convention Center manager Anthony Lopez. Department of Housing and Urban Development Director Dexter Sidney also attended the event, as did Council Special Advisor Janna Jahn, who is responsible for providing assistance to communities regarding Project Homeless Connect. To date, the Council has supported Project Homeless events in 30 cities nationwide, engaging over 11,000 participants and 6,500 volunteers.

"This is not just a one-day event," said Commissioner Dorfman. "This will change the way we're doing business, change the paradigm of how we deliver services in our community." Along with housing, shelter and support services assistance, participants at the "one stop shop" event could select from on-site health care, employment services, eye care, benefit and legal assistance, haircuts, tax help, and immigration services. The event also featured a homelessness court to expunge minor offenses preventing people from accessing housing. AA meetings and workshops on self-improvement were also part of the day's activities.

Over 70 organizations participated by providing a variety of on-site services and donations. Project Connect's chief organizer, Homeless Coordinator for the Minneapolis and Hennepin County Cathy ten Broeke, was pleased at the increased support from the business community. Major contributors include the Convention Center, which donated space for Monday's event as well as future Project Connects planned by the City and County. 200 volunteers from Target Corporation served as client escorts during the event, and the retailer donated $5 gift cards.

Ms. ten Broeke would like to see Project Homeless Connect take place quarterly in the Twin Cities area - twice in Minneapolis and twice in Saint Paul. Both communities are moving forward with 10-Year Plans that will encompass not only city and county but also the surrounding region.

Pictured here are: (left to right), Director Kadwell, Ms. ten Broeke, Commissioner Dorfman, Mr. Fulton, Mayor Rybak, and Director Mangano.

While in the Twin Cities, Director Mangano met with Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Senior Policy Advisor Nancy Homans to discuss progress on the city's 10-Year Plan. He also met with Mayor Rybak and Commissioner Dorfman to discuss the start of Minneapolis' 10-Year Plan.

To date, Project Homeless Connect events have been held in 30 cities nationwide, assisting more than 10,000 people experiencing homelessness. For more information about Project Homeless Connect, contact Council Special Advisor Janna Jahn at Janna.Jahn@usich.gov or 202-708-4663.

WASHINGTON, D.C..The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week announced its annual funding competition for $1.2 billion in competitive homeless assistance funds. Applications are due May 25, 2006. The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) itself, the on-line Questions and Answers document, and the upcoming March 28 Webcast are key resources to review thoroughly for details. A total of 39 programs and $2.2 billion in resources, including HUD's mainstream housing programs, are included in the NOFA. Application forms and complete information are available at www.hud.gov.

Ending Chronic Homelessness. HUD's notice underscores the Administration's commitment to end chronic homelessness, noting, "President Bush has set a national goal to end chronic homelessness. HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson has embraced this goal and has pledged that HUD's grant programs will be used to support the President's goal and better meet the needs of chronically homeless individuals." According to the Notice, applicants are encouraged to target assistance to chronically homeless persons by undertaking activities that will result in creation of permanent and permanent supportive housing, as well as services, including the use of one-stop assistance centers or service coordinators to ensure that persons experiencing chronic homelessness have access to a variety of social services. Look throughout the NOFA for elements regarding chronic homelessness.

Aligning 10-Year Plans and the Continuum of Care. HUD's NOFA stresses its expectation of integration of planning processes that target homelessness: "This NOFA emphasizes HUD's determination to integrate and align plans, including U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness-sponsored jurisdictional state and city ten-year plans (jurisdictional ten-year plans) and Consolidated Plans, into the CoC plans."

Focus on Housing. Overall, HUD will award not less than 30 percent of funds to new and renewal Supportive Housing Program projects for permanent housing or Safe Havens, new Shelter Plus Care projects, and SRO projects. HUD will award up to 12 points on a sliding scale for showing an emphasis on housing activities.

Samaritan Housing Initiative. Formerly referred to as the Permanent Housing Bonus, this special incentive to promote permanent supportive housing for persons who are chronically homeless is provided to Continuum of Care systems that place an eligible, new permanent housing project in the number one priority position on the priority list. If the number one priority project qualifies as an eligible, new permanent housing project exclusively serving chronically homeless persons, then the full amount of that project's eligible housing activities, up to a maximum 15 percent of the Continuum of Care's preliminary pro rata need or $6 million (whichever is less), will be added to the pro rata need amount for the Continuum.

WITH THIS ISSUE of e-news, we continue our coverage of excerpts from statements made by public sector partners ending chronic homelessness. The following Words of the Week come from Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak (shown center here with Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman and United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano) in his remarks to 450 volunteers during the March 6 Project Homeless Connect event, which ultimately welcomed 1,200 people experiencing homelessness (see related story this issue.)

. . . "Project Homeless Connect is a one-day, one- stop shop to deliver real services to people experiencing real homelessness in our community. But this is also about a commitment to move from simply managing homelessness towards really ending homelessness.

. . . "Project Homeless Connect brings together faith communities, government, businesses, neighborhood groups, service providers and consumers to develop new and creative ways to end homelessness. Our hope is that by bringing people together in unique ways we can spur innovative ideas to end homelessness.

. . . "Ending homelessness is good for everyone. It's good for the person who needs a safe place to live. It's good for business, good for neighborhoods, good for visitors to our city, good for police officers, and good for taxpayers. Our goal to bring together multiple partners to implement a plan to end homelessness in Minneapolis is both realistic and visionary.

WASHINGTON D.C. Two federal programs provide a unique opportunity to obtain resources to support housing and other needs for people experiencing homelessness. Local homeless planning partners in all sectors will be interested in the opportunities presented by the current Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, and the Title V Surplus Property program.

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) announced in November 2005 the results of the latest round of base closures, encompassing 200 properties nationwide.

A Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) is responsible for creating the plan in each community that will determine how military facilities will be converted to non-military use. When the list of surplus buildings and properties is published, the LRA must advertise their availability in a newspaper of general circulation within the vicinity of the installation. The advertisement must include the time period during which it will receive notices of interest (NOIs) from homeless assistance providers and state and local governments. The process ends on the deadline date stated in the newspaper advertisement. LRAs nationwide are expected to conduct the outreach process to solicit notices of interest between June and November of 2006.

For more information about the base closure process, including the base locations and approved LRAs, visit www.oea.gov. In addition, more information can be found in the HUD's Guidebook on Military Base Reuse and Homeless Assistance.

Title V of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act allows the transfer of identified federal surplus real estate to eligible non-federal applicants for purposes of homeless assistance. State and local governments as well as nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for land and buildings that have been determined by the federal government to be "suitable and available" for eligible uses to benefit homeless people. More than two dozen agencies of the federal government are included as "landholding" agencies that may have surplus property.

Under a new policy put forward by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, organizations may apply to use the property for permanent housing as well as transitional programs, shelter, and services. The new policy is expected to take effect this spring.

The current notice indicates surplus properties, land and buildings, are available in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Property is published every Friday by HUD in the Federal Register.

The Interagency Council's website includes a link to the latest weekly Federal Register notice regarding federal surplus property currently available. Under "Funding" look for the link to the Title V Notice.