The following Words of the Week come from President George W. Bush during his address to participants at the second White House National Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives on March 9, 2006 in Washington, D.C.

. . . the question government and private philanthropy ought to ask is, does the program get the results that we all want, as opposed to, what is the nature of the people trying to get results? When you focus on results, all of a sudden it becomes crystal clear how best to spend resource dollars to achieve certain objectives.

. . . we still have pockets of poverty where people wonder whether or not the American experience belongs to them. We have places where there is hopelessness and despair. We've got people that are homeless.

. . . I repeat to you, and I'm going to say this about five times, I'm sure: Our job in government is to set goals and to focus on results.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Highlighting the important role corporations and foundations play in funding social services, and a strong results-oriented focus for social service programs, President George W. Bush keynoted a gathering of representatives from faith-based organizations, public agencies, and private foundations in Washington D.C. last week for the second White House National Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

"Even though statistics are improving, so long as we find anybody who hurts, we all should recognize that we hurt. It's the collective conscience of America that really helps define the nature of our country, and it gives me great optimism for the future of our country," said the President.

In his remarks, President Bush highlighted the Administration's record increase in competitive Federal grants to faith-based organizations (FBOs) for the third straight year. More than $2.1 billion in competitive grants across seven federal agencies were awarded to faith-based organizations in FY 2005, an increase of 7% over the previous year, and 11% of all Federal competitive social service grants. Since 2003, five agencies who are members of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness - the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, and Education - have seen a 38% increase in the number of grants to faith-based groups. HHS alone has seen a 64% in the amount of funding to FBOs since FY 2002.

Also last week the President signed an Executive Order creating a new Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Office will coordinate DHS's efforts to remove regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith-based and community organizations in its provision of social and community services, including disaster relief and recovery services.

During the President's first term, rules and regulations were passed by several agencies clarifying FBO eligibility to participate in Federal social service programs on the same basis as any other private organization and prohibiting religious discrimination by distributors of Federal funds. Continuing the effort, the reauthorization of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 extends for five years a policy called Charitable Choice, which allows faith-based groups providing social services to receive Federal funding without altering their religious identities or changing their hiring practices.

The White House continues to work to ensure that equal treatment for faith-based and community organizations extends to the State and local administration of Federal grant programs. To date, 32 Governors and over 115 Mayors have established an office or liaison for faith-based and community initiatives. In addition, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) has held a series of regional conferences to ensure State and local administrators of Federal funding understand and implement equal treatment regulations. Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Jim Towey is pictured here at the full Council meeting in September 2005.

In addition, the OFBCI holds regional conferences designed to assist those seeking to secure government funding.

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA. After a brief study revealed $15.6 million in annual costs associated with homelessness, Santa Barbara, California City and County leaders joined together to create a 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in Santa Barbara County. "This is a time to come together to support our neighbors who are most in need - those who are living on the streets and may have been forgotten by some," said Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum. "They have not been forgotten, and we are committed to redesigning our systems of care so that people no longer fall through the cracks, that people in our community who need help can access that help when they need it."

Leaders from the cities of Santa Barbara, Lompoc, and Santa Maria, joined with officials from Santa Barbara County to mark the start of the planning process on March 10. Community leader Sue Adams, who served as host for the event, welcomed Mayor Blum, County Board of Supervisors Chair Susan Rose, Lompoc Mayor Dick DeWees, County Supervisor Salud Carbajal, Santa Barbara City Council Member Helene Schneider, and Santa Maria Council Member Bob Orach, who represented Mayor Larry Lavagnino. Also attending were from the County, Senior Housing Specialist Mike Sederholm and Housing Finance Division Manager Patricia Gabel, and Council Regional Coordinator Ed Cabrera.

The Leadership Council which will oversee the planning process, is composed of County Supervisors, Mayors, and City Council members from the cities of Lompoc, Santa Barbara, and Santa Maria, law enforcement, members of the business community, and philanthropic partners such as the United Way and the Fund for Santa Barbara. The plan, which is expected to be completed this fall, will emerge from the recommendations of six working committees in the areas of Prevention; Supportive Housing; Increasing Incomes; Outreach, Engagement, and Supportive Services; Financing the Plan; and Oversight and Implementation.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano was invited to serve as keynote speaker. "Dr. King reminds us that the long moral arc of history, of the American Experience, bends toward justice. In creating a 10-Year Plan, all of you, elected officials and community shareholders, are reaching up together and intending to bend that arc into the lives of your poorest citizens," stated Mr. Mangano.

The study, which helped spark the planning initiative, captured some of the "hidden" costs of homelessness. $15.6 million in annual costs arose from incarcerations, psychiatric hospital admissions, shelter operations, detoxification services, and emergency room visits. Overnight stays in the emergency room, which average 8 persons per night, totaled $7.2 million. "The Countywide 10-Year Planning Process to End Chronic Homelessness will close the gaps so that we can eliminate the costs to our community of not serving those who have been chronically homeless," said Council member Schneider. Estimates place the number of people experiencing chronic homelessness in Santa Barbara County at 500 to 600.

Pictured here from left to right are Council Member Orach, Mayor DeWees, Mayor Blum and Katie, Director Mangano, Supervisor Carbajal, Supervisor Rose, and Council Member Schneider.

BILLINGS, MONTANA. Billings, Montana Mayor Ron Tussing announced on Monday that he will sponsor the development of a 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness for the city. Mayor Tussing made the announcement in the midst of a planning session for a new pilot program on homelessness sponsored by the Montana Council on Homelessness (MTCoH). As the largest city in the state, MTCoH selected Billings to be the site of a pilot project on ending chronic homelessness. Sherri Downing and Hank Hudson of the state council organized the listening session as a next step in the planning process.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano met with Mayor Tussing and served as keynote speaker for the event. "Like San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and Portland Mayor Tom Potter who are also first term Mayors and former law enforcement officers, Mayor Tussing is a 10-year Plan leader with a unique perspective on the issue," said Director Mangano. "Police face homelessness 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and are often the most eager to move forward with 10-year results-oriented plans that involve the entire community."

The first step in the development of Billings' 10-Year Plan will take place in the next 30 days as the members are named to the new Mayor's Commission on Homelessness. Director Mangano urged the Mayor to include representatives from the business community to bring a results-oriented point of view to the initiative and from the homeless community to make sure the effort is "consumer-focused." "How can you put together a business plan without ever talking to the consumer?" he asked. Director Mangano also encouraged Mayor Tussing to include at least one librarian, since people who work at public libraries often deal with homeless people on a daily basis.

Monday's session involved 75 stakeholders from public and private sectors including officials from federal, state and local government, nonprofits, faith- based organizations and people experiencing homelessness. Awareness regarding homelessness in Billings has increased in the last several months due in part to a series of articles published by the Billings Gazette in January.

Pictured here from left to right are Director Mangano, Mayor Tussing, and Mr. Hudson.

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA. California 10- Year Plan leaders throughout the state are joining forces to support the common goal of ending and reducing homelessness in their communities. Representatives from 20 California cities and counties attended the latest California Keys meeting held last week in Santa Barbara. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Homeless Initiative Coordinator, Dick Schermerhorn, was also on hand to discuss the development of the State Interagency Council and a state-wide 10-Year Plan to end homelessness. Every level of government was represented - county, city, state, and federal. Director Mangano made brief remarks.

Santa Barbara County served as host for the March 10 meeting. Communities represented on site or via teleconferencing included the cities of Alameda, Carpinteria, San Jose, Santa Maria, Ventura, Goleta, Lompoc, Long Beach, Merced, Oxnard, Pasadena, San Mateo, and Santa Barbara. Counties represented included Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, and Ventura.

"What amazes me is the fantastic response and how action-oriented all of these cities and counties are to collaborate," said Hannah Cohen, the San Diego 10-Year Plan representative who serves as the group's facilitator. "We are all addressing similar issues as we are developing or implementing our plans, but we have never had a platform that enabled us to come together to talk with other cities and counties. This will give us a voice. We'll be able to advocate at the state and federal level. And we'll be able to share information. It's a very exciting time for California."

The groups is starting to develop a strategic plan that will focus on several goals include promoting the development of a State Plan for ending homelessness, compiling and presenting results, outcomes and accomplishments from local communities to the Governor, state legislature, and other elected officials. They will be following federal and state legislation as it affects homeless programs. The group also intends to advocate for a dedicated revenue stream to end chronic homelessness from state and federal government.

California Keys is open to cities and counties in California that are engaged in, or plan to develop, 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness. The collaboration was conceived by the 10-Year Plan Leadership Council in San Diego and is co-chaired by San Francisco Plan leader Angela Alioto and San Diego Plan leader Dene Oliver. California Keys meets bi-monthly, alternating between Northern and Southern California locations. The next meeting will be in Alameda County on June 16, 2006. For more information, contact Hannah Cohen at 760-738-6975.

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA. As part of his Administration's effort to end long-term homelessness in Minnesota, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has announced $10 million in state grants to provide supportive housing services for 1,500 Minnesotans. The two-year grants were awarded to 37 counties and six tribal reservations throughout the state by the Minnesota Department of Human Services in conjunction with its partners, the Minnesota Department of Corrections, and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency.

"People who experience chronic homelessness need both support services and affordable housing," Governor Pawlenty said. "In many cases, they cannot get or keep housing because they need support services or they cannot take advantage of services, such as mental health or chemical dependency treatment, because they lack stable housing. The services funded by these grants will help us end long-term homelessness in our state."

Released in March 2004, Minnesota's Business Plan to End Long-term Homelessness by 2010 is a reform- based effort that includes all levels of government, private sector developers and businesses, nonprofit organizations and charities, and faith-based organizations. Governor Pawlenty presented the plan at the full meeting of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness at the White House in April 2004 and it has been lauded as a national model reflecting multi-disciplinary, multi-sector, and multi-jurisdictional strategies for action. The effort is headed by the Commissioners of Human Services, Corrections, and Housing Finance Agency. $40 million in State resources have been committed to fund the Plan thus far, which calls for the creation of 4,000 supportive housing opportunities by 2010.

The grants announced on March 16 will help provide a spectrum of services for Minnesotans who face mental illness, chemical dependency, domestic abuse, brain injuries, and criminal histories among other complex issues that contribute to long-term homelessness. The services, which complement more traditional "mainstream services," include:

• Independent living skills
• Chemical and mental health care
• Domestic abuse counseling
• Parenting classes
• Benefit assistance to guide clients through the application process for various financial programs, such as Social Security and Medical Assistance
• Assistance to veterans in accessing veterans benefits and services
• Criminal justice resolution, diversion and re-entry services

"At last count, approximately 3,300 Minnesotans, including 500 children, were experiencing long-term homelessness," Minnesota Housing Finance Agency commissioner Tim Marx said. "These grants will allow counties and tribes to provide the supportive services needed to help these people find and ultimately maintain supportive housing."

WASHINGTON, D.C. United States Department of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao is calling upon nonprofits, small businesses, corporations and individuals to submit entries for the 2006 "Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative (NFI) Award." The Award annually recognizes non-profits, small businesses, corporations and individuals that have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in furthering the employment and workplace environment for people with disabilities, a goal of President Bush's New Freedom Initiative. This will be the fifth anniversary of the NFI awards, which so far have been presented to 13 companies, 13 non-profits and 4 individuals. The deadline for receipt of nominations is May 31.

The New Freedom Initiative, founded by President George W. Bush in 2001, represents a comprehensive set of proposals designed to ensure that Americans with disabilities have the opportunity to learn and develop skills, engage in productive work, make choices about their daily lives, and participate fully in their communities. "President Bush and I are committed to advancing employment opportunities for workers with disabilities," said Secretary and United States Interagency Council on Homelessness member Chao. "The New Freedom Initiative Awards recognize individuals, nonprofit organizations and private sector companies that have improved the employment prospects for people with disabilities."

The award recognizes public-private partnerships and programs that have had a positive impact on the employment of people with disabilities through access to assistive technologies, the use of innovative training, and hiring and retention strategies. It also recognizes organizations, businesses, and individuals who develop comprehensive strategies to enhance the ability of Americans with disabilities to enter and advance in the 21st century workforce.

Additional information on the award and specific nomination criteria are available in the March 2 Federal Register or at www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/nfi06.htm under the New Freedom Initiative tab. The information is also available by calling the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Education and Outreach Section, at (202) 693-7880.

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