MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA. "Preventing and ending homelessness in Alabama will be impossible without collaboration by government agencies, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based and community partners," stated Alabama Governor Bob Riley, who this week welcomed United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano for the convening of the Alabama Governor's Statewide Interagency Council on Homelessness. Governor Riley and Director Mangano met in the Governor's office prior to the convening of the Council meeting and noted the progress Alabama has made in advancing the Governor's goals in planning and partnership. Governor Riley and Director Mangano are pictured here.

"Governor Riley has been well-served by his Council, not only in moving forward with a 10-Year Plan for the state, but now in the release of a document that establishes a statewide baseline that quantifies the magnitude of the problem," indicated Director Mangano. "And the good news is that reductions in street and chronic homelessness are already being seen in Alabama cities."

The State Council issued an innovative statewide data report this week under the leadership of Council Chair Sydney Hoffman, who is also Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, a report that was called for by the Council's action plan, which identified a "pressing need" for accurate statewide baseline data. Ms. Hoffman is pictured here presenting the State Report to Director Mangano during the Council meeting at the State House.

The new report includes both quantitative and qualitative data on adults, including veterans, and youth and child homelessness from point-in-time homeless population and subpopulations data; data from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau's Runaway and Homeless Youth Management Information System (RHYMIS); school year 2005- 2006 data on homeless children and youth reported by the Alabama State Department of Education to the United States Department of Education; and data from focus groups with currently or previously homeless individuals across the state conducted by AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) members from the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (GFBCI) and individual stories of homelessness collected by VISTAs from the GFBCI.

In June 2006, the Council submitted its Blueprint Towards a Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Alabama to Governor Riley. The Plan cites " fiscal optimization, evaluation of available services, public awareness, increasing access to permanent housing, and developing comprehensive and accessible statewide data on homelessness as keys to creating a successful foundation upon which progress to eradicate homelessness can be built. Alabama's Plan recognizes the importance of using the Housing First model.

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA. Lee County, and the "5 Cities" of Fort Myers, Sanibel, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers Beach, and Cape Coral are now partners and investors in a 10-Year Plan moving forward from their public commitment last year, when Lee County and Fort Myers became the 300th jurisdictional planning commitment in the nation. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, who was invited for the 2007 public launch of the plan, last week joined Fort Myers Mayor Jim Humphrey and Lee County Commissioner Chair Ray Judah, as well as Karen Hawes, Director of Lee County Human Services, and city and county officials and other partners to hear the results of cost benefit analysis of the region's population of persons experiencing chronic homelessness, and to share best practices in engaging private sector partners for results in the community's 10-Year Plan now under development.

"Congratulations on this 'first' for your community: creating a financial and planning partnership and collaboration to invest in a results-oriented human services initiative that will improve the quality of life for everyone in the community, housed and homeless alike," said Director Mangano, addressing the Community Human Services Council, a diverse group of partners including community businesses, City Council members, County Commissioner, School Board, Workforce Development, foundations, media, public safety, United Way, judicial and faith based organizations.

Mayor Humphrey and Commission Chair Judah also became the newest signatories to America's Road Home, the unprecedented 12-point agreement focused on how elected officials, government agencies and the foundation community should work together to end homelessness. Jurisdictional officials are pictured here signing the America's Road Home Statement at the Community Human Services Council meeting. Earlier in March, when the National Association of Counties (NACo) Health Steering Committee hosted Director Mangano at their Washington, DC meeting, Lee County Commissioner Robert Janes, who chairs NACO's Health Steering Committee, also became a signatory.

The Lee County cost study was commissioned by the Lee County Department of Human Services with participation by Lee County Court Administration; Lee County Sheriff's Office; Lee Memorial Health Systems; Lee Mental Health Center, Inc.; Renaissance Manor, Inc., Salvation Army; and Southwest Florida Addiction Services. The study followed 12 high-end users of the jail, emergency room, shelter, and mental health and substance abuse services and found that a total of $1,345,476 was spent on services over two years, or almost $675,000 per year total, averaging $56,250 per person per year.

The Council voted to recommend to the County commissioners to move forward with the 10-Year Plan with broad community participation, and the Council was successful in obtaining financial support from the School Board Foundation, the 5 Cities, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ft. Myers, Chico's, County government and staff of the Department of Human Services. The plan is expected to be complete by September 1, 2008. The Human Services Council will act as the oversight body.

IN THE CITIES AND COUNTIES: IN ST. PETERSBURG AND PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA, A REASON TO "HOPE"

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, who just two weeks ago visited United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano while in Washington, DC to discuss St. Petersburg's jurisdictional homelessness initiatives, last week welcomed the Council's Director to St. Petersburg for a site visit with Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch, Councilman Jeff Danner, Vice Chair Councilman Herbert E. Polson, and other local officials to "Pinellas Hope," a temporary Catholic Charities triage site opened in December on a 10- acre site. Since its opening, the site - slated to close in April - has served 466 people, 95 of which have found permanent housing. The officials are pictured here during their visit, where they were also accompanied by James Bennett, City Council Chair and Chair of the Homeless Leadership Network. Council National Team Leader Michael German also participated in the visit.

"Better to be in Pinellas Hope than on the streets and in the woods. But is is better to be in housing than in Pinellas Hope," indicated Council Director Mangano. In their discussions in Washington and St. Petersburg, the government partners identified the need for permanent antidotes to homelessness in the community, including the creation of additional housing opportunity and permanent supportive housing. While in Washington, DC, Mayor Baker - accompanied by Councilman Danner and Polson - became signatories to America's Road Home, the 12- point partnership agreement developed by Mayors and County officials at the national summit held in Denver in November 2007.

WASHINGTON, DC. Pathways to Housing, the innovative Housing First technology pioneered by Dr. Sam Tsemberis and which has achieved housing stability and recovery for persons experiencing chronic homelessness, has been named an evidence-based practice by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). About 80% of Housing First participants were stably housed after two years, versus 30% for participants in the comparison group, who were assigned to traditional programs that made treatment and sobriety prerequisites for housing. SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) is a searchable online registry of mental health and substance abuse interventions that have been reviewed and rated by independent reviewers. SAMHSA's registry examined four outcomes for the Pathways program: Residential stability; Perceived consumer choice in housing and other services; Cost of supportive housing and services; and Use of support services.

"Just as Dr. Culhane's research in creating a typology changed policy for homeless individuals, Dr. Tsemberis' innovation in creating Housing First has changed practice across our country," indicated Philip Mangano, Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, who, in the first months of his appointment to head the Council, pilgrimaged to New York City to witness firsthand the Housing First initiative. "With this designation as an evidence-based practice by SAMHSA, Pathways' contribution to the lives of our homeless neighbors and to our nation is affirmed."

According to the NREPP summary, Housing First - which has been adopted in sites around the country and by the majority of federal awardees in targeted interagency permanent supportive housing collaborations - is designed to end homelessness and support recovery for individuals who are homeless and have severe psychiatric disabilities and co-occurring substance use disorders. Pathways' Housing First model is based on a foundation that emphasizes both consumer choice and psychiatric rehabilitation, along with consumer preference in accessing services. The model addresses homeless individuals' needs from a consumer perspective, encouraging them to define their own needs and goals, and provides immediate housing (in the form of apartments located in scattered sites) without any treatment or sobriety requirements. Treatment and support services are provided through an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team consisting of social workers, nurses, psychiatrists, vocational and substance abuse counselors, peer counselors, and other professionals. These services may include psychiatric and substance use treatment, supported employment, illness management, and recovery services.

Consistent with the principles of consumer choice, Housing First uses an approach in its clinical services that recognizes that consumers can be at different stages of recovery and that interventions should be tailored to each consumer's stage. Consumers' tenancy is not dependent on their adherence to clinical treatment, although they must meet the obligations of a standard lease. The team works with consumers through housing loss, hospitalization, or incarceration and helps consumers obtain housing after these episodes. While consumers can refuse formal clinical services, the program requires them to meet with a team member at least four to six times per month to ensure their safety and well-being.

The purpose of the SAMHSA registry is to assist in identifying approaches to preventing and treating mental and/or substance use disorders that have been scientifically tested and that can be readily disseminated to the field. NREPP is one way that SAMHSA is working to improve access to information on tested interventions and thereby reduce the lag time between the creation of scientific knowledge and its practical application in the field.

Additional city and county elected officials have become signatories to the America's Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions, as more than 245 elected officials have signed the Statement first developed by Mayors and County officials at a national summit in Denver in November 2007. Eden, North Carolina Mayor John Grogan, Okanogan County, Washington Commissioner Andrew Lampe, and Deschutes County, Oregon Commissioner Tammy Melton are recent signatories. The unprecedented 12-point agreement is focused on how elected officials, government agencies and the foundation community should work together to end homelessness. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, who co-convened with Denver Summit with Mayor John Hickenlooper, is shown here in a recent meeting with Mayor Hickenlooper, as the Mayor reviewed the growing number of signatories to the agreement.

At the November 2007 Denver press conference announcing the signing of the Statement, participating Mayors declared their intent to promote America's Road Home with their fellow Mayors and County officials, as well as with candidates in 2008 federal, state, and local elections. The Statement has been made available to all Mayors and County officials to sign. The America's Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions was first conceived at the November 2007 Summit convened by Mayor Hickenlooper, Council Director Mangano, and Melville Charitable Trust President Robert Hohler. At that convening, eighteen Mayors and four County officials signed on. The Summit was supported by Fannie Mae.

The 12 points of America's Road Home are:

Whereas: More than 2 million Americans across our country each year experience homelessness in our local communities, compromising the quality of life of the person, and the community; and
Whereas: As elected Mayors and County officials, we are on the frontlines of homelessness and accountable to our communities for the well-being of all citizens; and
Whereas: We recognize that no one level of government can remedy homelessness alone; and
Whereas: We affirm that we will work together with our partners in state and federal government as well as in the foundation community and private sector to maintain and enhance the sustainable investment of resources needed to respond; and
Whereas: We have taken action to create jurisdictionally-led, community-based 10-Year Plans to end chronic homelessness in our communities in partnership with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), and the National Association of Counties (NACo) to end the disgrace;

Now, therefore, we resolve to work together in a national partnership of every level of government and the private sector, with our fellow cities and counties and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness to identify, adopt, and create innovative initiatives to advance the following principles and actions:
1. End the homelessness of our most vulnerable and disabled citizens who reside on our streets and in our shelters, those experiencing chronic homelessness, especially including homeless veterans.
2. With the support of our partners work to shorten the time any person is homeless.
3. Accept jurisdictional responsibility for accountability and results in the broader partnership that includes other levels of government and the private sector for an issue that is visible, expensive, and unacceptable in our communities.
4. Affirm our jurisdictionally-led, community- based 10-Year Plans as the community's primary planning strategy to effect accountability and results in ending and preventing homelessness.
5. Develop these plans to ensure that the measurable outcomes are sustainable and render lasting solutions to homelessness.
6. Endorse housing solutions as our primary investment to end homelessness, recognizing that shelter and punitive responses are often expensive and ineffective in reducing numbers and restoring lives and affirm that permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing models offer our most disabled citizens the housing and services they need in a cost effective response.
7. Affirm the work of faith and community based agencies for the work they have done on the frontlines for decades and partner with them to fashion innovative responses that are results- oriented.
8. Invite the business and philanthropic communities to be a partner in our efforts, especially local business associations, foundations, Business Improvement Districts, the United Way, and Chambers of Commerce.
9. Work with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the United States Conference of Mayors Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness, the National Association of Counties (NACo), and the Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness to assure rapid dissemination of innovations that ensures that every community will have equal access to the best ideas that create results in ending homelessness.
10. Create Project Homeless Connect events, the one-day, one-stop, targeted to homeless people in offering an array of housing, employment, and treatment services along with quality of life resources, as a component of our 10-Year Plan response.
11. Support all local, state, and federal legislation and resources that will offer new capabilities for investment in results.
12. Invite other communities to join us in this national effort.

We, the undersigned Mayors and County officials, do hereby commit to this Statement of Principles and Actions, embrace its goals, and announce our intention to work in partnership in bringing the homelessness of our most vulnerable and disabled neighbors to an end in the United States.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. Just two months after taking office, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter welcomed United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano this week to continue solution-oriented discussions begun in January at the United States Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, DC. Mayor Nutter and Director Mangano are pictured here. Council National Team Leader Michael German and Regional Coordinator Elvis Solivan also participated.

The positive dialogue this week focused on the Mayor's interest in how other cities are achieving reductions in street and chronic homelessness, and the innovations that have produced these results, and the dialogue resulted in the officials pledging their continued partnership on this issue. Director Mangano noted the strategic role of "recalibrating" the city's plan at this stage, to secure intended results and encouraged Mayor Nutter to follow the lead of other mayors and "pilgrimage" to other cities to see what's working.

The officials, joined by Deputy Managing Director for Special Needs Housing Dainette Mintz, and 10-Year Plan point person Joye Presson, also conversed regarding progress being achieved through the Housing First innovation, and the role of economics and research - including the importance of cost benefit analysis - in mobilizing political will on the issue of homelessness. Director Mangano affirmed the partnership the Mayor and his staff have established with University of Pennsylvania researcher Dr. Dennis Culhane, whose work on both chronic homelessness and family homelessness has provided key insights for policy.

While in Philadelphia, Director Mangano and Council Team Leader German also visited Sister Mary Scullion, 10-Year Plan Co-chair and co-founder in 1989 of Project H.O.M.E., a nationally recognized organization that provides supportive housing, employment, education and health care for persons who are chronically homeless and low-income. Project H.O.M.E has grown from an emergency winter shelter to over 415 units of housing and three businesses that provide employment to formerly homeless persons.

WASHINGTON, DC. United States Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary and United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Chair Dr. James Peake today announced that the Department will convene the Fourth National Summit on Women Veterans Issues to be held from June 20 - 22 in Washington D.C. The Summit will offer attendees an opportunity to enhance future progress on women veterans issues, with sessions specifically for the Reserve and National Guard, information on military sexual trauma and readjustment issues, after-the- military veteran resources and many more programs and exhibits.

There are more than 1.7 million women veterans, and, according to Secretary Peake: "Women who served this country in uniform -- whether veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the current Global War on Terror or peacetime service -- have earned our respect and thanks. They have also earned the full range of VA programs offered by a grateful nation."

VA has several specific initiatives for 2008 for women veterans, including: enhancing skills of primary care providers who treat women veterans; examining other women's health issues, including cardiac care, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer in women; focusing on family issues and avoiding birth defects through enhanced pharmacy practices for women veterans of child bearing age.

Women veterans are the fastest growing segment of the veteran population second only to elderly veterans. Approximately 1.7 million women veterans comprise 7 percent of the total veteran population. Approximately 255,000 women use VA health care services. Today, over 200,000 women are serving in the Armed Forces. With the increasing number of women, VA estimates by 2020 women veterans will comprise 10 percent of the veteran population.

There is a women veterans program manager at every VA medical center, a women's liaison at every community based outpatient clinic and a women veterans coordinator at every VA regional office. VA is reaching out to women veterans who are experiencing problems related to sexual trauma or harassment while in the military. All veterans, men and women, may receive free counseling, disability compensation, and related services for sexual trauma incurred in the military. In addition, there are programs for women veterans who are homeless or are victims of domestic violence.

There is a Military Sexual Trauma (MST) point of contact for psychotherapy at every VA medical center. Extensive enhancements of the MST program have taken place over the past two years, including training of providers in the most current effective treatments for PTSD and sexual trauma. In addition, VA has sites for combat PTSD in women and is examining how best to address complex combat and MST issues. In addition to the services provided at each VA medical center, the Department also operates fifty Women's Health Centers, within medical centers, that serve as specific locations for women veterans to receive care. These centers develop new and enhanced programs for women; some also conduct research on medical and psychosocial issues.

More information on the free Fourth National Summit on Women Veterans Issues can be found at www.va.gov/womenvet; registration is limited to the first 300 people. For more information about VA benefits and services, veterans may contact their local VA regional office, medical center, or vet center. For questions concerning VA benefits call 1-800-827- 1000, for questions concerning VA health care call 1- 877-222-8387 or go to our website at http://www.va.gov.

WASHINGTON, DC. The Corporation for National and Community Services has announced the availability of $500,000 in competitive funds for regional initiatives that support volunteer service in conjunctions with the 2009 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Eligible applicants for the resources include, but are not limited to nonprofit organizations, state service commissions, volunteer centers, institutions of higher education, national or regional education agencies, educational institutions, and faith-based institutions. Applicants must be capable of carrying out multi-state, national focused (10 or more states), or comprehensive regional initiatives that bring Americans together to serve in their communities in observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Regional partners and statewide networks may be interested to consider these resources to support broad partnerships for National Project Homeless Connect events.

The purpose of these grants is to mobilize more Americans to observe the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday as a day of service in communities, to encourage those who serve on this holiday to make a long-term commitment to community service, and to bring people together to focus on service to others. Activities must include projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged youth and engage them in providing service to others. Grantees must competitively sub- grant a portion of the federal funds to eligible local organizations, and may also directly support local projects, to plan and carry out direct service activities on the 2009, 2010, and 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekends. Letters of intent are due April 1, 2008, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and applications are due April 15, 2008, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Corporation's mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. In this competition, CNCS will give special consideration to projects that submit a comprehensive plan to expand the King Day of Service throughout their network, as well as demonstrate an understanding and ability to implement a community-wide King Day of Service that addresses one or a combination of the five strategic initiatives that meet critical needs of our nation, achieve national service goals, and address community problems. A community-wide King Day of Service should engage all sectors of the community and have a diversity of partners that will help in: Mobilizing more volunteers; Ensuring a brighter future for all of America's youth; Engaging students in communities; Harnessing Baby Boomers' experience; and/or Supporting Disaster Preparedness and Response.

On the third Monday in January, Americans across the country celebrate the national holiday honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As described in the CNCS announcement, during his lifetime, Dr. King sought to forge the common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together as equals to address important community issues. Service, he realized, was the great equalizer. As he stated, "Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve." In recognition of that spirit, Congress in 1994 passed the King Holiday and Service Act.

Since then, the Corporation, in partnership with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. has taken the lead in helping to transform the King Holiday into a day of service to meet community needs. As they have since 1994, thousands of Americans will remember Dr. King by serving in their communities-by making the holiday "A Day On, Not a Day Off." Service projects will meet a tangible need in the community, such as fixing up a school or senior center, and these projects may, at the same time, also meet a need of community spirit, such as building a sense of community or mutual responsibility. All initiatives should serve as a call to service that continues throughout the year. These service projects will be built on Dr. King's concepts of strengthening communities, empowering individuals, and bridging barriers.

During the 2008 Day of Service, staff of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness volunteered at both the New York and Washington, DC sites of Pathways to Housing. In Washington, staff assisted newly moved-in residents of Pathways' first congregate Housing First site with selecting and hanging artwork for their new homes. Pathways DC COO Linda Kaufman is pictured here with one of the new residents during the Day of Service.

For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov (Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service) or www.mlkday.gov.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-news presents information on resources to assist partners to end homelessness through opportunities presented by the McKinney- Vento Title V federal surplus property program. The Title V program operates through the collaborative efforts of four Federal agencies: General Services Administration, which makes determinations as to excess and available properties, Department of Housing and Urban Development, which collects information from Federal agencies concerning their unutilized, underutilized, excess and surplus properties and determines which are suitable for use to assist homeless persons and publishes the list each week in the Federal Register, Department of Health and Human Services, which provides Title V information to the public, reviews and approves applications, provides technical assistance in preparing Title V applications, coordinates the disposal of surplus Federal real property to qualified applicants, reports on the progress of the Title V program and its achievements, and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, which works with the Federal partners and regularly reports on properties and related resources.

Title V. Under the Title V program of the McKinney- Vento Homeless Assistance Act, federal surplus real estate - land and buildings - can be transferred to eligible non- federal applicants for purposes of homeless assistance. Properties identified as "suitable and available" are listed each Friday in the Federal Register. Properties listed as suitable/available will be available exclusively for potential homeless use for a period of 60 days from the date of the notice. Where property is described as for ``off-site use only'', recipients of the property would be required to relocate the building to their own site at their own expense.

The March 7, 2008 listing of Federal buildings and other real property determined to be "suitable and available " includes land or buildings at one or more sites in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Title V of the Stewart B. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Title V) was enacted in 1987 to make suitable Federal surplus real property available to assist persons who are homeless. Title V authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to transfer declared suitable and available Federal surplus properties, to States, political subdivisions of the State, and private non-profit tax exempt organizations for homeless assistance purposes. HHS transfers property to approved applicants as no- cost public benefit conveyances.

In order to fulfill the Title V mandate, HHS provides Title V information to the public, reviews and approves applications for suitable and available surplus real property listed in the Federal Register, and recommends assignment of those properties from Federal disposal agencies to approved Title V applicants, ,provides technical assistance in preparing Title V applications, and advises applicants and potential applicants on the Title V disposal process, ,coordinates the disposal of surplus Federal real property to qualified applicants for homeless assistance purposes, implements an oversight and compliance program to ensure that Title V grantees fulfill the terms and conditions of transfer, and reports on the progress of the Title V program and its achievements.

Application information is available on-line from HHS. All applicants are reviewed on the basis of the following elements: services offered, need, implementation time, experience, and financial ability.

email: usich@usich.gov

web: http://www.usich.gov