CHICAGO. Mayors from across the nation this week gathered in Chicago, where the United States Conference of Mayors, which has consistently supported the Administration's initiatives on ending chronic homelessness 10-year planning and last year's proposed $70 million Samaritan Initiative, unanimously passed new resolutions on preventing and ending chronic homelessness. Long Beach, California, Mayor Beverly O'Neill (pictured here) already underway with 10-year planning in her city, became the Conference's President.

The Mayors' Community Development and Housing Committee, chaired by Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, presented two resolutions on chronic homelessness, one of which stresses innovation and collaboration and commends the Administration's proposed 8.5% increase in FY 06 homeless funding including the proposed Samaritan Initiative. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Boston Mayor Tom Menino, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz, and Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory submitted the resolution. Another resolution forwarded by Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, and Richmond, California Mayor Irma Anderson and passed by the conference called on the Interagency Council to move federal agencies toward a common definition of homelessness.

U.S. Interagency Council Executive Director Philip Mangano, who attended the committee session, applauded the mayors for their continuing support and partnership in the effort to end chronic homelessness and updated them on developments in the 192 cities and counties underway with 10-year plans. The Mayors' Criminal and Social Justice Committee, chaired by Elizabeth, New Jersey, Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, presented a resolution on prisoner reentry that recognized the risk of homelessness for this population and the need for treatment, discharge planning, and continuity of medical care to foster successful reentry and prevent rearrest or reincarceration. The resolution called for collaborative intertgovernmental partnerships, examining barriers to successful reentry, and involving faith-based communities in reentry.

In January 2005, mayors who gathered for a meeting of the Hunger and Homelessness Task Force during the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting in Washington, executed the Mayors Covenant of Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness. The Task Force is co-chaired by Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell and Cedar Rapids Mayor Paul Pate. Last week, Solana Beach, California, Mayor Thomas Campbell became the 64th signatory mayor to the Covenant.

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA. State partners from the Midwest were welcomed to the Minnesota Club in St. Paul by Governor Tim Pawlenty last week for the Midwestern States Regional Colloquy on Ending Chronic Homelessness. "In Minnesota, the number of people experiencing long term homelessness is not so large that you can't get your arms around them. I am committed to the Minnesota Plan to End Long Term Homelessness because we are addressing a complex social issue in a business-like manner," said the Governor. "Investment, Innovation, and Partnership" were once again the themes as public sector leaders brought together by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, from Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin joined federal partners from the United States Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and the Social Security Administration to hear the expertise of national faculty focused on innovation and best practices states can employ to end chronic homelessness. Governor Pawlenty and Council Director Mangano are pictured here.

Interagency Council Executive Director Philip Mangano told the state leaders, "Today, you'll see real opportunities to close the gap between knowledge and practice, and you'll hear about technology from South Carolina, substance abuse initiatives from Kentucky, housing strategies from Connecticut and Michigan, political will from Minnesota, coordination from Utah, outcomes orientation from Arizona and reentry and mental health initiatives from Massachusetts: an aggressive agenda with lots of innovation."

Minnesota Housing Finance Commissioner Tim Marx described his state's progress in implementing its first year goal of 200 housing units, of which the state has 270 created. Against the goal of 400 units for 2005, to date 372 units are funded. Identifying some of the keys to the initial success of the state's plan, Commissioner Marx identified the hiring of the Director for Ending Long-Term Homelessness, who is accountable for leading the plan implementation, a rigorous, specific work plan and goals, and weekly high level meetings, priority-setting and trade-offs, and persistence.

Interagency Council Regional Coordinators John O'Brien, Michael German, and Eduardo Cabrera were instrumental to the success of the event and are underway with planning coming Colloquies for states in the southwest and northwest for August and September.

WASHINGTON, DC. Deadlines are approaching for federal funding opportunities that support prevention of homelessness. This e-news article focuses on the President's Prisoner Reentry Initiative at the United States Department of Labor. Another e-news article highlights the Assets for Independence program at the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Department of Labor Secretary and United States Interagency Council Co-chair Elaine Chao is pictured here.

PRISONER RE-ENTRY INITIATIVE. DOL has a competition underway for the $20 million Prisoner Reentry Initiative. Eligible applicants are faith-based or community-based organizations. Applications are due July 13, 2005.

The President's Prisoner Reentry Initiative seeks to strengthen urban communities characterized by large numbers of returning prisoners through an employment-centered program that incorporates mentoring, job training, and other comprehensive transitional services. This program, which involves several federal agencies, is designed to reduce recidivism by helping inmates find work when they return to their communities, as part of an effort to build a life in the community for everyone. The Department of Labor (DOL) will be awarding grants under this competition to faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) to be the agencies carrying out this demonstration.

The Department of Justice will subsequently award competitive grants to State agencies to provide pre- release services to prisoners who will be returning to the communities served by the DOL grants. The Department of Housing and Urban Development may in future years provide funds under this initiative for housing services and the Department of Health and Human Services is also assisting in the design and implementation of the initiative regarding substance abuse and mental health treatment.

Each lead local agency awarded a DOL grant may choose to directly provide services to released prisoners; provide sub-grants to other FBCOs to provide these services; or use a mixed approach of providing some direct services themselves while using other FBCOs to also provide services. DOL expects that most lead local agencies will need to sub-grant some portion of their award to other FBCOs. If the lead local agency is using sub-grantees, it will be responsible for providing technical assistance and oversight to these other FBCOs. Lead local FBCOs applying for these grants will identify as part of their application the need in the community that they plan to serve; their proposed FBCO sub-grantees; their plan for serving released prisoners; and their partnerships with the criminal justice system, Workforce Investment Board, housing authority, and mental health and substance abuse treatment providers.

WASHINGTON, DC. Deadlines are approaching for federal funding opportunities that support prevention of homelessness. This e-news article focuses on the Assets for Independence (AFI) program at the United States Department of Health and Human Services. HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt is pictured here.

ASSETS FOR INDEPENDENCE. July 15 is the deadline to apply to the United States Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Community Services for funding under the Assets for Independence Demonstration Program, which assists low-income people in becoming economically self- sufficient by teaching project participants about economic and consumer issues and enabling them to establish matched savings accounts (Individual Development Accounts (IDA)) to save for a first home, a business, or higher education.

HHS' Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services will host two informational telephone conference calls concerning the Assets for Independence Program and the grant application process on June 20 and 21, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, until approximately 3:00 p.m. These calls will be open to all interested individuals. Please call the Office of Community Services on (202) 401- 4626 or go to the OCS Asset Building Website at http://www.acf.hhs.gov to register for a call and for dial-in information. Participants are strongly encouraged to register, as the number of lines is limited. OCS plans to make handout materials available to all individuals who register for either of the informational calls.

OCS has identified $18,000,000 for funding and expects an award of 50 to 60 grants. The ceiling on one individual award is $1,000,000. Eligible applicants include state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; state controlled institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); Public Housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); and Non- profits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education. Both Faith and Community-based organizations having 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service are also eligible to apply.

The OCS Asset Building Web site includes information about the AFI Program and presents a number of ideas and suggestions for developing and managing an AFI Project. In particular, it includes downloadable text of the AFI Act and a synopsis of grantee responsibilities imposed by the Act, as well as a downloadable guidebook, The AFI Project Builder that covers many topics and includes suggestions and best practices for planning, starting and implementing an AFI Project. Applicants can visit the website to obtain more in-depth information regarding the requirements for applying for and implementing an AFI Project. The February 9 Federal Register provides full background on the Assets for Independence initiative, enumerates additional eligibility information and cost match/sharing requirements, and summarizes the content and form for application submission.

WASHINGTON, DC. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness is pleased to announce that Janna Jahn has joined the Council staff as Special Advisor to advance the Council's partnership initiatives with state and local government. Drawing on her background in government and business, Ms. Jahn will provide assistance to the over 190 cities and counties undertaking 10-year plans, as well as working with the 52 states and territories that have taken steps to create State Interagency Councils on Homelessness. In addition, she will aid the Council in developing innovative expressions of political and civic will, the first of which will be replicating San Francisco's Project Homeless Connect. "Her background in government and results-oriented planning will be a great asset in forwarding our results-oriented initiatives across the country," indicated Council Executive Director Philip Mangano.

Prior to joining the Council, Ms. Jahn served on the staff of former Mayor Bob Corker in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for three years. While there she worked with community leaders, providers, and other government officials to design and implement Chattanooga's 10-year plan. She also served as the point person for homelessness for Chattanooga City government and developed chattanoogaHOMES, a grant program to fund supportive housing and ChattanoogaINVEST, a $250,000 city funding initiative to support results-oriented programs to reduce crime and/or poverty in Chattanooga. In addition, she designed and implemented the City's first Earned Income tax credit campaign to provide free tax assistance at eight locations to low-income workers and returned $2.6 to the local economy. Prior to joining City government, Ms. Jahn spent more than 15 years working with business and community organizations as a management consultant specializing in change facilitation.

WASHINGTON, DC. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Decelopment has announced its second National Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Conference on September 13-14 in St. Louis, Missouri. This conference will provide an opportunity for communication and information sharing between HUD, Continuums of Care, HMIS Administrators, HMIS providers, research partners and State Policy Academy Leaders.

Attendees will choose from over 30 breakout sessions over two days in four topic areas: HMIS Management, HMIS Participation, Data Analysis & Performance Evaluation, and Final Data & Technical Standards. Plenary sessions include: a multimedia presentation on Consumer Involvement in HMIS; the latest research in innovative programming to end chronic homelessness; and a federal agency representative plenary on data collection and reporting with the United States Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Office of Management. Registration is only available on-line, and registrations must be submitted by August 12, 2005. To register visit: www.hmisconference.info

The development of Homeless Management Information Systems stems from the passage of the FY 01 HUD Appropriations Act, in which Congress directed that local jurisdictions should collect an array of data on homelessness in order to prevent duplicate counting of homeless persons, and to analyze their patterns of use of assistance, including how they enter and exit the homeless assistance system and the effectiveness of the systems.

PORTLAND, OREGON. WITH THIS ISSUE, the e- news continues its focus on innovative initiatives that are demonstrating results in ending chronic homelessness. This week, the e-news focuses on a model of interjurisdictional collaboration in Portland and Multnomah County, Oregon.

Collaboration and systems alignment is a crucial strategy for a successful 10-year plan for Portland and Multnomah County. In Portland, each jurisdiction represents different services and resources. Multnomah County is responsible for human services and the City of Portland is responsible for housing. Multnomah County is the lead agency over homeless youth, homeless families and the domestic violence system. The City of Portland is responsible for the system that serves homeless adults and the system that develops non-profit affordable housing. Multnomah County operates the jails, and the City of Portland manages the police. The list goes on. There are many intersections among these different governmental agencies, and all of them touch homelessness directly or indirectly.

While there was general agreement on the benefit of collaboration across these agencies and systems, there was also recognition of how difficult it is to manage relationships with other entities, with many leaders finding it easier to accomplish a task single- handedly. According to Portland Homeless Programs Manager Heather Lyons, the partnerships would not have formed if it were not for City Commissioner Erik Sten's willingness to reach out to Multnomah County elected leaders and support a fully collaborative effort. In return, the County elected officials offered support and co-leadership to the planning effort.

The process led to development and recognition of shared interests and shared values. Multnomah County has an interest in ensuring services for the most vulnerable people in the community were effective and determined that housing was an essential component to successful outcomes. The City of Portland has an interest in ensuring adequate human services for homeless adults and families, as well as providing housing that is affordable to people who experience homelessness. These interests, along with concerns from police, corrections, hospitals and business converged under the political leadership from both the City and the County to create a 10-year plan to end homelessness.

That support has translated to real systems change and shared financial support of permanent supportive housing projects and other projects under the 10- year plan. Within the first six months of implementation, the City and County have contributed $3 million of local funding toward activities in the 10-year plan. Additionally, the City and County leadership are jointly working with local foundations to discuss opportunities for strategic investments related to homelessness and the 10-year plan.

WASHINGTON, DC. With the recent release of the list of proposed military base closures and realignments, the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission has begun its work under the leadership of Commission Chairman Anthony J. Principi, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Chair. After evaluating DoD's recommendations, the independent BRAC Commission will submit its own list to the President for review and approval, then to Congress, which must accept or reject the list in its entirety. Future issues of the e-news will highlight opportunities to use properties to benefit homeless people. Chair Principi is pictured here.

Under the proposed list, 33 major base closures, 29 major base realignments, and 775 minor base closures and realignments will be reviewed. Major Closures are installations recommended for closure with plant replacement value exceeding $100 million, and Major Realignments are installations losing over 400 net total military and civilian personnel.

Upcoming key dates in the base closure process will occur throughout 2005. By July 1, the Comptroller General must send to the Congressional defense committees, a report containing a detailed analysis of the Secretary's recommendations and selection process. By September 8, the Commission must transmit to the President "a report containing its findings and conclusions based on a review and analysis of the Secretary's recommendations." By September 23, the President shall transmit to the Commission and to the Congress, "a report containing the President's approval or disapproval of the Commission's recommendations." If the President approves the recommendations, the recommendations are binding 45 "legislative" days after Presidential transmission or adjournment, unless Congress enacts joint resolution of disapproval. By October 20, if the President disapproves the Commission's initial recommendations, the Commission must submit revised recommendations to the President not later than this date. By November 7, the President must approve the revised recommendations and transmit approval to Congress by this date or the process ends. The recommendations become binding 45 "legislative" days after Presidential transmission or adjournment, unless Congress enacts joint resolution of disapproval. The Commission terminates on April 15, 2006.