WASHINGTON, DC. President Barack Obama has announced a nationwide service initiative," the beginning of a sustained, collaborative, and focused effort to meet community needs and make service a way of life for all Americans," according to the Corporation for National and Community Service, which will be the key coordinating federal partner, working with the White House, federal agencies, and hundreds of nonprofit and community groups.

"This summer, I'm calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this nation," said the President. "And when I say 'all,' I mean everyone - young and old, from every background, all across this country. We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort."

The focus of the service initiative is on the economy recovery, and service activities will encourage volunteers to participate in the economic recovery by providing community renewal to areas hardest hit by the economic crisis, increasing health care access, public health awareness, and prevention, promoting clean energy, energy efficiency, and public land restoration, and supporting education and literacy for all Americans.

United We Serve will put volunteers on a path to sustained service, asking volunteers to step up and become volunteer organizers by identifying unmet needs in their community, developing their own service projects, and engaging others who are interested in the same issue area. The initiative plans to provide easy-to-use tools for volunteers to develop service projects, set outcome-oriented goals, and track community impact. United We Serve will develop creative partnerships with a broad and diverse group of stakeholders, including nonprofits, faith-based groups, issue groups, labor unions, educational institutions, businesses, corporations, foundations, and all levels of government.

United We Serve will span 81 days, or just under 12 weeks, and kicked off June 22 at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco. First Lady Michelle Obama made keynote remarks. United We Serve will culminate with a National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11, 2009. The culmination will provide an opportunity to recognize the summer's accomplishments, honor those who died on September 11, 2001 by serving in their memory, and encourage Americans to make an ongoing commitment to service.

To locate volunteer opportunities at Veterans' Stand Down events, click here. To locate volunteer opportunities at Project Homeless Connect one-stop events, click here.

COEUR D'ALENE, IDAHO. "Coeur d'Alene is the first city in North Idaho, and only the second in the state, to commit time and resources to putting together a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness," stated Mayor Sandi Bloem in her introduction to the new city-county Ten Year Plan. "This movement is a growing one across the country that says it's time to stop just managing, servicing, and facilitating homelessness and it's time to do what needs to be done to END homelessness." The Mayor noted: "So while it may be difficult, in America - and in Coeur d'Alene - nothing is 'undoable,' and we need to do what we can, in our community, to once and for all end homelessness."

In developing the new Plan, the City of Coeur d'Alene determined that the local community spent in excess on $6.5 million annually "just to service homelessness," said City Councilor Mike Kennedy, who championed the plan. "And this was just the cost of our homeless systems and doesn't include our hospital and jail costs." This cost data helped solidify support for the now completed plan. Councilor Kennedy convened a broader group of elected officials, executive level public officials and prominent local citizens to oversee implementation of the plan.

The plan includes the creation of new permanent supportive housing units in a community that in the past has had few such resources, create a unified system of emergency care, and coordinate case management services among the area non-profit and government agencies. The plan has already launched the action step of two successful Project Homeless Connects events, the winning of federal housing grants for persons who are homeless with disabilities, and the creation of a single point of entry for homeless persons.

Meeting with community leaders for the event, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson said, "This plan will work to the degree that the community backs it with authority. The providers are using smart strategies but they can't do it by themselves. They must have your active support and leadership."

"We have a building and and plan to co-locate the work of fourteen local agencies", said St. Vincent de Paul director Jeff Conroy. "The new HUD Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing grant, comes at the perfect time when we were already starting to coordinate all the efforts in our community to prevent homelessness."

Pictured here are (left to right): City Councilor John Bruning; City Councilor Mike Kennedy; City Administrator Wendy Gabriel; Deputy City Administrator Jon Ingalls; Paul Carlson; and Jeff Conroy, Executive Director, St. Vincent de Paul.

WASHINGTON, DC. The U.S. Department of Labor has announced $150 million in recovery resources for grants in the Pathways out of Poverty employment and training initiative to serve populations that are frequently the focus of state and local government planning initiatives related to preventing and ending homelessness. Populations eligible to receive services through these awards include unemployed individuals, high school dropouts, individuals with a criminal record, and disadvantaged individuals living in areas of high poverty. Employment in energy-efficient building, construction, and retrofit industries; renewable electric power industry; energy efficient and advanced drive train vehicle industry; biofuels industry; deconstruction and materials use industries; energy efficiency assessment industry serving residential, commercial, or industrial sectors; and manufacturers that produce sustainable products using environmentally sustainable processes and materials are targeted. The Jobs for Veterans Act (Pub. L. 107-288) provides priority of service to veterans and spouses of certain veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services in any job training program directly funded, in whole or in part, by DOL.

Grantees to be funded will be either national nonprofit entities with networks of local affiliates, coalition members, or other established partners; and local entities. Applicants qualify as national entities if they are private nonprofit organizations that have the following characteristics: deliver services through networks of local affiliates, coalition members, or other established partners (such as a network of affiliated community or faith-based organizations); and their local affiliates, coalition members, or other established partners have the ability to provide services in 4 or more states. DOL intends to fund grants ranging from approximately $3 to $8 million for national grantees, and grants ranging from approximately $2 to $4 million for local grantees.

To be eligible for funding, national and local applicants must demonstrate that the proposed project will be implemented by a "robust strategic partnership." In each community served, the strategic partnership must include at least one entity from each of the following five categories: nonprofit organizations, such as community or faith-based organizations, which have direct access to the targeted populations; the public workforce investment system, such as local Workforce Investment Boards and their One Stop systems; the education and training community, which includes the continuum of education from secondary schools to community and technical colleges, four-year colleges and universities, apprenticeship programs, technical and vocational training institutions, and other education and training entities; public and private employers and industry- related organizations, including those involved in the industries identified; and labor organizations, including but not limited to labor unions and labor management organizations that represent the interests of workers in energy efficiency or renewable energy industries.

Other partners may include Public Housing Agencies implementing programs through the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Community Action Agencies implementing the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program; organizations implementing projects funded by the Recovery Act that will create or support jobs in the energy efficiency or renewable energy industries; national, state, and local foundations, which focus on assisting participants served through the project; and state and local social service agencies that provide supportive services to participants served through the project.

Applications are due September 29, 2009. Interested applicants should read the entire announcement for details. A Webinar for prospective applicants will be held for this grant competition on July 14, 2009 from 2- 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Access information for the Webinar will be posted on the ETA Web site at: http://www.workforce3one.org. The Webinar will be recorded and will be accessible for viewing by July 17, 2009 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, at the Web site above.

WASHINGTON, DC. Marking the 10th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C., President Barack Obama this week launched "The Year of Community Living," a new effort to assist Americans with disabilities.

"The Olmstead ruling was a critical step forward for our nation, articulating one of the most fundamental rights of Americans with disabilities: having the choice to live independently," said President Obama. "I am proud to launch this initiative to reaffirm my Administration's commitment to vigorous enforcement of civil rights for Americans with disabilities and to ensuring the fullest inclusion of all people in the life of our nation." In the Olmstead case, the Court held that the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since that time, many individuals have successfully transitioned to community settings. However, waiting lists for community services have grown considerably and many individuals who would like to receive community services are not able to obtain them.

President Obama directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary and U.S. Interagency Council Chair Shaun Donovan to identify ways to improve access to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. HUD announced that it will offer rental assistance to 4,000 non-elderly families with disabilities, including 1,000 vouchers specifically targeted to those transitioning out of nursing homes and other care facilities. HUD is also seeking comment from public housing authorities and others to ensure this assistance is distributed and administered in the most effective manner possible.

The 1,000 vouchers directly support a $1.75 billion HHS initiative to help persons who reside in health care settings move to community-based living. While HHS' Money Follows the Person (MFP) program offers health care, case management and other services to qualified families, it does not include funding for housing. HUD's funding initiative is designed to fill that gap.

The remaining 3,000 Housing Choice Vouchers are available to assist any non-elderly disabled family. HUD is encouraging local housing authorities to give strong consideration to using some or all of these vouchers to provide housing for those non-elderly persons that are living in the community, but are at- risk for institutionalization.

WASHINGTON, DC. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is accepting applications for a five-year demonstration project targeted to young people ages 16-21, in rural areas (including Tribal lands and other rural Native communities) who are approaching independence and young adulthood, but have few or no connections to a supportive family structure or community.

HHS's Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), through this collaborative Demonstration project, will fund three initiatives in states to work with local community-based organizations to influence policies, programs, and practices that affect the design and delivery of services to runaway and homeless youth in Transitional Living Programs (TLP), as well as to homeless youth aging out of state child welfare systems and into Independent Living Programs (ILP). The Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families will provide technical assistance to support the collaborative engagement of ILP grantees in the project.

Entities eligible to apply for the demonstration grants will be the departments and/or agencies that administer independent living programs for youth aging out of foster care (e.g., Human Services and Child Welfare Agencies) in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The applicant departments and/or agencies must commit to supporting and enhancing the goals, directions and outcomes of this demonstration (including supporting the Local Collaborating Partner in carrying out project goals and activities).

WASHINGTON, DC. "To begin this 'Year of Community Living,' agencies within my department will undertake the task of aggressively addressing barriers that prevent some Americans with disabilities from enjoying a meaningful life as part of their community," said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "I have asked the Administration on Aging (AoA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office for Civil Rights, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to form an HHS Coordinating Council, which will be led by the Office on Disability. These agencies, with the support of the department, will work together to put in place solutions that address barriers to community living for individuals with disabilities and to give people more control over their lives and the supports they need. " The Secretary's actions came in conjunction with President Obama's naming of 2009 as the "Year of Community Living" to mark the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court opinion in the Olmstead case (see related story).

CMS will engage the public in making meaningful regulatory reforms to the home and community-based waiver program. An "Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" was published in the Federal Register this week inviting public input on proposed changes to current regulations giving states greater flexibility to serve people based on their individual needs rather than on diagnosis. In addition, CMS and AoA are making grant funds available to states to strengthen and expand HHS' Aging and Disability Resource Center Programs (ADRCs). Under this Initiative, Secretary Sebelius is encouraging collaboration by requiring that ADRCs partner with all state agencies involved in serving populations with disabilities, as well as the Centers for Independent Living. The Centers for Independent Living have an important role to play at the community level in promoting independent living skills throughout ADRCs. ADRCs provide "one-stop shop" sources of information, one- on-one counseling, and streamlined access to programs and services that can enable people to remain in their own homes and communities.

Secretary Sebelius announced the availability of HHS funding for ADRC development or expansion in up to 50 states over a three-year period. The maximum award for the ADRC opportunity will be $600,000; total funds available are $10 million. In addition, she noted a CMS-award opportunity to programs in California, Hawaii, Maryland and North Carolina to strengthen ADRC partnerships with hospitals so that more people who are being discharged and need post- acute care receive that care at home rather than in a nursing home facility. The award amount per state is $1,167,000.

WASHINGTON, DC. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the availability of $3 million in resources for state governments under the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act to test a wider range of approaches on a larger scale to identify successful models for expanding access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) among two key underserved populations: eligible households with elderly members (persons who are age 60 years and older) and eligible households with adult members who are working or are looking for work (working poor households). This project will build on prior research which demonstrated the feasibility of increasing SNAP participation among the low-income elderly in a few small sites.

According to the announcement, FNS is interested in pilots that reduce barriers to participation in SNAP by reducing the paperwork involved in the SNAP application and recertification; expanding the location and hours for SNAP intake and reducing challenges for homebound persons and those without transportation; providing application assistance in places and by people who are not associated with the stigma of the welfare office; building on SNAP modernization to reduce the cost (financial and psychological) of application, reporting and recertification; promoting the importance and ease of using SNAP benefits to eligible nonparticipants and their network of supporters; increasing linkages with community programs that serve working households and elderly, and conveying to potential clients, agency staff, and community members the state agency's commitment to SNAP outreach and program access.

FNS anticipates that interested state SNAP agencies may assemble teams that include other public, non- profit and/or private organizations to plan and implement pilot projects. FNS will award grants to state SNAP Agencies of a maximum of $500,000 each. FNS expects state grantees to collaborate with other state and local government agencies, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, and/or commercial entities that have prior experience with the target population and/or offer a needed service, and are committed to the goals of this endeavor such that they can continue the collaboration and support expansion of the pilot activities to the target population statewide. FNS will also award and oversee a contract for an independent evaluation of the pilots.

SNAP is an important safety net resource and the primary source of food assistance for low-income elderly (age 60 and older) persons, but the majority of eligible elderly persons do not participate. This low participation is despite a higher asset test, a net rather than gross income eligibility limit, an uncapped excess shelter deduction, an excess medical deduction, longer certification periods, hardship waivers for inperson interviews, and special outreach efforts. In 2006, 4.2 million elderly persons in 3.7 million households elected not to receive SNAP benefits that they were entitled to receive. Most nonparticipating elderly persons lived alone or with another elderly person (68 and 13 percent, respectively, of nonparticipant households with elderly members). Elderly nonparticipants who lived alone were mostly women, non-Hispanic Caucasians, residing in urban areas and receiving Social Security payments.

A significant segment of the eligible elderly population forgoes substantial levels of food assistance. Roughly 20 percent of elderly persons living alone, 50 percent of pure elderly households of two, and 70 percent of households with elderly and non-elderly members did not receive benefits of $50 to over $200 a month. According to FNS, without these benefits, the risk of nutritionally inadequate diets increases. This can contribute to or exacerbate chronic and acute diseases, hasten the development of degenerative diseases associated with aging, and delay recovery from illness.

According to FNS, participation rates for eligible working poor have been steadily increasing since the decade began with rates of around 45 percent. In 2006, 57 percent of eligible working poor individuals received SNAP benefits. Progress in reaching more households with earnings can be attributed to a variety of legislative, economic and policy factors. Welfare reform and the economy played a key role in the decline of SNAP households' dependency on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and greater reliance on earnings. Many subsequent SNAP policies reduced the burden associated with SNAP application and case maintenance. These include State options to provide transitional SNAP to TANF leavers, simplified income reporting, less burdensome vehicle asset rules, longer certification periods, and expanded hours of operation to accommodate working recipients.

While participation rates have improved, in the majority of states, rates for the working poor in 2006 were significantly lower than rates for all eligible persons. In 8 of these states, the rate for the working poor was more than 10 percentage points lower (other states also had much lower rates for employed persons but the difference in rates was not statistically significant). As a result, the national participation rate for eligible working poor has been about 10 percentage points less than the participation rate for all eligible people.

Of the 17 million non-elderly adults eligible for SNAP benefits, 6 million did not participate in the Program, and 42 percent of these were employed, according to FNS. A major difficulty in reaching these low income adults is that their income and eligibility for SNAP is more dynamic than for elderly, disabled and single parents with children. Even in economic downturns when individuals rely on SNAP for longer periods, income fluctuates as individuals lose jobs, rely on savings and other financial resources, find alternative employment or work multiple part-time positions. Strategies to increase SNAP access among eligible working households may require approaches that target persons while they are in spells of unemployment as well as spells of under- employment.

The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 changed the name of the federal Food Stamp Program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as of October 1, 2008 and the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. The new names reflect the changes made to meet the needs of FNS' clients, including a focus on nutrition and an increase in benefit amounts.

WASHINGTON, DC. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) this week issued new guidance for submissions for 2010 consideration as an evidence-based practice to be included in its National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). The notice is published in the June 23, 2009 Federal Register.

NREPP is a voluntary rating and classification system designed to provide the public with reliable information on the scientific basis and practicality of interventions that prevent and/or treat mental and substance use disorders. Under NREPP, minimum review criteria require that interventions must: be evaluated using an experimental or quasi- experimental study design; demonstrate one or more positive change outcomes in mental health and/or substance use among individuals, communities or populations; have results that are published in a peer- reviewed publication or documented in a comprehensive evaluation report; and provide documentation, such as manuals, guides, or training materials, to facilitate broader public dissemination of the intervention.

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.

Current listings in the area of homelessness include:
- The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) to alcohol and substance use treatment, a behavioral intervention that seeks to replace environmental contingencies that have supported alcohol or drug use with prosocial activities and behaviors that support recovery.
- Critical Time Intervention (CTI), designed to prevent recurrent homelessness and other adverse outcomes among persons with severe mental illness.
- The Modified Therapeutic Community (MTC) for Persons With Co-Occurring Disorders, a 12- to 18-month residential treatment program developed for individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental disorders.
- Housing First, a program developed by Pathways to Housing, Inc., designed to end homelessness and support recovery for individuals who are homeless and have severe psychiatric disabilities and co-occurring substance use disorders.
- The Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (TREM) is a fully manualized group-based intervention designed to facilitate trauma recovery among women with histories of exposure to sexual and physical abuse.

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.

Interested parties can review the complete Federal Register notice by clicking on the "NREPP News" tab of the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices web page on the SAMHSA home page at http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/.

email: usich@usich.gov

web: http://www.usich.gov