CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Meeting in Chicago last week, the Partnership to End Homelessness heard a progress report on ending chronic homelessness in Chicago and the nation. Mayor Richard Daley provided Partnership Annual Meeting attendees with the latest results from the implementation of Chicago's 10-Year Plan, released in early 2003, which stated, "This effort will take all of us. As this 10-year plan details, Chicago is ready to embrace the challenge of system change and integration necessary to prevent homelessness and end it for the thousands of men, women, and children in shelter or on the streets each night who could and should be sleeping in their own beds."

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano (pictured here), invited by Partnership Executive Director Nancy Radner (pictured here second from right) to address the Annual Meeting, noted Chicago's success and its results in the $55 million federal Collaborative Initiative funded by the United States Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs. "All over the country homeless people who had been given up on as intractable elements of the social landscape - the best we could do, some said, was a blanket and a bowl of soup - those very people are now healthier and stable in housing. The federal initiative funded here and in 10 other cities has moved over 600 people off the streets, beyond long term shelter stays, to housing, ending 4,000 years of homelessness. That very change is happening here in Chicago: 44 people who were on the streets or long term in shelters for a collective 230 years have moved into housing."

National Alliance to End Homelessness President Nan Roman also addressed the meeting, which was attended by Mayor's Liaison on Homelessness and Supportive Housing Ellen Sahli, Department of Human Services Commissioner Carmelo Vargas, and Department of Housing Commissioner Jack Markowski. U. S. Representative Jan Schakowsky was recognized with the Partnership's Award, presented by Rev. Marvin Thomas, President of the Partnership to End Homelessness and Pastor of Walls Memorial CME Church.

Mayor Daley last week also pointed to the investment Chicago is making in its Plan, with the Low Income Housing Trust Fund slated to receive $5 million of proceeds from the lease of the Chicago Skyway over the next five years. The Skyway lease also will provide $10 million to the Plan to End Homelessness during that period. "We will put that money toward new strategies to further our goal of ending homelessness by 2012. I've earmarked $4 million of Skyway proceeds to fund local programs for ex- offenders - because if we don't help them straighten out their lives they'll end up in a homeless shelter, or back in prison," stated the Mayor.

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. Illinois' new Rental Housing Support Program, hailed as perhaps the largest rental assistance fund in the nation, was signed into law last week by Governor Rod Blagojevich (pictured here), adding a new surcharge on real estate document filing that is projected to raise $30 million and assist 5,500 families. Illinois joins a growing number of states investing funds in solutions identified by 10-Year Plans. The law places a new $10 fee on documents filed during home sales by both buyers and sellers. The program will reward landlords who agree to charge affordable rent to low-income tenants. The subsidies will help families that make below 30 percent of the Area Median Income. This means a family of four will qualify if its income is below approximately $19,000.

"People need housing that's safe, dependable and affordable. They need to live near their jobs and their schools. Affordable housing is a critical element to helping hard working people get ahead," Governor Blagojevich said in a statement announcing he'd signed the new law. The Illinois Housing Development Authority will distribute the funds to administering agencies, such as local housing authorities, municipalities or community groups. Those agencies will then contract with landlords, inspect units, and determine tenant eligibility. The landlord agrees to charge qualifying families a flat fee of 30 percent of their monthly income, and the administering agency will pay the balance of the rent. 70% of rental units subsidized through the program must be located outside of the city of Chicago.

Mayor Richard Daley, in prepared remarks to the Annual Meeting of the Partnership to End Homelessness in Chicago, commented on the fund's potential and Chicago's plans for expanding housing, stating, "This legislation will add $14 million to the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund to help more than 2,000 additional families who are considered rent-burdened, meaning they have to pay more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. Half of these new subsidies will be earmarked for the Plan to End Homelessness to create wholesale change in our homeless system."

WASHINGTON, DC. Over 900 homeless advocates and providers, federal, state, and local officials, representatives of national organizations, philanthropists, business leaders, and homeless people gathered in Washington, DC, this week for the Annual Conference of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Entitled "Ending Homelessness: Progress and Challenges," the conference focused for three days through plenary sessions, workshops, and day-long institutes on key issues, innovations, and policy developments in efforts to end homelessness. Federal agency partners in attendance or participating included the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, and Labor.

Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Jim Towey (pictured here) delivered keynote remarks to the attendees, stating, "The President thanks you for all the work you do in the country." He continued, "We can work together to find ways to help those who are homeless or hungry, our at-risk youth, ex-offenders, substance abusers, those with HIV and AIDS, and welfare-to-work families, and get results. We want to ensure that faith-based and community organizations can access federal funds to serve all these groups. We want a focus on outcomes. We need to ask what's effective. "

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, who addressed attendees and introduced Mr. Towey, noted the proposed increases requested in the President's FY 06 budget for key programs, " Here in Washington the themes of partnership, investment, and results are being sounded. The President's budget included $200 million in a new Samaritan Housing Initiative targeted to our most disabled, homeless neighbors, as well as increased resources in health care for homeless veterans, in health care for the homeless programs, in creating community health care centers, in prevention for those aging out of foster care, exiting prisons and jails, and those in need of substance abuse treatment."

WASHINGTON, DC. Continuing the emphasis on increasing state innovation in homelessness begun by the interagency Policy Academies, Governors naming State Liaisons to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the creation of now 52 State Interagency Councils on Homelessness, and the recent round of United States Interagency Council on Homelessness State Colloquies convened around the country, the Interagency Council, in partnership with the National Alliance to End Homelessness, convened a day-long Institute at the recent NAEH conference. "Investment, Innovation, and Partnership for State Leaders" brought together 45 primarily public sector participants from across the country with a faculty of state experts who have made strides in state plan implementation. Attendees included officials from state agencies, state interagency council members, city and county government, housing authorities, public programs, and homeless providers, and advocacy coalition groups. Pictured here is Council Executive Director Philip Mangano at the Institute.

State innovators spoke of their firsthand experience in Constellating Political Will, Leveraging Federal and State Resources, Utilizing Technology, Data and Research, and Investing in Outcomes, with faculty including Utah Department of Community and Economic Development, Division of Housing and Community Development Director Gordon Walker, South Carolina Budget and Control Board Chief of Health and Demographics Pete Bailey, and Arizona Department of Economic Security's Charlene Moran Flaherty.

Housing innovations were a key focus with experts describing models and results for persons with serious mental illness under California's AB2034 program, recovery housing from the Recovery Kentucky model, and reentry initiatives from Massachusetts. State experts included California Department of Mental Health Director Dr. Stephen W. Mayberg, Ph.D., Chief Program Officer of Kentucky Housing Richard McQuady, and Massachusetts Department of Correction Associate Commissioner Veronica Madden.

The newest state point person on homelessness as recently named by Governor Mitt Romney, Linda Fosburg of Massachusetts, who brings a background in homeless program evaluation and research, joined Minnesota's Laura Kadwell and Maine's Nancy Fritz, part of the emerging national group of state point persons on homelessness which also includes North Carolina. Council Regional Coordinators John O'Brien, Michael German, and Eduardo Cabrera developed and supported the Institute for the Council and also convened an initial meeting of city representatives from across the country who are addressing homelessness in resort and tourist areas of the country. The group discussed common and unique issues that shape homelessness in their cities, including such topics as seasonal rental and employment markets, law enforcement, and geographic differences.

WASHINGTON, DC. The Center for Faith- Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has three new online resources available for faith-based and community partners seeking to help workers and their families, including hard to serve populations.

Compassion at Work describes the Department of Labor's commitment to tapping the power of faith- based and community organizations to help workers, families and their communities. According to an opening letter from DOL Secretary Elaine Chao (pictured here) in the new publication, the Department's Center for Faith- Based and Community Initiatives is working together with DOL grant-making agencies to reach out to faith- based and community organizations and build partnerships that can make a real difference in workers' lives. Through these public-private partnerships, innovative grant programs and legal and regulatory reforms, the Department is replacing despair with hope and obstacles with opportunities.

States Secretary Chao, " Compassion at Work is more than a record of accomplishments. It is a blueprint for leaders in government at all levels and in the private sector to engage grassroots faith-based and community organizations in the important task of opening up the American dream to all our citizens." Also released by the DOL Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives are Making A Difference Through Strategic Business Partnerships and Promising Workforce Development Practices for Faith- Based and Community Organizations.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-news continues its focus on messages of leadership in ending chronic homelessness from federal, state, and city officials. This week, we focus on excerpts of the remarks of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (pictured here), who last week reported on progress regarding his city's 10-Year Plan to the Annual Meeting of the Partnership to End Homelessness:

"I'm happy to provide a progress report on our Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. I endorsed that plan two and a half years ago, because I knew we had to do more for those who find themselves without a roof over their heads -- whether because of poverty, domestic violence, illness, substance abuse or some other cause. As I said at the time, homelessness is an intolerable situation in a caring society, especially a society as wealthy as ours.

"Equally important, we have begun the gradual shift from a shelter-based system to a housing-based system, which is the centerpiece of our ten-year plan. We have phased out 1,400 emergency shelter beds and replaced them with more than 1,000 permanent housing units and more than 900 interim units. And those really are interim units. Our goal is to move families into permanent housing within 120 days, and we have met that goal with these 900 new interim housing units. The majority of families leaving interim housing have moved into permanent housing, ending extended stays in shelter.

"I knew we could do better - because Chicago is full of caring people, many of whom are in this room today. And in Chicago, when we care about a problem, we don't wring our hands and shake our heads. We get busy and do something about the problem.

"All of these efforts require time, determination and patience. We have to be willing to put up with occasional setbacks, as long as we're making measurable progress. And I'm happy to report that we are making progress in helping the homeless rebuild their lives, and in keeping people from becoming homeless in the first place. Last year alone, we helped more than 5,500 households avoid the shelter system. This is an 88 percent increase in two years. We helped families who are behind in paying their rent or utilities. We helped heads of household to buy uniforms and work equipment so they could get back into the workforce. And we helped financially strapped families avoid eviction or foreclosure.

"We need to challenge the business community to provide resources, including money and jobs, to keep people working, so they never have to enter the shelter system. We need to continue working with the faith-based community -- because they can help formerly homeless families feel connected and anchored to a community. We need continued support from the service providers to ensure that we reach our goal at the end of ten years.

Reported at the Council's Institute event for state leaders this week (see related e-news story) by Anne Fletcher, Office of Human Services Policy, United States Department of Health and Human Services.

. . . that the FY 05 targeted spending for homeless programs at the United States Department of Health and Human Services totals $383.9 million.

. . . that HHS homeless spending includes Treatment for Homeless Grants of $35.5 million, Collaborative Initiative on Chronic Homelessness awards to 11 cities totalling $10.7 million, Health Care for the Homeless awards of $154.7 million, Programs for Runaway & Homeless Youth funded at $103.9 million, Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) programs totalling $54.8 million, and other targeted homeless activities totalling $24.3 million.

. . . that the recently awarded Homeless Treatment Awards which enable communities to expand and strengthen their treatment services for homeless individuals with substance abuse disorders, mental illness, or with co-occurring substance abuse disorders and mental illness increased from $9.8 million in 2001 to 13.5 million in 2004.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-newsletter continues its focus on elements of the Title V federal surplus property program and opportunities to secure resources for homeless programs under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Following are properties listed in the most recent Federal Register notice of suitable and available land and buildings.

The May 27 notice contains the most recent listing of suitable and available property. Buildings are available in Georgia, Iowa, New York, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.

Title V provides that state and local governments, as well as nonprofit organizations, are eligible to apply for land and buildings that have been determined by the federal government to be "suitable and available" for eligible uses to benefit homeless people. More than two dozen agencies of the federal government are included as "landholding" agencies that may have property.