Progress reports issued last week by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and this week by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a speech at the National Alliance to End Homelessness 2006 Annual Conference (see related story), provide compelling evidence that 10-year planning efforts are achieving results in providing housing for homeless persons and reducing the number of individuals and families becoming homeless.

NEW YORK CITY. During a keynote address at the NAEH conference in Washington on Monday, Mayor Bloomberg reported that there are 19% fewer individuals and 30% fewer children living in shelters than in 2003. 100,000 homeless people have been placed in permanent housing over the last four years. He also reported that the recent Point In Time survey found 13% fewer individuals living on the streets and other public spaces this year compared to last. Calling chronic homelessness "a blight on our streets and a blot on our conscience," Mayor Bloomberg reiterated his Administration's commitment to reducing homelessness by two-thirds by 2009 and to increasing the supply of affordable housing. He noted that in November the City had formed a $1 billion partnership with the State of New York to help finance the creation of 12,000 new units of supportive housing in the city under the New York/New York III agreement.

CHICAGO. Speaking at the Chicago Partnership to End Homelessness Annual Meeting last week, Mayor Daley provided a mid-year report on Chicago's 10-Year Plan, Getting Housed, Staying Housed, that showed that in just the first six months of 2006, over 138 households were helped to find private market housing through the use of "housing locators," 1800 more received prevention assistance, and 35 individuals were moved from the streets into permanent housing. Mayor Daley also noted that amidst all the numbers, "we cannot forget the ultimate goal of the Plan, to give our fellow Chicagoans who need it the most, the potential to succeed." The positive results in the mid-year report build on the progress announced by the Mayor in January that showed that during 2005, the City's 10-Year Plan prevention efforts had helped over 5700 households avoid entering the shelter system, nearly twice as many as in 2003; and over 1900 shelter beds had been replaced by 1300 permanent housing units and 1500 120 day interim units of housing.

DENVER. In his 2006 State of the City report last week, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper reported that in the one year since the city began implementation of its Plan, Denver's Road Home, "423 new units of housing assistance have been added, 701 homeless people have been assisted with work, 537 individuals received treatment services, 286 families received eviction assistance, and 108 families have been partnered with our faith-based mentoring teams." Mayor Hickenlooper also noted that the City's Project Homeless Connect events received support from 40 businesses and helped connect over 1200 homeless people to housing and services. Expressing gratitude to the United Way, the Downtown Denver Partnership, local foundations, businesses, and individuals who responded to the Community Appeal to End Homelessness, Mayor Hickenlooper announced that a first round of private funding awards totaling approximately $2.5 million are being made to 16 homeless service providers. The privately raised funds supplement city and county funding which altogether has fully funded the first year of implementation and 70% of the funding needed for years 2 through 4 of the Plan. As reported at the Council's National Summit for Jurisdictional Leaders: Moving from Good to Better to Great in Sustaining 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness in May, the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative's annual Point-in-Time Survey in January showed that six months into the Plan's implementation homelessness had declined by 11.4 percent.

WASHINGTON, DC. The National Alliance to End Homelessness 2006 Annual Conference was held in Washington, DC this week, drawing over 1000 participants from around the country for three days of institutes, workshops, presentations, and advocacy. Topics included ending street homelessness, family homelessness research and initiatives, Housing First for families and individuals, re-entry initiatives, youth homelessness, supportive housing development, rural homelessness, research and sources of funding for mental health and substance abuse treatment programs, and legislative updates among many others. Participants heard from creative innovators, housed consumers, and political leaders including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Congressman Artur Davis, and U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland, who received the Alliance's John W. Macy Award.

On Tuesday at the plenary luncheon session, United States Executive Director Philip Mangano moderated a panel discussion by five formerly homeless persons who lent an "authentic voice" to the proceedings as they spoke about their real world experiences in "navigating the move from homelessness to housing." While their personal stories were varied, each agreed that during their homelessness, what they most wanted was a place to live. Pictured here, left to right, are Council Director Mangano, Lakeisha Wells, Jerome Jackson, Paula Curry, Charles High, and Hyacynth King.

Conversations to learn consumer preferences are central to successful planning efforts to prevent and end homelessness. The Council encourages all of its partners including other federal agencies, state interagency councils, and jurisdictions engaged in 10-year planning processes to include consumers in planning efforts.

Also on Tuesday, State and City jurisdictional leaders, 10-Year Plan leaders, state point persons on homelessness, and supportive housing funding collaborators were brought together by the Council in partnership with the National Alliance for an Innovators Colloquy. The 75 participants had the opportunity to view and discuss highlights from Good to Great author Jim Collins' keynote presentation at the Council's National Summit in Denver in May and to learn firsthand about innovations such as the 1811 Eastlake Project in Seattle, WA from its Director Phil Block. Participants also received an update on the Council's National Project Homeless Connect effort. Last year 25 cities participated in the first ever National Project Homeless Connect event on December 8. This year the event has been designated National Project Homeless Connect Week and will commence on December 4. Information will be continually updated and posted on the Council's website at www.ich.gov

This week the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, Judiciary, and Housing and Urban Development met to consider FY 2007 funding levels for several departments and agencies including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Information released by the Subcommittee includes a recommendation of $1.511 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants Program, a $185 million increase over the FY 2006 appropriation and just slightly lower than the President's request of $1.536 billion which the House of Representatives approved.

The Administration has requested, and the Congress has approved, record levels of funding for the Homeless Assistance Grants program in the last five years. The President's Management Agenda with its focus on investing in outcomes establishes the framework for the President's budget proposals. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been able to use outcome data the Council has provided on housing outcomes from the Collaborative Initiative to End Chronic Homelessness, the increasing number of jurisdictions engaged in outcome-oriented 10-year planning processes, the results of cost benefit studies being done as part of these planning processes, and the commitment of Governors in establishing state interagency councils on homelessness, in the Administration's budget deliberations and in the President's Budget documents sent to Congress. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary and Council Chair Alphonso Jackson is committed to ending chronic homelessness and has championed these increased resources.

The Subcommittee recommendation is scheduled to be considered by the full Senate Appropriations Committee later today.

At 1545 square miles and a population of just over 1 million, Rhode Island is served by a single United Way. Last week United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano and Council Regional Coordinator John O'Brien met with United Way of Rhode Island President Anthony Maione, and Senior Vice President Kamila Barzykowski, to discuss the leadership role the United Way is taking in public policy discussions and homeless and affordable housing funding initiatives in the "Ocean State".

The United Way of Rhode Island has selected homelessness and more specifically, reducing homelessness by 50% over ten years, as one of its three strategic impact areas. To that end, the United Way spearheaded the creation of HousingWorks in partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation and the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation to develop policy initiatives, advocate state budget changes, and invest resources in support of ending chronic homelessness and creating more affordable housing.

HousingWorks, co-chaired by United Way of Rhode Island President and CEO Anthony Maione, Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation Executive Director Richard Godfrey, and Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Ronald Gallo, has become both a coalition of over 100 stakeholder agencies, businesses, foundations and developers, and a campaign for more resources.

The HousingWorks partners are working with Governor Donald Carcieri to develop strategies for affordable housing production and a more strategic response to the housing needs of persons experiencing chronic homelessness. To jumpstart a permanent supportive housing pilot, the HousingWorks partners challenged the state to match funding raised by HousingWorks and soon the first 50 units created by the pilot will be available. A $50 million bond issue to be considered by the voters in November would invest an additional $12.5 million per year for four years to build affordable housing, of which 80% would be rental housing. The recently approved state budget increases funding for the Neighborhood Opportunities Program (NOP) from $5 million to $7.5 million, including $2.5 million for the development of permanent supportive housing. NOP has been the state's primary affordable housing production program for homeless persons, persons with disabilities, and very low income families. The state budget also includes $300,000 for the second year of the permanent supportive housing pilot.

Pictured here left to right are, United Way Senior Vice President Kamila Barzykowski, Council Director Philip Mangano, United Way President Tony Maione, and Council Regional Coordinator John O'Brien.

Not only in Rhode Island, but across the nation the United Way is a key partner in many jurisdictional 10- year planning efforts to end chronic homelessness. Among many examples are San Diego where the United Way CEO is co-chairing the planning effort and the UW is paying for the plan consultant, and in North Carolina where the Triangle United Way has partnered in the development of three 10-year plans in Durham/Durham County, Raleigh/Wake County, and Orange County.

While in Rhode Island, Director Mangano met with Rhode Island's Chief of Housing and Community Development, Noreen Shawcross; Kevin Flynn, Associate Director, Division of Planning, Department of Administration; and Darlene Price, Housing Resources Coordinator, Office of Homelessness Services & Emergency Assistance.

The position of Chief of Housing and Community Development was created last year by Governor Carcieri to develop a more effective and cohesive approach to homelessness and affordable housing planning efforts. Among issues discussed were the recent budget increases, the Affordable Housing Bond bill, and the opportunity presented by the anticipated closing of the 100- bed Welcome Arnold Shelter, to move away from temporary shelter assistance toward more permanent housing solutions including a more focused rental assistance program. " Our goal is to prioritize permanent housing as the best strategy for ending people's homelessness," said Shawcross.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. San Diego, the site of the very first Veteran's Stand Down organized by a group of Vietnam Veterans led by Robert Van Keuren and Jon Nacheson in 1988, held its 2006 Stand Down July 14-16 on the San Diego High School athletic fields. This year's event was organized by the Veterans Village of San Diego.

Over the years, both the number of volunteers and the services offered during the Stand Down have increased. At this year's three day event, 2500 volunteers including 25 doctors and dentists were on hand to provide assistance to an estimated 800 homeless veterans. The veterans were able to receive services including medical, dental and optometric help, assistance in locating housing, making application for VA and other government benefits, alcohol and other substance abuse counseling and treatment referrals, job counseling, and on site job interviews, consultations on child support cases, and the opportunity to clear up misdemeanor court warrants. At least fifty veterans received direct housing assistance. Veterans helping veterans remains a central theme of the annual Stand Down and this year 30 rehabilitating troops from the San Diego Naval Medical Center were on hand along with members of veteran service organizations and other retired and active duty veterans.

As reported recently in e-news, San Diego is among 220 jurisdictions across the nation developing a 10- Year Plan to end homelessness. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness recognizes that the needs of homeless veterans must be given special attention and consideration in the development and implementation of jurisdictional plans. Best practice in the convening of planning partnerships and the development of jurisdictional plans will ensure early inclusion of partners who address the needs of homeless veterans, the development of jurisdictional data on their needs, and the design of partnerships and investments that prevent and end their homelessness.

Pictured here is Council Regional Coordinator Ed Cabrera (far right) with Veterans Village of San Diego Director Al Pavich and members of the Village Board of Directors. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development San Diego Field Office Director Frank Riley also participated in the Stand Down as did employees of the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.

Resources to help communities address the needs of homeless veterans in their 10-year planning processes can be found on the Council's website. Also available on the Council's website is a link to the 2006 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits Information booklet; and a link to upcoming Stand Downs across the country.

The VA has created a "seamless transitions" page on its website providing information of interest and assistance to returning Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve service members of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

The California Department of Veterans Affairs has created a new online searchable database of services available to California veterans, their survivors, and dependents and maintains an online reference page of contact names, addresses and phone numbers for homeless veteran programs in the state.

KENTUCKY. Governor Ernie Fletcher announced last week that construction will begin by October on the 9th of 10 substance abuse recovery centers being built through the Governor's Recovery Kentucky initiative, a part of the state's 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. By focusing on persons with substance use addictions who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, the initiative is intended to reduce the incidence of chronic homelessness in the state. Governor Fletcher was recognized by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness for his efforts with A Home for Every American Award at the Council's National Summit for Jurisdictional Leaders in May.

The 35-unit recovery center for men announced last week will be built in Campbellsville and operated by Lighthouse Recovery. Funding for the Recovery Kentucky initiative is a multi-agency effort involving the Governor's Office for Local Development (GOLD), Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC), the Department of Corrections, and the Office of Drug Control Policy. Through this collaborative effort, construction financing is made available by a $2.5 million allocation of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Federal HOME funds and Affordable Housing Trust Fund dollars administered through the Kentucky Housing Corporation;and operational funding sources include approximately $4 million from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program administered by GOLD and approximately $3 million from the Department of Corrections.

In his keynote remarks to the 2006 National Alliance to End Homelessness Annual Conference this week, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg highlighted an innovative city initiative, Housing Stability-Plus, which is helping families who are receiving public assistance leave shelters and find permanent housing. The program begun in December 2004 "couples public generosity with personal responsibility" and in the first 18 months, 6700 families, including parents awaiting housing in order to reunite with children in foster care, signed leases for permanent housing and were able to leave the shelter system.

The Housing Stability-Plus program offers clients five years of rental assistance, with the understanding that there will be a 20% step-down in the assistance each year. The strategy is to " offer concentrated, well defined help to get people back on their feet, and stay there." Homeless families with an active public assistance case and certain adults who are receiving cash assistance from the city's Human Resources Administration are eligible for the program. Families receiving Social Security Income (SSI) may also be eligible as long as at least one person has an active case file. The City provides eligible clients with a commitment letter informing clients, landlords, and brokers of the maximum rent amount for which they are eligible and the rent levels are competitive and market-based.

The City encourages landlord participation in the program through an accelerated registration and inspection process and expediting two-year leasing which can occur as soon as one week after registration completion and identification of an eligible Housing Stability-Plus client. To further encourage landlord participation, the City pays 3 months rent, one month's security deposit, and a 15% broker's fee at the lease signing. Also, the City has hired Quality Assurance Staff to handle post lease issues.

Rent assistance amounts are calculated by adding a supplement to an individual or family's public assistance "shelter allowance". This supplement portion is gradually decreased by 20% each year for five years - while the shelter allowance essentially remains constant. Housing Stability-Plus rental supplement payments are paid directly to the landlord by New York City's Human Resources Administration. After the first year, program participants are responsible for making up the supplement difference with direct payment to the landlord. Families in receipt of SSI are required to contribute 30% of their SSI income toward the monthly rent.

In this continuing series of e-news profiles on the recipients of the Council's A Home for Every American Award, we highlight the contribution of National Alliance to End Homelessness President and CEO Nan Roman to the National Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness held its 2006 Annual Conference in Washington DC this week.

Nan Roman is a leading national voice on the issue of homelessness. Her name has become synonymous with advocacy to end homelessness. As President and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Ms. Roman leads a public education, advocacy, and capacity building organization with over 5000 non-profit and public sector agencies and corporate partners committed to ending homelessness.

Ms. Roman understands how to work the corridors of power, whether on Capitol Hill or corporate and foundation Boardrooms. Her approach is pragmatic and non partisan, focused on leaving the table with the resources and policy improvements needed to accomplish the mission of ending homelessness. She is both student and educator- eager to hear new ideas and using the resources of the NAEH to ensure that policymakers and practitioners have the information they need to adopt the best practices that achieve results in preventing and ending homelessness.

Under her leadership, NAEH created an ambitious campaign around the concept of 10-year planning focused on solutions, to engage all sectors of our society in a revitalized effort to confront and overcome homelessness. Through dozens of conferences and training institutes, NAEH brings the latest research findings and innovations, and the message of partnering to achieve results, to communities and states across the nation.

Ms. Roman shares her expertise with Members of Congress, their staff, and senior members of the Executive Branch on dozens of issues affecting homeless people including housing, income assistance, education, veterans' services, job training and placement, and service delivery issues. She has conducted key research on the connection between foster care and homelessness which is informing public policy and resource investments.

In her invitation to NAEH members for this week's three day annual conference in Washington DC, Ms. Roman wrote, " Despite many challenges, we have never been closer to ending homelessness for all Americans and making street homelessness a thing of the past." For her contributions that helped achieve this level of national momentum in the effort to end homelessness, the Council was pleased to recognize Nan Roman with an inaugural A Home for Every American Award.

Ms. Roman was born in Bloomington, Indiana. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois, from which she also received her Master of Arts degree. Prior to beginning her work at the National Alliance to End Homelessness in 1987, Ms. Roman worked on issues of poverty and housing at a variety of national and local nonprofit organizations. She has served on numerous federal and local advisory boards and panels and was a member of the Bush-Cheney Transition Advisory Committee.

IN THIS ISSUE, the e-news highlights remarks of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano at this week's National Alliance to End Homelessness Annual Conference in Washington DC. Mayor Bloomberg spoke at the plenary luncheon on Monday describing his Administration's efforts to change course, as other cities were doing as part of the National Partnership constellated by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, by developing a results-oriented Plan for "replacing the dead-end model of managing homelessness with the new goal of ending it." On Tuesday, Council Director Mangano moderated a panel of five consumers at the luncheon plenary who shared their remarkable personal stories of human perseverance - overcoming stereotypes, illness, other people's lack of confidence and belief- to obtain that most prized result: a place to live. (See related stories)

Mayor Bloomberg: . . .There are those who say that ending homelessness is just a dream. And they're right; it's part of the American dream. It embodies the belief deeply engrained in our national character that, working together, we can end needless suffering. . enlarge the realm of human dignity. . and maximize the potential of every individual to be a contributing member of society

. . . Looking around this room, a lot of you are practical dreamers . . . visionary realists. There are men and women from every corner of this nation who have devoted your lives to hastening the day when all of our fellow Americans can have what so many simply take for granted: The stability, security, and precious sense of personal worth that comes from waking each morning in our own beds, in our own homes. I share that goal with you - because I believe that until that day arrives, we will not be the nation we want to be, or that we can be.

. . . And I believe something else too - something fundamental to making our shared dream a reality - The status quo . . . the familiar pattern . . . the shopworn methods of the past: These must be abandoned. Because if we are to finally end homelessness in America, we must recognize that "the tried and true" has actually far too often been . . . the tried and failed.

. . . We must honestly face up to the shortcomings of our own noblest intentions, and show the courage to think anew and act anew.

. . . To rid our society of homelessness, we must first liberate ourselves from the chains of conventional wisdom. Our experience in New York City has clearly and repeatedly demonstrated just how wrong the conventional wisdom often is. When we came into office, we found the City's homelessness policies and practices deeply in thrall to a self-defeating conventional wisdom. Its tenets were that street homelessness was essentially a permanent fact of urban life . . . And that homeless families were deeply troubled and needed long-term counseling and support before they were "housing ready."

. . . As a result, the city's over-riding response to homelessness had been creating emergency shelters. In the process, we came to develop and operate the largest shelter system in the nation. That's a tremendous testament to our city's compassion. But it's also damning proof of the conventional wisdom's shortcomings. Because in the process, we had all lost sight of a basic truth: That while everyone has a right to emergency shelter, that doesn't always make emergency shelter right for everyone. It should be a last resort.

. . . We decided to put first things first. We made the system's new focus putting families in shelter back in permanent homes of their own, and helping them stay there. We invested in the providers that succeeded, and stopped giving free passes to those that did not. We also made it clear to shelter clients that they had to take greater responsibility for finding permanent housing, too.

. . . At the same time, we began to reinvent our whole approach to this issue - to develop a plan for replacing the dead-end model of managing homelessness with the new goal of ending it. Our plan is called "Uniting for Solutions Beyond Shelter." It sets out comprehensive goals and strategies:

• For reducing street homelessness;
• For dramatically increasing supportive housing;
• For continuing to help homeless individuals and families move out of shelters and into permanent housing
• And, most importantly, for preventing homelessness before it occurs

. . . In every instance, these strategies are designed to end the practice of simply throwing dollars at the problem-to institute accountability and demand measurable results, both for those we serve and also for the taxpayers who foot the bill. And the evidence shows that we're moving in the right direction. This year, our census found some 3,800 homeless men and women on our streets - far too many, but still 13% fewer than in 2005.

. . . And if we do not slacken in our efforts, we will honor the American dream, and end homelessness across our great nation.

Council Director Mangano: . . . I'm proud to be here with these five Americans, our neighbors, who have made the journey from a place they'd never thought they would be - homeless - to a place where they are now - a home.

. . . For nearly five years, the Council has been sounding themes to bring an end to homelessness in our country: political will, prevention, partnership, results, opportunity, rapid rehousing, and consumer- centric strategies. All to one goal, one end, one mission- ending homelessness in America.

. . . Conversations to learn consumer preferences are central to that mission. The work the Council has been doing has been informed by those conversations. Speaking directly to the consumers to find out what they want. And they know. They never ask for a pill, a program, or a protocol. They ask for a place. A place to live.

. . . Our work, all of us together, is to ensure that the voice of our homeless neighbors informs our mission.