WASHINGTON, DC. "Today, Americans with disabilities are enjoying greater freedom than they have ever known. This is freedom in a very real sense - a freedom beyond the imaginings of persons with disabilities from generations past. This new freedom - the freedom to dream and to do, the freedom to be and to become, the freedom to give and to grow, and the freedom to participate and to progress - is at the heart of my New Freedom Initiative, an agenda that I launched within three weeks of entering office. The New Freedom Initiative aims to remove the obstacles that still remain for Americans with disabilities."

With these opening words, President Bush last week released a Progress Report on the Administration's New Freedom Initiative, noting among the steps the Administration has taken to promote full access to community life for persons with disabilities the revitalization of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness "to seek innovative policy solutions to the high homelessness rate among people with disabilities." The Progress Report also noted the adoption of the Project Homeless Connect one-day, one-stop engagement technology which has been implemented in more than 130 cities nationwide under the Council's encouragement.

Announced in February, 2001, the New Freedom Initiative is the President's plan to tear down barriers to full integration into American life that remain for many of the 54 million Americans with disabilities. The Progress Report pointed out that one of the New Freedom Initiative's "cornerstone" projects became a reality on January 1, 2007, when the Department of Health and Human Services awarded the first of the "Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration" grants, offering $1.75 billion over 5 years in competitive grants to States to rebalance their long-term support systems. Indicated the Progress Report: "These grants were created so that individuals have a choice where they live and receive services, and the grants are available to help individuals transition from institutions to the community. Money Follows the Person promotes a strategic approach to building a person-centered, needs-based system that supports quality of care and quality of life in both home and community-based settings and institutions. Giving people with disabilities the ability to choose where they live helps create a strong foundation to help achieve greater freedoms at work, at school, and throughout the community"

In closing, the Progress Report recognized: "The President's vision for people with disabilities is not yet achieved, and continuing to implement the provisions of his New Freedom Initiative remains one of his highest domestic priorities. The Administration, through the programs outlined in this document and others, will aggressively pursue innovative strategies to ensure that people with disabilities are included in the American Dream, and empowered to reach their full educational, social, and professional goals."

By Executive Order, Federal agencies have also acted to centralize electronic information of use to the disability community at www.DisabilityInfo.gov. The Federal government's one-stop Web site for disability- related information and resources recently unveiled a new feature, a state and local resources map, designed to assist visitors in finding disability-related information in their own states and localities. This new feature enables users to search for disability service organizations at the state and local government levels, as well as Federal offices close to home, in every state and U.S. territory.

To use the new state and local resources map, users simply select one of the nine subject tabs - benefits, civil rights, community life, education, employment, health, housing, technology or transportation - at the top of any DisabilityInfo.gov page. Then click the map on the right sidebar to find links in that subject area related to any state and to be directed to easy-to- navigate information and numerous organizations and contacts.

DisabilityInfo.gov also offers a free subscription service to DisabilityInfo Connection, the site's quarterly electronic newsletter, as well as e-mail alerts on new information in a specified state. Additionally, the site features an online press room that contains news releases, links to research and statistics, and ready- to-publish news briefs and articles. DisabilityInfo.gov connects visitors to information on a wide range of disability-related topics. Managed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, the site is a collaborative effort among 22 Federal government agencies dedicated to making it the leading, one-stop Federal resource for disability- related information.

NEW YORK CITY. United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Acting Assistant Secretary Daniel Schneider last week joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) Commissioner John Mattingly and foster care youth to award $176,000 in resources to the City's Youth Financial Empowerment Initiative. The new investment will target 150 Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) for foster youth aged 16 - 21. The IDAs encourage asset attainment for youth aging out of foster care.

"We're excited to fund this important project through ACF's Assets for Independence Program (AFI)," Acting Assistant Secretary Schneider said. "This effort demonstrates an assets-based approach to empowering low-income New York City youth in giving them a hand up out of poverty."

The award to the City's Administration for Children's Services is one of 17 awards totaling $6.1 million and unique in its focus on youth aging out of the foster care system. Awards which ranged from $20,000 to $1 million were announced by HHS for sixteen cities in twelve states. A focus on homeless children and youth is among the key goals for the year announced by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Chair and HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt when he assumed the Chair in March 2007.

The Office of Community Services (OCS), within ACF, is the Federal agency that partners with states, communities and other agencies to provide a range of human and economic development services and activities to address the causes and characteristics of poverty and those in need. Organizations administering AFI grants provide financial education and matched savings accounts, such as IDAs, to low- income individuals so they can save earned income with the goal of acquiring one of three financial assets: purchasing a first home, capitalizing a small business, or enrolling in postsecondary education or training.

Participants in the New York City program will receive matching funds of up to $2,000 by saving $1,000 in the IDAs that will be established for them. These savings can be applied to secure and maintain stable housing, to pursue educational opportunities, and to obtain vocational training. Participants must contribute to their accounts regularly, and their contributions will be matched from a pool of funds secured from both the public and private sector. Participants will also be actively engaged in financial literacy training which will focus on identifying goals and financial management skills like managing a checking account, paying bills on time and lowering their debt.

The Youth Financial Empowerment program is being launched in collaboration with Citibank, New Yorkers for Children, the United Way of New York City, Wells Fargo & Company and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The Center for Economic Opportunity has committed $300,000 toward the program, and approximately $700,000 in additional public and private funds have been set aside for the program.

New York City officials were joined at a Citibank branch in the Bronx by Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs; Executive Director of the Center for Economic Opportunity, Veronica White; Acting Head of Citibank North America and Head of Customer Franchise Management in North America, Peter Knitzer; and Mary Brown, a Youth Financial Empowerment program participant.

Assets for Independence. HHS's Assets for Independence (AFI) initiative provides five-year grants to organizations and agencies that enable low-income individuals and families to achieve economic self- sufficiency by accruing economic assets. Grantees provide financial literacy training to participants and help them save earned income in special matched bank accounts called Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) which enable low-income and low- wealth families to build savings for long-term assets such as a home, a business, or higher education and training.

Eligible AFI grantees include community-based nonprofits and State, local and Tribal government agencies and others, such as community development financial institutions and credit unions. The Office of Community Services reviews proposals and awards grants in three cycles each Fiscal Year. Applicants may submit a proposal at any time, but the usual cycle deadlines are March 15, June 15, and November 1.

WASHINGTON, DC. The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has announced the next in its series of conferences in partnership with states across the country. OFBCI, which recently hosted a Compassion Action Roundtable event on homelessness for the 20th anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Act, has designed its conferences to connect effective social service organizations with resources that can strengthen and expand the resources they offer to the people they serve.

The upcoming conferences will provide an understanding of the President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative, information about the Federal grants process and funding opportunities, and the basic legal responsibilities that come with Federal funding. In addition, special emphasis will be placed on opportunities for partnership at the state and local level. These opportunities range from funding provided through grants and contracts, to non- financial partnerships like mutual-referral relationships with local government agencies, to government services that can supplement the resources nonprofits provide to their clients.

Of special note is the National Summit on Prisoner Re-Entry to be convened in Los Angeles on November 27-28. Each year more than 650,000 inmates are released from Federal and State prison and return to their communities and families. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than two-thirds of returning inmates will be re-arrested within three years of their release from prison.

The President is committed to reducing recidivism by helping ex-offenders find work and re-connect with their communities upon re-entering society. The purpose of the White House National Summit on Prisoner Reentry is to expose Faith-Based and Community Organizations, Federal, State and local corrections authorities, policymakers, social scientists, and other "front-line" experts in prison reentry to top program models, new research, recent data, promising practices, financial and other resources, and to one another. This two-day summit seeks to bring much-needed attention to an often neglected issue and ultimately help returning men and women in need of a second chance.

In addition, OFBCI will convene conferences in Minneapolis (August 9) and Washington, DC (September 24). On-line registration and other information is available. Next week's Minneapolis conference will include a welcome from Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Jay Hein. Opening remarks will be made by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Commissioner/MAG Larry Shellito, Minnesota Military Affairs, with the presentation of Minnesota Faith and Community Service Initiative's Best Practices Awards.

Federal partners participating in plenary session include: U.S. Department of Justice Task Force for Faith-Based and Community Initiative Director Steve McFarland, U.S. Department of Education, Associate Director for Training and Development of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives David Downey, and USA Freedom Corps Acting Director Kathy Wills Wright.

WASHINGTON, DC. The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance has announced that it is seeking applications for the development and implementation of training and technical assistance under the Prisoner Reentry Initiative Program. This program will further the Department's efforts to provide training and technical assistance for prisoner reentry initiatives to state, local, and federally recognized tribal jurisdictions.

Applicants are limited to for-profit (commercial) organizations, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and consortiums with demonstrated experience in prisoner reentry and delivery of training and technical assistance on a national level. All applications are due by 8:00 p.m. Eastern on September 20, 2007.

Authorized by 42 U.S.C. § 3797w, Pub. L. 109-108, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), funded under the COPS Office Project Reentry, and § 20901 of the Continuing Resolution, Public Law 110-5, under the COPS Office, the Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI) provides assistance to states and federally recognized tribes to provide pre- and post-release services and supervision to offenders returning to communities, with the primary goal of reducing recidivism. The PRI Training and Technical Assistance Program will complement PRI by providing training and technical assistance to PRI grant and non-grant jurisdictions developing strategies to address identified gaps and needs. The applicant selected for this grant will be responsible for developing and delivering training and technical assistance on a nationwide basis to state, local, and federally recognized tribal jurisdictions.

The PRI grant program assists state and tribal jurisdictions in developing, implementing, and/or enhancing their reentry initiatives through evidenced- based pre- and post-release services. PRI assists jurisdictions in identifying gaps and needs and developing strategies to address those gaps and needs. The PRI Training and Technical Assistance Program will complement PRI by providing training and technical assistance to PRI grant and non-grant jurisdictions. Training and technical assistance will assist states, localities, and tribes in their efforts to develop, implement, and enhance their reentry initiatives through a range of activities such as the assessment of needs, implementation of programs, strategic planning, collaboration with faith and community-based partners, development of mentor programs, development of advisory groups, or other reentry activities. All training and technical assistance should focus on a reduction of recidivism and offender accountability.

Deliverables will include: development of a curriculum, submitted to BJA for approval, onsite delivery of training and technical assistance in a minimum of 23 grantee states and 1 grantee tribal community, development and submission of a reentry monograph on the training and technical assistance delivered.

Each year more than 650,000 men and women return from prison. Department of Justice studies of this population indicate that almost two-thirds of those individuals will return to prison within three years of release, many within the first few months. In 2004, President Bush announced his Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative (PRI) designed to assist ex-prisoners and the communities to which they return. Through this program, returning offenders are linked to faith-based and community institutions that help ex-prisoners find work and avoid a relapse into a life of criminal activity. Currently there are 30 PRI grantees across the country that are providing mentoring, employment and other transitional services to more than 5,789 participants. Initial results are promising with high levels of employment and significantly reduced recidivism rates.

The Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative grew out of the Department of Labor's Ready4Work project which provided mentoring and other transition services for men and women returning from prison in partnership with faith-based and community organizations. This $25 million program was jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the U.S. Department of Justice, and a consortium of private foundations. Recently released findings show that, of project participants whose status is known, participants recidivated at less than half the national average for returning offenders with similar demographic characteristics.

WASHINGTON, DC. Twenty years after Congress enacted and President Ronald Reagan signed into law the then-named Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (now McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act), the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee today will "mark up" new proposals to reauthorize the homeless programs in the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Markup is the process by which Congressional committees and subcommittees debate, amend, and rewrite proposed legislation.

The legislative proposal (S. 1518), introduced in May by Senators Jack Reed (RI) and Wayne Allard (CO) is the "Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act." In addition to Senators Reed and Allard, there are now a total of 18 other Senators sponsoring the bipartisan legislation.

Under the legislation, HUD would be required to provide incentives for communities to use proven research based strategies to end homelessness. The bill identifies the strategies as including permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals and families; rapid rehousing programs for families; and other research- based strategies that HUD, after public comment, determines are effective. The legislation outlines a set of performance measurements - emphasizing reductions in incidence, length, and repeat occurrences of homelessness - for designating "high-performing communities" who would be rewarded with additional flexibility.

Several existing HUD homeless programs would be consolidated into a new Community Homeless Assistance program. Consolidation has been sought by the Administration to increase flexibility and local decision- making, and reduce administrative burdens. The bill would add new provisions for the HUD response to homelessness including prevention assistance and more flexible assistance and streamlined application process for rural communities.

Authorization for the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness would be extended through 2012 and the bill puts into statute the Council's mission " to develop and coordinate the implementation of a national strategy to prevent and end homelessness while maximizing the effectiveness of the Federal Government in contributing to an end to homelessness . . . "

Other bill provisions include: promoting community- wide commitment to ending homelessness through a requirement for a "collaborative applicant"; 30% of total funds available nationally to be allocated for permanent housing for individuals with disabilities or families headed by a person with disabilities; and a minimum 10% of overall funds for permanent housing for families with children. Leasing, rental assistance, and operating costs of permanent housing programs would be renewed non-competitively for one year at a time through the Section 8 housing voucher account, provided that the applicant demonstrates need and compliance with appropriate standards.

At the May hearing for the bill (pictured here), Acting Committee Chair Jack Reed convened the hearing and was one of eleven Senators to participate, including Committee Ranking Member Richard Shelby (AL). Senator Reed noted that the lessons learned over the last twenty years were an important focus for the new proposals, which includes goals of preventing and ending homelessness. Senator Reed noted his strong Committee partnership across several years with Senator Allard, Senate staff, and with many others which resulted in the development and introduction of the bill. Senator Reed observed that Federal action is needed because the cost of homelessness is so great in so many parts of the community.

The McKinney-Vento markup comes immediately after House action of yesterday when the House Financial Services Committee passed H.R. 2895, the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007. The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund will expand Federal housing programs with a goal of producing, rehabilitating and preserving 1.5 million housing units over the next 10 years. The bill as amended will initially allocate between $800 million and $1 billion annually directly to states and local communities.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, business leader and 10-Year Plan Leadership Council Co-chair Dene Oliver, and United Way of San Diego County President/CEO and Leadership Council Co-Chair Doug Sawyer last week convened San Diego's Implementation Committee to move forward San Diego's vision for ending chronic homelessness. Dene Oliver serves as Interim Chair of the Committee, which includes academia, law enforcement, business, health care and treatment agencies, philanthropy, veterans services, workforce agencies, and Federal and State officials. The United Way acted as convener for the development of the 10- Year Plan.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Eduardo Cabrera participated in the implementation meeting, along with Department of Housing and Urban Development San Diego Field Office Director Frank Riley. Pictured here are (left to right): United Way President and CEO Doug Sawyer, Regional Coordinator Eduardo Cabrera, Mayor Jerry Sanders, and business leader and 10-Year Plan Chair Dene Oliver.

The Implementation Committee will develop an action strategy based on key performance measures established in the plan including an annual reduction in the number of chronically homeless persons, creation of new housing opportunities and outreach teams, progress in implementing the comprehensive Housing Plus wraparound model and establishing mental health courts and institutional discharge planning protocols and increases in the number of chronically homeless persons who find and maintain employment.

In October 2006, the San Diego City Council unanimously adopted a Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in the San Diego Region. A two-year plan development effort involved over 100 stakeholders and included meetings with 18 mayors of neighboring cities within San Diego County, 17 of whom signed a Covenant of Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness to work collaboratively. The planning effort also included a search for best practices that took Mr. Oliver and members of the Leadership Council around the country to meet with other 10-Year Plan leaders as part of the National Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness constellated by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and into their own backyard to learn from the research at the University of California at San Diego and from model programs including the Serial Inebriate Program.

Invited to address the City Council in support of the Plan's adoption last year was United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, who acknowledged the determined efforts that brought the plan to fruition, noting in particular Mr. Oliver's endurance and collaborations over the two years of development and the support of the United Way including Mr. Sawyer, former Executive Director Fred Baronowski, and Plan Consultant Hannah Cohen "who has been a driving force to shape and write the plan and whose commitment now has statewide impact in California Keys."

Director Mangano pointed out the importance of cost studies across the country that have shown that providing permanent supportive housing is less expensive than people randomly ricocheting through expensive health and law enforcement systems. Director Mangano credited San Diego for being a leader in the arena of cost benefit analysis noting that the work of Dr. Dunford, Officer Liening, Sergeant Schnell, Scripps Hospital and other community collaborators that identified $3 million in costs associated with 15 chronic inebriates over an 18- month period has provided a picture of how expensive chronic homelessness is and led to dozens of other communities doing similar cost studies. Director Mangano also singled out for mention the plan's prioritization of prevention to "stop the human tragedy and economic cost before it begins" and the call for a mental health court.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA.The Municipality of Anchorage, United Way of Anchorage, and Anchorage Coalition on Homelessness last week hosted the city's first Project Homeless Connect event for more than 300 consumers aided by 95 local volunteers. Anchorage, which under the leadership of Mayor Mark Begich developed a 10-Year Plan in 2004, planned and executed its event between May and July 2007 with financial and volunteer support from the United Way. The City's 10-Year Plan had called for development of a one- stop engagement strategy.

City Manager Denis LeBlanc and Diane DiSanto of Mayor Begich's office welcomed partners and consumers to the event. Convened in a local school, Anchorage Connect arrayed similar services in classrooms for easy access. Anchorage's planning committee included faith- based partners, representatives of local real estate , and officials of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation which convenes the State's Interagency Council. AHFC offered staff a day of leave to volunteer at the event. Business sponsors and donors for the event included: Alaska's Best Water, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, Anchorage Baptist Temple, Anchorage School District, Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant, and Retailers Association, Clearwire, ConocoPhilips, FedexKinkos, Church of Latter Day Saints, and Providence Hospital. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration were also on site.

Anchorage's 10-Year Plan, which was unveiled by Mayor Begich during a December 2004 visit by United States Interagency Council Executive Director Philip Mangano, forwarded a vision for 2015 that homeless people will be steered toward safe and affordable housing within three months of being identified by a local service agency. The Plan proposed a housing commitment of 500 new units of housing and the creation of a city development authority to create housing on city- owned land. Among the other Action Steps in the Plan, all of which include performance measures, were appointment of a senior staff person in the Mayor's office to lead a communication campaign and to work with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the new Alaska State Council, rotating homeless program staff through a single service site to broaden engagement possibilities for the hardest to serve, and establishment of a partnership between United Way and the city's developing HMIS system to create a Housing First linkage that supports the rapid housing goal of the Plan.

Promotion of the PHC event to consumers included bus passes, and shuttles were also available to reach the one-stop site. Resources offered at the event included health, treatment, and recovery services, dental care, free eyeglasses, wheelchair repairs, IDs, food, clothing, housing, domestic violence services, and veterinary services, all with a goal to support the transition from the street to housing. Volunteer opportunities included in-take, security, runners, food servers, day care, luggage check, and set-up/take-down duties.

Public sector partners present included local, state and federal agencies: Municipality of Anchorage Departments of Health and Human Services and Fire Department, Alaska Division of Public Assistance, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, Alaska Legal Services, Alaska Mental Health Consumer Web, Alaska Native Justice Center, Social Security Administration, and Department of Veterans Affairs. Alaska Youth and Parent Foundation, Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association, Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission, Catholic Social Services Alaska, Child Care Connections, Inc., Disability Law Center of Alaska, Nine Star Education and Employment Services, and The Salvation Army Alaska Division also were partnered.

UNITED STATES INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS ANNOUNCES NEXT STEPS FOR CITIES TO ENGAGE FAMILIES IN PHC INNOVATION

WASHINGTON, DC. Families will be the focus for an upcoming National Project Homeless Connect conference call on September 6, when Mary Carroll of the Office of Portland, Oregon City Commissioner Erik Sten provides expert assistance in best practices for engaging families. Portland last year implemented the national innovation of Project Homeless Connect to a successful family model and will shortly convene their second family event. Other experts from PHC cities will also participate.

A limited number of spaces for jurisdictional representatives are available for this upcoming call. To indicate your interest and receive further information, send an email to: nphc@usich.gov.

SAN FRANCISCO. Increased adoption of the Earned Income Tax Credit in over 30 communities during the 2007 tax season resulted in nearly $270 million being returned to families, according to Bank of America Charitable Foundation President Andrew Plepler, who reported at the recent EITC summit of the National League of Cities and United Way in San Francisco. The United Way Financial Stability Partnership was launched in May 2007 to provide working individuals and families with tools and resources to increase their income, build savings and acquire assets such as permanent housing, reliable transportation, additional education, and job skills.

United Way of America President and CEO Brian Gallagher commented that the Summit proved to be an "innovative lab for new and compelling ways to partner and support the strategies that comprise the United Way Financial Stability Partnership," and he noted that "Leaders from communities large and small, and across all sectors, came together to leverage their individual strengths and look collectively at those efforts that create opportunities to increase income, develop savings and ultimately build assets to help families become stable and move towards economic independence."

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, already partnered with the United Way in more than 30 jurisdictions where United Way leadership in 10-Year Plans is ongoing, last year explored how United Way leaders could make a difference in the financial well- being of low-income families and individuals. Council Director Philip Mangano and CEO Gallagher met recently to discuss how the new United Way initiative can assist families who are homeless.

The National League of Cities continues this fall with free audio conferences that include discussions between Institute for Youth, Education, and Families staff, national policy experts, and city officials on best practices and key opportunities for municipal leadership on behalf of children, youth, and families. Partnership with United Ways and Chambers of Commerce will be the topic on September 20, and financial stability initiatives will be the focus on November 15.

Registration for audio conferences is open and is required two days before the event. To register, please e-mail or fax your name, title, organization, mailing address (including street, city, state, and zip), telephone, fax, and e-mail. No telephone registrations can be accepted. Registrations can be sent by fax to the YEF Institute at 202-626-3043 or by e-mail to iyef@nlc.org. Questions may be left on the information line at 202-626-3014. One day prior to the event, each audio conference registrant will receive an e-mail or fax message that will provide a toll-free, dial- in number. An archived video of the Summit plenary is available at: http://national.unitedway.org/

FEDERAL SURPLUS PROPERTY AVAILABLE UNDER FEDERAL INTERAGENCY INITIATIVE OF MCKINNEY-VENTO ACT

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-news presents information on the Title V federal surplus property program as an opportunity to secure resources, including resources for permanent supportive housing, to assist persons experiencing homelessness under the McKinney- Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

WASHINGTON, DC. 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 July 27,2007 listing of Federal buildings and other real property determined to be " suitable and available " include buildings in Santa Clara, CA, Delta, CO, Somerset, ME, Harford, MD, Bell, TX, Ft. Story, VA, and Ft. Eustis, VA, and land in Hotchkiss, CO and Lexington, KY.

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.

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web: http://www.usich.gov