Echoing President Bush's State of the Union declaration that "everyone deserves a second chance," U.S Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Vice- Chair Elaine Chao this week announced a $10 million award for 14 sites for the Ready4Work program targeted to ex-prisoners. Stated the Secretary (pictured here), "This grant is part of President George W. Bush's vision to help former offenders turn their lives around." Ready4Work is a three-year, $22.5 million program to assist faith-based and community programs that provide mentoring and other transition services for men and women returning from prison. The initiative represents investments by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Justice (DOJ), and a consortium of private foundations. Stated Secretary Chao, "Few people go through life without regrets. That's why there is nothing so common as the wish for a new beginning. This grant offers a new beginning to some of the people who need it most."

Each Ready4Work site engages local businesses, workforce development agencies, criminal justice personnel, and faith and community-based partners in a collaborative effort to connect ex-offenders to the workforce, strengthen their social and support networks, and provide them with other support services, including transportation, child care and drug rehabilitation. According to DOL, studies show that approximately two-thirds of ex-offenders are rearrested within three years of release, with significant costs to communities. This year, more than 600,000 adult inmates will complete their sentences and be released. To help individuals set a new direction, numerous inner-city faith-based and community leaders have created programs that work with business and service providers to offer job training, housing options, and transitional services that help ex-offenders contribute to their communities.

Ready4Work sites are in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, DC, and Washington State. Ready4Work served as the model for President Bush's 4-year, $300 million prisoner re-entry initiative announced in his January 20, 2004, State of the Union Address. Under the President's proposal, the Departments of Labor, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would help individuals find and keep employment, obtain transitional housing, and receive mentoring. Specifically:

Employment: Faith-based and Community Organizations (FBCOs) will offer job training and job placement services in coordination with business and other employment providers.

Transitional housing: Organizations will provide housing services to individuals to partially subsidize transitional housing.

Mentoring: FBCOs will provide post-release mentoring and other services essential to reintegrating ex-offenders in coordination with the corrections, parole, and probation structure.

DOJ's Office of Justice Programs and its federal partners in reentry initiatives will convene "The National Conference on Offender Reentry - Coming Together, Strengthening Partnerships, and Planning for the Future" on September 19-22, 2004, in Cleveland, OH, to provide the latest information, cutting-edge tools, and networking opportunities for stakeholders in the adult and juvenile criminal justice fields. All awardees under the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative will participate in this event designed to increase knowledge and skills in collaborating, leveraging resources, and sustaining reentry-related programs. Staff from private organizations, community groups, and others who provide services to newly released adult and juvenile offenders are also welcome and encouraged to attend this no-fee event. On-line registration is available until August 30. More information is available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/reentry/calendar.html

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary and Interagency Council Chair Anthony J. Principi (pictured here) last week appointed Darin S. Selnick to be the first Director of the new VA Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives created by President Bush under Executive Order 13342, signed on June 1, 2004. Director Selnick, who joined VA in June 2001 as a special assistant assigned to the Learning University, is an Air Force Veteran whose previous positions include California State Commander for Jewish War Veterans as well as being a former member of the group's National Executive Committee. "Darin Selnick has a solid record of accomplishment," stated Secretary Principi. "Under his leadership, VA will enhance its ability to reach out to faith-based and community organizations that can help our veterans."

Currently about 40 percent of VA awards for homeless programs go to faith-based and community organizations. The new Center will operate under VA's Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs and work closely with the Office of Homeless Veterans Programs. The Center will coordinate agency efforts to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the provision of social and community services. The Center is to conduct, in coordination with the White House Office of Faith- Based and Community Initiatives, an agency-wide audit to identify all existing barriers to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the delivery of social and community services by the agency. This audit includes regulations, rules, orders, procurement, and other internal policies and practices, and outreach activities that may discriminate against or otherwise discourage or disadvantage faith-based and other community organizations seeking to participate in Federal programs.

Under the Executive Order, the VA Center is also responsible to coordinate a comprehensive VA effort to incorporate faith-based and other community organizations in VA programs and initiatives to the greatest extent possible and to propose initiatives to remove identified barriers. The Center can also propose the development of innovative pilot and demonstration programs to increase the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal as well as State and local initiatives; and develop and coordinate VA outreach efforts to disseminate information more effectively to faith- based and other community organizations with respect to programming changes and contracting opportunities.

When the Congress reconvenes on September 7, it will be the home stretch for legislative initiatives for the 108th Congress, including the proposed Samaritan Initiative, H.R. 4057. Senate introduction is anticipated for the proposal after recess. Support across the country for the goal of ending chronic homelessness, as exemplified by the more than 125 communities which have committed to 10-Year Plans, is strong, as is support for the Samaritan Initiative, which would authorize new federal resources to help accomplish this goal. As members of the 108th Congress return for the home stretch, there is a din of legislative proposals competing for their attention. Recent resolutions adopted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Association of Counties in support of the Samaritan Initiative illustrate the effort needed to ensure that this important legislation receives consideration during these last weeks of the 108th Congress.

The 1st Annual Grantees Meeting for the Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness was held in late July in Washington (see previous e-news story). The joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Veterans Affairs (VA) is the foundation for the Samaritan Initiative legislation. Among the topics discussed at the Grantees Meeting was the federally funded National Performance Assessment (NPA) of the Collaborative Initiative, being led by Dr. Robert Rosenheck, Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health at Yale University and director of the VA's Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC). Grantees are pictured here at the July meeting.

The National Performance Assessment has been designed to further knowledge of effective interventions and to provide a high level of public accountability for the investment of federal resources. The NPA consists of two parts. First, data will be collected on the health and well being of clients when they enter the program and will reassess them every three months for up to three years. This will demonstrate whether people enrolled in the program exited homelessness, whether their exit was sustained, and what other improvements they experienced in health, community adjustment and well being. Extensive data collected on the kinds of services each client receives will help identify services or interventions that prove most effective in achieving program goals. Second, there will be an annual survey of the interorganizational relationships in each of the community partnerships to identify differences that may affect program effectiveness.

FOR THIS ISSUE, the e-newsletter focuses on remarks made this week by President George Bush (pictured here) to the convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars at the Dr. Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Cinergy Center.

"All our nation's veterans have made serving America the highest priority of their lives, and serving our veterans is one of the highest priorities of my administration. To make sure my administration fulfills the commitments I have made to America's veterans, I selected one of the finest men ever to serve as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a combat-decorated Vietnam veteran, Secretary Tony Principi."

"Thanks in large part to Tony's leadership, my administration has a solid record of accomplishment for our veterans. When my 2005 budget is approved by Congress, we will have increased overall funding for our nation's veterans by almost $20 billion, or 40 percent, since 2001. We have increased funding for our veterans more in four years than the previous administration did in eight years. To provide health care to veterans, we've increased VA medical care funding by 41 percent over the past four years. "

"We are bringing care to more veterans more quickly. Since 2001, we've enrolled 2.5 million more veterans in health care services. We've increased out-patient visits from 44 million to 54 million. We've increased the number of prescriptions filled from 98 million to 116 million. We're getting the job done. We've reduced the large backlog of disability claims by about a third; we will reduce it even further. We've cut the average time it takes to process disability claims by 70 days. "

"We have focused resources on the veterans who need it most, those with service-related disabilities and low incomes and special needs. We've established a new scheduling system to make certain that veterans seeking care for a service-connected condition are first in line. For more than a century, federal law prohibited disabled veterans from receiving both their military retired pay and their VA disability compensation. Combat-injured and severely disabled veterans deserve better. I was proud to be the first President in over 100 years to sign concurrent receipt legislation. We're getting the job done in Washington, D.C. "

"My administration has launched a $35 million program to provide housing and health care and other support services to homeless veterans. No veteran who served in the blazing heat or bitter cold of foreign lands should have to live without shelter, exposed to the elements, in the very country whose freedom they fought for."

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-newsletter starts a series of reports on veterans' Stand Down events around the country. Stand Downs are community- based events targeted to homeless veterans and designed to offer a welcoming atmosphere, a safe gathering place, and easy access to a broad range of services for homeless veterans. Stand Downs are derived from the military practice of 'standing down" from customary activity or the front line. IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, Madison Park High School Athletic Field was the site of last week's twelfth annual Massachusetts Stand Down. Located in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, also home to Stand Down host agency Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse (VBC), the event drew over 470 participants. Pictured here is Interagency Council Region I Coordinator John O'Brien and VBC co-founder Ralph Cooper.

According to VBC Program Coordinator Vernell Baker, "The significant highlight of this year's Stand Down event was that 40 men stood in line for medical services including prostate screening, high blood pressure checks, and diabetes tests." Interpreting this success as evidence of need, the Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse anticipates integrating these medical services into future Stand Down events. Another Stand Down service helped participants address what is increasingly recognized as a key resource in accessing jobs and services: transportation. Over 180 attendees used free Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) services to travel to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles building to obtain photo identification cards and renew driver's licenses, free of charge.

The efforts of many public and private sector partners ensured that a broad range of needed services were on site. Event ID's for volunteers were issued courtesy of former Polaroid employees who ensured that Polaroid donated equipment, materials, and supplies needed to create on-site ID's, as well as expertise and labor required to print the ID's for the event. Massachusetts state partners included the Division of Career Services representing One Stop Career Centers and offering job assistance, career counseling, resume writing, and networking groups for veterans.

Boston Medical Center provided information, resources, and referrals to open clinic hours, and City of Boston Veterans Services provided information regarding locations and availability of medical resources and services. Jewish War Veterans of Newton provided resources and informal referrals as well as shaving kits. Reaching out to homeless veterans over age 50 was the Committee to End Elder Homelessness, representing the 'Elder Shelter to Home program' funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. On site legal advice was available to assist veterans with resolving issues of prior criminal records that might pose a barrier to accessing employment.

Some 18 agencies and providers were located in the Housing Tent to assist participants in their housing search with a range of applications to multiple housing opportunities, both public and private, along with assistance in filing specific forms for veterans housing around the state. Massachusetts VA in Worcester provided transportation from central Massachusetts communities to the event. Also present was IMPACT Employment Services, which has provided full service mainstream employment assistance to homeless persons since 1994 (see previous e-news story).

DUBLIN, CALIFORNIA, was the site of East Bay Stand Down 2004 on August 12 - 15. Some 600 volunteers and 25 community providers served nearly 400 participants, including about 30 women with children. The Department of Veterans Affairs assisted in the staffing of three on-site centers that provided participants with medical, dental, optical, and social work services. The VA also provided 40 treatment beds for participants.

Stated Dale Peery, a formerly homeless veteran who volunteered for this year's Stand Down, "These men and women have lost confidence in themselves. Stand Down helps them find what is strong and good in themselves again. I know they all have it in themselves. They just need help finding it." The California Department of Motor Vehicles provided license services on-site, and the Social Security Administration assisted applicants. Staff from court systems in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties were present to help clear misdemeanor citations. Participants were also able to receive clothing, haircuts, sleeping bags, and other items.

Stating that the Council will "ensure that we coordinate our efforts as state, local, county, and federal governments and social service providers and focus on solutions to homelessness together," Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle last week signed Executive Order #66, creating the state's new Governor's Interagency Council on Homelessness. The Governor's Executive Order states Wisconsin's commitment to "establish collaboration and lines of communication between federal, state, county, and local levels of mainstream social program service providers;" and to increase the availability of affordable housing stock and require social service providers to coordinate benefits and simplify access to the systems necessary to decrease the number of persons experiencing homelessness and who are at risk of becoming homeless.

The Council is charged to make recommendations in a report to the Governor by early 2005 to:

• Increase the availability of and access to housing for homeless individuals and families;
• Improve access to and expanding services for homeless individuals and families;
• Improve coordination and planning between state departments;
• Improve and expand access to federal resources;
• Enhance homelessness prevention efforts;
• Continue improvement of data collection; and
• Develop outcome based performance standards for the plan, identifying responsible agencies, and setting timelines for completions.

Members of the new Council represent public and private sector partners, including Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, Department of Corrections, Department of Workforce Development, Department of Veteran's Affairs, Department of Health and Family Services, and the Department of Commerce, and homeless services providers, including Health Care for the Homeless of Milwaukee.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-newsletter continues its focus on innovative initiatives to end chronic homelessness, with an announcement of the expansion of our Innovative Initiatives web site. The e-news has regularly featured profiles of Innovative Initiatives that are preventing and ending homelessness. In case you missed a profile or want to refer a community partner to an innovation you read about, you can now turn to the web site of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, which has been expanded to include a library of the Innovative Initiatives featured in the e-news.

Now on the Council's web site you will find profiles of Partnership, Homelessness Prevention/Discharge Planning, Permanent Housing Strategies, and Health Care from across the country. Included with most profiles is a link to key resources that further describe the innovation, whether federal collaboration, new state legislation, private investment, or industry initiatives. Profiles have included a far-ranging set of replicable efforts focused on our common mission to eliminate homelessness with special attention to this Administration's goal of eliminating chronic homelessness in the next decade. Profiles have documented innovative partnerships involving business, law enforcement, health care providers, and homeless programs, collaborations that are leveraging new investment, and partnerships that are pursuing new strategies for intervention and prevention. The focus is on those initiatives that have documented outcomes that result in ending homelessness. Independent corroboration and results are important determinants for inclusion.

Have an Innovative Initiative you'd like to identify? Just send along a one-page (no more, please) description that confirms the innovative nature of the effort, the outcomes in ending homelessness achieved, and the independent corroboration of the results. We'll be happy to consider any such nomination for our Innovative Initiatives page.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-newsletter continues its focus on elements of the Title V federal surplus property and opportunities to secure resources for homeless programs under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. 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.

The Title V program is historically an interagency initiative involving the federal landholding agencies, and with specific roles for the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services, the General Services Administration, and the U.S Interagency Council on Homelessness. The Council and its federal partners in the Title V process have convened a policy work group on the Title V program to support the President's commitment to end chronic homelessness in 10 years and expand policy coordination and collaboration to benefit people experiencing homelessness.

Properties that have been designated as "suitable and available" for eligible uses to assist homeless persons are listed each Friday in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which briefly describes properties determined to be suitable and available. To access the weekly listing, contact your local HUD office or call 1-800-927-7588 to receive information on properties in your area. Or visit the Federal Register online at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html, Choose "browse" and then "back issues," and then select the most recent Friday issue.

Properties reviewed are listed in the weekly Notice according to the following categories: Suitable/available, suitable/unavailable, suitable/to be excess, and unsuitable. The properties listed in the three suitable categories have been reviewed by the landholding agencies, and each agency has transmitted to HUD: (1) Its intention to make the property available for use to assist homeless people, (2) its intention to declare the property excess to the agency's needs, or (3) a statement of the reasons that the property cannot be declared excess or made available for use as facilities to assist homeless people.

Properties listed as suitable/available will be available exclusively for 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 will be required to relocate the building to their own site at their own expense. Homeless assistance providers interested in any such property should send a written expression of interest to HHS, addressed to Heather Ransom, Division of Property Management, Program Support Center, HHS, room 5B- 17, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857; (301) 443-2265. (This is not a toll-free number.) HHS will mail to the interested provider an application packet, which will include instructions for completing the application. In order to maximize the opportunity to utilize a suitable property, providers should submit their written expressions of interest as soon as possible. For complete details concerning the processing of applications, the reader is encouraged to refer to the interim rule governing this program, 24 CFR part 581.

For properties listed as suitable/to be excess, that property may, if subsequently accepted as excess by GSA, be made available for use by homeless programs in accordance with applicable law, subject to screening for other Federal use. At the appropriate time, HUD will publish the property in a Notice showing it as either suitable/available or suitable/unavailable. For properties listed as suitable/unavailable, the landholding agency has decided that the property cannot be declared excess or made available for use to assist the homeless, and the property will not be available.

Properties listed as unsuitable will not be made available for any other purpose for 20 days from the date of the Notice. Homeless assistance providers interested in a review by HUD of the determination of unsuitability should call the toll free information line at 1-800-927-7588 for detailed instructions. Included in the request for review should be the property address (including zip code), the date of publication in the Federal Register, the landholding agency, and the property number.