SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. This week, the Honorable Felix P. Camacho, Governor of the Territory of Guam, became the 54th Governor of a state or territory to commit to establishing a State Interagency Council on Homelessness. The Governor also expressed interest in moving forward to develop a 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness for Guam. The commitments came during a meeting with United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Region 9 Coordinator Ed Cabrera representing Council Director Philip Mangano. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Region 9 Director Dick Rainey and Deputy Director Caroline Krewson offered the Governor their support during the meeting. Also attending the meeting were Guam First Lady Joan Camacho, Governor Camacho's Chief of Staff George Bamba and Mrs. Bamba, and Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment officials Gary Kuwabura, and Tony Gallegos.

Governor Camacho noted with concern that the most recent Point-In-Time count for Guam had revealed an increase in the number of homeless persons from 985 including 791 unsheltered in 2005 to 1,084 including 891 unsheltered in January of this year. Guam First Lady Joan Camacho had assisted with the count. Reviewing various studies done by communities on the cost of chronic homelessness, the Governor expressed interest in using these studies as models for a Guam-specific cost study to help inform the development of a 10-Year Plan. Also noted were the many similarities between Guam and Hawaii and the possibility of modeling some of Hawaii's efforts where Governor Linda Lingle has been leading a state-level response to ending chronic homelessness.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Regional Interagency Council on Homelessness point person and Federal Regional Council Secretariat Emory Lee helped arrange the meeting. Pictured here, l-r, Council Regional Coordinator Cabrera, HUD Region 9 Deputy Director Krewson, Governor and Mrs. Camacho, HUD Region 9 Director Rainey, Mrs Joyce Bamba, and Governor Chief of Staff Bamba.

In April 2004, Guam participated in the Pacific Island Mini- Academy Session as part of the federal interagency Policy Academies convened from 2001 - 2006 for every state and territory to create a state-level team to focus on chronic homelessness and/or family homelessness.

HENDERSON, KENTUCKY. The first of Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher's envisioned Recovery Centers for homeless and at risk individuals with substance addictions was dedicated last week. The Women's Addiction Recovery Manor (WARM) in Henderson in western Kentucky will provide "housing, counseling, support and hope" for up to 100 women at any one time, of which about one-third will be referred by the Kentucky Department of Corrections to facilitate successful re-entry. 39 women are already enrolled in the WARM supportive housing and recovery program, which is modeled after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognized HOPE Center in Lexington and the Healing Place in Louisville.

Governor Fletcher's Recovery Kentucky Initiative was developed in response to survey data that showed a severe treatment access gap for addicted homeless and at risk individuals in the state. The Initiative is incorporated into Kentucky's 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness announced by the Governor in 2005 and developed by the Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessless and the Kentucky Housing Corporation under the leadership of CEO Ben Cook with the encouragement of United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano who also joined Governor Fletcher at the WARM groundbreaking last year. It's believed that about half of Kentucky's estimated 19,000 homeless have an addiction to alcohol or other drugs.

The statewide Recovery Kentucky Initiative is being administered as a joint effort by the Governor's Office of Local Development, the Department of Corrections, the Office of Drug Control Policy, and the Kentucky Housing Corporation. A total of 10 Recovery Centers are planned across the state, of which another 8 are at the construction phase. The Recovery Kentucky initiative is using an innovative combination of government and private resources for the construction and operation of the centers. The Henderson WARM Center was built on privately donated land with funding support that included $500,000 in Affordable Housing Program resources through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati. WARM's ongoing operation will be funded with resources including federal Community Development Block Grants made available to the state, fees paid by the Department of Corrections, Section 8, food stamps, and donations that already include a privately donated van for transportation. Other community support is coming from Bennett Memorial United Methodist Church which is providing classroom space and Methodist Hospital and the Henderson County Health Department.

Kentucky Housing Corporation CEO Ben Cook called the effort "the best project I have been associated with in my 40 year working life" and a Housing Corporation press statement noted, " Without a stable place to live and a support system to help them address their underlying problems, most homeless people who also suffer from substance abuse and addiction bounce around from shelters, public hospitals, psychiatric institutions and detoxification centers . . . It is estimated that the Recovery Kentucky initiative will save Kentuckians millions in tax dollars that would have been spent on emergency room visits and jail costs."

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels demonstrated again his support for ending chronic homelessness and for the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in King County with the announcement Wednesday that his 2008 budget will include $3.5 million in General Funds to support the development of an 84-unit permanent supportive housing project in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. 40 units will be set aside for chronically homeless persons using a "housing first" intensive services model. The remaining units will house homeless persons requiring less intensive services. The special allocation of funds will enable the timely purchase of the land, allowing the project to open one year ahead of schedule. "For too long, we attempted to manage homelessness through a system that in many cases provides little more than a mattress for the night," said Mayor Nickels. "Housing First seeks to break the cycle of homelessness by offering a safe, clean place to call home -- and much more."

The project, known as "First and Cedar" is being developed by Plymouth Housing Group. The United Way has committed funds to support the intensive services for 20 of the "housing first" units and local mental health agencies are partnering to provide Medicaid financed case management services for the remaining "housing first" units.

Seattle/King County 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness Director Bill Block thanked the Mayor for his exceptional commitment to ending homelessness. "When the Mayor calls me up, he never asks me, 'What are YOU doing for the homeless?' said Mr. Block. "He always asks, 'What are WE doing to house homeless people?" Mr. Block noted that the Seattle Downtown Association had recently released data showing that calls to police to attend to inebriated persons were down 50% this past year and Seattle Sobering Center admissions down by 45%, both attributable to the development of permanent supportive housing opportunities.

Mayor Nickels gave special recognition to a formerly homeless person attending the event who he had met while visiting another new permanent supportive housing project. "When Sunshine and I were visiting together in her new apartment, the phone rang and it was her mother. I think she gave her mother quite a start when she said, " I can't talk to you right now Mom, the Mayor is a guest in my home."

An accompanying budget preview press statement released by the Mayor's office notes that "there are an estimated 500-700 chronically homeless persons in Seattle frequently using emergency services for treatment of mental illness or addiction to drugs and alcohol . . . Combining services and housing reflects a shift from the "reactive" emergency shelter approach to the "proactive" housing first model. National studies have shown homeless families and individuals are more responsive to interventions and social services after they are safely in permanent housing. Providing on-site services reduces the use of emergency services and improves both tenant health and the efficient use of public resources." Mayor Nickels 2007 budget included a $3 million commitment of city General Funds for a Housing First initiative for chronically homeless veterans. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson was among those who attended the Mayor's press conference.

Pictured here, l-r, at the Mayor's press conference are Mayor Nickels, Seattle Office of Housing Director Adrienne Quinn, Plymouth Housing Group Executive Director Paul Lambros, and Seattle/King County 10-Year Plan Director Block.

DENVER, COLORADO. Central to the work of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness is the creation of a National Partnership of every level of government and the private sector to achieve the goal of ending chronic homelessness and reducing all homelessness. This National Partnership begins in Washington with 20 federal agencies partnered to make federal resources more available and accessible, moves to State Houses where 53 Governors have created State Interagency Councils on Homelessness, and is made tangible in local communities where the Council has encouraged and supported mayors and county supervisors to partner together and with an inclusive and expansive group of stakeholders in creating jurisdictionally-based, results-oriented, and business-principled 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness. To date, more than 300 such jurisdictionally based 10-Year Plan processes are underway, and increasingly jurisdictions that have begun implementation are reporting reductions in homelessness. Denver is one such jurisdiction. In the second year of its 10-Year Plan, Denver's Road Home, Denver has reported a 36% reduction in chronic homelessness.

One way in which the Council fosters and supports 10-Year Plan efforts is by facilitating peer-to-peer exchanges on challenges faced and overcome, innovations, and best practices that are achieving results such as last week's visit by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Zev Yaroslavsky and his deputy, Flora Gil Krisiloff, to Denver. Supervisor Yaroslavsky is working to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between Los Angeles County and its 88 cities in creating housing and supportive services to end chronic homelessness.

Accompanied by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, Supervisor Chair Yaroslavsky and Ms. Krisiloff met with Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Denver Department of Human Services Manager Roxane White who helped lead development of the Denver's Road Home plan. The day long site visit, facilitated by Denver Housing Programs Director Patrick Coyle, included visits and briefings on Denver's successful Housing First Collaborative with Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) Executive Director John Parvensky, health care and outreach initiatives with CCH's Stout Street Clinic Director Louise Boris and members of the multidisciplinary ACT teams, and discussions of other housing initiatives with Denver Housing Authority Director Ismael Guerrero. Pictured here, top l-r, Director Mangano, Mayor Hickenlooper, and Supervisor Yaroslavsky. Pictured next, l-r, Director Mangano, Supervisor Yaroslavsky, Ms. Krisiloff, and CCH Executive Director Parvensky. Also pictured, meeting with ACT Team members, and conversing with housing clients. Council National Team Leader Michael German also participated in the day's events.

The Denver Housing First Collaborative (DHFC) for which the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is the lead agency, is one of the 11 grantees of the $55 million multi-agency federal Collaborative Initiative toHelp End Homelessness which combined federal housing and service resources including facilitating access to VA services, to create permanent supportive housing opportunities for persons experiencing chronic homelessness. Partnered with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in implementing the Denver Housing First Collaborative are Arapahoe House, Denver's largest substance abuse provider; Mental Health Corporation of Denver; Denver Health; the Denver Department of Human Services; and the Denver VA Medical Center. Successful efforts to integrate permanent supportive housing into mixed income developments were also discussed. Groundbreaking is expected soon on the 100 unit Renaissance Riverfront Loft complex which will include 40 units targeted to persons experiencing chronic homelessness modeled after an already successful downtown Off Broadway Loft project.

Board Supervisor Yaroslavsky is working to facilitate collaboration and cooperation on the development of housing and supportive services between Los Angeles County and its 88 cities. A resolution introduced by Supervisor Yaroslavsky and Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite Burke and approved by the County Board in July aims to facilitate "consistent partnership between the County and cities and entities interested in delivering housing linked to supportive services that will reduce homelessness throughout the County."

"I have been encouraged by the individual initiatives of both the City and County of Los Angeles. Both the Mayor and County Supervisors understand the need for action," said United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Mangano. "I commend Supervisor Yaroslavsky for visiting Denver to see first hand the impact of actions in the context of a jurisdictionally-led, community-based 10-Year Plan. A Plan that has reduced street homelessness, saved taxpayers money, and improved the quality of life in the community. Those results are the return on investment desired by the Supervisor and the Mayor."

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. Following by just days the dedication of the 24/7 Horizon Club Safe Haven in downtown St. Louis, the first of four safe havens being established as part of that community's 10-Year Plan, a groundbreaking and blessing ceremony was held last Friday for the construction of Rosati House, a new 26-unit permanent supportive housing complex for homeless individuals with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorder. The project is another component of the community's 10-Year Plan and is being undertaken by the St. Patrick Center led by CEO Dan Buck with the support of eight public and private funding partners. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, who was joined by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano at the Horizon Club Safe Haven dedication earlier in the week, was joined by U.S. Representative Wiliam Lacy Clay and the Most Reverend Raymond Leo Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis for the Rosati House ceremony. Partners represented at the groundbreaking included the Missouri Housing Development Commission, Enterprise Community Partners, St. Louis Equity Fund, Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Catholic Charities of St. Louis, and various city officials and the Affordable Housing Commission.

The St. Patrick Center Assertive Community Treatment Team will be headquartered at Rosati House which will also provide living skills counselors for the residents. St. Patrick Center recently reported FY 07 program outcomes that include placing 589 clients into permanent housing, 937 clients into full time and part time jobs, and providing services to 4,105 mentally ill and substance abuse clients. Specific program outcomes included 204 homeless clients obtaining employment; 214 veterans placed into full time jobs and 124 into housing; 175 ex-offenders placed into full time jobs through Project Reach and 522 local and Hurricane Katrina clients received rent and security deposits.

In addition to the construction of Rosati House, the facilities of the St. Patrick Center are being expanded through a collaborative faith based initiative between the U.S. Department of Commerce' Economic Development Administration, which has provided a $3.5 million grant, and Catholic Charities to create job training and career services through a new trades training center, small business incubator and 256 seat auditorium for non profit service providers training conferences and events. In 2006, St. Patrick Center was presented the Department of Commerce's EDA Excellence in Economic Development Award for Community and Faith-Based Social Entrepreneurship.

In June, St. Patrick Center and Catholic Charities announced a joint housing campaign to raise resources for permanent supportive housing. The goal of the new Key Player Initiative is to raise $1 million annually by FY 2011 to pay for rent, utilities, Living Skills classes, casework and other program costs associated with providing permanent supportive housing opportunities in the community. The initiative will recruit "key players" from corporations, foundations, churches, schools, and social and trade organizations to organize creative fundraisers. Founding Key Players already include Wells Fargo Home Mortgage which recently met a 4 year, $1 million pledge to St. Louis through a series of annual golf tournaments, the Mortgage Bankers Association, and St. Joseph School in Manchester. In April, the Mortgage Bankers Association launched a Homers for the Homeless fundraiser that is expected to raise $30,000 this year collecting pledges from Cardinals baseball fans for every home run hit during the season.

The proclamation signed by President George W. Bush designating September 2007 as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month ("Recovery Month") marks the 18th year of this national effort to raise awareness of addiction, the associated human and societal costs, and the availability of treatment.

This year's theme, Join the Voices for Recovery: Saving Lives, Saving Dollars, aims to focus attention on the financial and human costs of substance use disorders to promote a better understanding of the benefits that investing in treatment can have on those who enter recovery, their families, and the larger community. The month-long event will be formally kicked off at a September 6 news conference led by White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director John Walters, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Terry Cline, and SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Director H. Wesley Clark and will include the release of SAMHSA's 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

As the lead federal agency for Recovery Month, SAMHSA maintains a Recovery Month webpage that includes toolkits and powerpoint presentations to promote community events and links to the national inventory of treatment facilities that includes a quick search by state.

Another important resource is the archive of monthly SAMHSA moderated webcasts which began in February targeted to a variety of community stakeholders. A new webcast premiered September 5 on Investing in Treatment: Policymakers' Positive Impact on Their Community. The panel discussion references a California study "that treatment has a benefit-to-cost ratio of 7:1, meaning that the cost to taxpaying citizens of treating approximately 150,000 people is $209 million, while the benefits from that treatment are worth about $1.5 billion in taxpayer savings (Ettner S, et al. Benefit-Cost in the California Treatment Outcome Project: Does Substance Abuse Treatment Pay for Itself? Health Services Research, 41(1):192-213, 2006)."

Archived webcast topics include Treatment 101, an overview of available treatment methods including inpatient and outpatient programs, and medication-assisted therapies; Helping Families Find Recovery, which examined how foster care programs, family drug courts, mutual support groups, community-based organizations, and other services are helping families "walk the road to recovery together"; Financial and Medical Benefits of Treatment for Medical Providers and Insurers, which explored the cost benefits to health care providers and insurers of investing in treatment for substance abuse and mental health disorders; Treatment and Recovery: Reducing the Burden on the Justice System and Society; and Improving the Bottom Line: Supporting Treatment Profits Employers and Employees. This year's National Drug Free Work Week sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and members of the Drug Free Workplace Alliance will take place October 14-20.

Addiction prevention among youth is the aim of the $74 million in Drug Free Community Grants announced by ONDCP Director Walters last week to 736 communities across the nation. The DFC program, administered by ONDCP in conjunction with SAMHSA, provides grants of up to $500,000 over five years to community organizations that facilitate citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts. Coalitions are comprised of community leaders, parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, health care and business professionals, law enforcement, and the media. The funding will support 90 new local community anti-drug coalitions and continue support for 646 existing community coalitions. 34 grants were awarded through the DFC Support Mentoring Program to advance efforts by existing DFC grantees to develop more self-supporting community anti-drug coalitions.

"Engaging our communities is critical to continuing our progress reducing youth drug use. Drug-Free Community coalitions bring together our individual strengths to push back against our common challenge of substance abuse," said Director Walters in announcing the awards.

Housing is the antidote to homelessness. For thousands of American families, particularly those with mortgages that included initial "teaser" rates, facing the prospect of foreclosure, President Bush's announcement last week of steps to be taken at the federal level to assist them avoid foreclosure will help prevent the incidence of homelessness.

The President announced that the Federal Housing Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that has provided mortgage insurance to help more than 35 million people buy a home since 1934, will launch FHASecure using existing administrative authority to help families with good credit but who are delinquent on their mortgages refinance those mortgages to more affordable payments. "Many hard-working American families who were able to make their mortgage payments under the initial teaser terms of the exotic loan are now struggling to make ends meet because their rates have doubled or tripled," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "FHASecure will bring stability to the housing market and give eligible families who were in good financial standing before their loans reset a chance to keep their homes."

To qualify for FHASecure, eligible homeowners will need to meet the following five criteria:

1. A history of on-time mortgage payments before the borrower's teaser rates expired and loans reset;
2. Interest rates must have or will reset between June 2005 and December 2009;
3. Three percent cash or equity in the home;
4. A sustained history of employment; and
5. Sufficient income to make the mortgage payment.

The President also announced that the Administration will work with Members of Congress, including Senators Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, George Voinovich of Ohio and Representatives Rob Andrews of New Jersey and Ron Lewis of Kentucky who have already introduced bills, to amend the federal tax code to keep cancelled mortgage debt on primary residences from being considered taxable income. The Administration supports enactment of temporary relief legislation to protect homeowners from having to pay taxes on cancelled mortgage debt on a primary residence.

The President's FY 2008 budget already supports home purchase financial literacy and foreclosure prevention counseling, including $50 million for HUD's housing counseling program and $120 million for NeighborWorks. These efforts will be strengthened and supplemented by a new foreclosure avoidance initiative led by HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson who will reach out to community organizations, mortgage lenders and loan services, and government sponsored enterprises including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to expand mortgage financing options and help homeowners most likely to face hardships with their current mortgages understand their options and find a mortgage product they can afford.

HUD provides a series of tips to help families avoid foreclosure and links to additional resources on a specially created webpage. Also available on the HUD website is a list of HUD approved housing counseling agencies across the country, searchable by state.

$61 MILLION IN NEW HEALTH CENTER GRANTS ANNOUNCED.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administrator (HRSA) Elizabeth Duke last week announced the award of $61 million in new health center grants, continuing to fulfill the objectives of President Bush's Health Center Initiative launched in 2002 to increase access to primary health care services in 1200 communities across the nation and the more recent High Poverty County Initiative. The announcement was made at the National Association of Community Health Centers' annual convention in Dallas.

The President's FY 2008 budget noted that in FY 2001, there were 3,317 HRSA-funded health centers sites. Under the President's Health Centers Expansion Initiative, HRSA has increased access to health center services through 899 new and expanded sites (514 new sites and 385 expansions) for a total of 3,831 sites across the country. In FY 2008, HRSA would fund an additional 340 new or expanded sites (220 new sites and 120 expansions), surpassing the goal of establishing 1,200 new or expanded sites by the end of the year, and will reach a total of 16.3 million patients served.

Health centers funded by HRSA include community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless, and public housing primary care centers. HRSA reports that of those served at health centers, over 91 percent are at or below 200 percent of the Federal poverty level, 64 percent are from racial/ethnic minority groups, and 40 percent are uninsured. Click here to view a list of the latest grant awards.

HOMELESSNESS IS FOCUS OF SPECIAL ISSUE OF JOURNAL OF PRIMARY PREVENTION

"Exciting and encouraging activities are emerging nationwide with the goal of ending long-term/chronic homelessness . . . The shift in focus from responding to ending homelessness is notable and important," observed Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) Director A. Kathryn Power of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in her opening letter to a special homelessness prevention issue of The Journal of Primary Prevention.

Ms. Power noted the leadership of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness in spearheading the development of now more than 300 jurisdictional 10-Year Plans in the nation, as well as the work of the Federal interagency Policy Academies for the States in helping to reinforce collaborative relationships and strategic decision- making among community stakeholders.

CMHS has also undertaken initiatives to transform mental health systems nationally, and Ms. Power noted, " . . . these efforts share a common conviction that 'business as usual' is no longer acceptable and that fundamental service and systems change is needed to bring about meaningful outcomes for individuals and communities." The special issue was developed through the Center for Mental Health Services-funded National Resource and Training Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness in partnership with the National Center on Family Homelessness and the CMHS-funded Homelessness Resource Center which is operated by The Institute on Homelessness and Trauma.

Topics in the special issue include chronic homelessness in Boston, Housing First, discharge planning, community-wide strategies, sober housing, strategies for high risk groups, employment, family issues, and veterans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Congress reconvened this week after the August district work period and intends to complete work on the federal budget for FY 2008 which begins October 1. President Bush's FY 2008 budget requested an unprecedented eighth consecutive year of increased funding for targeted federal programs serving persons who are homeless. This record $4.47 billion request included programs administered through a variety of federal agencies, most notably the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education.

As previously reported in the e-news, the House-passed Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill would provide a $119 million increase over FY 2007 for HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants program while the bill reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee recommends the President's request of $1.586 billion, a $144 million increase. Within this amount, the Senate Appropriations Committee proposes a new $25 million demonstration program on the effectiveness of rapid rehousing programs in reducing the number of homeless families. Both bills would provide funding for additional vouchers. The House recommends $30 million for new vouchers, including 1000 vouchers for homeless veterans through the HUD-VASH program. The Senate Committee bill recommends $75 million for the HUD-VASH program to assist an estimated 7500 homeless veterans, and $30 million for the Family Reunification Program, which provides vouchers for families for whom lack of housing is a principal factor in the separation or threat of separation of children from their families. This program also assists foster care youth ages 18-21 who left foster care after age 16 and lack adequate housing.

FHA Modernization. Last week President Bush announced steps being taken at the federal level to assist families, particularly those with mortgages that had "teaser" rates that are resetting, avoid foreclosure (see related story this issue) and called on Congress to promptly enact the Administration's FHA modernization legislation. In a follow-up letter to the chairmen of the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee this week, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said another 200,000 families could keep their homes if Congress moves quickly to pass the legislation.

McKinney-Vento Reauthorization. Program consolidation, housing emphasis, flexibility, and performance are among the Administration's key goals for reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. S 1518, the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act introduced in May by Senators Reed and Allard, would consolidate and amend HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants programs and reauthorize the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness through 2012. HUD would be required to provide incentives for communities to use proven research-based strategies to end homelessness including permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing programs. 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. Following a June hearing, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee is expected to mark up the bill this fall.

On the House side, HR 840, the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, introduced by Representative Julia Carson and more than 60 cosponsors earlier this year, also supports consolidation of the HUD programs and would require specific local strategies to address the needs of homeless veterans, and outcome-based evaluations that include reporting on success in accessing mainstream programs and in reducing inappropriate discharges from public systems. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Development Chair Maxine Waters has indicated her intention to introduce a McKinney-Vento Reauthorization bill this fall.

Second Chance Act. Each year approximately 650,000 Americans are released from state and federal prisons, and many times that number are released from local jails. Re- entering the community can be daunting with the need to locate housing and employment and often mental health and substance abuse treatment. Beginning in 2003, the Administration brought attention to this issue with a federal multi- agency collaboration, the Serious and Violent Offenders Re-entry Initiatives, to improve outcomes for adult and juvenile inmates returning to their communities. SVORI grants were awarded to 69 grantees in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In his 2004 State of the Union address, President Bush noted that "America is the land of second chances" and proposed a 4 year, $300 million Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative. Earlier this year, the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiative convened its third Compassion in Action Roundtable, "Improving Prisoner Re-Entry Services through Faith and Community-Based Partnerships." The program highlighted the Administration's efforts towards improving the success of ex- offenders reentering their communities after incarceration and focused specifically on two U.S. Department of Labor programs, Ready4Work and the Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative, which are demonstrating positive results in reducing recidivism.

S 1060, the Reducing Recidivism and Second Chance Act, passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on August 2 includes reauthorization of the the adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration grants that encourage the development of programs to provide housing, education, health, employment and mentoring services to facilitate successful re-entry. HR 1593, the Second Chance Act of 2007, was reported by the House Judiciary Committee in May. The Committee report accompanying the bill notes that "family-centered programs are one of the hallmarks of this legislation. Family-based treatment programs, for example, have proven effectiveness in serving the special population of female offenders and substance abusers with children. An evaluation by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of family- based treatment for substance-abusing mothers and children found that, at 6 months post-treatment, 60 percent of the mothers remained alcohol and drug free, and drug related offenses had declined from 28 to 7 percent. Additionally, a 2003 evaluation of residential family based treatment programs revealed that 60 percent of mothers remained clean and sober 6 months after treatment, criminal arrests declined by 43 percent, and 88 percent of the children treated in the program with their mothers remained stabilized."

National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. HR 2895, to create a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund for the production, rehabilitation and preservation of 1.5 million affordable housing units over 10 years, was introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank with bipartisan support and passed the House on July 31. An estimated $800 million to $1 billion would initially be available annually, with all of the funds dedicated in the first year to the hurricane stricken areas of the Gulf Coast. HR 2895 would require that 100% of the funds be used for the benefit of very low and extremely low income families with at least 75% of the funds targeted for extremely low income households, generally those earning less than 30% of the area median income with adjustments for small and large families or the poverty line adjusted for family size.

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