NEWPORT, OREGON. "We're following the lead of more than 220 other counties and cities in the United States in developing a 10-year plan to end homelessness that will provide a clear picture of our current resources and needs and set out specific achievable goals for addressing those needs," said Lincoln County Commissioner Bill Hall officially launching the countywide 10-year planning effort at a community meeting at Newport's First Presbyterian Church. Commissioner Hall lauded United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson for his assistance. Other elected officials in attendance included Jack Brown, Depoe Bay City Council; Susan Woodruff, Waldport City Council; and Patricia Patrick, Larry Henson, and John Rehfuss from the Newport City Council.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, invited by Commissioner Hall to keynote the event, praised the public-private partnerships already in evidence by the day's speakers including County Commissioner Hall, Rich Crager from the Governor's Ending Homelessness Advisory Council, Tom Cusack from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, David Green of West Coast Bank and Chair of the Economic Development Alliance representing the business community; and Gina Knabe-Umble from the Community Services Consortium Regional Housing Center. He noted Commissioner Hall's exceptional devotion to community service, "a rooted life in the community seeking to root out what afflicts its citizens" and encouraged the community to utilize the technical assistance available in the Council's 10-year planning documents, "A Step by Step Guide" and "Good to Better to Great: Innovations in 10-Year Plans".

Development of the Lincoln County plan will be overseen by the Community Services Consortium, which will facilitate a series of community stakeholder meetings over the coming months. In June, Commissioner Hall participated in the Interagency Council's Oregon Leadership Summit on Ending Chronic Homelessness that brought together over 100 city, county leaders with state and federal officials at the historic Reed Opera House in Salem.

Earlier in the day, Commissioner Hall and Director Mangano appeared on a morning radio KBCH talk show with interviewer Kiera Morgan (pictured above); visited a family homeless shelter run by First Presbyterian Church where Director Mangano and Council Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson spoke with family members about their desire for permanent housing and jobs; and met with members of the 10-Year Plan Steering Committee.

Denver's Year 1 report card to the community on progress in implementing its 10-year plan, Denver's Road Home, gets an A not only for meeting/exceeding all 8 first year goals but also for heeding the spirit of Mayor Hickenlooper's promise that the 10-year planning process would allow local government to say, "'Here's your investment; here's what we delivered" and would "end much of the frustration of just throwing money at the problem without having any results."

The report, prepared by the Denver Commission on Homelessness chaired by Denver Department of Human Services Manager Roxanne White, is concisely written to identify the purpose of each goal, the 1st year performance target, the result, and next steps. It provides an exemplary model other 10-year planning communities may wish to consider for keeping the community informed of the results of their investments, which in turn strengthens the civic will to continue moving forward with the plan.

In his preface, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper reports that in this first year of plan implementation, "423 new units of housing have been added, 701 homeless people have been assisted in finding work, 677 individuals received treatment services, 156 families received eviction assistance, and 121 families have been partnered with our faith based mentoring teams." Mayor Hickenlooper acknowledges the partnerships with the Mile High United Way, the Downtown Denver Partnership, and local foundations, businesses, the faith based community, and individuals which have funded 100% of Year 1 costs, raised more than 70% of the funds needed for Years 2-4, and allowed $2.5 million to be distributed to 16 homeless service providers for 2006-07. Altogether commitments of $32 million have been secured for the next four years of the plan's implementation.

Also acknowledged in the report is the support of hundreds of community volunteers and 40 businesses in Denver's two Project Homeless Connect events which helped more than 1200 homeless individuals and the partnership with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, exemplified by the Council's choice of the Mile High City to host the first National Summit for Jurisdictional Leaders held in May. Pictured here is Mayor Hickenlooper with Roxanne White receiving his A Home for Every American Award from United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano at the Summit.

More information about Denver's Road Home Year 1 results can be found on the Council's website by clicking the Read More link below.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-news continues a series of reports on state budget initiatives that are providing new resources to reduce and end homelessness with a look at the Aloha State. Past issues have examined budget initiatives in North Carolina and Massachusetts.

Efforts by Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and the State Legislature during the 2006 legislative session culminated in the enactment of three bills that together dedicate $40 million to homeless and affordable housing programs. In signing the bills, Governor Lingle noted that these resources "represent a 400% increase over 2005," adding, "we are going to have a coordinated comprehensive plan to spend this money. We have a 10 year plan to end homelessness. . . that is well thought out with all the stakeholders."

The $40 million in new resources includes $31.6 million to repair existing public housing and to renovate buildings and other measures to provide new emergency shelters and transitional housing; and over $8 million in additional resources for the Rental Housing Trust Fund by increasing the Fund's share of receipts from the real estate conveyance tax. This is the second year in which the percentage of the conveyance tax receipts for the Rental Housing Trust Fund has been increased. The legislative package also provides authority for the state to issue special purpose revenue bonds to develop low and moderate income housing and to lease public lands to qualified non profit organizations for as little as $1 per year if the developer guarantees that the land will be used to build and maintain affordable housing.

Already, some of the new resources are being used to create 400 units of transitional apartment housing for families in Kaleoloa and a 300 bed emergency homeless shelter in Wai'anae expected to open by the end of the year. The shelter is being created as a shorter term solution for homeless individuals and families who had been staying at beach parks which are being closed by local government for maintenance and renovations. Plans for the shelter include providing classes and other supportive services onsite.

This year's legislative action continues the momentum of the last three years to create meaningful short and long term solutions to homelessness, which have included $100 million in additional bond authority for affordable housing in 2004; unveiling of The Hawaii Plan to End Chronic Homelessness by Governor Lingle in January 2005; and enactment of the Omnibus Affordable Housing Act last year that created a number of incentives to increase the supply of low income rental housing, established a Joint Legislative Housing and Homeless Task Force, and authorized the reorganization of the housing and community development corporation of Hawaii (HCDCH) into two separate agencies in order "to promote greater efficiency and effectiveness in the management of public housing and in the financing of affordable housing development in the future." Recently Governor Lingle noted that one of the first tasks assigned to the newly created Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Administration is the preservation of existing affordable housing units from conversion to market rates.

The January 2006 report issued by the Joint Legislative Task Force recommended a five year plan to provide more resources for homeless and affordable housing programs and expressed particular concern about the estimated 825 state and federal public housing units in need of repair and modernization.

WASHINGTON, DC. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) last week sponsored a web seminar entitled Project Homeless Connect: Using Civic Engagement to Serve the Homeless to help support the growing number of cities now planning to conduct a Project Homeless Connect event during the Council's 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week, December 4-8.

More cities already have committed to the 2006 National Week than took part in 2005's National Day. 28 cities are now committed, with 10 more planning events before and after National Week. Last week's webinar was designed to bring the National League of Cities' and the Interagency Council's commitment to supporting city leadership together with the innovation of Project Homeless Connect. City faculty for the webinar included San Francisco Project Homeless Connect Director Judith Klain and City of Knoxville official Michael Dunthorn. The webinar presentation toolkit is now available on-line at the Council's PHC site: www.usich.gov.

Additionally, starting next week, the Interagency Council has more Peer-to-Peer conference calls scheduled to support cities with continued rapid dissemination of innovations and best practices from experienced PHC cities. Next week's call on September 19 at 1 pm Eastern will feature faculty addressing best practices in event planning and execution, including logistics, consumer focus, and team organization. Experienced cities will share insights on key aspects of their event infrastructure.

On October 3, Peer-to-Peer faculty will focus on collecting data and reporting results, including the who, what, when, where, and how of identifying, collecting, integrating and reporting PHC data. City experts have repeatedly stressed the importance of reporting results to partners in business, the media, and to volunteers.

The Council will facilitate a site visit to the next San Francisco Project Homeless Connect on October 5 to support cities who want a firsthand experience of the original innovative model.

Interested in participating in these calls or events? You must pre-register to participate. Contact the Interagency Council at usichevents@usich.gov.

WASHINGTON, DC. Research findings on duration of homelessness and prevalence of disability are at the heart of the policy focus on persons experiencing chronic homelessness. Research now underway is expected to shed new light on characteristics of families who experience homelessness and help direct policy and investment.

Federal officials gathered last week in Washington to hear a preliminary briefing on family homelessness research now underway with United States Department of Health and Human Services support. Dr. Debra Rog of Vanderbilt University, whose extensive background in family homelessness includes the Robert Wood Johnson Homeless Families Program and the Family Unification Program (see recent e-news story), summarized the direction of her research, expected in final form this fall.

Dr. Rog's Family Unification Program evaluation, conducted early in the program's operation and published by the Child Welfare League of America, found that FUP was a promising model, resulting in the "vast majority" of families retaining housing. Signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and with a statutory change in 2000 initiated by Missouri Senator Kit Bond which added some foster care youth as an eligible population for FUP resources, the program makes housing subsidies available to families where the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in the separation, imminent separation, or ongoing separation of children from their families. Family unification vouchers enable these families to lease or purchase decent, safe and sanitary housing that is affordable in the private housing market.

Council members, Congressional staff, and national organizational partners including the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities, will gather later this week for a USICH-convened briefing on new research. Dr. Judith Hahn of San Francisco General Hospital, who recently published a 14-year study of persons experiencing chronic homelessness in that city, will brief attendees on her findings. Dr. Dennis Culhane of the University of Pennsylvania, who will shortly conclude family typology research, will preview his findings, and Council Executive Director Philip Mangano will review some of the cost benefit analysis being conducted nationally in 10-year planning.

HHS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development also are underway with commissioned research papers being prepared for the 2007 National Symposium on Homelessness Research, to be held March 1-2, 2007 in Washington, DC. This symposium will follow on the federal agencies' prior homelessness research conference held in 1998. Research will be presented on history and context of homelessness, accountability, cost effectiveness, program performance, chronic homelessness, homeless families, homeless youth, housing strategies, employment, and reentry.

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA. When Santa Barbara city and county officials came together in March to announce plans to develop a 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, Mayor Marty Blum noted that they were "committed to redesigning our systems of care so that people no longer fall through the cracks." That city/county commitment was in evidence recently at the dedication of El Carrillo Studios, a 61-unit permanent supportive housing project for the homeless, those at risk of homelessness, and persons living in transitional housing. Developed by the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara, the $10 million project is a collaboration of the City which supported the construction and the County, which is funding supportive services to be provided on site by Work Training Programs, a non profit specializing in working with special needs populations.

Mayor Blum, shown here cutting the ribbon, was joined by Congresswoman Lois Capps, City Councilmember Helen Schneider, Housing Authority CEO Rob Pearson, and United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Director Ed Cabrera in speaking at the " A Place to Call Home" celebration of the project's opening. Noting that the project "will give people in need a fresh new start," Mayor Blum echoed the sentiments of Congresswoman Capps who remarked that "we're turning this building into life and opportunity." City Councilmember Schneider, who is working closely with Mayor Blum and other city and county officials including Supervisors Susan Rose and Salud Carbajal in the 10-year planning effort, noted that " South Coast and North County, conservative and liberal, Democrat and Republican, we have all come together and agreed that success in this endeavor requires moving beyond our jurisdictional and political boundaries and instead, working collaboratively and cooperatively." Speaking on behalf of the Interagency Council, Regional Coordinator Cabrera said that the project is "tangible proof of what is possible when everyone is working toward the same goal and encouraged the community to "leverage the broad community partnership and collaboration that brought this development to fruition to strengthen the 10-year planning process underway." He also acknowledged the presence of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development representatives Cecelia Ross, Martha Murillo, and Wayne Itoga at the ceremony.

The El Carrillo project, which increases the number of permanent affordable housing units and non shelter beds available for homeless people in the county by 11%, has received strong private sector support including contributions to an Adopt A Room Fund to provide furnishings and other household supplies on an ongoing basis, and computers donated to each unit by Santa Barbara Bank and Trust.

The 10-year plan effort announced in March involves Santa Barbara County, and the cities of Santa Barbara, Lompoc, and Santa Maria. It is one of 17 jurisdictional 10-year planning efforts underway in California including a statewide plan expected to be announced later this month. California jurisdictions engaged in 10-year planning have joined together in an innovation collaboration, California Keys, to meet bimonthly for peer support, to discuss legislative initiatives, and compile results, outcomes and accomplishments.

Whether as a practicing and now retired attorney or in his community involvements, Horace Sibley has epitomized and personified what a "good citizen" ought to be. His vitae is filled with the civic responsibilities he has undertaken on behalf of numerous civic and charitable organizations in Atlanta including the United Way, the YMCA, Goodwill Industries, the Olympic Games, and many others. When Mayor Shirley Franklin asked the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta to lead the development of a 10-Year Plan, it was Horace Sibley who answered the call to chair the effort that in 2003 created Atlanta's Blueprint to End Homelessness in Ten Years.

In presenting the A Home for Every American Award to Mr. Sibley, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano said,

"These involvements chronicle the heart of a man given to his community, but are insufficient to reveal the soul of the man now committed to ending chronic homelessness in his adopted home town of Atlanta. Whether immersed in conversation with a homeless man in downtown Atlanta's new Gateway Center or convening a Commission meeting to further implementation of the Blueprint or sitting with Mayor Franklin or County Executives to move forward public and private resources targeted to ending homelessness, Horace Sibley's immersion in homelessness has made him one of our nation's leading and most charming advocates for the abolition of homelessness.

He is the first born of that new breed of homeless advocates who has a good grip on compassion and the moral and spiritual obligations to neighbor, while with the other hand has a sure grasp on the political and economic levers necessary to accomplish the mission."

Mr. Sibley's compassion was evident in a Stakeholder Spotlight interview for the City of Atlanta, "It is a societal obligation to end homelessness. Homeless people have so many talents and good gifts to give society and themselves. It's not acceptable for a person to be without a place to live for a year or more." His grasp on the political and economic levers can be seen in his successful effort to forge new partnerships with Atlanta's seven surrounding counties to create a Regional Commission on Homelessness, and in the more than $20 million that has been raised from the business and philanthropic sectors to support the plan's initiatives.

Horace Sibley has devoted himself not only to the implementation of Atlanta's 10-Year Plan but also to sharing his knowledge and experience with elected and civic leaders of other communities engaging in the 10-year planning process. He is a Champion in his own city, but through these invited visits, phone calls, conference presentations, and conversations with Mayors and civic leaders, he has become a National Champion.

For his personification of the good citizen locally and nationally, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness was pleased to present an inaugural "A Home for Every American Award" to Horace Sibley.

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

Effective September 1, Title V surplus properties may be used for permanent supportive housing for families and individuals.

In a change to federal policy announced at the July meeting of the United States Interagency Council of Homelessness, which became effective September 1, 2006, local governments and eligible community organizations may submit applications to acquire Title V surplus properties for permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals and families. Previously, federal regulations had restricted the use of property acquired in this manner to emergency shelters, transitional housing, and services. The new regulation defines permanent supportive housing as housing that is " long term, affordable, community based, and linked to appropriate supportive health and social services that enable homeless individuals and families with disabilities to maintain housing." Any existing grantees or lessees interested in changing current program activity to include permanent supportive housing are requested to provide a written expression of interest to HHS at the Division of Property Management, Administrative Operations Service, Program Support Center Room 5B- 17, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 28457.

Property including land and buildings newly identified as "suitable and available" to assist the homeless are listed each Friday in the Federal Register and are available exclusively to applicants 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 are required to relocate the building to another site at their own expense. Applicants for these federal surplus properties must identify how they intend to utilize the property to meet the needs of homeless persons in their communities. The September 8 listing of suitable and available properties includes land in Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Tennessee; and buildings in Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Carolina. Click here to view the September 8 Federal Register notice or visit the Council's website at www.usich.gov and click on the funding tab to view the latest listing each week.