WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 13. In a meeting of the full membership of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness at the White House, Council members unanimously elected Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson as Council Chair. Secretary Jackson, who recognized the contributions of outgoing Chair and VA Secretary R. James Nicholson in his commitment to homeless veterans, praised the record of the Council in shaping the nationwide effort to end chronic homelessness and in supporting the joint efforts of Council members.

Outgoing Chair Secretary Nicholson articulated his commitment to the Adminstration's goal of ending chronic homelessness and reported on VA's role in the Katrina disaster relief efforts. "Given the unprecedented events of this month, the need for an interagency cooperation and coordination of efforts probably could not be more clear. Our Council has achieved much to improve collaboration, I think, at the national level and at the regional level."

Secretary Jackson pledged to fully commit himself to the Administration's goal of ending chronic homelessness for individuals who may also be living with a disability, mental illness or an addiction. He also pointed to those individuals and families made homeless for the first time in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Secretary called on member agencies to continue their close collaboration to assist those experiencing chronic homelessness as well as evacuees from the Gulf region.

"Today, we are challenged as never before to create forward-thinking solutions to help those without a roof over their heads," he said. "During this time of incredible need, HUD is answering President Bush's call and helping speed the delivery of resources to communities struggling to house and serve persons and families who are now homeless because of Hurricane Katrina."

Interagency Director Executive Director Philip Mangano, congratulating Secretary Jackson on his new role, observed, "We are fortunate to have Secretary Jackson as a leader at this critical time in the Council's efforts. Homeless people across the country and the Council's members will be greatly assisted by the Secretary's leadership in the coming months. He has shown that he knows how to distinguish between a refugee and an evacuee, between shelter and housing."

Stories in this issue summarize reports from major federal agencies on their actions in response to Katrina, as well as their initiatives to end chronic homelessness. In addition, Council members heard a report from Michael Hirsch, of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Recovery Division. Mr. Hirsch is Acting Chair of the National Board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). EFSP began in 1983 to help meet the needs of hungry and homeless people throughout the United States and its territories by allocating federal funds for the provision of food and shelter. The program is governed by a national board composed of representatives of the American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; United Jewish Communities; The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.; The Salvation Army; and United Way of America.

WASHINGTON, DC. Reporting at the full Council meeting this week in Washington, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Dr. Michael O'Grady (pictured here) outlined new steps taken by the Department to respond to Hurricane Katrina. Because many victims of the hurricane no longer have records or legal documents to establish their eligibility for benefits, the President has granted special "evacuee" status to affected individuals in order to simplify the enrollment process for people who need the services of programs such as Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Head Start.

HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt announced the change earlier, stating, "For those persons with evacuee status, we are stripping away many of the eligibility and enrollment requirements normally needed to apply for Federal benefits. No one who has been a victim of this disaster should be prevented from getting benefits they need because of government red tape." As part of this streamlining process, states will have flexibility to enroll evacuees without requiring documents such as tax returns or proof of residency. Evacuees who have lost all identification and records should be able to give their address or other simple form of attestation to be eligible.

The special evacuee status applies to the full range of federal benefits administered by the states, including HHS programs that provide services through Medicaid, family assistance through TANF, child care support, foster care assistance, mental health services and substance abuse treatment services. State enrollment teams are already in many shelters, and evacuees can go to the nearest state or local benefits offices to get information and enroll. Evacuees staying in a site that has access to the Internet, or who can visit a public library with Internet access, can also enroll by going to www.govbenefits.gov.

HHS' Administration on Children and Families (ACF) has issued advice to states on using TANF resources to help families impacted by Hurricane Katrina. States are being encouraged to use TANF resources to meet families' needs quickly, and ACF is ensuring States have greater flexibility to do this. States may begin to implement new benefit programs or services for impacted families immediately and provide a State Plan Amendment to ACF at a later date. States are also able to deem families eligible based on "their statement, circumstances or inability to access resources." In addition, ACF provides its assurance that penalties will not be imposed on States that are unable to meet TANF program requirements because of activities undertaken to assist families impacted by Hurricane Katrina. This allows States greater flexibility to provide assistance to families who already exceeded their five year time limit for cash assistance; who have been sanctioned; are later determined to have other assets or income that would otherwise make them ineligible for TANF assistance; or are not spending the required number of hours in a week in accepted work-related activities.

HHS has declared a public health emergency in the five states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, is now focusing all of its public health and emergency response efforts on providing relief, care, and assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Office of the Surgeon General and the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness are in the process of mobilizing and identifying healthcare professionals and relief personnel to assist in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Professionals are being recruited in more than 35 areas of expertise.

HHS has also posted web site information for its grantees affected by Katrina, including details of the public health emergency. Further, HHS has posted information on Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children's Health Insurance waivers, and HIPAA information for use in emergencies such as Katrina. In light of the devastation that Hurricane Katrina has caused to parts of the country, HHS is seeking to emphasize how the HIPAA Privacy Rule allows covered entities to share patient information to assist in disaster relief efforts, and to assist patients in receiving the care they need. This information is in a Special Bulletin, which be accessed from the "What's New column" on the OCR website, http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/, by clicking on "A Hurricane Katrina Bulletin: Disclosing PHI in Emergency Situations."

In the September 13 full Council meeting, a key federal housing policy development was announced in support of the Administration's goal of ending chronic homelessness. Assistant Secretary Dr. Michael O'Grady announced that, in response to both to the Administration's goal of ending chronic homelessness and the needs of communities, it will in the future consider permanent supportive housing as an eligible use for federal surplus property under the McKinney-Vento Title V program.

The Department will publish an official notice for review and comment this fall to operationalize the change. The policy change will reverse the approach in place since the creation of the property program in 1987, under which eligible uses for surplus property have been emergency shelter, transitional programs, and supportive services. According to HHS, this policy change will expand the options available to communities to better meet the needs of disabled individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness.

WASHINGTON, DC. "These men and women served our nation during its times of need, and many now live with inadequate shelter, food or medical care. They are our country's forgotten heroes. They have every right to live the American dream." With these words, United States Department of Veterans Affairs and outgoing Interagency Council Chair R. James Nicholson this week announced 72 awards totalling nearly $14 million to public and private non-profit groups for programs assisting homeless veterans.

This latest round of grants brings to more than 1,100 the number of community-based beds provided by public and community non-profit and faith-based organizations in 34 states and the District of Columbia. It has been estimated by VA that approximately 200,000 veterans may be homeless on any given night, and twice that number may be homeless during the course of a year. Approximately one-third of homeless adult males and nearly one- quarter of homeless adults have served in the armed forces. VA has the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country. It is the only federal agency that provides substantial one- on-one contact with the homeless. In many cities and rural areas, VA social workers and other clinicians conduct extensive outreach programs, clinical assessments, medical treatment, alcohol and drug abuse counseling and employment assistance.

WASHINGTON, DC. At this week's full Council meeting at the White, House, the United States Department of Labor reported to Council members on recent Department initiatives to meet the Administration's goal of ending chronic homelessness and respond to Hurricane Katrina.

Representing outgoing Council Vice chair and DOL Secretary Elaine Chao, Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training Services (VETS) Charles Ciccollela (pictured here at left) reported that DOL has, and will continue, to reach out to workers dislocated by Hurricane Katrina with immediate income support through temporary jobs, unemployment insurance, and disaster unemployment assistance. DOL is responding with three major income support programs, a Katrina-dedicated job bank, and intensive outreach to impacted individuals.

National Emergency Grants (NEGs) will create temporary jobs that provide paychecks to dislocated workers and help recovery efforts. As soon as a NEG grant is approved, funds are transferred to the state. Thus far, $191.1 million in NEGs have already been awarded to create more than 40,000 jobs in the region: $4 million for Alabama, $50 million for Mississippi, $62.1 million for Louisiana, and $75 million for Texas to serve Louisiana. Most NEG funds support lower-skilled workers in temporary laborer jobs to complete clean-up work.

Using the Unemployment Insurance program, DOL has awarded grants totaling $30.8 million to Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to expand their capacity to process claims and expedite unemployment insurance payments for those left unemployed as a result of Hurricane Katrina. UI claims are already being processed. As of last week, more than 10,000 evacuee claims have been processed in Texas; Tennessee expects to process about 40,000 claims, and 3,419 evacuee claims have been processed in Georgia. In addition, Disaster Unemployment Assistance provides income support for some workers who would not normally be eligible for unemployment insurance.

In the area of outreach, DOL has sent up a 24/7 toll free number (1-866-4-USA-DOL) where displaced persons can apply for UI and DUA and find information on cleanup jobs. States are setting up toll-free numbers as well. DOL created the Katrina Recovery Job Connection, an on-line resource dedicated to connecting workers impacted by the hurricane with employers who want to list jobs supporting hurricane recovery efforts through temporary employment or want to hire workers impacted by the hurricane. Mobile units are being deployed, and teams are going neighborhood to neighborhood with laptops to take UI and DUA claims. Waivers have been granted so that workers unable to provide appropriate documentation can get their benefits. Outreach is also taking place at FEMA sites, community colleges, churches, community centers and evacuee sites.

DOL has also initiated Katrina Relief for Veterans, providing funding to the American Legion and other organizations to conduct Stand Down operations, which provide direct employment services for veterans who are homeless. The Department is coordinating with state workforce systems to hire temporary veteran employment representative staff to work with the state to fill jobs that will clean up damaged communities and working with VA to assign veteran employment staff to the VA's mobile clinics deployed to the region.

Assistant Secretary Ciccollela also reported that the Department had recently awarded a total of $25.9 million to provide more than 20,000 veterans with the training they need to find good jobs. The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) provides homeless veterans with training, job search and job placement assistance, and crucial follow-up services to expedite their reintegration into the labor force. More than 9,000 homeless veterans are expected to enter employment as a result of 78 grants totaling $18.7 million awarded under the HVRP. Veterans' Workforce Investment Program (VWIP) grants totaling $7.3 million were awarded to help veterans from targeted groups overcome employment barriers and ease their transition into unsubsidized jobs. DOL's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has also recently published a report, "Compassion at Work: The Faith-Based and Community," available on- line at ww.dol.gov.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-news provides excerpts from the remarks of the outgoing Chair of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson, at the meeting of the full Council on September 13. Secretary Nicholson is pictured here at left passing the Council gavel to new Chair Secretary Jackson.

. . . Given the unprecedented events of this month, the need for an interagency cooperation and coordination of efforts probably could not be more clear.

. . . Our Council has achieved much to improve collaboration, I think, at the national level and at the regional level. Many of the departments and aagencies around this table meet in the ten regions.

. . . They meet trying to improve communications about how, by working together, we are improving the lives of many Americans who need not only our collective cooperative efforts, but those of states and local governments, business and industry, community, faith-based organizations. They need all of us.

. . . Prior to the destruction in the Gulf region, I had intended to have some of those who participated as partners in the Region IV Interagency Council on Homelessness, and who had worked to conduct those stand-downs last year, to be here with us today.

. . . Those stand-downs were mostly one-day outreach events that connected an estimated 7- to 9,000 homeless citizens to health care, food, benefits, housing referrals, employment, training, and other kinds of assistance that my Department, and all of you around this table I'm sure, could and have provided. But they're not here today. They are implementing what they did last year, and, again, helping thousands in the process.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-news offers excerpts of the remarks of new Council Chair and United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson at the meeting of the full Council on September 13. Secretary Jackson is pictured here at center with outgoing Chair Secretary Nicholson at left and Council Director Mangano at right.

. . . When President Bush reactivated this Council three years ago, we made our focus clearly on the mandate that he set for us, and that was a nationwide effort to end chronic homelessness.

. . . Local communities have been very influenced. I believe simply that if we're going to end chronic homelessness, unless it comes from the very top and that is the President of the United States that the fight will not be a joint effort.

. . . And without our vision and our commitment to the Council and its members, we will not be able to use our moral/ethical standard to make people do the right thing about those who are less fortunate than we are.

. . . With the strong support of the President, and the work ethic of Philip Mangano and the people on the Council, we will end chronic homelessness. For the coming fiscal year, the President has proposed a $4 billion federal housing and assistance program to help the homeless programs in this country. That is an 8.5 percent increase over last year.