WASHINGTON, D.C. The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, chaired by California Representative Maxine Waters, this week held its second hearing on reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The Subcommittee received testimony from three panels of witnesses representing a wide spectrum from members of the federal Executive Branch to local government officials, researchers, national advocacy organizations, and local service providers. The hearings are intended to inform Committee deliberations on several proposed reauthorization strategies including H.R. 840, the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2007 and S. 1518, the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act of 2007 as well as language proposed by the Administration.

Tuesday's hearing opened with a witness panel that included United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs Mark Johnston, and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Zev Yaroslavsky.

HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary Johnston reviewed the Administration's proposed consolidation of HUD's three competitive Homeless Assistance Grant programs into a single program to (1) provide more flexibility to localities; (2) give grant-making responsibility to local decision- making bodies; (3) allow more funds for the prevention of homelessness; and (4) dramatically reduce the time required to distribute funds to grantees. The proposal also calls for a single cash or in-kind match requirement of 25 percent for all activities under the consolidated program.

Director Mangano began his testimony by applauding the work of Chairwoman Waters, Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito, and the members of the Committee and staff in focusing on the issue of homelessness. He expressed appreciation to those who have been on the frontlines of response in communities across the country, noting that "if good intentions, well meaning programs, and humanitarian gestures were sufficient to end homelessness, it would have been history long ago."

Director Mangano suggested a number of insights can be drawn from twenty years of experience and learning since enactment of the McKinney Act including:

1. No one level of government, no one element of the private sector can get the job done alone.
2. Field-tested, evidence-based innovations can end people's homelessness. These innovations include permanent supportive housing, along with Rapid Rehousing and Housing First models, and appropriate services, and employment.
3. Jurisdictional leadership in business-oriented, community-based 10-Year Plans creates results.
4. Cost benefit analysis reveals the economic impact and consequences of chronic homelessness. Crisis interventions, emergency rooms, or police sweeps are not the solution. They are expensive and ineffective in solving the problem.
5. Prevention of homelessness is cost-effective and requires multiple government agencies to improve discharge planning.
6. Consumers have a role in planning and partnership.

Director Mangano spoke of the opportunity presented by reauthorization to re-evaluate and invest in what works. He expressed support for program consolidation as proposed by the Administration and included in H.R. 840 and S.1518 as well as the proposed increased focus on prevention; an increased emphasis on homeless veterans; and maintaining a 30% set aside for permanent housing. He expressed support for maintaining the targeting and focus of HUD's current definition of homelessness, noting that HUD's finite homeless resources have never been targeted to those doubled up - "not under Secretaries Kemp, Cisneros, Cuomo, Martinez, or Jackson." He encouraged examination of opportunities to use deeper mainstream resources, including special initiatives to improve access, to respond to the needs of doubled up families, which also avoids the stigma of homelessness being applied to more parents and children.

Los Angeles Board of Supervisor's Chair Yaroslavsky reported that there are 73,000 homeless in the county on any given night, including an estimated 22,000 experiencing chronic homelessness, and said the County is investing an additional $100 million this year in new homeless prevention initiatives. He expressed support for the proposed expanded use of McKinney Act money for prevention, funding for the creation of permanent supportive housing which "solves homelessness by providing people with a home," and expressed concern about the demolition of older affordable housing.

The dozen witnesses appearing on the second and third panels included: Dr. Dennis Culhane, University of Pennsylvania Professor of Social Policy and Practice; Mercedes Marquez, Los Angeles Department of Housing Director; Arlene McNamee, of Catholic Social Services in Newton, MA; Dr. Jamie Van Leeuwen, Denver's Road Home Project Manager testifying on behalf of Mayor Hickenlooper, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National Community Development Association; Elizabeth Gomez, Los Angeles Youth Network Executive Director; Nan Roman, National Alliance to End Homelessness President and CEO; Dora Gallo, Los Angeles Community of Friends; Moises Loza, Housing Assistance Council Executive Director; Ellen Bassuk, National Center on Family Homelessness President; Diane Nilan of HEAR US, Naperville, IL; Nancy Carter, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Urban LA, and Martha Burt, Urban Institute Senior Principal Researcher.

Many of the Committee members' questions focused on the appropriate balance between local flexibility and federal requirements such as the 30% set aside for permanent housing; effective ways to assist at risk and doubled up families; and whether there should be a universal definition of homelessness across federal agencies.

Chairwoman Waters and Ranking Member Capito concluded the hearing pledging their continued commitment and thought to the development of a comprehensive reauthorization bill. Pictured here, top, Chairwoman Waters with Ranking Member Capito; middle, l-r, Deputy Assistant Secretary Johnston, Director Mangano, and LA County Supervisor Chair Yaroslavsky. Witness Panel 2 is pictured bottom, l-r, Dr. Culhane, Ms. Marquez, Ms. McNamee, Dr. Van Leeuwen, Ms. Gomez, and Ms. Roman.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal funds awarded last week by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson and U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao will help prevent homelessness among more than 2200 persons living with HIV/AIDS and among at risk youth.

The $32.1 million in grants announced by Secretary Jackson are part of HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program. The funding was awarded to 31 programs in 21 states who will be able to use the funds to provide their clients with three years of permanent supportive housing. The funds will leverage an additional $41.8 million from other sources to provide related services, representing $1.28 for every HOPWA dollar awarded. These grants are a portion of the $286 million in HOPWA funds being made available this year to help communities provide housing for this vulnerable population. The President's FY 2008 budget seeks a record $300 million for HUD's HOPWA program which would assist an estimated 70,500 households.

In Dayton, Ohio last week, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao announced the award of $47 million in YouthBuild grants to 96 groups, including workforce investment boards, faith based and community groups, and local and non profit housing development agencies, competitively selected from more than 322 qualified applications. Through the YouthBuild program, at risk youth, ages 16-24 including those who have been in the juvenile justice system, youth aging out of foster care, children of incarcerated parents and others and most of whom have dropped out of high school receive education assistance and recognized skill based construction industry training while working on building affordable housing in their communities. "This Administration recognizes the importance of connecting America's youth with high quality education and skills training that lead to career opportunities," said Secretary Chao. "We are leading an effort that combines youth funding and programs from across the federal government. The goal is to help our nation's most vulnerable youth get the education and skills they need to access rewarding jobs in the real world. Since its inception, YouthBuild has provided job training and employment opportunities to thousands of youth across the country. Today, there are over 200 YouthBuild programs operating in the U.S."

These awards are the first YouthBuild grants to be made since the program's transfer from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Department of Labor as proposed by the Administration to foster stronger links with the One-Stop Career Center system and with the nation's community college system.

The program transfer requested by the Administration and signed into law in September 2006 was among the recommendations of a White House Task Force on Disadvantaged Youth which also spurred a collaborative effort among several federal agencies to create a Shared Youth Vision to "prepare youth for success in a global, demand driven economy."

" We believe housing ought to be a right, and the elimination of homelessness is an achievable goal: no man, woman or child should be forced to sleep on the streets or on a cot in a shelter on any night, in any town or city in Michigan. In the end, we will realize our vision of ending homelessness in Michigan because the collective capacity of our compassion is greater than the depth of this challenge."

LANSING, MICHIGAN. With this guiding vision, Michigan last year became the first state in the nation to have every square mile of the state covered by a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The 60 plans covering all 83 counties were developed through the collective efforts of state officials led by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) Director Michael DeVos and community leaders. The plans were unveiled last October at a first ever Michigan Homeless Summit which marked the official launch of Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness. This week over 450 community leaders and state officials gathered at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus in Lansing for Michigan's 2nd Annual Summit on Ending Homelessness to review the Campaign's achievements and plan together for continued progress toward the goal of ending homelessness.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, invited to give the opening keynote address and introduced by Conference Facilitator and President/CEO of Neighborhood Service Organization Sheilah Clay, praised the leadership and collaborations that created the historic coordinated statewide effort and that are now helping to fuel the Campaign with its emphasis on housing solutions. After describing some of the findings from cost benefit studies being done by 10-Year Plan jurisdictions around the nation that reveal the true costs to communities of chronic homelessness, Director Mangano noted that "the cost of permanent supportive housing that solves homelessness - housing with customized supports - is less expensive. And rapid rehousing is now supported all across the country because the consumer prefers it, we know how to deliver it efficiently, and the taxpayer benefits. A product that saves money and is preferred by the taxpayer and consumer. Those don't come along that often." Pictured here is MSHDA Director DeVos with Director Mangano at the summit.

Explaining that he would need to leave the Summit to return to Washington to testify at a House Financial Services Subcommittee hearing on the reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (see related story), Director Mangano noted that the hearing is "part of a new focus, the increased attention that this issue is receiving both nationally and locally. An unprecedented National Partnership of improved research and data, and more federal, state, local, and philanthropic resources on the table targeted to homeless people than ever before in the history of our country."

The Summit included a series of workshops along two tracks: Housing First, and Communications and Collaboration. On Tuesday, MSHDA's Director of Supportive Housing and Homelessness, Sally Harrison, announced 2007-2008 Funding Opportunities including $13 million for the development of housing for persons experiencing chronic homelessness, victims of domestic violence, homeless families, and homeless youth. This amount also includes a new $1 million housing first initiative. Each of Michigan's 8 regions will be invited to submit an application for a portion of the funds to develop housing first models. In other initiatives, approximately 200 vouchers a month will be committed through the Housing Assistance Recovery Program (HARP), and pending final Board approval, a supportive housing hold-back of $5.4 million under the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program to create housing opportunities for homeless and special needs populations. Additionally, the Michigan Department of Community Health will administer nearly half a million dollars for supportive housing in balance of state areas.

Also unveiled during the Summit was a new website, www.thecampaigntoendhomeless ness.org "designed to be a robust tool rich with resources that will provide easier communication links between state and local groups and an opportunity for cross pollination of information and successes, said Katie Donovan, President of Donovan & Smith Marketing and Media, Inc. and Chairperson of the Michigan Homeless Assistance Advisory Board.

A Campaign report card on state initiatives listed a series of accomplishments to date including,

• Financing of 893 new supportive housing units through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority
• Creation of 956 housing opportunities through a Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program targeted to homeless families, youth, survivors of domestic violence, and those who are chronically homeless;
• Initiation of a Homeless Assistance Recovery Program (HARP) in 33 counties, providing 681 HARP vouchers.
• The only statewide SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach Access and Recovery) Initiative in the country.
• A collaboration among MSHDA, the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, and the Corporation for Supportive Housing to provide seed money for 32 Project Homeless Connect events around the state.
• Creation of a Housing Resource Center in Detroit through a collaboration of MSHDA, the Michigan Department of Community Health, the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Authority and Southwest Counseling Solutions.The Housing Resource Center has already coordinated housing and services for 99 persons experiencing chronic homelessness and has partnered with MSHDA and the Department of Human Services, which has committed a full time staff person, to initiate a pilot program that will provide leasing assistance and services to 30 youth aging out of foster care in the city of Detroit.

COEUR d'ALENE, IDAHO. A 10-Year Plan will soon be under development in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, a picturesque and vast rural area of northern Idaho where community leaders say many homeless individuals can be found living in campgrounds. Last week, the first public meeting held in the community's new library was a Community Gathering bringing together community leaders, law enforcement, social service providers, and citizens to discuss strategies to end homelessness in the city and county.

Participants were welcomed by Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem and City Councilor Mike Kennedy who earlier in the day had met with United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano where he reviewed with them the national effort to end homelessness and the impact of 10-Year Plans. Pictured here, l-r, Coeur d'Alene City Council Member Kennedy, Director Mangano, Mayor Bloem, Council Coordinator Carlson.

At the Community Gathering, Director Mangano encouraged involvement by a broad array of community stakeholders to develop a business principled plan that prioritizes housing solutions and spoke of the primary importance of political will in moving plans to implementation. He recommended starting the effort with Project Homeless Connect, describing the one-day one stop innovation that has grown from one city to 135 communities in the past two and a half years.

Calling the Community Gathering a first step, Councilor Kennedy said he planned to bring a resolution before the City Council authorizing creation of a 10-Year Plan and appointment of a Task Force in conjunction with the Kootenai County Commission.

The Coeur d'Alene/Kootenai County Plan would be the second jurisdictional 10-Year Plan effort in Idaho. The City of Boise, which held the last of a series of formal planning meetings this past week, is expected to unveil its plan shortly after the new year. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Region 10 Coordinator Paul Carlson who attended the Boise planning meeting, also participated in the Coeur d'Alene meeting.

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS. Senior regional officials from a dozen federal agencies gathered in Kansas City last week for the first meeting of a reconstituted Region VII Interagency Council on Homelessness. One of 10 federal regions, Region VII covers the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The meeting was hosted by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Director Macie Houston who introduced U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Director Fred Schuster as the new chair of the Region VII Council. With the election of HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt as chair of the full Council in Washington earlier this year, leadership of many of the regional councils has similarly transitioned.

Pictured here, l-r, USICH National Team Leader Michael German, HUD Regional Director Houston, and HHS Regional Director Schuster.

Director Schuster opened the meeting by introducing United States Interagency Council on Homelessness National Team Leader Michael German, who chronicled the National Partnership focused on ending homelessness being constellated by the Council that includes 20 federal agencies partnered in Washington and in the regions, 54 Governors of states and territories through State Interagency Councils on Homelessness, and over 300 Mayors and County Executives in jurisdictionally-led, community-based 10 Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness. Coordinator German also described the one-day, one stop Project Homeless Connect innovation which has already been adopted by 135 communities and the opportunity and importance of federal agency participation in these events.

Findings of jurisdictions engaged in cost benefit studies that expose the cost of chronic homelessness evoked conversation among the attendees on the actual costs of homelessness and led to the agencies agreeing to prepare for the next meeting on December 12 a list of resources and programs specific to their agency that can assist the homeless. The identification of these resources will serve as a base for the development of an online region-wide resource document for addressing homelessness and related issues in the region. Coordinator German distributed copies of a prototype guide that was developed by the Region VI Interagency Council. The Regional Council also moved to invite each of the four Region VII states to report on the status and activities of their homelessness efforts.

Participants shown here include Howard Foard (SSA); Donald Jacobsmeyer (Education); Dennis Johnson (Bureau of Census); Les Kerr (Justice); Joni Roeseler (Transportation); Michael Laverty (Agriculture); Dennis O'Connell ( GSA); Dan Houlahan (HHS Administration for Children and Families); HUD RD Houston; HHS RD Schuster; and Council Team Leader German.

TACOMA, WASHINGTON. "Project Homeless Connect is a chance to change and be changed" said United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano at a pre-event rally for volunteers and service providers gathered at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall for the community's first Connect event. Director Mangano observed that he had found Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma's invitation to the Connect event irresistible when the mayor wrote that "the people of Tacoma and Pierce County are committed to ending homelessness."

Around the country there are examples of communities that have "innovated the innovation" of Project Homeless Connect such as Berkeley's Homeless Youth Connect and the nation's first Homeless Family Connect in Portland, Oregon. Yet another innovation has occurred in Tacoma with the participation of the Pierce County disaster response team."Project Homeless Connect gave our disaster relief response system the opportunity to practice our procedures among people who really are experiencing a crisis in their lives, while providing very real services," said Pierce County Department of Public Health official and event co-chair Joel Schumacher.

400 individuals and families, including 90 veterans, were welcomed by the volunteers and offered an array of medical and social services made possible in part from grants from the United Way, The Boeing Co., and the Road Home Leadership Team which is leading implementation of the Tacoma/Pierce County 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. More than 40 people received eye exams from optometrists financially sponsored by the local Lions Club and glasses were provided at no charge by Lens Crafter. Homeless guests were also able to enjoy a meal served buffet style with table seating.

A special section of the event was set up to serve veterans. Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Director John Lee have made ending homelessness among veterans a priority. Representatives of Pierce County Veterans Bureau, the state Department of Veterans Affairs and health services and benefits representatives of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs were onsite to provide health care, and benefits, housing and employment application assistance. Several veterans were screened for admission to the VA Domiciliary in Tacoma. The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs has created a statewide Veterans Homeless Action Plan,which is linked to a special page on the Council's website on Meeting the Needs of Homeless Veterans. Director Lee is coordinating with each of the county 10-Year Plans to ensure the plans include a clearly defined veterans sub-strategy.

Pictured top is Director Mangano rallying the volunteers. Pictured middle, l-r, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Homelessness Coordinator Ann Shahan, University of Puget Sound President Ron Thomas, Director Mangano, Lyle Quasim representing County Executive John Ladenburg, Pierce county Community Services Director Tom Hilyard, and City of Tacoma Human Services Director John Briehl. Pictured bottom, l-r, Vietnam Veteran and PHC volunteer Hank Montgomery, Tacoma City Council member Connie Ladenburg, and Director Mangano.

Volunteers included students, faculty, and administrators from the University of Puget Sound where University President Ron Thomas has encouraged the university community to assume leadership roles in the community through civic engagement and application of research to real community problems including participation in the development of Tacoma's 10-Year Plan. In January the University announced it had been selected for the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Director Mangano also met with leaders of 10-Year Plan efforts from nine counties - - Clallam, Benton/Franklin, King, Snohomish, Kitsap, Whatcom, Clark, Thurston and Lewis -- whose visits to Tacoma to observe the event were facilitated by Council Region 10 Coordinator Paul Carlson.

PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT 'PRIMES THE PUMP' FOR A REGIONAL 10-YEAR PLAN EFFORT IN CENTRAL OREGON.

REDMOND, OREGON. Organizers of Saturday's Project Homeless Connect held at the County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond report that several hundred homeless and at risk individuals and families were assisted with the help of more than 350 volunteers and service providers. The event, organized by the Central Oregon Partnership, is a step toward development of a regional Central Oregon 10-Year Plan that will include Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties and the cities of Bend, Redmond, and Madras, reports United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Region 10 Coordinator Paul Carlson who attended the Connect event. The Central Oregon Partnership is an antipoverty agency launched in 2001 with funding from the Northwest Area Foundation in Minneapolis.

Asking "If you could make someone's life better in just one day, would you?" Connect organizers were able to bring together government agencies from the three counties and cities, all of the major non profit organizations, schools, businesses and citizen volunteers to create the largest community service project ever to take place in central Oregon. Pictured, top, is Bend Mayor Bruce Abernethy (center) with event organizers Cindy Pasko of the Central Oregon Partnership and John Livingston. Pictured bottom, l-r, are Council Coordinator Paul Carlson with event organizers Karen Pringle, Director of the Central Oregon Partnership, Cindy Pasko, Nicki Mehta, Suzanne Reininger, John Livingston, and event MC Dina Barker.

WASHINGTON, DC. With drug courts increasingly recognized as an important tool in community efforts to prevent cycling between homelessness, detox, and correction systems, 10-Year planners may wish to take note of the U.S. Department of Justice' National Drug Court Training and Technical Assistance Program. This initiative aims to help communities develop effective adult, juvenile, family, and tribal drug court programs. The training and technical assistance ranges from planning courts to working with operational courts to develop better program practices that will improve program outcomes.

Information about the training opportunities can be found on a Bureau of Justice Assistance website, which also includes extensive online resource information about assembling and educating effective community teams for each type of drug court. A description and links to resources available from the BJA Drug Court Clearinghouse at American University is provided. The Clearinghouse provides a wide range of office-based services relating to drug court programs of all types - adult, juvenile, family and tribal - including telephone consultation, e-mail responses to information requests, networking assistance and facilitation of telephone conference calls among peers to discuss issues of concern; dissemination of sample operational materials developed by drug courts; and preparation and regular updating of a wide variety of summary "fact sheets" and memos.

In this issue, the enews highlights remarks of Michigan State Housing Development Authority Director Michael DeVos who has spearheaded state efforts on behalf of Governor Jennifer Granholm to end homelessness in the state. The Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness, launched last year with the historic unveiling of sixty 10-Year Plans covering all 83 counties in the state, celebrated its first anniversary this week at the 2nd Annual Michigan Summit on Homelessness in Lansing. Intrinsic to the efforts of MSHDA and Campaign partners is a commitment to continually search the country for the best evidence-based practices, provide superior technical assistance and training, enhance partnerships at every level of government and with the private sector, and measure results.

. . . Often the difference between success and failure is belief. It is our job to help people, at whatever level they are at, to understand and believe that ending homelessness in Michigan is possible.

. . . We are proud to have some powerful public and private partners that have already taken a pledge to end homelessness last year, following Governor Granholm's lead. Since then more state agencies have come forward to participate in a complex set of strategies all pointed at ending homelessness.

. . . We are absolutely proud of the work that is being done throughout the state by local groups. These groups have demonstrated time and again that they believe, and they put that belief in action every day."

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