BOISE, IDAHO. Boise Mayor David Bieter took the helm of this capital city’s 10-year planning process at a summit last week in which he introduced members of a Policy Council that he will chair, and a planning team to be coordinated by a business consultant to develop a 10-year plan over the next four months to end homelessness with a specific focus on chronic homelessness. Saying that he wanted Boise "to be the most livable city in the nation” and that he wanted to model Boise’s 10-year plan on the very best recommendations of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Mayor Bieter invited Council Director Philip Mangano to keynote the event and also welcomed Council Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson.

In his remarks, Director Mangano commended Mayor Bieter for the expansive and inclusive group he had appointed to serve on the Policy Council calling it "one of the strongest 10 year councils I’ve seen in the country” and noting particularly the inclusion of both the Chamber of Commerce and the United Way, organizations that “have been central to some of the finest plans in the country.” Director Mangano also praised the Mayor for ensuring a business acumen among the Policy Council stating that “Business plans and a business mindset oriented to solving problems and seeking accountability and results have correlated with reductions in homelessness in implemented plans across the country."

Director Mangano described several best practices including Housing First, rapid rehousing, and assertive community treatment (ACT) teams. He noted that mainstream entitlement resources can be key to housing creation and tenancy stability and encouraged planners to include helping homeless people “access consumer oriented entitlement resources for which they are eligible such as SSI disability income and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)” in the plan. He added, “These consumer oriented entitlement resources are absolutely critical to sustain long term housing and service initiatives. If folk have an income, they can contribute to rent. If they have insurance - Medicaid - the opportunity exists for third party billing to sustain the service side of permanent supportive housing.” He also recommended that the plan include a focus on employment so that the interventions increase self-sufficiency and decrease dependency. “That’s good for the person. Good for agencies - they can serve more people. And very good for the taxpayer.”

Boise Housing and Community Development Manager Jim Birdsall described four initiatives have already been identified for inclusion in the plan.

• The City, the Boise/Ada County Housing Authority, and the Boise VA Medical Center are working together to develop plans for 50 units of housing for homeless veterans.
• Project CATCH: a partnership with the faith based community for rapid rehousing of homeless families.
• Development of a detox center through an agreement and funding from the state which will facilitate a jail diversion effort.
• Supporting efforts by providers to increase service capacity for city-owned housing stock that will be transitioned to permanent supportive housing.

After the presentations, the nearly 100 community stakeholders participated in 10 roundtable discussions reviewing pre-summit assessment results, best practices and case studies from other cities. Theresa McCleod, Assistant to the Mayor for Special Projects, and business consultant Beth Reagan were instrumental in developing the summit. The summit was followed by a luncheon sponsored by the Mayor that included the Policy Council members, and mayors and commissioners from neighboring cities.

After the summit, Director Mangano met with Idaho Governor Risch at the state Capitol. Governor Risch assumed the governorship earlier this year when then Governor Dick Kempthorne became U.S. Secretary of the Interior, one of twenty federal cabinet secretaries and agency directors who are members of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. In his discussion with Director Mangano, Governor Risch reaffirmed the state commitment to policies and activities to end homelessness as led by the Executive Director of the Idaho Housing Finance Agency as chair of the Governor’s Homelessness Policy Council and also expressed support for the Boise 10-year planning effort. Pictured here, bottom, is Director Mangano standing with Governor Risch in front of the state seal.

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA. Fort Wayne Indiana Mayor Graham Richard unveiled a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness this week. Mayor Graham was joined by United Way of Allen County President and CEO Jerry Peterson and Northeast Indiana Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness co-chair and HOPE House Director Mary Etheart whose agencies joined with the city to develop the plan. Also attending the press conference were United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Midwest Regional Coordinator Daryl Hernandez and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Indianapolis Field Office Director John Hall.

Mayor Richard spoke of the quality public-private partnerships that exist in Fort Wayne that will facilitate the plan’s implementation and noted that this was an action plan with measurable goals and deadlines. The Northeast Indiana Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness will lead the implementation effort. The Council encompasses a broad range of stakeholders including the city, the Fort Wayne Housing Authority, representatives of the police and correction departments, the school system, workforce development, youth services center, the community and VA hospitals, and numerous faith based organizations. More business representation will be sought for the Council, which will meet quarterly to oversee implementation efforts.

The Plan focuses on improved homeless prevention efforts, the need for affordable housing including the construction of 10 permanent supportive housing units each year, recommends more shelter capacity and building a system of long term supportive services for people transitioning out of emergency and transitional shelters into permanent housing, and calls for the creation of a partnership among all local providers to pool resources to create a shared case management team specializing in the needs of the homeless. Measurable outcomes are established for each goal at years 1, 5 and 10.

Pictured here, l-r, are Mayor Richard, United Way CEO Jerry Petersen, Hope House Director and Plan co-chair Mary Etheart, Council Regional Coordinator Daryl Hernandez, and HUD Field Office Director John Hall.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. Last week, federal, state and local officials and community leaders gathered at the invitation of Skid Row Housing Trust Executive Director Mike Alvidrez for a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new permanent supportive housing project on Skid Row. The Rainbow Apartments are 89 new construction efficiency units targeted to chronically homeless persons with mental illnessand co-occurring disorders.

Pictured here, top, is Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who referred to the multiblock Skid Row area east of downtown “the highest concentration of homeless anywhere in the country” and offered a blueprint for “dismantling” Skid Row that acknowledges that ending homelessness is the responsibility of the whole community. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, who was invited to speak at the event, also met with key city and county political leaders and stakeholders to encourage increased collaboration between the city and the county.

In his remarks praising the work of the Skid Row Housing Trust, which marshaled resources from every level of government and the private sector to build Rainbow Apartments, Director Mangano said, “Some will call this a miracle. In the midst of real estate pressures, NIMBY concerns, and the seeming intractability of the population, Skid Row Housing Trust has fashioned yet another initiative of permanent supportive housing to join their 19 other properties and over 1100 other units. They are living up to their name. Producing housing built on trust right here in Skid Row.” The Skid Row Housing Trust was one of 11 community partnerships selected in 2003 for participation in the unprecedented federal multiagency Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness discussed in last week’s enews. With funding through the Collaborative Initiative, the Trust developed the St. George’s Hotel project providing housing for 24 chronically homeless individuals, ending over 470 years of cumulative homelessness.

The Rainbow Apartments project is supported in part by rental assistance through a HUD Shelter plus Care grant, and mental health and other wrap around services are being funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health through the newly implemented state Mental Health Services Act, a voter initiative often referred to as Prop 63 that targets funds to individuals, families and youth struggling with severe and persistent mental illness. On Tuesday, California voters approved a statewide $2.85 billion affordable housing bond measure that supports the development of housing for a variety of income levels including the chronically homeless. A $1 billion Los Angeles housing bond measure was approved by a majority of voters but fell just shy (62%) of getting the 2/3 vote needed to pass.

Director Mangano noted that “the work that Skid Row Housing Trust has done in overcoming pressures and perceptions – countering the pessimism and skepticism, creating collaborations is a parable of what needs to happen on all of Skid Row. Siloed approaches won’t work. What’s clear in cities across our country and here in Skid Row is that without a plan for outcomes, driven by united political will identifying accountability, things only get worse. Worse on the streets, worse for homeless people and police and business and libraries and hospital emergency rooms, and for the taxpayer. Now is the time for a city/county business oriented, results focused, jurisdictionally led, community based plan that strategically coordinates all the resources targeted to Skid Row to create tangible outcomes and visible change.” Los Angeles has received nearly $300 million in federal homeless resources over the past 5 years.

Also speaking at the ribbon cutting were Skid Row Housing Trust Executive Director Mike Alvidrez; Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard; State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez; California Department of Mental Health Director Dr. Stephen Mayberg; Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilpersons Jose Huizar and Jan Perry; Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke; Los Angeles County Mental Health Director, Dr. Marvin Southard, former state representative Darrell Steinberg, sponsor of Prop 63, architect Michael Maltzan and former Trust Executive Director Jim Bonar. Pictured here is Director Mangano with Mayor Villaraigosa who received a Friend of the Homeless award from Skid Row Housing Trust Executive Director Mike Alvidrez. The award to the Mayor was one of several awards presented including a “Change Maker” award to Director Mangano for focusing attention and resources on creating permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons. Director Mangano was joined by Council Regional Coordinator Ed Cabrera at the Skid Row event and subsequent meetings. HUD was represented at the ribbon cutting by Rufus Washington and Stephen Clarke.

In numerous cities and counties around the country from Nashua, New Hampshire and Jersey City/Hudson County New Jersey, to Dallas and San Diego, the United Way is playing a leading role in working with jurisdictional leaders to convene community stakeholders to develop results oriented 10-year plans. Last week, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano traveled to Trenton, New Jersey to speak to the New Jersey Association of United Way Executive Officers regarding the creation of 10-year plans across the state and encourage support for the reformation of the state interagency council on homelessness.

The invitation to address the monthly meeting of this statewide organization of United Way presidents and chief executive officers was an outgrowth of Director Mangano’s participation in September at the kickoff for the Jersey City/Hudson County 10-year planning effort, being cochaired by Jersey City/Hudson County UW President and CEO Dan Altilio. Leaders of 17 out of 21 United Way organizations in New Jersey attended the meeting. Also present were other key statewide stakeholders including New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Director of Special Housing Pam McCrory, Corporation for Supportive Housing New Jersey Director Alison Becca-Ryan, and New Jersey Department of Human Services Family Development Division Director Janet Page-Hawkins.

In his presentation and follow up question and answer period, Director Mangano noted that across the country, local United Ways have been “invaluable partners in creating local 10 year plans to end homelessness for those who are the most vulnerable and disabled in communities.” Examples include Atlanta, where the United Way convened the planning process at the request of Mayor Shirley Franklin and the result has been an exemplary results oriented regional plan focused on outcomes and accountability, and San Diego, where the United Way cochaired and sustained a 10-year planning process through turbulent political times in that city that culminated with the unanimous approval of a plan by the San Diego City Council last month.

Director Mangano noted that the spirit of this work together in the National Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness being constellated by the Council "allows all to join in without regard to geography, demography, or affiliation.” He encouraged the UW Executive Officers to partner with their jurisdictional leaders to bring a business approach to the creation of 10 year plans in their communities. “ In the past twenty plus years of responding to homelessness, we have learned many lessons including that without a plan things only get worse. More homeless people, more homeless programs, worse on our streets, in our neighborhoods, in hospitals, in our libraries, for our police." Director Mangano discussed Michigan’s recent unveiling of an unprecedented sixty 10-year plans covering every square mile of the state and the discussion of the role of judicial leadership in jail diversion efforts for the mentally ill at last week’s Supreme Court of Ohio Specialized Dockets Practitioner Network Annual Conference as examples of the expanding National Partnership which is galvanizing every level and branch of government and all sectors of the community to end chronic homelessness.

Pictured here (l-r) Jersey City/Hudson County United Way President and CEO Daniel Altilio, Director Mangano, and John Emgee, President and CEO, United Way of Atlantic County and President of the State Association of United Ways of New Jersey. Currently, Trenton/Mercer County and Morris County are the two New Jersey communities to have created 10-year plans and planning efforts are underway in Jersey City/Hudson County and Paterson/Passaic County. On October 12, Council Regional Coordinator Sam Miller facilitated a panel presentation by federal agency partners on federal agency resources for housing and services at a Morris County Housing Summit. Morris County will be participating in the 2006 National Project Homeless Connect Week with a Connect event in Morristown on December 8. United Way organizations throughout New Jersey are partnering with the New Jersey Alliance to End Homelessness and the Corporation for Supportive Housing to host a statewide Project Homeless Connect on January 25 in conjunction with the Point in Time count.

This is a time of great national momentum toward preventing and ending homelessness among veterans. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary and past United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Chair R. James Nicholson has said that “the VA has no more important issue than the issue of homeless veterans.” Secretary Nicholson raised awareness of the needs of homeless veterans and has supported VA collaborations with other federal agencies, state and local partners to create effective prevention, engagement, and housing solutions for homeless veterans.

Saturday is Veterans Day, a time when all Americans give recognition to the sacrifices veterans have made and are making. Across the country through 10-year planning efforts and other initiatives, new engagement and housing strategies are being modeled to end the homelessness of veterans who are currently homeless and new policies and strategies are emerging to support returning veterans so that they do not fall into homelessness in the future.

• The estimated number of veterans who are homeless on any given day has decreased from 250,000 to 194,000, according to both the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and homeless veteran service providers.
• There is growing recognition that communities that have created 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness that incorporate specific strategies to prevent and end homelessness among veterans including the creation of permanent supportive housing opportunities, and that identify the VA as a critical partner in the implementation of those strategies, are seeing positive results in reducing the number of homeless veterans on their streets, in encampments, and in shelters.
• There is an increased focus on prevention and intervention strategies for veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) to insure that they are connected to the programs and services they need to help prevent them from falling into homelessness. These efforts involve a wide range of federal partners and state Departments of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Service Organizations, and service providers. One identified need is for more services targeted to serving homeless women veterans and those returning from OEF/OIF.
• There is great potential for Project Homeless Connect organizers to partner with Veteran Stand Down organizers, including discussions about holding the events jointly in some locations, to expand opportunities and enhance outcomes from these events for veterans.
• Results from initiatives targeted to incarcerated veterans indicate that these interventions may reduce recidivism among this population group.
• There are increasing opportunities on a national level to identify and rapidly disseminate innovations that are leading to results. Examples from this year include:

March 2-3, San Diego, CA. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Common Ground, and the Rockefeller Foundation cosponsored a Mayor’s Summit on Ending Homelessness: Preventing and Ending Homelessness Among Veterans. Sixteen cities heard innovators describe strategies that are getting results for engaging and providing housing options for homeless veterans that the cities could apply to their local 10-Year Plan implementation.

March 16-18, Washington DC. Over 1000 federal and state officials and public and private partners gathered for The Road Home: The National Behavioral Health Conference on Returning Veterans and their Families sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with Therapeutic Communities of America. National experts presented a workshop on meeting the housing needs of homeless veterans, including efforts by the Council to narrow the gap between knowledge and practice by ensuring the best ideas and innovations are widely disseminated.

October 3, New York City. The Ford Foundation and Common Ground teamed up for a roundtable on Developing Supportive Housing on Surplus Military and VA Property. The discussion focused on opportunities, barriers, and technical assistance available for creating permanent housing opportunities for homeless veterans using land and/or buildings that have been identified through the CARES process or may otherwise be identified as available through the Enhanced Lease program. Among the key issues identified was the importance of cost benefit analysis in demonstrating to the VA the budget offset benefits of using VA property for such housing.

October 20-21, Auburn, AL. The U.S. Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs in collaboration with Alabama Governor Bob Riley held a two day national dialogue, entitled The Wounded and Injured Veterans Summit, to highlight issues, programs and best practices to assure the recovery and successful transitioning of wounded, injured, and disabled service members and their families. The dialogue offered an opportunity to identify gaps in services and promote continuity among federal, state, and local programs and services.

In observance of Veterans Day 2006, President George W. Bush has issued a proclamation that says in part, "All of America's veterans have placed our Nation's security before their own lives, creating a debt that we can never fully repay. Our veterans represent the best of America, and they deserve the best America can give them." Recently, Secretary Nicholson joined leaders of the major veterans services organizations at a press conference announcing a Veterans Pride Initiative to urge all veterans to wear the medals they earned during military serve on Veterans Day. To find a list of regional Veterans Day celebrations, click here.

More information on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Veterans Programs is available on the VA website. For a November 2006 Fact Sheet prepared by the VA outlining services for returning combat veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, click here.

More information on meeting the needs of homeless veterans in the development and implementation of 10-Year Plans can be found on the Council’s website. Best practice in the convening of 10-year planning partnerships and the development of plans means the early inclusion of partners who can effectively present data on the needs of homeless veterans and are knowledgeable about the resources and proven strategies to serve them.

Communities continue to adopt the one-day, one-stop innovation of Project Homeless Connect as an effective tool that mobilizes civic will and resources to help people experiencing homelessness move more quickly toward permanent housing and stability. Cities committing to new events also continue to innovate within the innovation of PHC; watch for upcoming e-news stories on new PHC models from the field. The Interagency Council has this week posted to our website a complete list of all communities committed to date for the National Project Homeless Connect Week coming up December 4-8, as well as communities committed for dates in early 2007. Among those listed are this week’s Connect event in Las Vegas, Nevada and 35 community events scheduled for National Homeless Connect Week December 4-8. Visit the Council’s website at www.usich.gov to view the complete list and useful PHC tools.

Project Homeless Connect has taken hold in the Western states, as Council Regional Coordinator Eduardo Cabrera will be participating in this week’s Las Vegas Connect event which builds on the community’s 13-year tradition of annual Stand Downs and will have more than 400 volunteers on hand to assist an estimated 2,000 homeless persons. The day-long event is being coordinated by the Southern Nevada Homeless Coalition and is co-sponsored by the City of Las Vegas. This week Coordinator Cabrera also presented at a Project Homeless Connect Institute held as part of the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness statewide conference. Coordinator Cabrera, joined by Charlene Flaherty of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Minneapolis/Hennepin County Homeless Coordinator Cathy ten Broeke, and San Francisco PHC Director Judith Klain, discussed the elements of a successful PHC event.

As noted in last week’s enews, the Council continues to reach out to federal and state partner agencies to encourage their on-site participation at Connect events. Successful PHC cities have emphasized the importance of bringing the resources of federal partners and state partners from State Interagency Councils on Homelessness, Policy Academy teams, and mainstream programs to local events. All Council members agencies have been invited to the National Project Homeless Connect Week sites, as have state partners.

Southwestern Pennsylvania is home to more than 300,000 veterans making this region that includes Pittsburgh the second highest per capita concentration of veterans in the nation. In the early 1980s a group of Vietnam veterans living in southwestern Pennsylvania banded together to form the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program to provide job placement and training for Vietnam veterans who were being displaced by the changing economy in the region. More than 20 years later, this program to “bring renewed strength and self reliance to veterans and their family members” is still operating on the historic southside of Pittsburgh with a satellite office in Johnstown.

Now known as the Veterans Leadership Program (VLP), this community based program offers a number of job training and employment related programs designed to help veterans and their immediate family secure unsubsidized employment and also administers six housing programs offering scattered site leased apartments to meet the diverse needs of homeless veterans. While two of the programs are reserved for unaccompanied homeless veterans, the other four are available for a homeless veteran with dependent children if the veteran has court appointed custody. VLP case managers work with each client to secure an apartment that meets the client’s needs with respect to disability and family circumstance. Case managers continue to work with the client offering life skills and support groups relating to addiction, family issues, job placement, and reintegration.

Through the Victory Housing Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, VLP provides housing for up to 20 homeless disadvantaged veterans with dependent children. Case management services include life skills training, job preparation and employment training. The Bridge Housing Program, funded by Allegheny County through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, is a 12 month transitional housing program for 7 homeless single male or female veterans who may have court ordered custody of dependent children. The Valor program is serving 10 homeless veterans, who are generally unemployed, and who have a VA determined disability The program aims to serve at least 3 homeless male veterans with dependent children and 3 homeless female veterans with dependent children. Penn Free Housing is a transitional housing grant that allows veterans with a drug or alcohol problem and who have dependent children to move to supportive long term living arrangements while preparing to live independently. Linkages to substance abuse treatment programs are emphasized in this program as well as the array of life skills and employment training case management services. The program is funded with Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant funds overseen by the PA Department of Public Welfare.

VLP Work Force programs include a Homeless Veterans Employment Training program which in June received a $300,000 U.S. Department of Labor grant under the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). A second program targets recently separated veterans, female veterans, veterans and families in rural areas, and veterans released from incarceration. All services are free and include individualized job counseling and assistance stipends for job training and education, and supportive services for transportation, clothing, and tools. VLP's success in helping veterans prepare for and find meaningful employment, was recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor's 2000 Exemplary Public Interest Contributions (EPIC) award. The EPIC Award is presented to public interest organizations that have supported affirmative action and linked their efforts with those of Federal contractors to enhance employment opportunities for minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and veterans.

Currently under development at VLP is Operation Back Home, a program to assist mobilized Active Duty, Guard and Reserve members and their families from pre to post deployment.

VLP is supported by funding from United Way of Pittsburgh, The Anne L. and George H. Clapp Charitable and Educational Trust, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Hillman Foundation, City of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, and has an endowment from the Gladys H. Springer Fund for Homeless Veterans.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-news recognizes Veterans Day with excerpts of remarks by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson (pictured here) at the 2005 conference of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

. . . My challenge upon taking office was not just to oversee a great Department, but to be the steward of all our deserving veterans’ trust in their country’s commitment to make good on our promises to them.

. . . I believe we can never be satisfied with our progress until we have eradicated the scourge of veteran homelessness from our streets. That is why VA is committed to reaching out to our nation’s homeless veterans- disenfranchised men and women for whom little remains in life. It is our mission to redignify their lives. . .to help them redefine, for themselves, who they are and what they have contributed to the greater good of our free society.

. . . I mentioned earlier our reliance on the faith- based community to lend its considerable resources to the fight against homelessness. . . As much credit as we give to the volunteers and the non profit organizations all working on behalf of homeless veterans, we also are grateful for our partnerships with our sister federal agencies, state and local governments, and America’s businesses for the invaluable supply line of grants, subject matter experts, in kind resources and other forms of material support and human capital vital to the success of our joint mission.

. . . (Where) more than 250,000 veterans were homeless, today less than 200,000 are in that position. . .One of the things that our efforts have shown us is that now is not the time to let up or slow down. Our collective efforts are making a positive difference and our commitment to end chronic homelessness among veterans is as firm tonight as it has ever been. President Bush is passionately committed to this goal and is our staunch ally in this quest. The improvement in the numbers of homeless veterans should be taken as a sign that this Administration is committed to enhancing our partnerships with all willing to aid our mutual cause of ending homelessness among veterans.

. . . It is time to end homelessness in America, for our veterans, and for every man, woman, and child who stands outside a lighted house with the dream of living within its sheltering walls.