TROY, NEW YORK. The cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy form the "Tri-City" area of upstate New York. This week, Troy became the second of the tri-cities to have a 10-year plan to end homelessness, joining Albany/Albany County which just completed a first year of plan implementation (see related story). The Troy/Rensselaer County plan was unveiled Tuesday by Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen Jimino, Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian, Rensselaer Mayor Daniel Dwyer, and Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation Executive Director and chair of the 10-Year Plan Executive Committee Leslie Cheu at a press conference attended by numerous elected and agency officials, and community business, clergy and non profit leaders.

CEO Family Resource Center Executive Director Karen Gordon welcomed everyone to the event moderated by Capital District Regional Planning Commission Executive Director and 10-Year Plan Executive Committee member Rocco Ferraro, who along with the non profit organization CARES Inc, helped provide direction and administrative support to the 10-year planning effort.

The Rensselaer County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness calls for expanded prevention efforts; 100 additional Section 8 vouchers and Shelter plus Care units; 15 units of project based and 35 scattered site units of permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless; 75 housing units to meet the housing needs of persons discharged from institutional settings and collaboration with a newly convened Rensselaer County Re-Entry Task Force to ensure the housing needs of ex-offenders are met prior to discharge from prison or jail; investigating opportunities for housing in rural areas; and expanded collaboration with the Department of Social Services for homeless family resettlement efforts including continued assistance and tracking for 36 months.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, invited to speak at the Plan's unveiling, commended the Troy, Rensselear and Hoosick communities for partnering with Rensselear County and encouraged them to consider the plan they created a "living document". "When something's not working, end it. When new ideas that work come along, incorporate them," he urged. Director Mangano also spoke of the importance of involving the business mindset in the next step of the effort through an implementation committee, urging them to focus resources on results. "Results are infectious" he noted and necessary to maintain and build momentum over time.

Pictured here, l-r, is Rensselaer Mayor Daniel Dwyer, Executive Committee Chair Cheu, Director Mangano, Troy Mayor Tutunjian, and Rensselaer County Executive Jimino.

WASHINGTON, DC. "Only through a dedicated partnership with community and faith-based organizations can we hope to end homelessness among veterans," said U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson as he announced over $11 million in federal grants this week to help homeless veterans "get back on the road to self reliance." The grants were awarded to 52 public and private non profit and faith based organizations to support a variety of services for homeless veterans including job training, mental health, and substance addiction treatment and the purchase of vans to provide transportation for homeless veterans to services in the community.

As discussed in last week's enews, effective 10-year planning efforts include a focus on the special needs of veterans. Last week, Secretary Nicholson was the Administration's guest on Ask the White House, an online interactive forum where people can submit questions to Administration officials. Reprinted below is Secretary Nicholson's response to a question about the steps the VA is taking to prepare for the veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"The VA is very well positioned to provide care to our returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. As the largest integrated health care organization in the United States, we can meet their needs through 1,400 health care facilities throughout the country, including more than 700 community-based outpatient clinics, which provide health care access closer to veterans' homes. We also have 207 Vet Centers, which are often the first contact points for returning veterans seeking health care and benefits near their homes. And the VA is an acknowledged leader in providing specialty care in the treatment of such illnesses as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Besides providing for their health care, VA has programs in place to assist returning combat veterans reintegrate into their communities and civilian life. In addition, each VA Medical Center and Veterans Administration Regional Office has identified a point of contact to ensure the seamless transition of these veterans into the VA system. We are honored to be able to serve these heroes and we are aggressively reaching out to them."

This week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is sponsoring a national conference call November 16 on Permanent Housing Options for Veterans. Presentations by Corporation for Supportive Housing Senior Program Manager Kelly Kent, San Francisco-based non profit Swords to Plowshares Deputy Director Leon Winston, and Indianapolis Roudebush VA Medical Center Community Rehabilitation Coordinator Philip Thomas will review how veteran service providers are working within HUD and VA guidelines to secure permanent housing for veterans. HUD was also the sponsor of a Workshop for Veterans Service Organizations Serving Homeless Veterans hosted this week by the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training (McVET) highlighting model program approaches in the areas of client engagement, emergency shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing.

Other recent national opportunities for discussion of innovations and best practices in meeting the needs of veterans include the first ever National Veterans Employment Summit and HireVetsFirst Job Fair sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and held in Norfolk, Virginia on November 9; a National Symposium on Young Veterans last month in Chicago sponsored by AMVETS; and the October 25-26 Leadership Dialogue: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans Through Permanent Supportive Housing sponsored in Washington, DC by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and Volunteers of America.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA. Government officials including Oakland City Councilmember Nancy Nadel and citizen volunteers from the cities of Oakland and Berkeley and Alameda County teamed up this week for the community's third Project Homeless Connect. Previous Oakland Connect events were held last November at the Oakland Auditorium and in April at the St. Vincent de Paul Center. The number of volunteers has grown from 40 to over 150 and the number of homeless persons receiving assistance has more than quadrupled to 500 this week, as each event has served to create greater awareness of the needs of the homeless and of the resources available. This week's Connect event coincided with the opening of the community's 100-bed winter shelter at the Oakland Army Base.

Held at the Howie Harp Center in Oakland, 70 provider agencies were onsite providing medical and dental services; same day signup for food stamp, General Assistance and Medi-Cal; shelter signups and other housing application assistance; onsite employment case management services and job training information; drug and alcohol program referrals; domestic violence counseling; wheelchair repair; and showers, bag lunches, hygiene kits, haircuts, massages, free voice mail, and winter clothing donated by North Face. Onsite application assistance for VA services and Social Security SSI/SSDI was also available. Susan Shelton of the Oakland Department of Human Services was instrumental in helping to organize the event.

Included in the day's events was an important information session about the workings of the Alameda County Homeless and Caring Court. This specialized court was created in October 2004 through the collaborative efforts of the Alameda Superior Court, the Countywide Continuum of Care Council, and the District Attorney and Public Defenders Offices to resolve outstanding misdemeanor warrants for homeless persons. As described by the Alameda Superior Court in announcing the creation of the Homeless/Caring Court, "The continuing accumulation of unresolved legal matters can create real barriers to a homeless person's ability to access critically needed services ( e.g., public assistance or affordable housing), their ability to take steps to improve their homeless situation (e.g., obtain a driver's license, job training or securing employment), and their social integration- continuing a cycle of despair."

The Honorable Gordon Baranco has presided over the court which meets bimonthly at homeless shelters and drop in centers to hear cases for warrant dismissal requested by a homeless client and recommended by the Public Defender's office in consultation with the District Attorney's Office. Since the Alameda Homeless/Caring Court program adopts a "tough love approach" requiring that the homeless individual show that he or she has taken affirmative steps toward greater self sufficiency - such as by participation in a substance abuse treatment program or mental health treatment if needed, school enrollment or obtaining a job-the Oakland PHC event did not include so-called "walk up" court adjudication but rather information on how an individual could apply for court consideration to have their hours spent in recovery, counseling, school or employment count as "sentence served."

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano invited to attend and speak at the event, greeted volunteers and homeless participants and joined city and county agency heads at a press conference. In his remarks, Director Mangano commended the community for taking positive action to end homelessness, noting that Project Homeless Connect is the antidote to stereotypes and misperceptions about what it means to be homeless. "In today's Project Homeless Connect, in your 10-year plan, in increased federal resources, our goal is to reconnect. To welcome our neighbors out of exile. To look them in the eye, not averting our eyes. To offer the resources needed to create the trajectory to end their homelessness. So let's connect for the sake of our neighbors, our community, and our own hearts," he urged.

Pictured here, l-r, is United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Ed Cabrera, Alameda County Social Services Director Chet Hewitt, Oakland Human Services Director Andrea Youngdahl, Director Mangano, Julie Sinai, Senior Aide to the Mayor of Berkeley, Alameda County Director of Health Care Services Dave Kears, and Alameda County Housing Director Linda Gardner.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. The Hildebrand Family Self Help Center, which held its annual Dreams Gala for the community in Boston last week, works to "empower low-income and homeless families to achieve long-term stability through permanent housing, economic independence, and a satisfying quality of life." Families who come to the Hildebrand Center are in crisis and for them the Hildebrand Center is an oasis that provides stability as they work toward building a brighter future. The Hildebrand Center developed from an outreach ministry founded in 1984 by the Reverend LeRoy Attles of the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Cambridge and today serves homeless families and individuals in the Cambridge, Boston, and Greater Boston area.

Programs and services offered by the Hildebrand Center, whose Board and staff reflect the diverse and multicultural communities they serve, include congregate shelter for 33 families; scattered site apartments with support services for 51 homeless families that will be expanded to 75 by the end of January 2007; and permanent housing units. The array of support services includes housing search, case management, workforce development, budgeting and financial management, life and parenting skills, and children and youth services. A recent $10,000 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation will allow the Center to provide move-in and other housing gap assistance as part of the Center's Family Stabilization program. Through the Family Stabilization program, which receives funding through the U.S. Housing and Urban Development homeless assistance grants program, the Center is able to continue service support to newly housed families for six months and longer if required to ensure stabilization. Of 25 families who received family stabilization services within the last two years, 90% have maintained their housing for over a year.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano spoke of the faith- based ministry of Reverend Attles that initiated the Hildebrand Center over 20 years ago. Director Mangano noted that the Board and staff of Hildebrand " extend respect and a hand up offering what families need to rise up out of homelessness. This is a legacy to be proud of. Achievements that are visible and measurable and human," and he encouraged them to continue increasing their solution capacity. Pictured here, l-r, Hildebrand Family Self Help Board President Wendell Bourne Jr., Director Mangano, Hildebrand Executive Director Joyce Mathon Trotman, Board Member Rev. Richard W. Richardson, Program Graduate Brian Arrington, and Boston City Council President Michael Flaherty.

ALBANY, NEW YORK. Albany city and county officials celebrated the one year anniversary of their 10-year plan earlier this month with the opening of a new drop-in center, Sheridan Hollow, that Janine Robitaille, executive director of the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless has described as "a safe haven for those in need" and "a catalyst to ending homelessness for many others." Services at the new drop-in center, created in part with the assistance of formerly homeless clients of the Interfaith Partnership who helped rehab an existing building for the facility, include health care assessments, legal aid, housing and mental health referrals, hot meals, shower, telephone, fax and laundry services, storage lockers and mailboxes. Key funding support came from the New York State Temporary Disability Assistance program, Citizens Bank -Troy Savings Charitable Foundation, the State Employees Federal Credit Union, and Old Brick Furniture Company.

The opening of the drop-in center was just one of several first year implementation accomplishments for Albany's 10-Year Plan cited by Mary Breslin, Homeless Services Director for CARES, Inc, a non profit agency coordinating the 10-year planning efforts for Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady counties. Other accomplishments include:

• a $200,000 Shelter plus Care grant for six one-bedroom units for chronically homeless persons with mental illness
• Enterprise Foundation grants to Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless and CARES, Inc. to be used to rehab currently uninhabitable buildings for 48 new permanent supportive housing units
• a new outreach van
• a recommendation by the County Executive to use $300,000 in county foreclosure income to a new Housing Trust Fund to preserve affordable housing
• cross training for non profit service providers by the Albany Department of Social Services and Department of Mental Health
• establishing a Housing First Committee
• creation of the Sherman Street Empowerment Project for homeless families

A $2 million five-year grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is helping to fund the Sherman Street Empowerment Project, whose goal is to reduce the number of homeless families returning to the social services system and local homeless shelters. Homeless and newly housed families are referred to the program by social service providers and the diocese-operated Marillac Shelter. The project is a collaborative effort by St. Catherine's Center for Children of the Albany Diocese which operates the family resource center located at 231 Sherman Street; ClearView Center, a mental health program providing social workers and trauma services; and Advocates for Human Potential which is contributing evaluation, technical assistance, and training services. Group therapy, day care, laundry facilities, and referrals to vocational training are among the transition and "after care" services offered through the Sherman Street Empowerment Project to help families stabilize in housing.

FIRST FEDERAL OFFICIAL HONORED WITH A "PUBLIC OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR" AWARD BY GOVERNING MAGAZINE.

Washington, DC. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano was honored last night as one of Governing Magazine's 2006 Public Officials of the Year. Director Mangano is the first federal official ever recognized by Governing Magazine as one of their Public Officials of the Year, an award recognizing elected, appointed, and career government officials who've made a "notable, positive impact." Governing Magazine is recognized as a leading authoritative source of news and analysis on state and local government.

The 2006 honorees include Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, New Jersey State Senate President Richard Codey, Chicago Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey, Ventura, CA City Manager Rick Cole, King County, WA Executive Ron Sims, Nashville/Davidson County Mayor Bill Purcell, and Philadelphia former CIO Dianah Neff. To learn more about the accomplishments of each of the award winners, click on the Read More button below.

Noting Director Mangano's quarter century of work "to solve the problems of the poor and homeless in America's cities," Governing Magazine cited the dramatic results his advocacy of new permanent housing approaches has helped to bring about "in San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas and other major cities where homelessness has long been seen as a disease without an effective cure" as proof that "single minded dedication, in the hands of a talented leader, can pay big dividends."

In his remarks, Director Mangano observed that the communities that each of his fellow Public Officials of the Year are involved in governing have joined the National Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness being constellated by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Massachusetts, Mississippi, and New Jersey have committed to creating state interagency councils on homelessness. Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, and King County, Washington are all implementing their 10-year plans to end chronic homelessness and Ventura is in the planning process and will make an announcement in January. "They are indeed Public Officials of the Year to homeless citizens who are the Council's customers and neighbors in our communities."

Pictured here, top l-r, are the 2006 Governing Magazine Public Officials of the Year: Mayor Purcell, Dianah Neff, Governor Barbour, Rick Cole, Mary Dempsey, Director Mangano, MA Speaker DiMasi, Ron Sims, and NJ Senate President Codey. Pictured, middle, Governing Magazine Editor and Publisher Peter Harkness presenting the award to Director Mangano.

COUNCIL DIRECTOR MANGANO RECOGNIZED WITH HOME SHELTER AWARD FROM HOME MAGAZINE.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano's leadership in working to constellate a National Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness was recently recognized by HOME Magazine. Director Mangano was one of a "quintet of powerful voices for underserved constituencies" presented with a 2006 Home Shelter Award at a dinner hosted by HOME Magazine in New York City last week. Director Mangano's fellow honorees were Katrina survivors advocate Dyan French Cole, Hour Children founder Sister Teresa Fitzgerald, Abused Deaf Womens Advocate Marilyn Smith, and Bank of America Inspiration Award Winner Adam Pierce.

In accepting the award, Director Mangano noted that the event "reminds us of the therapeutic power of a home for all of us. If any of our neighbors are without one, we have a moral and spiritual responsibility to restore that element of health to them. And that's what tonight is about." Echoing the sentiments of recent Nobel Prize winner Muhammed Yunus who in his biography wrote, "My goal is for my grandchildren to have to go to a museum to see what poverty once was," Director Mangano said, "Our intent is that our children will have to go to museum to see what homelessness once was in this city and across the country." Pictured, bottom l-r, are the HOME Magazine 2006 Home Shelter Award recipients Sister Teresa Fitzgerald, Director Mangano, Bank of America Inspiration Award Winner Adam Pierce, Marilyn Smith, and Dyan French Cole.

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA. The City of Norfolk is opening the first permanent supportive housing project for non violent ex-offenders in the state of Virginia. Harbor House, a 115-year old abandoned historic house that was renovated with a $450,000 grant from the state to Norfolk's Stop Organization's Second Chances program, will become home to 16 homeless and at risk of homelessness ex- offenders at the end of this month. Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, STOP Organization President Edith Jones, and soon to be residents of Harbor House participated in a ribbon cutting for Harbor House on Monday.

The STOP Organization is Southeastern Tidewater Opportunity Project, Inc., created in 1965 as the community action agency to serve South Hampton Roads. The Second Chances program, funded mainly by the City of Norfolk, operates under the "umbrella" of the STOP Organization and is designed to provide comprehensive support services that lead to full-time employment and social stability "for those individuals impacted by the stigma of being labeled ex-offender." The Second Chances program has several partners including the Urban League, the Norfolk Sheriff's Office, Advocates for Second Chances, and the City of Norfolk Office on Homelessness. The $450,000 state grant was made through the Commonwealth Priority Housing Fund.

In announcing receipt of the grant this spring at the South Hampton Roads Regional Conference on Ending Homelessness, Mayor Fraim who unveiled The City of Norfolk's Blueprint to End Homelessness in May 2005 said, " Many people have said ending homelessness was a nice idea, but unrealistic. With this grant award, we are laying the foundation to make good on our promise. By the end of 2006, we will have made a 65% increase in permanent supportive housing for the homeless in just the first year of our plan's implementation."

Union Mission and the Salvation Army are among the community organizations in Norfolk that provide a range of services to homeless families and individuals including ex-offenders. Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the Salvation Army in Norfolk has been awarded a $100,000 grant to help homeless veterans become more self reliant (see related story).

Information on federal assistance for offender re-entry programs can be found on the U.S. Department of Justice website.

IN THIS ISSUE OF ENEWS, we highlight remarks of U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao at the Department of Labor Salute to Veterans held in recognition of Veterans Day. Department of Labor job training and employment resources- for homeless veterans, for veterans transitioning to civilian life, for wounded and injured veterans- are key to efforts to prevent and end homelessness among those who have served our country so nobly through their military service.

. . . Each year, about 318,000 military members return to civilian status. The Veterans Employment Training Service (VETS) helps them transition into the civilian sector by providing job placement and employment assistance. Through the TAP program, the Department offers veterans a wide variety of services nationwide through the Department's 3500 One-Stop Career Centers and through job fairs and workshops held in the U.S. and other locations around the world. TAP participants have found jobs three times sooner than service members who do not take advantage of this important resource.

. . . In addition, the Department's HireVetsFirst campaign has helped employers appreciate the value of hiring veterans.

. . . Last year, I announced the first ever regulations implementing the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, known as USERRA. The goal of this legislation is to protect the employment and reemployment rights of veterans returning to the private sector after active duty... There has been a significant reduction in the number of employment-related complaints from returning members of the Reserve and National Guard- down 31 percent since the Gulf War.

. . . Let me also mention the Department's pioneering REALifelines program. It is making a tremendous difference in the lives of our wounded and injured service members. REALifelines provides one-on-one training, counseling and re-employment services to every veteran seriously injured or wounded in the War on Terror.