TAMPA, FLORIDA. Persons who are homeless, including those experiencing chronic homelessness, and those at risk are among the hundreds who will receive housing and services supported by $18.7 million in awards to 16 programs announced yesterday by United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary and United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Chair Alphonso Jackson. Joining Secretary Jackson in Tampa, Florida, for the announcement was Senator Mel Martinez, former HUD Secretary and the first Chair of the Interagency Council when it was revitalized in 2002. They are pictured here.

The funding is part of HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program. Housing assistance and related services funded by HOPWA are a vital part of the comprehensive system of care for those living with HIV/AIDS. A stable home environment is critical for low-income persons managing complex drug therapies and potential side effects from their treatments. In August, HUD awarded an additional $18.8 million to help 19 local projects find permanent housing solutions for those living with HIV/AIDS.

"In keeping with the theme of this year's World AIDS Day, HUD is "Keeping the Promise' to work with exceptional local programs that serve the most vulnerable among us," said Secretary Jackson. "These local projects provide real housing solutions for those who might otherwise be calling the streets their home." The local programs awarded funding will help 545 households to find transitional supportive housing for the next three years and will seek to move these families into more permanent arrangements with greater self sufficiency. In addition to the HUD funding awarded today, these programs will stimulate another $23.5 million from other public and private sources so they can further assist their clients.

Ninety percent of HOPWA funds are distributed by formula to cities and states based on the number of AIDS cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HUD's formula grants are managed by 121 local and state jurisdictions, which coordinate AIDS housing efforts with other HUD and community resources. This year, HUD is making available a total of $282 million in HOPWA funds to help communities provide housing for this special needs population.

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA. In an event jointly sponsored by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the North Carolina Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs (ICCHP), 22 local governments in North Carolina this week were recognized for their commitment and partnership in developing 10-Year Plans. 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness Leadership Awards were presented at a Leadership Summit held in conjunction with the ICCHP's ninth annual conference, with awards going to 14 cities and eight counties.

"Over the past decade the number of people experiencing homelessness has increased in our state." said Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Carmen Hooker Odom in presenting the awards. "The leaders of these cities and counties have made a commitment to use the latest research and data to develop outcome-driven plans that will lead to measurable decreases in our homeless population. I encourage leaders of all our communities to consider adopting a local plan."

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, joining Secretary Odom and local officials, noted: "These mayors and councilors and county executives understand that change is needed and are now acting through their ten year plans to make that change, to create visible and measurable change on their streets, in their communities, and most especially in the lives of homeless people. They are fashioning new, solution oriented, research driven expectations on homelessness." United States Department of Housing and Urban Develoment Region IV Director Bob Young, North Carolina Council Homeless Policy Specialist Martha Are, and Interagency Council Coordinator Michael German also took part.

Pictured here receiving Leadership Awards are (left to right): Shelby Mayor Ted Alexander, Henderson Mayor Clem Seifert, Mecklenburg County Commission Vice-chair Whilhelmenia Rembert, High Point Community Development 's Kathy Gray, Durham 10- Year Plan Co-chair Carolyn Thornton, Durham County Boardof Commissioners Chairwoman Ellen Reckhow, Director Mangano, Winston-Salem Councilor Nelson Malloy, NC Health and Human Services Secretary Odom, Orange County Board of Commissioners Chairman Moses Carey, Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy, Guilford County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bruce Davis, Raleigh Councilor Tommy Crowder, Wake County Board of Commissioners Chairman Joe Bryan, Cumberland County Special Population Specialist Karen Moore, Fayetteville Community Development Director Victor Sharpe; and Gastonia Mayor Jennifer Stultz. North Carolina's state 10-year plan is the work of the ICCHP, which advises the Governor and Secretary Odom on issues affecting people. who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA. On the heels of a visit by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, public and private partners have moved ahead this week with a commitment to develop a 10-Year Plan for Cedar Rapids and Linn County. Cedar Rapids Mayor Paul Pate, co-chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness noted about how big of a step this is for his community. Cedar Rapids' leaders, working with the Continuum of Care Coalition, will now work together to develop a plan to utilize existing assets and develop new ones to take on the challenge.

"Situated in the Midwest, away from a major metropolitan area, most people think we shouldn't have a homelessness issue," said Mayor Pate. "While our economy is doing well, we have a responsibility to all of our neighbors to help them achieve the American dream of homeownership, or at least help to get them on that path," he added. The new commitment quickly prompted private sector participation as well, with a private donor making a gift of $10,000 to support the Plan. Mayor Pate is pictured here at the Task Force meeting in January.

In addition to his leadership with the Mayors Task Force, Mayor Pate was an original signatory Mayor to the Mayors Covenant of Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness and President of the Iowa League of Cities. In hosting Director Mangano's September visit to the area to meet with Linn County partners and discuss federal initiatives, Mayor Pate also ensured that members of the Iowa Council on Homelessness were partners to the local events.

LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS. A new 10-Year Plan commitment emerged last week in Lynn, Massachusetts, on the state's North Shore. Mayor Edward J. "Chip" Clancy, speaking at City Hall, announced that his community of 89,000 will move forward with a plan. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, invited to join Mayor Clancy for the announcement, also met with Lynn Plan Co-chairs local business leader John Olson, and Lynn Housing Authority Director Charles Gaeta.

"Lynn will have the advantage of looking at all the other plans from across the country," said Director Mangano. "This city will be able to consider all the best practices in moving ahead and contribute its own innovation." Lynn becomes the 16th Massachusetts city to commit to a plan. Local and state partners joined in the announcement, including Representative Steven Walsh, along with City Council President James Cowdell, Chamber of Commerce President Kevin Donohue, and Police Chief John Suslak. Council Regional Coordinator John O'Brien also took part in the events. Pictured here (from left to right) are: Co-chairs Olson and Gaeta, Director Mangano, and Mayor Clancy.

WASHINGTON, DC. "National Project Homeless Connect Day is about communities coming together to respond to the homelessness of their neighbors. We did it following Hurricane Katrina, and San Francisco has been doing it for the historically homeless for the past year," said United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano. "Intuitively, we know what needs to be done." From San Juan to San Diego, 20 U.S. cities are gearing up to participate in the inaugural National Project Homeless Connect Day on December 8, 2005. This national day of engagement commissioned by the Interagency Council is designed to encourage communities to create and promote tangible solutions that remedy the homelessness of their neighbors.

Communities participating in the December 8 event include: Bridgeport, CT; Chattanooga, TN; Columbia, SC; Denver, CO; Knoxville, TN; Miami, FL; Nashua, NH; New York, NY; Norfolk, VA; Philadelphia, PA; St. Louis, MO; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; San Juan, PR; San Diego, CA; Tallahassee, FL; West Hollywood/Hollywood, CA; Warwick, RI; and Winston- Salem/Forsyth County, NC.

Many participating cities will host one-stop events modeled after San Francisco's successful Project Homeless Connect, created by Mayor Gavin Newsom to tighten the link between that city's street population and housing and services. Other cities will spend the National Day in community awareness forums, permanent housing conferences, or public events related to 10-Year Plans.

"Our 10-Year Plan calls for the whole community to solve the problem," said Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam. "Project Homeless Connect is a first step to demonstrate how that can be done."

Calling December 8 "an innovative opportunity to fuse political and social will to generate visible and quantifiable change on the streets and in neighborhoods," Dallas Mayor Laura Miller issued an official proclamation commending the Council's leadership and declaring December 8 National Project Homeless Connect Day. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a similar resolution and also directed county departments to accommodate staff who want to volunteer.

In addition to the National Day, interest in Project Homeless Connect as a technology is growing among 10-Year Plan cities. New York City and Long Beach, CA hosted Project Connect events in September and October, and seven communities plan to host Project Connect events in December and January. They include: Clarksville, TN; Dallas, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Minneapolis, MN; Portland, OR; Quincy, MA; and Waco, TX.

"We encourage communities to steal the best ideas from San Francisco and other communities and adapt the model to local needs," said Council Special Advisor Janna Jahn. "This isn't just about what happens on December 8th but how communities can use Project Connect throughout the year to engage the community, and to help people get the services and housing they need."

WASHINGTON, DC. With over 200 Mayors and County Executives committed to 10-Year Plans across the country, and increasing numbers of plans moving forward with implementation, there is more and more evidence of what makes strong plans. Seeking to answer the same questions that management expert Jim Collins pursued in asking "What makes a good company great?", the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness studied 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness from communities across the country to discover what helps Plans evolve from good, to better, to great. The resulting new toolkit, Good . . . to Better . . . to Great: Innovations in 10- Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness in Your Community, features the collective wisdom gained from 10-Year Plans around the country and summarized into Ten Elements.

"Whether you are beginning the planning process, starting implementation, or well into making your Plan a reality," said USICH Executive Director Philip Mangano, "we encourage you to work with the Ten Elements to strengthen your 10-Year Plan. Our goal is to help you achieve results by implementing Plans that are research-driven, performance-based, results- oriented, and field-tested." Ten Elements provide a framework communities can use to help shape Plan development and implementation, including such important topics as building political will and community partnerships, cost considerations, baselines, benchmarks, business plans, and more.

Like 10-Year Plans, Good, to Better, to Great itself will evolve over time. In the coming months the Council will begin to post on the USICH website case studies, stories, and examples from communities around the country that illustrate the Ten Elements. These case studies will be a source of information and inspiration for all 10-Year Plan communities and showcase the success that is emerging in all sorts of communities.

Has your community created an innovative solution, completed a cost-benefit study, or developed an effective business plan for implementation? Share your experience with others in the USICH web site library where communities can draw on the knowledge and practice of others. Forward information about your success to Janna Jahn at the Council: janna.jahn@usich.gov

WASHINGTON, DC. "The Road Home: National Conference on Returning Veterans' and Their Families' Behavioral Health," is the upcoming national conference of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). SAMHSA will convene federal, state, public and private sector partenrs for a science- based session to address issues facing returning veterans and their families on March 16-18 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC.

Representatives of HHS and the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, as well as the National Office of Drug Control Policy and National Institute of Drug Abuse and other partners, including the Interagency Council, will help shape the focus for the event. Registration will be available starting January 15 at www.samhsa.gov and will be limited to 1000 attendees. Watch the e-news for more details.