WASHINGTON. In an unprecedented public outreach effort, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) this week agreed to work together to help millions of low-income working people, including homeless people, save on their annual income taxes. In a joint signing ceremony at HUD Headquarters, IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson and HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson (pictured here) said the interagency agreement will improve services and coordination to reach millions of low-income taxpayers, many receiving some form of HUD assistance. The HUD and IRS partnership will link low- income individuals and families to free tax preparation, electronic filing, and asset building assistance.

"Today we take a giant step toward educating the public, particularly lower income families involved in HUD's programs, of the significant tax savings that are available to them," said Secretary Jackson. "Just think about how much money can be put in the pockets of working families across America if everyone took advantage of the tax breaks available to them." Last year, 21 million families with two or more children qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit, providing tax refunds of up to $4,300. IRS studies indicate millions more families are eligible for this tax credit but fail to claim it.

IRS Commissioner Everson stated, "One of our important objectives is to assure that all people get the benefits they are entitled to. We can help low- income people fully participate in the tax system through free tax return preparation and information on EITC and other credits. I commend Secretary Jackson and HUD leaders for helping expand outreach to this important group of taxpayers." In addition to the Earned Income Tax Credit, HUD and IRS plan to aggressively promote Child Care Tax Credits and free tax preparation services to families living in public housing. Individual Development Accounts also offer lower income persons asset-building opportunities that combine personal savings with tax exempt matching funds that can be used to buy a home or fund a college education.

HUD will undertake several specific activities under the MOU, including encouraging program directors and administrators to identify opportunities for collaborative endeavors with IRS and inviting IRS representatives to attend and to make presentations at HUD-sponsored training events and conferences conducted at the national or regional level. HUD will notify program grantees of the new agreement and encourage them to link with the IRS, as well as supplying the IRS with a contact list of program participants from its major program areas, including homeless assistance grantees, public housing authorities, housing counseling agencies, and fair housing assistance programs.

"I want to commend the President for this effort. I'm a Democrat but he deserves credit," stated Tallahassee, Florida, Mayor John Marks, as federal, state, and local government officials gathered this week for the inaugural meeting of Tallahassee's new 10-Year Planning process. Mayor Marks convened his newly appointed Big Bend Area Task Force to End Chronic Homelessness at City Hall, joined by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, who was invited to keynote the event, and Florida Office on Homelessness Director Tom Pierce. Mayor Marks and Director Mangano are pictured here.

"Our agenda is part of a national movement to target issues that contribute to chronic homelessness," stated Mayor Marks. "Today, you will be given a glimpse of homelessness nationally, in Florida, and locally. I hope that after learning more, you will either be inspired or outraged and will look this issue squarely in the face and decide you can help, you can make a difference."

"Today you join in a partnership with 170 other mayors and county executives across our country - from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Anchorage, Alaska - who have committed to create 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness in their cities and counties, " said Director Mangano. "Welcome to the new venture which includes planful partnerships, innovative initiatives, strategic solutions, and new resources."

Florida State University School of Social Work Associate Professor Dr. Wendy P. Crook presented the Task Force with data on homelessness in the area. She was joined by Tallahassee Coalition for the Homeless Board President Rev. Thomas E. Dohrman and Coalition Executive Director Kay Freeman. The new Big Bend Task Force will spend the next 6 months developing the community's plan, which it proposes will serve as a gateway to collaborative partnerships with federal agencies. Task Force members who will design the Big Bend plan include representatives of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, Tallahassee Housing Authority, UF/IFAS Extension Office, Fannie Mae, Tallahassee - Leon Cty Civic Center Authority, Performing Arts Center Committee, Downtown Improvement Authority, 21st Century Council, Tallahassee Community College, Florida State University Center for Civic Education & Service, Florida A&M University, United Way of The Big Bend, Capital City Bank Foundation, and the Leon County Commission.

"Looking Homeward: The 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Asheville and Buncombe County'' was unveiled as a draft 10-Year Plan for the Asheville, North Carolina, City Council this week. The new initiative is the result of six months of work by a 33-member joint advisory task force of business, non- profit, and government leaders appointed by City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in May 2004 to develop solutions for persons experiencing homelessness in the County's population of just over 212,000. The Council will consider a resolution in support of the Plan in January 2005. Asheville Mayor Chares Worley is pictured here with United States Interagency Council Executive Director Philip Mangano, who met the Mayor in April to encourage the planning process.

The Plan places the City-County effort within the context of intergovernmental partnership to end chronic homelessness, stating: "Under the leadership of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, a national consensus has emerged that all levels of government must focus on improving efforts to house chronically homeless individuals and families. Looking Homeward is consistent with, and complementary to, the federal government's efforts in this area. Likewise, the state of North Carolina, through its Interagency Council on Coordinating Homeless Programs, is creating a plan that will coordinate state efforts with federal and local plans. Federal, state, and local plans must complement each other, because each level of government will play an integral part in implementation. "

Planners analyzed the service use of 37 men and women over 3 years and found that they cost the city and county more than $800,000 each year. Those 37 were arrested 1,271 times over three years, generating $278,000 in jail costs. EMS services were used 280 times for a cost of $120,000. Hospitalization costs were $425,000.

The Plan addresses a major goal of Asheville's Strategic Operating Plan and a recommendation of the Downtown Social Issues Task Force. Planners relied on evidence-based strategies in their recommendations, and developed five key proposals:

• Designation of a lead entity that will oversee implementation of the plan
• Development of a Homeless Management Information System, (or HMIS,) that will link all services, screen for program eligibility and gather data needed to monitor progress of implementation
• Prevention measures that include better coordination of financial assistance and discharge planning for people leaving public institutions like prisons, mental health facilities and foster homes
• Development of a community-wide Housing First program that will include permanent housing for all homeless people with a 2005 goal of 30 persons experiencing chronic homelessness, and adding 10 new placement each of the next two years
• Provision of services that will ensure that homeless individuals and families placed in permanent housing can remain housed long-term, including adding a second Assertive Community treatment (ACT) team with substance abuse expertise

Hoosier partners gathered this week in Evansville, Indiana, to unveil "Destination Home: A Ten Year Journey To End Homelessness in Evansville and Vanderburgh County." The plan, endorsed by Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel and Vanderburgh County Commissioners, is supported by local partners including the Evansville City Council, Bussing-Koch Foundation, Trinity United Methodist Church Fund, and Evansville Coalition for the Homeless. The local Workface Investment Board hosted the planning process. Mayor Weinzapfel (pictured here) was joined by City Councilor Steve Melcher, County Commission President Catherine Fanello, County Councilor Royce Sutton, Evansville Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Luzada Hayes, and United States Interagency Council Regional Coordinator Daryl Hernandez.

The plan recognized the partnership of the United states Interagency Council on Homelessness, the United States Conference of Mayors, and others in encouraging the development of plans. Evansville's planners recognized that "we continually challenged ourselves to not accept a future in which a given number of homeless in Evansville was to be accepted. We have dared to dream of Evansville in 2014 as a community with an economic and social infrastructure that empowers all its residents to make their homes here. We believe it can be done."

The Plan proposes developing the Hoosier Management Information System (HMIS) to monitor outcomes, as well as creating several new prevention measures. Key among the prevention strategies is a goal of assisting 750 households with case management and rental subsidies to avert homelessness and developing a program to assist travelers who end up facing homelessness in the local community. The Plan will also seek development of a Community Discharge Plan to prevent inappropriate discharge into homelessness.

The new plan sets a goal of re-housing homeless individuals with 14 days of loss of housing with a Housing First strategy of developing rent subsidies for up to 250 households. An additional housing goal to increase local capacity targets creation of 500 units of supportive SRO housing, the movement of 1000 low income renters into homeownership opportunities, and the development of 1500 additional subsidized units. The plan targets homeless young adults (ages 18-23) for development of specialized transitional programs and creation of employment opportunities for the prisoner reentry population.

Dallas 10-Year Plan Leader Tom Dunning this week convened the Dallas Task Force appointed by Mayor Laura Miller to do what more and more cities are doing as they move ahead with the details of developing their plan: learn from cities that are having documented success. Dallas planners hosted City of Philadelphia Assistant Managing Director Rob Hess, who brought with him the details of how Philadelphia, nationally recognized for reducing its street homeless population, has redirected its strategies and spending over time to achieve results. Mr. Dunning is pictured here at left during Mayor Miller's September announcement of his appointment.

Philadelphia is one of three cities, along with Columbus and San Diego, that a recent United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report on reducing chronic street homelessness found had made good use of cost data, with Philadelphia using data to show the cost of emergency services that could be avoided through placement in permanent supportive housing. HUD found that Philadelphia had several practices that would be of interest to other jurisdictions, including: a concerted plan to address street homelessness, major investments by mainstream agencies, an engagement coordination strategy, a single point of responsibility for homeless issues combined with extensive coordination mechanisms, and active use of data collection and analysis to shape public policy.

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano was invited to address the Task Force. Southern Methodist University Department of Economics Professor Dr. Tom Fomby discussed the role of cost benefit analysis in the City's plan. In June, the Dallas City Council approved final adoption of the 10-Year Plan developed in partnership with Deloitte, the United Way, and the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance. United States Interagency Council Regional Coordinator Sally Shipman also participated in the Mayor's Task Force event.

"If you have no plan, you have nowhere to go. It would be great if you had all the money in the world, but that won't happen overnight. As funding becomes available, with this plan, at least we'll know how to use it." So stated Springfield, Illinois, Mayor Timothy Davlin at the Mayor's Annual Prayer Breakfast as he unveiled his city's new 10-Year Strategic Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. Mayor Davlin (pictured here) committed to move forward with a Plan in a conversation iwth United States Interagency Council Executive Director Philip Mangano, at the November 2003 Prayer Breakfast. This week he was joined by members of his appointed Task Force who have drafted a plan focused on five key elements of ending homelessness in Springfield and Sangamon County: coordination of services, public awareness, prevention, maintenance of effort, and evaluation.

In forming the Mayor's Task Force last year, Mayor Davlin stated, "I believe that too many of us focus on the intransigent nature of the problem; too few of us feel emboldened to work for solutions." Springfield's draft plan sets a goal of 200 new housing units in 10 years to ensure housing for its target homeless population, as well as increasing service coordination through the development of a 24/7 211 one-stop calling system for social service referrals that will be supported by the United Way of Central Illinois. The plan gives special attention to the importance of transportation services and coordination for homeless people to achieve goals of stability and self-sufficiency.

Illinois' Capital City, one of 26 state and territorial capitals undertaking 10-Year Planning (see Did you know) counted 80 people living on the city's streets in its most recent homeless census. Springfield's plan proposes to create low demand shelter and facilities for individuals experiencing homelessness who have mental illness and addiction histories.

. . . that, of the 170 cities and counties that have undertaken or completed 10-Year Plans, 26 of them are in state or territorial capital cities, such as Tallahassee, Florida, which this week convened its first 10-Year Plan Task Force meeting.

. . . that, at this time last year, only 60 jurisdictional CEOs of cities and counties had launched 10-Year Plan processes, making the current total an increase of 110 in the last year. The original challenge to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, made by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano at the Mayors' January 2003 Meeting in Washington, D.C. and formalized at the June 2004 meeting, was for 100 mayors to commit to 10-Year Plans.

. . . that the first 10-Year Plan that was endorsed by a jurisdictional CEO was the Indianapolis Blueprint, endorsed by Mayor Bart Peterson two years ago.

WITH THIS ISSUE, the e-newsletter continues its focus on elements of the Title V federal surplus property and opportunities to secure resources for homeless programs under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Following are properties listed in the most recent Federal Register notice of suitable and available land and buildings.

Title V provides that state and local governments, as well as nonprofit organizations, are eligible to apply for land and buildings that have been determined by the federal government to be "suitable and available" for eligible uses to benefit homeless people. More than two dozen agencies of the federal government are included as "landholding" agencies that may have property.

The Title V program is historically an interagency initiative involving the federal landholding agencies, and with specific roles for the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services, the General Services Administration, and the U.S Interagency Council on Homelessness. The Title V program is historically an interagency initiative involving the federal landholding agencies, and with specific roles for the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services, the General Services Administration, and the U.S Interagency Council on Homelessness. The Council and its federal partners in the Title V process have convened a policy work group on the Title V program to support the Administration's commitment to end chronic homelessness in 10 years and expand policy coordination and collaboration to benefit people experiencing homelessness.

The Interagency Council's web site includes a link to the latest weekly Federal Register notice regarding federal surplus property available under Title V of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Under "Funding" look for the link to the Title V notice.