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United States Interagency Council on Homelessness e-newsletter |  |
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Partners In a Vision
WASHINGTON, DC. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development yesterday issued its 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, a national study that explores changes in homelessness nationwide. HUD's assessment concludes that while overall homelessness in America held fairly steady from 2007 to 2008, the number of homeless families, particularly those living in suburban and rural areas, increased. In addition to the annual report, HUD Secretary and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Chairperson Shaun Donovan announced that HUD will, for the first time ever, begin measuring homelessness on a quarterly basis to gain a better understanding of the impact of the current economic crisis on homelessness. The first "Homeless Pulse Project" for the first quarter of 2009 is now available. "The annual report tells us a great deal but it also begs many questions about how today's housing crisis and job losses are playing out in our shelters and on our streets," said Secretary Donovan. "The Administration's aggressive approach to economic recovery recognizes that during these difficult times, families in certain areas of the country are at extreme risk of falling into homelessness. With our new Quarterly Homeless Pulse Report, we will be able to better understand the impact of the current economic crisis on homelessness across the country." According to the 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, between 2007 and 2008, the number of sheltered homeless individuals remained virtually the same while the number of homeless families seeking shelter increased by nine percent overall, and by nearly 56 percent in suburban and rural areas. According to HUD, key findings from the new report include: About 664,000 people nationwide were homeless - either sheltered or unsheltered - on a single night in January 2008, down about 7,500 people (or one percent) from the previous year. The number of people using homeless residential programs during the course of the year remained steady. Between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008, approximately 1.6 million homeless people used shelters or transitional housing programs at least once. While the number of homeless individuals in shelters was about the same as last year, the number of people in families increased by 9% to 516,700, suggesting that family homelessness was on the rise at the time of the data collection. Homeless persons in shelters and on the street continued to be most heavily concentrated in urban areas. One in five people homeless on a single night in January were located in Los Angeles, New York, and Detroit. However, in the twelve months ending on September 30, 2008, the share of the sheltered homeless populations in suburban and rural areas increased substantially, from 23 percent in 2007 to 32 percent in 2008. There were early signs that the economic crisis may have affected trends in homelessness nationally. Notably, a greater share of people accessing the homeless system in 2008 came from stays with friends and family and from places where they had lived a year or more, suggesting that people who had been stably housed were becoming homeless after exhausting their housing options. The 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) is the fourth in a series of reports prepared by HUD. The 2008 AHAR paints a complete picture of homelessness - including counts of individuals, persons in families, and special population groups such as veterans and those experiencing chronic homelessness. It provides data on how people use different types of shelters, where they were just before entering these residential programs, and how much time they spent in shelters over the course of the year. The new report is the first to provide year-to-year trend information on homelessness nationwide and the first to compare one-night Point-in-Time (PIT) counts over several years.
HUD measures homelessness through the Annual
Homeless Assessment Report in two ways: The AHAR and other data on homelessness reported to HUD are only collected annually, which limits HUD's ability to track real-time changes in homelessness. To address this limitation, HUD also released the first "Pulse Report", the result of partnering with nine volunteer Continuums of Care nationwide to collect more timely data on homelessness. The new data will help to gauge whether rising unemployment, increased foreclosures, and a slumping economy are leading to marked increases in homelessness. The up-to-date information will enhance HUD's ability to respond to the economic crisis and inform public policy. Communities included in the new report are: Phoenix/ Mesa/ Maricopa County, Arizona; Bridgeport, Stratford, and Fairfield, Connecticut; Washington, DC ; Lakeland/ Winterhaven/ Polk County, Florida; Kentucky Balance of State; Shreveport/ Bossier/ Northwest, Louisiana; New York City; Cleveland/Cuyahoga County, Ohio; and Richmond/Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover Counties, Virginia.
WASHINGTON, DC. Following the announcement by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Chairperson Shaun Donovan of the most recent national data on homelessness, the Secretary also announced the award of $1.2 billion in new resources from the President's recovery package for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP). "This is money that will not only spare families the hardships of homelessness, but will save taxpayers significant money in the long run," said Secretary Donovan. "Often times, a little bit of financial assistance can make all the difference between a stable home and being forced to live in a shelter or on the streets." HPRP provides a total of $1.5 billion for communities to provide short - and medium-term rental assistance and services to either prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless or help those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly re-housed and stabilized. Plans for the remaining grants under this program are still being approved and will be announced in the coming weeks as well. Grants provided under HPRP are not intended to provide long-term support for individuals and families, nor will they afford mortgage assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure. Rather, HPRP offers a variety of short- and medium-term financial assistance to those who would otherwise become homeless, many due to sudden economic crisis. This can include short-term rental assistance (up to three months), medium-term rental assistance (up to 18 months), security deposits, utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance, and hotel vouchers. Payments will not be made directly to households, but only to third parties, such as landlords or utility companies. The program also provides assistance to rapidly re-house persons who are homeless and likely to remain stably housed, whether subsidized or unsubsidized, once the HPRP assistance concludes. To read a list of HPRP awardees, click here.
WASHINGTON, DC. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Chairperson Shaun Donovan has announced the award of 2,500 rental assistance vouchers to 37 public housing authorities across the U.S. to reunite more than 7,500 children with their parents after foster care placement and to prevent homelessness for aging out foster care youth. "As a father of two sons, I can't imagine the pain parents must feel when their family is separated because of the lack of affordable housing," said Secretary Donovan. "I am pleased to announce these vouchers will allow thousands of children to live with their families." HUD is providing nearly $20 million in funding through the Family Unification Program (FUP), which provides Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) rental assistance to families whose lack of adequate housing is a primary cause of parents being separated or near separation from their children. In addition, approximately 20 percent of these vouchers will help provide stable housing for about 1,500 young adults (ages 18-22) who have "aged-out" of the foster care system. These vouchers, like regular Housing Choice Vouchers, allow a family to rent housing from a private landlord and generally pay 30 percent of the family's monthly adjusted gross income towards rent and utilities. According to statistics released by HUD and gathered by the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW), an affordable housing/child welfare advocacy group, keeping children in foster care is an expensive alternative to affordable housing. On average, it costs more than $48,000 annually per family when children enter foster care. By contrast, housing and services to keep a family together costs approximately $15,000 annually. Supportive services for FUP families and youth are provided by agencies funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This $20 million investment in FUP vouchers is estimated to save more than $134 million in foster care costs. Housing authorities that are awarded the vouchers work closely with local public welfare agencies to identify youth at risk of homelessness and families for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary reason the family's children are in, or must be placed in, foster care.
WASHINGTON, DC. States, local governments, national, state, local, or community-based public or nonprofit private organizations, faith-based organizations, Indian tribes or a tribal consortium, federal health safety net organizations, and elementary or secondary schools and who may target homeless populations are eligible applicants for the $80 million in new federal resources for outreach and enrollment in the Children's Health Insurance Program. On February 4, 2009, the President signed into law the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) (Pub.L. 111-3). CHIPRA reauthorizes the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2013, providing an additional $35 billion in federal funds to enable States to maintain their current CHIP programs and increase enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP. CHIPRA includes a number of provisions increasing outreach funding and activities to enroll eligible, but uninsured children, in coverage with a particular focus on those who are the most difficult to reach. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award a total of $80 million during two or more award cycles to eligible entities to conduct targeted outreach, resulting in increased enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP of eligible but unenrolled children. CHIPRA provides these resources for fiscal years 2009-2013, expressly for the purpose of providing outreach grant money to find these children and ensure that they are enrolled in the Medicaid and CHIP programs and that they retain this coverage while they are eligible. The priority for the award of grants will be given to eligible entities that propose to target geographic areas with high rates of eligible but unenrolled children, including such children who reside in rural areas; or racial and ethnic minorities and health disparity populations, including populations with cultural and linguistic barriers to enrollment. Demonstration of the ability to target, enroll, and retain specific populations with high rates of un-insurance and issues with access to health care. These target populations may include but not be limited to the following: homeless populations, defined as individuals who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary living accommodations and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. The award of the new grants is based on the following principles: Outreach must be results driven and connected to actual enrollment and retention of children in these programs. Grantees must be able to provide sound data demonstrating the connection between the proposed outreach efforts and resultant program enrollment and retention. Data and systems improvements will be considered for funding within a proposal, when the applicant can demonstrate that these are appropriate within the context of the outreach strategies and will result in increased enrollment and retention. It is CMS' intent to share best practices and lessons learned among grantees and we are particularly interested in successful outreach efforts that can be replicated. CMS anticipates awarding about 200 grants in Cycle I averaging around $200,000; with the individual award amounts ranging from a minimum of $25,000 to a maximum of $1 million. An applicant teleconference will be held Wednesday, July 22, 2009, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. According to HHS, states have been successful in enrolling children in Medicaid and CHIP, but there are still several million children who are eligible for this public, comprehensive coverage but are not enrolled. The commitment to enroll and retain these children in Medicaid and CHIP has been reinforced by CHIPRA. Other populations include legal immigrants or children living in households with mixed immigration status; cross-border populations; children of migrant farmers; Hispanic children; teens; rural populations; and American Indian/Alaska Native populations. To read the funding announcement, click here.
WASHINGTON, DC. The U.S. Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS) has announced FY 2009 and FY 2010 funds to support local Stand Down events for homeless veterans. Stand Downs are community- based events targeted to homeless veterans and designed to offer a welcoming atmosphere, a safe gathering place, and easy access to a broad range of services for homeless veterans. Stand Downs are derived from the military practice of 'standing down" from customary activity or the front line. Under the announcement, VETS anticipates that up to $400,000 will be available in each year for grant awards of up to a maximum of $10,000 per multi-day event, and a maximum of $7,000 for a one-day event. VETS expects to award approximately 45 grants each fiscal year. Availability of FY 2010 funds will be dependent upon Congressional appropriations. Applications for Stand Down funds will be accepted from State Workforce Agencies and State and local Workforce Investment Boards, Veterans Service Organizations (VSO), local public agencies, and non- profit organizations, including community and faith- based organizations. Applications for Stand Down grant funding should be submitted to the appropriate State Director of Veterans Employment and Training/Grant Officer Technical Representative (DVET/GOTR). Address and contact information for each State DVET/GOTR can be found at http://www.dol.gov/vets/aboutvets/contacts/main.htm The closing date for receipt of applications is 60 days prior to the event or July 30, 2009. Any events approved in FY 2009 must be held prior to December 31, 2009. Applications for events planned in FY 2010 must be received at least 60 days prior to the event and no later than July 30, 2010. The full Solicitation for Grant Application for Stand Downs is posted at http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/Stand% 20Down/main.htm. Stand Down events offer communities an opportunity to participate in United We Serve, the nationwide call to service by President Barack Obama. The President has called on Americans to respond to growing community needs resulting from the economic downtown and create meaningful change in their communities by engaging in service. United We Serve was launched with a National Day of Service on June 22 and will culminate with the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11, 2009. Community volunteers are encouraged to take part in these events. Visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs web site to identify a contact for each of the events listed here.
July 13: Concord, CA
August 8: Seminole County, FL
September 2: Bismarck, ND
WASHINGTON, DC. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has announced the availability of Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) opportunities at the Lyons, NJ VA Campus. VA seeks to competitively select a private developer to lease one 91,303 square- foot building or approximately 16 acres of vacant space located on the campus. The successful private EUL bidder(s) will provide VA with in-kind consideration that includes the development and operation of new supportive housing units with on-site supportive services for individuals and/or families. Such units and services will be provided to Veterans, who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, on a priority basis. The VA New Jersey Health Care System (VANJHCS) is comprised of two main campuses - the corporate office at the East Orange Campus located in northeastern New Jersey, and the Lyons Campus located 22 miles west of the East Orange Campus in Bernards Township, Somerset County, NJ. The 304- acre Lyons Campus has 30 buildings that total 1,116,389 square feet. In addition to general medical, psychiatry, and long-term care, a full range of medical and surgical subspecialty care is provided to veterans of the VANJHCS in a variety of special programs. In addition, the Lyons Campus has affiliations with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the Trenton State Psychiatric Hospital. The Final RFP is now available for review. Responses are due to VA by September 4, 2009. Interested parties can also subscribe to the VA-EULMH_LYONS- L ListServ to receive email updates. VA Enhanced-Use Lease authority is a proven method for VA to leverage its diverse real property/facilities to private or other public entities for up to 75 years in order to realign unused or underutilized real assets in a manner that will yield a "highest and best" use and return to veterans, taxpayers, and the government through revenues and/or in-kind consideration in the form of facilities, space and/or the provision of goods and services. Through the EUL authority, VA can outlease the targeted land and improvement for a term of up to 75 years to accommodate the scope of the project. In return for a long-term lease of the assets, the offeror will provide "fair consideration" to VA. VA's primary objective in leasing the property is for a selected developer to establish and thereby increase the number of housing units with on-site supportive services available to homeless Veterans, including those at imminent risk of homelessness, and eligible non-Veterans. In December 4, 2006, the VA Secretary signed the site review initiative with the objective of conducting a comprehensive review and assessment of VA's vast infrastructure and capital asset inventory to decrease the amount of underutilized real property and maximize its value through EUL. The EUL proceeds from the executed projects will be reinvested to enhance services provided to the Veterans. On May 5, 2008 the VA Secretary approved 49 sites for EUL development under this initiative. Projects were divided in two phases for implementation. OAEM already awarded four of the Phase I projects in FY 2009. In Phase I , 22 sites are actively pursuing the homeless component and 23 projects are on hold. On Hold projects are being evaluated for feasibility and need to proceed as a housing development or some other development within the long term care continuum such as assisted living. In the Phase II site review initiative, 15 sites are approved for a market driven project which may include a housing or long term care component. There is opportunity to develop multiple projects within each site.
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email:
usich@usich.gov
web:
http://www.usich.gov
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