|
In the Field: Using Medicaid in Supportive Housing
An interview with Colorado's John Parvensky on Using Medicaid for Supportive Services
A Federal Perspective: An interview with Richard Frank,
HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
| | |
|
|
|
|
Homelessness and Health Reform: a Special Note from USICH Deputy Director Jennifer Leimaile Ho
For over a decade, communities across the country have been gathering evidence about the relationship between chronic homelessness, poor health, and high health costs, as people experiencing homelessness consistently seek care in the most expensive emergency room and hospital settings. The high cost to society of homelessness, combined with proof that supportive housing leads to lower health expenditures and better health outcomes, helped energize efforts and increase funding to reduce chronic homelessness.
The passage of the Affordable Care Act in March put an incredible wind in our sails driving us towards an end to homelessness. With this Act in place, now is a crucial time for people in homeless services to understand the magnitude of Medicaid and the opportunity it presents. Why are mainstream programs important? Because they are big enough to solve the problem of homelessness. This may not be the easiest way, but I would suggest it is the only way.
- Read more from Jennifer
- USICH Tips: Questions to Ask in Using Health Reform to End Homelessness
|
|
USICH Learns About Integrated Care Models
On October 21, 2010, USICH and the Center for Medicaid, CHIP, and Survey and Notification collaborated to co-host a listening session to learn about effective integrated care models for people who have experienced chronic homelessness, and to discuss the challenges and lessons learned from organizations that operate these programs as they relate to Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Hearing about how other agencies and communities are addressing integrated care sparked enthusiasm and inspiration for the participants, who contributed their valuable insight to this productive conversation.
- What we learned
|
|
Los Angeles Plan to House Veterans and Individuals Experiencing Chronic Homelessness Gains Wide Support
 | | Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors |
Earlier this month in Los Angeles, an unprecedented assembly of county-wide elected representatives, law enforcement leaders, social service and housing providers, philanthropists, religious leaders, federal officials and national homeless experts endorsed the Los Angeles Business Leaders Task Force on Homelessness plan, Home For Good. The goals in Home for Good of ending chronic homelessness and Veterans homelessness in five years, are aligned with goals for these groups in Opening Doors.
At the announcement, USICH Executive Director Barbara Poppe pledged her support and acknowledged the importance of the broad coalition of stakeholders needed to make the goals a reality. On December 7, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 in favor of the Plan.
- NY Times and Los Angeles Times coverage
|
|
VA and USICH Host National Forum on Ending Veterans Homelessness
 More than 400 participants from across the country took part in a two-day national forum on ending Veterans homelessness by strengthening preventative measures and collaboration among government and private-sector organizations. Participants worked together in planning how to increase access to stable and affordable housing; expand economic security; improve health care; and change the nation's system for dealing with homelessness.
The Department of Veterans Affairs and USICH co-hosted the forum and are working in partnership with the Council's member agencies to end Veterans homelessness by 2015. Keynote speeches included USICH Vice Chair and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, USICH Chair and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, and USICH Executive Director Barbara Poppe.
|
|
Department of Justice and USICH Hold Summit on Alternatives to Criminalization
On December 1, the Department of Justice and USICH held a summit on the criminalization of homelessness entitled Searching for Balance: Civic Engagement in Communities Responding to Homelessness. The summit was developed in response to the HEARTH Act, which tasked USICH with developing constructive alternatives to criminalizing homelessness. City government officials, police officers, business improvement districts, court officials, health providers, Continuum of Care leads, national advocates, federal partners, and people experiencing homelessness all participated in the summit, representing more than 20 communities across the nation.
The summit focused on solutions through policing and outreach strategies, the justice system, seamless systems of care, and coordinated volunteerism. Participants worked collaboratively within those areas to identify policies and practices that treat people experiencing homelessness with dignity and respect under the law, while simultaneously meeting the need to maintain safety and civic order in communities. USICH will use the outcomes of this productive conversation to draft a set of concrete recommendations on alternatives to criminalizing homelessness, and will submit those recommendations to Congress and distribute them to states and localities.
|
|
Council Member Agency Updates
Department of Veterans Affairs
VA and CSH Team Up to Facilitate Grant-Writing Workshops
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Corporation for Supportive Housing will be co-hosting a series of workshops across the nation on writing grant applications for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program. Participants can register online for one of the five workshops which will take place in January in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, and New York City.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
HPRP Spending Report Released
On November 22, HUD released the latest HPRP spending report, detailing to what degree grantees have spent the funds received. HPRP grantees are required to spend 60% of funds within 2 years of receiving the grant.
HUD also announced on December 1 that HPRP has helped prevent or end homelessness for 750,000 people in more than 300,000 households so far.
|
|
|
USICH Mission
. . . to coordinate the federal response to homelessness and to create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of the Federal Government in contributing to the end of homelessness.
|
|
|
