United States Interagency Council on Homelessness - No on should experience homelessness. No one should be without a safe, stable place to call home.

Ending Family Homelessness
September 14, 2012
Council Meeting Focuses on Family Homelessness Strategies and Programs 

Using Mainstream Resources Together to Prevent and End Homelessness for Families  

 

On September 12, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) hosted the third Council meeting of the year, which focused on work being done in Utah and Washington State to use mainstream programs to help prevent and end family homelessness. USICH Chair and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was joined by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, Director of the Corporation for National and Community Service Wendy Spencer, Luke Tate from the White House Domestic Policy Council, and representatives from 18 member agencies. This meeting was the second meeting of the Council to be webcast, this time live via HUD. 

 



This meeting focused on how leaders at all levels can bring mainstream resources and programs to the table to give families the support they need to exit homelessness. These mainstream resources, which include public housing, schools, workforce centers, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), can be woven together with targeted homelessness resources to make progress. For the nearly 242,000 individuals in families experiencing homelessness on a given night, it is critical that agencies at all levels of government work together to expand practices that work for families, like rapid re-housing and school interventions.

Rapid re-housing as a key intervention for families was a highlighted topic in the meeting. However, as HPRP funds come to a close and these interventions become part of HUD's Emergency Solutions Grant program, it is important that communities look to leverage more mainstream resources to keep successful projects going. "What we learned from HPRP that is good news, especially because money is tight, is that often is takes just one security deposit or one bill payment to prevent homelessness for families," noted HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "We now need to take the good things we've started [like rapid re-housing] to the next level so they move into the mainstream." 

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Learn more about these strategies and what was discussed in the Council meeting

Amendment to Opening Doors Released  

Amendment Focuses on Educational Outcomes for Children and Youth and Unaccompanied Youth Homelessness 

  amendment cover

On September 12, 2012 USICH offically released the Amendment to Opening Doors which was developed to specifically address what strategies and supports should be implemented to improve the educational outcomes for children and unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. The Amendment provides further clarity on what needs to be done specifically for youth and children if we are to reach the goal of ending homelessness among families, children and youth by 2020.

 

The Amendment document is divided into two sections. The first is Improving Educational Outcomes for Children and Youth, which amends Objectives 5 and 2. The second is Meeting the Needs of Unaccompanied Youth, which amends Objective 8. Notably, this Amendment includes the work of USICH and federal partners in the development of a preliminary research-based intervention model for unaccompanied youth, part of the new youth framework presented at the June 2012 Council Meeting.   


Read the full Amendment and learn more

 

Experts from Utah and Washington Share their Success 

Programs Leveraging TANF, public housing, school system, and workforce system resources

 

This Council meeting on family homelessness featured two experts from the field: Associate Executive Director of Programs at The Road Home, Michelle Flynn, and Executive Director of the Tacoma Housing Authority (THA), Michael Mirra. USICH invited these two leaders because they demonstrate how organizations can leverage mainstream resources and collaborations to address family homelessness. 

 

 

Michelle Flynn spoke to the Council on how The Road Home has leveraged state TANF funds and partnered with the state Department of Workforce Services to expand and continue their rapid re-housing program which began with HPRP. Their model of assessment and continued supportive services for families assisted with rapid rehousing works: 87% of families served with these resources remain stably housed. 

 

Michael Mirra spoke to the Council about the ways the THA in Washington State is using flexibility provided under HUD's Moving to Work demonstration to support rapid re-housing, as well as partnering with schools and the child welfare system to improve outcomes for families and children experiencing or at risk of homelessness. He asserts that tailoring the availability, type, amount, and duration of assistance to the need for family housing is essential, in addition to linking housing dollars with services.  

 

- Learn more about their programs and read their briefs

 

Program Profile: Tacoma Housing Authority's McCarver Schools Project 

 

Mentioned by Michael Mirra in his discussion with the Council, the McCarver Schools Program at the Tacoma Housing Authority seeks to address the problem of high student turnover at the highest-poverty school in the district. This elementary school has roughly 120% student turnover, meaning teachers oftentimes never have the same student in class for the entire year. As is well documented, school mobility has profound effects on the academic achievement and the social and emotional development of students. THA used housing vouchers to stabilize 49 families with 76 children who attended McCarver and were experiencing homelessness or whose families were at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness. THA has recently released an evaluation report on the effectiveness of this program.   

- Learn more and read the evaluation

HHS, Private Foundations Name Grantees for Supportive Housing Initiative for Families  

 

Five sites chosen to work with child welfare-involved families to prevent foster care placement and stabilize families
 
The Department of Health and Human Services announced local partners for the combined public and private $35 million initiative aimed at providing supportive housing for families with a history of involvement in the child welfare system. This includes reuniting families with children who have entered the foster care system or to stabilize families who may be at risk of child welfare system involvement with supportive housing. This initiative is an outgrowth of the success of The Corporation for Supportive Housing's Keeping Families Together program, which showed tremendous positive outcomes for families and cost-effectiveness for the public sector. This five year initiative is funded in partnership with four major philanthropic partners, whose representatives were in attendance at the Council Meeting: the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Programs, and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. 

Learn more about the five grantees and the initiative

Corporation for Supportive Housing Releases New PHA Toolkit   

 

Toolkit Seeks to Advance Efforts of PHAs in Supportive Housing 

This week the Corporation for Supportive Housing released a new resource for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), the PHA Toolkit. The online toolkit provides the knowledge and know-how, through templates and examples, to advance the efforts of PHAs, regardless of size and Moving to Work status, to establish supportive housing in their communities. Supportive housing combines affordable housing with services that help people achieve housing stability by addressing their other needs such as employment and health. The toolkit offers a primer on homelessness and supportive housing in addition to describing how to form solid local partnerships to build a network committed to supportive housing in your own community.

 
Table of Contents
 
Council Meeting Focuses on Family Homelessness
Amendment 2012 Released
Experts Share Success in Utah and Washington
Tacoma Housing Authority's McCarver Schools Project
HHS, Foundations Name Supportive Housing Initiative Grantees
CSH Releases PHA Toolkit
USICH Adds Three Special Advisors
 
USICH Adds Three Special Advisors to the Staff 
USICH is pleased to welcome three Senior Advisors to the Executive Director this September who will work in specific program areas to continue progress towards to the goals in Opening Doors.  

Dr. Joshua Bamberger is the Medical Director of the Department of Housing and Urban Health at the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the medical director of the Housing and Urban Health Clinic. He will be working on Veterans homelessness for USICH

Lloyd Pendleton is the Director of the State of Utah's Homeless Task Force. He will be focusing on reducing the impact of the criminal justice system on homelessness.   

Cathy ten Broeke is taking a leave from her position as Director of the Minneapolis/Hennepin County Office to End Homelessness where she has led the planning and implementation of the community's plan to end homelessness. She will be focusing on housing and homelessness systems policy.  

Read more about these Special Advisors



Upcoming Events
  
National Zarrow Mental Health Symposium and Mental Health America Conference 
      
Wednesday, September 19- Friday, September 21 
Learn more

 

CoC Registration Submission Due 

 

Monday, October 1

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Check Out More Upcoming Events on our Online Calendar  

 

 

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