| a publication of the Georgia Coalition to End Homelessness, Inc. | |
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From the Desk of the Executive Director
Dear Supporters,
Our network has identified the lack of affordable housing as one of the key issues contributing to homelessness in Georgia. GCEH's goal is to open dialogue at different levels across the state on the challenges that contribute to a person's "state of homelessness". Currently the media has focused on foreclosure rates and how they have escalated to an all time high. Those of us who work on the front lines in the social services arena know that it goes deeper than just the foreclosure figures. In 2006 the State of Georgia's poverty rate was documented at 13.5% compared to the national poverty rate of 12.3%. We know that poverty is the single most significant indicator of homelessness. We also know that most Georgian's living at or below the median income level live in rental properties as they lack the resources necessary to purchase a home.
Therefore, over the past months our research division has been gathering information from selected communities across the state of Georgia on the number of dispossessory warrants and eviction proceedings. Many counties have been instrumental in helping to gather 2006 data pertaining to these numbers in their community. I want to thank those counties for taking the time to research the information requested and reporting back to our office and ask for their help once again as we compile the numbers for 2007. This will complete the information needed for a comparison report. Upon completion of this report we will forward a copy to our network.
Georgia's dispossessory and/or eviction figures are important to our public education and planning processes. Your support and commitment is most appreciated. Please don't hesitate to contact our office at 1/877-243-1576 if there is anything we assist.
Sincerely,
Katheryn A. Preston
Executive Director
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Foreclosures Hit Home..Real Life Stories
Angelica had lived in her home and paid the mortgage for 18 years. When she suddenly lost her management position, she was forced to take two part-time jobs just to pay her bills. By the time she found a full-time job that paid enough, her mortgage payments were three months overdue.
Bradley a proud Vietnam Vet, understands the meaning of the word "home." He's lived in his home for decades, raised his family there and planned to remain there the rest of his life. However, financial troubles and chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome left him ill and his mortgage in arrears. In August of 2006, Bradley was hospitalized. During his five-month hospitalization, he lost a portion of his Veteran's Administration pension, which decreased his monthly income by nearly $1,200.
Charlotte has lived in her home for the past thirteen years. A child development worker, she has enjoyed raising her eight year-old-son in their own home. However, their stability was threatened in the spring of 2006, when she became one of the tens of thousands of Americans facing foreclosure. In March of 2006 Charlotte was faced with some major car repair bills. Needing her car to get to work, she had no option but to pay the burdensome bills. The large bills drained her family's finances, and she fell four months behind on her mortgage.
When a death in the family made it necessary for Anna to care for a relative's two young children, she thought she would still be able to meet all of her financial obligations. But after Anna's mother was hospitalized in critical condition, the situation became even more strained. As Anna traveled repeatedly across the state , acting as caregiver to her mother as well as the children she had taken in, she began to experience health problems of her own. On one of these trips Anna was involved in a car accident, leading to more medical bills as well as car repair costs. To make matters worse, the strain that caring for her family put on Anna caused her to lose her job.
Foreclosure Assistance Links:
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Georgia Child Advocates Call For Action
The Fiscal Year 09 budget eliminates a $29,700,000 TANF transfer to childcare services which equals at least 8000 childcare subsidy slots.
Georgia's demand for subsidized childcare already far exceeds supply. The state maintains a waiting list of 12,000-14,000 of individuals (based on most recent DHR statements) who qualify for childcare subsidies. A loss of additional subsidized spots will make the goal of finding affordable, quality childcare even more elusive for low income families who need childcare successfully maintain employment and become self reliant.
To be eligible for the subsidized childcare program, the parent must participate in work activities an average of 30 hours per week. In addition, parents must meet certain income eligibility guidelines. Most eligible families pay a portion of the cost of childcare to the provider, and the program pays a portion of the costs to the provider. Subsidized care is available for early childhood and school age care programs, as funds permit, for children from birth to age 13, or up to 18 if the childcare special needs.
When parents do not have access to affordable, quality childcare, they may be forced to leave their children with neighbors, older siblings, or boyfriends or to choose poor quality settings. Without age appropriate stimulations, children will fail to grow intellectually and social, requiring expensive interventions as they age. Moreover, a commitment to child safety demands that working parents have the ability to place their children in quality childcare settings while they work to provide for their children.
Call the Governor to ask that he recognize the direct relationship between access to affordable quality childcare and employment by providing necessary funding for the childcare subsidy program. Ask him not only to restore the $29, 700,000 cut but to also work to eliminate the waiting list as 33 other states have done.
Raise your voice today to ensure that Georgia has adequate revenues for support for families, education, healthcare, transportation!
Link here to contact Gov. Perdue and your local representatives.
The Georgia House of Representatives will likely hold a floor vote on HR 1246 and HB 979, the bills constituting House Speaker Richardson's tax plan. This major tax overhaul will cut some property taxes and increase sales taxes (reinstating the sales tax on groceries and taxing 176 services that are not taxed today). Far from making the tax system more stable or more equitable as a tax reform plan should, it will make taxes less fair for Georgia's families and, according to the fiscal note, will great a state funding decline of $827 million upon full implementation.
According to the Georgia Budget and Tax Policy Institute (GBPI) , this budget shortfall is the equivalent of 100% of the Peachcare budget plus 33% of the Medicaid budget; 10% of the K-12 early education budget; or 49% of the Department of Human Resources budget. Alan Essig, the Executive Director of GBPI has stated, "Since 75 percent of the state budget funds education, health care and criminal justice, it can't be balanced under the speaker's proposals without some combination of deep cuts to these services. An $827 million budget shortfall will also make it extremely difficult to improve our scandalous mental health and child protective services systems." ( Atlanta Journal Constitution, 2/21/08).
Contact your state representative today to let them know you oppose this legislation that would create funding shortfalls and increase the tax burden on Georgia's working families. Ask your representative to vote against HR 1246 and HB 979.
Link here to contact Gov. Perdue and your local representatives.
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Georgia's Homeless Mentally Ill...S.O.A.R. Can Help
Annually, up to $41 million in social security entitlements go unclaimed by homeless Georgians with mental illness. With support from a new three-year federal grant entitled "SOAR," the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) will help homeless people with mental illness significantly enhance their access to social security benefits by helping them complete complicated applications. Nationally, Georgia ranks 49TH with respect to social security approval rates; its denial rate is 74%. For the homeless with mental illness, rates are believed to be even worst. Reasons behind Georgia's performance are largely due to individuals having difficulty completing applications or simply not knowing they are eligible. Approximately 45% of Georgia's homeless population is believed to have mental illness.
"Almost half of the homeless population is missing out on benefits for which they are eligible," said Gwen Skinner, Director for the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases. "With new statewide training and coordination among DHR, outreach workers and local social security offices, we will be able to dramatically improve the lives of thousands and alter Georgia's homeless culture."
Under the new program, DHR has trained more than 500 homeless outreach workers statewide on techniques to expedite access to social security benefits. The new processing time will now take approximately 90 days as opposed to 12 months. SOAR trainees personally assist consumers in completing applications and help them retrieve medical records from health care facilities, which historically has been a significant barrier.
SOAR which stands for SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery is considered a national best-practice model designed to enhance access to supplemental security income and social security disability insurance for people who are homeless. States that have successfully implemented SOAR have been able to save millions of dollars in recovered Medicaid and general assistance funds.
It is estimated that $4 billion is spent annually on homelessness by local and state governments.
For more information on SOAR, contact the DHR Office of Mental Health at 404.657.2134.
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Georgia Receives $27.9 Million for Homeless Housing and Shelter
More than 5,300 local homeless programs throughout the nation will receive nearly $1.4 billion in funding announced by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson. HUD grants will support a record number of local programs, providing critically needed emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent support more than 150,000 individuals and families.
The state of Georgia was awarded a total of $27,916,381 million in grants to support dozens of local programs across the state. For a detailed local summary of the projects awarded funding, visit www.hud.gov.
"These grants will support thousands of local programs that are on the front lines of helping those who might otherwise be living on our streets," said Jackson. "Whether it's a single man living with a mental illness or a family struggling to give their children a roof over their heads, this funding is quite literally saving lives."
Since 2001, HUD has awarded approximately $9 billion in funding to state and local communities to support the housing and service needs of homeless persons and families. Next Year, President Bush is proposing a record level of funding to house and serve homeless persons and families. The FY 2008 Budget seeks more than $1.6 billion through HUD's Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs.
Jackson added, "The homeless must not become invisible or marginalized. Our response tells us much about our humanity as a people and a nation. When our fellow citizens literally need shelter from the storm, or a meal, or counseling, or help to regain their footing in life, we must be there to respond."
HUD's funding is provided in two ways:
- HUD's Continuum of Care programs provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons. In addition, Continuum grants fund important services including job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care. More than $1.2 billion in Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to local programs to meet the needs of their homeless clients. Continuum grants fund a wide variety of programs from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families. Half of all Continuum funding awarded today, nearly $618 million, will support new and existing programs that help to pay rent and provide permanent housing for disabled homeless individuals and their families (see attached summary of the funding awarded today).
- Emergency Shelter Grants provide funds for homeless shelters, assist in the operation of local shelters and fund related social service and homeless prevention programs. HUD is awarding $160 million in Emergency Shelter Grants that are allocated based on a formula to state and local governments to create, improve and operate emergency shelters for homeless persons. These funds may also support essential services including job training, health care, drug/alcohol treatment, childcare and homelessness prevention activities. By helping to support emergency shelter, transitional housing and needed support services, Emergency Shelter Grants are designed to move homeless persons away from a life on the street toward permanent housing.
The Goal to End Chronic Homelessness
For six years, ending chronic homelessness has been one of President Bush's national goals. Research indicates that approximately 20 percent of all homeless persons experience long-term or chronic homelessness. These studies conclude that this hardest-to-serve population utilizes more than half of all emergency shelter resources designed to assist homeless individuals and families. By shifting the federal emphasis toward meeting the needs of the most vulnerable homeless persons, more resources become available for those who experience situational homelessness. To learn more about chronic homelessness, visit the HUD's Chronic Homelessness webpage.
HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.
For more information, call Bonnie Dixon, (404) 331-5001 ext 2013
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Augusta Awarded $500,000 For Homeless Programs
A half million dollar grant is helping get homeless people off Augusta's streets.
The grant awarded by Housing and Urban Development this week will go toward four local programs.
One of them, called the Economic Opportunity Authority, Transitional Housing Program offers food, temporary affordable housing, furniture, and other resources to help homeless people get back on their feet. "I was able to clean my credit, establish a bank account, do things for my kids that I hadn't been able to do in years," said Monique Braswell who went through the program. The Goodwill and Hope House also got a chunk of the money. Augusta is one of five Georgia cities that got grants this week.
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| FHA Reaching Out to 850,00 At-Risk Homeowners
Beginning this week, HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is mailing hundreds of thousands of letters to at-risk homeowners who need a more affordable alternative to the high-cost mortgages they are currently paying. The first round of 280,000 letters was sent this week with another 570,000 letters to be sent through September 2008.
"For hundreds of thousands of families, this letter might be the most important piece of mail they receive all year," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "Not only could this information keep a roof over their heads, it could provide them with financial sustainability and security for the long term. Our aggressive outreach will ensure families are educated about the safe mortgage alternative that FHA offers."
These letters are being sent to homeowners who have already faced or are experiencing the first reset of their adjustable rate mortgages, and live within geographic locations that are currently subject to FHA loan limits nationwide. Currently, FHA can insure home loans valued between $200,160 and $362,790. Bipartisan legislation has passed both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives that would increase the loan limits, allowing FHA to insure bigger mortgages in high-cost states. Once this bill is reconciled and signed by President Bush, approximately 250,000 more families could be helped this year at no cost to the taxpayer.
FHA-insured loans are backed by the full faith and credit of the government, which typically allows lenders to offer mortgage products at a lower, more affordable interest rate. More than 90 percent of FHA-backed mortgages are 30-year, fixed rate products. FHA also provides a one-of-a-kind loss mitigation program that helps protect borrowers against foreclosure. Finally, FHASecure, which allows borrowers who are current and delinquent on their loans to refinance with the FHA, is saving tens of thousands of families on average $400 a month compared to their exotic subprime loans.
Below is a complete copy of the letter being sent to homeowners.
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Dear Homeowner,
Do you need help with your mortgage?
Your area is experiencing a disturbing home foreclosure rate that has accelerated in recent months. News reports cite the damaging effects of "subprime loans" as a major factor in the unsettled market. By focusing on education and safe mortgage alternatives, though, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is working diligently to address this unacceptable foreclosure trend.
Over the past few months, FHA has worked with mortgage loan servicers to identify solutions for the crisis facing current homeowners. Your current mortgage does not have to be FHA insured for you to benefit from our help. If you are facing financial difficulties due to a recent or imminent mortgage reset, or other housing-related difficulty, I urge you to contact us at 1-800-CALL-FHA or to visit www.fha.gov. There you will have the opportunity to learn about foreclosure prevention, legal rights, and credit counseling, among other topics.
Many homeowners may also be able to take advantage of our recently announced FHASecure program. This new program allows eligible homeowners to refinance into a secure, fixed-rate FHA loan even if they are in default.
Additionally, a new partnership between mortgage companies and non-profit housing counselors called HOPE NOW is available to you. Their mission is simple: reach out to homeowners who may be having difficulty paying their mortgages. For more information or to see if your mortgage company is a member of this caring coalition please go to www.hopenow.com.
Again, please contact us at 1-800-CALL-FHA (800-225-5342) or go to www.fha.gov. As part of the federal government, the Federal HousingAdministration wants to help you protect and preserve the American dream - your home.
Sincerely,
Brian Montgomery
Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner
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Information contained in this document may or may not be original to the Georgia Coalition to End Homelessness. All information is sent or forwarded to our membership and supportive organizations as an informational service. Information we receive from outside sources may be modified from it's original content during the forwarding process.All information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed to be without error.
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