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Board of Directors
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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Seattle, WA
Leslie Strnisha
(Vice-Chair)
Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
Cleveland, OH
Deborah Fung
(Treasurer)
Paul and Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation
Boston, MA
Tom Nurmi
(Secretary)
William S. Abell Foundation
Chevy Chase, MD
Ann Woodward
(Clerk)
Melville Charitable Trust
Boston, MA
Nancy Barrand
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Princeton, NJ
Sonya Campion
Campion Foundation
Seattle, WA
Nancy Frees Fountain
The Frees Foundation
Houston, TX
Barbara (Bobbie) Ibarra
Miami Coalition for the Homeless
Miami, FL
Bill Pitkin
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
Debbie Reznick
Polk Bros. Foundation
Chicago, IL
Martha Toll
Butler Family Fund
Washington, D.C.
Joe Weisbord
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Support Funders Together
Funders Together is supported by generous grants from several of our member foundations. We encourage members to make a donation or a grant to help support our mission and services.
Funders Together is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
[email protected]
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IN THIS ISSUE
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> Funders Together receives generous individual donations
> A warm welcome to new members, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Greater Cincinnati Community Foundation
NEWS FROM FUNDERS TOGETHER
> Funders Together launches an updated website
> Funders Together and the November 6 Election
> CT Council for Philanthropy and the Melville Charitable Trust co-sponsor Connecticut Funders Forum with Funders Together
NEWS FROM OUR REGIONAL FUNDERS NETWORKS
>Funders Together Houston learns about veterans' homelessness, participates in several planning opportunities, and convenes local stakeholders to discuss homelessness cost study.
NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS
> The Homeless Vote Matters
> Hampton Roads Community Foundation honored by HUD for their work in homelessness
>Public-Private Partnerships: An Effective Way to Address Our Community's Needs
NEWS FROM OUR FRIENDS
>Online registration for the National Conference on Family and Youth Homelessness is opening soon
> HUD Extends CoC Interim Rule Comment Period
> Housing For Heroes: Serving the Housing Needs of Veterans
> Amendment to Opening Doors Released
The latest useful tools and resources on homelessness
Details about upcoming conferences, webinars, and funders-only calls
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Special Announcements
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Funders Together Says Thanks for Contributions to the Cause
Funders Together thanks Bill Pitkin, Anaite Caceres, and Joseph Weisbord for their generous donations to Funders Together. Click here to find out how your organization can support Funders Together.
A Warm Welcome to New Members: the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
Funders Together welcomes the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and The Greater Cincinnati Foundation to our network of funders supporting promising practices to end homelessness. Mark Pritchett, senior vice president for community investment, is representing the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, which invests in homelessness prevention and workforce development. Check out their profile here.
Helen Mattheis, program director for thriving people, is representing The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which has invested in health care for people experiencing homelessness and is currently reviewing an impact investment opportunity that would increase the number of permanent supportive housing units for homeless veterans. Check out their profile here.
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News from Funders Together
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Funders Together Launches Updated Website
We are very excited to announce the launch of our revamped website! While still a work in progress, our goal is to make the site as user-friendly as possible. The site is now focused more clearly on the needs of our members, and we hope that everyone who has an interest in ending homelessness will find useful information here.
Funders Together and the November 6, 2012 Election
Funders Together Board Chair, David Wertheimer, blogs about the lack of discourse on the national campaign stage regarding the importance of homelessness aid. He encourages the philanthropic sector to voice the needs and concerns of those who may, for now, have trouble getting their own voices into the hallways of power. Regardless of which party or candidates you support on November 6th, all of them-and all Americans-will benefit when they hear from the philanthropic sector that ending homelessness must be a high priority for our nation.
Funders Together to Sponsor Connecticut Funders Forum
This October, Funders Together is partnering with the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy and Funders Together board member, the Melville Charitable Trust, to host How Catalytic Philanthropy is Aligning Resources to End Homelessness. The event will seek to answer the question: How can your grant dollars leverage the greatest benefits for Connecticut's most vulnerable citizens?
Funders Together board chair David Wertheimer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide the keynote on the catalytic role of philanthropy in aligning public and private resources to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, families, and individuals, with a focus on housing stability. Participants will hear from a panel of public and private funders, including Funders Together Executive Director, Anne Miskey, and Funders Together member, Janice Elliott of the Melville Charitable Trust, who have made a commitment to systems change that can end, rather than manage, homelessness in Connecticut. Participants will also learn more about Funders Together's commitment to best practices in ending homelessness in communities across the United States.
PRESENTERS
- David Wertheimer, Deputy Director, Pacific Northwest Initiative, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Janice Elliott, Executive Director, the Melville Charitable Trust
- Merle Burke Schlessel, Executive Director, United Way of Coastal Fairfield County
- Nick Lundgren, Director of the Office of Housing and Community Development, Department of Economic and Community Development
- Maria Mojica, Vice President for Programs, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
- Anne Miskey, Executive Director, Funders Together to End Homelessness
Register here
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News from Our Regional Funders Networks
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Funders Together Houston Learns about Veterans' Homelessness
In July, Funders Together Houston met at the US Vets Midtown Terrace facility where they had the opportunity to hear from many different groups and experts working to prevent and end homelessness among veterans. All of these groups suggested that, in general, there is better planning and services available for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans than for veterans of previous wars. In part, this is a result of learning what we did not do well after Vietnam. US Vets Midtown Terrace, which currently operates a single room occupancy housing facility for males, will open another, identical facility soon.
The Funders Together Houston Advocacy working group visited the Veterans Court on August 9th. The court program offers on-site registration for VA benefits and integrated services for general and mental health, addiction treatment, and case management. The need for temporary and/or transitional housing is often an issue as well. Challenges and needs cited were housing for women veterans and especially those with children as well as services for veterans' family members and coordinating the resources available to serve the veterans.
Funders Together Houston Participates in Several Planning Opportunities
Funders Together Houston not only attended the National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference, but Funders Together member Amanda Cloud, of the Simmons Foundation also joined Anne Miskey, Nan Roman, and several FTEH board members in a meeting with representatives from Health and Human Services. The meeting included Bryan Samuels, commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families and other members of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. The group discussed current issues such as the Affordable Care Act, homeless youth as a focus of new data collection and ways in which philanthropy can partner with the Department of Health and Human Services or the US Interagency Council on Homelessness to impact the homeless population nationally.
This summer, Funders Together Houston participated in the first meeting of the Continuum of Care (CoC) Steering Committee. CoCs are the lead decision-making bodies responsible for the strategic planning and coordination of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) HEARTH CoC resources and the coordination of these funds with other area resouces. The Steering Committee, which is comprised of both public and private stakeholders from Houston/Harris and Fort Bend Counties, discussed roles and responsibilities and committee structure.
Funders Together Houston was also an active participant in the Houston/Harris and Fort Bend Counties Community Planning Charrette , an intensive planning process that was used to jumpstart and streamline how the community develops and updates its Community Action Plan to End Homelessness. The planning process brought together more than 450 people focused on ending and preventing homelessness in this region over four days. Funders Together Houston noted that they especially appreciated the input from the consumers. Houston Mayor Annise Parker announced her plan to appoint a Homeless Coordinator in the near future.
Read more about the steering committee and planning process
Funders Together Houston Convenes Local Stakeholders to Discuss Cost Study of Homelessness Interventions
A group of community representatives who work with vulnerable populations and people experiencing homelessness was convened by Funders Together Houston to discuss the possibility that the Federal Reserve could function as a research partner in a cost study on homelessness in Houston/Harris County.
After an in depth discussion with the community partners assembled, Federal Reserve business economist, Jesse Thompson, suggested conducting a cost study that would conduct a cost/benefit analysis of a homeless population that receives an "intervention" versus a homeless population that does not receive the intervention. The intervention studied, in this case, would be permanent supportive housing.
To read more about Funders Together Houston's activities, check out their newsletter.
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News from Our Members
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The Homeless Vote Matters
Our newest board member, Bobbie Ibarra, executive director of the Miami Coalition for the Homeless, recently wrote an article published in the Huffington Post, which addresses the importance and impact of the homeless vote and the many challenges faced by homeless Americans when they attempt to register to vote.
Read more
Hampton Roads Community Foundation Honored By HUD for Their Work in Homelessness
Funders Together member, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation (HRCF), was one of ten recipients of HUD's Secretary's Award for Community Foundations. The award honors community foundations that work closely with the public sector on projects involving housing and neighborhood improvements, education, health and recreation, transportation, community participation, arts and culture, public safety, sustainability, and economic development.
HRCF staff members have provided leadership and technical assistance and convened partners around homeless issues. They were recognized for this work and for providing more than $2 million in grants to help Norfolk, VA implement its plan to end homelessness, pay for a housing specialist, and build four permanent supportive housing communities for 240 previously homeless individuals.
Read more
Public-Private Partnerships: An Effective Way to Address Our Community's Needs
Amanda Cloud, of the Simmons Foundation, blogs about her experience with, and the importance of, public-private partnerships and the positive effect that they can have on improving outcomes for the community. Included is an example of the foundation's work in Houston with the Houston Police Department's Homeless Outreach Team (HOT).
Tell us your Story! Do you have news you'd like to share with other funders about your work in homelessness? Funding an innovative project? Looking to leverage funding? Your news could appear on our blog or in our bulletin. To share your news, contact Allison Silva.
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Online Registration for the National Conference on Family and Youth Homelessness Opening Soon
On Monday, October 15, online registration will open for the Alliance's 2013 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness. The conference will take place at the Sheraton in Seattle, WA, February 21 to 22. Look for future updates and additional information about the conference on the Alliance website and in upcoming editions of the Funders Together Bulletin.
HUD Extends CoC Interim Rule Comment Period
On Friday, September 28, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in the Federal Register that it was extending the public comment period for the interim Continuum of Care (CoC) rule to Friday, November 16, an additional six weeks. The comment period was originally set to close on October 1. The interim rule was originally published in the Federal Register on July 31 and took effect on August 30.
Housing for Heroes: Examining How Federal Programs Can Better Serve Veterans
National Alliance to End Homelessness vice president for programs and policy, Steve Berg, testified on the progress and challenges on ending veterans' homelessness before the House of Representative's Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity Committee on Financial Services on Friday September 14.
Amendment to Opening Doors Released
On September 12, 2012, the US Interagency Council on Homelessness officially 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.
Read more
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Resource Center
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Youth PIT Count Webinar Available
The National Alliance to End Homelessness has published on its website a video recording of a webinar from Thursday, October 4, titled, It's a Data Driven World: Making the Most of the 2013 Youth-Inclusive PIT Count.
This webinar focuses on strategies used by three communities - Washington, DC, San Jose, CA, and southern Nevada - to assess the prevalence of youth homelessness. The webinar provided guidance on how youth providers, advocates, and others can partner with Continuums of Care (CoCs) to ensure a successful youth-inclusive Point-In-Time (PIT) count in 2013. Speakers stressed the importance of conducting an accurate PIT count to promote social policies that will end youth homelessness. Speakers also discussed how to involve youth in planning and implementing the PIT count.
Access the webinar
Social Issue Report on Improving Outcomes for Homeless Youth
Social Impact Research (SIR) recently published a report on improving outcomes for homeless youth. Social Impact Research is the independent research department of Root Cause, a research and consulting firm dedicated to mobilizing the nonprofit, public, and business sectors to work collaboratively in a new social impact market. The report explains how investment in programs to help youth exit homelessness and build positive lives presents a significant opportunity for social impact.
Read more
Retooling Transitional Housing Webinar Now Available
The video recording of the webinar from Tuesday, October 2, titled, Retooling Transitional Housing is now available. The webinar discusses the process by which transitional housing providers can retool their programs to assist people in moving more quickly to permanent housing. In the webinar, Alliance staff highlight keys aspects of the planning process for retooling and provide community examples of retooled programs. The original PowerPoint file used in the webinar is also available for download.
Access the webinar
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Save the Dates
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National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Annual Conference
Hosted by the National Association of Homeless Children and Youth
October 27-30, 2012 | Albuquerque, NM Convention Center
NAEHCY's annual conference equips educators and advocates with the knowledge, skills and inspiration to remove barriers and ensure students experiencing homelessness are successful academically, personally and socially.
Strategic Co-Funding: A Grantmaker Convening
Hosted by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
October 29, 2012 | Washington, D.C.
 Join 150 peers in philanthropy for a convening to explore different approaches to strategic co-funding hosted by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, as part of its Scaling What Works initiative, on Oct. 29 in Washington, D.C.
This day-long convening, designed for grantmakers currently involved in or interested in being part of strategic co-funding partnerships, will offer participants opportunities to deepen their knowledge and advance their practice around key areas such as: - building trust;
- developing joint strategies, goals, and common processes (e.g., due diligence, reporting);
- coordinating with public systems, policy, and funders; and
- collectively raising, administering, and evaluating pooled grant dollars.
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Promote Effective Solutions to Homelessness. Join Funders Together Today!
Through Funders Together, you can connect with other funders like you, share lessons learned and promising practices, and help build the movement to end homelessness in America. Your voice can help make the difference in your community and across the country.
Contact Allison Silva, member services and development officer, at [email protected] with any questions about membership. |
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