June 2013
 
Serving Those Who Serve The Homeless

  Housing Houston Heroes

Housing Houston's Heroes Celebrates 1 Year and 557 Homes

The Houston Housing Authority and Mayor Annise Parker hosted a celebration on May 29th to mark the one year anniversary of Housing Houston's Heroes, an initiative which has housed 557 homeless individuals and families, including over 488 homeless veterans to date.

As part of the ceremonies, Mayor Parker and Houston Housing Authority President and CEO Tory Gunsolley recognized the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston for its contribution to the project.  For more information on Housing Houston's Heroes and the anniversary celebration, click here.

Pictured are staff members from the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston accepting the award. From left to right:  Erol Fetahagic, Tory Gunsolley, Marilyn Brown, Mayor Annise Parker, Scot More, and Gary Grier.

National Webinar Features Houston Family Permanent Housing Model

A local collaborative will garner national attention in an upcoming webinar hosted by United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and the Departments of Education (ED) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After the Houston/Harris County Continuum of Care Steering Committee agreed to support the federal Opening Doors Strategy, local partners have been hard at work developing strategies to end Family and Youth Homelessness by 2020. 

 

One such effort was an innovative collaborative formed when the Harris County Housing Authority committed to provide 100 Housing Choice Vouchers to permanently house homeless families in an underserved area-unincorporated Harris County. Knowing that supportive services are critical to exiting homelessness, the Housing Authority partnered with Northwest Assistance Ministries to rapidly re-house homeless families into the units by providing case management and critical service linkages. Because schools are often the first to know when a family begins sleeping in their cars or seeks shelter, they will be a critical component of the Coordinated Access System to link homeless families to housing.

The webinar is scheduled for 1:00-2:30 p.m., Thursday, June 6. To register, click here.

Advocates for Homeless Youth in Texas Move Forward with Passage of SB 717
With the passage of SB 717, Texas youth who are homeless or relying on friends and strangers for a temporary place to sleep will now be allowed to sign for their own medical treatment as well as to contract for transitional living arrangements.

 

In a joint document presented to the bill's author Sen. Royce West and the House sponsor Rep. Elliott Naishtat, One Voice Texas and Texas Network of Youth Services noted that homeless youth are vulnerable to human trafficking and other negative outcomes associated with not having a safe and stable residence, but by applying certain sections of the Family Code to transitional living environments, the state of Texas could establish tools that youth and service providers can use to better serve this population.

For the full story ...

Submit Nominations for Texas Homeless Network Awards

Nominate that colleague, community member, volunteer group, company, or organization doing an outstanding job in helping to end homelessness. Texas Homeless Network wants to recognize people and organizations doing extraordinary things. Nominations can be for tireless advocates, donate their time, needed items, or money, are creating programs to improve services, or work directly with individuals or families experiencing homelessness. Deadline is July 19. Submit nominations here.

Joe V's Smart Shop Becomes Community Resource Center
The Houston Food Bank has partnered with Joe V's Smart Shop to launch a Community Resource Center within the low-cost grocery store. The vision is that the space will provide community members access to social services and other resources that they may have otherwise not known about or not been able to get to. The large storefront space is available 7 days a week, 8am-8pm.

 

Houston Food Bank will be providing SNAP outreach and a Nutrition Education Program 3 days a week. Along with outreach booths and a demonstration table,  a large resource wall for brochures and other educational materials will be featured. Community partners are invited to help utilize this space.

  

The Center will be located at 5609 Uvalde Rd. within the Joe V's grocery store.

Homeless Court 2012 Review Now Available Online

Homeless Court 2012Nearly 100 people gathered to hear the recent presentation on the progress of the Homeless Court in 2012. Numbers included 1,973 resolved cases and 517 defendants completing community service activities equaling nearly a half a million dollars in fines. To view the presentation, click here.

For links to recent media coverage of Houston Registry Week and podcasts on how Houston is transitioning homeless people to supportive housing visit ...
Latest Coalition News

In This Issue
Housing Houston's Heroes
National Webinar
Passage of SB 717
Nominate for Texas Homeless Network Awards
Joe V's Smart Shop
Homeless Court 2012
  
Upcoming Events
Lunch and Learn:
2013 Homeless Count
June 19
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
 
United Way
50 Waugh Drive
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CoC Steering Committee
June 13, 2013
3:30 - 5:00 PM
  
City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department
601 Sawyer
Ground Floor Conference Room
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NEW ONLINE RESOURCES:
  
Click here for links to GRANTS of interest to service providers.
 
Coalition Job Openings:
 
  
  

 

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