President Lauds Collaborations to End Homelessness  

Mayors Prove that Ending
Chronic Homelessness Among Veterans is Possible

"Across the country, we're partnering with mayors, governors and State legislatures on issues from homelessness to marriage equality," he said.

Last week at a White House reception for more than 300 mayors, the President spoke specifically about the critical role mayors play in the lives of Americans, holding up the achievements of Mayor Ralph Becker of Salt Lake City and Mayor Greg Stanton of Phoenix, Arizona and their communities as proof that progress can be made despite challenges.  

"Everyday mayors are proving that you don't have to wait for the gridlock to clear in Congress in order to make things happen," the President said.  "Mayor Greg Stanton in Phoenix and Mayor Ralph Becker in Salt Lake City, Utah have ended chronic homelessness among Veterans."

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By Laura Zeilinger, USICH Deputy Director 

As we often say, if we are going to reach our goals nationally, we must act locally. The opportunity to have conversations with mayors from cities throughout the country last week, at the US Conference of Mayors 82nd Annual Winter Meeting, was an inspiring reminder of the tremendous leadership behind local efforts and actions to end homelessness. Having worked for a mayor, I have huge appreciation for the scores of issues that demand mayors' attention all day, every day. Last week, mayors were talking about homelessness. 

They raised the issue not just in conversations with USICH, but in the Community Development and Housing Committee with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, in the Task Force on Veterans with VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers, and of course at the Hunger and Homelessness Task Force meeting. The Hunger and Homeless Task Force not only plays an important role in informing the US Conference of Mayors' priorities on homelessness, but it is also a place where mayors raise local challenges and share innovative solutions. 

As evidenced by the robust dialogue and strategizing that happened during the meeting, it was clear that many mayors see themselves as on the "front lines" in efforts to end homelessness across this country. In my work at the Council, I continue to hear from communities that one of the most important factors to driving progress is a strong and visible mayor who is willing to champion the issue of ending homelessness by setting concrete goals and driving accountability for results.

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Earlier this month, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced up to $600 million in new funds available for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) includes up to $300 million in FY 2014 funds and $300 million in FY 2015 funds.

SSVF has been critical to progress on ending Veteran homelessness. The program funds community-based organizations which provide an array of supportive services to assist very low-income Veteran families experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, with the goal of accessing and maintaining permanent housing.

USICH encourages Veteran programs that serve very low-income Veterans who have not previously received SSVF funding to apply, as well as current grantees. Here is our summary of this year's funding opportunity, including a break-down of the Priority levels, guiding questions in completing the application, and considerations for HUD Continuums of Care in providing letters of endorsements for program applicants. 

Non-profit and public agencies that are dedicated to ending homelessness often struggle with finding sources of funding. In addition, they often seek out funding from several different organizations, both private and public, in order to fund all of their projects.

An effective solution to this problem is to create a funders collaborative. A funders collaborative is in partnership with State, local, and philanthropic funders and streamlines access to funding sources and creates common goals to help all of its members prioritize and maximize their funds. Successful funders collaboratives have three main elements:

• They are composed of only funders to allow for realistic policy and funding assessments
• They create shared goals so that all funders remain unified when allocating resources, and are often aligned with State and local plans to prevent and end homelessness
• They pool resources and create joint-applications or a shared agreement within the collaborative

Funders collaboratives have been used effectively in several cities, including Seattle, Denver, Boston, and Los Angeles. Examples of successful funders collaboratives can be found on United Way of Los Angeles' blog and in USICH's PHA Guidebook. To view more information on how funders collaboratives can help prevent and end homelessness, visit the funders collaborative solutions database page.

Explore our solutions database for more solutions to prevent and end homelessness.