Alliance to Release Annual State of Homelessness Report Tomorrow

27, 2014
		ISSUES  |  POLICY  |  SOLUTIONS  |  NEWS & EVENTS Forward Editor: Emanuel Cavallaro
		Spotlight On... Alliance to Release Annual State of Homelessness Report Tomorrow The Alliance will release its "State of Homelessness 2014," on Wednesday, May 28. The report, which will be available on the Alliance website, is the fourth in the series of annual reports examining national and state trends in homelessness. "State of Homelessness 2014" will cover trends in homelessness between 2012 and 2013, at-risk populations between 2011 and 2012, and the number of beds available for people experiencing homelessness in 2012 and 2013. For additional information about the release, stay tuned to the Alliance newsletter, blog, and social media. Hill Update White House: Julián Castro Nominated for HUD Secretary Position President Obama has nominated San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro as the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The President has nominated current HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan for the role of Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Both nominations must be confirmed by the Senate. "And it's precisely because he's lived out the American Dream that he'll work his tail off to make sure more people can travel that same path and earn their own dreams as well," the President said of Castro's nomination. More information House Appropriations Committee Marks Up Spending Bill Last Wednesday, May 21, the full House Appropriations Committee marked up their fiscal year (FY) 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) spending bill for programs under its jurisdiction, including the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program and many other low-income housing programs. The bill largely includes the same funding levels for homeless assistance and affordable housing programs that were included in the subcommittee's draft bill, including flat funding the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program at $2.105 billion and cutting various other programs. To read the text of the bill and the report, visit the committee website. Senate Appropriations Committee Determines 302(b) Allocations Last Thursday, May 22, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up its 302(b) allocations, which represent the amount of funding each appropriations subcommittee has to spend on programs under its purview. The Senate would provide $54.253 billion for the subcommittee that funds HUD and Transportation programs, significantly more than the House bill would provide. Now that these 302(b) allocations have been determined, Senate Appropriations Subcommittees have begun to mark up spending bills for programs under their jurisdictions. Senate Appropriations Committee Marks Up Veterans Spending Bill On Tuesday, May 20, the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee marked up their FY 2015 spending bill; the full Senate Appropriations Committee marked up the bill on Thursday, May 22. The spending bill includes a total of $71.19 billion in discretionary spending for Veterans Affairs and military construction programs, equivalent to the amount requested in the President's Budget Proposal. This includes $1.641 billion for targeted homeless veteran programs, $241 million more than the FY 2014 enacted level and $41 million more than the amount requested in the President's Budget Proposal. Spending levels for all specific VA homeless programs are not yet available to the public. The report highlights progress made in recent years to end homelessness among veterans and also directs Secretary Shinseki to conduct a needs assessment of veterans in rural areas who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and welcomes suggestions on how to improve housing stability for these veterans. Hearing Audio More information Alliance Releases New Comprehensive Assessment Tool The Alliance has released a new coordinated assessment tool designed to help communities prioritize consumers for various homelessness interventions. The Comprehensive Assessment Tool, as detailed in an Alliance blog post last week, is made up of multiple components, including pre-screening, diversion screening, HMIS-required questions, a housing prioritization tool, and a modified Vulnerability Index tool. An accompanying dynamic waitlist allows communities to keep track of people waiting for openings within each intervention while ensuring that wait lists do not becomes too long or unwieldy. Questions about either document should be sent to thecenter@naeh.org. Access the tool Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC) Sessions Stream Live During the 17th Annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC) May 28 to 30, sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services, all of the plenary sessions and several breakout sessions will be available for viewing live. The conference convenes researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss topics related to the well-being of low-income families, including: the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, success in the labor market, and approaches to alleviate poverty and strengthen the safety net. Register for WRECLive Last Week on Ending Homelessness Today How Many People are Experiencing Homelessness in Your Community? By Thomas Friedlander In this post, we look at how the picture of homelessness in 2014 is shaping up, according to the media and government reports the Alliance's Homelessness Research Institute (HRI) has obtained and chronicled with our 2014 Homeless Counts Map. Housing Identification: A Rapid Re-Housing Core Component By Stuart Campbell In this post, we take a more in-depth look at the at the first core element on the Alliance's "Core Components of Rapid Re-housing" resource: Housing Identification. Housing identification is so much more than just finding a home for a household experiencing homelessness. In fact, the primary "customer" in this context isn't the household at all, but the landlord. More on the blog		ABOUT US The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, non profit organization dedicated to solving the problem of homelessness and preventing its continued growth. www.endhomelessness.org    Sign the Statement Sign the Never Another Homeless Veteran Statement!    JOIN US! The Alliance is online: on Facebook, on Twitter, on our blog, and on our website! Join the Alliance's online community, and stay up-to-date with homelessness and housing information.    NEED HELP? Visit the Center for Capacity Building to learn more about the ways the Center can help your community end homelessness.    In the News After Months Of Homelessness, A Teen Leaves The Woods Behind Where Are D.C.'s Homeless Families Living Now That D.C. Doesn't Have to House Them?