Housing First Contributes to 33 Percent Drop in Veteran Homelessness

August 26, 2014
		ISSUES  |  POLICY  |  SOLUTIONS  |  NEWS & EVENTS Forward Editor: Emanuel Cavallaro
		Spotlight On... Housing First Contributes to 33 Percent Drop in Veteran Homelessness The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that data from the 2014 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count show a decline of 33 percent (or 24,837 people) in veteran homelessness since 2010. On one night in January, volunteers conducting the 2014 PIT Count counted a total of 49,933 homeless veterans in America. HUD, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness attribute progress to the widespread adoption of evidence-based practices under the Housing First approach and the implementation of federal programs like VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, which pays for rapid re-housing for homeless veterans and their families, and the joint HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) voucher program, which has served a total of 74,019 veterans since 2008. More information

Video of Transformation Talks Available Online Video of the Transformation Talks from the 2014 National Conference on Ending Homelessness are now available for viewing on the Alliance's blog ,Ending Homelessness Today, and Youtube channel. These brief speeches delve into the role of faith-based organizations in ending homelessness, the connection between housing and health care, and why "bureaucracy" should not be considered a dirty word. Speakers included John Ashmen of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, Mitchell Katz of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, and Mary Li with the Multnomah County of the Department of County Human Services in Portland. Watch the talks Report: Job Training Programs May Help 'Disconnected' Youth According to a recent report from the Department of Labor, "What Works in Job Training: A Synthesis of the Evidence," youth who are "disconnected" (unemployed and not in school), including youth experiencing homelessness, may benefit from interventions that combine work skill development with educational activities and supportive services. The report, which looks at the effectiveness of job training programs, examines the evidence from a variety of job training programs designed to improve the employment outcomes for adults and youth. Read the report Job Opportunities at the Alliance The Alliance is currently seeking qualified applicants for two open positions. For qualifications and information on how to apply, see the job opportunities page of the Alliance website. Positions include: Program and Policy Analyst; and Director of Capacity Building. Job opportunities Last Week on Ending Homelessness Today Homelessness Doesn't Discriminate By Emanuel Cavallaro

In this post we look at a video from the Rethink Homelessness campaign that recently went viral: what it says about the issue of homelessness and how it has affected perception of the issue.
Why Housing First Benefits Everyone (Not Just Homeless People)
By Martena Reed
This post, part of our "Conference Lessons" series, examines content from the workshop "Frontline Practice within Housing First Programs" from our National Conference in which experts discussed the effectiveness of Housing First.
How Can RRH Providers Better Serve Survivors of Domestic Violence?
By Stuart Campbell
This post, another post in our "Conference Lessons" series, examines content from the workshop "Providing Rapid Re-Housing for Victims of Domestic Violence" from our National Conference. It looks at data on the intersection of homelessness and domestic violence guidance and discusses how providers should meet the needs of DV survivors.