HHS Releases Two New Reports on Using Medicaid to Cover Services for People in Permanent Supportive Housing

October 14, 2014
		ISSUES  |  POLICY  |  SOLUTIONS  |  NEWS & EVENTS Forward Editor: Anna Blasco
		Spotlight On... HHS Releases Two New Reports on Using Medicaid to Cover Services for People in Permanent Supportive Housing The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) recently released two new reports on utilizing Medicaid for people experiencing homelessness. The first report describes opportunities for states to use Medicaid to support the health and behavioral health services needed by people experiencing chronic homelessness. It discusses Medicaid's legislative authorities, specific provisions in state Medicaid plans, benefit design, payment mechanisms, contract provisions, and implementation strategies that states could replicate or adapt. The second report is a study which describes findings from six innovative communities that are using Medicaid to cover some of the health and behavioral health services in supportive housing. A Primer on Using Medicaid for People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness and Tenants in Permanent Supportive Housing Medicaid and Permanent Supportive Housing for Chronically Homeless Individuals: Emerging Practices from the Field Alliance to Screen Youth Homelessness Documentary at National Conference At the 2015 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness in San Diego from February 19 to 20, the Alliance will screen the documentary "The Homestretch." The film examines the crisis of youth homelessness by following the lives of three homeless teenagers as they fight to stay in school, graduate, and build futures for themselves. The documentary provides unprecedented access into public schools and youth homeless shelters while connecting deeply with themes of poverty, education, juvenile justice, immigration, foster care, and LGBTQ rights. Stay tuned to the Alliance newsletter, blog, and social media for future updates about the Conference and the screening. If you are interested in hosting a community screening of "The Homestretch," email darcy@picturemotion.com to learn how you can bring The Homestretch to your community. Watch the trailer HUD Releases 2015 HIC and PIT Data Collection Notice and Resources The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released the Notice for Housing Inventory Count (HIC) and Point-in-Time (PIT) Data Collection for Continuums of Care (CoCs), which informs CoCs of information that must be collected in order to successfully complete the 2015 HIC and PIT counts. A key change to the 2015 PIT count is that CoCs will be required to report the total number of youth households, including the race, ethnicity, and gender data for parenting youth and unaccompanied youth counted. Read the notice Last Week on Ending Homelessness Today We Have the Funding to End Veteran Homelessness: Now What? By Kate Seif Recently the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it was releasing an additional $207 million in "surge funding" for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. In this post, we look at what providers in the communities that received surge funding should be doing to ensure these funds are used as efficiently and effectively as possible. Why Don't We Have Enough Beds for Homeless Youth? By Samantha Batko There are not enough beds for the number of homeless youth in this country. Every night, homeless youth are turned away from shelter and housing programs because of a lack of capacity. In this post, we look at ways to solve this problem-or at least begin to address it. Here Are Five Tips for Site Visits with Members of Congress this Fall By Jaime Colman While Congress is on recess until November 12, homeless advocates can take advantage of the election season to engage directly with Members of Congress. In this post, we provide five quick tips for organizing a tour of your local homeless assistance program for your Member of Congress. 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 In effort to end veteran homelessness by 2015, this $270 million doesn't hurt Solving the Country's LGBT Homelessness Crisis, One Midsize City at a Time