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| Since 2010, homelessness has been reduced by 10 percent, including a 25 percent reduction in unsheltered homelessness. |
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Four Years after Launching Opening Doors, Data Shows Clear Success
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A message from Laura Green Zeilinger
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| HUD releases 2014 PIT data in Annual Homeless Assessment Report |
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Today, HUD released new data from the 2014 Point-in-Time (PIT) count, a national enumeration of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.
The results are clear: homelessness is on the decline; we continue to make real progress against all of our goals.
The call of Opening Doors and the mission of USICH is to work across all levels of government, and in partnership with private and nonprofit partners, toward a common goal. This unprecedented collaboration has been the key to our progress.
Since the launch of Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in 2010, the federal government, with states and communities, advocates, and private and nonprofit partners, has mobilized the most comprehensive and collaborative effort to end homelessness ever. All across the country, communities are working to create systems that connect resources, solve problems, and move together toward real and sustainable solutions to homelessness.
In the last four years, we have proven not only that homelessness is a solvable problem; we have made great strides toward solving it and to achieving the vision that everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home.
In four years, we have reduced overall homelessness by nearly 10 percent, including a 25 percent reduction in unsheltered homelessness, meaning fewer of our neighbors, our families, and our Veterans are facing nights on the streets, in cars, in abandoned buildings or other places not meant for human habitation. Through the widespread use of evidence-based practices like Housing First, permanent supportive housing, and rapid re-housing, and by bringing mainstream housing, health care, employment, and education resources to bear, we are changing the trajectory of homelessness in measurable ways.
When we break the numbers down further, we see a trend line emerge across all of the goals of Opening Doors. We also see that, where we have resources in place to meet the need, greater progress is being made.
Read more of Laura's message.
Key Findings include:
On a single night in January 2014, state and local planning agencies reported:
- 578,424 people were homeless representing an overall 10 percent reduction from January 2010. Most homeless persons (401,051 or 70 percent) were located in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs while 177,373 persons were unsheltered.
- Veteran homelessness fell by 33 percent (or 24,837 persons) since January 2010. On a single night in January 2014, 49,993 veterans were homeless.
- Chronic or long-term homelessness among individuals declined by 21 percent (or 22,937 persons) since 2010.
- The number of families with children experiencing homelessness declined 15 percent (or 11,833 households) since 2010. The number of unsheltered families fell 53 percent during that same time period.
- The number of unaccompanied homeless youth and children was relatively unchanged overall, at 45,205. There was a 3 percent decrease in those who were unsheltered.
Read HUD's press release.
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Learn more about the Partnerships for Opening Doors Summit
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"One of the best ways to eliminate homelessness is to get people jobs," said Labor Secretary and Chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Thomas Perez at the Partnerships for Opening Doors summit, which took place at the Labor Department's headquarters in Washington, DC, on October 16, 2014.
Co-hosted by the Departments of Labor (DOL) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), USICH and the Butler Family Fund, the day-long national summit focused on integrating employment and housing strategies to prevent and end homelessness. Leaders from 11 communities representing Workforce Investment Boards, Continuums of Care, state Workforce Development Councils, advocacy and community-based and national nonprofit organizations engaged in intensive discussions to identify key actions for Federal partners to take to improve access to meaningful and sustainable employment, skills training, and supportive training for people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.
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New Tools for Using Medicaid with Permanent Supportive Housing
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The Affordable Care Act creates unprecedented opportunities for health and behavioral health coverage for people experiencing homelessness. Through both the expansion of Medicaid coverage and new opportunities for care coordination, such as through the new Health Home option, all States have the opportunity to increase Medicaid's role in serving individuals experiencing homelessness. Some States and communities have already led the way in designing innovative Medicaid programs to serve individuals experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless individuals through permanent supportive housing, a proven and cost-effective intervention for ending homelessness, improving health, and lowering public costs.
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 to serve as tools for States and communities working to expand services and supports for people in permanent supportive housing. While they focus on services for people experiencing chronic homelessness, the options highlighted in the Primer can be used by States to increase the role of Medicaid in providing supportive services to any individual who requires supportive services to achieve housing stability and improved health and well-being.
As the Medicaid program evolves to meet the needs of its beneficiaries, new policy and clarifications of existing policy will be made. These will be disseminated through State Medicaid Directors' Letters and through other guidance, which will be available on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid website at cms.hhs.gov. Stay tuned for fact sheets and briefs from USICH and its partners that will help States, community health centers, supportive housing provider organizations, and organizations serving Veterans understand the options outlined in these documents.
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FY 2014 CoC Program Competition Application Deadline Is Today!
The FY 2014 CoC Priority Listing, that includes all project applications submitted to the CoC that are either approved and ranked or rejected, must be submitted in e-snaps by 7:59:59 p.m. ET October 30, 2014.
Ann Oliva, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs and Acting Director, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs at HUD, Highlights the Work Being Done to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness
https://www.hudexchange.info/news/snaps-in-focus-youth-homelessness/
HUD Releases Children and Youth and HUD's Homeless Definition
The document provides information about HUD's definition of "homeless" as it relates to children and youth to assist providers and stakeholders that serve youth experiencing homelessness and have questions about eligibility.
Scholarship, Volunteer Opportunities at the 2015 National Family and Youth Conference
The Alliance is currently accepting applications for its scholarship and volunteer programs for the 2015 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness, which will take place at Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina February 19 to 20. The deadline to submit an application for the scholarship program is Wednesday, December 3. Only individuals who are currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness in the past are eligible to apply. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the scholarship application form here and email the completed application to Alliance Conference Associate Jaime Colman at jcolman@naeh.org.
SAMHSA: SSA Benefits Can Help End Veteran Homelessness
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a brief explaining the impact that connecting Veterans to Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits can have on Veteran homelessness. According to the brief, "Connecting Veterans to Social Security Disability Benefits: A Key Component in Ending Veteran Homelessness," providing outreach to Veterans about SSA benefits and assisting them with the application process can increase their incomes and housing stability. Improving access to mainstream benefit programs, such as SSA, is one of the objectives outlined in Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
http://www.nchv.org/images/uploads/Connecting%20Veterans%20Issue%20Brief%20092014%20(2).pdf
VA Announces $93 Million Available for SSVF Program
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) this month announced the availability of funds for supportive services grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. This Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) contains information concerning the SSVF Program, initial supportive services grant application processes, and the amount of funding available. Awards made for supportive services grants will fund operations beginning approximately March 1, 2015 through February 28, 2018.
The overriding goal for this NOFA is to ensure that appropriate levels of resources are provided to communities with the greatest need to end Veteran homelessness. VA will provide approximately $93 million over a three-year period for non-renewable grants to eligible entities proposing services for one of 28 priority Continuums of Care. VA has designed this three-year effort to provide a surge of resources in communities with the highest need. These 28 locations have been selected based on factors that include levels of Veteran homelessness and current unmet service needs.
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/10/10/2014-24281/funding-availability-under-supportive-services-for-veteran-families-program
New Housing First Video Training Series and SSVF Research Available
The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans has developed a series of videos to assist with implementing Housing First at VA medical centers and in their respective communities.
The National Center also just released a new research brief, "Predictors of Homelessness Following Exit from the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program." Read it here.
The National Center on Family Homelessness to Host Four-Part Webinar Series on Trauma-Informed Care for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness
Research shows that women Veterans are two to four times more likely to experience homelessness than non-Veteran women, and 81 to 93 percent have experienced a traumatic event. The National Center has developed a fact sheet to raise awareness about these issues. In addition, from November - December 2014, the center will conduct a free series of four webinars:
- Trauma-Informed Care: An Organizational Approach to Serving Veterans (Nov. 12)
- Building a Trauma-Informed Organization (Nov. 19)
- Lessons from the Field - Adopting Trauma-Informed Care (Dec. 3)
- Meeting the Unique Needs of Women Veterans (Dec. 10)
National Alliance to End Homelessness to Host Webinar on 2015 PIT
On Monday, Nov. 3, at 12 p.m. ET, the Alliance will host a webinar on the basics of how to plan and implement the unsheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. During the webinar, "Prepare for the 2015 Point-in-Time Count: Unsheltered Count 101," William Snow of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will provide guidance on federal regulations, and leaders from the Continuums of Care (CoCs) in Las Vegas and Winston-Salem, NC, will share their most effective unsheltered PIT Count strategies.
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MAYORS CHALLENGE TRACKER
232 mayors, 6 governors, and 18 county officials have committed to end homelessness among Veterans in their communities by the end of 2015.
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by Mark Putnam
By Peter Nicewicz
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By Jasmine Hayes
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and this year is the 30th anniversary of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. Over the past several months, there have been a number of high profile cases involving domestic violence that have garnered significant media attention. The spotlight on these specific experiences has helped to bring a larger discussion to the public arena about domestic violence, including perceptions about perpetrators and survivors, as well as the supports that are an essential part of the network of emergency shelters and supportive services in responding to domestic violence.
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By Eric Tars
Every day, people who experience homelessness are subjected to local laws and ordinances that challenge their human rights and create real and lasting barriers. Jerome Murdough should have never been in that jail cell in the first place. If Jerome Murdough was served by a system that approached housing as a human right - and homelessness as something to solve rather than something to criminalize - he might still be alive today.
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What Works:
Alternatives to Criminalization
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Investing in proven solutions is a key premise of Opening Doors. The commitment to end homelessness compels all of us to focus resources and efforts on solutions that work, while encouraging well-designed innovations for continuous improvement. Here we offer entries from the USICH Solutions Database that provide you with case studies of tools communities are using to address the human rights of people experiencing homelessness. |
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FY 2014 CoC Program Competition Application Deadline
Oct. 30, 2014 at 7:59 p.m. Eastern
Learn more.
2014 National Runaway and Homeless Youth Grantees ConferenceNov. 10-13, 2014
Learn more.
National Center on Family Homelessness Webinar: Trauma-Informed Care: An Organizational Approach to Serving VeteransNov. 12, 2014, 1-2 p.m. ET
Details and registration information.
2014 NCHV Veterans Access to Housing SummitNov. 13-14, 2014
Learn more.
Check Out More Upcoming Events
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Like What You See?
Send your questions and comments about the USICH Newsletter to communications@usich.gov.
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