Alliance Online News: Introducing the Alliance's New Newsletter

Alliance Online News View in browser www.endhomelessness.org Tuesday, March 17, 2015 spotlight on... INTRODUCING THE NEW ALLIANCE NEWSLETTER! We are proud to present the new Alliance Online News newsletter. We are excited about this new mobile responsive design and the potential it holds for sharing our content in a more dynamic, user-friendly way. Please feel free to share your thoughts by clicking on the link below to access our design feedback survey. We're interested in hearing your thoughts on the design, and we  want to know if you experienced any problems accessing the new newsletter or viewing it. In the coming months, we will be rolling out new designs for our other newsletters: Advocacy Update, Donor Newsletter, and our new Rapid Re-Housing Update. So stay tuned. Fill out the survey » video spotlight Webinar Recording: Rapid Re-Housing Spotlight Communities: Mercer, NJ and Los Angeles hill update HUD Secretary Testifies in Support of President’s Budget Proposal On Wednesday, March 11, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro testified at a hearing that the HUD’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 funding level request in the President’s proposed budget would help the agency reach the nation’s shared priorities, including “helping more Americans secure a place to call home.” At the hearing, which was held by the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee, Secretary Castro said that the proposal includes funding that would effectively end chronic homelessness and would make significant strides in the work to end homelessness among families and youth. He explained, “with Congress’ support through programs like HUD-VASH, we have seen dramatic reductions in homelessness among veterans. If our nation invests in the targeted programs we know work, we can make similar progress in tackling other forms of homelessness. Specifically, HUD’s Budget would fund Homeless Assistance Grants at $2.5 billion – a $345 million increase over last fiscal year’s level.” Secretary Castro’s written testimony Opening statement by Subcommittee Chairwoman Susan Collins from the blog Ending Homelessness Today the official blog of the national alliance to end homelessness Mar 17, 2015 06:38 am Now is a Critical Moment for PHAs to Step into the Fight to End Homelessness by Julie Klein, Jayme Day, and Emanuel Cavallaro Due to the sequestration cuts in fiscal year (FY) 2013, about 100,000 fewer families had access to housing vouchers by June of 2014 compared to December 2012[EC1] , according to speakers on a recent webinar held by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “Prospects for 2016 Funding and Implications for Voucher Utilization.” The lack of funding has put public housing authorities (PHAs), which are responsible for administering housing assistance, in a tight spot. PHAs have become reluctant to issue housing vouchers to families in need of assistance out of fear that they won’t be able to renew them. The good news is that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced that funding will be available this year to cover 100 percent of voucher renewal costs from calendar year 2014. Read more » comments » | Mar 13, 2015 08:50 am Here's a Fast and Easy Way for You to Help End Homelessness by naehblog It’s that time of year again when members of Congress are circulating “Dear Colleague letters” to encourage their colleagues to support increased funding levels for programs that they care about. As such, we’ve launched a Letter Writing Campaign to urge members of Congress sign on to letters in support of funding the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program at the level the Obama Administration proposed for FY 2016: $2.480 billion. This funding level would accelerate our progress toward ending chronic, family, and youth homelessness by allowing us to provide an additional 25,500 units of permanent supportive housing and 15,000 rapid re-housing interventions. Read more » comments » | Mar 11, 2015 08:00 am On Hypothermia Nights: Helping People Experiencing Homelessness by Jaime Colman Here in Washington, DC the cold temperatures and harsh weather during hypothermia season, which lasts from November through March, are dangerous for everyone, but they are perhaps most dangerous for those who are homeless. Just last year, the punishing winter resulted in nine known deaths of homeless individuals in DC. This winter I volunteered with the Hypothermia Emergency Response Team, which is run by the Capitol Hill Group Ministry. Team volunteers are deployed on nights when the Department of Human Services issues a hypothermia alert in an effort to support the city’s efforts to provide emergency shelter on these frigid nights. Hypothermia alerts are issued when the temperature is forecasted to fall to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below, including the wind chill factor. Read more » comments » | About Us The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, non profit organization dedicated to solving the problem of homelessness and preventing its contined growth. 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. www.endhomelessness.org Forward to a Friend Need Technical Assistance? Visit the Center for Capacity Building to learn more about the ways the Center can help your community end homelessness. Sign The Statement Sign the Never Another Homeless Veteran Statement! »