Alliance Online News: Conference Registration Closes Early

Alliance Online News View in browser www.endhomelessness.org Tuesday, May 19, 2015 spotlight on... Registration Closes Early for National Conference on Ending Homelessness Due to high demand, registration for the Alliance’s National Conference on Ending Homelessness has reached capacity earlier than scheduled. As a result, we have been forced to close registration early. For those of you who had planned to attend, but were unable to register in time, the Alliance is maintaining a wait list. If you would like your name added to the wait list, please email the Alliance’s office coordinator Susan Nich at snich@naeh.org. We will notify you in the event that a spot becomes available. More information » Overflow Hotel Information The Alliance has negotiated a special rate of $209 plus taxes at the Cambria Hotel & Suites, Washington, DC, Convention Center for conference attendees who are unable to secure reservations at the Renaissance Hotel. Cambria Hotel & Suites, which is located at 899 O St., NW Washington, DC 20001, is just a short walk to the Renaissance. Discounted rates are available through Monday, June 22, or until the hotel room block is sold out. You can make your reservations now by calling 202-299-1188 or make your reservation online by clicking here and selecting the LNHOME rate. Scholarship Deadline Extended The Alliance has extended the application deadline for our conference scholarship program to 3 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 27. Only individuals who are currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness in the past are eligible to apply. Scholarship recipients will receive complimentary conference registration, roundtrip transportation to Washington, DC to attend the conference, hotel accommodations for two nights at the conference hotel, and a stipend. Apply for a scholarship » Conference Agenda » hill update House Appropriations Committee Marks Up Spending Bill Last Wednesday, May 13, the full House Appropriations Committee marked up their fiscal year (FY) 2016 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 $2.185 billion for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants Program, which is $50 million more than the enacted FY 2015 level and $295 million below the amount proposed in the President’s Budget Proposal. The Senate will likely determine its 302(b) allocations soon, at which point Senate appropriations subcommittees will begin to mark up spending bills. T-HUD markup webcast and documents » alliance events Upcoming Webinar: Host Homes for Homeless Youth Tuesday, May 26, 2 to 3 p.m. EDT On Tuesday, May 26, at 2 p.m. EDT, the Alliance will host a webinar on using host homes to provide shelter to homeless youth. Host homes are a cost-effective model that draws on existing housing in a community sponsored by caring adults. In this webinar, speakers will look at host homes programs in Minnesota and Nebraska and discuss the challenges of host homes and their benefits, both for young people and for communities. Register » from the blog Ending Homelessness Today the official blog of the national alliance to end homelessness Here are 6 Places that are Using Medicaid to End Chronic Homelessness by Jayme Day As communities are becoming more advanced in their efforts to end chronic homelessness they are taking steps to secure funding in systemic ways and from a variety of sources, including Medicaid. Chronically homeless people make up just a small part of the overall homeless population (15 percent on a given night), but they are the hardest to help. All chronically homeless people struggle with serious physical or mental disabilities, including mental illnesses like schizophrenia and alcohol or drug addiction, that make obtaining and maintaining housing on their own extremely difficult. Read more » comments » | Family Homelessness 2.0 by Dan Brettler, Goron McHenry Jr., and David Werthheimer Those of us who have been engaged in efforts to end family homelessness over the past decade need to acknowledge one of two things: Either the work is extremely complex and difficult, or we’re not very good at our jobs. While both of these statements could be true, given the time, talent, and passion that so many have been focusing on this issue for so long, we conclude (and hope) that the first statement is more accurate. There are many different crises that can catapult a family into homelessness: Loss of a job, domestic violence, accidents or serious illness, and inter-generational poverty – to name just a few. In addition, despite efforts to coordinate, past experiences in responding to homelessness have shown us that, although admirable, fragmented, non-integrated efforts to solve this problem by organizations and systems working independently and on their own have not stemmed the tide of this crisis. Read more » comments » | The State of Homelessness in America: Trends in Youth Homelessness by Liza Doran It is a generally acknowledged truth that kids can be difficult, particularly teenagers. Homeless kids are difficult, too—but I’m not talking about mood swings or rebellion. I’m talking about data. Counting homeless unaccompanied children (below age 18) and youth (ages 18 to 24) is one of the many challenging tasks that homeless advocates face. Each January, communities across the country conduct Point-in-Time Counts. These counts give a national snapshot of homelessness on a single night, and are a valuable tool in monitoring trends in homelessness. Point-in-Time Counts are challenging, and they became even more so in 2013 when the federal government mandated that communities begin counting homeless unaccompanied children and youth. Read more » comments » | homelessness in the media Stagnant Wages, Scant Affordable Housing Keep People Homeless In D.C. Region, Report Says L.A.'s grim homeless data: What can be done? Homeless census: Fewer veterans on the streets, but more unaccompanied minors About Us The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the problem of homelessness and preventing its continued 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! »