Federal Court: Panhandling Carries a Message of Poverty, Homelessness

Alliance Online News View in browser www.endhomelessness.org Thursday, October 8, 2015 spotlight on... Federal Court: Panhandling Carries a Message of Poverty, Homelessness A federal court has ruled that a city ordinance that would have limited panhandling in Grand Junction, Colo., is unconstitutional. The court sided on Thursday, Oct. 2,  with the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued the city last year on the grounds that the ordinance violated the First Amendment right to free speech. “Often, a request for money conveys conditions of poverty, homelessness, and unemployment,” said Judge Christine Arguello of the Grand Junction court. The Denver Post: Police ordered to stop enforcing city's panhandling ban » hill update Congress Passes Continuing Resolution Through Dec. 11 Congress has passed a stopgap funding measure that will fund federal programs at Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 levels until Dec. 11. The CR, which passed last week in the Senate by a vote of 78 to 20 and in the House by a vote of 277 to 151, was signed into motion by President Obama. Congress is expected to determine FY 2016 funding after the November recess. Alliance Resource: FY 2015 Continuum of Care NOFA Tools The Alliance is rolling out new resources to help Continuum of Care leadership and other stakeholders navigate the FY 2015 CoC competition. The tools, which Alliance staff have designed according to the FY 2015 Notice of Funding Availability, include a webinar recording on reallocation, examples of project ranking and scoring tools, and a blog series. Access NOFA tools » alliance events Upcoming Webinar: Transforming Homeless Service Systems: Spokane, Wash. Tuesday, Oct 20, 2 to 3 p.m. EDT The Alliance will host a webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 20, on the transformation of the family homeless system in Spokane, Wash. Tune in to hear speakers discuss the policy shifts that Spokane has made, how the city altered the role of transitional housing programs, and the impact these changes have had on family homelessness. Register » from the blog Ending Homelessness Today the official blog of the national alliance to end homelessness Make the Most of the Pope's Visit with Your Member of Congress by Jaime Colman During Pope Francis’ visit to the United States, he used his public platform to draw attention to the marginalized in our society. That included people experiencing homelessness. After his historic Congressional address, Pope Francis left the Capitol to have lunch with 300 low income and homeless people at St. Patrick’s Church in Washington, DC. There he remarked, “Let me be clear. There is no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing.” Read more » comments » | Are You Ending Veteran Homelessness? The NOFA Wants to Know. by Cynthia Nagendra As you have probably figured out, the CoC NOFA is very different this year. HUD has created the most competitive application process for CoC funds we have ever seen, with a strong emphasis on evaluating project and system performance and reallocating funds to effective programs that actually reduce homelessness. The NOFA also focuses on the goals articulated in Opening Doors, including an end to veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. The application newly requires CoCs to report their actual progress toward this important goal. The exciting news is that we know this achievement is within reach for many CoCs across the country. Several communities have already announced that they have succeeded. Read more » comments » | Chronic Homelessness in the FY 2015 CoC NOFA: What's Different? by Jayme Day Over the last 10 years, HUD has invested heavily in programs that provide permanent supportive housing (PSH) for chronically homeless persons. The scaling up of PSH has resulted in a dramatic reduction in chronic homelessness in the U.S. HUD uses a competitive application process to determine funding for programs, which has driven the country closer to the goal of ending chronic homelessness. For CoC applicants this boils down to points. HUD has for many past NOFAs given more points, or a competitive edge, to CoCs who propose to fund more PSH for chronically homeless persons. Read more » comments » |