Registration Opens for 2016 Family and Youth Conference

Alliance Online News View in browser www.endhomelessness.org Tuesday, October 13, 2015 spotlight on... Registration Opens for 2016 Family and Youth Conference The Alliance has opened early registration for our upcoming 2016 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness, which will take place at the Oakland Marriott City Center Hotel from February 18 to 19, 2016. If you’re interested in attending the conference, now is your chance to sign up at the early registration rate of $450 per person. This rate will run until 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10, when the regular registration rate of $525 per person will begin. Look for future updates and additional information about the conference on the Alliance website and in future issues of "Alliance Online News." Register » HUD Clarifies Youth Definition, Documentation Requirements The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released a guide for homelessness assistance intake workers that is meant to ensure that workers do not turn homeless youth away from programs. The guide provides hypothetical examples that illustrate how a youth's housing circumstances can meet one of four categories of homelessness as defined by HUD and clarifies that gathering documentation of eligibility is the responsibility of the intake worker, not the youth. Access the guide » alliance events Upcoming Webinar: Transforming Homeless Service Systems in 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 » Alliance Resource: FY 2015 Continuum of Care NOFA Tools The Alliance is still 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 the NOFA tools » from the blog Ending Homelessness Today the official blog of the national alliance to end homelessness Here's How to Make Sure Your CoC Application is Housing First Focused by Anna Blasco If you’re working on your application to the FY 2015 Continuum of Care competition you’ve probably noticed that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has placed a big emphasis on Housing First in this year’s Continuum of Care Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). With this NOFA, HUD is acknowledging that program barriers that exclude people from receiving help, or prolong their homelessness, are not a smart investment. It’s doing that by heavily incentivizing a low barrier, Housing First approach that will ensure people with the highest needs are not denied the help they need. Read more » comments » | 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 » |