Seattle Declares Homelessness State of Emergency

Alliance Online News View in browser www.endhomelessness.org Tuesday, November 3, 2015 spotlight on... Seattle Declares Homelessness State of Emergency Joining Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Hawaii, the city of Seattle has responded to its growing homelessness problem by declaring a state of emergency. Mayor Ed Murray declared the civil emergency Monday, Nov. 2, noting that 45 homeless people have died this year in Seattle. As of the 2015 Point-in-Time Count, 3,772 people experienced unsheltered homelessness on a given night in Seattle and King County, a 21 percent increase since 2014. Seattle Weekly: Murray Declares Civil Emergency on Homelessness » hill update Congress Passes a Two Year Budget Deal On Monday, Nov.2, President Obama signed a two-year budget deal that lifts sequester spending caps on federal programs. The deal raises sequestration caps by $80 billion over the next two years. For fiscal year (FY) 2016, the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) provides $33 billion more for nondefense discretionary (NDD) programs than would have been available if the sequester caps had not been lifted. The deal slates $23 billion for FY 2017. Now that the sequester caps have been lifted Congress has until December 11, when the current continuing resolution (CR) runs out, to pass a final FY 2016 funding bill. Senate Passes Bill to Help Homeless Veterans On Thursday, Oct. 29, the Senate passed the Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act, a bill introduced by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). The bill would prevent a Department of Veterans Affairs policy from taking effect that would bar homeless services to veterans who served fewer than two years or had other than honorable discharges, excluding those with a dishonorable discharge and court marshals. The bill is now passed to the House for consideration. Early Conference Registration Closes Nov. 10 Early registration for the Alliance's 2016 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness, which will take place at the Oakland Marriot City Center in Oakland, Calif., will close at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10. At that time, the early registration rate of $450 per person will expire, and the registration fee will increase to the regular rate of $525. Stay tuned to the Alliance newsletter and social media for future announcements about workshop content and keynote speakers. Register » alliance events UPCOMING WEBINAR: MEETING THE NEEDS OF JOB SEEKERS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS Wednesday, Nov 4, 2 to 3:15 p.m. EDT On Wednesday, Nov. 4, the Alliance will co-host a webinar with the Heartland Alliance on improved employment services for homeless job seekers. Join this informative hour as speakers decode the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and introduce a new WIOA Implementation Toolkit. There will also be a presentation from a community who is successfully implementing a new employment services model on the ground. Register » from the blog Ending Homelessness Today the official blog of the national alliance to end homelessness Homelessness and Domestic Violence: What's the Connection? by Liza Doran In the United States, there may be as many as 10 million people who experience domestic violence every year. Unfortunately, since homelessness and domestic violence are inextricably linked, some of these households will experience homelessness. Since October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it’s a good time to take stock of the scope of domestic violence in America and what our shelters can do to help households fleeing abuse. This topic is important to all emergency shelters (not just domestic violence shelters), as domestic violence survivors tend to end up in a variety of shelters. Read more » comments » | How Can We Prevent the Sexual Exploitation of LGBT Youth? by Liza Doran Think about this: while approximately 5 to 7 percent of the general youth population identifies as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (LGBT), 9 to 45 percent of the homeless youth population does. In other words, LGBT youth are significantly more likely to be homeless than non-LGBT youth. In addition to being over-represented among the homeless youth population, LGBT youth may also be more likely to be involved with the justice system due to arrests related to survival crimes (such as theft or sexual acts). When LGBT youth are in shelters, group homes, or foster homes, they often experience harassment or violence. As a result, they may resort to “survival sex” in order to avoid these living arrangements. (This is a term for sexual acts that are exchanged for money or goods required to meet life’s basic needs.) Read more » comments » | Don't Forget to Demonstrate Partnerships in your NOFA Application by Sharon McDonald We’re still digging through HUD’s latest CoC Program NOFA to determine what CoCs should do to secure the maximum amount of federal funds to assist homeless people. Today, we’re looking at all the incentives spelled out in the NOFA that encourage communities to develop partnerships. HUD will base about a quarter of the points in a community’s overall “score” on the CoC’s strategic use of resources. And by “resources” HUD doesn’t just mean the CoC funds HUD is awarding; it also means the array of funding resources CoCs can access through these partnerships. Read more » comments » |