HUD Issues Final Definition of Chronic Homelessness

Alliance Online News View in browser www.endhomelessness.org Thursday, December 10, 2015 spotlight on... HUD Issues Final Definition of 'Chronic Homelessness' The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has finalized its new definition of "chronic homelessness." HUD originally defined "chronic homelessness" as having a disability and being continuously homeless for the last year or having a disability and having experienced four episodes of homelessness in the last three years. With this new definition, HUD specifies that the four episodes of homelessness must cumulatively total 12 months to meet the definition. The new definition is the agency’s attempt to provide a more specific guideline to encourage providers to target intensive interventions to the most vulnerable homeless people. HUD has been working to revise the definition for several years and took into consideration contributions from a wide variety of stakeholders, including the Alliance. Final rule » hill update Congress to Finalize FY 2016 Funding Bill Members of Congress are working to wrap up a final Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 omnibus bill before the current continuing resolution (CR) runs out this Friday, Dec. 11. The final omnibus bill would fund all discretionary federal operations, including homeless assistance and affordable housing programs, through the end of the federal fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2016. It has been indicated that a short-term CR may be needed to buy time to finalize an omnibus bill. Apply Now for the Transatlantic Practice Exchange The Alliance and Homeless Link, a charity working to end homelessness in the UK, partnered to offer homeless assistance professionals the opportunity to learn best practices from their counterparts overseas. The mission of the program, the Transatlantic Practice Exchange, is to develop future leaders in the homelessness sector and establish transatlantic best practice connections. It is funded by the Oak Foundation. Applicants should be mid-level professionals. Applications are due Wednesday, Jan. 6. More information, application » Conference Update: Scholarship Deadline Extended to Wednesday, Jan. 6 Due to a website malfunction, applications for the Alliance’s conference scholarship program have not been reaching us. Consequently, we have extended the deadline to apply to Jan. 6, 2016. If you submitted an application to the program after Nov. 10, please resubmit.  We apologize for any inconvenience by the error. If  you have applied for a scholarship, but you are unsure when you submitted your application and would like to know if the Alliance received it, please contact Alliance Conference Associated Jaime Colman at jcolman@naeh.org. Scholarship information » NLIHC Seeks Input from PHAs on Waiting Lists The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) is conducting a survey of Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) in an effort to gain a better understanding of waiting lists for public housing units and vouchers. NLIHC intends to use the findings to convey to the public the national need for low income housing assistance and advocate for increased funding for public housing and vouchers. Individual PHAs will not be identified in any future reports based on the findings. If you are a PHA, please take the time to complete the survey. If you are not a PHA, please share the survey with your local PHA and ask them to complete it. More information, survey » from the blog Ending Homelessness Today the official blog of the national alliance to end homelessness Apply Now for the Transatlantic Practice Exchange by Anna Blasco Are you a motivated, mid-level professional in the homeless assistance field? Do you want to explore best practices in the UK? If this describes you, I've got some exciting news: the application is now open for the Transatlantic Practice Exchange. The Transatlantic Practice Exchange is an opportunity for five professionals from the homeless services field in the U.S. and five from the UK to spend up to two weeks learning about a topic area of interest across the pond. During their placement, they will explore their topic with a host organization and other organizations locally. On their return, they'll write a report on the lessons they've learned, and work to implement the lessons in their own work. Read more » New Study Offers Hope for Homeless People with Schizophrenia by Noëlle Porter Schizophrenia affects a little more than 1 percent of the U.S. population, but it's much more prevalent among homeless persons. Estimates are wide ranging, but some go as high as 20 percent of the homeless population. That's thousands of people living with schizophrenia and experiencing homelessness each day. Nearly 10 million Americans suffer from a severe mental illness (SMI) – schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression. Schizophrenia is generally the most stigmatized of these three disorders, and can be the most burdensome. The symptoms, which include hallucinations, delusions and sometimes incoherent speech patterns, often make it difficult for people with the disorder to maintain relationships, access treatment, or keep employment or housing. Read more » 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! » National Alliance to End Homelessness 1518 K Street NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (Tel) 202.638.1526 (Fax) 202.638.4664 © Copyright 2015 All rights reserved.