Gov. Cuomo Order Triggers Pushback from Homeless Advocates, Mayor de Blasio

Alliance Online News View in browser www.endhomelessness.org Wednesday, January 6, 2016 spotlight on... Gov. Cuomo Orders  Local Governments to Move Homeless People to Shelter in Freezing Weather New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed an executive order on Sunday, Jan. 3 that requires all unsheltered homeless people to be moved  to appropriate shelter when the temperature drops to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below. The measure, which calls for shelters to remain open longer and offer additional resources, has received support, but has also raised questions among advocates about the quality of existing shelters and the consequences homeless people will face should they refuse to enter shelter. The order takes effect today, Tuesday, Jan. 4. More information » Report: Homelessness Increases Due to Lack of Affordable Housing, Other Factors According to a report released last month by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the number of homeless persons in 19 major cities increased over the past year by an average of 1.6 percent, with 58 percent of cities reporting increases, and 42 percent reporting decreases. The annual report, "Hunger and Homelessness Survey" presents results of a survey of 22 cities with populations of 30,000 or more, including Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Officials who responded to the survey identified the leading cause of homelessness among families as the lack of affordable housing, followed by poverty, unemployment, and low-paying jobs. Read the report » Last Day to Apply for the Transatlantic Practice Exchange  Are you a mid-level professional working in the homeless assistance field? The Alliance is seeking applicants for its Transatlantic Practice Exchange, an exchange program that offers homeless assistance professionals the opportunity to learn best practices from counterparts in the United Kingdom. Interested? Applications are due by today, Jan. 6. More information, application » Final call for Conference Scholarship Applications Today, Jan. 6 is the last day to submit an application for the 2016 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness Scholarship Program. Recipients to this year's event, which will be held February 18-19 in Oakland, CA, will receive free conference registration, round-trip transportation and hotel accommodations. Individuals currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness in the past are encouraged to apply. Send completed scholarship applications to Jaime Colman, Alliance Conference Associate at jcolman@naeh.org. Scholarship application » from the blog Ending Homelessness Today the official blog of the national alliance to end homelessness Here's How You End Veteran Homelessness: Employment, Housing, and Health Care by Kathryn Monet and Emanuel Cavallaro In 2009, Congress authorized a three-year demonstration program to explore ways to increase the housing stability of homeless and at-risk veterans and their families. Now, here we are at the tail end of 2015, and a lot has changed in the years since. The nation has reduced veteran homelessness by 35 percent using many of the same methods first employed in that program, known as the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Demonstration (VHPD). It was one of the first steps in the Obama administration’s initiative to end veteran homelessness by 2016. Read more » comments » | Congress Passed a Spending Bill. Here's What it Means for Ending Homelessness in 2016 by Steve Berg Last week, just in time for the New Year (and to avert another government shutdown), Congress passed a final $1.1 trillion spending bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 that will fund all federal discretionary programs through next fall. President Obama signed the bill into law Friday, Dec. 18. The bill includes all federal agencies’ discretionary spending: big ticket items like the military, veterans’ health care, education and law enforcement support, medical research, and virtually all of the budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including all its major homeless programs. Read more » comments » | Today We Remember Those We Lost to the Street by Lisa Stand The date Dec. 21 has meanings both ancient and new. Communities in every era have paused in awareness of waning daylight and the promise of the sun’s return; in our era, some will pause to look for assurance that the world keeps turning. It is appropriate that National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day is Dec. 21. For people living on the street, the darkest day of the calendar is especially dark; for a person to die on the street is an ending that should be unthinkable. Homeless advocates, today, will pause to honor the neighbors and fellow citizens who passed away in 2012 without a home. Read more » comments » |