March 2017 NCHV Newsletter

NCHV eNewsletter
March 2017
NCHV Welcomes New CEO
Kathryn Monet begins tenure leading efforts to end veteran homelessness
Hello NCHV Members and Network Providers,

As sometimes happens, the news is “bitter sweet”. We told you in our last print newsletter that our CEO Baylee Crone has left NCHV. We have been honored to serve with and support Baylee on the NCHV Board of Directors, and we know that she will continue to serve veterans in need as she pursues a PhD in clinical psychology to serve active duty servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Her selection for this program was incredibly competitive and it paves the way for a new future of service for members of our uniformed services and for our veterans. 

Baylee has served NCHV with great integrity, purpose, passion, and a deep dedication to making sure every veteran in need has access to the services they need in their community. Working alongside her over the last six years, and presently with her as CEO over the last two and a half years has been a pleasure, and also a great honor. We have all witnessed NCHV’s transformation into the highly responsive, hopeful, and engaged DC organization and partner representing you in your local work.  We have seen great success in NCHV’s advocacy, policy, training and assistance as all of us have worked to serve you better. We wish Baylee good luck and success in her future work!

We also have exciting news about NCHV as we move forward! Our incoming CEO, Kathryn Monet, is an inspirational leader and a dedicated advocate for community-based and local support for homeless and at-risk veterans. Kathryn comes to us from the National Alliance To End Homelessness (NAEH) where she has had primary responsibility for the Alliance’s efforts to end veteran homelessness. She has also served as a Senior Legislative Assistant on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. We are inspired by Kathryn’s vision for NCHV and her dedication to service and we also look forward to our continuing future as a strong and impactful organization and movement.  

"It is an honor and a privilege to join NCHV as your new Chief Executive Officer. NCHV is an organization that I have worked closely with over the last eight years in various capacities. The team here has always strived to represent all the best things about this provider community, and I will do my best to continue that tradition. The work that all of you do never ceases to inspire me, and I hope to support your community's efforts to end veteran homelessness. I thank those of you who are familiar faces and have welcomed me into your facilities and taken time over the last few years to talk shop with me. If I haven't gotten to know you or your organization yet, please don't be a stranger. I look forward to learning more about you and your organization.”

Now more than ever, NCHV needs your partnership, as we move into to a new phase for NCHV and for our movement defined by local action and meaningful community collaborations. Along with Kathryn, we are all dedicated to serving alongside and arm in arm with you as we push forward to ensure all veterans have access to the services, stability, and meaning they deserve. On behalf of the NCHV Board of Directors, thank you for your service and please join the Board of Directors in welcoming Kathryn to our NCHV team.
Charles "Chick" Ciccolella
NCHV Board Chairman
Hill Watch: Trump Administration Releases "Skinny Budget" for 2018
Administration's first budget released, goes to Congress for Action
This week, the Trump Administration released the first federal budget request of his presidency. For any administration a president’s budget proposal is a document that lays out that administration’s priorities for federal spending. This proposed budget is released every fiscal year by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and covers all federal programs, including those which we consider to be the mainstays of our work to end veteran homelessness. This proposal, however, is not an act of law; it is merely a proposal. Congress is the final arbiter of which program receives funding, and how much.
The budget proposal published this week is known as a “skinny budget,” as it is much briefer than a budget justification released in a non-inaugural year. Because of the amount of work that a complete federal budget entails, and the short time afforded to a new administration to complete one, the publication of such skinny budgets is a standard practice among new presidents. A skinny budget, this one included, is usually light on detailed information about specific programs.
Despite that, there are a few takeaways that NCHV is able to share with you about the President’s priorities, while still bearing in mind that Congress will change many things before funding legislation is signed into law several months from now.
First, is a line in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget chapter which states in full that the request “supports VA programs that provide services to homeless and at-risk veterans and their families to help keep them safe and sheltered.” This sentence in the budget proposal, combined with the prioritization of veteran homelessness by the new VA Secretary Shulkin, seem to indicate that the VA’s investments in community providers working to end homelessness will largely continue. In fact, the VA at large is slated in the proposal to receive an increase in discretionary funding of more than $4 billion.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development, however, would have its funding decreased by 13.2 percent, or $6.2 billion. This decrease would come from a variety of programs and offices within HUD, including the complete elimination of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships, and Choice Neighborhoods programs. Rental assistance programs would also see a decrease in funding, although the budget says that these savings would be found through “reforms that reduce costs while continuing to assist 4.5 million low-income households.” It is not clear at this time whether the HUD-VASH program is included in any of these proposed cuts, or what reforms are under consideration.
Similarly, the President’s budget proposes to decrease the Department of Labor’s budget by 21 percent, or $2.5 billion. Part of this cut would include the elimination of the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), and a decrease in funding for job training and employment service formula grants, which may include the Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) to provide employment assistance to veterans at American Job Centers. The Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP) is not mentioned in the skinny budget by name.
Separate from the Departmental sections, the President’s budget includes a list of several independent agencies that the Administration would like to defund. Among these is the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) which has played a critical role in the progress and successes that we have seen in our work to end veteran homelessness over the past several years. NCHV urges the President to reconsider his position on USICH, and we also urge Congress to continue funding this necessary and impactful agency. To read more about NCHV’s support of USICH click here.
NCHV commits to sharing additional information with all of you on the budget and appropriations process as it comes available. To read the Administration’s Budget Blueprint, click here. 
Register Today to Ensure Your Spot! 2017 NCHV Annual Conference – Yes, In My Back Yard: Putting Veterans First
May 31-June 2 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. 
Register today! The 2017 NCHV Annual Conference, Yes, In My Back Yard: Putting Veterans First, will take place May 31-June 2, 2017,  at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. This year's event is on pace to sell out at maximum capacity, register today to make sure you're there!

With an overarching focus on giving you the knowledge, tools, and resources to implement best practices in your community at the local level, the 2017 Conference will equip you to accelerate your community's efforts to end homelessness for every veteran.
Make it your priority to attend this event to share your challenges, strategies, successes, and to learn from experts across multiple areas related to the work you do with veterans in your community! 
If you are unable to use the online form above, download a registration form to return by fax here.
New in 2017! The NCHV Veterans Access to Housing Summit Pre-Conference event will be held on May 30 as a lead-in to the Annual Conference. Add the Housing Summit Pre-Conference on to your Conference registration for under half the cost of previous Veterans Access to Housing Summits! This event will also be held at the Grand Hyatt Washington. Register online here, and stay tuned for more details!
Have you renewed your NCHV membership? Interested in becoming a member? NCHV members receive discounted rates for the Annual Conference, in addition to other benefits. Click here to renew or become a member today!

Exhibitor space will be available for you to feature your products and services in front of over 700 service providers, housing developers, government officials and employees, and other stakeholders. Download your exhibitor registration to return by fax here.
Stay tuned to www.nchv.org for updates as they become available.
Harbor Freight Tools Supports Veteran Organizations
Company considers fundraiser raffle prizes, tool requests
As an active expression of its core values, Harbor Freight Tools participates in and gives back to the great communities where the company's employees live, work and do business. The company makes efforts to support those working to strengthen their communities, including nonprofits working to end veteran homelessness.
Harbor Freight Tools considers requests for fundraiser raffle prizes, and need for tools. Supporting veteran organizations and causes is one of the company's priority areas.
For more information, click here.
Homeless Court Program Training
July 21-22, 2017 in San Diego
Key players from San Diego’s Homeless Court Program will provide participants with a review of the history and the development of homeless court at Stand Down, answer questions from observers, and discuss what resources are needed to replicate the program in their communities. Participants will also tour the full Stand Down program which features Child Support Court, civil legal aid services, and dozens of non-legal services.
REGISTRATION: No registration fees. This training event is free, but participants must pre-register. Registration will be limited to the first 15 registrants. All registrations must be made in advance.
The deadline for registrations is July 5, 2017. Registration will be limited to the first 15 registrants, so please register as early as possible.
Participants are required to provide their own travel and hotel arrangements. Participants will not be reimbursed for travel.

For more information and to download the registration form, click here.
HOTEL INFORMATION: Hotel rooms have not been secured. Stand Down is held at San Diego High School’s athletic field located on the southeast corner of Park Boulevard and Interstate 5. The nearest hotels are located in downtown San Diego and Balboa Park.

QUESTIONS? Please contact Amy Horton-Newell at (202) 662-1693 or Amy.Hortonnewell@americanbar.org.
Call for Nominations: Annual NCHV Awards
To be presented at the Annual NCHV Awards Ceremony, June 1 in Washington, D.C.

Each year, NCHV honors the commitment and service of a few of the many deserving organizations and individuals helping homeless veterans across the nation. We are now accepting nominations for the following awards:
  • Outstanding Member - to an NCHV member organization whose programs, partnerships, and people combine to create extraordinary results
  • Partnership Award - to an organization or individual whose work building effective partnerships exemplifies creativity and collaboration
  • Public Policy Award - to an elected official whose record shows strong commitment and action in measures to help homeless veterans
  • Unsung Hero Award - to an individual whose efforts go above and beyond expectations, who expects nothing in return and demonstrates a hero's heart for homeless veterans
  • Federal Agency Staff Award - to a Department of Veterans Affairs, Labor, or Housing and Urban Development staff member on the local, state, regional, or national level who exhibits extraordinary commitment to homeless veterans and service providers
Please submit a one- to two-page letter of nomination including the nominee's name, title, and which award you are nominating for by email to rbrown@nchv.org no later than April 17, 2017.
Funding Opportunities
The Elliot Family Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of human life in the communities it serves, with a focus on requests coming from the geographic regions of Sacramento, CA; Phoenix, AZ; and Yuma, AZ. The Foundation has no formal application deadline, but has adopted a yearly funding cycle that occurs in late Fall. All applicants are encouraged to submit proposals well in advance of, but no later than, mid-September for consideration within that calendar year. For more information, click here. 
The Hagen Family Foundation is accepting grant proposals in the area of human services for their 2017 grant cycle. Organizations must submit a Letter of Intent by April 1 to be considered for this cycle. The Hagen Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1999 that provides financial grants to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports organizations nationwide, with special interest in Colorado, Michigan and Florida. Grants range from $1,000 to $20,000. For more information, click here.
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