Homelessness Update

Alliance Online News View in browser www.endhomelessness.org Wednesday, March 30, 2016 spotlight on... U.S. lacks housing for 7.2 million lowest income renters The National Low Income Housing Coalition released The Gap: The Affordable Housing Gap Analysis, 2016, a report highlighting the affordable and available housing shortage. Without a commitment to increasing the stock of affordable housing, more and more Americans will be vulnerable to and have difficulty exiting homelessness.  Read the report >> study of 3 cities shows improved accuracy in self-reported data among veterans The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans has released a research brief on Identifying and Serving Veterans Accessing Community-based Homeless Services: A Study of Three U.S. Cities by Daniel Treglia, MPP. The brief highlights Columbus, OH; Los Angeles, CA, and New York, NY. Between 62.9% and 68.4% of Veterans were correctly classified as Veterans by their municipal shelter system. Approximately one-third of Veterans were not accurately identified. Multi-year data demonstrates improved accuracy in self-reported data in the Homeless Management Information System over time. Read the brief » news alert Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio Receive national planning award The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the American Planning Association named the City of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio as the 2016 recipient of the HUD Secretary’s Opportunity & Empowerment Award. “Since the [Homeless Solutions Community 10-Year Plan] was adopted, chronic homelessness in Montgomery County has been reduced more than 50 percent with almost 600 new permanent supportive housing units created for young adults, single adults and families,” said Kathy Werkmeister, president of the Ohio Conference of Community Development.  Read about Dayton and Montgomery County's award winning plan >> reminder: CAP agencies needed for survey on family homelessness The Alliance and the Community Action Partnership are looking for Community Action Programs (CAP) to participate in a survey about how they are working to address family homelessness. Your answers will help us develop a series of webinars on promising strategies to end family homelessness. Take the survey >> Upcoming Webinars April 6: Housing Choice Voucher Utilization and Funding The Center on Budget Policy Priorities will provide an overview of voucher utilization and funding, discuss steps that housing agencies can take to improve utilization, and briefly assess the funding outlook for 2017. >> Register: Wednesday, April 6, 2:30 p.m. EST April 12: Addressing Family Homelessness in Cleveland Register for an informative webinar on how the City of Cleveland is working to address family homelessness. Speakers will provide an overview the homeless system, including its diversion program, how coordinated entry works with rapid re-housing, progressive engagement and the process of housing families. >> Register: Tuesday, April 12, 1 p.m. EST from the blog Ending Homelessness Today the official blog of the national alliance to end homelessness How Program Philosophy and Design Standards Contribute to a Stronger Rapid Re-Housing Program by Jen Saunders A look at how the program philosophy and design standards of the new Rapid Re-Housing Performance Benchmarks and Program Standards provide guidance on the broader role of rapid re-housing when it comes to ending homelessness. Read more » comments » | How to make shelter safe for transgender individuals by Anna Blasco The shelter system as a whole is “utterly failing to provide safety or relief for transgender and gender non-conforming people facing a housing crisis,” according to a 2011 report by the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Use these HUD tools to make shelter safer to transgender individuals. Read more » comments » | Going Above and Beyond CARA: An Opportunity to Address Opioid and Heroin Abuse by Noëlle Porter Prescription opioid and heroin abuse is a national crisis, and the Administration and Congress are taking steps – both on the national and state level – to fight this battle. But it’s not enough. Fatal overdoses from prescription drugs and heroin continue to escalate, particularly among those most vulnerable: those experiencing homelessness. We know that substance use disorders are known risk factors for homelessness , and that substance abuse and overdose disproportionately impact homeless people.  Read more » comments » | 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.