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Compassion in Action ReportsFaith and Community-Based Partnerships to End HomelessnessPreface In January 2007, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives launched a series of monthly Compassion in Action Roundtable meetings to highlight organizations, programs, and policies addressing critical social needs. The Roundtables convene and facilitate discussion among policymakers, government officials, philanthropists, and faith-based and community service providers around targeted issues. The events reveal the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative as a broad-based, community-centered reform agenda; showcase innovative projects and promising practices; and draw attention to government efforts to expand and support the work of faith-based and community organizations actively engaged in serving their neighbors and communities. The following report offers an overview of the July 18, 2007 Compassion in Action Roundtable, entitled Faith and Community-Based Partnerships to End Homelessness. Please note the statistical information presented throughout the report reflects data available up to the time of Roundtable, and excludes any data collected after July 2007.Introduction Appendix A: Agenda On July 18, 2007, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) hosted a Compassion in Action Roundtable, entitled Faith and Community-Based Partnerships to End Homelessness. Keynote speaker U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Alphonso Jackson discussed the Department's role in creating and promoting private/public partnerships to combat homelessness and develop affordable housing. In addition, the Roundtable explored the pioneering efforts of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (the Council), which was created in 1987 as part of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. In 2002, the Council was reinvigorated when President George W. Bush appointed Roundtable moderator Philip Mangano as its executive director, a position that had been vacant for six years. With renewed leadership and record years of Federal budget resources, the Council and its 20 Cabinet Secretaries and Federal agency directors have developed and implemented a comprehensive national strategy to reduce homelessness in the United States through interagency, intergovernmental, and intercommunity collaborations. The Roundtable also coincided with the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) specialized programs for homelessness. Paul Smits, associate chief consultant in VA’s Homelessness and Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs, discussed his Department’s efforts to help the nation’s estimated 195,000 homeless veterans, some of whom are living under bridges, in the streets, and in shelters across the country. Featured Roundtable panelists shared successful grassroots and government strategies to reduce the rate of homelessness, and to answer the President’s call to end chronic homelessness. Please note the following views expressed by Roundtable participants are solely those of the presenters and should not be construed as official White House positions. Welcome and Introduction: Jedd Medefind Remarks Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director A hearty welcome to each and every one of you to the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives’ Compassion in Action Roundtable. These events always represent a strange blending of burden and hope. We are here because we are burdened by the raw facts of this world:
And these numbers weigh heavily upon us. And those of us who are here, if we choose to engage them, feel a sense of burden, a sense of ache, a sense of heavy responsibility in these realities. And yet at the same time we are also here because of hope. We really believe that we can make a difference. We believe that when we knit together the very best of American ingenuity with the best of American compassion, we really can do better for our neighbors in need. And that’s the order of business here today. To place the very heavy burden—the needs of our fellow Americans who go without homes, and very often many of the other things these desperately need—to place those needs right alongside the creative partnerships, innovations and people that are making a real difference at meeting these needs. We’re tremendously honored to have Secretary Alphonso Jackson with us today, and we’ll hear from him in just a few minutes. We are also very fortunate to have Paul Smits, who is a decorated veteran and a real leader at the Veteran’s Housing Authority. We also have Bob Young, the illustrious former mayor who now helps Secretary Jackson with leadership at HUD. And it’s also particularly good to have Philip Mangano, the executive director of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. This month actually marks the 20th anniversary of the date that President Reagan signed the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. It was this Act that created the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. And as many of you know, President Bush has placed a premium on reinvigorating the Council and greatly expanding its work to end chronic homelessness. It was Phillip that encouraged us to make July the month that we host this Roundtable to honor this anniversary. Of course, alongside these and other government leaders, are some of America’s great ‘social entrepreneurs,’ both on the panels that we will here from and in the more comfortable chairs out there. These are the people who on a daily basis bring together caring hearts with brilliant ideas to solve real-world problems. And that, ultimately, is what the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative is all about: real results for our neighbors in need. We don’t in any way wish to disparage more traditional government efforts. But we do believe that government can do better at addressing the most pressing needs of our day when it joins in service with every willing partner—faith-based or secular, large or small. Government certainly has resources and a reach that nothing else can match. But there is also nothing that compares to the organizations that share the same zip code as the challenges they address, that draw upon scores of dedicated volunteers, that often answer the phone after most government employees have gone home for the night, that have a deep personal commitment to the people they serve. That is the vision of the Faith-Based and Community Initiative: pairing the unique strengths of government with the unique strengths of community and faith-based organizations to more effectively meet human needs. So today, we want not only to highlight creativity and innovative partnerships, but equally important, to think seriously together about how they can be extended. To start this discussion off, it is my great privilege to introduce to you Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Alphonso Jackson. If you’ll look at his bio in the program, you’ll see that Secretary Jackson has the type of record of accomplishments and impact for good that some of us slightly younger folks dream of someday having. His service has ranged from serving as an assistant professor at the University of Missouri to being the president of $13 billion electric utility company, as well as extensive public sector leadership in the area of housing. But despite this towering record, I would say that what is most impressive of all is that he is a man who truly cares about people, including those who are often pushed to the side, marginalized or ignored. He’s been a champion at HUD of the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative, not only because it matters a great deal to the President, but also because it matters a great deal to him that we do the very best we can for our neighbors in need. Secretary Jackson, it is an honor to have you here. Keynote Speaker Secretary Alphonso Jackson Remarks Thank you [Jedd] for that kind introduction. Mother Teresa said that poverty is not "only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty." Thank you for caring about Americans who find themselves without a home, but never without hope-because of your great work. The President has set a worthy goal: to end chronic homelessness and move homeless families and individuals into permanent housing. These roundtable discussions will enhance our ability to meet this goal. And they will better equip the "Armies of Compassion" to serve those who need life's basic necessities. Shelter is one of the most important. But providing a roof over one's head is not enough. The people in this room know that lesson well. You are helping to ensure that homeless Americans are safe, that they have access to services such as medical and mental health treatment, and that they know about the many resources available to them. You are helping homeless persons learn skills that can lead to better employment and greater independence. You are working to kick drug and alcohol habits that can overtake a soul, and replacing them with a more powerful force. Whatever your role, together, we are sending the message that homelessness is a challenge that can be solved. I appreciate the positive role that government can play. Twenty years ago, President Ronald Reagan signed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act into law. It provided urgently needed food, health care, and housing-services that were not always readily available in communities. In 1994, HUD added another vital piece: a "Continuum of Care" strategy to provide local coordination so we could identify gaps in services and fill them with your help. This year alone, HUD's Continuum of Care programs are helping an estimated 315,000 persons per year receive housing and support services. Nearly 150,000 formerly homeless persons with disabilities are currently living in a permanent supportive environment. You deserve much of the credit. You know how important it is that people not just get by for one more day, but see clearly to a brighter day. When non-profits and faith-based providers join forces with local political leaders, the result is powerful change in the way homeless families and individuals are served. HUD awarded $258 million to faith-based organizations last year. No other Federal agency comes close. Non-profit and faith-based groups make up nearly two-thirds of HUD's Continuum of Care grantees. Faith-based programs funded by HUD have served more than 120,000 homeless individuals and family members. We know that government, no matter how well-intentioned or well-funded, cannot do it alone. And we appreciate that your faith in God is matched by faith in your fellow man. Funding for homelessness has increased every year since 2002. Since 2001, HUD has awarded more than $9 billion to support thousands of local housing and service programs throughout the nation. We are seeking a record $1.6 billion in FY 2008. But we're concerned less with inputs than outcomes. Of course, this is a two-way street. We also want States, cities, and communities to use Federal funds promptly, or report back the reasons why the pool remains untapped. We also need you to identify new ways to solve old problems. When something works, we should spread the word. I want to thank the city leaders and Continuum of Care experts who have their own innovative answers to homelessness. Or Denver, where the number of chronically homeless has fallen dramatically since 2005, according to one survey. To end homelessness, we must better understand it and measure it. Earlier this year, HUD released the first Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. It is our state-of-the-art attempt to measure homelessness over time. It found that about 750,000 persons are living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and on the streets on any given night. Of this, about one-fourth can be called chronically homeless. The Count will be a tremendous help to community leaders and state and local policymakers-not to mention our friends on Capitol Hill, who have some good ideas of their own. Whatever the solution, I think we all can agree with the President's goal. I am happy to report that 95 percent of cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors have now developed plans to end the tragedy of chronic homelessness. As we go forward, we must remember that homelessness is not just a problem itself- but a symptom of larger problems. The homeless are not some faceless "other." They are our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers-and, but for the grace of God, they could be us. Before we can solve the problem, we must put a face to the problem. And we must open our hearts to the people we're trying to help. That is what you have all done so well. I want to thank you for your good work, and I pledge my Department's support now and in the future. Panel I: Successes of HUD’s Unlocking Doors Initiative In 2005, HUD’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) launched its first Unlocking Doors Initiative (UDI) forum. Designed to promote public/private partnerships between local government and faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs), UDI highlights successful strategies used to develop affordable housing and increase homeownership. UDI facilitates discussions/forums attended by mayors and their staff, representatives from State offices, and nonprofit leaders, in an effort to build bridges between those serving on the frontlines of need and those serving in the front offices of city hall. The following panelists joined the Roundtable to discuss UDI’s unique ability to bring together every willing partner to address the issue of homelessness in cities throughout America. Moderator: Bob Young As the former mayor of Augusta, Georgia, Bob Young, HUD’s regional director for the Atlanta Region, knows firsthand the importance of public/private collaboration. Young explained to the Roundtable audience, “If there is a center of energy, if there is a center of power in the community, if there is a bully pulpit in the community, if there is an office that can make things happen, [that] can create partnerships that can leverage resources, it is the office of the mayor. And if you are not engaged with your mayor, you need to go back and meet your mayor when you get home. Having been a mayor for 6 ½ years and having people come and unlock my door, you can certainly make a difference when you engage your local political leadership.” UDI discussions identify ways in which cities across the country have successfully engaged every willing partner in their efforts to provide Americans with clean, safe, and affordable housing. These best practices are then shared with other government leaders interested in emulating the multi-sector approaches showcased by UDI cities. UDI forums have been held in: Oakland, California; Nashville, Tennessee; Chicago, Illinois; Miami, Florida; Columbus, Ohio; Raleigh, North Carolina; Detroit, Michigan; Buffalo, New York; Los Angeles, California; Shreveport, Louisiana; Flint, Michigan; Tampa, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston Texas; Richmond, Virginia; Rochester, New York; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Greenville, South Carolina; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Participating cities also receive post-forum technical support to bolster their efforts and build capacity. Panelist: Rev. Douglas E. Nelson Rev. Douglas E. Nelson, chief executive officer of the Levitical Network, an organization that provides its nonprofit members with resources to enhance their community, housing, and economic development opportunities, attended the January 24, 2007, UDI forum in Los Angeles. Rev. Nelson, who served as the City’s first faith-based liaison, described the UDI event to the Roundtable audience: “About 75-80 individuals came together. We heard these experts talk about homeless housing, talk about affordable housing, talk about market-rate housing and they talked about the development of mixed-use, mixed-income, and commercial development. And we have some really wonderful examples that took place. The New Economics for Women, which is a largely Latina organization started some 20 years ago by three Latina women; they have developed the first partnership with Los Angeles Unified School district to build a charter school as well as housing on that same complex. This was an example of commercial development that had not taken place in Los Angles before, and now…the Los Angeles Unified School District has now sought these women out and said can we use your development agreement that you have worked with our predecessors and use that going forward as we begin to develop more schools throughout the Los Angeles area.” Nelson also cited the example of West Angeles Church, which partnered with HUD to develop a multi-income, mixed-use housing and commercial center in the Crenshaw area of Los Angeles. As a result of the UDI forum, Levitical Network and the University of Southern California decided to co-produce a report that Rev. Nelson said would “pull up all of these [UDI] expert testimonies, if you will, on how you can build these developments.” Rev. Nelson acknowledged that while some wonderful and innovative projects are being implemented throughout Los Angeles, “there are some great impediments to what is happening. And I think we all know these. But there is a strata of experiences with regard to these faith-based institutions.” Many FBCOs face legal, financial, and marketing impediments that limit their ability to form public/private partnerships and to expand their reach. Rev. Nelson said that while serving as a philanthropic officer responsible for awarding grants to nonprofits, he often saw organizations that lacked the capacity or the wherewithal to compete for funding. Rev. Nelson concluded by saying that these groups need to develop greater capacity before they “can go ahead and begin to make the call to their community about why we need to respond.” Panelist: Susan Smith Susan Smith is the assistant executive director of Exodus Homes, Inc., a faith-based United Way agency that provides 94 beds of transitional and permanent supportive housing for homeless alcoholics, recovering addicts, and formerly incarcerated individuals in 10 locations in Hickory N.C. Smith participated in HUD’s UDI forum in Charlotte, N.C. to share her nonprofit’s successful collaboration with its government, private, and corporate partners, and to make additional contacts to further the work of Exodus Homes, Inc. For the first two years of its existence, Exodus Missionary Outreach Church held its services in a funeral home chapel. According to Smith, it was there, in 1997, that the then 35-person congregation began its plan to create a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that would provide faith-based supportive housing to help bring people “out of the bondage of drug and alcohol addiction and incarceration.” She explained, “As a new, non-denominational, multi-ethnic congregation, we had no money, we had no property. But we did have faith in God and in our community that we would be able to meet this urgent need.” The need was so great, Smith said, that by the time she and her colleagues announced their plan to provide housing services through the newly minted Exodus Homes, Inc., “we were immediately inundated with a tidal wave of people begging for our help, coming out of treatment centers, hospitals, homeless shelters, jails, [and] prisons.” Yet among the broader community, Smith added, “we also experienced tremendous opposition.” In no uncertain terms, members of the community told Smith, “We don’t want you here,” and after repeated appeals to move the housing “someplace else,” Smith decided they needed a plan to counter the opposition. To do this, Exodus Homes partnered with HUD and other funders, including the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, the Bank of Granite, and a private donor to devise a two-part strategy that focused on both supportive housing development and urban renewal; the latter being the hook that would increase community support. Exodus Homes would not only provide housing to those in need, they would also revitalize neglected neighborhoods in the process. HUD HOME and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Down Payment Assistance funds provided Exodus Homes with 48 percent of the funding needed to buy six vacant, boarded-up properties in low-income areas where residents struggled with serious crime and substance abuse issues. Smith said, “Over time, Exodus Homes was able to transform these public nuisance properties into decent, energy-efficient housing for homeless, recovering people returning to our communities. Our ability to bring resources into our community for this purpose plus using other rental property made creating our faith-based supportive housing program possible and turned the tide of opposition into a ground swell of support for our organization. NIMBY, or the ‘not in my backyard’ opposition to supportive housing for homeless people, disappears when you are transforming declining neighborhoods as you go.” According to a review done by the Hickory Police Department, there has been a 91 percent reduction in total calls for service in Exodus Homes’ primary campus area, which includes six sites on the same street. Exodus has also significantly reduced crime in two other Hickory neighborhoods. Smith said their efforts have proven so successful that people who once opposed their program now ask for an Exodus Home in their community. She concluded, “We have changed the stigma that comes with the term ‘recovering addict/alcoholic and ex-offender’….Through Exodus Homes, HUD has helped unlock doors, helped keep them open, and is bringing people and communities from disgrace to dignity.” Keynote Speaker Paul Smits Remarks It is an honor to be here amongst all of you because you put the face on services to [the] homeless throughout the country. You are there for them. You are the people who restore hope. You are the people who are out there serving everyday and changing lives. So thank you. It’s good to be with you. This is the 20th anniversary of VA’s specialized programs for homelessness and so we are pleased with that. We feel that the VA has a very positive story to tell about our services to homeless veterans. It is a very difficult problem. There are many homeless veterans. We are reducing the number of homeless veterans across the county and that is because we are in an active partnership with you: the faith-based organizations, the other Federal organizations, the State governments. And without you, the community and faith-based organizations, we would not be successful. So it is a tribute to all of you who have partnered with us across the country that we have actually been able to reduce the numbers of homeless veterans. There are a lot of homeless veterans today. Currently, we estimate that there are 195,000 homeless veterans in the country. That is down from our original estimates that when we began this 20 years ago, there were 250,000-300,000. So these programs work. They do pay off. And we’ve been able to reduce numbers. The primary goal of all of our programs, and we have a number of programs for homeless veterans, is to return homeless veterans to self-sufficiency and stable living that is as independent as possible. We could not do it without you. I will emphasize that again. This is a partnership with the community; this is a partnership with community and faith-based organizations. Our Administration and the VA have a substantial commitment. Caring for homeless veterans is costly. They need health care, they need mental health care, [and] they need care for substance abuse. This year the VA expects to spend 1.5 billion on the care, alone, of homeless veterans--$266 million of that will go into specialized programs for homeless veterans. Next year, that funding we anticipate will increase to $1.6 billion and $287 million to specialized programs. I want to tell you about just a few of our programs; some of our bigger programs that serve homeless veterans. [The] first one is, many of you are acquainted with it, some of you are involved with us in a partnership in this program. And that is our Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program, where we provide transitional housing and supportive services. We now have grown that program since 1998 to over 400 programs. We have 8,600 active beds today, and another 2,000 beds in development. We are growing that program again this year. We are spending an additional $24 million this year to further grow that program. And that program has been a highly successful program and many of you were involved in that and we thank you for that. Our health care for homeless veterans: we have outreach staff of our own at the VA, and we have outreach staff embedded with you in your agencies. And last year we reached 39,000 of those homeless veterans under bridges, in missions, on the street, and brought them into our program. So without outreach and being out there, and you being on the frontlines with us, we would not be as successful as we have been. We have a new initiative that I want to talk about just briefly, that we are excited about. We have an incarcerated veteran outreach and assessment initiative. There are 60,000 veterans coming out of just the Federal and State prisons per year. We want to reach these veterans. Last year, we developed 50,000 guide books to give to the prisoners coming out of the prison system so that they are acquainted with the resources that are offered, not just ours, but yours as well. This year, we have hired a number of reentry specialists in each one of our veterans-integrated networks and they will be going to the State and Federal prisons. They are working with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and with the State prisons to access patients coming out of the prison system. We know that if we link these prisoners coming out of the system with services, namely better health care; primary care; substance abuse care; mental health care; [and] case management services, that they are far more successful. And we have seen programs where…we have talked about the re-incarceration rate, which is very, very high, but it is substantially reduced when we bring these services together. So we are planning to do that across the country. We hope that is a program that we will grow and will be doing that also in partnership with you. Twelve percent of the veterans are homeless before they go into Federal and State prisons. So we want to make especially sure that, as a homelessness prevention measure, that when they come out, that we are linking them with services. How many of you have heard of CHALENG [Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups]? There are a lot of hands going up. Across the country, each year at our medical centers, we meet with the local community providers to access the needs of our homeless veterans. Last year, there were 4,400 VA and non-VA participants who collaborated in helping us plan for the services in local communities. I ask you, and urge you, to be involved with the CHALENG process locally, because that is where we get to gather and plan services and showcase the services that are out there for homeless veterans. And we hope you will participate in that. Now, let me summarize by saying, are these programs effective? We think they are. In Veterans Affairs, with our programs, we collect tons and tons of data on everything. And we collect tons and tons of data on our programs that we offer with you in the community. We did an 18-month follow up study because we have lots of data on how people are when they leave our programs, on the day they leave we know lots about them. But we need to do more. We felt we needed to go back after people leave the programs. So we followed people for 18 months after they left. And we followed a sizable number. We found that after one year, 80 percent were still housed independently. That shows that these programs work. And when we work together we can have significant impact on improving lives. We in the VA feel that one homeless veteran is too many. We will not rest. We are in this for the long-haul. We have a long-term commitment to serving the needs of homeless veterans. We will be out then until the last homeless veteran is off the street. When we do Stand Downs with you in communities across the country, we are out there and we hope that in those Stand Downs that at some point within the next few years from now we will give a Stand Down and there will be no homeless veterans to come to that Stand Down. And that is our goal. Panel II: Innovative Community Approaches to Homelessness Moderator: Philip Mangano …Twenty years ago, this coming Sunday, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the McKinney Act. That act established a Federal commitment to homelessness in resources and created the Interagency Council on Homelessness. And we are pleased to have with us in the room today some of the people who were instrumental in making that happen….It is a commemoration, we wish we could say it is a celebration, but it’s only a commemoration. We will celebrate when homelessness is actually abolished in our country. As you know, President Bush revitalized the Council 5 years ago and since then we have been constellating a national partnership which includes every level of government and elements of the private sector on this issue of homelessness. The work of the council in that partnership has been to change the verb of homelessness in our country. After 20 years of managing the crisis, our collective intent now is ending the disgrace. And we recognize that no one level of government, no one element of the private sector can get that done alone. So 20 Federal agencies are partnered, [and] meeting in this building regularly. Some of those agencies weren’t around when the McKinney [Homeless Assistance] Act was passed, and some of them weren’t partners in it--Now all 20 agencies. And certainly HUD’s commitment, evidenced by Secretary Jackson and Mayor Young today and Mark Johnston who is now a deputy assistant secretary at HUD, that certainly is evidence of the continuing commitment of HUD on this issue. As is a range of other Federal departments, most notably HHS, whose Secretary, Mike Leavitt, is now the cabinet chair of the Council; and Veterans Affairs, and Labor, and Social Security and Agriculture and Education, are partnered, including the Faith-based and Community Initiatives office. When I met with Jay Hein, as Jedd rightly said, a few months ago and asked that one of these Roundtables be sponsored by the White House to be focused on homelessness to commemorate the 20th Anniversary, he agreed on the spot. And the Faith-based Office has been a consistent champion of efforts around homelessness so to Jim Towey, and to Jay and to Jedd. I think your name has to begin with the letter ‘J’, and the staff of the Faith-based office, we are certainly grateful for the efforts they have been making on the frontlines in the national partnership. Federal agencies are partnered and collaborating more than ever before and so are States. 49 Governors have partnered with us in the creation of State interagency councils that mirror the work that we are doing in Washington in bringing agencies together, partnered on this issue. And in the creation of business plans and increased resources. A great example of that innovation in the States is with us today. The Kentucky Housing Corporation under the leadership of KY Gov. Ernie Fletcher and led by Board Chair Don Ball and Executive Director Ben Cook. KHC is in the forefront of that creative surge in partnering with the States. Don and Ben are here with us today, as is one of their key faith-based partners, Fr. Bradley. So please welcome Don Ball and Ben Cook and Fr. Bradley. Thank you for being here. Cities are partnered with us as well--More than 300, both here in the States and in the territories. Partnered through their mayors, as Mayor Young rightly said, partnered through mayors and county executives in the creation of 10-Year Plans. In Mayor Young’s city, Augusta [Georgia] adopted a 10-Year Plan not very long ago and through the implementation of that plan, if the mayor were still here he’d be bragging on the reduction in street and chronic homelessness there in Augusta, Georgia. Communities that are partnered through 10-Year Plans that are informed by business principles and innovations and driven by results are making a difference. More than 25 cities across our country, large and small, coast to coast, are seeing for the fist time in two decades a visible and quantifiable decrease in chronic and street homelessness in their communities, in their neighborhoods, and in the lives or their poorest neighbors. Cost benefit analysis, a strategic part of those 10-Year Plans, has become another term for compassion for homeless people. The national partnership includes not only government but faith and private sectors as well. And three of our panelists today represent that innovation and partnership which has created tangible change in the lives of homeless people, literally ending their homelessness. We have come to recognize that good intentions, and well-meaning programs, and humanitarian gestures and punitive activities have not gotten the job done. Not in any city in our country. And that it is really in keeping a good grip on those good intentions, certainly, but in the partnerships, in the innovations evidences and implemented in 10-Year Plans. That is what is making the difference in the streets of our country. Reverend Faith Fowler who is here with us is from Detroit’s Cass Community Social Services, which is for 20 years focused on its homeless neighbors, ending homelessness through jobs and housing. Sister Gloria Perez from New Jersey and Eva’s Village has evolved a charitable response, so common among faith communities, to an initiative that is oriented to the justice of housing and stability within the context of a 10-Year planning strategy. Cathy Spearman has focused her considerable talents in the lives of homeless veterans and created innovations that are consumer driven and results oriented. And Roxane White, representing the public sector, bringing a long history of personal faith and private sector social service involvement is now shaping policy for homeless people in her current city of Denver, working in concert with her mayor, Mayor John Hickenlooper, through their 10 year plan, which not only is creating results in the streets of Denver, but has a big role for faith communities and is a national model in a city partnering with faith communities. Each of these panelists does much more than they will be reporting on today in their respective communities. We have asked them to concentrate on the innovations and the partnerships that are ending people’s homelessness. So we are very glad to have them here with us and we are eager to hear their innovations so that we can steal those ideas as we have said earlier. I call it the art of legitimate larceny. We can steal those ideas and bring them back to our communities and implement them. Panelist: Kathy Spearman Panelist Kathy Spearman is president and chief executive officer of Volunteers of America of Florida, Inc. (VOA Florida). VOA Florida is an affiliate of Volunteers of America, a national, faith-based, nonprofit organization and one of the country’s largest affordable housing providers. According to Spearman, VOA Florida puts an emphasis on serving individuals with special needs, filling in the gaps and reaching out to populations that would otherwise go without. In this spirit, VOA Florida, Inc. has focused considerable attention on the State’s large homeless veteran population. Spearman said that while the numbers are decreasing, recent data suggests that Florida is home to roughly 18,000 homeless veterans, many of whom were drawn to the State’s warm climate and rural areas. After two years of planning, VOA Florida launched the Florida Veterans Mobile Service Center, a 40-foot state of the art vehicle equipped with a medical and dental exam room, bunks, and satellite communication links to the VA. Owned and operated by VOA Florida, the Center provides immediate food assistance, health screening and assessment, VA benefit determination and counseling, as well as information about employment, educational, and vocational opportunities. Two-hundred days a year, it travels to the State’s islands and national forests, throughout the everglades, and to health fairs and VA-sponsored Stand Downs. During an outreach trip to the Ocala National Forest, VOA Florida determined a need for rural housing for disabled homeless veterans with mental health, substance abuse, and primary healthcare issues. As a result, they developed “Cabins in the Woods,” which is a multi-unit housing complex located in Lake City. Spearman described the project: “It was designed by veterans and it is 32 efficiency units that are fourplexes, and each veteran has his own entrance, his own screen porch; it is pet friendly, it is in a wooded setting—for those coming out of the woods it feels more comfortable—and it’s out on the edge of town. Nothing is shared and they are very unique little cabins.” Lastly, as part of VOA Florida’s increased focus on providing employment services, the units will be constructed by unemployed veterans. Spearman explained, “Employment is something we have added in the last 3 years, and that is a big emphasis on getting people jobs. We find that’s really what we need to do to make people more independent.” Panelist: Sister Gloria Perez Eva's Village in Paterson, New Jersey is a non-profit, comprehensive social service agency whose mission is to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, treat the addicted, and provide medical care to the poor. Sister Gloria Perez, the executive director of Eva’s Village in Paterson, told the Roundtable that when Eva’s started 25 years ago, they fed just 30 people daily. Today, they serve around 1000 meals a day, and their shelters house 250 residents. “We used to be called Eva’s Kitchen and Sheltering Programs; we are [now] using the name Eva’s Village because we have truly created a village. In fact, our Mayor said, ‘What are you trying to do? Buy all of Patterson?’ I said no, only [the area] within three blocks so we can create a village.” The Village’s mission evolved throughout the years as the need for more comprehensive services became increasingly clear. Sister Gomez explained: “What good was it if you fed people if they were living on the streets--so we built shelters. Well, what good was having shelters if so many people were addicted--so we built treatment programs, both inpatient and outpatient. And what good was it if now we have you clean from drugs and alcohol, but your physical state was so bad--so we opened up a primary care clinic. And those were our four missions…And then it hit us. We did all of these wonderful things, and we have people now who are clean and sober, who are employed and they are all excited about going back and where do they go…they have no place to go. So they go back to their old neighborhood. And if you know anything at all about addiction, you go to the same persons, places, and things and you then go right back to your old behavior. And we found that our recidivism rate was too high. So we said we need to do something to house people. So we became just a flow of missions from one to the other.” Eva’s housing facilities include: Eva’s Shelter for Men and Women, Eva’s Shelter for Mothers and Children, Eva’s Permanent Housing for Men, Eva’s Recovery Center for Women, Eva’s Recovery Center for Men, and Eva’s Transitional Apartments. Eva’s Village has partnered with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs, the New Jersey Division of Addiction Services, and the Division of Youth and Family Services; county and city agencies; and corporations, foundations, and individual donors. Support from these sources has allowed Eva’s to continue its expansion, including a new 51-unit apartment house that will provide housing for the chronically homeless; those afflicted with HIV/AIDS; and disabled individuals, including those battling addiction. Eva’s Village is also creating programs that will prepare its residents for the job market, allowing them to become as self-sufficient as possible. Sister Gomez explained, “They come to us in chains from the prisons for their interviews, in jumpsuits, and they walk out from us whole people again-- taxpayers, which is always a good thing, employed people…and people who really and truly want to lead a decent life.” Panelis: Rev. Faith Fowler Cass Community Social Services (CCSS) is a human service organization in Detroit, MI, that serves homeless, hungry, mentally and/or medically ill individuals, as well as "at-risk" seniors and children. In addition to their food services, which provide 20,000 meals a week, CCSS offers health care services, as well as emergency, transitional, and permanent supportive housing. Yet according to Rev. Faith Fowler, executive director of CCSS and senior pastor at the Cass Community United Methodist Church, CCSS is not just about providing services, it is about seeking solutions. Rev. Fowler explained to the Roundtable, “You have heard the statement, I am sure, you give a man a fish and he eats for a day. You teach a man to fish and he eats for life. Now, here is the third sentence- I am a preacher so I like to modify statements. If you teach someone, because it could be a man or a woman, to cook a fish, they can feed a community and have a paycheck.” Out of this philosophy grew CCSS’ first vocational service program. Launched in 2000 with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the 12- week culinary arts program trains homeless adults how to cook, and prepares them to take a certification test that, if passed, guarantees employment. Program graduates have found jobs starting at $8-$12 an hour, some of which include benefits. “We have gotten them jobs at hospitals, at nursing homes, [with] caterers, [and] restaurants. They have gotten a foot in the door even if they have been to prison. Many of them, if they have been in the military, know how to feed large numbers of people anyway. They just need the credentials and the recommendation and the resume and the life skills again to get back on their feet,” Rev. Fowler told the audience. Since CCSS has been training homeless people in their commercial kitchen, they have won contracts to supply food to charter schools, hospitals, and to some of the City of Detroit’s prison population, for whom they make 1200 sandwiches a day. To demonstrate the “miracle” of the program, Rev. Fowler described the remarkable transformation experienced by a culinary student who worked at the Ryder Cup after his graduation. “At least one man that I know of started the class as what we call a ‘dumpster diver,’ meaning that he scouts out half eaten food out of big trash receptacles to feed himself. And, 12 weeks later, he was standing next to world renowned chefs feeding millionaires who watched golf balls sent around.” In addition to the culinary program, CCSS trains its clients to shred documents for law firms, doctors’ offices, and hopes to eventually compete for government contracts. Rev. Fowler said because many CCSS workers cannot read well enough to share any of the information contained in the documents they shred, “all of a sudden a liability is now an asset.” Rev. Fowler launched another innovative program after she read an article about a Native American tribe in Oklahoma that turned car tires into floor mats. With Detroit’s roughly 40,000 vacant lots located throughout the city, each of which has at least 10 tires, Rev. Fowler put together a program similar to the one in Oklahoma. Rev. Fowler said of the program, “We are making thousands of dollars and employing people, and I suspect within a couple of years we will employ 200 people because I have gotten volunteers willing to sell it to large-scale local and national chains. And all of a sudden, our problem is our opportunity.” Panelist: Roxane White The Family and Senior Homeless Initiative: One Congregation, One Family, is part of Denver’s Road Home projectand is coordinated by the Denver Rescue Mission. A cornerstone of Denver’s 10-Year Plan to end homelessness, the program combines the efforts of faith-based organizations and the government to create effective, lasting strategies. Roxane White, manager of the Denver Department of Human Services, told the Roundtable, “I believe good politics can be about homelessness, which I never thought would be possible. And I also think we can have good politics and good religion helping people.” The idea for the One Congregation, One Family program developed in response to the fact that only 30 percent of residents leaving Denver’s transitional housing programs remain off of the streets. White explained that solving the issue of homelessness is not just about providing housing services; it is about providing a community of support for homeless individuals who are trying to rebuild their lives. With this in mind, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper brought together a clergy committee that includes a rabbi, an evangelical pastor, a Muslim cleric, and Protestant ministers to help create a community of support for Denver’s homeless population. As a result, over 250 families have been adopted by congregations that put together mentoring teams comprised of five families per homeless client. Mentors are trained to provide financial and employment counseling to the individual or family, and are taught how to recognize and report signs of physical or substance abuse. White said they assign five families to each client because, “we want that family safety net to be knit so tightly that they cannot slip through the safety net. There is truly a net for them. So that may mean that 10 or 15 new people are in their lives working with them.” Congregations raise a total of $1200 in rental assistance for each homeless individual or family. Wealthier congregations participating in the program help out less wealthy congregations, creating an internal safety net to ensure the program’s success. One year after enrolling, 80 percent of the clients remained off of the streets as a result of the program. Clients tell White that a key part of the program for them was having a sense of community, which White said was important, “so that the government is not the safety net all of the time.” Denver’s 10-year plan has resulted in an overall 11 percent decrease in homelessness, a 36 percent reduction in chronic homelessness, and Denver’s business community claims a 98 percent reduction in panhandling in the downtown area. Faith and Community-Based Partnerships to End Homelessness 3:00 – 3:05 Welcome and Introduction 3:05 – 3:20 Remarks on Unlocking Doors Initiative 3:20 – 4:00 Panel I: Successes of Unlocking Doors Initiative Panelist: Jerry Blassingame, Director of Community Development, Redemption World Outreach Center 4:00 – 4:10 Reaching Homeless Veterans: VA Homeless and Residential Treatment Program 4:50 – 5:00 Wrap-Up Secretary Alphonso Jackson Secretary Alphonso Jackson is guiding the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in its mission to provide affordable housing and promote economic development, an assignment to which he brings more than 25 years of direct experience in both the private and public sectors. In nominating Jackson, President George W. Bush chose a leader with a strong background in housing and community development, expertise in finance and management, and a deep commitment to improving the lives of all Americans. Alphonso Jackson first joined the Bush Administration in June of 2001 as HUD's deputy secretary and chief operating officer. As deputy secretary, Jackson managed the day-to-day operations of the $32 billion Department and instilled a new commitment to ethics and accountability within HUD's programs and among its workforce and grant partners. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Jackson as the nation's 13th Secretary of HUD on March 31, 2004. Immediately preceding his appointment at HUD, Jackson served as president of American Electric Power-TEXAS, a $13 billion utility company located in Austin, Texas. From January 1989 until July 1996, Secretary Jackson was president and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Dallas, Texas, which consistently ranked as one of the best-managed large-city housing agencies in the country during his tenure. Prior to that, Secretary Jackson was director of the Department of Public and Assisted Housing in Washington, D.C., and also served as chairperson for the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency Board. In 1977, Jackson became the director of Public Safety for the City of St. Louis. Jackson also served as executive director for the St. Louis Housing Authority, a director of consultant services for the certified public accounting firm of Laventhol and Horwath-St. Louis, and special assistant to the chancellor and assistant professor at the University of Missouri. Secretary Jackson and his wife Marcia are the parents of two grown daughters. Faith Fowler Devoting most of her adult life to serving the community, Rev. Faith Fowler’s years of community service have made her one of the most admired figures in Detroit-area charity work. Under her direction, Cass Community Social Services (CCSS) has expanded its programs and experienced perhaps its most successful era. Since 1994, Rev. Fowler has served as the Cass Community United Methodist Church senior pastor and executive director of Cass Community Social Services. Presiding over a multi-class and multi-ethnic congregation, Fowler preaches, teaches, and performs administrative work for the historic church and community service center. Beyond her pastoral responsibilities, Fowler has expanded CCSS' community outreach programs over the past several years. Friends, co-workers, and fellow clergy describe Fowler as a pioneer and a visionary. Fowler not only spearheads CCSS' programs; she is also an active participant, directing volunteers at food drives, driving people to the rotating shelters and celebrating Christmas at the Warming Center, Fowler is always eager to help the community. Fowler lives by the assertion that, “If a person can do something to help people, they should.” Fowler has introduced a number of remarkable programs to benefit those in need. The East Side Ministries-- a day care program that assists mentally ill men and women on the east side of Detroit; and the Scott Building, a center serving Detroit’s homeless, mentally ill and chemically dependent, providing housing and vocational programs. Fowler served from 1986 to 1994 as pastor at the William S. Ford Memorial United Methodist Church in Detroit. From 1983 to 1986, she worked with the Catholic Chaplaincy Team at Walpole Maximum Security Prison in Massachusetts. Fowler received her Master of Divinity degree from the Boston University School of Theology, and prior to that she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Albion College. She has also earned a Master of Public Administration Degree at the University of Michigan. Rev. Fowler serves as an Advisory Board member of the Detroit Area Agency on Aging. In addition, she is a member of the United Methodist Church's Detroit Conference Committee on Investigation and has worked as a Mission schoolteacher. Fowler sits on the Board of Visitors Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University. Philip Mangano Philip F. Mangano was recently nominated as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. In 2006 he was named by Governing Magazine as the first Federal official ever to be honored with its Public Official of the Year Award. He has been recognized by mainstream and business media in the United States for his leadership on the issue of homelessness and new results in ending homelessness being achieved in cities across the country through the National Partnership created by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. “Nobody has done more than Mangano to change the national dialogue on homelessness,” said Governing Magazine. The Council has been named one of the “Top 50” programs selected by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in the 2007 Innovations in American Government Awards competition. Mr. Mangano speaks on the abolition of homelessness across the United States and has been invited to speak at United Nations and European Union sponsored events and national meetings in a number of countries. In 2004 he initiated international dialogue on homelessness with the creation of the Tri-Partite Meetings, which now include Canada and several European countries. Mr. Mangano serves as Executive Director of the Council, a position to which he was appointed by President Bush in 2002, bringing to his role more than 25 years of experience in the issue of homelessness, both in public policy and solution-oriented programs. As Executive Director, Mr. Mangano has engaged every level of government and the private sector to constellate a national partnership to end homelessness. Key to his focus is what The Christian Science Monitor called a “business-school approach to the problem.” Prior to his appointment, Mr. Mangano was the founding Executive Director of a regional advocacy alliance which became the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA), a statewide coalition of 80 agencies which operate more than 200 programs. During his 12-year tenure, MHSA developed statewide strategies to reduce and end homelessness in Massachusetts which influenced the national dialogue in Washington and throughout the nation. In his previous work on the issue in Massachusetts, Mr. Mangano originated the abolitionist notion of changing the verb and intent of homelessness from managing the response to ending the disgrace by moving beyond a status quo that was well intentioned to innovations that are results oriented. Mr. Mangano began his work in homelessness in the 1980s, staring as a full-time volunteer on a Boston breadline, then working with African-American churches in responding to homelessness, and eventually serving as Director of Homeless Services for the City of Cambridge. Douglas E. Nelson Rev. Douglas E. Nelson served as the City of Los Angeles’ first Faith-Based Liaison for Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa. He assisted community and faith-based leaders in their development efforts by providing technical assistance, project facilitation and advice on navigating city hall. Currently, he works to facilitate unique public/private partnerships with faith and community-based institutions as Chief Executive Officer of The Levitical Network, a for-profit company he founded. Rev. Nelson also consults various political campaigns to provide management and outreach in urban communities of faith. Recently, he served as manager for the “Valerie McDonald for Congress” campaign, daughter of the late Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald; Southern California Outreach Coordinator for the statewide Proposition 1C Campaign, a $2.9 Billion Housing and Emergency Shelter Bond Measure and as Outreach Coordinator for the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing for the Los Angeles citywide Proposition H Campaign, a $1 Billion Housing Bond Proposal. He also served as Coordinator of the South LA “Villaraigosa for Mayor 2005” campaign. He was previously employed in the philanthropic industry as a Program Officer for the Amateur Athletic and UniHealth Foundations. During the course of his tenure in the Southern California Philanthropic industry, he co-founded the regional affinity group, African Americans in Philanthropy, Southern California and recommended more than $7 million in grants to nonprofits, hospitals and community clinics. He has also worked with World Vision, as Director of Community, Economic & Housing Development, managing a nonprofit housing loan fund. Douglas is a graduate of Oregon State University. He has also received certificates from Harvard Divinity School’s Summer Leadership Institute; an interdisciplinary community and economic development program where participants study in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Business School and Divinity School; and from the University of Southern California Lusk Center’s Ross Minority Program in Real Estate. Rev. Nelson volunteers as Board President of the To Help Everyone Clinic (T.H.E.) he also serves as a member of the Korean Churches for Community Development (KCCD) board. Douglas is an ordained Baptist Minister. He has served in ministry for nine years. He and his wife Shannon are members of McCoy Memorial Baptist Church, where the Reverend Dr. Robert A. Williams, Jr. is pastor. They reside in Los Angeles. Gloria Perez Sister Gloria Perez, the executive director of Eva’s Village in Paterson, New Jersey, has a long and distinguished record of service to the homeless and the working poor. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in Manhattan during the early 1960s, and continued her ministry to inner-city teenagers in New York City and Paterson, New Jersey for more than 38 years. As an educator, Sister Gloria held the positions of teacher, department head, assistant principal, and principal of Paterson Catholic High School. After serving on its board for several years, Sister Gloria was asked to become Eva’s executive director in 2002. Under her administration, Eva’s Village has purchased several new properties that will greatly expand many of its 11 programs. The highlights of Eva’s expansion include the St. Frances Residence for Mothers and Children where mothers will be able to be treated for addiction without relinquishing custody of their children, and Eva’s Village Apartments, a 51-unit affordable housing complex that will provide supportive services for its tenants. Sister Gloria believes strongly in the power of collaboration. To that end, she serves on several committees and taskforces. Chief among her many accomplishments at Eva’s is serving on the Public Policy taskforce of the Passaic County Interagency Council on Homelessness (PCICH) that has created a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Sister Gloria is also an officer for the Paterson Alliance, a citywide organization of non-profit agencies dedicated to the revitalization of New Jersey’s third largest city. In addition, she leads the committee of the Paterson Division of Housing, Department of Community Development to ensure appropriate and successful distribution of HUD funding through the Emergency Shelter Grant Program. Sister Gloria belongs to the religious community of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the recipient of the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award, the highest papal award for a woman, for her years of service to the Church and the poor. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from St. Thomas Aquinas College and a Master’s Degree in Education from Assumption College. Blessed with a dynamic speaking gift, she is highly sought after for her ability to educate and inspire audiences on the challenges facing poor and homeless men, women, and children. Susan Smith Susan Smith has been the assistant executive director of Exodus Homes since 1998, and is a minister at Exodus Missionary Outreach Church, a progressive multi-ethnic nondenominational ministry. Exodus Church created Exodus Homes as its non-profit arm to carry out the mission of the church in the community. She has a BA in Human Services from Western Illinois University, and 34 years experience working in non-profit human services with special populations such as developmentally disabled, hearing impaired, severely disturbed adolescents, families, recovering addicts, alcoholics, and formerly incarcerated people. Susan is a volunteer at Catawba Correctional Center, a board member of Catawba Prison Ministries, and a Rotarian. She has an extraordinary partnership with the Rev. Reggie Longcrier who is the visionary leader of the Exodus Movement working through the church, the prison ministry, and the faith-based supportive housing program that are working together synergistically to provide people a way out of the bondage of drug addiction, alcoholism, and incarceration. Susan’s Mission Statement for her life is “My mission in life is to glorify God as the spiritual administrator of the Exodus Movement.” Paul Smits Mr. Paul Smits has a Master of Social Work degree from Western Michigan University. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War and was awarded the Bronze Star in 1970. Mr. Smits has 34 years of service in the Department of Veterans Affairs in a number of different positions. He has been a Chief of Social Work, Chief of Domiciliary Care Program, and a hospital Service Line Manager for Mental Health. Throughout his career, Mr. Smits has been involved in the development of VA’s homeless program. In 2003, he was awarded the prestigious Olin Teague Award for achieving outstanding results in the rehabilitation of homeless veterans. In December 2005, Mr. Smits was appointed to the position of Associate Chief Consultant, Homeless and Residential Treatment Program in VA Central Office. In that position, he manages the day-to-day operation of Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Grant and Per Diem Program, Multifamily Loan Guarantee Program, the Domiciliary Care Program for Homeless Veterans and VHA’s homeless outreach services. Kathy Spearman Kathyrn E. Spearman, President/Chief Executive Office of Volunteers of America of Florida, Inc. for the past 15 years, received her Masters Degree in Social Work from Louisiana State University. She has a thirty year career in social service management, including developing Volunteers of America of Florida from an operations budget of less than $400,000 to over $20 million using multiple creative funding combinations. The agency is a statewide, faith based, non-profit, Joint Commission accredited agency provided housing, health, employment, education and social services. Ms. Spearman has authored a number of publications in the fields of health care services, volunteer program management and child care and is a regular presenter on homeless, special needs and disabled veterans populations. Her professional affiliations include the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, National Alliance to End Homelessness, and Charter member o the Florida Supportive Housing Coalition. She is involved in the community, having served on a variety of boards as well as advisory and planning groups. She has testified before congress on special needs populations, homes veterans related issues and service delivery. She currently is serving her fourth year in Washington on the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Roxane White Roxane White has both a Masters degree in Divinity and one in Social Work. Roxane was appointed the Manager of the Denver Department of Human Services by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in July of 2003 and serves as a member of the Mayor’s Cabinet. The Denver Department of Human Services provides over $290 million in services and programs to the residents of the City and County of Denver ranging from Food Stamps and Medicaid to Child Welfare. Roxane also chairs the Mayor’s Commission to End Homelessness and serves on Denver Preschool Program Board of Directors and the State of Colorado Child Welfare and Colorado Works Allocation Committees. Under her leadership, in the last two years, the number of people who were chronically homeless on the streets of Denver decreased by 36 percent and the count of all homeless populations has decreased by 11 percent. Prior to coming to the City of Denver, Roxane spent sixteen years developing programs to serve the needs of people who are homeless in Colorado and San Francisco and worked extensively with the faith based community so create solutions to homelessness. Bob Young Bob Young was appointed Regional Director, Atlanta Region of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development located in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 20, 2005. He serves as liaison to mayors, city managers, elected representatives, state and local officials, Congressional delegations, stakeholders and customers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. He oversees the delivery of HUD programs and services to communities and evaluates their efficiency and effectiveness. He is responsible for all Federally funded and insured housing programs, including FHA Mortgage Insurance, Community Planning and Development, Public Housing Programs, and Fair Housing Programs. Prior to joining HUD, Young held the position as Mayor of the consolidated government of Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia. President George W. Bush appointed Mayor Young to represent the nation’s mayors on the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation. Before becoming Mayor Young spent 26 years as a broadcast journalist. Young grew up in Thomson, Georgia. He attended Wofford College and Augusta State University. Bob is married to Gwen Fulcher Young and they have two daughters and six grandchildren.Appendix C: Federal Efforts to Combat Homelessness U.S. Agency for International Development The U.S. Agency for International Development works to provide assistance to those who are left homeless by war, disease, and disaster. Homelessness takes on many forms around the world: refugees fleeing from persecution or areas of civil unrest, children who are orphaned because of disease and have no where to go, and victims of a tsunami or an earthquake who are suddenly without shelter of any kind. Faith and community based organizations are vital partners in the U.S. Government’s efforts to extend goodwill to our neighbors abroad, alleviating suffering caused by homelessness. In FY 2006 through March 2007, the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) has provided more than $34 million in humanitarian shelter assistance and shelter preparedness activities in Afghanistan, East Timor, Guatemala, India, Lebanon, Liberia, Mexico, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, Sudan, and Zimbabwe. USAID/OFDA also provided technical assistance in several instances, contributing significantly to the broader strategic response of the international humanitarian community. Examples of USAID and FBCO Partnership SFL has recently completed a shelter and community infrastructure improvement project in Takhar Province. In February 2006, a new SFL project began in northern Afghanistan to improve substandard living conditions and community infrastructure by enabling beneficiaries to construct 145 durable starter homes; this eight-month project benefited 14,719 people. And in September 2006, the U.S. Department of State provided additional funding for SFL to construct 435 starter homes and 435 latrines for Afghan returnee households in Takhar province. Darfur: For the more than two million Darfurians who have been forced to flee their homes, shelter and other supplies are resources that not only save lives, but also restore and protect dignity. USAID partner Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has integrated shelter provision with other services to improve their ability to cope with past trauma and prepare to mitigate future risks. In West Darfur, CRS has provided shelter and supplies to more than 2,000 displaced families using an approach that seeks to maximize participation, ownership, and dignity. After a basic training course, beneficiaries decide the type of shelter construction they would like, and participate in setting camp, demarcating land, and constructing the shelter. Beneficiaries are asked to provide roof coverings through locally available materials, while CRS provides other needed construction supplies. More than 65 grassroots community shelter committees have been established and trained by CRS to guide beneficiaries through the process and monitor and evaluate activities. Flexibility and responsiveness are also key to the success of USAID-supported CRS activities. In January 2007, when violence displaced families from three villages in the Kulbus Corridor, CRS was able to immediately mobilize resources and construct temporary communal shelter units in the Ardamata camp to receive the newly displaced. Since then, shelters with a longer life span have been built for individual households. For more information, visit www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_partnerships/fbci/. U.S. Department of Agriculture The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognizes the important role that faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) play in helping us to better serve those in need. Through our partnership and grant opportunities, USDA welcomes FBCOs as important partners in our domestic food and nutrition programs, international food aid programs, and rural development opportunities. For nearly 60 years, USDA Rural Development has helped rural Americans to become homeowners. And much of this activity would have been impossible without FBCOs. Rural Development partners with FBCOs on projects that bring housing, community facilities, utilities, and other services to rural communities. The following are just several of the many Rural Development programs that offer partnership opportunities for FBCOs helping those in need. Rural Development’s Single-Family Housing Programs have helped many families achieve the American dream of home ownership: (1) Mutual Self-Help Housing Grants combine a direct lending program for home purchases with a grant program that helps nonprofit organizations guide borrowers in the construction of new homes, reducing by almost 20 percent the total cost of purchasing a home. The families provide at least 65 percent of the labor and work together to build each other’s homes, usually in groups of 5-12 families. (2) Technical & Supervisory Assistance Grants provide funding for local organizations to assist low-income rural families in obtaining adequate housing to meet their needs and/or to provide the necessary guidance to promote their continued occupancy of already adequate housing. Rural Development’s Multi-Family Housing Programs make and guarantee loans and provide grants to construct and renovate multi-family housing facilities in rural areas for those with very low, low, and moderate incomes: (1) Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Loans allow for the construction, acquisition, or rehabilitation of rural multi-family housing. (2) Rural Rental Housing Loans are made to finance building construction and site development of multi-family apartment living for those who cannot afford the purchase price and maintenance cost of an individual house. (3) Rural Housing Preservation Grants are available to recipients of Single-Family Housing and Multi-Family Housing program assistance to bring dwellings up to development standards through repair and rehabilitation projects. To learn more about how USDA Rural Development is working with FBCOs to strengthen rural communities, please visit: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/fbci/. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the principal Federal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and supporting the delivery of essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. As such, the delivery of treatment and services to persons experiencing homelessness is included in the activities of the Department. The coordination of these services, both within the Department, as well as with our Federal partners who provide housing and complementary service programs, is a critical component of achieving the goal of preventing and ending homelessness. In March, 2007 HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt assumed the role of chairman of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH). The ICH is responsible for coordinating the Federal response to homelessness across twenty Federal departments and agencies, and to create a national partnership at every level of government and the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation. The Council and its 20-member Federal agencies focus on factors impacting persons experiencing homelessness, such as substance abuse and mental health, housing, employment, education, and access to healthcare. As chairman, Secretary Leavitt seeks to incorporate a greater focus on preventing chronic homelessness. Secretary Leavitt will also lead ICH efforts to improve the coordination of services across Federal agencies to persons experiencing homelessness, and to those at higher risk of becoming homeless, such as youth aging out of foster care. For more information, please visit http://www.hhs.gov/homeless/. Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) Programs for Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center Program Transitional Living Program Community Services Block Grant Social Services Block Grant Research & Publications For more information, visit www.hhs.gov/fbci. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development The HUD Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) plays a vital role in helping HUD to reach the goal of assuring that Faith-Based and Community Organizations (FBCOs) understand how to increase homeownership, promote decent & affordable housing, ensure equal opportunity to housing, embrace high standards of ethics, management and accountability, and promote the participation of faith-based and community organizations in our programs and grant opportunities. The Center’s mission is to cultivate support for Faith-Based and Community Organizations as they strengthen America’s communities. We will accomplish this through our vision of: (1) Positioning FBCOs at the forefront of HUD’s policy thinking; (2) Promoting a comprehensive approach to community and economic development; and (3) Increasing cooperation among State and local governments in order to foster greater participation by FBCOs in the development of comprehensive approaches to local, State, and national community challenges and opportunities. The Center has established national programs to help solve community problems. The outcomes have been rewarding to many people in need through the utilization of innovative methods to make existing programs more effective and accessible. HUD CFBCI’s key programs include: (1) The Art and Science of Grant-Writing Training; (2) The Unlocking Doors Initiative; and (3) The Hope VI Mentoring Program. We effectively assist in making America’s communities better by building on the success of faith-based and other community healers already on the front lines of our neighborhoods and communities. The task the President set out before us can only be accomplished with the understanding that our mission is not about religion it is about results. Our efforts are designed to expand on innovative approaches to help distressed communities R.I.S.E. above poverty and despair. R.I.S.E means that we will answer the President’s call to:
HUD’s Continuum of Care (COC) The Continuum of Care (CoC) is HUD’s comprehensive approach to assisting individuals and families in moving from homelessness to independence and self-sufficiency. Because homeless people have varying needs, the CoC provides a “continuum” of services to help individuals move from emergency shelter to transitional housing and then to permanent housing. Funding for CoC is provided through three competitive programs:
Community Development Block Grant Program: HOME Investment Partnerships Program: For more information, visit www.hud.gov/offices/fbci. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has a long history of leadership in assisting homeless individuals to find and retain employment. Employment is often the first step toward self-sufficiency. Through targeted employment and training programs, homeless individuals and those vulnerable to homelessness are provided with critical tools and training to enter the workforce and succeed. Faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) are trusted pillars in the community and are often the first place to which the homeless turn in times of need. The DOL Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) is ensuring that the good work of FBCOs in helping the homeless find employment is incorporated into DOL programs. As a result, the Labor Department has launched innovative programs to expand the work of FBCOs in helping homeless individuals find permanent employment. The following programs are examples of DOL initiatives that are helping make a difference. Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) – The Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program provides services to help homeless veterans obtain meaningful employment. HVRP is the only nationwide program exclusively focused on assisting homeless veterans reintegrate into the workforce. HVRP funds are awarded competitively to grantees – including FBCOs. Grantees provide veterans with job training, development, and placement; career counseling; and critical links to supportive services available in their local communities. Since 2000, DOL has awarded $146,826,000 to 86 organizations, including FBCOs, to help thousands of veterans end their cycle of homelessness. Grantees in the HVRP program have served more than 91,408 homeless veterans. Sixty-three percent have been placed into employment. Since 2004, 68 percent of participants have retained employment for 90 days and 57 percent have retained employment for 180 days. Grants to Grassroots Faith-Based and Community Organizations—Since 2002, DOL has awarded grants to grassroots FBCOs in more than 170 towns and cities across 44 States. These small nonprofits are linking the individuals they serve to One-Stop Center resources and providing the services needed to ensure stable, long-term employment. Many FBCOs that received these grants help homeless individuals and underserved individuals who are at-risk of becoming homeless transition into employment or better jobs. For example, the grassroots FBCOs that received grants in 2005 reported that 15 percent of their clients were homeless, 10 percent were receiving public assistance, 21 percent were ex-prisoners, 15 percent had disabilities, and an estimated 64 percent were unemployed at the time of program entry. Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Housing Grants – The U.S. Departments of Labor and Housing and Urban Development have worked together to develop the Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Housing program. Workforce Investment Boards in five cities were selected to participate in this five-year initiative: Indianapolis, IN; Boston, MA; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; and Los Angeles, CA. These grants are designed to enable disabled persons who are chronically homeless to achieve employment, permanent housing, and self-sufficiency. Many grantees work with FBCOs to identify potential participants and provide services. Of the approximately 500 individuals served through this initiative, 53 percent have achieved competitive employment, with an average salary of $9.07/hr and an average 28-hour work week. The CFBCI is committed to developing exceptional programs that utilize FBCOs to help our neighbors in need. By working through FBCOs, we tap into invaluable local resources through which we can partner together and produce effective results. For more information, visit www.dol.gov/cfbci. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VA is the second largest of the 15 Cabinet departments and operates nationwide programs for health care, financial assistance and burial benefits and offers a wide variety of programs and services for the nation’s 24.3 million veterans. About one-third of the adult homeless population has served their country in the Armed Services. On any given day, as many as 195,000 veterans are living on the streets or in shelters. Helping homeless veterans is a top priority in the VA and we offer a wide array of special programs and initiatives specifically designed to help homeless veterans live as self-sufficiently and independently as possible. Although limited to veterans and their dependents, VA's major homeless-specific programs constitute the largest integrated network of homeless treatment and assistance services in the country. The programs strive to offer a continuum of services that include: aggressive outreach to those veterans living on streets and in shelters who otherwise would not seek assistance; clinical assessment and referral to needed medical treatment for physical and psychiatric disorders, including substance abuse; long-term sheltered transitional assistance, case management, and rehabilitation; and employment assistance and linkage with available income supports; and supported permanent housing. Here are two programs that highlight the success of our homeless efforts: VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program VA Loan Guarantee Program for Multifamily Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans – St. Leo’s Pilot For more information, visit www.va.gov/fbci. U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Mission. The mission of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness is to coordinate the Federal response to homelessness and to create a national partnership at every level of government and every element of the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation. Revitalized by President Bush in 2002, the Council, under the leadership of Executive Director Philip F. Mangano, is engaged in carrying out the President’s commitment to end chronic homelessness in the United States. In doing so, the Council has forged an unprecedented national partnership that extends from the White House to the streets and includes Federal, State, and local government, advocates, providers, consumers and faith-based organizations. The Council works to improve access to and coordination of Federal investments among its Council member departments and agencies; ensure the effectiveness of Federal activities and programs; engage and assist state and local governments, advocates, service providers, and customers in creating effective local solutions; and provide technical assistance and evidence-based best practice information to partners at every level of government, as well as the private sector. Interagency Collaboration - Federal. The Council is an independent agency within the Federal executive branch composed of 20 Cabinet Secretaries and agency heads and reports directly to the White House Domestic Policy Council. Meeting regularly at the White House, the Council’s Cabinet Chair is currently Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. Intergovernmental Collaboration. As part of the Council’s strategy to establish non-partisan, intergovernmental partnerships to end chronic homelessness, specific initiatives have been fostered with state and local governments. To date, Governors of 53 States and territories have taken steps to create State Interagency Councils on Homelessness. Over 300 Mayors and County Executives have committed to 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness. The Council provides technical assistance to states and localities in the development of these initiatives including the expeditious dissemination of innovative best practices that are results-oriented. Intercommunity Collaboration. To carry out the strategy of intergovernmental and inter-sector partnership, the Council has developed community partnerships with the National Governors Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, United Way, Chamber of Commerce, International Downtown Association, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Additionally, the Council regularly convenes state and local officials, communicates with national and local provider and advocacy organizations, and communicates directly with homeless people to foster consumer-centric solutions. Technical Assistance and Support. To administer and facilitate the Council’s mission at the local and regional level, the Council has Regional Coordinators throughout the country. Each of the Coordinators is responsible for working with Federal partners and State and local governments, homeless advocates, providers, and consumers to encourage and coordinate their collective efforts to end chronic homelessness. The Coordinators facilitate the creation of regional Federal interagency councils and State interagency councils, as well as jurisdictional 10-Year Plans. The Council, in keeping with the President’s Management Agenda, encourages activities and initiatives that incorporate research-driven, performance-based, and results-oriented solutions. For example, the Council supports: (1) The dissemination of new and innovative approaches such as Housing First, Assertive Community Treatment Teams, and Project Homeless Connect that are proving effective at ending chronic homelessness; (2) Local cost-benefit studies that reveal the costs of homelessness to the community and the cost savings that arise from effective solutions; (3) Strategies to prevent homelessness for individuals and families before it occurs; and (4) Access to mainstream resources for the benefit of homeless persons and families. For more information, please visit the Council’s website at www.usich.gov.Appendix D: Snapshots of Faith-Based and Community Organizations Catholic Charities Housing, Diocese of Venice, Inc. Utilizing a variety of funding resources, including HOME funds, Catholic Charities Housing of the Diocese of Venice, Inc. developed an entire community serving the unmet needs of migrant farm workers in Desoto County, Florida. The immensely successful community is now thriving and serves as home to more than 100 families. Total project development costs exceeded $20 million and the community has all necessary components to be self sufficient. Clara White Mission, Inc. The Mission has developed and implemented a $2.1 million comprehensive program for the homeless which includes a 24-hour operation of transitional housing, drop-in day center, daily feeding program, computer lab, and prevention program for inner city youth. An innovative part of the Mission is the highly successful Culinary Arts Program and training café that provides students with training to become certified culinary employees. This program is unique in its ability to generate qualified employees for the workforce in a measurable and cost effective manner. The Mission’s initiative allows students and graduates an opportunity to begin experiencing the quality of a new chance, a new choice, and a new life. Community Housing of Wyandotte County, Inc. Cathedral Pointe is a multi-phase development, with approximately 50 newly constructed homes to date, that provides quality, affordable workforce housing in the heart of Kansas City, KS. Upon completion of all phases, the development will consist of a mixture of 140 new and rehabilitated single family homes and town homes, transforming a once deteriorated urban neighborhood into a thriving community that will impact not only its residents, but will likely have a significant impact on surrounding neighborhoods as well. Strong collaborations between the Federal government, local government, private industry, and the faith-based community were key to the success of the project. Cathedral Pointe is a prime example of how CDBG and HOME funds can be targeted to assist in the transformation of entire neighborhoods. MUST Ministries MUST Ministries is a faith-based organization that for 31 years has provided services to persons in crisis. It provides services to help people in need, emergency shelter, transitional housing, meals, groceries, clothing, job readiness and placement, substance abuse counseling, financial assistance, access to health care, and access to affordable housing. In terms of CPD grants, the organization is a sponsor for several Shelter Plus Care grants and several Supportive Housing Program grants. Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation did rehabilitation of an abandoned nursing home and made it into 40 units of housing with six units dedicated to those with HIV. The housing is located in a mixed-income area directly across the street from its parent organization, Plymouth Congregational Church, which was founded in 1857 in downtown Minneapolis. Project H.O.M.E. Since its founding in 1989, Project H.O.M.E. has grown from an emergency winter shelter to become an organization controlling over 400 units of housing and three businesses, which provide employment to formerly homeless persons. The organization has become one of the largest and most respected homeless providers in the City of Philadelphia. Project H.O.M.E. and Executive Director S. Mary Scullion have been acknowledged by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and have received several local awards. Redemption World Outreach Center Redemption Community Development Corporation owns six, two bedroom units, two of which will be handicap accessible. Soteria Ministries is an after-care prison program that houses homeless ex-offenders. Right now there are five transitional homes. Two are occupied by ex-offenders and their families, one is a women’s facility, and the other two are men’s facilities. Two of the homes are located on Vance St. where six more homes will be built for transition, rent, or purchase for those previously incarcerated and their families. Listed are partners and their roles in helping to make our project successful. The Upstate Homeless Coalition allows us to rent their affordable houses/duplexes and sublet to participants of our program. Greenville County Workforce Systems/Job Connection Services has established a One Stop agency within our office building to provide job searches & resume building for our participants. The Greenville Housing Authority and BB&T offer Homeownership classes, in our office building, to our participants. We've received a $47,000 grant from South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority Housing Trust Fund for down payment assistance for first time home buyers. Refocus Outreach Ministry Refocus Outreach Ministry is a transitional housing program for single women who are in recovery (substance and alcohol abuse and domestic violence). The program helps women transition back into society through job training, life skills, and family reunification. Executive Director Martha Melvin was previously homeless and a substance abuser. Her emphasis is providing the women with “real life” experiences and changes. Salvation Army Renewal Place is a two year transitional housing program for chemically addicted homeless women and their children up to 12 years of age. The program serves a maximum of 45 women and children in 15 families. Renewal Place answers the need in the community for women who need long term residential services that include their children. The Program is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development—Supportive Housing Program, United Way and public and private donations. The program has over $1 million in leveraged funding via mainstream resources that include Workforce Development and Families First benefits. Appendix E: Local Solutions to Ending Homelessness Atlanta, Georgia In 2002, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin requested that United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta form a commission which committed to plans for the 24/7 Gateway Center, a key part of a broad initiative to build comprehensive services and systems to meet the needs of homeless individuals in the metropolitan area. AUM Community Ministries, LLC (AUMCM), a subsidiary of Atlanta Union Mission, serves as the operator of the 24/7 Gateway Center in contract with 24/7 Gateway, LLC, a subsidiary of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, who holds the lease on the facility. In a spirit of community collaboration and partnership, to date more than 50 agencies, departments, faith groups, and service entities support the vision and mission of the Center. Vince Smith, Atlanta Union Mission’s Director of Community Relations and Senior Chaplain, and the director of the 24/7 Gateway Center. Atlanta Union Mission will provide key services such as facilitating the welcome center and referral process, as well as operating the pre-treatment beds and the emergency services component. Atlanta Union Mission is a non-denominational Christian ministry that provides services to as many as 1,162 homeless and addicted men, women and their children every day of the year. The Mission was established in 1938 as a shelter for hungry and homeless individuals displaced by the Great Depression. Over the years, the Mission has grown from a single shelter in downtown Atlanta to six centers, which provide emergency food and shelter, residential recovery programs and transitional housing. Boise, Idaho The Boise CATCH program—Charitable Assistance to Community’s Homeless—primarily assists homeless families with children younger than 18. The program is also available to young adults, ages 18 to 22, who are aging out of foster care. Boise Mayor Bieter launched CATCH program last fall as a partnership between the City of Boise, local church congregations, and the business community to provide long-term supportive housing for homeless families with children. Mayor Bieter also announced that the city would contribute $10,000 for hotel vouchers to cover short-term shelter needs for homeless women, children, and families. Each participating faith-based organization sponsors one family’s housing for the terms of a six month or one-year lease. Ongoing case management links the family with resources to address the factors that contributed to their homelessness. Businesses provide financial and in-kind support to assist families with living expenses. In its first year, the CATCH program will serve 10 to 15 families and three to five young adults. More than twenty churches, businesses, and community partners have joined the program, with many expressing interest. The impact was immediate from the program. Fourteen homeless families including 35 children housed in just over 4 months. Pursuing a "housing first" approach, local congregations were invited to sponsor the rental housing costs for one or more homeless families for the term of a lease, generally 6 to 12 months. The effort is a partnership with the city which provides a social worker to act as a case manager, linking the families as necessary with community support services including mental health and substance addiction treatment and workforce training. The response from the community was immediate, with a number of local businesses asking how they, too, could become involved. Recently, the United Way of Treasure Valley became the latest partner to the CATCH effort, donating $15,000 and recommending approval of an additional grant up to $7500 as a dollar for dollar match to fund another part time social worker. Detroit, Michigan Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick’s office operates the Commission on Homelessness and Poverty. The Commission is charged with the following tasks: (1) educating members of the bar and the public about legal and other problems of poor and homeless people and ways in which lawyers can assist in solving or ameliorating them; (2) training lawyers in areas needed to provide pro bono legal assistance to homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless; (3) working with all ABA entities on issues arising in their jurisdiction that affect poor and homeless people; and (4) engaging in such further activities as may be necessary and proper for the fulfillment of these responsibilities, including working with State and Federal executive branches and legislative bodies concerning matters relating to the poor and homeless. Detroit, Michigan is an Unlocking Doors city and has created new affordable housing projects to combat homelessness and create safe, decent housing opportunities for citizens in Detroit, Michigan. Mayor Kilpatrick’s experience and new strategies continue to confront the problem of homelessness. Quincy, Massachusetts John Yazwinski, executive director of Quincy Interfaith, co-chaired the Quincy 10-Year Plan along with Chamber of Commerce President Peter Forman under the leadership of Mayor William Phelan. Quincy’s Plan, now in year three of implementation, can point to results in its conversion to a Housing First strategy, with special attention to veterans and youth, and to a 55 percent decrease in chronic homelessness. Quincy Interfaith is an historic faith-based provider in the community committed to providing permanent solutions to the problem of homelessness. Since its inception in 1984 as an emergency shelter, Father Bill's Place has grown into a highly visible, well respected, social service agency assisting those in need in the South Shore community. Mayor Phelan has supported implementation of his community’s 10-Year Plan with city housing resources including HUD HOME and CDBG funds. The recent Father McCarthy's House ribbon cutting ceremony was held as part of the city’s celebration of National Community Development Week. The opening of Father McCarthy’s House builds on a model working partnership between the City, Neighborhood Housing Services, and Father Bill’s Place, and was made possible by a collaborative funding effort that also included South Shore Savings Bank, Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, Interfaith Housing Partners, the state Center for Community Recovery Innovations, and HUD McKinney Act funding. Phoenix, Arizona Arizona's capital city has moved forward with new services for historically homeless people. Building on its Katrina welcome center experience, the city's new Human Services Campus opened last year as a cooperative effort among Maricopa County, homeless service providers, and non-profit organizations to develop a coordinated delivery of services to person experiencing homelessness. The Human Services Campus provides coordinated delivery of housing, medical, educational and other services to homeless clients. The campus is located just west of the downtown Phoenix area with other partners including, Central Arizona Shelter Services, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Joseph the Worker, Nova Safe Haven and the City of Phoenix.
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