In response to the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, USICH and the Access to Justice Initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice with support from the Department of Housing and Urban Development convened a summit on the development of constructive alternatives to the criminalization of homelessness. The summit participants shared information on effective and promising practices that serve as alternatives to criminalization and are improving the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness and the community as a whole.

The alternatives to criminalization policies identified in SOS were developed from the discussion at the summit and have been effective in reducing and preventing homelessness in several cities around the country.

“Searching Out Solutions proposes alternatives that can be relatively inexpensive to implement, result in overall cost-savings, and have a lasting positive impact on the quality of life for individuals experiencing homelessness and the larger community,” said USICH Executive Director Barbara Poppe. “In today’s economic climate, it is important for state, county, and local entities to invest in programs that work rather than spend money on activities that are unlikely to achieve the desired result.”

SOS identifies three solutions, examples of specific strategies and interventions, and their successful implementation in communities across the country:

• The creation of comprehensive and seamless systems of care. In an effort to address gaps in service delivery, many local organizations partner with other service providers and government programs to combine housing and services that are supported by communitywide planning. These systems of care enable long-term reductions in street homelessness and connect individuals with benefits and services that improve stability.
• Collaboration between law enforcement and behavioral health and social service providers. Collaboration between service providers and law enforcement regarding outreach to individuals and specialized crisis intervention training can limit the number of arrests for non-violent offenses. This partnership can also help link individuals experiencing street homelessness with supportive housing and services to help move individuals off the street permanently.
• Alternative justice system strategies. Strategies that provide alternatives to prosecution and incarceration and that offer reentry planning for individuals who are returning to the community after interaction with the criminal justice system, have shown an increase in the likelihood that an individual experiencing homelessness will look for permanent housing and seek employment. This solution includes use of specialty courts, citation dismissal programs, holistic public defenders offices, and reentry programs.

Implementing alternatives to the criminalization of homelessness can adequately balance the rights and needs of all those affected by street homelessness in order to achieve the goal of ending it. USICH will continue to facilitate dialogue and investigate constructive alternatives to criminalization measures at all levels of government.

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The webinar will draw upon the OCC’s recent newsletter entitled “Ending Homelessness: Funding Permanent Supportive Housing” (http://www.occ.gov/publications/publications-by-type/other-publications-reports/cdi-newsletter/feb-2012/homeless-ezine-table-of-contents.html) and will focus on bank financing for the development of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. Bankers will learn from experts how to finance permanent supportive housing by investing in low-income housing tax credits and pre-development loan pools. Community Reinvestment Act consideration and risk mitigation for this type of housing investment will also be discussed.

“This webinar will illustrate how banks can and are helping to end chronic homelessness by financing permanent supportive affordable housing for the homeless,” said Acting Comptroller of the Currency John Walsh. “The speakers will focus on structures commonly used by banks to finance supportive housing facilities and how these activities may be eligible for positive Community Reinvestment Act consideration.”

“Local communities are able to make progress on ending chronic homelessness when banks are investors in permanent supportive housing,” said U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Barbara Poppe. “We look forward to additional public-private collaboration in the years ahead to finish the job of ending chronic homelessness by 2015 across the nation.”

During the webinar, online and phone participants will hear presentations from and have an opportunity to pose questions to panelists:

• Barry Wides, Deputy Comptroller for Community Affairs, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency;
• Barbara Poppe, Executive Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness;
• Deborah De Santis, President and CEO, Corporation for Supportive Housing;
• Joseph Molnar, Managing Director, Huntington National Bank Community Development Corporation.

The webinar provides an opportunity for bankers and other interested parties to interact with OCC, government, and industry experts. Get more information and register online (https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/617784006).

The funding announced today is $62 million more than last year, the most homeless assistance ever awarded by the Department.  HUD is renewing funding through its Continuum of Care programs to existing local programs as quickly as possible to prevent any interruption in federal assistance and will award funds to new projects in early 2012.

“The grants we’re awarding today will literally keep the doors of our shelters open and will help those on the front lines of ending homelessness do what they do best,” said Donovan.  “It’s incredible that as we work to recover from the greatest economic decline since the Great Depression, the total number of homeless Americans is declining, in large part because of these funds.” 

Last week, HUD announced its 2011 “point in time” estimate of the number of homeless persons in America.  Approximately 3,000 cities and counties reported 636,000 homeless persons on a single night in January of 2011, a 2.1 percent decline from the year before.  This documented reduction in homelessness was noticed among all population groups including individuals, families, and those experiencing long-term or chronic homeless.  In addition, HUD’s estimate reveals a 12 percent reduction in homelessness among veterans.

HUD’s Continuum of Care grants announced today provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons as well as services including job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care. Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to local programs to meet the needs of their homeless clients. These grants fund a wide variety of programs from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families.

Last year, President Obama and 19 federal agencies and offices that form the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) launched the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness puts the country on a path to end veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015 and to ending homelessness among children, family, and youth by 2020.

In addition to HUD’s annual grant awards, HUD continues to manage the $1.5 billion Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing (HPRP) Program.  Made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, this three-year grant program is intended to prevent persons from falling into homelessness or to rapidly re-house them if they do.  To date, more than one million persons have been assisted through HPRP.

HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.
 

Secretary Sebelius released the following statement in regards to her election:

Yesterday, I was pleased to take on the role of Chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. I look forward to building on the hard work of this year's Chair, Secretary Solis, whose accomplishments include: developing a plan to increase access to mainstream benefits and increasing engagement with governors and mayors to align local plans to Opening Doors - the nation's first-ever comprehensive strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.

The implementation of Opening Doors over the last year has given our federal agencies an opportunity to work together on an issue we all care about. Each member of the Council brings a unique approach to this problem and through this collaboration we're laying the groundwork for future successes with better data collection, better reporting, and better use of mainstream resources. By engaging states and local communities in the plan's goals and strategies, we're making sure everyone is in agreement as we move forward.

While I'm proud to say we are making progress, homelessness remains a serious issue and there is more work to do. As I take on the role of Chair for the year ahead, I am looking forward to building on our current foundation as we work to end homelessness altogether. In these tough economic times, continued cross-agency collaboration is more important than ever to help those who are homeless.

The major topic for discussion was ending youth homelessness by 2020 and the recent work done by the HHS-headed Interagency Group on Youth. The Group consists of representatives from USICH, HHS (the Administration for Children and Families, the Office for the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), HUD, DOL, Department of Education, Department of Justice, Social Security Administration, Department of Agriculture, Corporation for National and Community Service, and the White House Domestic Policy Council. It has been meeting weekly since October 19th bringing together expert knowledge from federal and state programs in the child welfare, education, housing, and juvenile justice sectors.

The Group spoke to the full Council on what we know (and do not know) about youth homelessness currently and federal resources available to serve this population. The Group also spoke about the challenges of serving this population - notably the lack of consistent data available on the number of unaccompanied youth and research on the practices that help this population. We do know, however, that there are sub-populations of youth that have a much higher risk for homelessness: youth exiting child welfare or the juvenile justice system and LGBT youth. At the meeting, all of the member agencies agreed to work together to marshal appropriate resources to improve our knowledge and achieve the goal of ending youth homelessness by 2020. Collaboration will have to be at the forefront of our work at all levels of government and with service providers currently serving this vulnerable population in order to ensure that we have a better understanding of the size of the problem, the needs of different sub-groups, that successful strategies are implemented and progress is made.

Department of Labor Secretary Solis wrote a blog post about her time as Chair of the Council and the accomplishments of the past year.

HUD’s annual “point in time” estimate of the number of homeless persons and families is based on data reported by more than 3,000 cities and counties. While number of homeless persons vary locally, these communities are reporting modest declines in homelessness in every category or subpopulation including individuals, families, veterans and those experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness.

Donovan, who personally participated in the 2011 nighttime count said, “It’s remarkable that in the wake of the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression, we’re witnessing an across-the-board drop in homelessness.  This tells us that the Obama Administration’s homelessness strategy is working and the results spur us to continue working to end homelessness in America once and for all.”

“These numbers are a step in the right direction, especially for some of our more vulnerable populations such as veterans,” said Secretary Solis, who served as chair of the Interagency Council in 2011. “With many working families continuing to struggle, the President’s plan will allow us to redouble our efforts to end and prevent homelessness.”

“Reducing homelessness among Veterans by 12 percent since January 2010 is a clear sign of progress, but our work is not complete until no Veteran has to sleep on the street,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We have been successful in achieving this milestone due to strong leadership from the President and hard work by countless community organizations and our federal, state, and local partners who are committed to helping Veterans and their families get back on their feet.” 

During one night in late January of 2011, local planners or “Continuums of Care” across the nation conducted a one-night count of their sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations.  These one-night ‘snapshot’ counts are then reported to HUD as part of state and local grant applications.  While the data reported to HUD does not directly determine the level of a community’s grant funding, these estimates, as well as full-year counts to be released later next year, are crucial in understanding the scope of homelessness and measuring progress in reducing it.

The Obama Administration’s strategic plan to end homelessness is called Opening Doors – a roadmap by 19 federal member agencies of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness along with local and state partners in the public and private sectors. The plan puts the country on a path to end veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015; and to ending homelessness among children, family, and youth by 2020. The Plan presents strategies building upon the lesson that mainstream housing, health, education, and human service programs must be fully engaged and coordinated to prevent and end homelessness.

“Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen unprecedented levels of collaboration within the federal government,” said U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Barbara Poppe. “The federal government is partnering more effectively with states and local communities across the nation to align our efforts to make progress on the goals of Opening Doors.”

The reductions reported today are attributed in part to the impact of HUD’s $1.5 billion Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP), a program designed to assist individuals and families confronted by a sudden economic crisis.  Funded through the Recovery Act, HPRP spared more than one million persons from homelessness by offering them short-term rent assistance, security and utility deposits, and moving expenses.  The US Conference of Mayors has described HPRP as “fundamentally changing” the way communities respond to homelessness.

In addition, HUD and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are collaborating on a joint program called HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH).   To date, this targeted rental assistance program provided more than 33,000 homeless veterans permanent supportive housing through rental vouchers provided by HUD along with supportive services and case management by VA. The national estimate announced today reveal a particularly large decrease in the number of homeless veterans – nearly 12 percent.

Key Findings of HUD's estimate:

On a single night in January 2011, HUD and its partners found:

• 636,017 people were homeless, a reduction of 2.1 percent (649,917) from January 2010, and 5.3 percent (671,888) since 2007
• Veteran homelessness fell by nearly 12 percent (or 8,834 persons) since January 2010.
• Homelessness among individuals declined 2 percent (or 13,900) from a year ago and 5.6 percent since 2007.  Meanwhile, the number of homeless families fell 2.8 percent from last year and 8 percent since 2007.
• Street homelessness (“the unsheltered homeless population) declined by 13 percent (or 36,786 people) since 2007.
• Persons experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness declined 2.4 percent (or 2,664) from last year and 13.5 percent (or 16,635 persons) since 2007.  This steep reduction in chronic homelessness is largely attributed to the sharp growth in the supply of permanent supportive housing units – more than 30,000 beds between 2010 and 2011, and by more than 83,000 since 2007.
• Five states accounted for half of the nation’s total homeless population: California (21.4 percent); New York (10 percent); Florida (8.9 percent); Texas (5.8 percent); and Georgia (3.3 percent).

Read HUD’s 2011 Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness, including community-level data.

HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

“It’s clear that had it not been for President Obama’s Recovery Act, many hundreds of thousands of persons may have fallen into homelessness or remained there ,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.  “During the height of our nation’s economic hardship, we’ve managed to stabilize and even prevent homelessness as we work to find permanent housing solutions for the most vulnerable among us.”

Based on data collected from thousands of local communities, HUD’s 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress finds a continued decline in the number of persons experiencing long-term homelessness due to the dramatic increase in the number of permanent supportive housing units.  Those who were chronically homeless – persons with severe disabilities and long homeless histories – decreased one percent between 2009 and 2010, from 110,917 to 109,920.  Since 2007, the number of people who are chronically homelessness has decreased by 11 percent, partially due to the number of 34 percent increase in permanent supportive housing beds during that same timeframe.      

Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program – Approximately 690,000 people received assistance in the first year of the HPRP including 531,000 (77 percent) individuals who were prevented from becoming homelessness in the first place. The remaining 159,000 (23 percent) persons received ‘rapid re-housing’ assistance to move from the streets or shelters into permanent housing.

Most HPRP participants (59 percent) received assistance for two months or less. Participants receiving homelessness prevention assistance had slightly longer lengths of participation than persons receiving rapid re-housing assistance because prevention assistance was more likely to be provided on a recurring basis, while rapid re-housing was more likely to be one-time assistance – such as a security deposit.

HUD’s annual assessment is based on two measures of homelessness: 

• Point-In-Time ‘Snapshot’ Counts – these data account for sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night, usually at the end of January.  The number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night increased by 1.1 percent over the last year: from 643,067 in January 2009 to 649,879 in January 2010.  A total of 79,344 family households, and 241,621 persons in families, were homeless on the night of the 2010 PIT count. Since 2009, the number of homeless families increased 1.1 percent, and the number of homeless persons in families increased 1.5 percent

• 12-Month Counts –Using Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS),these dataprovide more detailed information on persons who access a shelter over the course of a full year. In 2010, 411 communities covering over 4,700 cities and counties  submitted useable HMIS data resulting in a 23 percent increase from 2009. This increase results in more precise results as HMIS data collection and reporting capacities continue to improve. HUD estimates that 1.6 million persons experienced homelessness and found shelter between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010, a 2.2 percent increase from 2009. The characteristics of sheltered homeless individuals are very different from the characteristics of sheltered persons in families. Individuals are more likely to be white men, over 30 years old, and have a disabling condition, while adults in families are more likely to be younger African-American women without a reported disability. Of all those who sought emergency shelter or transitional housing during 2010, the following characteristics were observed:

- 78 percent of all sheltered homeless persons are adults.

- 62 percent are male.

- 58 percent are members of a minority group.

- 37 percent are 31-to-50 years old.

- 63 percent are in one-person households.

- 37 percent have a disability.

HUD’s report also reveals the following trends:

From 2007-2010:

• Since 2007, the annual number of people using homeless shelters in principal cities has decreased 17 percent (from 1.2 million to 1.0 million), and the annual number of people using homeless shelters in suburban and rural areas has increased 57 percent (from 367,000 to 576,000).
• The number of homeless persons in families has increased by 20 percent from 2007 to 2010, and families currently represent a much larger share of the total sheltered population than ever before. The proportion of homeless people who are using emergency shelter and transitional housing as part of a family has increased from 30 percent to 35 percent during this same period. The increase in sheltered family homelessness is almost certainly a consequence of the economy.
• Despite increases over the past year, there has been overall a 3.3 percent decline in the number of homeless persons from 2007 to 2010: a 3.6 percent decline for individuals and a 2.8 percent decline for persons in families. The overall decline in homelessness during this period can be attributed to a steep drop in homelessness in Los Angeles between 2007 and 2009.
• There were almost 94,000 more sheltered homeless persons in families in 2010 as there were in 2007, and almost 72,000 fewer sheltered homeless individuals. The number of sheltered homeless individuals has declined six percent since 2007, from 1.15 million to 1.04 million. 

Looking Ahead

The long-term impacts of the recession are unclear. A recent study found a nearly five-fold increase in the rate of housing overcrowding, suggesting that many families are doubling up in response to the economic downturn.   If some of these family support networks already are struggling to make ends meet, some of the doubled-up families may find their way into the homeless residential service system during 2010.

HUD will use the findings from the 2010 AHAR to continue to work to end all homelessness through the Obama Administration’s initiative, Opening Doors, an unprecedented federal strategy to end veteran and chronic homelessness by 2015, and to end homelessness among children, families, and youth by 2020.

Read HUD’s 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.

HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

HUD-VASH is a coordinated effort by HUD, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and local housing authorities to provide permanent supportive housing for homeless Veterans.

“Our mission is to end Veterans’ homelessness,” said VA Secretary Shinseki.  “This effort is an excellent example of how VA works with HUD and our community partners in that shared mission. The project-based vouchers will provide dedicated permanent housing for Veterans and allow them to live in support of each other, as neighbors.”

“As our young men and women return from Afghanistan and Iraq, they deserve to be treated with dignity and honor. Yet our nation's Veterans are 50 percent more likely than the average American to become homeless,” said HUD Secretary Donovan. “These vouchers continue to get more of our Veterans off the streets and out of homeless shelters into permanent housing.”

The vouchers announced today are part of a set-aside of project-based vouchers HUD announced last September that would be competitively awarded to  housing authorities that received HUD-VASH vouchers in 2008, 2009 or 2010. Under HUD’s project-based voucher program, housing authorities can assign voucher assistance to specific housing units. These vouchers will enable homeless Veterans to access affordable housing with an array of supportive services.

This funding to local housing authorities is part of the Obama Administration’s strategy to end Veteran and long-term chronic homelessness by 2015.  Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness serves as a roadmap for how the federal government will work with state and local agreements to confront the root causes of homelessness, especially among former Servicemen and women.

The grants announced today are part of a $75 million investment to support the housing needs of homeless Veterans.  This is the fourth and final competitive round to allocate the remaining FY2010 HUD-VASH funding.  With today’s announcement, HUD will have funded 10,186 housing vouchers for homeless Veterans nationwide for 2010.  HUD will announce the 2011 HUD-VASH funding during the summer. VA Medical Centers provide supportive services and case management to eligible homeless Veterans.

Veterans are referred to the public housing authority for these vouchers, based upon a variety of factors, most importantly the need for and ability to benefit from supportive housing.  Supportive housing includes both financial help the voucher provides and the comprehensive case management that VAMC staff provides.

Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. VA offers eligible homeless Veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico.

VA is the federal government’s second-largest cabinet office.  Secretary Shinseki has outlined three key priorities for the department: increase Veteran access to VA services and benefits, eliminate the disability claims backlog, and end Veteran homelessness.  VA provides health care to more than 6 million people each year, in 91 million outpatient visits and 960,000 hospitalizations.  VA provides more than $58 billion annually in disability pay and pensions to 4.5 million Americans, $10 billion in educational assistance, $1 billion for home loans and $2.6 billion for life insurance. More information about VA is available at www.va.gov.

HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and  transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

The second half of the meeting focused on engaging a bi-partisan panel of governors and lieutenant governors on ways to improve federal programs and accessing mainstream benefits for people experiencing homelessness. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Utah Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell, and California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted the critical nature of leadership at all levels of government, including State Interagency Councils modeled on the active leadership at the federal Council. The panel also discussed taking local best practices to scale across their states, the overall cost effectiveness of supportive housing and Housing First strategies, and the importance of funding to make Opening Doors a reality.

There was agreement that states and cities should align their plans to the federal plan, and that mayors and governors are critical champions for achieving the goal of preventing and ending homelessness. The Council reiterated its commitment to an ongoing dialogue on what the Federal government can do to support states and cities in their work.

Also in attendance were Council Labor Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Administration Jane Oates, and VA Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs Tammy Duckworth.
 

Read the full press release from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Read the full HUD-VA Report

Read the full press release from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.