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Audio Conferences Posted on Alliance Website
Last week, over 1,000 people joined the first two in a
series of audio conferences about the $1.5 billion for
homelessness prevention and re-housing activities
that was included in the recent economic recovery bill
(the Homelessness Prevention Fund). The series is a
collaboration between the Alliance and the National
Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. Those
joining the conference included representatives of
state and local homelessness coalitions,
governments, provider organizations, and
Continuums of Care, as well as advocates and others
interested in ending homelessness. Recordings from
both audio conferences are available for
download on the Alliance website.
Hill Update
President Signs FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations
Act
Last Wednesday, March 11, President Obama signed
the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. The legislation
will fund the government through the remainder of
fiscal year 2009, which ends September 30, 2009.
The act provides funding for a number of
homelessness programs, including $1.7 billion for
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, $75
million for HUD-VASH vouchers, $75 million for
SAMHSA homeless programs, $115 million for
Runaway and Homeless Youth programs, and $25
million for the Second Chance Act.
House and Senate Budget Committees to Mark
Up Budget Resolution Next Week
House and Senate leaders are aiming to adopt their
respective budget resolutions for fiscal year 2010 by
Congress' Spring Recess, which begins April 4. In
order for that to happen, the budget committees in
each house will likely mark up the resolutions
sometime next week. Budget resolutions are the first
step in the annual budget process. This resolution
must be agreed to by the House and Senate. It is not
signed by the President and does not have the effect
of law, but instead sets out the targets and
assumptions that will guide Congress as it passes
the annual appropriations and other budget bills.
House, Senate to Consider Expansion of
Volunteer Service Programs
Last Wednesday, March 11, the House Education and
Labor Committee approved H.R. 1388, which would
expand volunteer service programs. The bill would
authorize $97 million for fiscal year 2010 and is
expected to increase the number of volunteers in
national service programs, such as AmeriCorps,
SeniorCorps, and Learn and Serve America, from
75,000 to 250,000. The bill would also increase the
education reward given to volunteers. The House is
likely to consider the bill this week, with the Senate on
track to consider the legislation shortly thereafter.
House Committee to Mark Up Homeless Veterans
Reintegration Reauthorization
On Thursday, March 19, the House Veterans' Affairs
Committee is scheduled to mark up a number of bills,
including H.R. 1171, which would reauthorize the
Homeless Veterans Reintegration program for fiscal
years 2010 through 2014.
HUD Issues Guidance on Project-Based VASH Vouchers
Yesterday, March 16, the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) Public and Indian
Housing (PIH) issued guidance on Project-Based
HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH)
housing vouchers. The purpose of the notice is to
provide guidance to public housing agencies (PHAs)
that were awarded HUD-VASH vouchers and are
interested in project-basing a portion of those
vouchers. On a case-by-case basis, HUD can
consider requests from a PHA to do so. This
guidance provides information on review factors,
continued assistance for families that move from
project-based units, and who to contact for further
details.
Conference Registration Now Open!
The Alliance's annual National Conference on Ending
Homelessness will be held July 29 to 31, 2009 at the
Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel. The conference
website is now live, and
conference registration is now open! Be on the
lookout for emails regarding conference updates, and
make sure to visit the conference website frequently to
learn more about conference information as it
becomes available.
Justice Center Holds Webinar on Second Chance Act Solicitation
On Thursday, March 19 at 2 pm ET, the Council of
State Governments Justice Center will hold a free
webinar to help potential applicants for the solicitation
for state and local reentry demonstration projects
under the Second Chance Act. On February 27, the
Bureau of Justice Assistance released the solicitation,
which is aimed at state
and local governments and Indian tribes. Applications
for the grant are due by April 20. The webinar is
designed to help participants understand the
solicitation and fully utilize a new Justice Center toolkit
that aims to help applicants
design or enhance their reentry initiative. Only the first
1,000 registrants will be able to participate in the
webinar. The webinar presentation will be posted on
the Reentry Policy Council
website after March 19.
Audio Conference: Q&A with SAMHSA
On Tuesday, March 24 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET, the
Alliance and the Corporation for Supportive Housing
(CSH) will co-host a free web-based conference call
on the recent SAMHSA request for applications (RFA).
This call is designed to provide information to
organizations that are considering applying for
SAMHSA funding under either the Services in
Supportive Housing program or the Treatment for
Homeless program. SAMHSA has recently released
RFAs for both of these programs and this call will help
clarify SAMHSA's application procedures.
Speakers will include Dr. Jorielle Brown, Public Health
Advisor at SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment (CSAT), Dr. Nicole D. Gaskin-Laniyan,
Public Health Advisor at SAMHSA's Center for Mental
Health Services, Ms. C. Danielle Johnson, Public
Health Analyst at CSAT, and Carol Wilkins, Director of
Policy and Research for the Corporation for Supportive
Housing. The discussion will be moderated by Peggy
Bailey, Health Program and Policy Analyst at the
Alliance.
To register and receive details on how to join the
audio conference, please click here. Please note that you
must have Windows Media Player to participate. After
the audio conference, a podcast will be available
online.
NAMI Releases State Mental Health Agency Grades
Last Wednesday, March 11, the National Alliance on
Mental Illness (NAMI) released Grading the
States, a report that gives all 50 states and the
District of Columbia a grade on their public mental
health care system for adults. The report found that
the 2009 national average grade is a D, with a total of
6 Bs, 18 Cs, 21 Ds, and 6 Fs. The report recognized
14 states with improved grades and over the last
report card in 2006 and 12 states that received worse
grades than in 2006. The national average in 2006
was also a D.
Join the Alliance for the 2009 Awards Ceremony
Please join the Alliance for its Annual Awards
Ceremony on Thursday, April 2 at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This
celebratory evening will be hosted by PBS Senior
Correspondent,
Judy Woodruff, and will feature a special appearance
by Sweet Honey In The Rock! Individuals being
honored for their work to end homelessness are
Maria Cuomo Cole, Chair of the Board for HELP USA;
Anthony Love, President and CEO of the Coalition for
the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, Inc.; and
Sheila Crowley, President and CEO of the National
Low Income Housing Coalition. For further
information about ceremony tickets and donor
opportunities, visit the Awards Ceremony
website
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