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Hill Update
Late last night, the final fiscal year (FY) 2012 funding bill for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was made public. The bill, H.R. 2112, represents a compromise between the House and Senate versions. H.R. 2112 would also fund the Departments of Transportation, Agriculture, Commerce, and Justice, and related agencies.
The legislation includes funding levels for many affordable housing and homelessness programs, including approximately:
- $1.901 billion for HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants (equal to the FY 2011 level), including $250 million for ESG;
- $18.91 billion total for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (approximately $540 million more than in FY 2011), including:
- $17.24 billion for Section 8 renewals; and
- $75 million for new HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers.
- $2.95 billion for Community Development Block Grants (nearly $390 million less than in FY 2011);
- $1 billion for the HOME project (approximately $606 million less than in FY 2011);
- $1.88 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund (approximately $165 million less than in FY 2011); and
- $3.96 billion for the Public Housing Operating Fund (approximately $655 million less than in FY 2011); and
- $63 million for Second Chance Act grant programs ($20 million less than in FY 2011).
The House Appropriations Committee has released a summary of the legislation and the full text of the bill can be found here.
The Intersection Between Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Runaway and Homeless Youth
The Alliance has released an issue brief detailing the intersection between commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and runaway and homeless youth. It is estimated that 2.2 percent of children under the age of 18 who have a runaway or homeless episode, approximately 39,000 children annually, are sexually assaulted or are victimized by CSEC during that experience. The longer and more often children and youth are on the streets, the higher the risk that they will be victimized by CSEC. The brief discusses promising methods for expanding housing and service options that can help prevent children and youth from experiencing exploitation.
Family Intervention to Address and Prevent Homelessness among LGBTQ Youth
The Alliance recently co-sponsored a webinar with the Center for American Progress on family reunification for runaway and homeless LGBTQ youth during which Theresa Nolan from Green Chimneys and Jenni Gunnell from SCO Family of Services discussed a pilot program to facilitate the creation of innovative approaches to strengthen the families of LGBTQ homeless and at-risk youth in New York City. A summary of this pilot program is available on the Alliance website.
Los Angeles Tour Available for Conference Registrants
The Alliance is offering a tour of Los Angeles as a part of the 2012 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness. Conference registrants can now register for this tour at an additional cost of $40 per person. The "Los Angeles: A Journey Through Time Tour" will includes Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall, a ride on the iconic Angel's Flight funicular, movie locations including Spiderman, Batman (currently being filmed), and Transformers, a trip through the nation's largest historic district, and a breathtaking bird's eye view of the city. Tour tickets are non-refundable.
CSH to Host Webinar on Working with Medicaid
This Thursday, November 17 at 3 p.m. ET, the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) will host a webinar entitled "How Should My Agency Work with Medicaid?" Medicaid can reimburse agencies for many of the costs associated with supportive housing services. During the webinar, presenters will review their own experience in evaluating whether and how to build capacity to bill Medicaid internally or to create partnerships with other agencies. Presenters will include Marti Knisley with the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc., Janette Kawachi with Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County, and Mark Shotwell with Bonita House Inc. Peggy Bailey from CSH will moderate the discussion.
Census Releases Supplemental Poverty Measure
Last week the U.S. Census Bureau released a report, "The Research Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2010." This report describes the new supplemental poverty measure (SPM), developed by the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Academy of Sciences, that accounts for the economic circumstances of poverty using contemporary social and economic realities. The SPM will not replace the official poverty measure, but it provides greater understanding of the economic conditions of people in poverty. For example, the SPM takes into account items not measured by the official poverty measurement, including benefits family receive (such as cash assistance) and family expenses (such as medical out-of-pocket and commuting costs). The SPM found that the rate of poverty was 15.3, which is higher than the official rate of 15.1.
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