|
The NPACH Report
vol.4 no. 2 |
In this issue:
New Legislation Introduced to Reauthorize McKinney-Vento
Programs
NPACH Perspective: What Will It Take To Get HEARTH Through Congress?
Fact Check: Cooking the Books on Homeless Funding
In the News: Local Perspectives on Homelessness
Floods Highlight Varied Emergency and Housing Responses
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New Legislation: HEARTH Act Amends HUD Definition of Homelessness
and Improves Support For All Homeless Populations
The "Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act (HEARTH)," H.R. 840, reauthorizes the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Programs that are administered by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HEARTH provides greater decision making at the local level, more closely aligns the HUD definition of homelessness with other federal agency definitions (including the Department of Education), expands resources for emergency shelter and supportive services, provides a framework for greater homeless prevention activity, and allows communities the flexibly to implement a range of housing solutions. A summary of key provisions is included below.
ACTION NEEDED:
· Call, write and fax your U.S. Representative and urge him or her to sign on to H.R. 840 as a co-sponsor. Please share this alert and ask community partners to support HEARTH, too. Contact information for Members of Congress may be found at www.house.gov
· Add your organization (local, state, or national) to the list of HEARTH organizational endorsers by emailing Brad Paul at bpaul@npach.org. NPACH will maintain a current list of Congressional sponsors and organizational endorsers on its web site at www.npach.org
THE MESSAGE:
The HEARTH Act will help communities respond to homelessness in rural, suburban, and urban areas by providing greater flexibility and more resources. It will help make HUD homeless policy more sensitive to the needs of all people experiencing homelessness, including families and single adults, and is therefore a critical part of a broader strategy to prevent and end homelessness.
For more information, please visit the special
HEARTH section of the NPACH web page:
http://www.npach.org/HEARTH
Quick Links:
Call to Action and
Key HEARTH Act Provisions
List of
HEARTH Act Endorsers
Legislative
Information (Cosponsors and Text)
__________________________________________________________________________
NPACH Perspective: What Will It Take To Get HEARTH Through Congress?
The introduction of the HEARTH Act - new bi-partisan legislation to reauthorize the HUD McKinney-Vento Act's Homeless Assistance Programs - is cause for hope. The HEARTH Act provides a clear alternative to the direction of current federal homeless policy. From inclusive definitions of homelessness, to respect for local priorities within the Continuum of Care, the HEARTH Act is based on local realities rather than arbitrary federal mandates. Getting HEARTH through Congress, however, will require a renewed commitment to grassroots advocacy from all who hope to see it become the law of the land.
It should come as no surprise that the HEARTH Act faces opposition from the Administration and its defenders. Federal initiatives such as the "chronic" homelessness initiative have been divisive, pitting providers against each other in a fierce competition for meager resources. The relentless push for local and state 10 year plans has effectively distracted communities from the federal policies that create and maintain homelessness. Both initiatives have money and power attached to them - or, more accurately, the perception of money and power. Many foundations and local governments have been swayed, targeting funding to programs and organizations that mirror the current federal approach. Research, too, has been affected - what the USICH touts as "credible" scientific research is most often research that it funds directly or indirectly, or that supports its claims. Meanwhile, inside the beltway, "advocacy" too often degenerates into a cynical game of deal-cutting, maintaining access to power, glitzy campaigns, and preserving the status quo by stifling or disregarding divergent views. Indeed, the past ten years can be characterized as a profound failure of representation of local realities at almost every level. The present sorry state of affairs is the outcome.
But there is an antidote to this demoralizing situation: grassroots advocacy. The bi-partisan sponsorship of the HEARTH ACT is testament to the power of constituents to persuade legislators to listen to information about local needs and then act to address those needs. While writing letters to Members of Congress is important, the passage of the HEARTH Act will require more. Advocacy must include face-to-face meetings with legislators and/or their staff, organizing local partners and supporters to voice their views, and publicizing information about how the HEARTH Act will benefit communities. Above all, persistence, patience, and passion will be needed to sustain the campaign.
NPACH is dedicated to this effort. We will provide technical assistance to individuals and organizations who wish to engage in legislative advocacy, but are not sure how. In so doing, we issue this plea: if you don't like the current state of homeless policy, please get involved in changing it. Don't rely on "professional" advocates in Washington DC to get the job done - including us. Join us, support us if you agree with our views, but don't be passive and rely on national organizations inside the beltway to resolve these matters without you. The power dynamics are deeply skewed. We need your active participation, as constituents and as citizens, to convey the truth of local communities to those in power in the nation's capitol.
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Fact Check: Cooking the Books on Homeless Funding
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (US-ICH) has been busy in the media touting the President's budget request, including claims of a record $4.47 billion in "targeted funding for homeless programs." ICH Executive Director Philip Mangano has made this a key point in recent public appearances, on the USICH website and newsletter, and in at least one newspaper op-ed.
A review of the 2008 budget request, however, reveals a different reality:
Program: 2008 Budget Request:
| 1. HUD McKinney-Vento | 1.561 |
| 2. Education McKinney-Vento | 61.9 |
| 3. Labor HVRP | 22 |
| 4. FEMA EFSP | 140 |
| 5. HHS PATH program | 54 |
| 6. HHS Health Care for the Homeless | 172.2 |
| 7. HHS Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals (GBHI) | 37 |
| 8. HHS Runaway and Homeless Youth | 103 |
| 9. SSI Hope Outreach Grants | 0 |
| 10. VA Grant and Per Diem Transitional Housing | 107 |
| $2.25 Billion |
Fact: $2.25 billion in targeted funding for homeless programs does not equal $4.47 billion.
So, where does US-ICH come up with an additional $2.2 billion? The VA estimates that $1.8 billion of VA medical care will assist homeless veterans in 2008, according to US-ICH. Yet this is not a "targeted homeless program," nor can it be classified as part of a Presidential request on homeless funding. Counting these dollars, or for that matter the full Community Health Center budget request ($1.988 billion), of which Health Care for the Homeless receives 8.7%, would be similar to counting every Section 8 voucher, every dollar in TANF, food stamps or SSI that happens to serve someone who is homeless. The truth is that these are mainstream programs, not targeted homeless funding.
Apparently, US-ICH has relied on some radical new math to arrive at $4.47 billion in "targeted" homeless funding. This is perhaps par for the course for an agency that has lobbied aggressively against counting most homeless families and children within HUD's definition of homelessness, equates the mere creation of '10 year plans' with "ending homelessness," and measures homelessness ended in cumulative years.
US-ICH also seems to have a curious view of what represents "good" budget news, particularly when we consider that the FY 2008 budget request for HUD is 8% below FY 2007. US-ICH has referenced the FY 2008 budget as positive for housing programs, citing an increase in funding for McKinney-Vento homeless assistance grants while ignoring the fact that HUD's FY 2008 budget request is 8% lower than what Congress provided in the FY 2007 HUD budget. Does zero funding for rural rental housing, a 22% cut to housing for the elderly, and a 48% cut to housing for the disabled serve to "benefit" those working to "end" homelessness?
While US-ICH has not been not shy about promoting the $4.47 figure or finding good news in HUD budget cuts, it is less eager to answer questions about the specifics of its own budget analysis. Repeated requests by NPACH for a breakdown of the $4.47 billion figure have gone unanswered. "Visible, measurable, and quantifiable results" apparently do not apply when balanced against the agency's own mission and utter lack of accountability.
The "Fact Check" feature of the NPACH Report is dedicated to accuracy in the public discourse on homelessness.
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In the News: Local Perspectives on Homelessness
North Carolina: Homeless shelter guests ask for more jobs
http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/columnists/guests/68-818862.cfm
Kansas: Students Without a Home
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/living/education/16616983.htm
________________________________________________________________________________
Floods Highlight Varied Emergency
and Housing Responses:
A recent string of floods in Indonesia and Mozambique have brought into sharper
focus the challenges faced by communities and governments in developing adequate
and appropriate responses.
Mozambique's Emergency Flood Plans Pay Off
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=299371&area=/insight/monitor/
and
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702200149.html
Government and Communities Starting Clean Up in Indonesia
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-6Y9SBY?OpenDocument
and
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Jakarta-flooding-leaves-340000-homeless/2007/02/05/1170524008292.html
Indonesia flood report updates available from
the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) in Jakarta:
http://www.achr.net/000ACHRTsunami/Indonesia%20TS/Floods/01Floods%2007.html
To learn from these types of experiences and
create better response and recovery mechanisms for affected communities, NPACH
has partnered with the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) and the National
Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI) in creating a Tsunami-Hurricane
Exchange and Dialogue:
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=16819
and
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=17307
_______________________________________________________________________________
Partner Announcements
HEARTH Act Briefing.
A briefing for Congressional Hill staff on the Homeless Emergency Assistance
and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2007 (HEARTH), HR 840, will be held
on February 27, 2007, from 2-3 pm in 2220 Rayburn. This important legislation
will help communities and non-profit organizations provide valuable services
to homeless individuals and families. Contact Hilary Swab in Congresswoman
Julia Carson's office (202.225.4011) or Lauren O'Brien in Congressman Geoff
Davis' office (202.225.3465) if you have questions about this event.
A new report titled Ending Homelessness Among Veterans through Permanent Supportive Housing finds that affordable housing coupled with supportive services provides a means for preventing and ending homelessness among veterans, particularly those who confront chronic disabling health problems such as mental illness, substance addiction, and HIV/AIDS. The report is the product of a policy leadership dialogue event convened by Volunteers of America (VOA), the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV).
Full press release and report is available at http://www.voa.org/NewsAndPublications/NewsReleases/Veterans+Homeless+Report.htm
Family Promise's Eighth National Conference will take place at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento, April 20-22 For more information, http://www.nihn.org/news/events.html With over 124 affiliates in 39 states, using the services of more than 110,000 volunteers and 4,500 congregations, Family Promise is dedicated to helping low-income families nationwide achieve lasting independence and to redress the underlying causes of poverty and homelessness.
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Give|10 Campaign
In 2007, you can be an advocate for
real change by making a financial contribution to NPACH. Consider
joining our Give|10 Campaign-just 10 dollars
will help support our efforts to make federal policy more inclusive of the
needs of families and children, as well as assist our ongoing research, education,
and technical assistance projects that seek long-term solutions to homelessness.
Why Give|10?
Because contributions from individuals allow us to speak freely and honestly
about the direction of homelessness policy. NPACH is unique in its grassroots
approach and global view, connecting community-based organizations, schools,
and the public to national policy through our advocacy and education initiatives.
As such, our style of advocacy does not match the current structure, interests
and priorities of many traditional sources of funding for homelessness and
housing groups.
What will your donation allow us to do?
·We educate the public and policymakers on the causes and consequences
of homelessness. Your donation will allow us to continue publishing our
monthly newsletter, The NPACH Report, which provides analysis of federal policy
developments, a "fact check" service dedicated to ensuring accuracy
in the public discourse on homelessness, and "beyond the beltway"
coverage of local, state, and international trends and news.
· We publish reports, such
as "Alternate
Viewpoints," a collection of organizational testimony submitted before
Congress, and "Without
Housing," a study documenting the steady federal divestment in affordable
housing and recommendations on solutions to homelessness. Your
donation will help us expand our efforts and ensure that this information
is widely available.
· We partner with local communities to advocate for federal
policies that reflect the reality of homelessness. Policy papers and organizing
efforts such as "Making
McKinney-Vento Programs Work for All Homeless Persons," represent
the voice of a full range of communities, including rural, urban and suburban,
and all homeless populations.
· We listen; then act.
Please
join Give|10 by donating at least $10 to NPACH, and consider making a recurring
monthly donation. By making a financial contribution to NPACH
today, you'll become an active partner in the fight against homelessness in
America.
Your donation
is tax-deductible and is crucial to our efforts, as we continue working to
ensure that every American has a safe, stable, and affordable home.
Thank you for your support!
NPACH
1140 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 1210
Washington, DC 20036
http://www.npach.org/support.htm
NPACH is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation organized under the provisions
of the District of Columbia Non-Profit Corporation Act (D.C. Code, 2001 edition,
Title 29, Chapter 3).
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Number: 42-1613416