Blog: Homelessness Ends Here

The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) was one of almost 100 Community Development Financial Institutions to be recently awarded an allocation of Recovery Funds.

From today’s Philanthropy News Digest alert: The Chicago Community Trust and the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness have announced the launch of a two-year study to gauge progress in the city’s plan to end homelessness.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development yesterday issued its 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, a national study that explores changes in homelessness nationwide. HUD's assessment concludes that while overall homelessness in America held fairly steady from 2007 to 2008, the number of homeless families, particularly those living in suburban and rural areas, increased.

On June 22, 2009, the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision, President Barack Obama announced a new Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher initiative as part of “The Year of Community Living” – a new and ground-breaking effort to assist people with the most significant and long-term disabilities to live independent and fulfilling lives in the community.

The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) believes community-based health services linked to permanent housing for homeless people facing serious medical and behavioral challenges should be an integral part of comprehensive reform. Supportive housing helps connect our nation's most vulnerable people to the most appropriate and cost-effective healthcare services. Without this connection, many homeless persons go without access to health services, other than expensive emergency interventions that may address a crisis, but cannot effectively address their long-term needs.

The Los Angeles Times is developing quite a niche in reporting on homelessness. Thankfully, these columns tend to not focus on the negative, but rather uncover the personal stories of people struggling against the odds to overcome homelessness and poverty.

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness shared highlights of it's first Full Council meeting of the Obama Administration, including the appointment of U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan as Chairperson, and statements from President Obama and several of the Council members on their expectations for the work of this important cross-agency partnership.

It is difficult to describe the value of actually seeing the work going on in communities first-hand. It is one thing (and quite helpful) to read reports about what is happening in a given system. But that up close and personal approach–where a visitor can get the actual flavor of what is happening on the ground–to see and experience the work as it is unfolding in a given setting–is invaluable.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, chaired by Congressman Bob Filner, held a hearing this week on “A National Commitment to End Veterans’ Homelessness.” In opening remarks at Wednesday’s hearing, Chairman Filner noted that the Committee and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, who is also the current chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, have made ending Veterans homelessness a priority and encouraged the four panels of witnesses to tell the Committee “what’s working, what’s not, and what you need” to accomplish this goal.

SEVRA would enable state and local housing agencies to use available funds to make housing affordable to more needy families, a crucial measure at a time when poverty and homelessness are rising. In addition, it would sharply reduce administrative burdens for housing agencies and private owners, strengthen work supports, and provide more flexible and effective assistance to low-income families.