Not since the late 1980s has the issue of homelessness been more talked about than it is today. But we know that ending homelessness will take more than simply having a plan. Much of our local success will depend on the commitment and the actions of policy makers.

The Task Force believes that housing policy must become a priority for all levels of government. At the federal level, continued financial support of the existing Section 8 voucher program is essential. Current efforts to reduce and eventually transfer this program to a state block grant will greatly hamper any plans to end homelessness. The federal government must become more involved in preserving and increasing the stock of permanent affordable housing for those with extremely low incomes. Public housing has undergone major changes over the last twenty years based on  reactions to extreme situations. As a result, these policy changes have excluded many of the very people the program was designed to assist.

There is much encouragement to create public-private partnerships but no real leadership or resources have been provided to promote this effort. State and local resources are not sufficient to build the adequate housing infrastructure needed to accomplish the goals of this plan. Federal responsibility for creating and maintaining housing for the extremely low-income persons of our communities must be retained.  Ending homelessness will not be possible without significant federal investment in housing.

This report’s recommendation to invest in permanent housing is based on the clear need for such housing and on the importance of such plans in obtaining funding from HUD. For the last four years, HUD has encouraged communities to spend at least 30% of the McKinney-Vento homeless assistance funds on permanent housing, and incentives of up to $750,000 for new permanent  housing projects have been offered. Of the $1.1 billion dollars awarded nationally in 2003, almost half was awarded for permanent housing projects.

This prioritization has caused applications without permanent housing projects to receive a lower overall score. Because we lacked a permanent housing project, the Evansville-Vanderburgh County 2003 application for $1,050,888 did not achieve the cut-off score. As a result, our community only received $204,620, a loss of $846,267.

FEDERAL FOCUS

A new focus on preventing homelessness must also be high on the national agenda. HUD is proposing changes to the McKinney-Vento homeless assistance program to allow for a limited percent of funds to be used for homeless prevention. The agency also intends, however, to cap the funding allowed for services and to reduce this percentage over time. HUD wants to target funds to housing and wants supportive services to be absorbed into other federal department budgets, such as Health and Human Service, Veterans Administration, Department of Labor, etc. Given this intention, it is imperative that these mainstream resources be held accountable for the housing status of their clients, and that program performance measures include housing stability. Without these provisions, funding of services to homeless individuals will be reduced.

There is currently a lack of homeless prevention funding. Existing HUD programs require that clients already be "homeless" before services can be provided. Individuals and families in need of assistance must not only meet the definition of "homeless" to receive services, they continue to be labeled as "homeless" while receiving ongoing services.

In many cases, the provision of services while a family still has "a roof" over their heads is much more cost effective than waiting until they have lost their housing, their belongings, their dignity and move into their car or an emergency shelter.

Yet the definition of "homeless" differs among federal departments. The Department of Education and Health and Human Services define "homeless" more inclusively than HUD does. Consequently, a family may receive services from the local school corporation but be unable to receive HUD assisted housing because of the difference in definition. Simple inconsistency in defining homelessness should not be a barrier to obtaining needed resources.

Support services provide the foundation necessary to maintain stability and break the cycle of homelessness once housing is established. Therefore, coordination of mainstream support services must come from the federal and state levels. Policy makers must ensure that programs are designed to meet client needs and allow for flexibility in accessing services. Related programs and policy goals should be focused on ending homelessness. Policy makers should provide communities with the tools, resources and flexibility needed to coordinate existing programs, create new programs and restructure existing systems in order to end homelessness.

STATE FOCUS

We recognize the importance of the State Interagency Council for Homelessness’ plan to end chronic homelessness.  We encourage the state to take leadership in the area of homelessness and develop a comprehensive plan that addresses the full spectrum of homelessness. The State Interagency Council for Homelessness should be recognized as an effective resource in developing the State plan, provide technical assistance for local communities and be utilized to make effective changes in state programs. Designated funding needs to be established to help fund homeless prevention, housing, supportive services, and efforts to raise incomes to a livable wage.

Housing for extremely low-income individuals and families needs to become a priority for the State. Stable housing provides the foundation for all other aspects of life: educational opportunities, vocational skill development, sense of belonging and community, employment achievement, entrepreneurial success, and increased financial worth. Housing does matter and until we provide for the needs of our most vulnerable citizens and equip them with the real means to improve their wealth, the State of Indiana will never reach its full potential.

LOCAL FOCUS

At a local level, the recommendations of the ten-year plan need to be considered when developing local budgets and allocating existing revenues. Additionally, both homeless prevention and housing initiatives for the extremely low-income need to be added to our lobbying agenda. The goal of ending homelessness must become a part of the Master Plan for the city and county. We ask that the city and county consider any potential implications for the extremely low-income, at-risk, and homeless populations when they adopt major decisions regarding projects and economic development. The city and county must also support the development of a community discharge plan that prevents discharge into homelessness and establishes a support system to prevent recidivism. In order to end homelessness in Evansville and Vanderburgh County, the ten-year plan requires support from the mayor, the county commissioners, and the city and county council.