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delivery of local services to homeless families, children & youth would benefit

In recent months, Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel has connected with other mayors in the country to co-sponsor a resolution proposed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to influence the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) to expanded its definition of homelessness.

Such a move is just one of the policy recommendations addressed in Destination:Home. This expansion is deemed necessary in order for communities like ours, that are working toward ending homelessness, to be able to more comprehensively serve all who are homeless among us. Mayor Weinzapfel has made efforts to support this change on a national level as he continues to be involved in the city-county Commission on Homelessness.

According to the National Policy & Advocacy Council on Homelessness (NPACH), "In 1987, Congress passed federal legislation to address the emerging crisis of homelessness. This legislation (the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act) authorizes federal homeless assistance programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

These agencies "have adopted diverse definitions of homelessness. While some variation in federal definitions appropriately reflects different agency missions, other discrepancies have resulted in the exclusion of extremely vulnerable populations identified and assisted by one federal program from receiving much needed services provided by another.

"In particular, the definition of homelessness employed by HUD has created barriers for many families and youth experiencing homelessness. The definition of homelessness used by HUD is limited to people living on the streets or in shelters. It excludes people living in doubled-up situations and those in motels.

The definition of homelessness used by the Dept. of Ed. is broader, and specifically includes children and youth who are "sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason." In addition, children and youth who "are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations" are specifically included, along with other temporary living situations. [Adapted from, emphasis added: A Matter of Definition: Responding to Homelessness Among Families, Children, and Youth, National Policy & Advocacy Council on Homelessness (NPACH), Aug. 2005

Anchorage, AK, Mayor Mark Begich introduced a resolution before the US Conference of Mayors at its annual meeting, June 2-6, 2006 "calling for HUD to expand its definition of homelessness to include people who are sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason, and people living in motels due to a lack of alternatives." NPACH report, May 2006

"Intensive lobbying by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) led to the tabling of a resolution expanding HUD's definition of homelessness at meetings of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Las Vegas on June 3, 2006. The resolution was offered by Anchorage Mayor, Mark Begich, who was joined by 27 other mayors (see list),including Evansville's own Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, and endorsed by over 90 national, state, and local organizations. ...

"The campaign to expand HUD’s definition now moves forward to the legislative arena. Congress has begun consideration of the reauthorization of the HUD McKinney-Vento programs through S. 1801 and H.R. 5041. Expanding HUD’s definition will be a key element of the advocacy of NPACH and our many national, state, and local partners.

"[NPACH urges] you to contact your Member of Congress and ask them to include a definition of homelessness that is inclusive of all people who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate place to call home." --NPACH special report, June 7, 2006

More information:

In recent months, news of the state of Indiana's plan to privatize the management of the eligibility process for Medicaid, Food Stamps and TANF continues to promote concern among service providers who serve community members who access, benefit from, and often rely on those forms of assistance, when household income does not effectively cover bills.

In an October 2005 press release, FSSA noted its aim in this venture as including "to improve in the application process for Hoosiers who need public assistance."

The State of Indiana's Family Social Services Administration is seeking to turn over the management of its programs noted above, which are also referred to as "mainstream resources." Two corporations have applied: Accenture (has Texas contract) and IBM's Automated Computer Systems (has Georgia contract). In both states where these businesses hold the contracts, problems have allegedly arisen with the management of these programs. The effective date of Indiana's changes has been moved to November  2006, with a transition period for implementation leading up to the actual date.

A Commission member posed the question: “Since we know this is inevitable, what can we do locally to improve the situation to help people access the internet?” Could the libraries be utilized more? Could volunteers be trained to assist people? It was noted that with the Medicare Part D prescription plan sign ups recently, some agencies mobilized volunteers to assist recipients in navigating the application process.

This line of problem solving and others merit further local discussion and planning in order to assist our neighbors who experience a need for these services in order to survive and to hopefully eventually thrive. What can seem as improvements from the perspective of those with access to internet, phone and transportation can become barriers to those without.

In response to the news of coming changes, one homeless service provider noted various scenarios of the life situations of the people served by her agency.  One that came to mind was of a single mother with three very young and challenging-to-manage children, who must go to a pay phone at a busy corner to make phone calls to such services as FSSA offices provide.  The service provider envisioned this mother trying to talk on the phone, be on hold, and also keep her children safe from the traffic.

With the inevitable changes on the way, solutions for this and other such client situations will be needed in order for those who truly need the services to be able to access them until their own personal situations reach self-sufficiency.

In May 2006, Summit participants were offered the opportunity to gain a first hand look at innovative approaches to homelessness in Denver. Site visits to different programs were offered:

Denver Rescue Mission: The Crossing is a residential living facility offering the New Life rehabilitation program for men; transitional housing for program graduates and homeless families; and housing for interns and visitors. A representative from the Denver Rescue Mission discussed ways in which the faith communities are reaching out and getting involved with Denver’s Road Home.

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless: Housing First. Participants were invited to join a formerly homeless resident and staff representative from the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless for a tour of the Renaissance at Civic Center Apartments to see how providers are partnering with the public and private sectors to develop affordable housing to transition homeless adults off of the streets and integrate them into the community.

Urban Peak, is Denver’s only licensed homeless and runaway youth shelter. This agency serves young people between the ages of 15 and 24 to assist them in permanently exiting the streets. Participants were able to meet with a panel of youth and youth providers to learn about a hospitality project to employ homeless youth and a substance abuse project, Starting Transition and Recovery, that combines treatment with housing for substance dependent homeless youth.

The City also offered a workshop option, Interactive Media and Denver’s Road Home: Creating Community Awareness to learn about efforts coordinated by the Denver Department of Human Services, SE2, and Focii to educate and inform the community about the 10-Year Plan implementation.

Denver's progress   Denver has experienced rapid progress in the first six months (June 2005-January 2006) and on year one goals and action steps. Coordinators of their plan attribute this progress in part to increased government funding to end homelessness.