# Presentation: 148382

## US DOL-VETS 2007 Competitive Grantees Training Conference`

**August 7-9, 2007**
**Cynthia W. High, MSW**
**US Department of Housing and Urban Development**
**Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs**

**Notes:**
I want to thank Kristine McLaughlin for inviting me to participate today.  I have enjoyed working with her on this event and am always impressed by her commitment and dedication.  
I am representing Mr. Mark Johnston, Deputy Assistant for Special Needs Programs at HUD, as well as Ms. Ann Oliva, our new Director of the Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs. 
I will briefly describe HUD”s Homeless Assistance Programs and the funding we provided in the last Continuum of Care funding round in 2006.  As many of you know, we are currently very busy reviewing the 2007 CoC applications that were due into our office on June 15 of this year. 
HUD’s efforts to serve homeless veterans began with the creation of HUD’s homeless programs and authorization of the McKinney Act by Congress. The McKinney Act also authorizes other homeless programs at the VA, HHS, Department of Labor and other Federal agencies.  As result, HUD specifically serves homeless veterans among the homeless populations we serve.  
Some veterans need a veteran-specific or veteran focused program, while other veterans prefer receiving housing and services with non-veterans.  HUD allows for either iing of project to be developed.

## Continuum of Care

**Emergency **
**Shelter**

**Outreach **
**Intake **
**Assessment**

**Transitional **
**Housing**

**Permanent**
**Housing**

**Permanent ****Supportive**
**Housing**

**Supportive**
**Services**

**Notes:**
To help ensure that the needs of veterans are addressed within every community, HUD emphasizes the importance of veterans being represented on the community wide Continuum of Care planning body. 
Most of you know about the Continuum of Care, so I’ll just briefly describe the process for those who may not be as familiar.
As you can see from this diagram, we start with Outreach and intake and participants may go from Emergency Shelter to permanent supportive housing or be placed in transitional housing while progressing along the continuum. 

## HUD’s Continuum of Care Approach

- Community driven planning process launched in 1994 that is collaborative, strategic and long-range;
- Framework to bring homeless housing and services together to develop a strategy to end chronic homelessness and move families and individuals to permanent housing and self-sufficiency;
- Community determines local needs; prioritizes the projects recommended for funding;
- Requires involvement of diverse stakeholders.

**Notes:**
Requires involvement of diverse stakeholders
Local/State Government
Non-profits
Hospitals, Schools, Businesses
Homeless and Formerly Homeless Persons
2.  CoC Application is consolidated meaning that the request for funding for all projects in the community come into our office as one package, rather than several packages.  The priorities are set by the community’s needs. Some communities have programs like yourselves that have strongly advocated for the needs of homeless veterans, and therefore the projects are given a higher priority for funding requests.

## Planning / Coordinating Councils

**Veterans Services**

**Businesses**

**Mental Illness**

**HIV / AIDS**

**Neighborhood Groups**

**Banks**

**Foundations**

**Service Providers**

**Housing**
**Developers**

**Homeless Persons**

**Educators**

**Notes:**
To help ensure that the needs of veterans are addressed within every community, HUD emphasizes the importance of veteran representation on the community-wide Continuum of Care planning body. 
 In addition, HUD’s scoring of applications is based on the effectiveness of these planning bodies and how they implement solutions.  
We provide incentives for the Continuum to report on the number of homeless veterans in their community and encourage communities to hear the needs of homeless veterans.  I am proud to say that we conducted sample survey of all the Continuum applications we received this past year and the year before to see to what extent  Continuums had in fact included veteran representation on their planning bodies.  
The results are heartening:  92% of Continuums had veteran representation on the Continuum planning group. These representatives include persons from VA hospitals, State and local government veterans agencies, non-profit veterans organizations and homeless veterans themselves.

## Program Components

- Three competitive programs:
- Supportive Housing Program (SHP)
- Shelter Plus Care (SPC or S+C)
- Section 8 Moderate Rehab SRO
- One formula program:
- Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG)
- Policy Priorities:
- Ending Chronic Homelessness
- Housing Emphasis
- Performance

**Notes:**
This slide gives a brief summary of our program components and policy priorities.  
Our challenge is to end chronic homelessness among all homeless subpopulations, including veterans.  There is a tremendous need for housing and for services for homeless veterans and all other persons who are homeless.  In fact, there are about 750,000 homeless persons at any point in time in our country. 
As for resources to address this needs, HUD’s annual funding provides about 160,000 transitional and permanent beds for homeless persons.  
Fortunately, the VA and other Federal, State and local organizations and providers such as yourselves provide resources for homeless veterans. 
The Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs are our partners in this endeavor.  You’ll hear from Pete shortly and he’ll describe all the programs and special projects VA has to meet the needs of homeless veterans.

## 2006 Competition Highlights

- Requested: $1.4 billion for 5,704 projects
- Awarded:  $1.2 billion to 5,291 projects
- Amount awarded represents:
- 86% of funding requests
- 93% of project requests

**Notes:**
In 2001, HUD’s homeless appropriation was $1.1 billion.  
By last year, were appropriated $1.3 billion. 
This year we have $1.4 billion, and our request for next year is $1.6 billion. 
 We are grateful for an increase in our appropriation each year.  These increases allow us to continue to fund renewals and to also award new projects.  
Many of these new projects are specifically for housing chronically homeless persons – persons who are disabled and living on this nation’s streets – of whom many are veterans. 

## Funding and Renewals

- 5,291 Total Projects Funded
- 436 CoCs Funded
- 256 CoCs received new and renewal funding, for a total of $993 million
- 180 CoCs received 1 year renewals only, for a total of $212 million
- Availability of new funding varies by CoC

**Notes:**
 The ability of each CoC to request new projects is determined by its predetermined pro rata need (the formula share of the total    available is posted along with the NOFA on the HUD web page) and the proportion of renewals to be funded by that CoC. 
  At current levels, many CoCs pro rata need will only cover their ongoing renewals.  
  As you may know, each CoC may request up to 15% of their pro rata need for Samaritan Housing bonus project for permanent housing to serve the chronically homeless.  CoCs with a very small pro rata need may find the bonus too small to use for a project, however, many CoCs use this bonus as their sole source of new funding for the chronically homeless.
  Another option available is the voluntary reallocation of a portion of expiring funding for new permanent housing funds.  In 2006,  approximately 30 CoCs chose this option for the creation of new permanent housing beds.

## HUD Veteran Project Funding

- HUD emphasizes importance of serving veterans in its grant applications - gives points for veteran participation.
- Relatively few veteran-specific projects are submitted (3-4 %).
- Veteran-specific projects - 70% or more participants are veterans.
- Many more projects that target veterans among others served are funded  (>50% ).

**Notes:**
For many years, HUD funding for veteran projects has usually been in proportion to the number of projects submitted by veteran specific groups.  
Some projects primarily target homeless veterans.  We use 70% as the level to define a project as veteran specific. That is, if 70% of the participants are veterans, the project is considered a veteran specific project.  
Many more projects target veterans among others.

## HUD Veteran Project Funding in 2006

- 145 veteran-specific projects were awarded just over $30 million (3% of funded projects)
- 2,466 projects serving veterans among others were awarded $631.5 million (47% of funded projects)
- Total projects serving veterans – 2,611 (50% of funded projects)

**Notes:**
In 2006, we funded 145 (out of 161) veteran specific projects for just over $30 million.
An additional 2,466 projects reported they served veterans among others – and received $631.5 million.
That’s a total of 2,6ll projects (half of all the projects funded in the 2006 competition) that serve homeless veterans.

## Initiatives

- 1996 - HUD’s Annual Performance Report (APR) was revised to  record veteran information.
- Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) now collects information about veteran status.
- Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) – report to Congress
- Development of two technical assistance guidebooks – currently on-line.
- _A Place at the Table: Homeless Veterans and Local Homeless_ _Assistance Planning Networks;_
- _Coordinating Resources and Developing Strategies to Address the Needs of Homeless Veterans._
- _   _

**Notes:**
You may have heard by now that HUD’s first Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress published in March of 2007 estimated that 19 percent of approximately 750,000 homeless persons counted on a given night were military veterans.  HUD will follow up with annual reports to Congress on homelessness.  We’re looking to decrease all the numbers.  

## Chronic Homelessness

- HUD addresses chronic homelessness among veterans through the CoC application award process.
- Collaborative Initiatives address chronic homelessness among veterans.
- 2003 and 2005 – Three Collaborative Initiatives to address chronic homelessness, including one Initiative funded by HUD and DOL.

**Notes:**
All CoCs have a plan to end chronic homelessness.
HUD provided bonus funding to communities committing to end chronic homelessness.  
24% of all funds in 2006 went to projects targeting chronically homeless persons.
213 CoCs received Samaritan Bonus funds, for $69 million, and 171 CoCs reported reductions in chronic homelessness
There have been three Collaborative Initiatives to address chronic homelessness.
Veterans were included in the $35 ($55) million HUD/HHS/VA/ICH Collaborative Initiative to End Chronic Homelessness that was awarded in 2003.  Based on data obtained so far from 11 programs awarded funds, approximately 1/3 of the program participants are chronically homeless veterans.
In 2003 also, 5 programs received $13.5 million through the HUD/DOL Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Housing Grants, to provide housing and employment services to chronically homeless veterans, as well as other CH persons.
In 2005, HUD awarded $10 million to twelve communities in 1 cities through the Housing for People who are Homeless and Addicted to Alcohol demonstration programs.  Thus far, approximately 25% of the CH persons served are veterans who have been provided permanent housing and services such as substance abuse treatment.

## Future Proposals for CoC Process

- Program consolidation
- Greater local decision making
- Funds for prevention

**Notes:**
Some of you have heard about the proposed legislation that has been introduced in Congress to modify the CoC process. I would like to give you a brief idea of what the Administration’s proposal would do. 
The essence of the bill is to consolidate the existing three programs to result in: 
more flexibility to localities; 
consolidation of the three components and simplification of the match requirements
a devolution of grant making responsibility to local decision-making bodies;
eligibility of funding homeless prevention;
a dramatic reduction in the time required to distribute funds to grantees; and 
strengthening the Administration’s goal to end chronic homelessness.