HVRP Reauthorization Unanimously Passes House

On Monday, March 30, 2009, Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee announced that the House of Representatives considered three bills that would improve benefits and services to veterans. The House unanimously passed all three bills, including H.R. 1171, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.

Introduced by Rep. John Boozman (R-AZ), the bill would reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program for fiscal years 2010 through 2014. The bill was amended to authorize an additional $10 million to provide dedicated services for homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children. Grants would be made available to provide job training, counseling, placement services, and child care services to expedite the reintegration of veterans into the labor force. The bill has been passed on to the Senate.

Transformation Through Partnerships: Systems Change to End Chronic Homelessness

The SAMHSA DVD video series, Transformation Through Partnerships: Systems Change To End Chronic Homelessness presents the real-world stories of two cities as they implement strategic planning to coordinate services and collaborate with other organizations.

The films chronicle two community organizations' efforts to end chronic homelessness. It follows the organizations as they craft internal and external partnerships to leverage resources to effectively meet the multiple needs of persons who are homeless and have mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. Included in the DVD package are guides for using the videos as planning tools in the community.

The DVD contains three videos:

• Overview, which provides a summary of the key concepts for strategic partnering as they are illustrated in the videos. 

• Ending Chronic Homelessness: DESC's Strategic Partnerships, featuring the Downtown Emergency Services Center in Seattle, Washington. 

• Transformation, Recovery and Revitalization: Project Home's Community Partnerships, featuring Project HOME in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

To order your free copy of the DVD, click here.

Register Now for the NCHV Annual Conference

Less than two weeks left for discounted hotel room rate

The 13th Annual Conference of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans convenes in just five weeks at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Va. This year's event, "Challenges of A New Era," promises to be a historic occasion.

We will celebrate the first president in U.S. history to declare "an end to veteran homelessness" is a priority of his administration. President Barack Obama has been named by the NCHV Board of Directors as the recipient 2009 Jerald Washington Memorial Founders' Award, the organization's highest honor. The award will be presented during the Annual NCHV Awards Banquet May 22 (click here for the story).

NCHV member organizations will be acknowledged for the 40% reduction in veteran street homelessness their programs have made possible since 2005. And we will explore early assistance interventions to ensure combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and their families receive the support they deserve to reduce their risks of becoming homeless.

Several sessions will focus on supportive housing programs, and new HUD-VASH (VA Supportive Housing Section 8 voucher program) Coordinator Vince Kane will be on hand to answer questions. Paul Smits, VA Associate Chief Consultant on Homeless and Residential Rehabilitation Programs, will share information about new outreach and prevention initiatives. Critical updates on Continuum of Care and VA CHALENG program participation and benefits will be provided by National CHALENG Coordinator John Kuhn and Cynthia High of the HUD Office of Special Needs Programs.

Employment focuses will include self employment opportunities – high paying jobs through trades, apprenticeships and skilled labor positions in demand. Service providers will learn how to improve clients' financial management counseling; and learn about the employment training opportunities and research projects of our HVRP technical assistance partners at the Virginia Commonwealth University.

Workshops will be offered on the growing trend toward alternative sentencing and community homeless courts to remove legal barriers that often block clients' access to housing and employment programs.

For the first time ever, two of the homeless veteran assistance movement's greatest champions will be honored as recipients of the Thomas Wynn Sr. Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement. All four of NCHV's surviving founders will attend the Annual NCHV Awards Banquet to reflect on the men and women who have transformed their vision into one of American history's most noble causes.

Register now for the conference discount room rate at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. The deadline for the discount rate is April 28. To register online, click here.

To register for the conference, download the NCHV Annual Conference brochure, fill out the Registration Form, and fax it to Louise Staley at 202-546-2063. NCHV members who have not yet renewed their memberships may do so on the same form to qualify for the reduced members' registration fee.

NCHV Offers Trainings on the Federal Grant Process

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans is offering two day training sessions for organizations currently serving or looking to serve veterans. The first day of these trainings will go over the basics of federal grant applications, while the second day of the trainings will focus on employment and permanent supportive housing.

For more information on locations and dates for these trainings, click here.

Funding Opportunities

Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation was created as a public charity in 1995 as part of an historic affiliation between the International Center for the Disabled and the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center Network. The Foundation's primary mission is to realize Jeremiah Milbank's vision of integrating people with disabilities into all aspects of American life. Its current priorities include, but are not limited to: consumer-focused initiatives that enable people with disabilities to lead fulfilling, independent lives; health-related policy research, especially at state-based research organizations; improving the quality of, and individual control over, palliative care; identifying and inspiring emerging leaders in the disability community. The Foundation accepts applications throughout the year. For more information, click here.

The Lockheed Martin Corporation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in communities where Lockheed Martin has facilities. The Corporation will provide consideration to requests that best address the focus area targets and reflect the organizations effective leadership, fiscal responsibility, and programmatic success. The focus areas are education, community outreach and customer and constituent relations. Community outreach encompasses civic, cultural, environmental, and health & human services programs that strengthen communities. Applications are accepted year-round. For more information, click here.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, education, human services and other causes. The Foundation makes both program and operating grants and does not have any geographic restrictions on its grants. The biannual grant deadlines are April 30 and October 31. For more information, click here.