CHICAGO – At the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) national convention in Chicago, Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) announced a $1 million gift from the Harley-Davidson Foundation Inc. to the DAV in support of the services DAV provides to America's veterans. The gift extends the company's long-standing relationship with the military, which goes as far back as World War I when the company produced more than 20,000 motorcycles for the war effort. During World War II, Harley-Davidson shifted its entire production to military support and the Motor Company received five coveted Army-Navy "E" Awards for excellence in wartime production.

 

"We're honored by the opportunity to show our continued support and deep appreciation for the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect our freedom," said Harley-Davidson chief executive officer Jim Ziemer. "Veterans have always been important members of the Harley-Davidson family and we're proud to establish this relationship with DAV as a way to give something back."

Founded in 1920, the 1.3 million member DAV builds better lives for all America's disabled veterans and their families, working with them to secure the benefits and services to which they are entitled. The DAV also provides benefits counseling services to men and women making the transition from active military service back to civilian life.

 

The Harley-Davidson Foundation also awarded NCHV a contribution to support our work with community-based service providers that offer housing, employment assistance and other supportive services to homeless veterans and those at risk of becoming homeless.  To learn more about Harley-Davidson's support of veterans, visit www.harleydavidson.com, including the "Salute to Veterans" page.

 

 

 

 

The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) has launched "Explainer," a new series of resources that answers questions about homelessness policy and research. In the first "Explainer," the Alliance examines how much money the federal government spends on homelessness. Answering this question should be as simple as summing the total expenditures for homeless assistance programs. Homeless programs, however, do not fit neatly into one federal agency; instead they are spread across several, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Education (ED), and the Department of Labor (DOL). Find out the answer to this question and read more about federal spending on homelessness in "How Much Does the Federal Government Spend on Homelessness?"

 

 

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds over 7,000 transitional housing programs that offer 220,000 beds, according to a new report by the Urban Institute. The report, "Characteristics of Transitional Housing for Homeless Families," was written in preparation for a larger study sponsored by HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research. The report covers 53 transitional housing programs in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, OH; Detroit and parts of Wayne County, MI; Houston and Harris County, TX; San Diego City and County, CA; and Seattle and King County, WA.

 

The average length of stay in transitional housing programs included in the study was 12 months with 62 percent of program participants leaving before the 12-month mark. A majority of transitional housing programs (85 percent) in the study required program participants to be clean and sober at entry, 81 percent of programs have rules against using alcohol, and 100 percent have rules against using illegal substances. The report also examines housing outcomes after transitional housing finding that on average 35 percent left for permanent housing without a subsidy, 22 percent left for housing with a subsidy, 13 percent left with a subsidy and supports (this category can include Permanent Supportive Housing), 13 percent reunited with family, and 4 percent returned to homelessness. According to the report, 23 percent of participants exiting transitional housing do not have successful exits; about half of these families leave on their own and the other are terminated from the program involuntarily.

 

The reports findings are based on administrative data from HUD and surveys of program administrators. To review the entire report, go to: http://www.urban.org/publications/411369.html.

 

 

The Corporation for Supportive Housing has published a guidebook titled "Ending Chronic Homelessness Through Employment and Housing," written by Katharine Gale of Katharine Gale Consulting and John Rio and Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. The 32-page document, published in August, transcribes the January 25, 2006, leadership dialogue in which a unique gathering of government officials and practitioners met to discuss their experiences in joining employment services with housing and other supportive services for people who are chronically homeless. The document is only available on the web.  For a free download, go to http://www.csh.org/ and click on "Publications."

 

 

The American Community Survey has released its 2005 Income, Poverty and Health Insurance data. The numbers reveal that the 2005 median income rose for the first time since 1999 to $46,326. This increase seems to have been pushed by an increase in elderly incomes. For the non-elderly population, median income dropped from 2004, and the individual incomes for males and females declined as well. About 49 million people live just above the poverty line ($19,473 annually for a family of three), and among them are 16.7 million children. Children remained the group most represented below or just above the poverty line. The number of people living in poverty remained the same from 2004 to 2005 at 37 million people. This was the first time in four years that the number did not increase.

 

The poverty rates rose from 11.7 to 12.6 percent from 2001 to 2005. Those living in deep poverty, recognized as having incomes at or below half of the poverty line ($7,788 for a family of three and $9,985 for a family of four in 2005) remained unchanged at the highest level since 1975. About 43 percent of poor in the U.S. lived in severe poverty in 2005 while the wealthiest 5 percent of households saw significant gains, suggesting that the income gap is widening. With the number of families living in severe poverty, it is important to recognize that the national minimum wage has not increased in almost a decade. Housing affordability, defined as no more than 30 percent of income to rent, is the leading obstacle in preventing homelessness. The minimum wage of $5.15 an hour assures an individual working 40 hours a week a monthly salary of under $900. To be considered affordable, the rent of a full-time minimum wage worker's apartment must be less than $300.

 

 

The Payless Foundation supports programs that achieve measurable results in their community. Grants will only be made to organizations with tax-exempt status, and proposals are considered on a monthly or quarterly basis depending on the amount requested. Requests may be submitted at any time, but must be submitted at least 60 days before the requested proposal's beginning date. For more details, go to: http://www.payless.com/en-US/Corporate/Foundation/Foundation.htm.

 

 

Conagra Foods Foundation focuses on several areas, including health and human services.  Grants are announced quarterly, and proposals must be received by the last working day of January, April, July, and October.  Decisions are communicated within 8-10 weeks of the deadline.  For more information and application instructions, visit: http://www.conagrafoods.com.