IN THE NEWS

Now is the Time for Service Providers to Advocate for HVRP Funding Increase

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans urges Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) grantees, NCHV members, and supporters of homeless veteran programs to call and fax their U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives and ask them to urge the leaders of their Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor-Health and Human Services-Education (Labor-H) to ensure a significant funding increase in FY 2006 for HVRP.

In early February, President Bush submitted his FY 2006 budget request to Congress. The president's budget proposes a small $1.2 million increase in HVRP funds, which if enacted would bring the program to a $22 million level. This falls far short of the amount necessary to meet the workforce investment and support service needs of our nation's homeless veterans. The president's proposed funding level is $28 million below the $50 million authorized by law. To learn how you can send a message to Congress, click here.

Resolution to Honor Stand Down Program Introduced in House of Representatives

On March 7, a resolution recognizing “the positive effect of veterans outreach activities known as Stand Down events on the lives of homeless veterans, and commending the organizers of Stand Down events across the nation” was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA). The bill, H.CON.RES 87, has 20 cosponsors and received the concurrence of the U.S. Senate. NCHV had the privilege of contributing to the language of the Resolution, which has been referred to the House Veterans Affairs Committee for further consideration.

Job Assistance for Veterans Vendor Loan Program Deadline Extended to April 15

NCHV, through a grant from Eli Lilly and Company, is accepting applications for the Job Assistance for Veterans' Advancement (JAVA) Vendor Loan Program. The deadline for project applications has been extended to April 15. Loan amounts up to $25,000 will be awarded as seed money to four sites to establish vendor coffee cart or silk screening businesses. The businesses will be staffed by Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) patients of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or veterans in programs at community-based service providers. Eligible organizations include community and faith-based organizations with an established reputation of working with veterans. For project and application guidelines, click here.

NCHV 2005 Conference Brochure and Registration Form Now Available On-line

NCHV will be hosting its 2005 Annual Conference and Membership Meeting at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., May 31-June 3. The program includes workshops on financial management and program development; diversifying revenue streams; and becoming involved in partnerships through the HUD Continuum of Care and the VA CHALENG processes. You won’t want to miss the special NCHV 15th Anniversary Banquet, June 2, which will feature a “Walk Through History” with the founders and champions of the homeless veteran assistance movement. To download the Conference Brochure and Registration Form, click here. Information about additional tickets for the NCHV 15th Anniversary Banquet will be released at a later date.

NAEH Analysis of McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants Shows 4-Year Stagnation

The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) has released its latest analysis of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants. The document concludes that the development of permanent housing will decline as a result of the funding level Congress passed for FY 2005, and that funding for Homeless Assistance Grants as a percentage of the federal budget has declined over a four-year period. Also included in the study are an analysis of the Administration’s budget requests for McKinney-Vento programs, the level of funding needed to preserve current service levels, and how much additional funding would be required to make progress in the Administration’s goal to end chronic homelessness by 2012. For a copy of the analysis, see: http://www.endhomelessness.org/pol/approp/FY06MVanalyis.pdf.

RESOURCES

Eli Lilly Begins Filling Orders for Personal Care Kits for 2005 Stand Downs

NCHV has been notified that Eli Lilly is now accepting orders for personal care kits for homeless veterans at Stand Down events nationwide. Each kit contains a comb, toothbrush, bar of soap, a small tube of Freshmint fluoride toothpaste, and a small bottle of conditioning shampoo. Eli Lilly distributed 15,000 kits in 2002; 20,000 kits in 2003; and 25,000 kits in 2004.

Eli Lilly will distribute 25,000 personal care kits again in 2005. Because of the high demand and increasing number of Stand Down events, these kits should be reserved for homeless veterans. For instructions on how to order kits for your Stand Down, click here.

NCHV Teleconferences Focus on Military Base Closures, Planning Fundraising Events

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) is offering two teleconferences for nonprofit homeless veteran service providers in March. Topics include military base closure property available for use by homeless service providers, and developing special events as part of your resource development strategy. These conference calls are made possible through a grant by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For more information and registration instructions, click here.

Grants to Increase Involvement of People with Disabilities in Community Service

Up to $5.1 million in grant funds are available from the Corporation for National and Community Service to support partnerships that engage people with disabilities in national and community service. The special competition will focus particularly in two areas: engaging disabled veterans in service to their communities, and assisting young people with disabilities in the transition from school to adult life. Applications for this competition are due to the Corporation no later than April 12, 2005. The Corporation expects to make one to four grant awards – each for a three-year period. Complete application materials for this Disability Outreach competition are available on the Corporation's website at: http://www.nationalservice.org under "Funding and Initiatives."

CSH Guide to Estimate Local Homeless Population Available Free Online

The Corporation for Supportive Housing has released a new publication, Estimating the Need: Projecting from Point-in-Time to Annual Estimates of the Number of Homeless People in a Community and Using this Information to Plan for Permanent Supportive Housing. This guide will help communities: 1) calculate an expected number of homeless people over a year’s time when they only have data from a point-in-time (PIT) count; 2) use both PIT information and projections to annual levels of homelessness to figure out how many chronically homeless people they are likely to have, now and in the future; and 3) plan and develop appropriate levels of permanent supportive housing. The 30-page guide is available for free download from http://www.csh.org/publications.

NCHV and VA Offer Staff Training Grants to Help Organizations Build Capacity

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are offering Capacity Building Technical Assistance grants up to $3,000 each to nonprofit community-based groups with experience in providing assistance to homeless veterans. The purpose of these grants is to reimburse community- and faith-based organizations for staff training costs to better serve homeless veterans. Individual nonprofit organizations are eligible for up to $1,000, but organizations working in partnership with statewide programs are eligible for up to $3,000. For more information, click here.