“What you always do before you make a decision is consult. The best public policy is made when you are listening to people who are going to be impacted. Then, once a policy is determined, you call on them to help you sell it.”
— Elizabeth Dole

Tackling Homelessness Nationally:
Adapting Services and Improving Housing Options

Key Speakers

Paul Muniz, PhD, Cornell University
Don Burnes, Founder and Senior Adviser, Burnes Institute for Poverty Research at the Colorado Center on Law and Policy
Jennifer Speight, Speakers Bureau member, Community Life Services
Dan Treglia, Practice Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice
Molly Brown, Associate Professor of Clinical-Community Psychology, DePaul University
Donald Whitehead, Executive Director, National Coalition for the Homeless

This event was held on Friday, November 19th 2021.

Overview

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 580,466 people were experiencing homelessness in America at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. While New York State and California experience the greatest incidence of homelessness across the United States, homelessness is a problem with relatively little variation between states. With that said, certain subgroups are at substantially greater risk of falling into homelessness. Males are far more likely to experience homelessness than females. Out of every 10,000 males, 22 are homeless. For women and girls, that number is 13. Sexual orientation is also a factor. According to Street Kids, 42% of homeless children identify as LGBT. Race is another significant predictor of homelessness, as socio-economically marginalized ethnic populations encounter higher rates of homelessness. For instance, with a homelessness rate of a little over 1%, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders have the highest homelessness rate of any ethnic group in the United States.  As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to hinder economic growth, homelessness is expected to rise. It is subsequently feared that elevated unemployment rates and widespread evictions may wipe out the modest reduction in homelessness that has been made since 2007.

Homelessness is tackled at multiple levels of government across the United States via a variety of housing and services programs. Assistance infrastructure includes emergency shelters, transitional housing, rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing. Over the last decade, the strategy to assist America’s homeless populations has shifted. Instead of providing traditional housing programs,  a greater emphasis has been placed on permanent housing solutions to homelessness—such as permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing. Since 2016, the majority of US states (33 in total), have increased permanent supportive housing capacity. However, a number of states have decreased permanent supportive housing capacity. For example, Minnesota decreased its housing capacity by 1,379 in just one year.

In August 2021, the Senate passed a budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 14) instructing the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs to prepare legislation that would increase the nation’s investment in housing vouchers, public housing, and the National Housing Trust Fund by $322 billion. The Housing Secretary has also allocated $5 billion in new grants to states and local governments across the country for rental assistance.

Despite, these novel efforts to invest in housing provisions, charities argue that further attention needs to be awarded to certain priorities. The National Alliance to End Homelessness has recommended that within the Committee’s legislative preparations, $40 billion be allocated for new and renovated residential buildings throughout the Housing and Trust Fund (HTF), and $70 billion for public housing repairs and renovation – which is key to prevent housing depreciating. In light of the economic fallout of the pandemic, The National Alliance to End Homelessness also pushes for an expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher to help people pay their rents. As the federal eviction moratorium ends, and the Biden administration announces significant funds to tackle homelessness, this timely symposium will look not only at strategies to tackle homelessness, but also priorities for upcoming legislation and best practices for supporting vulnerable individuals at the federal, state, and local levels.

Program

  • Discuss priorities for upcoming legislation and funding for tackling homelessness, including the America Rescue Plan
  • Pinpoint the implications of the end of the federal eviction moratorium
  • Identify best practices to support those at risk looks like
  • Explore ways to make coordinated entry more equitable and effective
  • Identify ways to enhance access to shelters and improve shelter conditions
  • Examine legislative trends in zoning laws and land use policy
  • Learn from street-based service programs
  • Build community support for affordable housing and homeless services
  • Discuss how different sectors could collaborate to improve services and prevention for people experiencing homelessness
  • Identify how to utilize alternative housing arrangements such as tiny homes, modular housing units, and multifamily homes
  • Develop plans to tackle the growing eviction crisis happening across the country
  • Deliberate strategies to root out systemic roots of homelessness
  • Strategize methods to support LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness

Who Should Attend?

  • Department of Health and Human Services

  • Department of Veterans Affairs

  • Homeless services authorities

  • Housing and community investment departments

  • Affordable housing developers

  • Public housing authorities

  • Directors of housing operations

  • Directors of housing development

  • Family housing agencies

  • Directors of homeless services

  • Directors of residential services

  • Case managers (homeless services)

  • Shelter case managers

  • Shelter monitors

  • Social workers

  • Homeless veteran advocates

  • Veteran support specialists

  • Women's veteran advocates

  • Community outreach specialists

  • Community health workers

  • Housing advocates

  • Housing stabilization specialists

  • Peer housing navigators

  • Housing locators

  • Relocation service managers/caseworkers

  • Benefits advocates

  • Homeless coalition managers

  • Student homelessness liaisons

  • Community programs advocates

  • Family service coordinators

  • Family care coordinators

  • Youth advocates

  • Emergency relief counselors

  • Housing counselors

  • Mental health clinicians/ Specialists

  • Treatment/Substance abuse specialists

  • Public health managers/Administrators

  • Real estate professionals

  • City council representatives

  • City Managers

  • City & Urban Planners

  • County representatives

  • Special interest groups

  • Non-profit organizations

  • Faith-based and interfaith organizations

  • Healthcare professionals

This event was held on Friday, November 19th 2021.

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