Showing Posts by Date: 03/2014
03.06.2014
The Network will hold one last, big advocacy push in Albany on March 18 to impact vital supportive housing programs in the New York State budget.
Last month, our members joined Homeless Services United to hold nearly 60 meetings with members of the New York State Assembly, Senate and their staff. We used these meetings to advocate for increased funding for homeless prevention and supportive housing programs in the 2014-15 state fiscal year budget.
Our final advocacy effort on Tuesday, March 18 will offer us a chance to advocate for these issues one last time before the state budget passes on or before April 1. We encourage all of you to attend. To RSVP, please contact the Network’s Maclain Berhaupt at mberhaupt@shnny.org.
This year, we’ve focused our advocacy efforts on four specifics areas. First, we hope to achieve an increase to the NYS Office of Temporary Disability and Assistance (OTDA)’s Homeless Housing and Prevention services budget, which funds both the NYS Supportive Housing Program (NYSSHP) and Solutions to End Homelessness Programs (STEHP). Second, we hope to save vulnerable State homeless programs threatened by sequestration. To do this, we’ve called on New York State to establish an emergency supplemental pool of funding at OTDA to help mitigate cuts to over 50 programs across the state.
Continue Reading …03.05.2014
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President Obama released his budget for the 2015 fiscal year yesterday, and it includes a 2.6% total increase for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The budget, if passed, would begin to undo the damage caused to HUD programs by sequestration.
A key highlight from this budget is a 14% increase to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant program. This increase would bring the program to over $2.4 billion, allowing it to fund all grant renewals and some new projects. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan recently acknowledged that the difficult budgets of the past two years have prevented HUD from achieving its goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2015, but he has renewed the commitment to achieve that goal by the end of 2016.
Rental assistance programs also fair well in the executive budget. New vouchers for veterans, seniors and people with disabilities are included, along with full funding for the Section 8 programs. Proposed funding for Project Based Section 8 vouchers would see a decrease, but this is due a welcomed move to fund the program on a calendar year basis. As a result, next year the program would require a substantial lift to annualize this change. Stabilizing this fund will do much to improve investor confidence in Project Based-funded supportive housing.
See the below table for a breakdown of the key HUD programs in the executive budget:
Continue Reading … | Federal03.05.2014
Partners and tenants gather for the ceremonial ribbon cutting at Son House Apartments in Rochester on February 24.
The first supportive housing residence for high-cost Medicaid recipients to open in New York State had its grand opening February 24 in Rochester. Called Son House Apartments in honor of the legendary blues musician Son House, who both made Rochester his home for many years and experienced homelessness, the residence will provide housing and supports to 21 individuals coping with both homelessness and medical or behavioral disabilities.
Son House Apartments was developed by Network member Providence Housing Development Corporation with the Office of Temporary & Disability (OTDA) Homeless Housing and Assistance Program Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Capital Funds Program. To date, HHAP has awarded MRT funding to six projects across New York.
The opening featured a number of luminaries, including NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) Commissioner Darryl C. Towns, NYS Senator Joe Robach, NYS Homeless Housing and Assistance Corporation (HHAC) Vice President Brett Hebner and Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren.
“The true measure of city’s greatness must include a reckoning of how its citizens treat their most vulnerable neighbors,” Mayor Warren said. “As a place of both shelter and support for our homeless residents, the Son House Apartments project is helping Rochester rise to yet another level of greatness.”
Continue Reading … | New York State, Openings03.04.2014
The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has partnered with the Network and the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City to offer a free program to help supportive housing residences go smoke-free.
Supportive Housing Goes Smoke-Free will offer technical assistance for supportive housing providers interested in going smoke-free at one or more of their residences. The Network joined DOHMH and other partners last year to award residences that went through a similar program.
In this latest round, training and technical assistance topics will include two major subjects: 1) Effective smoke-free policies, gaining staff buy-in, resident education, compliance and adherence and 2) One-on-one technical assistance and on-site meetings with staff and/or residents.
The program is free of charge for up to 12 selected organizations that agree to explore smoke-free policies.
To apply for this opportunity, you must complete and submit this short application no later than 5:00pm on Monday, March 31st. You must also select at least one building, either owned or managed by your organization, in which to explore going smoke-free. DOHMH will select buildings based on readiness, demonstrated by organizational buy-in and capacity for resident engagement. Priority will be given to programs with a demonstrated capacity to provide support for tenants who wish to quit smoking.
Continue Reading … | New York City03.04.2014
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced the final social service agency appointment of his administration.
On February 28, the mayor named Steven Banks the new Commissioner of the Human Resources Administration (HRA). One of the city’s most prominent public interest lawyers, Mr. Banks has served as Attorney-in-Chief at the Legal Aid Society since 2004 and has been with the organization since 1981.
“I always dreamed that Steve would work inside government,” says Laura Jervis, Executive Director of the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing. “His values, his passion for justice, his understanding of the plight of under-resourced New Yorkers combined with his fine legal mind will advance the transformation of our City into a place where equity is enjoyed by all. Who knew that dreams really can come true?”
Mr. Banks managed a staff of 1,900 at Legal Aid and was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s criminal, juvenile rights and civil programs. He is credited with helping reach a landmark settlement with the city in 2008 over its treatment of the homeless, which resulted in the establishment of a permanent enforceable right to shelter for homeless families in New York City.
Continue Reading … | New York City