November 16, 2009:
Applications for the Family Unification Program (FUP) are due December 3, 2009. See below for grant information. FUP is a collaboration between the local redevelopment and housing authority and the local department of social or human services. Localities without a local redevelopment and housing authority can apply with the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA.) If you represent a local department of social services and would like information on VHDA's application, please contact Phyllis at phyllis@vceh.org and we will connect you to the appropriate person.
More information on FUP and to access the application.
November 16, 2009:
VCEH in collaboration with FACES of Virginia, the National Center on Housing and Child Welfare and the Virginia Department of Social Services sponsored a Virginia Housing - Child Welfare Partnership Forum on November 9, 2009, to assist localities in preparing applications for Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers.
FUP is a federally funded Section 8 housing choice voucher (rental housing subsidy) for families for whom lack of adequate housing is the primary barrier to preservation or reunification and for youth who left foster care at age 16 or older. It requires a collaboration and Memorandum of Understanding between a local redevelopment and housing authority and a local department of social or human services.
Several localities were present at the Forum representing local housing and redevelopment authorities and local departments of social or human services. Localities included Bedford, Chesapeake, Henrico County, Loudoun County, Norfolk, Northumberland County, Prince William County, Richmond, and Virginia Beach.
Ruth White, Executive Director of the National Center on Housing and Child Welfare, provided information and technical assistance on FUP; Michael Wong, Executive Director of the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and Liz Hutchens, Associate Director, Harrisonburg Department of Social Services, presented on their FUP program and successful FUP application. Harrisonburg and Fairfax County were the two jurisdictions in Virginia that received FUP vouchers earlier this year.
VCEH thanks FACES of Virginia for taking the lead on this event to begin and strengthen partnerships between housing and child welfare agencies. Successful FUP applications equals increased housing resources for families and youth at risk of and experiencing homelessness.
VCEH documented the intersection of homelessness and foster care involvement in our recently released fact sheet - Homelessness, Housing, and Foster Care Involvement.
More information on the FUP application
Harrisonburg's FUP Application Part 1
Harrisonburg's FUP Application Part 2/MOU
Contact: Phyllis Chamberlain
Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness
POB 6613, Arlington, VA 22206
www.vceh.org
Tel: 703-861-0102
phyllis@vceh.org
ARLINGTON, VA – According to a new report by the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness (VCEH), 20,000 families in Virginia are at high risk of homelessness. Despite declines in statewide rates of homelessness from 2005 – 2009, many communities are reporting increases in homelessness.
The State of Family Homelessness in the Commonwealth of Virginia is a series of fact sheets describing the serious problem of family homelessness in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the strategies that communities are using to end it. The report presents solutions and promising practices that must be continued in order to address impending increases in rates of homelessness. These solutions include rapid re-housing (the quick transition to housing for families experiencing homelessness), coordination between jurisdictions, and mitigations between stakeholders (such as landlords) before homelessness occurs.
“The approach to ending homelessness is changing as communities incorporate new strategies designed to prevent increases in homelessness and as prevention efforts increase in their importance,” says Phyllis Chamberlain, Executive Director of the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness. “Maintaining support for successful strategies that work to prevent and reduce homelessness is critical to address homelessness brought on by the struggling economy.”
The report’s findings include:
Statewide rates of homelessness have decreased from 2005 to 2009. However, many communities did face increases and many families remain at significant risk of homelessness.
Poverty and economic factors are the leading causes of homelessness among families. While accessing affordable housing is a challenge, communities are experimenting and finding success with strategies to increase affordable housing options.
Research and anecdotal evidence demonstrates a link between homelessness and foster care involvement. Housing instability can continue for a lifetime without early intervention. Housing a family ($7,000 on average) is far less expensive than the cost of foster care involvement ($52,000 on average for one child.)
Early indications demonstrate that ten year plans to end homelessness are an effective tool to realign current resources and strategies to focus on a shared goal, improve coordination, engage new partners, and attract new public and private funding.
Collaboration at the local community, regional, and state levels is critical and must be significantly expanded to effectively serve families at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 created the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP), which will provide $25 million to communities across Virginia to begin or strengthen prevention and rapid re-housing programs. These funds offer communities the opportunity to reduce rates of new homelessness, experiment with new evidence-based approaches to ending homelessness, and prevent homelessness from occurring in the first place.
However, the Governor’s recent budget reduction plan includes a 10 percent decrease in state funding for the Homeless Intervention Program (HIP) along with cuts to several other critical programs. Due to the continuing economic crisis and the fact that HPRP program funds are temporary and limited, these cuts threaten advances made in reducing homelessness.
The HIP program is administered by local governments and non-profits throughout the Commonwealth and provides temporary rental or mortgage assistance and supportive services for individuals and families experiencing a financial crisis.
The report details several policy recommendations that would help local initiatives to prevent and end homelessness. However, given the state of the current economy, VCEH recommends maintaining support for current homeless prevention and assistance programs.
The series of fact sheets, The State of Family Homelessness in the Commonwealth of Virginia, can be found at: www.vceh.org
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The Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness is the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in the Commonwealth of Virginia through community collaboration, capacity building, education and advocacy.
This series of fact sheets shed light on the serious problem of family homelessness in Virginia and the strategies that communities are using to end it. This overview draws from examples across the Commonwealth in urban, suburban and rural settings.
Homelessness is grossly misunderstood. When asking the average person about homelessness they most often picture a single man living on the streets of an urban downtown area with an empty bottle by his side. However, the fact of the matter is that 42 percent of those who experience homelessness in Virginia are persons in families and communities report that families are the fastest growing population among those who experience homelessness.
This study found the following components are critical to the success of any comprehensive community-based initiative to prevent and end homelessness:
• Community planning
• Local, regional and statewide collaboration
• Improved data collection
• Outcome-oriented flexible funds for both prevention and homelessness assistance programs
• Refinement of housing-focused strategies such as rapid re- housing
The Results
The results of the study are summarized in a series of fact sheets:
1. Family Homelessness in Virginia: Understanding the Extent
2. Affordable Housing and Family Homelessness
3. Family Homelessness in Virginia: Stories from the Commonwealth
4. Homelessness, Housing and Foster Care Involvement
5. Virginia’s Local Ten Year Plans to End Homelessness
6. The Role of Collaboration in Ending Family Homelessness
This series of fact sheets is the start to a fuller understanding of the extent and scope of homelessness in Virginia. There are many more stories to share from the families who experience homelessness or are at risk of homelessness, the children who are placed in foster care due to a family’s lack of housing, and the organizations and agencies who are dedicated to addressing this devastating problem across the state. These stories illustrate the scope and extent of the individual and societal impact of this problem better than any set of statistics ever could.
This project is not intended to answer every question about family homelessness in Virginia. On the contrary, it is designed to provoke discussion and further research to better understand the causes of family homelessness in Virginia and encourage investment in its solutions.
Summary - The State of Family Homelessness in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Fact Sheet 1 - Family Homelessness in Virginia: Understanding the Extent
Fact Sheet 2 - Affordable Housing and Family Homelessness
Fact Sheet 3 - Family Homelessness in Virginia: Stories from the Commonwealth
Fact Sheet 4 - Homelessness, Housing, and Foster Care Involvement
Fact Sheet 5 - Virginia’s Local Ten Year Plans to End Homelessness
Fact Sheet 6 - The Role of Collaboration in Ending Family Homelessness
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