Author(s):

Beyond Shelter.

Title:

The "Housing First" Program for Homeless Families: Methodology Manual.

Source:

Los Angeles, CA: Beyond Shelter, Inc., 1998. (Manual: 158 pages)

Abstract:

This methodology manual provides a step-by-step guide to adapting Beyond Shelter's Housing First Program, which essentially bypasses completely or limits transitional housing and instead moves families who are homeless directly to permanent housing with supportive services provided after the move. The manual is targeted to program developers, directors and front-line staff working with families who are homeless.

AVAILABLE FROM: Beyond Shelter, 3255 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 815, Los Angeles, CA 90010,
(213) 252-0772, http://www.beyondshelter.org/aaa_the_institute/publications.shtml. (COST: $25.00).

Author(s):

Burt, M.R., Aron, L.Y., Douglas, T., Valente, J., Lee, E., Iwen, B.

Order #: 8349

Title:

Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve.

Source:

Washington, DC: Interagency Council on the Homeless, 1999. (Report: 536 pages)

Abstract:

This report is based on the 1996 National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC). The survey was designed to provide updated information about the providers of homeless assistance and the characteristics of people who are homeless and who use services and is based on a statistical sample of 76 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, including small cities and rural areas. Data for the survey were collected between October 1995 and November 1996. The survey was designed to provide up-to-date information about the providers of assistance to people who are homeless, the characteristics of those who use services that focus on people who are homeless, and how this population has changed in metropolitan areas since 1987. The analyses of the provider data examine factors such as geographic level, program type, and the types and levels of services delivered. It provides an important baseline and foundation for future assessments of the nature and extent of homelessness. It also provides a valuable overview that will improve
understanding of the characteristics of homeless people who use services, the nature of homelessness, and how best to address it. (authors)

AVAILABLE FROM: HUD USER, P.O. Box 6091, Rockville, MD 20849, (800) 245-2691,
http://www.huduser.org/publications/homeless/homeless_tech.html.

Author(s):

Burt, M.R., Aron, L.Y., Lee, E., Valente, J.J.

Order #: 8919

Title:

Helping America's Homeless: Emergency Shelter or Affordable Housing?

Source:

Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press, 2001. (Book: 355 pages)

Abstract:

This book, based largely on findings from the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC), provides a wide overview of homelessness, homeless services, and recommendations on what actions need to be taken to alleviate the problem. Chapter topics include: how many people are homeless; homeless families, singles, and others; alcohol, drug, and mental health problems among those who are homeless; issues in child and youth homelessness; patterns of homeless; comparing homeless subgroups within community types; factors associated with homeless status; homeless programs in 1996 compared to programs in the late 1980s; and program structures and continuums of care.

AVAILABLE FROM: The Urban Institute Press, 2100 M Street N.W., Washington, DC 20037,
(877) 847-7377, http://www.urban.org/uipress, ISBN 0-87766-701-2 (COST: $29.50).

Author(s):

Center for Community Change Housing Trust Fund Project.

Order #: 11537

Title:

Housing Trust Fund Progress Report 2002: Local Responses to America's Housing Needs.

Source:

Washington, DC: Center for Community Change, 2002. (Report: 85 pages)

Abstract:

This report is based on the information provided from a survey of all housing trust funds in the United States during 2001 by the Housing Trust Fund Project. Basic characteristics of the housing trust funds were reported through a survey instrument. These findings are presented in Part I: What the Survey Shows. The information is presented for state, city, county, and multi-jurisdictional housing trust funds. Part II discusses Issues at the Heart of Housing Trust Funds. Six sub-sections reflect the key characteristics that are common and, in ways, basic to the success of these trust funds. These are: serving the lowest incomes, a dedicated on-going source of revenue, building the capacity of nonprofit developer partners, long-term affordability, coordination of housing dollars, and flexibility (authors).

AVAILABLE FROM: Center for Community Change, 1000 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20007, (202) 342-0567, http://www.communitychange.org.

Author(s):

McMurray-Avila, M.

Order #: 10842

Title:

Organizing Health Services for Homeless People: A Practical Guide.

Source:

Nashville, TN: National Health Care for the Homeless Council, 2001. (Guide: 358 pages)

Abstract:

The purpose of this guidebook is to provide an easy reference for communities or groups interested in starting a health care project to serve people who are homeless, by outlining some basic but necessary steps in the process; to assist current Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) projects that want to improve or expand their services, by offering ideas, resources and contacts; and to describe the rationale for the continuing existence of the HCH program. The book may be read in its entirety or used selectively. Divided into six parts, the book addresses the following topics: overview of homelessness; evolution of the HCH Program; developing a framework; service delivery strategies; organizational tools; and maintaining the gains and increasing the impact.

AVAILABLE FROM: National Health Care for the Homeless Council, PO Box 60427, Nashville, TN
37206-0427, (615) 226-2292, http://www.nhchc.org.

Author(s):

McMurray-Avila, M.

Order #: 10058

Title:

Homeless Veterans and Health Care: A Resource Guide for Providers, with Appendices.

Source:

Nashville, TN: National Health Care for the Homeless Council, 2001. (Resource Guide: 98 pages)

Abstract:

This publication compiles current information about health care issues and resources for homeless veterans in a format that will be useful to service providers, homeless veterans, and others concerned about their health and welfare. It describes the complex array of services provided by the Veteran's Administration (VA), explores the barriers that exist, and describes helpful collaborations between the VA and homeless service providers in several communities.

AVAILABLE FROM: National Health Care for the Homeless Council, PO Box 60427, Nashville,
TN 37206-0427, (615) 226-2292, http://www.nhchc.org/Publications/HomelessVetsHealthCare.pdf, http://www.nhchc.org/Publications/HomelessVetsAppendices.pdf

Author(s):

National Association of State Budget Officers.

Order #: 11936

Title:

NASBO Analysis: Medicaid to Stress State Budgets Severely into 2003.

Source:

Washington, DC: National Association of State Budget Officers, 2002. (Report: 2 pages)

Abstract:

Even as states struggle to close budget gaps and confront revenues growth that will lag a national economic recovery, Medicaid costs continue to grow at a remarkable rate. Based on the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) preliminary review of 2001 and 2002 state expenditures, total state Medicaid spending increased by 11.6 percent and 11.7 percent, respectively, and now amounts to more than 20 percent of total state spending. Just as states are trying to manage the recession's fiscal fallout, NASBO's analysis demonstrates that Medicaid continues to pressure state budgets severely (authors).

AVAILABLE FROM: National Association of State Budget Officers, Hall of the States Building, Suite 642, 444 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 624-5382,
http://www.nasbo.org/Publications/PDFs/medicaid2003.pdf

Author(s):

National Governors Association.

Order #: 11935

Title:

The Fiscal Survey of States.

Source:

Washington, DC: National Governors Association, 2001. (Report: 68 pages)

Abstract:

This biannual report found that despite significantly curtailing state spending, 37 states were forced to reduce their enacted budgets by about $12.8 billion in fiscal year 2002. About midway through the current fiscal year, 23 states plan to reduce their net enacted budgets by more than $8.3 billion. To plug their budget gaps in fiscal year 2002, 26 states used across-the-board cuts and used rainy day funds, 15 states laid off employees, 13 states reorganized programs, and 31 used a variety of other methods. Two-thirds of states report spending growth of less than 5 percent in both fiscal year 2002 and 2003; 16 states experienced negative growth in fiscal 2002. States' fiscal 2003 year-end balances clearly illustrate the extent of the budget problems. Total state balances are estimated to be only $14.5 billion or 2.9 percent of expenditures in fiscal 2003. That represents a 70-percent plunge since fiscal 2000, the peak of balances. Balances of 5 percent of expenditures are generally considered by analysts to be healthy. This report concludes that many states have exhausted budget cuts and drawing down rainy-day funds and that the most difficult decisions still lay ahead.

AVAILABLE FROM: National Governors Association, Hall of States, 444 N. Capitol St., Washington, DC 20001, (202) 624-5300, http://www.nga.org/cda/files/NOV2002FISCALSURVEY.pdf

Author(s):

National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness.

Order #: 7736

Title:

In from the Cold: A Tool Kit for Creating Safe Havens for Homeless People on the Street.

Source:

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, 1999. (Tool Kit: 102 pages)

Abstract:

In 1992, amendments to the McKinney Act created the Safe Haven program, a form of supportive housing for hard-to-reach people who are homeless with severe mental illness who are on the street and have been unable or unwilling to participate in supportive services. This tool kit has been developed to address these issues specifically and serve as a guide to help new programs avoid unnecessary administrative headaches. The kit includes eight chapters covering the key issues surrounding the creation of Safe Haven programs. They include: the Continuum of Care; planning, designing, siting, and financing Safe Haven housing; the challenge and opportunity of NIMBY; outreach, engagement, and service delivery; crisis management; transitions from Safe Havens; program rules and expectations; and staffing issues.

AVAILABLE FROM: National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness, 345 Delaware
Ave., Delmar, NY 12054, (800) 444-7415, http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/library/havens/index.cfm.

Author(s):

O'Hara, A., Miller, E.

Order #: 9929

Title:

Priced Out in 2000: The Crisis Continues.

Source:

Boston, MA: Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc., and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
Housing Task Force, 2001. (Report: 23 pages)

Abstract:

This report updates the information contained in a groundbreaking report, Priced Out in 1998: The Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities. Millions of people with disabilities today stand little chance of having a decent and affordable home of their own. This is particularly true for over three and a half million adults with disabilities who receive federal Supplemental Security Income benefits, which were equal to a monthly income of $512 in 2000. Because of their severe lack of income, people with disabilities are facing a housing crisis that is getting worse. This report examines the affordability of modest efficiency and one-bedroom housing units for people with disabilities in all 50 states and within each of 2,703 distinct housing market areas of the country defined by the federal government. These are the type of rental units most sought after by single individuals with disabilities who want to establish a home of their own in the community (authors).

AVAILABLE FROM: The Technical Assistance Collaborative, One Center Plaza, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02108, (617) 742-5657, info@tacinc.org, http://www.tacinc.org/hc/POin2000.pdf

Author(s):

Pitcoff, W., Crowley, S., Dolbeare, C., Schaffer, K.

Order #: 11605

Title:

Rental Housing for America's Poor Families in 2002: Farther Out of Reach Than Ever.

Source:

Washington, DC: National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2002. (Report: 205 pages)

Abstract:

This report is a side-by-side comparison of wages and rents in every county, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), combined nonmetropolitan area and state in the United States. Despite the emphasis on homeownership and the marginalization of renters, renter households still make up fully one-third of the households in the United States. For each jurisdiction, the report calculates the amount of money a household must earn in order to afford a rental unit of a range of sizes (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedrooms) at the area’s Fair Market Rent (FMR), based on the generally accepted affordability standard of paying no more than 30% of income for housing costs. From these calculations the hourly wage a worker must earn to afford the FMR for a two bedroom home is derived. This figure is the Housing Wage (authors).

AVAILABLE FROM: National Low Income Housing Coalition, 1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 610,
Washington, DC 20005, (202)662-1530, OOR2002@nlihc.org, http://www.nlihc.org/oor2002.

Author(s):

Smith, V., Gifford, K., Ramesh, R., Wachino, V.

Order #: 11937

Title:

Medicaid Spending Growth: A 50-State Update for Fiscal Year 2003.

Source:

Washington, DC: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 2003. (Report: 22 pages)

Abstract:

The fiscal outlook for states does not yet appear to be improving. Medicaid is caught between the rapid deterioration of state revenues on the one hand, and increased health care spending on the other. States have been taking action to cut their Medicaid spending growth. As this survey indicates, even states with Medicaid cost containment actions in their original 2003 budget have planned actions to make further reductions. Unless Medicaid spending growth suddenly and unexpectedly abates, or unless state revenue collections rebound, Medicaid is destined to remain in a precarious position (authors).

AVAILABLE FROM: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 1330 G Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20005, (202) 347-5270, http://www.kff.org/content/2003/20030113/

Author(s):

The United States Conference of Mayors.

Order #: 11864

Title:

A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities 2002.

Source:

Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Mayors, 2002. (Report: 141 pages)

Abstract:

This survey found that as housing costs continued to rise faster than incomes and the national economy remained weak, requests for emergency food assistance increased an average of 19 percent over the past year. The survey also found that requests for emergency shelter assistance grew an average of 19 percent in the 18 cities that reported an increase, the steepest rise in a decade. The report also announced a call to action to the Administration, Congress, state and local governments, the private and non-profit sectors, and all Americans to do their part to address growing hunger and homelessness. Specifically, to immediately consider and build upon the President's request for aid to the homeless, as part of a comprehensive effort to end homelessness within ten years; to enact a national housing agenda, based on the recommendations mayors submitted earlier this year, which would put tens of thousands of Americans to work; to streamline
federal anti-hunger programs and provide additional outreach resources; and to donate time, money, and excess food to help combat hunger and homelessness.

AVAILABLE FROM: The United States Conference of Mayors, 1620 Eye Street NW, Washington,
DC, 20006, (202) 292-7330, info@usmayors.org,
http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/hungersurvey/2002/onlinereport/HungerAndHomelessReport2002.pdf

Author(s):

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Order #: 11544

Title:

Evaluation of Continuums of Care for Homeless People.

Source:

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2002. (Report: 216 pages)

Abstract:

This report is a significant addition to current knowledge about homelessness. It provides important insights into local responses to the problem and identifies issues that must be resolved as the nation grapples with the difficult and serious problem of homelessness. The completed study provides a rich array of information on the activities of high-performing Continuums of Care and documents the extent of progress of the studied communities along many dimensions of a comprehensive approach to homelessness prevention and remediation. On balance, the report concludes that for the high-performing communities studied, HUD's implementation of the Continuum of Care funding process stimulated increased communication within local communities in their response to homelessness. As a result, respondents generally agreed that more people have received more services and participate in more and better coordinated programs than before as a consequence of the Continuum of Care approach. In the most advanced communities, the response has moved beyond planning to obtain HUD funding to the far broader goal of attempting to integrate all available funding and services to try to end homelessness (authors).

AVAILABLE FROM: HUD USER, P.O. Box 23268, Washington, DC 20026-3268, (800) 245- 2691, http://www.huduser.org/publications/pdf/continuums_of_care.pdf

Author(s):

United States Department of Labor.

Order #: 8870

Title:

Employment and Training for America's Homeless: Best Practices Guide.

Source:

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, 1997. (Guide: 58 pages)

Abstract:

This is a guide for employment and training agencies based on findings of the Job Training for the Homeless Demonstration Program. Much of the material presented is of interest to a wide variety of public and private organizations providing services to families and people who are homeless. The major objectives of this guide are to enhance agencies' knowledge about people who are homeless; to provide guidance on the types of people who are homeless and most (and least) likely to benefit from employment and training services; to identify the full range of services likely to be needed by people who are homeless to be successful in completing training and securing and retaining employment, and how these services can be provided directly by employment and training agencies or arranged through linkages with public or private service providers; to identify the specific planning and implementation steps needed by employment and training agencies to establish an effective service delivery system for recruiting and serving people who are homeless; and to provide examples of successful strategies used by employment and training agencies, and homeless-serving agencies, in assisting people who are homeless to reenter the workforce.

AVAILABLE FROM: U.S. Department of Labor, Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210, (877)US-2JOBS, http://wtw.doleta.gov/documents/homelessman/homeless.htm

Author(s):

United States General Accounting Office.

Order #: 8616

Title:

Homelessness: Barriers to Using Mainstream Programs.

Source:

Washington, DC: U.S. General Accounting Office, 2000. (Report: 55 pages)

Abstract:

This report examines the ability of people who are homeless to obtain assistance through mainstream federal programs, focusing on why people who are homeless cannot always access or effectively use federal mainstream programs, and how the federal government can improve people who are homeless' access to, and use of, these programs. The General Accounting Office found that people who are homeless are often unable to access and use federal mainstream programs because of the inherent conditions of homelessness as well as the structure and operations of the programs themselves. While all low-income populations face barriers to applying for, retaining, and using the services provided by mainstream programs, these barriers are compounded by the inherent conditions of homelessness, such as transience, instability, and a lack of basic resources. Furthermore, the underlying structure and operations of federal mainstream programs are often not conducive to ensuring that the special needs of people who are homeless are met. Recommendations to eliminate these barriers are provided.

AVAILABLE FROM: U.S. General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 37050, Washington, DC 20013,
(202) 512-6000, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/rc00184.pdf. (GAO/RCED-00-184)

Author(s):

United States General Accounting Office.

Order #: 8194

Title:

Homelessness: Coordination and Evaluation of Programs are Essential.

Source:

Washington, DC: U.S. General Accounting Office, 1999. (Report: 149 pages)

Abstract:

The General Accounting Office (GAO) was asked to conduct a series of studies examining federal programs to assist the homeless population, both targeted and nontargeted programs. In this first study, GAO identifies and describes characteristics of the federal programs targeted for people who are homeless and key nontargeted programs; identifies the amounts and types of funding for these programs in FY97; and determines if agencies have coordinated their efforts to assist people who are homeless and developed outcome measures for their targeted programs.

AVAILABLE FROM: U.S. General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 37050, Washington, DC 20013,
(202) 512-6000, http://www.gao.gov. (GAO/RCED-99-49)