• Do you have residents enrolling in LIHEAP? Winter is the time of year when many residents apply for heating assistance - and they will often be asked for proof of income to complete their application.
  
  Did you know that they can now request this information online? The Social Security Administration site is the fastest and easiest way to verify Social Security benefit information (including Social Security, SSI, and Medicare).
  
  Request Proof of Income Letter Online
  If they do not have access to the Internet, residents can also prove their income with the cost-of-living letter they received in December.

• More than a Roof - A new report on efforts by public housing agencies to help residents make progress toward economic security, recently released by the Center for Housing Policy

• National Community Reinvestment Coalition - an organization focusing on expanding financial access for working families and communities
• Neighborhood Networks - offers great general reference information
• Building Opportunities for Families into Affordable Housing:  How States Are Using the Housing Credit to Encourage Resident Services - a report by Enterprise Community Partners
• More than Roof and Walls: Why Resident Services Are an Indispensable Part of Affordable Housing - a report by Enterprise Community Partners
• Helping Public Housing Residents Find and Keep Jobs - an MDRC publication
• National Alliance of Resident Services in Affordable and Assisted Housing
• American Association of Service Coordinators
• Professional Service Coordinator's Certificate Program
• Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS)
  • Training materials from FY09 ROSS-SC Startup Training
  • Training materials from FY08 ROSS-SC Startup Training
• National Human Services Assembly
• National Resident Services Collaborative - Established by several national, regional and local community development organizations to improve and increase the delivery of resident services for families in affordable housing other useful resources from the National Resident Services Collaborative

Other useful resources from the National Resident Services Collaborative

• Best Practices on Resident Services
• Free, comprehensive Practitioner's Manual for all types of Resident Services
• Core outcome measures for housing-based resident services

Resources

• Canivote.org - This is a cool and invaluable tool for voter empowerment! Canivote.org is a tool that allows anyone nationally to check their voting status and update on line if that your state has the ability.
• HUD Region III HUDLine Monthly Resources/Happenings Newsletter
• State-by-State Listing of Online Access to Benefits - The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has updated its report "Online Services for Key Low-Income Benefit Programs: What States Provide Online" for several key low-income benefit programs including Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, child care assistance and CHIP. Virtually all states have made basic program information on the five main state-administered low-income benefits available to the public via the Internet. 
• Programs of HUD - Useful resources for those requiring information related to specific programs.
• Workforce3one.org - Tools, resources and practices that will help frontline staff who perform intake, case management, and business services functions in the one-stops.

Sample Memoranda of Understanding

• PHA-Intensive Case Management
• PHA-Adult Basic Education
• PHA-Non-Profit-Job Training Provider

Section 3

Section 3 is a HUD regulation that states that when Housing Authorities use HUD funds they should, to the extent feasible, hire public housing residents, Youth Build graduates, and other members of the low income community to perform. In addition, when contracts are lost, Section 3 firms should be considered.

• HUD Section 3 - Economic Opportunities

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Sustainability

This sustainability plan was generously provided to us by the Indianapolis Housing Agency. Since there is no HUD-prescribed format for sustainability plans, it is being provided as an example. The new HOPE VI development is built, the funds have been expended, all the units are occupied. Great! But how do you maintain services, how do you make sure that the new development doesn't become what it once was? A key step in this process is to develop a Sustainability Plan that details how you and your partners will sustain needed services over the upcoming years.

• A 2001 sustainability report prepared by Abt Associates for HUD
• Indianapolis Sustainability Plan

2008 CSS Sustainability Conferences

Here you will find archived information from the four regional CSS Sustainability conferences held in 2008.

A Toolkit for Federal Staff Who Work With Comprehensive Community Initiatives

cciTools for Federal Staff - Click on "Find Tools and Resources" on the top bar, select the buttons "For use by CCI Sites" and "Create a Sustainability Plan", then click on the "Find" button, lower left, to see a list of tools and resources that will help you create a sustainability plan.

Transportation

• National Resource Center for Human Service Transportation Coordination
• Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility/United We Ride

Volunteers

Volunteers can provide invaluable support, energy and creativity for your agency or organization. The following programs and resources will help you access dedicated volunteers with a strong desire to serve your community.

• The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), is the government agency that oversees national service programs, including those described below.
  • AmeriCorps awards grants that partially fund the volunteer programs of organizations and local government agencies. The organizations receiving AmeriCorps grants are responsible for recruiting AmeriCorps members, who receive small stipends to serve for up to three years. A cash and in-kind match is required. Read brief for PHAs on AmeriCorps Programs and Public Housing Authorities, given by Kaitlin Nelson, Federal Career Intern, Office of Public Housing Investments.
  • SeniorCorps also provides grants that enable organizations and agencies to engage adults aged 55 and older as volunteers. SeniorCorps funds three different programs: the Foster Grandparent Program, Senior Companion Program, and RSVP.
  • A study currently is underway on the sponsoring of AmeriCorps members by PHAs. A report on the study, including information on PHA best practices and lessons learned, will be posted soon.
• The Points of Light Institute is "a powerful, integrated national organization with a global focus to redefine volunteerism and civic engagement for the 21st century." The institute provides a number of different resources along with a list of programs on their site for organizations in search of volunteers.
• Volunteer Solutions provides a volunteer matching application that helps connect individuals to volunteer opportunities in their community. For example, see United Way's use of the application on their website
• The following two websites connect organizations with volunteers:
  • Idealist.org
  • VolunteerMatch

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Youth/Education

"Credentials for Youth" Tool

The U.S. Department of Labor, Division of Youth Services, recently launched our “Credentials for Youth” tool, https://youth.workforce3one.org/page/credentials,  on ETA’s Youth Community of Practice to help workforce professionals identify promising occupations for youth served by the workforce system, and the credentials that help youth attain them.

Attaining postsecondary and occupational credentials is critical for youth to be successful in the 21^st century economy.  Good-paying jobs in high demand industries generally require postsecondary education or training.  Plus, the earnings bump that accompanies postsecondary credentials is well established.  To help workforce professionals identify promising occupations for youth served by the workforce system, and the credentials that help youth attain them, ETA has developed the Credentials for Youth tool on Workforce3One’s Youth Community of Practice.  This tool, available at https://youth.workforce3one.org/page/credentials, provides a step-by-step process for helping youth attain credentials in high demand occupations.  First, it connects users to resources that can help them find high demand occupations in their local area using labor market information.  It then helps practitioners identify promising occupations for youth and determine which of those occupations have pathways to career advancement.  Finally, the tool helps discover the credentials required for the identified promising occupations and provides certification information about specific occupations, including links to certifying organizations.  In addition to the step-by-step process, the Credentials for Youth tool also provides local examples of programs that help youth attain credentials.

Various efforts are underway that specifically prepare youth for disasters and how to best protect themselves and others during emergencies, particularly when they become separated from their families.  These resources are helpful to youth living in any part of the US; however, it is particularly helpful to those youth living in areas frequently hit by hurricanes, tornados, severe flooding etc.  Please take some time to learn about the various resources available.

Youth Preparedness Webpage

• Youth Preparedness Implementation Guide
• Youth Preparedness Fact Sheet
• Emergency Management for Schools
• Kids - Ready.gov
• FEMA Homeland Security Grant Program Guidance

Implementing a Youth Preparedness Program as You Kick Off the New School Year Webinar

The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP) works to identify and engage organizations that can a play a role in improving the coordination and effectiveness of programs serving youth. IWGYP promotes the achievement of positive results for all youth through collaboration, dissemination of information, and development of an overarching strategic plan for federal youth policy. Visit www.FindYouthInfo.gov and provide input on the Strategic Plan for Federal Youth Policy.

Adolescence

The Office of Adolescent Health (OAH), Department of Health and Human Services provides remarkable resources combining all health related information and services within HHS applicable to adolescents.  You can learn how to sign up for OAH’s E-Updates, and obtain a list of E-Updates at Adolescent Health Insider E-Updates; For information about teen dads, see the June 2011 E-Update on Father’s Day as a Teen Dad; The National Resource Center for HIV/AIDS focuses on prevention among adolescents; and for information on supporting adolescent mothers, see the Pregnancy Assistance Fund Initiative-- and much more!

• Summer Jobs+ 2012: A new call-to-action for businesses, non-profits, and government to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth in the summer of 2012
• White House and Agencies Gather to Continue Progress in Preventing Youth Violence
• Published by Disability.gov, this guide contains information to help young adults understand what it means to be legally in charge of their health care and how to stay healthy as they grow into adulthood. Includes quizzes on being an adult with special needs, life as an adult, talking with doctors, plus additional web resources on college and work. Read the guide  (PDF, 17 pages).
• Read it Loud: At a Glance and Executive Summary
• Gotbreakfast.org
• Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs
• Solution Desk, Helping Youth Transition
• The iCivics program (at www.icivics.org) engages students through online games and interactive resources. On this free website, students can step into the roles of government actors and can find ways to participate in real-world civic action

Free on-line tools that can be helpful to low-income parents with school-aged children:

• The National Center for Education Statistics
• Communities in Schools
• The Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC)
• The National Association for the Education of Young Children

Coordinating Housing with Education

• Great Schools Webinar Presentation - August 5, 2011 (MS PowerPoint)
• Coordinating Housing with Education Webinar Presentation - (MS PowerPoint)
• Webinar Video Recording - August 5, 2011 (MP3 Audio File)

Early Learning

• Head Start and Early Head Start
• Harlem Children's Zone
• Ounce of Prevention/Educare Centers
• Making Connections
• Chicago Child-Parent Center
• Additional information
• Pre-K  Now

Education

• Step Up For Students - Step Up For Students provides legislatively authorized K-12 scholarships to economically disadvantaged families in Florida, giving them the freedom to choose the right learning environment for their child.
• The Impacts of Affordable Housing on Education - A Research Summary by the Center for Housing Policy and Enterprise Community Partners, 2011
• The Neighborhood and Its School in Community Revitalization: Tools for Developers of Mixed-Income Housing Communities: An Urban Strategies publication
  • Other Publications from Urban Strategies
• Making Connections - Annie E. Casey's Family Strengthening/Community Change Demonstration Program
• Harlem Children's Zone
• National Housing Conference - Housing's Impact on the Nation's Health and Education Objectives
• Greatschools.org - Resourceful, user-friendly, on-line tool for accessing high performing local public schools

Resources

• HUD's Educational Resource Toolkit - Help your residents learn about educational opportunities and resources from federal and outside sources by reviewing HUD’s Educational Resource Toolkit. 
• Back to School Survival Guide
• Strategies for Building and Sustaining Partnerships
• Blogs and Discussions focusing on Youth Workforce Connections, Building Youth Talent, Emerging Industries for Youth, and other hot topics
• CCI Tools for Federal Staff

Transitioning Youth

Youth service systems at all levels must work collaboratively in designing and coordinating programs focused on helping the nation's neediest youth to successfully transition to adulthood. To better understand this population, States must be aware of the most current information on the youth they serve. Click on the links below to find reports, statistics and other information on targeted youth. Contact us about Transitioning Youth.

• Youth with Disabilities
• Youth aging out of foster care
• Court-involved Youth
• Youth at risk of court involvement
• Indian and Native American Youth

Partnerships

• HUD, GreatSchools team up to give public housing, voucher families tool to make informed school choices

  • HUD Great Schools Press Release

  GreatSchools and HUD will team up to give parents living in public housing or who receive rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher Program the tools to make informed educational choices for their children and become even more involved in their children’s education.  For example, GreatSchools will provide housing authorities informational materials, including a video tutorial, tailored to housing authorities and parents.  GreatSchools has also developed a factsheet outlining the essential steps to choose the right school.  HUD will encourage housing authorities’ executive directors to offer these resources to parents and include a portal to GreatSchools on their agency website.

  Based in San Francisco, GreatSchools is a national non-profit organization that supports parents through a wide variety of web-based resources available at www.greatschools.org.  They provide a database of school performance information for more than 200,000 public, private and charter schools across the U.S.  Their user-friendly website also has information about how parents can help their children achieve success in PreK-12, including subject-area worksheets, homework help and college preparation.

  The HUD-GreatSchools partnership is part of HUD’s greater commitment to using housing assistance to improve educational outcomes. 

  • Find a School with GreatSchools Video
  • About GreatSchools (English and Spanish)
  • GreatSchools Chooser Workbook (English and Spanish)
  • Overview of GreatSchools.org (English and Spanish)
  • GreatSchools Top 10 Tips for Parents (English and Spanish)
     
• America's Promise - Brings together national and local organizations to deliver resources at the local level. The web site also provides research on children and youth.
• Mentoring.org - Resources and research on mentoring youth.

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