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Overall homelessness in America has declined, but millions remain at risk of falling into homelessness in the future, according to The State of Homelessness in America 2015, the fifth in a series of annual reports on the nation’s progress on homelessness by the Alliance’s Homelessness Research Institute.

The report, which we released today, examines national and state trends in the homeless populations and the number of beds available to assist them. It shows that, during a period of economic growth for the nation when unemployment decreased in nearly every state, the rate of homelessness fell by 2.3 percent, but the number of people at risk of homelessness remained at post-recession levels.

The madness is here. BJ’s Charity Championship begins TODAY Wednesday, March 25, and we need your vote to win a $10,000 donation towards our work to end homelessness.

BJ’s Wholesale Club has selected the Alliance as one of 16 charities to compete in their March Madness style bracket competition this week. The first round starts today and you can vote here. Each round we win our donation increases, up to $10,000. If you want to share with family and friends, here is the link: ow.ly/KMgE9. It really only takes a second of your time.

If you subscribe to Alliance Online News, you may have noticed last Tuesday when you received the latest issue, that it suddenly looks very different.

That’s because we’re in the midst of transitioning to a new email distribution service and implementing a new template that, we believe, will help us reach more readers. We’re still working out the kinks. If you have had any trouble with our new template or just want to share your thoughts on the new design, we want to hear from you. Why are we doing this?

Due to the sequestration cuts in fiscal year (FY) 2013, about 100,000 fewer families had access to housing vouchers by June of 2014 compared to December 2012[EC1] , according to speakers on a recent webinar held by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “Prospects for 2016 Funding and Implications for Voucher Utilization.”

The lack of funding has put public housing authorities (PHAs), which are responsible for administering housing assistance, in a tight spot. PHAs have become reluctant to issue housing vouchers to families in need of assistance out of fear that they won’t be able to renew them. The good news is that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced that funding will be available this year to cover 100 percent of voucher renewal costs from calendar year 2014.

Here in Washington, DC the cold temperatures and harsh weather during hypothermia season, which lasts from November through March, are dangerous for everyone, but they are perhaps most dangerous for those who are homeless. Just last year, the punishing winter resulted in nine known deaths of homeless individuals in DC.

This winter I volunteered with the Hypothermia Emergency Response Team, which is run by the Capitol Hill Group Ministry. Team volunteers are deployed on nights when the Department of Human Services issues a hypothermia alert in an effort to support the city’s efforts to provide emergency shelter on these frigid nights. Hypothermia alerts are issued when the temperature is forecasted to fall to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below, including the wind chill factor.