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Help us win $10,000 to Fight Homelessness!

March 25, 2015

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.

You can Finally Read the Alliance Newsletter on Your Phone

March 23, 2015

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?

Here’s How Communities Can House More Homeless Families

March 20, 2015

Today when a family facing a housing crisis seeks shelter in Los Angeles or Mercer County, NJ, they will encounter a very different homeless service system than they would have just a few short years ago. That’s because both communities have radically transformed their homeless service systems to increase their capacity to help families.

In the past, families in L.A. would call programs all over the county to find a vacancy. Due to the county’s size, they might find a program 25 or even 50 miles from their previous residence. Too often, they would be forced to turn to an adult shelter program or a facility in Skid Row that was poorly equipped to support families with children. Today, the city has Family Solutions Centers strategically located through the county to assesses families’ housing needs and refer them to the most appropriate shelter or housing intervention in their own community.

Foster Youth and Homelessness: What are the Risk Factors?

March 17, 2015

When do youth become adults? If you ask the foster care system in most places, it’s at the age of 18, when youth “age out,” or are required to exit the system. More than 20,000 youth age out of foster care each year. This means that they have to learn to meet their own needs, as they no longer will have their needs met by the state. They must identify and maintain housing, find a job, and manage their own finances. Put simply: each year, more than 20,000 youth must rapidly become adults.

For many of these youth, aging out of foster care leaves them in a precarious situation in which they are vulnerable to homelessness. If we know that youth exiting foster care are particularly vulnerable to homelessness, what can we do to support this transition for the youth who are most likely to become homeless? And, how do we know which of these youth are most likely to become homeless?

Now is a Critical Moment for PHAs in the Fight to End Homelessness

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.

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