Homelessness Update

Alliance Online News View in browser www.endhomelessness.org March 16, 2016 news alert Millions Dedicated to fight Against opioid and heroin epidemic  More than 270 health centers across the U.S. will benefit from the recent award of $94 million in funding aimed at improving the delivery of substance abuse services.  A specific focus of this funding is on the treatment of opioid use disorders in underserved populations. “The opioid epidemic is one of the most pressing public health issues in the United States today,” said Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. The funding, which will come from Obamacare, was announced last week after the Senate voted 94-1 to approve a massive bill aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic. Read the full story>> news alert VA Offers New Resource for Housing Navigators Housing locators and navigators can dramatically improve a community’s housing outcomes by locating housing stock and helping clients navigate the homeless system, respectively. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently released a toolkit to help policymakers and program managers integrate navigator programs into existing systems of care to improve system outcomes along with client engagement and outcomes. Download the toolkit >> webinar: how to build an effective rapid re-housing program  Thursday, March 24 at 1 p.m. EST Funders and providers: Save the date for this webinar. We will walk through our new rapid re-housing guidelines, the three core components of rapid re-housing and the most promising practices for building an effective program. A Q&A session will follow. Register for the webinar» READY FOR ZERO: INNOVATIVE + SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR HOUSING & RECOVERy It's not too early to start thinking about the 2016 National Zarrow Mental Health Symposium: Ready for Zero — Innovative and Sustainable Solutions for Housing & Recovery. This three-day symposium, to be held September 28-30 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will explore housing, clinical and recovery supports, and innovative solutions to homelessness. Interested in presenting? Submissions are due March 18.  Learn more » from the blog Ending Homelessness Today the official blog of the national alliance to end homelessness Going Above and Beyond CARA: An Opportunity to Address Opioid and Heroin Abuse by Noëlle Porter Prescription opioid and heroin abuse is a national crisis, and the Administration and Congress are taking steps – both on the national and state level – to fight this battle. But it’s not enough. Fatal overdoses from prescription drugs and heroin continue to escalate, particularly among those most vulnerable: those experiencing homelessness. We know that substance use disorders are known risk factors for homelessness , and that substance abuse and overdose disproportionately impact homeless people.  Read more » comments » | Homeless States of Emergency: Advocacy Strategies to Advance Permanent Solutions by Guest Blogger, Matt Warfield, National Health Care for the Homeless Council The National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) examines the declarations of homelessness as a state of emergency (SOE)  from nine jurisdictions to  determine whether an SOE declaration could be used as an advocacy tool to advance permanent solutions.  Read more » comments » | The Rapid Re-Housing Performance Benchmarks and Program Standards:  The Core Component Standards by Jen Saunders A closer look at the program standards, in particular, the accompanying principles and rationale behind each of the rapid re-housing core components per the the recently released Rapid Re-Housing Performance Benchmarks and Program Standards. Read more » comments » | About Us The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the problem of homelessness and preventing its continued growth. Join Us The Alliance is online: on Facebook, on Twitter, on our blog, and on our website! Join the Alliance's online community, and stay up-to-date with homelessness and housing information. www.endhomelessness.org Forward to a Friend Need Technical Assistance? Visit the Center for Capacity Building to learn more about the ways the Center can help your community end homelessness. Sign The Statement Sign the Never Another Homeless Veteran Statement! » National Alliance to End Homelessness 1518 K Street NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (Tel) 202.638.1526 (Fax) 202.638.4664 © Copyright 2015 All rights reserved.