Homeless Services Network of Central Florida

HSN is working with the Seminole County Jail to collect data on homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse among inmates of the jail. Volunteers will interview inmates at the jail using a 35-question survey. Interviews will take place in a secure environment that is supervised and controlled by jail staff. Inmates with serious mental health issues will not be part of the survey. Surveys will be completed over a three-day period. Volunteers may sign up for any one day, two days or for all three days, based on their preference.

Event Location: Seminole County Jail, 211 Bush Blvd. Sanford, FL 32773
Event Dates: Wednesday, April 6, 2011 – Friday, April 8, 2011

For more information, including information on time slots and training, please see our Volunteer Registration Form.

Yesterday, HSN filed an application for $999,000 in funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs in collaboration with six agencies who would provide direct services: Center for Drug Free Living, Transition House, Seminole Behavioral Healthcare, Health Care Center for the Homeless, Grand Avenue Economic Development Corporation and the Heart of Florida United Way. HSN received endorsement letters from Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties, the City of Orlando and the local Director of the VA Medical Center. The grant would fund 12 staff providing case management, VA benefits navigation, employment assistance and targeted street outreach. It includes $270,000 in temporary financial assistance for precariously housed veterans and veterans moving from transitional housing into the community. A decision is expected in June 2011, with grant implementation to begin in July 2011.

You may download an Executive Summary of the SSHV grant application.

The following announcement comes from Esther L. Washington, Executive Director of Tree of Life Ministries in Orlando:

The Tree of Life Ministries of Orlando, Inc.  would like to inform you of two opportunities for Homeless Veterans and/or their families.  The first opportunity, made possible through the City of Orlando’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is for a low income veteran family to rent a 3 bed-2 bath home.

The second opportunity, made possible by the State of Florida’s Department of Children & Families Access To Recovery program, is for single veterans who have substance abuse and/or co-occurring disorders to receive housing and other supportive services.  Eleven beds available.

For more information, please contact Esther L. Washington, Executive Director, The Tree of Life Ministries, 407-704-6923

The following message comes from Ann Oliva, the Director of the Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs at HUD:

Continuum of Care Leadership, Grantees, and Stakeholders –

In September of last year, HUD held two national conferences to begin the process of familiarizing communities with the policy and performance requirements that will govern the new HEARTH Act programs. In the plenary session, we briefly discussed the connection between the roll-out of the new programs authorized under HEARTH and the appropriation levels HUD may receive in this and the coming years. As you are probably seeing in the news, the budget situation has changed since September – which has an impact on the high-priority items we are working on in SNAPS, including the HEARTH regulations and the 2011 competition.

Fiscal Year 2011 has thus far proven to be a challenging year, and we at HUD know and understand that the uncertainty about the 2011 budget has been a matter of great concern to our grantees and stakeholders. We also know that you were expecting to see, in the near term, the new regulations for the Emergency Solutions Grants, Continuum of Care, and Rural Housing Stability programs. I want to take a moment to update all of you on the budget and how it has affected our plans to implement HEARTH. Let me summarize for you where we stand on these critical items:

FY2011 Budget:

* As is the case in all federal agencies, we are awaiting a final FY2011 appropriation from Congress and have been operating under Continuing Resolutions, the most recent of which expires March 18. Because we do not know the final funding level for FY2011, ESG formula funds (which are usually released along with other formula programs early in the year) have not been released.
* There are several possible scenarios regarding the budget amount for 2011, and HUD is working to ensure that we have viable options for each scenario that minimizes the adverse impact – if there is one – on CoCs and grantees. Developing planning options for whatever scenario becomes reality is our priority at present. This includes how and when we will conduct the 2011 Continuum of Care competition and what elements of HEARTH can be included in the competition.
* Last week’s House-passed appropriation (H.R.1 — a full-year Continuing Resolution) held HUD’s targeted homeless programs steady at the 2010 funding level. At that level, HUD projects that ESG and competitive renewals can be funded. However, the HEARTH Act could not be fully funded. We commit to providing you with as much information as possible once it becomes clear what the funding level will be.

HEARTH Regulations:

* We continue to move the regulations through the clearance process, which includes review and approval by several different offices within HUD and with Office of Management and Budget. Until the new regulations are released and effective, grantees must continue to use the current regulations. This includes the definition of homelessness.
* HUD is in the final stages of clearance for the new definition of homelessness, which will include changes made in response to the public comments that we received last summer. HUD plans to provide training on the new definition and will clearly state when the new definition will be effective.
* As stated above, the 2011 appropriation level will determine, to a large extent, what provisions of HEARTH can be implemented in 2011 and what the process will be for implementation of the regulations. For example, although HEARTH allows for increased administrative dollars for projects and planning funds for CoCs, those provisions can only be implemented if there are sufficient funds to cover those costs. Consequently, only when the 2011 budget is finalized will HUD be able to communicate its plans for this year’s funding.

Although the current situation is challenging for all of us, HUD is focused on providing communities with the resources needed to successfully implement HEARTH within the limits of the final appropriation for FY2011. In the coming months, we will be launching a comprehensive self-assessment tool for CoCs to use to help identify where strategic planning efforts should focus at the community level. We will also be launching other technical assistance tools and resources over the rest of the year.

HUD will continue to keep you informed of our progress and of the impact of the FY2011 budget process. I encourage all CoCs to continue conducting strategic planning conversations, because these conversations will be critical for the successful local implementation of both HEARTH and the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

Thank you all, as always, for your hard work on behalf of the homeless men, women, and children we serve.

Ann Marie Oliva

Director, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

HSN recently learned about YouthBuild, a local, 501c(3) non-profit organization that assists at-risk youth in obtaining their high school diploma while teaching them residential construction. They are currently seeking community projects to allow their students to utilize the skills they have learned. The scope of work the students are capable of doing includes landscaping, flooring, drywall, framing, painting, and minor non-structural repairs. YouthBuild currently has 2 groups of 8 students who are accompanied by a licensed Construction Manager on each project.

Your agency provides the construction materials and YouthBuild provides the labor and the oversight at no cost. If interested, please contact the executive director, Jennifer Taylor, at 407-585-3321.

The following comes from their informational flyer:

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The following announcement comes from Renee Hudson at Shepherd’s House. Please contact them directly if you have questions:

Shepherd’s House is very to excited to inform you that we currently have several openings available for mothers and children in need of transitional housing. Shepherd’s House is a six month transitional housing program that provides support and resources to at risk, economically disadvantaged, homeless, single mothers in need of stability and affordable housing.

The purpose of the program is to provide an opportunity for single mothers to gain the necessary skills in budgeting, parenting ad interpersonal skills ,  while working towards obtaining self sufficiency

The requirements for the Shepherd’s House program are:

• The mothers must be 18 years of age or old.
• The mothers must have chidren but no more than three children.
• The children can be no older than 8 years of age.
• The mothers CANNOT be pregnant.
• The mothers must be willing and able to obtain full time employment.

For more information regarding our intake process and to make any referrals please contact us at 407-674-7386 or 407-674-7387.

What is SOAR?

SOAR is SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery, a strategy that helps increase access to mainstream benefits for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness

What is SOAR training?

• An overview of the Social Security Administration’s disability programs
• A step-by-step guide to engaging and interviewing potential clients
• Overview of the application process and the key components for success for your client’s application

Why is this training important to our Continuum of Care?
How many times have case managers completed a Social Security Disability application for a homeless client, only to have it denied? Nationally, the approval rate for homeless persons is 15% at initial application. After the techniques in the SOAR program are implemented by case managers, the approval rate is 62% at initial application. Miami-Dade County’s approval rate is 80%.

Think of the impact this result may have in transforming clients’ lives and improving program outcomes!

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Please join us at our monthly Continuum of Care meeting on January 25, 2011 at the Sheraton Downtown Hotel (formerly the Orlando Downtown Marriott) 400 W. Livingston Street, Orlando, FL. A full buffet breakfast will be served beginning 8:20 a.m., with our monthly meeting beginning at 9:00 a.m until 10:15 a.m. Parking is free directly across the street at the old Amway Arena parking lot.

Agenda topics include:
-New SOAR Training Workshop for case managers scheduled for early March
-New funding for Homeward Bound Program and how your agency can participate
-Overview of HSN regional application for $1 million grant for Veterans Supportive Services
-2011 Point in Time Count briefing

Our guest speaker is Dr. Jim Wright, national expert on homelessness. His presentation is entitled:
A Tale of Two Cities: Homeless Politics and Services in Miami and Orlando
(Based on Chapter Twelve in Wright and Donley’s Poor and Homeless in the Sunshine State: Down and Out in Theme Park Nation)

No need to RSVP……just mark your calendar and invite those in your agency who would benefit from the program’s content.

HSN will be surveying 15 labor pools in the tri-county area beginning at 5:00 a.m. and ending at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, January 28, 2011. The survey is part of HSN’s annual Point in Time Count, which is always conducted within the last 10 days of January.

Volunteers for our labor pool surveys will go to a labor pool site, arriving at approximately 5:00 a.m. when persons seeking work are lining up to seek work. Informal surveys are completed until 7:00 a.m. (or until all clients have been interviewed).

HSN is hosting an optional breakfast for volunteers at the Denny’s in Orlando at I-4 on Lee Road beginning at 8:00 a.m. to turn in survey forms, share their experiences and get lots of coffee and a hot breakfast.

HSN volunteers will be going to more than 70 locations to gather data on the unsheltered homeless through a simple two-page survey form. The aggregated data is reported to HUD and is used by local governments, foundations, businesses and nonprofits to develop programs that serve the needs of the homeless in our community. The data is especially important when applying for funding for homeless programs from local, state, and Federal sources.

Volunteers are asked to attend a 45-minute training session at HSN’s office at 2828 Edgewater Drive (downtown College Park) at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 27, 2011, where they will receive their assignments, get clipboards, surveys and directions to their assignments.

To sign up, please fill out the Volunteer Registration Form.

Please plan to take an hour out of your busy holiday schedule to help the Homeless Services Network recognize and honor the homeless people who have died in Central Florida during 2010. For many of the forty individuals who will be honored, this ceremony will be their only memorial tribute.

HSN will also be honoring the lives of  Steve “Rocky” Cook of the Sanford HOPE Team and George Crossley, community activist.

Where: First Presbyterian Church of Orlando (FPCO) Chapel
106 East Church Street (Corner of Magnolia and Church Streets), Orlando, FL 32801

When: Tuesday, December 21, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: program
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: reception

To RSVP, please complete this short form. For more information, call HSN at (407) 893-0133 x107.

DIRECTIONS/PARKING:
To FPCO from I-4 east (from Winter Park, Seminole County, Daytona Beach)
Follow I-4 heading WEST.
Take the Colonial/50 Exit, turning left off of the exit.
Turn Right on North Orange Avenue.
Turn Left on Jackson St.
First Presbyterian Church is at located between Jackson and Church St. off of Rosalind.

To FPCO from I-4 west (from Dr. Phillips, Sea World, Disney, Tampa)
Follow I-4 heading EAST.
Take the W. South St exit.
Turn Left at Garland St., then Right on Church St.
Take another Right on Orange Ave.  Turn Left on Jackson St.
First Presbyterian Church is at located between Jackson and Church St. off Rosalind.

Parking Garage: Follow  Jackson across Rosalind Ave, where you will see the parking garage at the corner of Jackson and Rosalind.  First Pres has reserved parking on the 5th and 6th floor.  Please remember to have your parking card stamped at the ceremony.  From the elevator, make a right to exit the parking garage.  Walk down Jackson Street and take a right on Magnolia St.  You will see the Reformation Chapel halfway down on your right.