Supportive Housing Hearing This Friday, March 12
We need YOU to demonstrate the success and importance of supportive housing on March 12! Join us THIS FRIDAY at 10 a.m. at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford when the Public Health Committee will host a hearing on our supportive housing bill, SB 405.  Everyone who attends the hearing can get a bright green supportive housing sticker to wear!

The bill, S.B. No. 405 An Act Concerning the Development of Cost Effective Supportive Housing for Frequent Users of Costly State Services can be found here.

The hearing will be held Room 1D of the Legislative Office Building. This public hearing is the opportunity for all those who care about supportive housing to come to the state Legislative Office Building to show wide public support and take the time to visit with your state representatives and senators. Our message: supportive housing effectively ends homelessness and provides better results for low income people with chronic illnesses than costly institutional and emergency services.

- Click here for talking points that you can use when talking to legislators and testifying.
- Read more about testifying at the Reaching Home website.
- Please contact Kate Kelly if you are interested in testifying or with any questions.

Federal Updates

Connecticut Advocates Push for $2.4 Billion for McKinney Funding
Thank you to all of the advocates who participated in the McKinney-Vento funding letter writing campaign which ended on March 1. Your letters were included in the 1,180 letters that the National Alliance to End Homelessness gathered from all over the country that were sent to Congressional offices!

Last year Congress significantly improved the McKinney-Vento program by passing the HEARTH Act. Because of this legislation, a funding level of $2.4 billion will provide communities across Connecticut with more resources for prevention and assistance to families experiencing homelessness. Without a funding level of $2.4 billion to pay for these activities, Connecticut and our local communities will receive less funding for new supportive housing projects in FY 2011.

And thank you to Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, who signed on to a McKinney-Vento Appropriations Congressional Letter supporting the $2.4 billion for McKinney in the House. This letter is being circulated by Representatives Moore (D-WI) and Davis (R-KY.)

Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act Update
The Senate Banking Committee will likely mark up the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act this spring in an effort to pass the authorizing language to improve HUD's Section 811 program designed to provide affordable housing for people with disabilities. The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force is hopeful the Senate will pass the legislation by unanimous consent.

The Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act, introduced in the House by Congressman Chris Murphy and passed by the US House of Representatives in June 2009, would improve the Section 811 program, with the promise of creating thousands of units of affordable housing units for low-income people with disabilities. The legislation proposes changes that would allow the program to more effectively leverage federal, state and local resources for supportive housing and streamline processing requirements.

USICH Solicits Input on Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness
The US Interagency Council on Homelessness has launched a new interactive website, fsp.uservoice.com, as part of developing the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The HEARTH Act called for USICH to deliver to the Plan to Congress no later than May 20. All those concerned with preventing and ending homelessness can use the website to post ideas as well as comment and vote on the ideas of others.

Save the Date for Housing Plus Services Forum March 24
As part of the 2010 Housing: The Hub of Public Policy Series, The Lyceum will host a Housing Plus Services forum on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 8:30 a.m. to noon. The forum will focus on policy recommendations for promoting systems change around creating independent living for the elderly and people with disabilities. Learn more at www.housingpolicy2010.org.

Save the Date for the Reaching Home Dinner
On June 3, 2010 supportive housing advocates will celebrate at the 5th annual Reaching Home Supportive Housing Celebration Dinner and Awards. We hope that you will be able to join us to recognize the success of supportive housing and the outstanding individuals who make it possible.

We will be announcing the winners of the 2010 Reaching Home Awards next week.

Photography Exhibit on Ending Homelessness Opens in Bridgeport March 11
Awareness: Ending Homelessness, an exhibit of photographs by Ronnie E. Maher, will open with a reception on Thursday, March 11, 2010 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. The exhibit is presented at the Barnum Museum, Bridgeport by Alpha Community Services.

- To RSVP, or for more information, call Alpha Community Services at 203-366-2809.

March 11 CSH Hot Topics Call on Re-Entry
On Thursday, March 11, 2010, 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. the Corporation for Supportive Housing will hold an audio conference call on "Overcoming Barriers: Strategies for Accessing Housing for Re-entry Populations." This call will provide an overview of strategies used to create housing opportunities for people who are returning to the community from jails and prisons.

- To learn more and register for the call, click here.

Save the Date for CCEH Annual Meeting
The CT Coalition to End Homelessness will hold its annual meeting Friday, May 7, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton in Meriden. The event will feature key note speaker Mark Johnston, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs at the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.

DMHAS Offers Online Census Training
The CT Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services is offering a census training to DMHAS employees and DMHAS funded providers. The goal is to help providers increase census participation, especially among people living in residential programs including group homes and supportive housing.

- For information on how to access the training, see this flyer.

CCEH Requests Proposals for Rapid Re-Housing Services
The CT Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH) is requesting proposals on behalf of the CT Department of Social Services from eligible non-profit organizations to provide rapid re-housing services for homeless families to facilitate quick exit from homelessness into appropriate housing. A full RFP package is now available on the DAS Contracting Portal.

- To access the RFP, click here. Proposals are due by 12 noon on April 26, 2010.

Reaching Home Publishes Q&A Sheets on Ending Homelessness
We have prepared Q&A fact sheets to share with the congressional delegation on ending homelessness in Connecticut, the demand for supportive housing and how the federal government can meet the need.

- Click here to see the new fact sheets.