Teri Funk and Rebecca Bower are two advocates working together to end homelessness in Carver and Scott County in Minnesota. According to Rebecca Bower, Community Action Program, the causes of homelessness are due to unemployment or underemployment leading to foreclosure and evictions. For more information, click here.

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, statistics from an annual homeless count held on January 27th revealed a increase with the number of homeless children from last year. In 2009, the survey counted 485 homeless person with 61 children. This year, the new stastics showed an increase with 547 homeless persons, including 105 children.  Andrea Kurtz, Director of the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness, cites the debilitating economy that leads to unemployment and other challenges. For the full article, click here.

The number of homeless families is steadily rising in Idaho. However, Homeless Advocates state their current situation could have worsened with the continuing recession, unemployment, and foreclosures. Click here for the full story.

A survey conducted in Shasta County, (Redding, CA) reported that of the top reasons for being homeless, foreclosure is ranked at 14%. The top three reasons of homelessness, included job loss, 36 percent; loss of income, 20 percent; roommate issues, 15 percent. (Respondents could choose multiple reasons). For the full story, click here .

In March 2009, Tenants Together ( a California based organization for tenants rights), reported 225,000 renters of the 14 million in the state lived in properties that went through foreclosure in 2008 alone. For the full story, click here.

Homelessness is rising in the suburbs, causing the poor to face uncertain conditions and a huge number thrown out of homes by foreclosure are migrating to the outskirts of cities. To read the full article, click here.

On, Tuesday, February 2nd, Beth Ann Allen facing foreclosure testified in front of Ohio Senate Committee on Finance and Financial Institutions. Full Story right here.

Laura Battles is facing homelessness due to the foreclosure crises. Last year, 20,000 to 25,000 renters were among those affected when more than 60,000 New Jersey properties went into foreclosure. Click here for more details.

Over the past three years, there has been an increase in the number homeless students in South Carolina. Brenda Myers, state Department of Education coordinator for the McKinney-Vento Education Program, states that the signficant economic downturn has led to this devastating increase.

Read Full Story Here

Lee County is working with a company named Realauction.com to clear backlog of foreclosure cases. However, Lee County Clerk of Court, Charlie Green, is investigating way to use the Web site to do the accounting, saving time for clerks. It has been reported from Green’s office that about 1,400 foreclosures were filed in November 2009, the lowest number since about 1,300 were filed in September 2007. They peaked at about 2,600 in October 2008.* To read the full story, click here

The Associated Press

There is an estimated 1.7 million homeowners who are facing foreclosure in the fall 2010.  This number has increased from 1.1 million from last year and is likely to keep rising explained, Mark Fleming, chief economist of First American CoreLogic, the research firm that released the study. For more information, click here

In November 2009, reports of foreclosure have increased from the previous year by 14 %, with 57,749 homes in jeopardy, according to the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts. The state of North Carolina has launched the Home Foreclosure Prevention Project, to provide homeowners with counseling and legal advice from state and nonprofit agencies.


http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/1157088.html

After coming home from a sunday church service, a Maryland couple found an unexpected sheriff's notice on their front door which stated, "Get out in 10 days, it said, or be evicted."

To read more, click here

The Family Violence Option for TANF Benefits

December 16, 2009

Despite a federal law that could improve access to the major federal welfare program for the poor (Temporary Aid to Needy Families, or TANF) for domestic violence survivors, many survivors are being denied this potentially life-saving aid. A new report released today by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty shows how poor state and local implementation of an important federal waiver can leave survivors in severe economic distress.

Access to TANF benefits is especially crucial for these families right now. During the recession, instances of domestic violence have risen at alarming rates. A May 2009 survey of service providers indicated 70-80 percent increases across the country in the number of women seeking help as a result of domestic violence since September 2008.

Domestic violence survivors often find themselves facing severe financial challenges when they leave their abusive relationships. In order to afford living apart from their abusers and to obtain adequate housing, many try to obtain TANF assistance. However, TANF's requirements to seek employment and child support can be major challenges for these women. As they work to rebuild their lives, domestic violence survivors often must attend court dates, medical appointments, and therapy, but these can complicate the search for employment. Additionally, seeking child support from an abuser may require a victim to face the abuser even when it is not safe to do so.
To assist these women, Congress authorized the Family Violence Option waiver as a part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (also known as "welfare reform"), which provides an exemption for survivors from certain TANF requirements. However, implementation of the waiver by local governments has often proven to be ineffective and inadequate.

The Law Center's report offers case studies of three cities: New York, Washington, DC and San Francisco, which illustrate the significant problems or shortcomings in the way the waiver is being implemented. It also provides recommendations to federal, state, and local governments to improve abused women's access to the TANF benefits, as well as recommendations to local TANF offices, advocates and service providers.
To read the report, "Shortchanging Survivors: Family Violence Options for TANF benefits," click here.

National homelessness advocates presented their consensus policy recommendations at an official meeting of the Interagency Council on Homelessness on October 19, focusing on our recommendations for the National Strategic Plan to End Homelessness. The Plan, mandated by the new HEARTH Act, must be completed by May 2010.

This is the first time national advocates have been invited to present at an official Council meeting of the Cabinet Secretaries, and it could be an important step forward. The invitation came after a request the advocates’ group made at a joint meeting last month between then-acting Executive Director Pete Dougherty and other top ICH staff members.

Maria Foscarinis, Executive Director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, which convenes the groups, was invited to present to the Council, along with two other members of the group. The advocates’ group jointly developed an agenda for the meeting; the presentation was made on behalf of the whole group by Foscarinis, Steve Berg of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and Neil Donovan, executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Four Cabinet Secretaries were present: ICH Chair and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan; HHS Secretary Sebelius; VA Secretary Shinseki; and Labor Secretary Solis. Senior staff from the other agencies were also present. The appointment of Barbara Poppe as Executive Director of the Council was announced at the start of the meeting.

The advocates’ presentation focused on three key consensus points. First, the context: Homelessness is now growing dramatically across the country, and national leadership to end and prevent it is more important than ever. A strong Federal Plan, presented at a White House Conference, is crucial.
Second, the Plan should focus on these key issues: Housing, Income, Health Care, Education and Civil Rights. These priority issues follow the “Five Fundamentals” articulated and endorsed by national advocates. Finally, the process for developing the plan must be open and include all key stakeholders, including especially homeless people themselves.

The presentation was well received, and the Secretaries expressed a desire to work with the advocates. To see the PowerPoint slides advocates presented, click here.  But to move our agenda forward will take the involvement of everyone who cares about these issues. We’ll be reporting on next steps.