Stating that "having people who are homeless, on the street or in shelter, goes against how we see ourselves," Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle last week unveiled "The Hawaii Plan to End Chronic Homelessness," which embraces in its guiding principles the ideas that homelessness is unacceptable and solvable, and that all sectors of society will benefit when people are housed. In 2002 Hawaii participated in the HUD-HHS-VA Federal Policy Academy focused on chronic homelessness. The 23- member Interagency Council on Homelessness -- made up of state, local and private authorities on homelessness -- collaborated on the resulting plan.

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who has tied his state's housing development strategy to a new set of "Sustainable Development Principles", has awarded over $45 million in federal housing tax credits and other federal and state housing resources, including $2 million for new homeless housing units sponsored by local shelters. Massachusetts's tax credit allocation plan requires all potential project sponsors to reserve 10% of their total units for persons or families earning less than 30% of Area Median Income. Funds awarded include resources from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Housing Stabilization Fund (HSF), Facilities Consolidation Fund (FCF), HOME program, Housing Innovations Fund (HIF), and Massachusetts Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

On January 25, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority will conduct its first street count of unsheltered people in Los Angeles County over the course of three nights, using 1,200 volunteers organized in teams that include homeless and formerly homeless people. The new initiative will be one of many such counts from coast to coast as local communities line up resources and volunteers to conduct street counts of unsheltered people during the next several weeks. Spurred on by the need to develop new data about persons experiencing chronic homelessness in their communities, cities and towns are organizing census activities for late January and beyond. In the 2004 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance competition, applicants were asked to describe local plans for conducting data collection for completing the 'unsheltered' population, including at least a biannual count starting with in 2005 based upon a one day, point-in-time study, preferably in the last week of January 2005. To help communities perform this census, HUD published "A Guide to Counting Unsheltered Homeless People. "

"Recognizing the growing need for affordable housing on all major islands in the state, we reached out to the business community and housing advocacy groups to help us find real solutions, and they stepped forward in a very big way," said Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle as she recently unveiled her state's new report to the Hawaii State Legislature. Prepared by the Affordable Housing Task Force and outlining specific recommendations for short- and long-term solutions to Hawaii's affordable housing shortage, the report calls for changes in the government permit process, using government land for housing developments, tax breaks for landlords with affordable units and increasing the conveyance tax for housing that meets affordability standards. The release of the report precedes Governor Lingle's soon to be announced legislative proposals on housing, expected this month and accompanied the release of the state's Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. The state legislature has given the Governor $100 million in bond authority to develop housing, the largest sum ever provided.

10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness were the topic in mayoral offices across Hawaii last week, as United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, in the Aloha State for the unveiling of the state's 10-Year Plan, also met with Hawaii's four Mayors and encouraged and heard from each their commitment to move forward in partnership with the state. Director Mangano met with Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa, who expressed his concern about homelessness in his county, and with Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim, who described County data showing that 1,200 people are homeless and 40% are at risk in Hawaii County.

Newly inaugurated Honolulu County Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who had already committed to move forward with a 10-Year Plan, committed to work in partnership with Governor Lingle, as did Kauai County Mayor Bryan Baptiste. Council Region IX Coordinator Eduardo Cabrera joined in the mayoral meetings, as well as organizing visits to federally funded sites for the Social Security Administration's HOPE award and the Department of Labor's Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project. Pictured here is Director Mangano with Mayor Arakawa, Maui County CDBG Program Coordinator Agnes Hayashi, Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center Director Charlie Ridings, and Maui County Homeless Coordinator Rudy Esquere. HUD CPD Director Mark Chandler also participated in the Honolulu meeting with Mayor Hannemann.

While in the state, Director Mangano met with Senator J. Kalani English, whose 6th Senate District includes Hana, East and Upcountry Maui, Lana'i , Kaho'olawe, and Moloka'I, former site of a leper colony.

. . . that federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, created by Congress in 1986, are awarded by states to developers of qualified projects, who then sell these credits to investors to raise capital (or equity) for their projects, which reduces the debt that the developer would otherwise have to borrow. Because the debt is lower, a tax credit property can in turn offer lower, more affordable rents. Provided the property maintains compliance with the program requirements, investors receive a dollar-for-dollar credit against their Federal tax liability each year over a period of 10 years. The amount of the annual credit is based on the amount invested in the affordable housing.

. . . that, each year, the state allocating agency for the Tax Credit is required to publish a plan describing how it intends to award the credits. Established in the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1989, the requirement (under Section 42 of the IRS Code) calls for a Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) that addresses selection criteria for projects receiving tax credit allocations, preference for projects serving the lowest income tenants and for projects serving tenants for the longest period, and preference for projects located in qualified census tracts, the development of which will contribute to a concerted community revitalization plan.

. . . that, in addition, the IRS Code states that the selection criteria must take into consideration the following project, community, or development team attributes: location; need for affordable housing; project characteristics; sponsor capacity; tenants with special needs as a target population; public housing waiting lists; individuals with children as a target population; and projects intended for tenant ownership.

Obtaining health insurance and monthly income through the Social Security Administration's SSI and SSDI programs can help people move out of homelessness. In an effort to improve access to Federal disability benefits for eligible persons, including persons experiencing chronic homelessness who by definition have disabilities, the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) has funded publication of Documenting Disability: Simple Strategies for Medical Providers, published by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, commenting on the new resource, stated, "This is another key and timely contribution from the Department of Health and Human Services that will support the effort to end chronic homelessness and provide a partnership tool for the more than forty HOPE awardees of the Social Security Administration, who are forwarding SSA's vital investment in the field."

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). Military base closure and realignment is a process whereby real and personal property becomes availability to communities to assist persons experiencing homelessness. In 2005, the President, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Congress will participate in examining and finalizing recommendations on the potential closure and realignment for military installations in the U.S. DOD maintains a web site of resources that can assist a variety of community partners in understanding and participating in the upcoming process.