Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the award of $9 million in grants for 122 homeless shelters across the Commonwealth. The grants, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), will be used to provide operating and program support."The homeless population in Virginia is among the most vulnerable in the state," Governor Kaine said. "These grants will help them make positive changes in their lives – to become more productive members of the community, to strengthen their families through times of crisis, and to care for their children."
Grant recipients are nonprofit and local government providers of emergency shelter and transitional housing for the homeless. The grants are being provided through four program areas: State Shelter Grants, federally funded Emergency Shelter Grants, Child Service Coordinator Grant, and the Child Care for the Homeless Children Grant program.
State Shelter Grant and Emergency Shelter Grant funds are designated for the operation, administration and supportive services for emergency shelter facilities and transitional housing facilities.
The Child Care for Homeless Children program and the Child Services Coordinator Grant are targeted toward the family environment at shelters by assisting homeless families with the cost of child care while they are employed or enrolled in an educational/job training program. They also provide support for the shelters' child services coordinator, responsible for ensuring children in the shelters receive health and mental health care and that their educational needs are met.
"For many Virginians, the path toward self-sufficiency can be long and difficult, with many ups and downs," said DHCD Director Bill Shelton. "The support we provide for our homeless service providers is essential in providing a safe place for individuals, families, and children where they can work toward getting back on their feet with the help that they need."
This morning, the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY 2009 bill. The Subcommittee approved a $46 million increase for CSBG, to bring the program to $700 million for FY 2009.
This increase is yet another consistent step on the path of growing the CSBG program while maintaining fiscal responsibility in these complex budgetary times.
The vast majority of the credit for this good news goes to full Appropriations Committee and Labor-HHS Subcommittee Chairman David Obey. CSBG and Community Action remain a high priority for the Chairman. In a future CAP-FACTS, we will enlist your help in thanking our supporters and informing Chairman Obey of your plans for this important increase.
We also continue to have strong support on both sides of the aisle on the House Appropriations Committee, as well as on the Senate Committee. Senate Labor-HHS Chairman Harkin is an unwavering champion of CSBG and the Community Action network, and we anticipate good news from his markup next week. It should be noted that his Subcommittee budget is tight; we have been told it has $1 billion less to spend than its House counterpart.
Other core programs of Community Action are also in good shape. We have strong allies, including the Chairs, among the Committee membership for our appropriations. The Subcommittee rejected the President's proposed 22% cut in LIHEAP, and increased the program by $200 million over the FY 2008 level. Head Start is funded at $1.7 billion, an increase over last year's level and the President's request. Cuts in SSBG and WIA were also rejected and the programs are funded at current levels.
Voices, in partnership with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, FACES for Virginia's Families and ART 180, is hosting "VOICES FOR CHANGE," an art-writing-photography initiative designed to engage foster youth and carry their VOICES to Virginia policymakers.Foster youth ages 12 through 21 are invited submit an original essay, poem, painting, drawing, or photograph that shares their experiences in foster care and ideas for change. The submission deadline is August 15th. Cash prizes will be given to the top three entries in each category: writing, art, and photography!
If you know any foster youth, foster parents or foster care professionals, please share this information with them! A complete brochure and entry form is available on Voices website.
This summer, foster youth will have the opportunity to participate in a one-day workshop with local writers, artists, and photographers designed to build the youths' confidence and encourage participation. Attendance at a workshop is NOT necessary to enter the contest, but free art supplies will be distributed to youth who attend. The workshops run from 9 am until 4:30 pm on the following dates:
| DATE | LOCALITY | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| July 8 | Salem | Roanoke College |
| July 25 | Big Stone Gap | Trinity United Methodist Church |
| July 30 | Richmond | Mary and Frances Youth Center, VCU |
| July 31 | Harrisonburg | Rockingham Memorial Hospital |
| August 1 | Alexandria | Northern Virginia Community College |
| August 7 | Lexington | R.E. Lee Episcopal Church |
| August 8 | Norfolk | Good Shepherd Episcopal Church |
Registration for the workshops is required and limited! Interested youth who are in foster care or were recently adopted should register today by contacting Laura Shepherd at laura@vakids.org or 804-649-0184 x23.
We are grateful to our Honorary Steering Committee comprised of civic and government leaders who are helping to plan and implement VOICES FOR CHANGE. The following is a list of the Honorary Steering Committee members:
On May 1, 2008, Mr. Julien G. Patterson, Founder and Chairman, OMNIPLEX World Services Corporation, was the keynote speaker at the Office of Human Affairs(OHA) 42nd Annual Awards Banquet held at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center in Hampton, VA.Mr. Patterson spoke to an audience of 500 and discussed the importance of Maximizing Opportunities – Transforming Lives. He spoke on the value of making the most of every opportunity in order to transform the lives of others. In his remarks he offered the observation that in these times of change, people are the “trailblazers and torch carriers” who make the difference through relationships and partnerships. In his speech, he went on to comment that successful partnerships that maximize opportunities and transform lives are about shared vision, commitment to teamwork, and mutual respect. In action they help each person get a real opportunity to reach their potential and participate in the American way of life. Mr Patterson emphasized that these partnerships strengthen and empower individuals, families, and communities.
Mr. Patterson stated, “I feel very strongly that businesses, companies, and employers have a stewardship responsibility to the community beyond providing good jobs. Whether it’s dollars, the volunteer time of employees, or services or products given ‘in kind,’ it is just the right thing to do.” His own company, OMNIPLEX World Services Corporation, was awarded the Virginia Governor’s Volunteerism & Community Service Award for its employee-run Good Samaritan community outreach philanthropic committee, OMNI-Aid.
In closing, Mr. Patterson challenged the audience and staff and members of the Office of Human Affairs to look beyond themselves to the needs of others. He encouraged them to invest their time and resources and take a chance to provide hope, opportunity, and a second chance for others.
The Office of Human Affairs has served the community since 1966, reaching out to thousands of low-income individuals each year by providing programs such as Head Start, Employment Training, Emergency Assistance, Summer Lunch Program, Resource Mothers Program, Clean Comfort for the Homeless, GED Preparation classes, Affordable Housing Programs, Project Discovery, Financial Literacy, and many more. The mission of the Office of Human Affairs is to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate programs that foster self-sufficiency through educational, social, and economic development.
The Virginia Department of Social Services is accepting Virginia Community Corps Site Applications for the FY2008-2009 Program Year that begins October 1, 2008 and ends September 30, 2009. Applications should be returned no later than July 11, 2008 at 5 PM. Virginia Community Corps (VCC) places AmeriCorps members in local departments of social services and community action agencies.The purpose of VCC is to support low-income Virginians to move from poverty to self-sufficiency, to expand the number and effectiveness of volunteers, to assist communities in being better prepared to receive ex-offenders, to assist communities in responding to natural disasters and emergencies, to strengthen families and to offer civic engagement opportunities to our members.
The Virginia Community Corps 2008 – 2009 Host Site Application may be download at www.vacap.org/downloads/doc/VCC_08_09_Site_App.doc. Community Corps members serve for 1700 hours over a 12 month period and earn an $11,400 living allowance, health insurance, workers’ compensation, subsidized child care, if needed, and an education grant worth $4,725 upon completion of their hours. Part-time members serve 900 hours and earn a $5000 living allowance and a $2,362.50 education grant upon completion of their hours. Agencies that host an AmeriCorps member will be responsible for 20% of the living allowance, health insurance and workers’ compensation for a full-time member and 20% of the living allowance for a part-time member. The education awards are made by the Corporation on National and Community Service.
We are now beginning the sixth year of this program and many localities reflect the contributions that AmeriCorps members can make in our human services agencies and our communities. Placement of members across our social services system will be contingent upon receiving final program approval by the Corporation on National and Community Service.
Applications should be returned no later than July 11, 2008 at 5 PM. Please mail or FAX to: Peggy Friedenberg, Virginia Department of Social Services; Virginia Community Corps, 7 North 8th Street, 5th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219 or FAX (804) 726-7947. If you have any questions about the information being requested, contact Peggy Friedenberg at (804) 726-7371 or margaret.friedenberg@dss.virginia.gov
Y Street, a statewide tobacco prevention youth empowerment campaign here in Virginia is excited to introduce a new program that will award $2000 grants to various high school student organizations that are committed to working with Y Street in curbing youth smoking.Please visit the Y Street website to download the Y Street Mini-Grant information. Also, please share this information with any high school groups you think would benefit from participation.
To learn more about Y Street, please visit www.ystreet.org.
When: September 4-5, 2008
Where: The DoubleTree Hotel in Bethesda, MD.
Who should attend? VITA sites, financial education programs, non-profits or faith-based groups interested in providing financial security programs, foundations, financial institutions, educational institutions, state and local agencies, and workforce development programs
Virginia Community Capital and the National Housing Trust Community Development Fund, two leading affordable housing lenders, announce today a new preservation acquisition loan pool to help preserve Virginia’s affordable rental housing, an essential housing resource for low income families and seniors.
With the help of private capital, VCC and NHTCDF have created a $30 million site acquisition loan pool to preserve and improve affordable rental homes in the Commonwealth. The Preservation Acquisition Loan (PAL) will provide flexible bridge financing (2-3 years) so affordable housing providers can acquire and hold affordable properties while they secure longterm financing.
"This project represents a significant public-private-nonprofit partnership that will benefit the most vulnerable Virginians," said Jane Henderson, President of VCC. "Safeguarding affordable rental homes is the essential first step in solving Virginia's housing dilemma."
Acquisition funds help mission driven affordable housing preservation developers overcome obstacles and play a critical role in preserving and improving existing affordable housing. Affordable housing providers need quick access to flexible financing in order to act fast to acquire affordable apartments that are at risk of being lost to Virginia's affordable housing inventory.
Existing affordable rental housing is an important resource for Virginia’s families. Approximately one-third of Virginians currently rent their homes and nearly all Virginians are renters at some point in their lives. Yet, the supply of affordable rental units is on the decline. According to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, from 1995 to 2005, the nation lost 1.4 million apartments that rent for $600 or less because they were converted to higher priced rentals, federal subsidies waned, or aging properties deteriorated.
Apartment homes created with the help of the federal government provide some of the most affordable housing in Virginia. But much of this housing is at risk. Over the next five years, contracts on more than 17,000 project-based Section 8 units in Virginia will expire, giving owners an opportunity to opt out of the program or sell to market rate developers. Additionally, Virginia has more than 10,000 Section 515 rural housing units. Many owners of these properties are interested in selling due to market forces.
"Not only is preserving affordable apartments essential for improving access to housing opportunities, it is also cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. It costs a third less to renovate an existing apartment than it does to build a new one. Improving an existing building reuses resources and has less of an environmental impact than demolition and new construction," said Michael Bodaken, president of the National Housing Trust.
The Preservation Acquisition Loan (PAL) brings together public, private, and non-profit partners to stem the loss of affordable rental homes. Funders include the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development, and the Virginia Housing Development Authority, as well as private lending institutions including Bank of America, SunTrust, and Wachovia.
In addition to providing financing solutions, VCC and NHT are sponsoring the Virginia Housing Preservation Symposium on June 18 in Fairfax, Virginia. The one-day symposium will bring affordable housing leaders from across the state to discuss strategies and options to preserve the state's affordable housing stock, as well as share resources, encourage partnerships and bring programs to scale. Registration for the event can be found at www.vacommunitycapital.org.
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About Virginia Community Capital:
Virginia Community Capital (VCC) is a multi-million dollar non-profit, community development financial institution (CDFI) and banking entity providing innovative loan and investment solutions for affordable housing and economic development projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our mission is to offer innovative, flexible financial products designed to support housing and community development ventures, increase jobs and build sustainable communities. VCC offers loan capital that is broader than bank lending to projects that have a positive community impact in low- to moderate-income communities in underserved geographies and markets. To learn more about the organization, visit: www.vacommunitycapital.org.
About the National Housing Trust:br/>The National Housing Trust preserves and revitalizes affordable apartments to better the quality of life for the families and elderly who live there. NHT is the only national nonprofit engaged in affordable housing preservation through real estate development, lending, and public policy initiatives. The National Housing Trust Community Development Fund (NHTCDF), the lending affiliate of the National Housing Trust, is the only certified nationwide Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) exclusively dedicated to providing predevelopment and bridge financing to preserve and improve affordable homes. Since its inception in 1999, the Fund has made more than $8.7 million in loans, leveraging $418 million in private investment, helping to preserve nearly 5,000 affordable homes. To learn more about NHT, visit: www.nhtinc.org.
On June 2, 2008 at 10:00 AM, The STOP Organization will begin organizing efforts to help 28-year-old Jessica Simpson from Portsmouth, Virginia renovate her home.
Jessica was born with a rare genetic disorder called Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB). The condition affects her entire skin and mucus membranes where even the slightest trauma or friction causes blistering and scarring. In Jessica’s case, the condition is so severe that it also affects her eyes, mouth and joints, causing chronic corneal abrasions, periodontal disease and fusion of her fingers and toes. It has contributed to her skin cancer and chronic anemia. The condition has progressed to such a level that 75 to 80% of her body must bandaged daily.
The treatments are not always covered by insurance and medical costs are becoming more burdensome than ever. She lives with her father in a home that is not handicapped accessible. Her father, who suffered a heart attack last year, cannot address her physical needs to provide the house with the necessary updates it needs for her to be able to move easily through the house.
Therefore, The STOP Organization has established the Jessica Simpson Fund in order to raise money to cover the costs of having the house renovated for handicapped accessibility, as well as providing for any other ongoing medical needs she may require.
"STOP sees this as an opportunity to truly touch someone's life and give them the ability to remain independent," says President and CEO Edith R. Jones, "Anything we can do to help this young woman we will do."
The STOP Organization is the largest Community Action Agency and Head Start program in Virginia. Since 1964, The STOP Organization has been dedicated to improving the quality of life of low income individuals and families by providing educational, employment training, economic opportunities and housing assistance.
All information for this news article has been kindly provided by Jamie Carter, Executive Office, The STOP Oragnaization.
STEP, Inc. has been dreaming about a new building for years. Now, members are one step closer to seeing it come true. The USDA gave "STEP"… or Support To Eliminate Poverty, in Patrick County, a loan for more than $1.1 million.The new building will have enough space to house the organization's current and future programs like Head Start, homeless intervention and senior meals. "We're grateful to the taxpayers as well," says Executive Director Jon Morris. We really want to be apart of this community and we have been for many, many years and we intend on being in the community for years to come."
About a year after the new facility opens, the organization will start on phase two of the project, which includes affordable housing for low to moderate income families.
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