Breaking Ground - January 2000

ODOD Announces Ohio Housing Trust Fund Request for Proposal (RFP) Grants

COHHIO Helps Distribute over 10,000 Toys to Homeless Children

President Clinton Announces $900 Million in Homeless Assistance Funding

Training Offered on Welfare/Housing Subsidies

Cuomo Bars NewYork City From Administering Millions of Dollars in HUD Homeless Grants

HEAP Can Help With Heating Costs

Cleveland and Aging Suburbs Receive Low-Interest Loans Through A Link Deposit Program

"Housing 2000: An Agenda For The Future" - COHHIO’s Annual Conference - March 13, 14 & 15

The Forgotten Americans...

Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio Membership

Homeless Person's Bill of Rights

Repetition Can Produce Long-Term Disability

ODOD Trainings

A SPECIAL THANKS

 

 

ODOD Announces Ohio Low-and Moderate-Income Housing Trust Fund Request for Proposal (RFP) Grants
The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), Office of Housing and Community Partnership (OHCP) announced on January 10, the awardees for the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) RFPs. OHCP received 128 applications requesting $16.1 million. Requests for Category 1 activities totaled $10.6 million while requests for Category 2 activities totaled $5.5 million. Of these requests, 65 organizations were awarded totaling $7.2 million; $4.6 in Category 1 activities and $2.6 in Category 2 activities. Category 1 funds may be used for homelessness prevention and housing counseling; supportive services linked to housing development projects; project based rental assistance and operating subsidies, while Category 2 funds may be used for emergency home repair/handicapped accessibility or downpayment assistance. There may be additional projects funded with another $2 million, pending increased appropriation authority from the Controlling Board. To see a description of the funded projects, visit the COHHIO website at index.html.

HOUSING TRUST FUND GRANTEES

Applicant County Total
The Ability Center Lucas $175,000
Adams-Brown CAA Adams $27,500
Appleseed Counseling & Case Mgmt. Ashland $120,100
Area Agency on Aging 10B Stark $80,000
Auglaize-Mercer CAA Mercer $47,000
Aurora Project Lucas $89,000
Better Housing League Hamilton $100,000
Corp. for Ohio Appalachian Dev't. Athens $175,000
CAA of Columbiana County Columbiana $59,300
CAC of Fayette County Fayette $100,000
CAC of Portage County Portage $75,000
Lancaster-Fairfield CAA Fairfield $149,300
Catholic Charities Service Corporation Cuyahoga $160,000
Catholic Community Services Stark $118,500
Central City Economic Dev't. Corp. Richland $152,000
Chabad House Hamilton $133,000
Cleveland Housing Network Cuyahoga $176,900
Cleveland Mediation Center Cuyahoga $89,500
Columbus AIDS Task Force Franklin $175,000
Community Support Services Summit $90,000
Community Mediation Services Franklin $91,000
Community Shelter Board Franklin $175,000
Cornerstone Support Services Tuscarawus $50,000
Council on Aging of Southwest Ohio Hamilton $175,000
Council on Economic Opportunity Cuyahoga $175,000
Daybreak Montgomery $103,000
Dayton Metropolitan Housing Authority Montgomery $143,300
Emerald Dev't. & Economic Network Cuyahoga $92,200
YWCA of Elyria Lorain $80,000
FOCUS Lucas $167,000
Family and Community Services Portage $155,900
Friends of the Homeless Franklin $94,000
Greene Metropolitan Housing Authority Greene $93,600
H.M. Life Summit $115,000
Harbor House/300 Beds Lucas $106,300
Helpline of Delaware & Morrow Counties Delaware $86,000
Ironton-Lawrence County Area CAO Lawrence $175,000
LEADS CAA Licking $171,000
Lima-Allen Council on Community Affairs Allen $100,000
Lutheran Housing Corp. Cuyahoga $51,000
Lutheran Social Services of Miami Valley Montgomery $90,000
Mahoning Valley Dispute Resolution Serv. Mahoning $93,000
Massillon Urban League Stark $52,000
Neighborhood Properties Lucas $49,600
New Home Development Defiance $42,700
Northwest Ohio CAC Defiance $175,000
Ohio District 5, Area Agency on Aging Richland $175,000
Old Brooklyn United Services Corp. Cuyahoga $88,000
Ottawa County Transitional Housing Ottawa $41,900
People Working Cooperatively Hamilton $175,000
Pickaway County CAA Pickaway $84,000
Preferred Properties Lucas $120,000
PSA 3 Area Agency on Aging Allen $174,000

Rural Action Development Corporation Athens $31,000
Six County Muskingum $17,500

Springfield Cmty Redevelopment Corp. Clark $100,000

Stark County Community Support Services Stark $82,600
Tri-County (HAP) CAA Athens $150,000

Volunteers of America Firelands Ohio Erie $74,000
WSOS CAC Sandusky $75,000 $75,000
Wayne County Alcoholism Services Wayne $90,500 $90,500
West Side Center Shelter Cuyahoga $172,000 $172,000
YMCA of Greater Cleveland Cuyahoga $175,000 $175,000
YWCA of Dayton Montgomery $104,800 $104,800
YWCA of Youngstown Mahoning $90,000 $90,000
TOTAL $4,562,300 $2,651,700 $7,214,000

 

COHHIO Helps Distribute over 10,000 Toys to Homeless Children
In September of this year, COHHIO was approached by the Ohio Attorney General's office to assist in distributing toys from a price fixing suit against Toys R' Us to homeless children around the state. We were able to make this possible with the assistance of our COHHIO associates around the state. They were Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Cleveland; FOCUS, Toledo; YWCA, Columbus; Rural Action, Athens; Society of St. Vincent DePaul, Dayton; Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, Cincinnati; Salvation Army and ACCESS, Akron and YWCA, Youngtown.

Through this network, over 10,000 toys were divided around the state with homeless youths toddler to age 12 in mind. COHHIO has received positive feedback regarding the appreciation of the toys in time for the holidays. Under the lawsuit agreement, more than $2.3 million in toys and cash will be given to Ohio children through the 2001 holiday season. More than $600,000 in toys was distributed this year throughout Ohio to charities that benefit children.

We would like to say a special thanks to all the agencies that participated in this special opportunity. We know how much the children will enjoy their gifts.

 

President Clinton Announces $900 Million in Homeless Assistance Funding
On Christmas Day, President Clinton announced $900 million in grants to provide an estimated 245,000 homeless people with housing, job training, mental health services, substance abuse treatment and other services to help them permanently escape homelessness over the next three years, and to provide emergency shelter to thousands of others.

The grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will go to more than 350 communities, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American territories. In addition, more than 1,000 non-profit organizations such as the Salvation Army, Volunteers of America and Catholic Charities will receive funding for homeless assistance programs.

"Here at home we are reaching out to the poor - to those who do not yet share in America's growing prosperity," the President said. "We are making new efforts to reach out to the homeless - to help them find housing, medical care and jobs." HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo said: "The tragedy of homelessness can be reversed, one person at a time, when we give homeless people the opportunity to turn their lives around. Our programs have a proven record of success that we will build on with the grants we're awarding today."

A total of $750 million of the HUD assistance announced is targeted to 1,834 long-term programs to help individuals and families permanently end their homeless status, as part of HUD's Continuum of Care approach to addressing homelessness. Of the $750 million in assistance, nearly $42.5 million is earmarked for Ohio for the following programs:

Cincinnati\Hamilton County Continuum of Care:
Franciscan Home Development, Inc. SHP $249,900
Over the Rhine Housing Network SHP Renewal $168,111
Center for Independent Living Options, Inc. SHP Renewal $167,189
City of Cincinnati SPC Renewal $2,450,340
AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati, Inc. SHP Renewal $85,050
Hamilton County Department of Human Services SHP Renewal $366,628
Justice Watch SHP Renewal $183,621
Joseph House, Inc. SHP Renewal $322,983
The Salvation Army Cincinnati, SHP $826,980
AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati, Inc. SHP $157,500
Chabad House of Cincinnati SHP Renewal $506,041
Franciscan Home Development, Inc. SHP $391,104
COC Total:  $5,875,447

Toledo Continuum of Care:
David's House Compassion, Inc. SHP $234,360
Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo SHP $268,192
FOCUS SHP $953,190
COC Total:  $1,455,742

Cuyahoga County Continuum of Care:
Cuyahoga County SPC Renewal $7,102,320
Cleveland Women, Inc. dba Templum SHP Renewal $595,222
Mental Health Services SHP Renewal $424,316
YMCA of Greater Cleveland SHP Renewal $498,088
YMCA of Greater Cleveland SHP Renewal $545,606
Continue Life, Inc. SHP Renewal $242,362
Care Alliance for the Homeless SHP Renewal $345,065
Family Transitional Housing, Inc. SHP Renewal $114,887
Cuyahoga County SPC Renewal $8,109,960
COC Total:  $17,977,826
Columbus/Franklin County Continuum of Care:
Community Housing Network SHP $303,450
Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority SPC Renewal $884,520
Metropolitan Residential Services SHP Renewal $173,040
Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority SPC Renewal $358,560
Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority SPC Renewal $788,400
Volunteers of America of Central Ohio, Inc. SHP Renewal $435,693
Friends of the Homeless SHP Renewal $341,280
YWCA of Columbus SHP Renewal $91,554
Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority SPC Renewal $589,680
COC Total:  $3,966,177

Youngstown/Mahoning County Continuum of Care:
YWCA of Youngstown SHP $320,741
YWCA of Youngstown SHP Renewal $214,003
Potential SHP Renewal $162,225
The Greater Youngstown Point SHP Renewal $240,448
Youngstown Area Community Action Council SHP Renewal $155,962
Catholic Charities Housing Opportunities SHP Renewal $84,447
Northeast Ohio Legal Services SHP $158,776
COC Total:  $1,336,602

Dayton/Kettering/Montgomery County County Continuum of Care:
PLACES, Inc. SHP Renewal $1,935,214
St. Vincent Hotel, Inc. SHP Renewal $162,000
Daybreak SHP $128,759
Daybreak SHP $251,307
COC Total:  $2,477,280

Akron\Summit County County Continuum of Care:
Battered Women's Shelter of Summit & Medina County SHP Renewal $329,897
H.M. Life Opportunity Services SHP Renewal $204,198
ACCESS, Inc. SHP Renewal $355,268
Community Drug Board SHP $598,500
Community Support Services Inc. SHP $143,451
COC Total:  $1,631,314

Ohio Balance of State County Continuum of Care:
Coleman Professional Services SHP $343,168
Licking Metropolitan Housing Authority SPC $756,420
New Housing Opportunities, Inc. SHP $327,387
Family and Community Services of Catholic Charities SHP $357,630
Transitional Living, Inc./Greater Miami Case Management SHP $896,455
Project Woman SHP Renewal $105,073
Wooster Interfaith Housing Corporation SHP Renewal $790,810
WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. SHP Renewal $871,738
Springfield Urban League and Community Center SHP $138,488
The Domestic Violence Shelter SHP $164,231
City of Marietta SPC $220,200
The Domestic Violence Shelter SHP $198,922
Jefferson County Community Action Council, Inc. SHP Renewal $415,296
Athens Metropolitan Housing Authority SPC $223,800
Pickaway County Community Action Organization, Inc. SHP $500,685
Geauga County SPC Renewal $314,280
COC Total:  $6,624,583


Stark County County Continuum of Care:
Nova Behavioral Health SHP $584,388
Massillon Community Hospital SHP $546,000
COC Total:  $1,130,388

State Total: $42,475,359

As we reported last month, the 2000 SuperNOFA is expected to be released in mid to late February. In trying to get a jump start on next year’s process, the annual Balance of State Continuum of Care pre-application training is scheduled for Wednesday, February 23rd, 2000. If you have questions, please contact Bob Johnson with the Office of Housing and Community Partnerships at 614/ 752-8096 or Rick Taylor with COHHIO at 614/280-1984.

The remaining $150 million in funds are for Emergency Shelter Grants that provide food and shelter on a short-term basis to homeless people. These grants are awarded through a formula based on a community's housing and poverty needs. States and cities select projects to receive funding.

Emergency Shelter Grant in Ohio

City of Akron $300,000 City of Toledo $338,000
City of Canton $130,000 City of Youngstown $197,000
City of Cincinnati $591,000 Cuyahoga County $116,000
City of Cleveland $1,078,000 Franklin County $78,000
City of Columbus $304,000 Hamilton County $123,000
City of Dayton $293,000 Montgomery County $89,000
City of Lakewood $91,000 Ohio State Program $2,952,000
City of Springfield $89,000 State Total $6,769,000

Training Offered on Welfare/Housing Subsidies
While COHHIO is working with the Ohio Department of Human Services (see article in December 1999, Breaking Ground - COHHIO Proposes Welfare Reform/State Housing Subsidy) to encourage development of a statewide housing subsidy program to be offered as a competitive bid, there are opportunities at the county level to develop housing subsidy programs with current PRC funds for families.

COHHIO is providing information and technical assistance on the possibility for obtaining housing subsidy funds through county Department of Human Services Prevention, Retention and Contingency (PRC) funds.

As we reported last month, the final TANF rules make important changes which allow the use of TANF funds to address the housing needs of low income families. Several counties have proposed housing programs using some of the additional $300 million PRC funds made available to counties for 18 months beginning January 1, 2000. If you are interested in learning more about the housing proposals made through this process, and the range of emergency and longer term housing subsidies allowable under the final regulations, join us for this training. Registration is required and arrangements can be made through Pam Argus, COHHIO at 614/280-1984.

The date for training is:
January 25, from 10 am - 1 pm
Columbus, Ohio
(specific location depends on size of registration)

 

Cuomo Bars NewYork City From Administering Millions of Dollars in HUD Homeless Grants

This past December, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it will bar New York City from administering millions of dollars in HUD homeless grants because the City has acted improperly to block funds to groups that have been critical of the City’s policies regarding the homeless.

"HUD is acting in the best interests of homeless people in New York City, to ensure that the most qualified homeless assistance programs get our funding," HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo said. "Our action won't cut funding to homeless programs in New York City by a single penny, but will make sure that federal dollars go to the right programs and are administered fairly and lawfully."

This unprecedented action comes in response to a judge's ruling and several complaints accusing New York City of retaliating against non-profit groups by denying them HUD funds after they criticized City policies on homelessness and other issues. A recent federal court ruling overturned an attempt by New York City to stop HUD Continuum of Care homeless assistance grant funds from going to the group Housing Works by lowering the group's priority ranking. U.S. District Judge Allen G. Schwartz ruled that New York City improperly lowered the group’s ranking to retaliate against Housing Works because it had staged demonstrations to protest City policies dealing with homelessness and AIDS. The judge said the City's action violated the First Amendment constitutional rights of Housing Works.

The judge went on to say that two Housing Works programs - in Manhattan and Brooklyn - should have been ranked much higher by New York City because they met all four locally determined criteria for the designation of high priority applications. Judge Schwartz ordered the rankings of the Housing Works programs to be raised substantially to give them a better chance to receive HUD homeless assistance. New York City is appealing the judge's ruling.
In addition, HUD has received complaints from other non-profit groups that serve homeless people, accusing New York City of being unfair when prioritizing the applications of the groups for HUD homeless assistance funding.

An example was reported to HUD in 1998, involving another group that has been critical of New York City's homeless policies - the Coalition for the Homeless. The Coalition was removed entirely by New York City from its list of groups eligible for Continuum of Care funding from HUD. The group complained that it was improperly denied funding as the result of the City action. HUD responded by deducting points from the assistance application by New York City. Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Mary Brosnahan wrote to HUD in 1998 about the case, and said: "HUD's historic record of consistency and fairness stands in stark contrast to the arbitrary and capricious actions by local government officials surrounding this application."

As part of the Continuum of Care process, HUD requires communities applying for homeless assistance funding to put together a list ranking programs in order of priority. Because communities usually seek more money from HUD than is available, programs given low rankings usually do not get funded. Typically, city officials convene this process and rank the programs. New York City has been convening the ranking process for the City's grant application for several years. Most Continuum of Care funding in New York City goes directly from HUD to non-profit groups. However, New York City has applied for millions of additional dollars that were set to be administered by the City government until Cuomo's announcement.

The Secretary said HUD itself will administer these grants in New York City, replacing the New York City government as the administrator of the funds not awarded directly to homeless service providers. This action also bars New York City from ranking the applications of groups seeking homeless assistance funds from HUD in 2000.

 

HEAP Can Help With Heating Costs
Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) applications and Emergency HEAP applications are being accepted through March 31, 2000. This is a federally funded program designed to help consumers in need of financial assistance pay for heating costs. Consumers can obtain specific guidelines or an application by calling HEAP's toll free number at 800/282-0880.

 

Cleveland and Aging Suburbs Receive Low-Interest Loans Through A Link Deposit Program
In August, Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis created a low-interest loan program for Cleveland and its aging suburbs. Over 1,400 people have arranged to borrow $16 million to fix up their homes and perk up their neighborhoods.

About a third of the borrowers are using the cash for such upgrades as added family rooms, bathrooms or garages. The rest are repairing what they already have: driveways, sidewalks, roofs and more. Homeowners are replacing detoriating water pipes, rewiring outdated electrical outlets, replacing windows and painting.

The program is targeted towards middle income families in Cleveland and its suburbs, earning more than $40,000 a year. The loans offer a three percent discount on loans. For every dollar that banks lend homeowners in the program, Rokakis invests a dollar of county money at the bank at three percent below the prevailing interest rate. Rokakis has set aside $40 million in county money for the program.

The First Suburbs Coalition, which studies how to avoid the flight of residents to outer-ring suburbs, used a $50,000 Gund Foundation grant to help design the program. Rokakis said the main goal was keeping people in Cleveland and its closest suburbs.

The program has few rules. Only communities where home values have increased by less than two percent annually over the last 15 years are eligible. Rokakis sets no income limits on applicants, but single-family homes and duplexes assessed at more than $250,000 cannot benefit. Buildings with three or more apartments are permitted regardless of value. Anyone with delinquent taxes is rejected. The maximum loan term is five years, and banks can limit the amounts based on applicants’ credit ratings.

Interest rates vary. People with good credit and much equity in their homes have borrowed at less than four percent a year, but less creditworthy people have borrowed at 7.99 percent. For information, call Rokakis’ office at 216/443-2149 or visit the Cuyahoga branches of KeyBank, Fifth Third, FirstMerit Bank, Firstar Bank or Huntington Bank.

Communities eligible for the loans are Bedford, Bedford Heights, Berea, Brooklyn, Brook Park, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, Euclid, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Glenwillow, Highland Hills, Lakewood, Linndale, Lyndhurst, Maple Heights, Mayfield Heights, Newburgh Heights, North Randall, Parma, Parma Heights, Shaker Heights, South Euclid, University Heights and Warrensville Heights.

Cuyahoga County’s Linked Deposit home loan program has generated more than $16 million in low-interest home-improvements loans from banks and savings and loans. Here is a breakdown, including the number of loans made, the total amount of money loaned and the average loan amount in each city. These numbers are current through November 1999. Information for this story taken from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

 

City Loans Total Average Loan
Bedford 35 $369,034 $10,543
Bedford Heights 23 $188,290 $8,188
Berea 39 $478,035 $12,257
Brook Park 82 $874,590 $10,665
Brooklyn 31 $332,171 $10,715
Cleveland 161 $1,747,477 $10,853
Cleveland Heights 142 $2,250,170 $15,958
East Cleveland 40 $535,999 $14,486
Euclid 78 $732,884 $9,517
Fairview Park 52 $564,858 $11,075
Garfield Heights 75 $648,589 $8,884
Highland Hills 3 $33,841 $11,280
Lakewood 110 $1,499,991 $13,761
Linndale 1 $5,000 $5,000
Lyndhurst 53 $618,915 $11,677
Maple Heights 54 $371,415 $6,878
Mayfield Heights 2 $11,000 $5,500
Newburgh Heights 5 $62,346 $12,469
Parma 193 $2,128,733 $11,087
Parma Heights 32 $290,672 $9,083
Shaker Heights 51 $931,208 $18,258
South Euclid 87 $905,770 $10,532
University Heights 40 $346,615 $8,665
Warrensville Heights
24 $164,817 $11,034
TOTAL 1,413 $16,197,133 $11,463

 

 

"Housing 2000: An Agenda For The Future"
COHHIO’s Annual Conference
March 13, 14 & 15

Tentative Conference Agenda
Monday, March 13
8:00 - 9:00 Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:00 - 10:00 Welcome and Opening Address
10:15 - 12:00 Workshop Set A
12:00 - 1:30 Lunch & Keynote Speaker
1:45 - 3:15 Panel Presentation
3:30 - 5:00 Workshop Set B
5:00 - 7:00 Reception

Tuesday, March 14
8:00 - 9:00 Continental Breakfast
9:00 - 10:00 Keynote Speaker
10:15 - 12:00 Workshop Set C
12:00 - 1:30 Lunch & Keynote Speaker
1:45 - 3:15 Panel Presentation
3:30 - 5:00 Workshop Set D

Wednesday, March 15
8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast Buffet
9:00 - 12:30 Institutes

COHHIO’s 2000 Annual Conference, “Housing 2000: An Agenda for the Future" is guaranteed to provide an arena to...learn about innovative housing programs and successful service delivery models; exchange information and ideas with other professionals in your field; and get updates on federal and state legislative issues related to your work. Workshop topics will be focused around the following six identified conference tracks: Preservation of Affordable Housing, Welfare Reform and its Impact on Housing, Affordable Housing Development, Strategies to End Homelessness, Community Reinvestment, and Capacity Building/Advocacy.

Keynote Speakers/Panel Presentations
The 2000 conference will have something for everyone! Hear from seasoned professionals, as they speak to topics relevant in the “housing business,” including: the increased usage of Section 8 vouchers as the housing strategy for the future; welfare reform and the corresponding burden on housing affordability; the economic disconnect and disparity between this country’s rich and poor; and the future of funding for homeless assistance programs.

In addition to the individual workshops and keynote presentations, the 2000 conference will feature two panel presentations. On Monday, the panel will be entitled “Faces of Homelessness,” and will offer you a unique opportunity to hear from both formerly homeless persons and low-income tenants, about the state of our state’s housing policy. On Tuesday, the panel entitled “Predatory Lending in Ohio?,” will offer you the chance to find out what about predatory lending practices here in Ohio, and how the Ohio General Assembly can take action to solve this problem.

 

Who Should Attend?
Housing & homeless advocates, social service providers, shelter & transitional housing operators, clients & program participants, nonprofit housing developers, welfare advocates, community development officials, fair housing advocates, supportive housing providers, federal, state & local government personnel, mental health & substance abuse professionals & anyone else concerned with the provision of decent, safe and affordable housing and services for low-income people.

Hotel Accommodations
The Columbus Marriott North is offering a discounted room rate of $109 per night! Conference participants are responsible for making reservations by calling the Marriott at 614/885-1885. Be sure to tell the hotel operator you are part of the COHHIO conference. To get the special rate, you must make your reservations by February 27. There are a limited number of rooms available.

Continuing Education Units
COHHIO will apply for approximatel¡y 15.0 CEU’s for Social Workers and Counselors.
Registration
Registration fee includes conference materials, two coffee breaks and soda breaks, two lunches, a reception, two continental breakfasts and breakfast buffet.

Scholarships
A limited number will be available to those who demonstrate a financial burden and would not otherwise be able to attend the conference. Please submit your written request, via fax or mail, to Rick Taylor at COHHIO. The deadline is February 18.

How to Become a COHHIO Member
You can become a memby attaching a check for your memip with your conference registration form. If you have questions, please call Janet Holcomb at COHHIO. Membership fees for organizations are based on your organization's budget. They are: $35 ($100,000 or less); $75 ($100,000-$250,000); $125 ($250,000 - $500,000); $200 ($500,000 - $1 million); $250 ( $1 million-$1.5 million); and $300 (over $1.5 million). An individual regular memip is $35.

For a complete conference brochure, please call COHHIO at 614/280-1984 or visit our website at index.html.

 

Registration
(1 person per form, form can be copied, please print clearly)

Name
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone, Fax, E-Mail
Counties Served

_____ Please check for vegetarian lunch

Conference Registration: $150 (COHHIO mem and $200 (non-mem, regardless of how many days you plan on attending the conference. Membership fee: ________ (optional)

TOTAL ENCLOSED: _____________ (COHHIO Federal Id. #31-1188028)
Payment Amount: Check # ____________ OR Purchase Order #__________________

Checks can be made out to COHHIO and registrations may be sent to 85 East Gay Street, Suite 603, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3118. Credit cards are not accepted. Payment must accompany registration. No phone or fax registrations. Registrations not guaranteed after March 6. Questions? Call 614/280-1984.

 

The Forgotten Americans...
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Andrew Cuomo recently released the findings of the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients. This survey, The Forgotten Americans...Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve, is designed to provide updated information about the providers of homeless assistance and the characteristics of homeless persons who use services. The survey is based on a statistical sample of 76 metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, including small cities and rural areas. Data for the survey was collected between October 1995 and November 1996.

The survey is a response to the fact that homelessness remains one of America's most complicated and important social issues. Chronic poverty, coupled with physical and other disabilities, have combined with rapid changes in society, the workplace, and local housing markets to make many people vulnerable to its effects. With the enactment of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, Congress recognized the need to supplement "mainstream" federally funded housing and human services programs with funding that was specifically targeted to assist homeless people. Over $11 billion in McKinney funds have been appropriated since then, and billions more have been provided through other federal, state, and local programs and benefits.

It is important to note that the survey was not designed to produce a national count of the number of homeless people, nor does it include information on client characteristics at the regional or local levels. The survey was designed to provide up-to-date information about the providers of assistance to homeless people, the characteristics of those who use services that focus on homeless people, and how this population has changed in metropolitan areas since 1987. The analyses of the provider data examine factors such as geographic level (e.g., national, central city, communities outside of central cities but still within metropolitan statistical areas, and rural areas), program type, and the types and levels of services delivered. The data received from service users includes, but is not limited to, such characteristics as age, race/ethnicity, sex, family status, history of homelessness, employment, education, veteran status, and use of services and benefits.

Homeless Assistance Providers
• This study estimates that there are about 40,000 homeless assistance programs in the United States, offered at an estimated 21,000 service locations.
• Food pantries are the most numerous type of program, estimated to number 9,000 programs. Emergency shelters are next with an estimated 5,700 programs, followed closely by transitional housing programs (4,400), soup kitchens and other distributors of prepared meals (3,500), outreach programs (3,300), and voucher distribution programs (3,100).
• Emergency shelters expected 240,000 program contacts, transitional housing programs expected 160,000, permanent housing programs expected 110,000, and voucher distribution programs expected 70,000 program contacts on an average day in February 1996. Expected contacts include those made by both homeless and other people who use services.
• 49 percent of all homeless assistance programs are located in central cities, 32 percent in rural areas, and 19 percent in suburban areas. However, because central city programs serve more clients, a larger share of program contacts happen in central cities (57 percent) than in suburban and rural areas (20 and 23 percent of all program contacts, respectively).

Homeless Families
• 15 percent of these are family households (that is, the clients have one or more of their own children under age 18 with them).
• On average, each homeless family household includes 2.2 minor children of the client.
• 34 percent of homeless service users are memof homeless families (23 percent are minor children and 11 percent are their parents).
• 84 percent of parents are female and 16 percent are male.
• 38 percent of parents are white non-Hispanic, 43 percent are black non-Hispanic, 15 percent are Hispanic, 3 percent are Native American, and 1 percent are other races.
• 26 percent of parents are ages 17 to 24, 74 percent are ages 25 to 54, and less than 0.5 percent are ages 55 and older.
• 3 percent of parents have less than a high school education, 21 percent have completed high school, and 27 percent have some education beyond high school.
Homeless Individuals
• Most homeless persons (85 percent) are single (that is, they do not have any of their children with them).
• 77 percent are male and 23 percent are female.
• 41 percent are white non-Hispanic, 40 percent are black non-Hispanic, 10 percent are Hispanic, 8 percent are Native American, and 1 percent are other races.
• 10 percent are ages 17 to 24, 81 percent are ages 25 to 54, and 9 percent are ages 55 and older.
• 50 percent have never married, 7 percent are married, 14 percent are separated, 26 percent are divorced, and 4 percent are widowed.
• 37 percent have less than a high school education, 36 percent have completed high school, and 28 percent have some education beyond high school.

Other Important Profiles
• 60 percent of homeless women have children ages 0 to 17; 65 percent of these women live with at least one of their minor children, while 41 percent of homeless men have children ages 0 to 17; 7 percent of these men live with at least one of their minor children.
• 53 percent of the children accompanying a homeless parent in this study are male and 47 percent are female.
• Most of these children are young: 20 percent are ages 0 to 2, 22 percent are ages 3 to 5, 20 percent are ages 6 to 8, 33 percent are between the ages of 9 and 17, and age was not given for 5 percent.
• Parents report that 45 percent of the 3- to 5-year-olds attend preschool, and that 93 percent of school-age children (ages 6 to 17) attend school regularly.
• 51 percent of children are in households receiving AFDC, 70 percent are in households receiving food stamps, 12 percent are in households receiving SSI, and 73 percent receive Medicaid.
• 27 percent of homeless clients lived in foster care, a group home, or other institutional setting for part of their childhood.
• 25 percent report childhood physical or sexual abuse.
• 21 percent report childhood experiences of homelessness.
• 33 percent report running away from home and 22 percent report being forced to leave home.

This is a rather abbreviated summary of the survey, which itself is nearly 500 pages in length. For additional information or to order a copy of the report, please visit the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website at http://www.huduser.org/publications/homeless/homelessness/highrpt.html.

 

Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio Membership
Name
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone, Fax, County
Individual: _____ $35 (Regular) _____ $75 (Benefactor) _____ $250 (Sustainer) _____ $10 (Low-Income) _____ Fee Waiver Requested
Agency (according to budget): _____ $35 (100,000 or less) _____ $75 (100,001-250,000)
_____ $125 (250,001-500,000) _____ $200 (500,001-1 million)_____ $250 ($1 million-$1.5 million) _____ $300 (over $1.5 million)

Please send your tax deductible check to COHHIO at 85 E. Gay St, Ste. 603, Columbus, Ohio 43215.
Thank you for your support!

 

Homeless Person's Bill of Rights

Based on information collected by the National Coalition for the Homeless, at least 29 homeless people were killed in 1999 in 11 different cities. In Denver, five were pummeled to death and two more beheaded. In Richmond, one was beaten, stabbed and beheaded. In Seattle, one was stabbed nearly 20 times, another beaten bloody and then stabbed. In Dallas, a homeless person was riddled with bullets from a 12-gauge shotgun for rummaging through trash. In Chico, California, one was beaten to death for begging for spare change. In Portland, three more were strangled for no apparent reason.

More appalling than the actual number of homeless persons killed in this country over the past year, is the senseless and brutal nature of their deaths. Homelessness leaves one exposed to more than the elements. More often than not, homeless persons experience the “worst of the worst” when it comes to human behavior. Society teaches us that homeless persons are somehow defective or deserving of less; that they are in a sense, disposable. When combined with the vulnerability that comes from living on the streets, this societal sentiment makes homeless persons an easy target. Besides, what’s one less “bum” begging for money?

This increasing victimization combined with an alarming trend toward the criminalization of homelessness, is the focus of a new initiative by the National Coalition for the Homeless. The National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project (NHCROP) is a plan to prevent and combat the violation of homeless people's civil rights. This plan will result in a coordinated sharing of strategies, a greater ability to effectively fight, and an increased public awareness - all geared toward abolishing discriminatory and violent acts against people who are homeless.

The National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project will have seven regional organizing posts in different regions of the country: East, Midwest, Southeast, Northwest and Southwest, plus a national office in Washington, DC. Proposed field offices include Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, and Washington DC. Staff people at each location will work to bring together the efforts of all local homeless advocacy groups and to fortify efforts in communities that are resource-poor. People who are or were homeless will be hired to fill all field staff and AmeriCorps*VISTA positions created by NHCROP.

It is too often the case that the harshest anti-homeless attacks occur in those communities that lack the resources to organize an immediate, effective response. NHCROP will make it much easier for such locales to hook into the knowledge, experiences and resources of other civil rights efforts in order to improve their ability to best protect the civil rights of people who are homeless.

In cities with an admitted lack of day shelters and few jobs that pay a living wage, people who are homeless sometimes rest at bus stops or on sidewalks. In Tucson, Arizona, it is unlawful to be at a bus stop for more than 30 minutes. Police in Seattle, Washington, have been instructed to fine or arrest people who are homeless for sitting on the sidewalk. In cities with an admitted lack of affordable housing, people who are homeless are forced to carry their worldly goods with them wherever they go. In Beverly Hills, California, it is a crime punishable by a fine or jail time to set baggage down on the sidewalks. In Georgetown, a trendy Washington, DC suburb, an archaic part of the District Code is being applied to fine or arrest people for storing property (including people themselves) in doorways.

While there are an estimated 24 million people on the waiting list for federally-subidized housing in this country, political leaders in Dallas, Texas, and many other cities across this country (including Phoenix, Jacksonville, Columbus, Boston, Austin, New Orleans, Long Beach, Virginia Beach, Atlanta, Sacramento, Tulsa, Miami, and Buffalo) have made it illegal to camp or sleep in a park.

Other approaches, such as those in both New York City and in Cleveland, are targeted at sweeping the homeless off of the streets. Mayor Giuliani has instituted a “get tough on the homeless” policy, that jails homeless persons in New York City if they refuse to be transported to a shelter. In the City of Cleveland, Mayor White has started to arrest homeless persons for doing nothing more than sleeping on downtown sidewalks. In a recent statement, Mayor White classified homeless persons, shoplifters, muggers, panhandlers, and other criminals as one in the same, saying that this “crackdown” was designed to “move poverty out of sight so they [shoppers] will have a peaceful shopping season.”

The flaws in this effort to criminalize homelessness are as numerous as they are obvious. Though no one should ever have to sleep in a park, on a sidewalk, or beg for food, making those acts into criminal offenses is ignorant. These city ordinances (and similar state statues) are misguided because they seek to hide homeless people, not to end homelessness. People who have no choice but to be homeless have no choice but to be public. To punish them for this heaps injustice on top of indignity. As one Santa Monica woman who is homeless wondered, "When does it stop? Are we going to push homeless people off the face of the earth? I do have a right to exist. I have the right to food, clothing and shelter because I live."

A primary objective of the National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project is to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and grant Protected Class status to homeless persons. NHCROP is proposing a Protected Class Resolution for the Indigent Homeless Population, which would serve as the vehicle used to guarantee the civil rights of homeless persons. The resolution would in essence, be the homeless person’s bill of rights and call for protection from: laws against sleeping in public, acts or laws interfering with their right to travel, unfair wages, laws that disregard personal property, violence and hate crimes, and being characterized and treated as non-citizens.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, NHCROP, in coordination with other national civil rights organizations, will soon begin a national campaign to introduce this resolution as civil rights legislation to the U.S. Congress.

For more information on NHCROP (timeline, staffing, budget, and evaluation) and the success of homeless civil rights efforts, please contact Michael Stoops at the National Coalition for the Homeless at 202/737-6444 or e-mail at: nch@ari.net.

 

Repetition Can Produce Long-Term Disability
Whether you call them cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs), repetitive stress injuries, repetitive motion disorders, overuse syndrome, musculoskeletal disorders or any other name, these illnesses are both costly and pervasive. Upper extremity CTDs flourish. CTDs are not limited to one industry or specific job; they can occur wherever risk factors exist -virtually everywhere. These occupational risk factors include awkward positions and motions, excessive force, repetition, inadequate rest, vibration and temperature extremes.

Numbers tell the story
In the nearly two decades since this type of occupational illness first gained notice, the number of cases has steadily increased. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures show that from 1982-1996, the number of disorders associated with repeated trauma rose from 22,600 to 281,100. These injuries and illnesses cost U.S. businesses billions each year in workers' compensation costs alone.

As the term cumulative trauma disorder reflects, the illness results from repeated stress, placed on muscles and joints, over time. The culprit of the illness is the muscle tension produced by repetitive motions, overuse of the muscles and joints and the uncomfortable, awkward body postures some jobs require.

Common disorders include elbow, cubital tunnel syndrome, lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow), radial tunnel syndrome, shoulder impingement syndrome, wrist and hand, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger and thumb, and whitefinger (also known as Reynaud's Phenomenon) or vibration syndrome. Persistent or radiating pain; numbness or tingling; stiffness, swelling or cramping; restricted movements; or loss of grip strength may be signs of CTD development.

Preventing CTD-related injuries
The key is to reduce the risk factors that contribute to CTDs -repetition, use of excessive force, awkward work posture, the pressure exerted to perform the task, and any vibration of body parts.

Work from a position that keeps the body in a neutral position to avoid stressing body parts. Minimize the pressure points on any tools or equipment required for the job and take short but frequent breaks.

If the problem has gone beyond prevention and a CTD has been diagnosed, non-surgical treatments may include:
• Splints to protect sore areas;
• Anti-inflammatory drugs coupled with physical therapies like ultrasound, cold packs or electrical stimulation;
• Exercises to help tissues move safely while healing.

Before the treatment stage, companies should attempt to control and prevent CTDs. One solution gaining momentum is ergonomics that includes management commitment, employee involvement, identification of problem jobs, development of controls for problem jobs, training and education for employees, and appropriate medical management.

"Ergonomics works," says Chris Hamrick, the Bureau of Workers' Compensation's (BWC) ergonomics technical adviser. "Countless studies provide evidence that effective ergonomics programs not only reduce employee injury rates and workers' compensation costs, but also increase productivity and improve quality."

If you want to combat cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) in your company, BWC can help you win the fight. Their new Safety Grants program provides employers with matching funds to fund research to prevent CTDs. The Safety Grants program will award private and public employers a 4-to-1 matching grant, up to a maximum of $40,000, meaning a total of $50,000 - $10,000 from the employer and $40,000 from BWC. Employers may use the grant to purchase equipment, conduct training and conduct research to reduce the number and severity of CTD claims. In addition, BWC's Division of Safety & Hygiene ergonomists can analyze the physical relationship between workers and work environments. Based on this analysis, they formulate solutions for problems involving manual materials handling, CTDs, video display terminals, workplace and workspace design, adverse environmental conditions, shift work and occupational stress. Because carpal tunnel syndrome is the fastest growing industrial injury, BWC has launched an aggressive fight against this affliction and other repetitive motion injuries with its Carpal Tunnel Task Force.

For more information call employer information at 800/OHIOBWC and press 24, or visit BWC's website at www.ohiobwc.com. Taken from BWC Focus Magazine - Autumn 1999.

 

ODOD Trainings
The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) is offering two trainings - 2000 Housing Development Finance Professional Certification Program and 2000 Lead Abatement Licensure Training.
• Housing Development Finance Professional Certification Program - this three week program will focus on the financing of affordable housing projects, including single family home ownership finance (April 3-6), multi-family housing development finance (June 12-16) and housing development finance: problem solving and deal structuring (September 25-29). The registration fee is $350 and those completing the course and passing the exam will be certified as development finance professionals. For more information, call Mary Dupler at ODOD at 614/466-2285.
• Lead Abatement Licensure Training - the trainings sessions are designed to train lead abatement contractors/supervisors, lead abatement workers, lead inspectors and lead risk assessors. Trainings will include Lead Inspector Training, Lead Risk Assessor Training, Residential Lead Abatement For Supervisors/Contractors, Lead-Based Paint Maintenance Worker Training, Residential Lead Hazard Abatement For Workers, Lead Inspector Refresher Course, Lead Risk Assessor Refresher Course, Residential Lead Abatement For Supervisors/Contractors Refresher Course, and Residential Lead Hazard Abatement For Workers Refresher Course. Trainings will be held in Findlay, Akron, Columbus, Xenia and Athens. The registration fee is $100. For more information, call Tom Sherman at ODOD at 614/466-2285.

 

A SPECIAL THANKS
While the staff at COHHIO deeply appreciates all the agencies and organizations that support our programs, we would like to extend a special note of thanks to those who have supported us in recent special projects that benefited homeless and low income children in the Columbus area. For their generous donation of thousands of printed coloring pages we would like to thank The Monk’s Copy Shop located at 35 East Gay Street, Columbus, Ohio. In conjunction with this gift we would like to thank the Hilliard Wal-Mart store for their donation of $50 for crayons to accompany these coloring pages. We would also like to recognize Barb Niemyer’s 1st / 2nd grade class at Wicliffe Alternative School for their donations of over fifty toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste. After learning about homelessness, the entire class participated in donating these items in addition to writing notes of support and encouragement to go to homeless children in Columbus. And last but not least a special recognition to three teens who made a difference by gathering letters of support for the funding of the McKinney Education of Homeless Children and Youth Act. Thank You to Lori, Sophia, and Suzanna. For more information on these projects, call Angela Lariviere at COHHIO at 614/280-1984.

(614) 280-1984 Voice
(614) 463-1060 Fax

cohhio@cohhio.org