Final Report

This is the Final Report of the project, ‘Advancing Coordination of the Winnipeg Homeless Sector’. Over the last year, there have been efforts in the homeless serving community to map out service gaps and needs, and to discuss HPS funding and how it aligns with community priorities. The current project advances these efforts to integrate more community knowledge, planning, and engagement into the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) funding process

NH Coalition to end homelessness: the state of homelessness in New Hampshire 2012; an examination of homelessness, related to economic and demographic factors, and changes at the state and county levels

An examination of homelessness, related economic and demographic factors, and changes at the state and county levels

NH Coalition to end homelessness: the state of homelessness in New Hampshire 2013; an examination of homelessness, related to economic and demographic factors, and changes at the state and county levels

Annual point-in-time chart of homelessness in Manchester, New Hampshire

Indigenous Housing in Metro-Areas: Leveraging Federal Block Grants for Urban Housing

The Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA) established a single flexible federal block grant for tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entity to provide housing assistance to their tribal members. This shift recognized Native rights of tribal self-determination and self-governance, and it reorganized the mechanism by which tribes received compensation for land cessions. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development currently administers the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) annually, with funds typically prioritized to housing on reservation or tribal lands. In Oregon, a majority of funds go to the ongoing operation and maintenance of 1937 Housing Act units

New Hampshire Governor\u27s Interagency Council on Homelessness: New Hampshire\u27s Homelessness Plans

Summary of all homelessness plans that have been implemented in New Hampshire over the past ten years

PSU Student Housing Insecurity Interim Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project Background This study on student housing insecurity and homelessness was funded as part of a HUD FY2023 Community Project Funding Opportunity awarded to Portland State University. Phase 1 of the study, which led to this report by PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC), includes a literature review; a summary of PSU student survey results; a description of PSU programs based on interviews with staff and administrators; an analysis of programs at other institutions; and a set of recommendations for better addressing student housing needs. Phase 2 of the study will include the results of a comprehensive student survey on housing insecurity and homelessness to be conducted this fall, as well as a pair of reports by outside consultants on options for creating additional student housing and addressing policy barriers to effectively meeting student housing needs. Student Housing Insecurity PSU conducted in-depth surveys of student basic needs, including housing insecurity and homelessness, in 2019 and 2020, and has included a question on housing insecurity in the Student Experience Survey every year since 2020. The 2019 and 2020 survey results showed that up to 16% of PSU students had recently experienced homelessness, while housing insecurity has consistently been as high as 47% over the past five years, with a temporary decline in 2021 that may have been a result of COVID pandemic relief. Research studies have shown that housing insecurity and homelessness have negative impacts on academic performance, persistence, and graduation rates, while the provision of free housing has been demonstrated to positively impact persistence and graduation. Student Barriers Homelessness and housing insecurity disproportionately affect PSU students who have experienced other challenges in their lives, particularly systemic racism and discrimination. This includes students of color (especially Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Native American, and Pacific Islander students), LGBTQ students, neurodiverse students, students with disabilities, students formerly in foster care, parenting students, veterans, international students, undocumented students, transfer students, first-generation students, and Pell Grant recipients. In short, a significant proportion of all PSU students fall within groups that are more likely to experience barriers to housing insecurity, but their diverse experiences and identities require a spectrum of equity-centered approaches to address their specific needs. Current Programs PSU has implemented a range of successful, evidence-driven programs to help address student housing insecurity and homelessness: vouchers for temporary placement in University Place Hotel and local motels; a student-only shelter, The Landing, in partnership with a local church; a free housing pilot for Summer Bridge Program students; student emergency funds and assistance for SNAP-enrolled students Recommendations The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides a guidebook for addressing student housing insecurity in higher education, which should be used in conjunction with the Education Northwest Basic Needs Services Implementation Rubric. The recommendations listed below, based on PSU interviews, conversations with national experts, and published literature, would help PSU substantially address current gaps in addressing student needs and implementing best practices and federal guidance. These items will be revised and updated based on the results of the student survey in fall. Center Equity in All Programs: given disparate rates of housing insecurity and homelessness, an equity lens that centers race while incorporating other factors of identity and experience is essential. Students, student resource centers, and the Office of Global Diversity and Inclusion should be engaged in program design, implementation, and evaluation. It is critical to identify Provide Free and Subsidized Housing: although this will be fully addressed in the other reports for this project, student housing insecurity cannot be fully addressed without both free and subsidized housing. PSU does not currently offer free and subsidized student housing at the level recommended in research literature and implemented by many other institutions. Expand Funding for Current Programs: funding should be sufficient not only to sustain programs, but to fully address the direct costs of student needs and to ensure appropriate staffing levels and staff expertise. Unify Emergency Fund Applications: PSU offers a wide set of emergency funds, but differences in eligibility and application requirements create unnecessary barriers and confusion for students. Fund managers should develop a unified application that can route student requests based on eligibility. Enhance Program Coordination: the numerous programs, centers, and offices that help to address student housing needs should hold regular meetings to facilitate coordination, work to ensure that all academic advisors are aware of basic needs services, and proactively identify and reach out to students who may be in need. Use Pell Grant Eligibility as a Proxy for Need: Pell Grant eligibility can be used as a uniform method to identify and proactively engage with students who may be experiencing or at higher risk of housing insecurity. Ensure Comprehensive Outreach: basic needs services and resources should be communicated to students, faculty, and staff through a comprehensive campaign that includes on-campus events, digital communication, syllabus statements, and partnerships with student government and organizations

Uncanny Objects and the Fear of the Familiar:Hiding from Akan Witches in New York City

This article examines the cosmology and secret practices of West African traditional priests in New York City in preventing the spread of witchcraft, an evil invisible spirit transmitted between female members of the Akan matrilineage. Explored is an uncanny dynamic as everyday habitus becomes increasingly strange in the world of a young Ghanaian woman in the Bronx, who has become petrified of insinuations of witchcraft from close family members. In trying to hide the young woman from infection by her fellow witches, Akan priests attempt to ‘capture’ her habits and everyday routines, calling upon the iconic magic of New York City in order to ‘misplace’ familiarity within the anonymity of Manhattan. In this process, the transmission of the witch’s spirit to the intended victim is disturbed as the victim’s life and things are moved. Nowhere to be found, the witch shifts her attention to other victims

South Carolina HUD homeless count, January 29, 2009 : statistical tables, August 2009

This is a statistical breakdown of the homeless population in South Carolina by county. Some things addressed are race and ethnicity, age groups, shelter type, disabilities and other groupings and families, adults, and unaccompanied youths

South Carolina HUD homeless count, January 27, 2011 : statistical tables, July 2011

This is a statistical breakdown of the homeless population in South Carolina by county. Some things addressed are race and ethnicity, age groups, shelter type, disabilities and other groupings and families, adults, and unaccompanied youths

Blueprint to end homelessness in South Carolina

This ten year plan addresses the need to better target resources such as mental health services and housing services to people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness in South Carolina