Advocacy Priorities and Recent Advocacy Accomplishments

Homeless Services United uses the following guiding principles in establishing advocacy priorities:

• Workforce Development: HSU advocates for adequate compensation, training, and advancement opportunities for the nonprofit homeless services workforce. Recently, we helped to secure a multi-year cost of living adjustment (COLA), beginning with 3% for FY09, for NYC homeless services staff. HSU also provides member agency staff with free and low-cost training opportunities.

• Regulatory and Budget Advocacy: HSU advocates for adjustments to government requirements and funding mechanisms to support delivery of high-quality services and minimize administrative burdens that detract from direct service for clients, while maintaining provider accountability. HSU is working with the Department of Homeless Services to develop Performance Investment Programs to strengthen sevice quality for homeless people.
  

• Ending Homelessness: HSU advocates for solutions to end the crisis of homelessness in New York City and supports efforts to expand the availability of prevention services and the stock of affordable, supportive, and service-enriched housing. See our 2005 position paper, Embracing Solutions to Homelessness. HSU was involved in advocating for the conversion to the city's Housing Stability Plus (HSP) rental assistance program into a more efficient housing subsidy program. For more information on our HSP advocacy efforts read our report on the HSP program: False Start, Fresh Promise.
  

• Access to Continuum of Care: For those individuals and families who cannot be prevented from becoming homeless, HSU advocates for immediate access to a full continuum of high-quality services, including emergency, transitional, and permanent housing, outreach, and drop-in services. HSU supports efforts to maintain a legal right to shelter.

• Resource Reinvestment: HSU advocates for full reinvestment of savings derived from shelter downsizing and closure into community-based emergency, transitional, drop-in, and prevention services and affordable and supportive housing for formerly homeless and at-risk individuals and families. For more information on our Resource Reinvestment Project click here.

• Hurricane Katrina Relief: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, HSU and the Supportive Housing Network of New York (SHNNY) quickly organized an effort to transport clothing, school supplies, and other donations for 500 schoolchildren who relocated to Monroe, LA following the evacuation of New Orleans. SHNNY and HSU member agencies made generous contributions, and volunteers filled a 15-foot box truck with over 150 boxes of donations. For an account of our trip to Monroe, please click here.
  

• HSU delivers testimony to the NYC Council Committee on General Welfare on DHS' Strategies and Progress Toward Meeting the Goal of Reducing Homelessness by 2/3 by 2009 (September 23, 2008). The Department of Homeless Services Fall 2008 Progress Report can be found here.
  

• HSU voices concerns about the Department of Homeless Services' plan to relocate the Men's Intake Center to Brooklyn (May 5, 2008).

• HSU delivers testimony to the NYC Council Committee on General Welfare on the Fiscal Year 2009 Preliminary Budget (March 10, 2008).

• HSU follows up on a recent meeting between the Department of Homeless Services and HSU Board Members (February 21, 2008).

• False Start, Fresh Promise: HSU's report advocating reform of New York City's Housing Stability Plus (HSP) program contains findings from a survey conducted among HSU member agencies' shelter and drop-in center programs. Our report evaluates how the HSP program has affected nonprofits' ability to move homeless families and single adults into permanent, affordable housing and examines the challenges homeless households face in attaining and retaining HSP apartments (October 11, 2006). Click here to read the Executive Summary.

• HSU responds to the New York City Department of Homeless Services and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's joint concept report for Homeless Outreach and Housing Placement Programs (September 26, 2006).
  

• HSU expresses concern about the impact the Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Interim Final Rule will have on the Medicaid eligibility of homeless citizens in a letter to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human Services (August 10, 2006).

• HSU opposes proposals in the New York City Housing Authority’s fiscal year 2007 draft plan in testimony to NYC Council Subcommittee on Public Housing at an oversight hearing for NYCHA's Seven Point Plan to Preserve Public Housing (June 12, 2006).

• HSU expresses support for City Council Introduction 161, which would protect HSP tenants from unhealthy and unsafe building conditions, and hopes and concerns for the future of the HSP program in testimony to NYC Council Committee on General Welfare at the Housing Stability Plus Oversight Hearing (April 27, 2006).
  

• HSU addresses member's support for restorations and other funding initiatives in New York City's fical year 2007 budget in testimony to NYC Council Committee on General Welfare at the Preliminary Budget Hearing for Fiscal Year 2007 (March 23, 2006).
  

• In February 2006, Executive Director, Lauren Bholai-Pareti, spoke about the city's 5-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness at the New York City Bar's Eliminating Chronic Homelessness in New York City: A Progress Report. Click here to read her comments.

• HSU reports on member's expectations and reservations about the impact of New York State's Fiscal Year 2007 Executive Budget Proposal for Human Services in testimony at the public hearing (January 24, 2006).
  

• Embracing Solutions to Family Homelessness: Our 2005 position paper advocates maintenance of a legal right to shelter and flexibility for the city to pursue important reforms. The paper also advocates long-term solutions, including access to stable, affordable housing and effective homelessness prevention services for poor families now and in the future.

• Supportive and Service-Enriched Housing for Families: A July 2003 report presented by the Task Force on Housing and Services for Families - a collaboration between HSU and the Supportive Housing Network of New York. This report provides discussion and recommendations regarding the need for service-enriched and supportive housing among families, the range of housing/service models that should be made available, and the funding mechanisms that will be necessary to meet the challenges of supplying supportive housing.
• Supportive and Service-Enriched Housing for Families, Second Year Research Summary: This 2004 report from HSU’s Research Committee documents the need for supportive and service-enriched housing through a study detailing what portion of homeless families need ongoing supports after housing placement and the risk factors associated with that need.