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March

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Elizabeth Curtis
Elizabeth Curtis
Mon, 03/31/2008

Katrina Victims Might Repay Support

Is a government contractor making people return money for housing?
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On March 29, 2008 The Boston Globe ran a story about victims of Hurricane Katrina being asked to return payments they were given by ICF International of Virginia. ICF is a private company that was hired by the federal government to run its Road Home project to help victims of Hurricane Katrina find housing and get back on their feet. Now, through no fault of their own, the housing stability of ordinary families will be jeopardized again.  read more »

Elizabeth Curtis
Elizabeth Curtis
Fri, 03/21/2008

The Housing Crisis gets Desperate

Demand continues to outpace supply
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On March 13, the Palm Beach Post in Florida reported that Boca Raton police clashed with a crowd of citizens attempting to apply for housing vouchers. Apparently a crowd of more than 500 people awaited reciept of housing voucher applications at the Local Housing Authority. The applications ran out sooner than expected, and the police wearing riot gear were sent to disperse the remaining crowd.

The crowd of mostly mothers, were forced to leave after having waited as long as 8 hours in an attempt to be put on the waiting list for housing assistance. Housing Authority officials stated they were not prepared for the volume of people that day. This is an astounding example of how desperate many of our neighbors have become in their attempt to find housing they can afford.  read more »

Elizabeth Curtis
Elizabeth Curtis
Tue, 03/18/2008

The Second Chance Act

A common barrier could become less so...
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On March 11 the U.S. Senate passed the Second Chance Act, H.R. 1593, that could help people transitioning out of Corrections systems receive the support they need.

CORI (Criminal Record Information) continues to be a serious barrier to accessing housing and employment. When those incarcerated leave the corrections system, a record of their conviction remains which can follow them for the rest of their lives. Housing providers and employers can access this information, and in many cases that leads to
the person being unable to find affordable housing or adequate employment...  read more »

Elizabeth Curtis
Elizabeth Curtis
Thu, 03/06/2008

Ending Homelessness: Video on Successes Across the Country

Check out this free video and think of ways to use it!
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Through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Alliance to End Homelessness has made a new video available to the public for free. The video can be accessed here.

The National Alliance is hoping that by offering this video for free, various groups will be able to use it for fundraising, educational purposes, and prompting discussion about how we work to end homelessness in our own communities.

What do you think of this video? Does it provide you with new information? How should United Way use it, and in what circumstances? Will you share this video with others?

Read More...   read more »

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