Metropolitan Homelessness Project

One Year Later ABQ Heading Home Aims to Raise The Bar

Robert Nelson — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:37:40 +0000

76 Find Places To Call Home

By Matt Andazola / Journal Staff Writer on Fri, Feb 3, 2012

One year after its launch, the Albuquerque Heading Home anti-homelessness initiative on Thursday had reason to cheer.

In February 2011, the goal of Mayor Richard Berry’s initiative was to find rental housing or apartments for 75 of the most vulnerable people in the city’s homeless population. Since then, it placed 76.

“We’ve had a good first year,” Berry said to a small crowd at an anniversary gathering Downtown. “We really have.”

One man who attended, who found a new home through the project, donated $50 of his own money to see it continue.

Because the first year was so successful, Berry said, the goal for this year is housing 90 more.

“It’s a stretch, but it’s a good stretch,” said Dennis Plummer, the project’s executive director. “It challenges us.”

By a conservative estimate, Albuquerque is home to at least 2,000 homeless people, Plummer said, referring to a January 2011 survey. In Heading Home’s own survey of 1,000 homeless people, 500 were medically vulnerable.

Of those placed in the last year, two have left the program and four have died. As these initial years go by, the program expects to see a retention rate of about 70 percent, Plummer said.

Even when people leave the housing, Plummer said, the project – a collaboration of the city, affordable housing organizations, homelessness services, nonprofits and law enforcement to find housing for medically at-risk homeless people – will continue to help them find a place to live.

Last year the project was funded by money from the city, private donations and a $1.5 million, three-year federal grant from the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Organizers hope to attract more private donations to offset the difference when the grant expires, Plummer said.

Martin Lampe (pictured above), 52, moved into his new apartment a month ago after being homeless for a year and a half. He found the apartment through Albuquerque Heading Home, a project of the city and several government and nonprofit agencies, which found homes for 76 of the city’s most at-risk homeless people. (pat vasquez-cunningham/journal)

Plummer said he’s confident Heading Home can reach the “90 more” goal this year. In part, because there’s been a surge: More than half of those housed in the last year came in the last three months.

Martin Lampe, 52, moved into his apartment a month ago after being homeless for a year and a half.

“It feels wonderful,” Lampe said, explaining that the best part of a home is the security. “You have a place to go every night.”

Stories like Lampe’s make Berry happy to have been a part of the initiative, he said. “It’s a humbling thing for me as a mayor,” he said. “I have a difficult time putting it in words.”

Berry’s office also released data from an independent study by the University of New Mexico Institute for Social Research, showing that the program makes a fiscal impact. For the first 33 people to find permanent housing, the cost of providing them emergency shelter fell 93 percent, the cost of jailing them fell 96 percent (about $43,000 per person) and the cost of outpatient care fell about 40 percent.

“There’s a lot of stigma against the homeless,” said James Coleman, who said he’d been struggling with homelessness on and off since 1998, but lost his most recent job because of the recession.

He said being in a new home, though he lives alone, has made him feel much less isolated than he has for a long time. “It’s a great relief of a lot of anguish,” he said.
— This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal

Meet Nichole Umbarger!

Robert Nelson — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:00:05 +0000

Nichole Umbarger is a program manager for Metropolitan Homelessness Project. Nichole has been with MHP since January 2011. She manages Community Voice Mail, a program that gives anyone in need a free, personal voicemail. This service allows people in need to access opportunities in employment, housing, case management, health care and communicate with family members. She also is MHP’s Exit Planner, helping those who reside in MHP’s emergency shelter find resources and housing.

Why did you choose to work in the social services field?

When I was in college I did an internship at a detox center & I felt a strong connection working with people who wanted help.

Why did you choose to work with people experiencing homelessness?

I didn’t really choose it, it chose me. I found people experiencing homelessness really just need someone who listens and wants to take part in their life by guiding them to resources that are available to them.

When did you know you wanted to do this work?

The first week I started I was hooked. I enjoy being around people who know what it takes to survive.

What inspires you about your work?

The different people I meet every day. I know that my days will never be the same because of the people.

What is Community Voice Mail and why is it a unique program?

Community Voice Mail is a private local phone number. That is a reliable way to receive private messages, and keep in contact with the community. By allowing individuals to use community voice mail for FREE, people can use it on a job application, or get the good news about housing and it allows them to become a part of society again without the stereotypes of being without a phone.

What impact does your non-profit have in the community?

Metropolitan Homelessness Project provides emergency shelter to 74 men experiencing homelessness. By allowing men to stay at the shelter for 30 days they have access to jobs & housing. By allowing individuals to know they have a safe place to sleep, they are able to focus on getting a job and finding housing. MHP is also the lead agency behind Albuquerque Heading Home, which is a program where the most 75 vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness are housed. By having these programs MHP is able to provide services to individuals who are just down on their luck, or who are chronically homeless.

What is your favorite part of our community?

My favorite part about our community is how close the social services work together. It is nice to see everyone working towards the same goal.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?

I really enjoy tea parties with my friends.

Please share a memorable story that sticks out in your mind about your time with MHP.

I don’t think it is one time that is memorable about MHP; it is more the people that are memorable. It is an honor to be able to see residents when they first get here, and watch them grow. See them get a job, get a place, buy a car. Then see them around town and they tell they are married now, doing great. Then they tell you the simplest word that mean the world to anyone who has helped someone “Thank you.” That is the most memorable things about MHP watching people changes their lives.

Sandia National Labs provides support to MHP.

david — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:28:43 +0000

ECP Campaign – OPEIU Donation

As a part of a recent ECP Campaign Sandia National Laboratories OPEIU Local 251 conducted a drive on behalf of Metropolitan Homelessness Project, one of the agencies where ECP Representatives toured. They collected 20 pairs of socks, 12 sets of twin sheets, 20 knit caps, 8 backpacks and travel sized toiletries. They also presented a $250 check from OPEIU. The items were delivered on December 7^th and were well appreciated.

Pictured from left to right: (Randy Woodcock/United Way, Diane Goins/OPEIU, Kelley Burns/OPEIU, David Sisneros/Metropolitan Homelessness Project)

Year End Postcard Out!

Robert Nelson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:00:24 +0000

Check out our latest postcard that was just sent out! The person pictured is Tim Stepetic, one of our many dedicated volunteers. A couple weeks ago, Tim sat down with our Development Director, Jennifer Metzler, to create this wonderful piece. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication, Tim. You help MHP get people home.

Lobby Day!

Robert Nelson — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:00:19 +0000

From Lisa Huval, Policy & Advocacy Director at New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness

SAVE THE DATE!

New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness – LOBBY DAY

Wednesday, January 25th

The 2012 Legislative Session will be a 30 day session and will be all about the budget. We need to make sure our legislators protect funding for programs that people rely on to exit and avoid homelessness!

Staff, volunteers, clients & board members are all invited to participate in Lobby Day. We will prepare you for Lobby Day by providing a voluntary training prior to Lobby Day, providing you with fact sheets and talking points to distribute to legislators, assigning you to a team with an experienced team captain (lobbying is more fun in groups) and assigning your team specific legislators to talk with. We’ll also have breakfast that morning as a group to go over our talking points and answer your questions.

The tentative agenda for the day is:

8:00am – 8:45am: Breakfast at the Inn of the Governors (within walking distance of the Capitol)
8:45am – 9:15am: Overview of how to lobby & NMCEH legislative priorities
9:15am: Walk up to Capitol
9:30am – 12pm: Lobbying
12pm – 12:30pm: Check-out & debrief

I know this is a hectic time of year for everyone, but I’d like to get a sense of who plans to participate and if you plan to bring others from your organizations. Please let me know if you think your organization will participate, and I’ll follow-up with you later to get a specific count of how many people from your organization will attend.

–

Lisa Huval
Policy & Advocacy Director
New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness
(505) 217-9570
www.nmceh.org

KUNM Annual Social Justice Fair

Robert Nelson — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:35 +0000

Join Metropolitan Homelessness Project at KUNM’S 3rd Annual Social Justice Fair

When: Doors open 6pm, Thursday, December 1st. Keynote is at 7pm.

Where: UNM Continuing Education Auditorium 1634 University Blvd. NE, ABQ

Cost: Free for KUNM members and $5 for non-members

KUNM’S 3rd Annual Social Justice Fair Thursday, December 1st features 20 local non-profit organizations & keynote speaker Greg Palast. We’ll have a booth at the event, so stop by and visit us! Palast will be speaking & signing his new book! There will be DOOR PRIZES! Call 505-277-0768 for more info.

2011 Albuquerque Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil

Robert Nelson — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:00:14 +0000

From New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness:

SAVE THE DATE

2011 Albuquerque Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil

Thursday, December 22nd

Join communities across the nation as we gather on the first day of winter to remember those who passed away in 2011 while homeless.

12:45pm – 1pm - Gather at the Memorial Wall at Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless (NW corner of Mountain & 1st)
1:00 pm - Begin march through downtown to First United Methodist Church
2:00pm - 3:30pm – Memorial Vigil at First United Methodist Church (SE corner of 4th & Lead)

More information will be coming soon. In the meantime if you have questions or would like to help plan the Vigil please contact Lisa Huval at Lisa-H@nmceh.org or 217-9570.
–

Lisa Huval
Policy & Advocacy Director
New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness
(505) 217-9570
www.nmceh.org

FY 2012 HUD Budget Passed into Law

Robert Nelson — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:15:18 +0000

From the National Alliance to End Homelessness:

Last week, Congress passed the final, compromise version of the fiscal year (FY) 2012 funding legislation for Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs. The President signed the measure into law on Friday.

As noted in last week’s Advocacy Update, the bill cuts funding for HUD programs. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants received $1.901 billion, which is the same amount as in FY 2011.

HEARTH Implementation

In order to fully implement the HEARTH Act, HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants needed a substantial increase for FY 2012. Despite the budget shortfall, both Congress and HUD are still intent on moving forward with parts of HEARTH implementation. The bill includes, as part of the $1.901 billion, $250 million for the new Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, of which at least $90 million is expected to go toward prevention and rapid re-housing activities. Congress also allocated sufficient resources to fund all Continuum of Care (CoC) renewals within the $1.901 billion. In its accompanying report on the final bill, Congress directed HUD to put any additional funding toward the ESG and rural housing stability programs. In addition, Congress urged HUD to publish interim CoC HEARTH Act regulations this fiscal year (by October 2012). It is unclear at this time how much total funding will be available for the ESG program or whether HUD will be running a competition this year.

To begin HEARTH implementation, HUD recently released an interim rule for the ESG program, a second funding allocation will be available for prevention and rapid re-housing activities. To help communities learn more about the interim rule and applicable lessons from HPRP, the Alliance will host a webinar on Tuesday, November 29 at 1:00 pm ET. To register for the webinar, please click here.

Overall HUD Funding

With deep cuts to the HUD budget for the second year in a row, many affordable housing programs have seen dramatic decreases in their budgets. Even as homelessness rises across the country, the overall budget constraints are expected to be tighter in the coming years. As Alliance Vice President Steve Berg notes in a recent blog post, it is clear that we all need to continue working together to do remarkable work and to share our results with policymakers. We look forward to continuing our partnership to work toward ending homelessness once and for all.

Alliance Releases Brief on Veterans Homelessness

Robert Nelson — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:00:55 +0000

Last Monday, the National Alliance to End Homelessness released a one-page brief entitled Data Point: Veteran Homelessness in the United States. The brief provides key data on homelessness among veterans as reported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) in the recent report, Veteran Homelessness: A Supplemental Report to the 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. The data shows that there are 76,000 homeless veterans on a given night and 145,000 sheltered homeless veterans over a 12-month period. The Data Point brief also provides a map with a state breakdown of the most recent point-in-time counts and rates of veteran homelessness. There is also a graphic that depicts an annual benchmarks scenario of decreases in the population of homeless veterans needed to end veteran homelessness in five years, as set by VA and HUD.

Medicaid Community Meeting

Robert Nelson — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:00:35 +0000

From Lisa Huval, Policy & Advocacy Director at New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness

Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless, along with other allies, is organizing a community meeting about Medicaid on November 9th. The organizers have invited the Governor and have a campaign underway to get her to attend. Please see the attached flier below for more info.

Flier – Medicaid Gov meeting in Nov-2011-10-24 (flyer is in English and Spanish)

Earlier this year, the Governor and the NM Human Services Department began a process to redesign Medicaid, with little meaningful input from advocates, service providers or Medicaid consumers. The re-design of Medicaid will impact current Medicaid consumers – but it will also impact all low-income New Mexicans. That is because under the Affordable Care Act, everyone under 133% of the federal poverty level will qualify for Medicaid beginning in 2014. So what happens to Medicaid right now will determine the quality and accessibility of care people have in 2014.

This is an important opportunity to tell the Governor to protect Medicaid!

I encourage you to:

1) Attend this meeting.

2) Encourage your staff and board members to attend this meeting.

3) Encourage your clients to attend this meeting and do whatever you can to help them attend.

Lisa

–

Lisa Huval
Policy & Advocacy Director
New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness
(505) 217-9570
www.nmceh.org