Homelessness: Coordination and Evaluation of Programs Are Essential
(Letter Report, 02/26/99, GAO/RCED-99-49).

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the federal approach
to meeting the needs of the homeless, focusing on: (1) identifying and
describing characteristics of the federal programs specifically
targeted, or reserved, for the homeless, and key nontargeted programs
available to assist low-income people generally; (2) identifying the
amounts and types of funding for these programs in fiscal year (FY)
1997; and (3) determining if federal agencies have coordinated their
efforts to assist homeless people and developed outcome measures for
their targeted programs.

GAO noted that: (1) 50 federal programs administered by eight federal
agencies can provide services to homeless people; (2) of the 50
programs, 16 are targeted, or reserved for the homeless, and 34 are
nontargeted, or available to low-income people generally; (3) while all
of the nontargeted programs GAO identified may serve homeless people,
the extent to which they do so is generally unknown; (4) both targeted
and nontargeted programs provide an array of services, such as housing,
health care, job training, and transportation; (5) in some cases,
programs operated by more than one agency offer the same type of
service; (6) 26 programs administered by six agencies offer food and
nutrition services, including food stamps, school lunch subsidies, and
supplements for food banks; (7) in fiscal year (FY) 1997, over $1.2
billion in obligations was reported for programs targeted to the
homeless, and about +$215 billion in obligations was reported for
nontargeted programs that serve people with low incomes, which can
include the homeless; (8) over three fourths of the funding for the
targeted programs is provided through project grants, which are
allocated to service providers and state and local governments through
formula grants; (9) information is not available on how much of the
funding for nontargeted programs is used to assist homeless people; (10)
however, a significant portion of the funding for nontargeted programs
is not used to serve the homeless; (11) about 20 percent of the funding
for nontargeted programs provided through formula grants; (12) the
remainder of the funding for nontargeted programs consists of direct
payments and project grants; (13) federal efforts to assist the homeless
are being coordinated in several ways, and many agencies have
established performance measures for their efforts; (14) some
departments administer specific programs jointly; (15) although some
coordination is occurring through the use of these mechanisms and most
agencies that administer targeted programs for the homeless have
identified crosscutting responsibilities related to homelessness under
the Government Performance and Results Act, the agencies have not yet
described how they will coordinate or consolidate their efforts at the
strategic level; and (16) most agencies have established process or
output measures for the services they provide to the homeless through
their targeted programs, but they have not consistently incorporated
results-oriented goals and outcome measures related to homelessness in
their plans.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  RCED-99-49
     TITLE:  Homelessness: Coordination and Evaluation of Programs Are 
             Essential
      DATE:  02/26/99
   SUBJECT:  Homelessness
             Housing programs
             Federal aid programs
             Program evaluation
             Performance measures
             State-administered programs
             Interagency relations
             Disadvantaged persons
             Formula grants
             Federal grants
IDENTIFIER:  Food Stamp Program
             Medicaid Program
             Head Start Program
             HUD Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program
             Summer Food Service Program for Children
             FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program
             HHS Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program
             VA Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans Program
             USDA Emergency Food Assistance Program
             Veterans Employment Program
             HUD Supportive Housing Demonstration Program
             Supplemental Security Income Program
             Job Training Partnership Act Program
             Commodity Supplemental Food Program
             HHS Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness
             USDA Homeless Children Nutrition Program
             Social Services Block Grant Program
             DOE Homeless Children and Youth Program
             Dept. of Education Homeless Children and Youth Program
             Community Services Block Grant
             HHS Transitional Living for Runaway and Homeless Youth 
             Program
             
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Cover
================================================================ COVER


Report to Congressional Committees

February 1999

HOMELESSNESS - COORDINATION AND
EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS ARE
ESSENTIAL

GAO/RCED-99-49

Homelessness

(385739)


Abbreviations
=============================================================== ABBREV

  AIDS - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
  CDBG - Community Development Block Grant
  CFDA - Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
  CHALENG - Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and
     Networking Groups
  CHIP - State Children's Health Insurance Program
  CoC - Continuum of Care
  CSBG - Community Services Block Grant
  DOD - Department of Defense
  DOL - Department of Labor
  ESG - Emergency Shelter Grants Program
  FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency
  HHS - Department of Health and Human Services
  HIV - human immunodeficiency virus
  HOME - Home Investment Partnerships Program
  HOPWA - Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS
  HUD - Department of Housing and Urban Development
  JTPA - Jobs Training Partnership Act
  PATH - Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness
  SRO - single room occupancy
  SSA - Social Security Administration
  SSBG - Social Services Block Grant
  SSI - Supplemental Security Income
  TANF - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
  USDA - Department of Agriculture
  VA - Department of Veterans Affairs
  WIC - Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,
     and Children
  MTCS -

Letter
=============================================================== LETTER


B-281203

February 26, 1999

Congressional Committees

In July 1987, the Congress passed the Stewart B.  McKinney Homeless
Assistance Act,\1 in part because of concerns that the needs of
homeless people were not being met through existing assistance
programs.  Although previous legislation had responded to homeless
people's needs for food and shelter, the McKinney Act was the first
comprehensive law designed to address the diverse needs of homeless
people.  The act encompassed both existing and new programs,
including those providing emergency food and shelter, those offering
longer-term housing and supportive services, and those designed to
demonstrate effective approaches for providing homeless people with
other services, such as physical and mental health care, education,
and job training. 

Over the years, some of the original McKinney Act programs were
consolidated or eliminated, and some new programs were added.  Today,
homeless people receive assistance through these programs, as well as
through other federal programs that were not authorized under the
McKinney Act but are nevertheless specifically targeted to serve
homeless people.  In addition, assistance is potentially available to
the homeless through nontargeted programs designed for low-income
people generally.  Yet despite the assistance available through these
various sources, homelessness persists.  Concerned that the federal
approach to meeting the needs of homeless people may not be
effective, seven Senate Committee and Subcommittee Chairmen asked us
to conduct a series of studies on this issue.  In this first study,
we agreed to (1) identify and describe characteristics of the federal
programs specifically targeted, or reserved, for the homeless, and
the key nontargeted programs available to assist low-income people
generally; (2) identify the amounts and types of funding for these
programs in fiscal year 1997; and (3) determine if federal agencies
have coordinated their efforts to assist homeless people and
developed outcome measures for their targeted programs.  We included
key nontargeted programs, such as the Food Stamp Program, Medicaid,
and Head Start, if they (1) were means tested and had reported annual
obligations of $100 million or more, (2) included homelessness as a
criterion of eligibility, (3) provided services similar to those
offered by targeted programs, or (4) were considered by agency
officials to be critical in meeting the needs of the homeless. 
Because other programs that can serve homeless people did not meet
these criteria, this report does not include all programs that can
serve homeless people. 


--------------------
\1 The McKinney Act defines a homeless person as one who (1) lacks a
fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, (2) has a primary
nighttime residence that provides temporary living accommodations, or
(3) resides in a place not designed as a regular sleeping
accommodation for humans. 


   RESULTS IN BRIEF
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :1

Fifty federal programs administered by eight federal agencies can
provide services to homeless people.  Of the 50 programs, 16 are
targeted, or reserved for the homeless, and 34 are nontargeted, or
available to low-income people generally.  While all of the
nontargeted programs we identified may serve homeless people, the
extent to which they do so is generally unknown because the primary
purpose of these programs is to serve low-income--not
homeless--people and, therefore, most of the programs do not track
the number of homeless people served.  Both targeted and nontargeted
programs provide an array of services, such as housing, health care,
job training, and transportation.  In some cases, programs operated
by more than one agency offer the same type of service.  For example,
23 programs operated by four agencies offer housing, such as
emergency shelter, transitional housing, and other housing
assistance.  Twenty-six programs administered by six agencies offer
food and nutrition services, including food stamps, school lunch
subsidies, and supplements for food banks. 

In fiscal year 1997, over $1.2 billion in obligations was reported
for programs targeted to the homeless, and roughly $215 billion in
obligations was reported for nontargeted programs that serve people
with low incomes, which can include the homeless.  Over three-fourths
of the funding for the targeted programs, such as the Health Care for
the Homeless and the Supportive Housing programs, is provided through
project grants, which are allocated to service providers.  Most of
the remainder is allocated to state and local governments through
formula grants.  Information is not available on how much of the
funding for nontargeted programs is used to assist homeless people. 
However, a significant portion of the funding for nontargeted
programs is not used to serve the homeless.  For example, a majority
of the homeless population consists of single men, who are generally
not eligible for Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income unless they
are disabled\2 or elderly, and are not eligible for Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families unless they care for dependent
children.  These programs account for about 64 percent of the funding
for nontargeted programs.  About 20 percent of the funding for
nontargeted programs consists of formula grants, such as the
Community Services Block Grant and the Community Development Block
Grant.  These formula grants are flexible funding sources that can be
used to serve the general homeless population.  The remainder of the
funding for nontargeted programs consists of direct payments, such as
those provided for the Food Stamp Program,\3 and project grants,
which support several programs that are generally available to
homeless people. 

Federal efforts to assist the homeless are being coordinated in
several ways, and many agencies have established performance measures
for their efforts, as the Government Performance and Results Act of
1993 (Results Act) requires.  For example, coordination occurs
through the Interagency Council on the Homeless, created to
coordinate the administration of programs and resources for assisting
homeless people.  Between December 1997 and November 1998, the
Council's policy group met four times.\4 In addition, some
departments administer specific programs jointly.  For instance, the
departments of Education and Health and Human Services collaborate to
provide services to school children through Health and Human
Services' Runaway and Homeless Youth Program and Education's
Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program.  Others, such as
the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans
Affairs, have policies to promote coordination at the local level. 
Although some coordination is occurring through the use of these
mechanisms and most agencies that administer targeted programs for
the homeless have identified crosscutting responsibilities related to
homelessness under the Results Act, the agencies have not yet
described how they will coordinate or consolidate their efforts at
the strategic level.  Most agencies have established process or
output measures for the services they provide to the homeless through
their targeted programs, but they have not consistently incorporated
results-oriented goals and outcome measures related to homelessness
in their plans.  For example, their plans include output measures,
such as the removal of legal obstacles to the education of homeless
youth or increases in the number of beds in transitional housing, but
not outcome measures, such as long-term employment and long-term
residence in housing. 


--------------------
\2 According to a 1991 study by James D.  Wright and Beth A.  Rubin,
about a third of the homeless are mentally disabled, about a tenth
are physically disabled, and about half are substance abusive.  In
the past, individuals with substance abuse problems could qualify for
Supplemental Security Income.  However, a provision denying SSI or
disability benefits to persons disabled solely because of addictions
became part of H.R.  3136, the Contract with America Advancement Act
(P.L.  104-121).  Also, in many states, medically needy individuals
may be eligible for assistance through Medicaid. 

\3 Although homeless people are generally eligible for food stamps,
the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
of 1996 (P.L.  104-193) had an impact on several food stamp
provisions related to homelessness.  See our discussion of the Food
Stamp Program in app.  II for additional information. 

\4 Representatives from the departments of Agriculture, Commerce
(Census Bureau), Defense, Education, Health and Human Services,
Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, Transportation, and
Veterans Affairs, as well as from the Federal Emergency Management
Administration, the General Services Administration, the Office of
Management and Budget, the Office of the Vice President, and the
Social Security Administration attended one or more of these
meetings. 


   BACKGROUND
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :2

The Stewart B.  McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (P.L.  100-77, July
1987) was the first comprehensive federal law designed to assist the
homeless. 

Although the McKinney Act authorized a number of direct assistance
programs to provide shelter and support services for the homeless, it
did not consolidate the funding for or administration of these
programs.  It did, however, establish the Interagency Council on the
Homeless to promote coordination.  Originally, the Council was
authorized by the Congress as an independent council with its own
funding, full-time executive director, and staff.  Its members were
the heads of 12 Cabinet departments (or their designees), the heads
of several other designated agencies, and the heads of other federal
entities as determined by the Council.  In 1994, however, because of
congressional concern that the Council was not effectively
coordinating a streamlined federal approach to homelessness, funds
were not appropriated for the Council and it became a voluntary
working group under the President's Domestic Policy Council.  The
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) currently staffs
the Council with a part-time executive director, two professional
staff, and one clerical staff and provides administrative funding. 

Entitlements, such as for the Food Stamp Program, are under the
control of authorizing committees and, under the appropriations
process, are mandatory.  A direct payment is financial assistance
that the federal government provides directly to recipients who
satisfy federal eligibility requirements, without placing any
restrictions on how the recipients spend the money.\5 According to
the Office of Management and Budget's Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance, formula grants are federal funds typically allocated to a
state or one of its subdivisions in accordance with a distribution
formula prescribed by law or administrative regulation, for
activities of a continuing nature not confined to a specific project. 
Project grants are provided for a fixed or known period for a
specific project or for the delivery of specific services or
products.  Nonprofit organizations and other entities usually apply
directly to agencies to receive funding for these specific types of
services. 

The Results Act establishes a formal process for holding federal
agencies accountable for their programs' performance.  It requires
these agencies to develop (1) long-term (generally 5-year) strategic
plans, the first of which were due to the Congress by September 30,
1997, and (2) annual performance plans, the first of which covered
fiscal year 1999 and were submitted to the Congress in the spring of
1998.  The annual performance plans are to (1) identify annual
performance goals and measures for each of an agency's program
activities, including those that cut across agency lines; (2) discuss
the strategies and resources needed to achieve annual performance
goals; and (3) explain what procedures the agency will use to verify
and validate its performance data.  The Office of Management and
Budget oversees the efforts of federal agencies under the Results
Act. 


--------------------
\5 An exception to this is the Food Stamp Program, which restricts
the use of benefits to eligible foods. 


   MANY PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED BY
   MULTIPLE FEDERAL AGENCIES CAN
   PROVIDE SERVICES TO HOMELESS
   PEOPLE
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :3

Eight federal agencies administer 50 programs and other resources
that can assist homeless people.  Both targeted and nontargeted
programs provide an array of services to the homeless, such as
housing, health care, job training, and transportation.  In some
instances, different programs may offer the same types of services. 
Some of the targeted programs are available to the general homeless
population, while others are reserved for specific groups within this
population, such as children and youth or veterans.  Similarly, some
of the nontargeted programs are available to the low-income
population as a whole, while others are designed exclusively for
certain low-income groups, such as youth or veterans. 


      EIGHT AGENCIES ADMINISTER
      PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES
      THAT CAN PROVIDE SERVICES TO
      HOMELESS PEOPLE
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :3.1

Eight federal agencies--the departments of Agriculture (USDA), Health
and Human Services (HHS), HUD, Education, Labor, and Veterans Affairs
(VA) and two independent agencies, the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and the Social Security Administration
(SSA)--administer 50 programs that can serve homeless people. 

In some cases, multiple agencies operate programs that provide
similar services.  For example, six agencies operate programs that
offer food and nutrition services, five agencies administer education
programs (or programs that have an educational component), and four
agencies administer housing assistance programs that can serve
homeless people. 

As table 1 shows, 16 of the 50 programs we identified are targeted,
or designed exclusively for homeless people.  Thirty-four programs
are nontargeted, or designed for a broader group of people with low
incomes and/or special needs, such as disabilities or HIV/AIDS. 
While this broader group may include homeless people, information on
the number served is generally not available.  Because eligibility
for the nontargeted programs is based on income or other criteria
unrelated to homelessness, the programs generally do not--and are not
required to--track data on the number of homeless persons served.  A
few nontargeted programs are, however, beginning to collect such
data.  For example, USDA's Summer Food Service Program tracks the
average number of children who receive meals at shelters for the
homeless during the summer,\6

and HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program
collects data on the number of homeless people served.\7 A chart of
the 50 programs and their eligible services appears in appendix I,
while detailed information about the programs appears in appendix II. 



                                Table 1
                
                 Number of Targeted and Key Nontargeted
                  Programs Administered by Each Agency

                                               Number of
                                             nontargeted
                                                programs
                                 Number of    that could
                                  programs       provide
                               targeted to   services to
                                  homeless      homeless
Agency                              people        people         Total
----------------------------  ------------  ------------  ------------
Agriculture                              1             9            10
Education                                1             1             2
FEMA                                     1             0             1
HHS                                      5            12            17
HUD                                      4             7            11
Labor                                    1             4             5
SSA                                      0             1             1
VA                                       3             0             3
======================================================================
Total                                   16            34            50
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition, federal agencies and advocacy groups identified other
resources and activities that can assist the homeless.  While these
activities are also important, we did not include them in our list of
50 programs.  Some of the activities require little or no extra
resources.  For example, the Department of Energy provides insulation
to qualifying homeless shelter dwellings, and USDA's Rural Housing
Service, HUD, and VA make foreclosed properties available to
nonprofit organizations for housing homeless people.  More
information on these resources and activities is included in appendix
III. 


--------------------
\6 During July, the month with the highest participation, the program
served an average of 1,794 children in 1995-97. 

\7 According to a HUD official, during fiscal years 1994-97, the
program served 2,859 homeless persons from the street and 1,426
homeless persons in emergency shelters. 


      PROGRAMS OFFER A WIDE RANGE
      OF SERVICES, MANY OF WHICH
      APPEAR SIMILAR
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :3.2

As table 2 indicates, both targeted and nontargeted programs can
offer a variety of services that often appear similar.  For example,
four agencies administer 23 different programs (11 targeted and 12
nontargeted) that provide some type of housing assistance, including
emergency shelter, transitional housing, and other housing
assistance. 

Similarly, six agencies administer 26 programs (11 targeted and 15
nontargeted) that deliver food and nutrition services.\8 For example,
USDA provides food and nutrition services ranging from funding for
school lunches and breakfasts to food stamps, while FEMA funds the
distribution of groceries to food pantries and food banks.  Of the 50
programs, 10 (5 targeted and 5 nontargeted) provide assistance to
prevent homelessness.  For example, FEMA's targeted Emergency Food
and Shelter Program and HHS' nontargeted Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) program can provide rental assistance to
prevent evictions, which could lead to homelessness.  HUD's
nontargeted HOPWA program also provides short-term assistance to
cover rent, mortgage and/or utility payments to prevent homelessness. 
However, the existence of programs that offer similar services does
not necessarily mean that there is duplication because the particular
services provided by each program may differ.  For example, USDA's
Homeless Children Nutrition Program\9

focuses on providing food services throughout the year to homeless
children in emergency shelters, while VA's Domiciliary Care for
Homeless Veterans program provides food only to veterans who are
involved with that program at a given time. 



                                         Table 2
                         
                          Types of Services That Can Be Provided
                             Through Targeted and Nontargeted
                                         Programs

                                               Federal agency
                   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Type of service            Educat
provided             USDA     ion    FEMA     HHS     HUD   Labor     SSA      VA   Total
-----------------  ------  ------  ------  ------  ------  ------  ------  ------  ------
Housing/shelter/        0       0       1       8      11       0       0       3      23
 rent assistance
Primary health          0       0       0      10       4       0       0       2      16
 care
Mental health           0       0       0      10       4       0       0       3      17
Substance abuse         0       0       0       9       4       0       0       3      16
 treatment
Education               0       2       0       8       4       1       0       2      17
Employment              1       0       0       4       4       5       0       2      16
 and job training
Food and               10       1       1       7       4       0       0       3      26
 nutrition
Homelessness            0       0       1       6       3       0       0       0      10
 prevention
Income support          0       0       0       2       0       0       1       0       3
Transportation          0       0       1       9       4       1       0       2      17
Case management\a       0       0       0      15       4       1       0       3      23
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a Includes counseling activities for individuals, such as conducting
an assessment of an individual's service needs; referring an
individual for, or assisting an individual in, obtaining additional
services; and following up after a client leaves the program. 


--------------------
\8 Of these, 10 are administered by USDA, 1 by Education, 1 by FEMA,
7 by HHS, 4 by HUD, and 3 by VA. 

\9 The William F.  Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of
1998 (P.L.  105-336) eliminated the Homeless Children Nutrition
Program as a separate program and transferred it to the Child and
Adult Care Food Program, effective July 1, 1999. 


      SOME PROGRAMS SERVE THE
      HOMELESS POPULATION AS A
      WHOLE, WHILE OTHERS TARGET
      SUBGROUPS
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :3.3

Some of the targeted programs are available to the general homeless
population, while others are reserved for specific groups within this
population.  Similarly, some of the nontargeted programs are
available to the low-income population as a whole, while others are
designed exclusively for certain low-income groups.\10 As table 3
indicates, four of the targeted programs, including HUD's Supportive
Housing Program and FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program, serve
the homeless population as a whole.  Five targeted programs, such as
Education's Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, serve
only homeless children and youth, and four other targeted programs,
such as VA's Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans program, serve
only homeless veterans.  Similarly, 14 nontargeted programs,
including HHS' Community Services Block Grant and USDA's Emergency
Food Assistance Program, are available to all qualifying low-income
people, while 8 programs, such as HHS' Head Start program, provide
benefits only to low-income children and youth, and 1 program,
Labor's Veterans Employment Program, provides benefits only to
veterans, including those who are homeless.  In addition, of the 16
different programs under which homeless people may be eligible to
receive one type of service--primary health care--7 programs are
available either to all homeless people or to broad groups of
low-income people.  Programs available to broad groups of low-income
people include HHS' Medicaid, Community Health Centers, and Social
Services Block Grant programs.  However, 9 of the 16 programs are
available only to groups with special needs, such as runaway youth or
veterans.  Additional information on groups served through these
programs can be found in appendix IV. 



                                Table 3
                
                  Groups Eligible to Receive Services
                    Through Targeted and Nontargeted
                                Programs

                                            Nontargeted-
                                Targeted--     -for low-
                              for homeless        income
Eligible group/subgroup             people        people         Total
----------------------------  ------------  ------------  ------------
General                                  4            14            18
Children and youth                       5             8            13
Adults                                   1             1             2
Elderly                                  0             2             2
Women and children                       0             3             3
Persons with mental                      1             1             2
 illnesses
Persons with HIV/AIDS                    1             2             3
Persons with substance abuse             1             1             2
 disorders
Veterans\a                               4             1             5
Disable persons                          1             2             3
Migrants                                 0             1             1
======================================================================
Total                                   18            36            54
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note:  The total exceeds the number of programs because some programs
provide services to more than one group or subgroup. 

\a Labor administers one of the targeted and one of the nontargeted
programs; VA administers the other three. 


--------------------
\10 Some of the programs that we have classified as serving the
low-income population generally do not serve this entire population,
but rather broad groups within it, such as women and children. 


   NONTARGETED PROGRAMS RECEIVE
   MORE FUNDING
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :4

In fiscal year 1997, $1.2 billion in obligations was reported for
programs targeted to the homeless, and about $215 billion in
obligations was reported for nontargeted programs.  While the funding
for targeted programs must be used to assist homeless people,
information on how much of the funding for nontargeted programs is
used for this purpose is not generally available.  Some of the
funding for nontargeted programs is provided through formula grants
or direct payments, while the funding for targeted programs is likely
to be provided through project grants.  Both formula and project
grants present advantages and disadvantages in serving homeless
people. 


      NONTARGETED PROGRAMS RECEIVE
      MORE FUNDING, AND AGENCIES
      ARE NOT REQUIRED TO TRACK
      HOW MUCH IS SPENT ON THE
      HOMELESS
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :4.1

In fiscal year 1997, the federal government reported obligations of
over $1.2 billion for programs targeted to the homeless.  Over
three-fourths of the funding for the targeted programs, such as the
Health Care for the Homeless and Supportive Housing programs, is
provided through project grants, which are allocated to service
providers.  Most of the remainder for targeted programs is allocated
to states and local governments through formula grants.  Of the
amount spent for targeted programs, about 70 percent was for programs
administered by HUD. 

Roughly $215 billion in obligations was reported for nontargeted
programs that serve people with low incomes, who may be homeless. 
Information is not available on how much of the funding for
nontargeted programs is used to assist homeless people.  However, a
significant portion of the funding for nontargeted programs does not
go to serving the homeless.  As figure 1 shows, in fiscal year 1997,
about 64 percent of the nontargeted funding is for Medicaid,
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and TANF, which are primarily
intended for families, the disabled, or the elderly, rather than
able-bodied single men.  However, single men make up the majority of
the homeless population.  About 20 percent of the funding for
nontargeted programs is provided through formula grants.  These
grants are flexible funding sources that can be used to serve the
general homeless population.  The remainder of the funding for
nontargeted programs consists of direct payments for the Food Stamp
Program and project grants for several programs whose services are
generally available to the homeless.  The reported obligations for
each program for fiscal years 1995-98 are shown in appendix V. 

   Figure 1:  Percentage of Fiscal
   Year 1997 Funds Allocated to
   Major Nontargeted Programs

   (See figure in printed
   edition.)

While the funding for nontargeted programs can be used to benefit the
homeless, the agencies generally do not, and are not required to,
track or report what portion is used for this purpose.  Although HHS
does not track the dollar value of the benefits that homeless people
receive through its nontargeted programs, the Secretary informed the
Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity,
House Committee on Banking and Financial Services, in an October 1997
letter, that HHS provides "billions of dollars worth of resources" to
meet the needs of low-income people, including the homeless, through
large block grants, such as TANF, as well as through other programs
for delivering mental, primary, and children's health care services
and for preventing substance abuse and domestic violence.  Officials
at other agencies, such as VA and Education, emphasized that their
programs are available to all who qualify, including the homeless,
but said that they have not tried to determine how much of the
funding for their programs is used to serve the homeless.  Officials
also said that although their nontargeted programs appear to have
sufficient resources, they are sometimes unable to serve all those
who are eligible.  For example, Labor's Director of Operations and
Programs said that the Department is not able to serve all who
qualify for its Job Training Partnership programs.  Similarly, an
official with USDA's Commodity Supplemental Food Program--which
provides food, such as peanut butter, to certain low-income
groups--said resources depend on each fiscal year's appropriation,
which determines the number of caseload slots that are available in
each state.  Once the slots are filled, no additional persons can be
served. 


      FUNDING PROCEDURES MAY
      AFFECT EFFORTS TO ASSIST
      HOMELESS PEOPLE
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :4.2

About 20 percent of the funding for nontargeted programs is provided
through formula grants, which are typically distributed to the states
according to a formula, and the states decide how to spend these
funds within federal guidelines.  Compared with some project grants,
formula grants are broader in scope, generally receive more funds,
and offer greater discretion in the use of funds.  These funds can
then be used for a variety of activities within a broad functional
area, such as social services or mental health services.  The
flexibility inherent in some formula grant programs, such as HUD's
HOPWA program, allows states and localities to define and implement
programs--that may or may not include services for the homeless--in
response to their particular needs.  Although service providers who
receive these funds often cannot identify their source, since the
funds flow through the state and/or local government, the providers
appreciate the steady flow of funds.  However, some service providers
expressed concern that because of the flexible nature of formula
grant programs, vulnerable populations, such as the homeless, are
rarely guaranteed a measure of assistance, posing a problem in
communities that do not place a priority on spending for the
homeless. 

In contrast to nontargeted programs, targeted programs are likely to
be funded through project grants.  Nine of the 16 targeted programs
are funded through such grants, while 5 are funded through formula
grants.  Two of VA's programs receive funding through the agency's
Mental Health Strategic Healthcare Group, which provides the funds
directly to VA medical centers for the programs.  Project grants
enable nonprofit organizations and service providers to apply
directly to federal agencies to receive funding for specific types of
services offered exclusively to the homeless population; however,
funding is often limited and programs are not offered at all
locations.  For example, VA's Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans
program offered resources to VA facilities that chose to implement
the program, but the Department does not require all of its
facilities to provide domiciliary care for homeless veterans. 
According to a June 1997 VA report,\11 only 35 of VA's 173 hospitals
offered this program.  In addition, the agency's Homeless Chronically
Mentally Ill Veterans program is not available in every state or
locality with a significant number of eligible homeless veterans. 
According to a 1995 HUD study, the unpredictability of competitive
grant funding levels and the varying lengths of grant awards are not
consistent with a long-term strategy for eliminating homelessness.\12
In addition, the types of projects eligible for funding may be poorly
matched to local needs, and differing eligibility and reporting
requirements across agencies present administrative complications for
service providers who receive funds from multiple project grants. 
HUD has sought to minimize the disadvantages associated with project
grants by consolidating the process of applying for its programs to
assist the homeless.  HUD also requires community service providers
to collaborate through its Continuum of Care approach, discussed
later in this report.  State coordinators and local providers of
services for the homeless in Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Vermont,
and Washington, D.C., identified HUD's targeted programs, as well as
a few of HUD's nontargeted programs, as the ones they used most
frequently to meet their state and local funding needs.  They also
cited HHS, FEMA, and Education as funding sources but were not as
familiar with these agencies' programs for assisting the homeless. 


--------------------
\11 Eighth Progress Report on the Domiciliary Care for Homeless
Veterans Program, VA, Northeast Program Evaluation Center (June
1997). 

\12 Review of Stewart B.  McKinney Homeless Programs Administered by
HUD:  Report to Congress, U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, January 1995. 


   COORDINATION IS OCCURRING AND
   PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT HAS
   BEGUN
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :5

Federal efforts to assist the homeless are coordinated in several
ways, and many agencies have established performance measures, as the
Results Act requires, for program activities designed to assist the
homeless.  Coordination can take place through (1) the Interagency
Council on the Homeless, which brings together representatives of
federal agencies that administer programs or resources that can be
used to alleviate homelessness; (2) jointly administered programs and
policies adopted by some agencies to encourage coordination; and (3)
compliance with guidance on implementing the Results Act,\13 which
requires federal agencies to identify crosscutting responsibilities,
specify in their strategic plans how they will work together to avoid
unnecessary duplication of effort, and develop appropriate
performance measures for evaluating their programs' results. 
Although coordination is occurring, agencies have not yet taken full
advantage of the Results Act's potential as a coordinating mechanism
to do much more than identify crosscutting responsibilities. 
Furthermore, although most agencies have established process or
output measures for the services they provide to the homeless through
their targeted programs, they have not consistently incorporated
results-oriented goals and outcome measures related to homelessness
in their performance plans. 


--------------------
\13 This guidance is contained in the Office of Management and
Budget's Circular A-11 (July 1998).\


      THE COUNCIL BRINGS TOGETHER
      AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.1

The Council brings agency representatives together to coordinate the
administration of programs and resources for assisting homeless
people.  The full Council, consisting of the Cabinet Secretaries or
other high-level administrators, has not met since March 1996. 
However, the Council's policy group is scheduled to meet every 2
months.  Between December 1997 and November 1998, the policy group
met four times, and staff from various agencies\14 attended one or
more of the meetings.  Among other things, the policy group is
coordinating a major survey of homeless assistance providers and
clients.  Other activities include discussing efforts to periodically
distribute a list of federal resources available to assist homeless
people; coordinating the distribution of surplus real property on
base closure property, as well as the distribution of surplus
blankets; and conducting a round table discussion with
representatives of major homeless advocacy groups.  Recently, the
group has discussed the need to better connect targeted homeless
assistance programs with nontargeted programs that provide housing,
health care, income, and social services.  While such responses to
immediate issues and exchanges of information are useful, Council
staff and the executive directors of two major homeless advocacy
groups believe that the Council lost much of its influence after the
Congress stopped its funding in 1994 and it became a voluntary
working group.  HUD acknowledges that the Council scaled back its
efforts when its staffing was reduced but maintains that the Council
is still very involved in coordinating federal efforts and sharing
information. 


--------------------
\14 USDA, Commerce (Census Bureau), Defense, Education, HHS, HUD,
Justice, Labor, Transportation, VA, SSA, GSA, FEMA, Office of
Management and Budget, and a representative from the Office of the
Vice President. 


      SOME AGENCIES ADMINISTER
      PROGRAMS JOINTLY AND HAVE
      POLICIES TO PROMOTE
      COORDINATION
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.2

Another mechanism for promoting coordination is the joint
administration of programs and resources to benefit the homeless. 
For example, VA and HUD officials collaborate on referring
appropriate homeless veterans to local housing authorities for
certain Section 8 rental assistance vouchers.  FEMA and the
Department of Defense work together to make unmarketable but edible
food available to assistance providers, and Education collaborates
with HHS to provide services to elementary and secondary school
children through HHS' Runaway and Homeless Youth and Education's
Education for Homeless Children and Youth programs.  Labor and VA
also collaborate to provide services that are intended to increase
the employability of homeless veterans.  USDA has developed a
multipurpose application form for free and reduced-price meals
provided through its children's nutrition programs that allows
households applying for meal benefits to indicate that they want
information on HHS' State Children's Health Insurance program and
Medicaid. 

Some agencies, such as HUD and VA, have adopted policies that
encourage coordination between service providers at the local level. 
For example, HUD's Continuum of Care policy promotes coordination by
encouraging service providers to take advantage of programs offered
by other agencies, as well as other HUD programs.  This policy, which
is designed to shift attention from individual programs or projects
to communitywide strategies for solving the problem of homelessness,
can be used to leverage services from many sources in a community,
according to HUD.  HUD's Continuum of Care strategy grew out of a
1994 Interagency Council report\15 that proposed to address the
diverse needs of homeless people.  According to the report, these
needs include (1) outreach and needs assessments, (2) emergency
shelters with appropriate supportive services, (3) transitional
housing with appropriate supportive services, and (4) permanent
housing.  The report recommended consolidating HUD's McKinney Act
programs and FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program into a single
HUD block grant.  VA, under its nationwide Community Homelessness
Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups program (CHALENG),
began hosting meetings to bring together public and private providers
of assistance to determine the met and unmet needs of homeless
veterans and to identify the assistance available from non-VA
providers.  While HUD and VA encourage participation by a wide array
of service providers--including those receiving both targeted and
nontargeted funding--participation varies by location. 


--------------------
\15 Priority Home:  The Federal Plan to Break the Cycle of
Homelessness, Interagency Council on the Homeless (1994). 


      AGENCIES ARE BEGINNING TO
      COORDINATE EFFORTS AND
      DEVELOP PERFORMANCE MEASURES
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.3

Most agencies that administer targeted programs for the homeless have
identified crosscutting responsibilities related to homelessness, but
few have attempted the more challenging task of describing how they
expect to coordinate their efforts with those of other agencies or to
develop common outcome measures.  Few performance plans contain
evidence of substantive coordination, and none discusses coordination
with nontargeted programs to decrease overlaps or fill gaps in
services.  For example, HUD's 1999 performance plan indicates that
the Department will work with other federal agencies to promote
self-sufficiency but does not identify all the departments or
programs through which it will do so.  This finding is not surprising
in view of the time and effort required to coordinate crosscutting
programs--an issue we have discussed in reviewing federal agencies'
implementation of the Results Act.\16 In general, we have found that
agencies have made inconsistent progress in coordinating crosscutting
programs. 

Given the large number of programs that can assist the homeless and
the multiple agencies that administer them, increased coordination--
including, ultimately, the development of common outcome
measures--could strengthen the agencies' management.  As we reported
previously, the Results Act, with its emphasis on defining missions
and expected outcomes, can provide the environment needed to begin
addressing coordination issues. 


--------------------
\16 Managing for Results:  An Agenda to Improve the Usefulness of
Agencies' Annual Performance Plans (GAO/GGD/AIMD-98-228, Sept.  8,
1998). 


      PERFORMANCE PLANS MAKE
      LIMITED USE OF OUTCOME
      MEASURES
---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :5.4

Most agencies have established process or output measures for the
services they provide to the homeless through their targeted
programs, but they have not consistently provided results-oriented
goals and outcome measures related to homelessness in their plans. 
For example, Education established process measures, but not outcome
measures, for its Education for Homeless Children and Youth program. 
Its measures include proposing changes to state and local laws to
remove obstacles to the education of homeless children and youth and
reducing barriers to school enrollment, such as lack of immunizations
and transportation.  Additionally, HHS' Projects for Assistance in
Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program has an output measure
that will encourage at least 70 percent of participating state and
local PATH-funded agencies to offer outreach services.  Output
measures also appear in HUD's fiscal year 1999 performance plan. 
Among these are increasing the number of transitional beds linked to
supportive services.  This emphasis on output measures is consistent
with the results of our reviews of agencies' annual performance plans
as a whole.  In these reviews, we also found that the plans did not
consistently contain results-oriented goals.\17

Some agencies did develop outcome measures, while others said that
they planned to include outcome measures in future performance plans
for their targeted programs.  Other agencies believe that developing
such measures would be too difficult.  For example, Labor established
an outcome measure for its targeted Homeless Veterans Reintegration
program--helping 1,800 homeless veterans find jobs.  HUD also
included an outcome measure in its plan--the percentage of homeless
people who move each year from HUD transitional housing to permanent
housing.  This measure may vary from year to year, depending on the
resources available for the program.  Finally, according to VA's
Director for Homeless Programs, the Veterans Health Administration's
performance plan for fiscal year 2000 includes two outcome measures
for veterans who have completed residential care in targeted VA
programs.  These measures set goals for the percentages of veterans
who (1) are housed in their own apartment, room, or house upon
discharge from residential treatment and (2) are employed upon
discharge from residential treatment.  USDA has not created outcome
measures for its Homeless Children Nutrition program because it
believes that the limited nature of the program would make the effort
too difficult.  In a summary of its fiscal year 1999 performance
plan, HHS said that measures of output and process are more practical
and realistic than outcome measures, particularly for annual
assessments of programs that affect people.  HHS also said that for
many health and human service programs, it is unrealistic to expect
meaningful changes in people's lives because of an individual
program.  In our assessment of HHS' plan, we noted that future plans
would be more useful and would better meet the purposes of the
Results Act if HHS made greater use of outcome goals and measures,
instead of output or process goals.  In response to our assessment,
HHS acknowledged that future performance plans should include outcome
goals and indicated that it has begun to develop them.\18


--------------------
\17 Managing for Results:  An Agenda to Improve the Usefulness of
Agencies' Annual Performance Plans (GAO/GGD/AIMD-98-228, Sept.  8,
1998). 

\18 HHS' FY 1999 Performance Plan (GAO/HEHS-98-180R, June 17, 1998). 


   CONCLUSIONS
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :6

The federal approach to assisting homeless people--a web of targeted
and nontargeted programs administered by different agencies to
deliver services to varying homeless groups--makes coordination and
evaluation essential.  The administering agencies have an
opportunity, through implementing the Results Act's guidance, to
coordinate, and evaluate the results of, their efforts to serve
homeless people.  The agencies have begun to identify crosscutting
responsibilities and will have further opportunities, in preparing
their annual performance plans, to devise strategies for coordinating
their efforts and to develop consistent outcome measures for
assessing the effectiveness of their efforts.  Providing for
effective coordination and evaluation is essential to ensure that the
federal programs available to serve homeless people are
cost-effectively achieving their desired outcomes. 


   AGENCY COMMENTS AND OUR
   EVALUATION
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :7

We provided a draft of this report to the eight federal
agencies--USDA, Education, FEMA, HHS, HUD, Labor, SSA, and VA--that
administer the programs included in this report.  HHS and HUD
provided written comments that appear in appendixes VI and VII of the
report, along with our detailed responses.  USDA, Education, Labor,
SSA, and VA provided clarifying language and technical corrections
that we incorporated into the report as appropriate.  FEMA did not
have any comments on the report. 

HHS characterized the report as a useful compilation of information
and agreed that federal agencies need to better coordinate their
efforts to serve the homeless and develop consistent outcome measures
for assessing the effectiveness of their efforts.  HHS further agreed
that this coordination must include nontargeted programs.  HHS'
primary concern was that, in quoting an HHS letter, we specify that
the "billions of dollars worth of resources" the Department provides
are not used only to meet the needs of homeless people.  We revised
our discussion to make it clear that the resources are used to
benefit many low-income groups, not only the homeless.  In response
to HHS' comment that many single homeless men are disabled and
therefore eligible for Medicaid and/or SSI, we added language to the
report indicating that disabled single homeless men may qualify for
benefits under these programs. 

HUD's major concern was that we did not fully describe the role of
the Interagency Council on the Homeless or the extent of its
activities.  After reviewing HUD's comments, we included more
examples of the Council's activities in the report.  However, it was
not the purpose of this report to give a detailed account of the
Council's activities; the Council was included as one of the
mechanisms through which federal agencies coordinate their efforts to
assist homeless people. 


   SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY
------------------------------------------------------------ Letter :8

To identify and describe the characteristics of federal programs
targeted for the homeless and the key nontargeted programs available
to low-income people generally, we developed a preliminary list of
programs using studies and evaluations by the federal agencies that
administer programs and initiatives for homeless people, as well as
information from other sources, such as the Congressional Research
Service, Government Information Services, and the Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance (CFDA).  We included all targeted programs that
the agencies identified, as well as "key" nontargeted programs.  We
defined key nontargeted programs as those that (1) were means tested
and had reported annual obligations of $100 million or more, (2)
included homelessness as a criterion of eligibility, (3) provided
services similar to those offered by targeted programs, or (4) were
considered by agency officials to be critical in meeting the needs of
the homeless.  The "types of services" and "services provided" listed
in table 2 and appendix I were those commonly included in the
descriptions of programs found in agencies' documents and the sources
listed above. 

To check the accuracy of the list of programs that we had determined
should be included in our review, we asked each agency to verify our
list before we developed our program summaries.  Agency officials
were allowed to add to, omit, or modify the list in accordance with
their knowledge of these programs.  The staff of the Interagency
Council on the Homeless verified the list of resources and
initiatives for the homeless that we included in the report.  We
obtained information on the programs and the resources and
initiatives from studies and evaluations by the federal agencies, as
well as from studies by the Congressional Research Service and CFDA. 
We also visited recognized homeless advocacy groups and service
providers and obtained testimonial and documentary information from
them about the programs and about issues and challenges associated
with homelessness. 

We identified the amount and type of funding for the targeted and
nontargeted programs from agencies' budget summaries, CFDA, and
agency officials.  We did not verify the budgetary data that we
obtained from CFDA documents.  In the report, we present data for
fiscal year 1997 to give the reader a perspective; in appendix V, we
present data for fiscal years 1995-98 to reflect the trend in
obligations for programs that serve homeless people.  From these
data, we also assessed the flow of monies from the federal agencies
to state and/or local entities.  We identified funding types, such as
formula and project grants, from agency officials and CFDA. 

To determine if federal agencies have coordinated their efforts to
assist homeless people and developed outcome measures for their
targeted programs, we reviewed the agencies' strategic and annual
performance plans to determine if each agency had (1) identified
crosscutting responsibilities or established program coordination
efforts with other agencies or (2) established performance goals and
measures.  We also obtained input from agency officials through site
visits and through studies and evaluations they provided.  Finally,
we reviewed GAO reports on the agencies' plans. 

We performed our work between May 1998 and February 1999 in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 


---------------------------------------------------------- Letter :8.1

We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional
committees; the Secretaries of Agriculture, Education, HHS, HUD,
Labor, and VA; the Director of FEMA; the Commissioner of SSA; and
other interested parties.  Copies will be made available to others on
request. 

If you have any questions, please call me at (202) 512-7631.  Major
contributors to this report are listed in appendix VIII. 

Judy A.  England-Joseph
Director, Housing and Community
 Development Issues

List of Congressional Committees

The Honorable Pete V.  Domenici
Chairman, Committee on the Budget
United States Senate

The Honorable Phil Gramm
Chairman, Committee on Banking,
 Housing, and Urban Affairs
United States Senate

The Honorable Arlen Specter
Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs
United States Senate

The Honorable Christopher S.  Bond
Chairman, Subcommittee on VA, HUD,
 and Independent Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate

The Honorable James M.  Jeffords
Chairman, Committee on Health,
 Education, Labor and Pensions
United States Senate

The Honorable Wayne Allard
Chairman, Subcommittee on Housing
 and Transportation
Committee on Banking, Housing,
 and Urban Affairs
United States Senate

The Honorable Bill Frist
Chairman, Subcommittee on Public Health
Committee on Health, Education,
 Labor and Pension
United States Senate


TYPES OF SERVICES THAT CAN BE
PROVIDED THROUGH TARGETED AND
NONTARGETED PROGRAMS
=========================================================== Appendix I



   (See figure in printed
   edition.)



   (See figure in printed
   edition.)



   (See figure in printed
   edition.)



   (See figure in printed
   edition.)


PROGRAM SUMMARIES
========================================================== Appendix II

This appendix presents information on the 50 federal programs we
identified that can serve homeless people.  These
programs--administered by the departments of Agriculture (USDA),
Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
Education, Labor, and Veterans Affairs (VA); the Federal Emergency
Management Administration (FEMA); and the Social Security
Administration (SSA)--are listed alphabetically by agency and are
grouped according to whether they are targeted to homeless people or
nontargeted. 

For each program, we identify the federal agency responsible for
administering the program, the type of program (targeted or
nontargeted), and the type of funding associated with the program. 
The primary types of funding include entitlements and direct payments
(funding provided directly to beneficiaries who satisfy federal
eligibility requirements), formula grants (funding distributed in
accordance with a formula), and project grants (funding provided
directly to applicants for specific projects).  We also provide a
brief overview of each program's (1) purpose/objective, services, and
scope (number of homeless persons served); (2) administration and
funding; (3) eligibility requirements; and (4) limitations in serving
homeless people and/or giving them access to benefits. 

We obtained the information for the summaries primarily from the
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, Guide to Federal Funding for
Governments and Nonprofits, program fact sheets and budget documents,
and agency officials.  Most of the information discussed in the
section on each program's limitations was obtained from agency
officials. 


      HOMELESS CHILDREN NUTRITION
      PROGRAM
------------------------------------------------------ Appendix II:0.1

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The Homeless Children Nutrition Program assists state and local
governments, other public entities, and private nonprofit
organizations in providing food services throughout the year to
homeless children under the age of 6 in emergency shelters.\19

Two types of statistics on program participation are collected
monthly:  enrollment and average daily participation.  Enrollment is
the total number of homeless children served by the program each
month, and average daily participation is the average number of
homeless children participating on a given day.  Because of high
client turnover in most participating shelters, enrollment is
significantly above average daily participation for most shelters. 
The average monthly enrollment for fiscal years 1995, 1996, 1997, and
1998 was 2,703; 2,761; 2,700; and 2,569, respectively.  The average
daily participation was 1,401; 1,257; 1,193; and 1,245 for the same
fiscal years, respectively. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The Homeless Children Nutrition Program is administered by private
nonprofit organizations, state or local governments, and other public
entities--all known as sponsoring organizations.  Private nonprofit
organizations may not operate more than five food service sites and
may not serve more than 300 homeless children at each site.  The
Department provides cash reimbursement directly to the sponsoring
organizations.  Payments are limited to the number of meals served to
homeless children under the age of 6 multiplied by the appropriate
rate of reimbursement.  Sponsoring organizations may receive
reimbursement for no more than four meals per day served to an
eligible child.\20

The Department gives current-year funding priority to grantees funded
during the preceding fiscal year in order to maintain the current
level of service and allocates any remaining funds to eligible
grantees for new projects or to current grantees to expand the level
of service provided in the previous fiscal year. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

All children under the age of 6 in emergency shelters where the
Homeless Children Nutrition Program is operating are eligible for
free meals. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a Homeless Children Nutrition Program official, the
Department has not identified any factors limiting the usefulness of
this program for the homeless. 


--------------------
\19 The William F.  Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of
1998 (P.L.  105-336) eliminated the Homeless Children Nutrition
Program as a separate program and transferred it to the Child and
Adult Care Food program, effective July 1, 1999.  Under the Act,
emergency shelters which serve homeless children can become eligible
participating institutions in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. 
Emergency shelters participating in the Child and Adult Care Food
Program will be eligible for reimbursement for meals served to
children residing at the shelter who are aged 12 or under or, if
migrant children, aged 15 or under. 

\20 For emergency shelters participating in the Child and Adult Care
Food Program on or after July 1, 1999, reimbursements are limited to
three meals, or two meals and a supplement, per child per day. 


      CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD
      PROGRAM
------------------------------------------------------ Appendix II:0.2

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Entitlement

Program Overview: 

The Child and Adult Care Food Program assists states, through
grants-in-aid and other means, in providing meals and snacks to
children and adults in nonresidential day care facilities.  The
program generally operates in child care centers,
outside-school-hours care centers, family and group day care homes,
and some adult day care centers. 

Information on the number of homeless persons participating in the
Child and Adult Care Food Program is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Most Child and Adult Care Food programs are administered by state
agencies.  Currently, USDA directly administers the program in
Virginia.  The Department provides funds to states through letters of
credit to reimburse eligible institutions for the costs of food
service operations, including administrative expenses.  To receive
reimbursement for free, reduced-price, and paid meals, participating
centers take income applications and count meals served, both by the
type of meal and by the recipient's type of eligibility.  Under the
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
1996, family day care homes are reimbursed under a two-tiered system
intended to better target the program's funds to low-income children. 
When a family day care home is located in an area where 50 percent of
the children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals or when the
family day care provider's household is eligible for free or
reduced-price meals, the home receives a single reimbursement rate
comparable to the free rate in centers for each meal.  Other homes
receive a lower reimbursement rate except when individual children
are determined eligible for free or reduced-price meals.  Meals for
these children are reimbursed at a higher rate. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Child and Adult Care Food programs in child care centers and homes
limit assistance to children aged 12 or under, migrant children aged
15 or under, and children with disabilities who, if over the age of
12, would be eligible to participate only in a center or home where
the majority of those enrolled are aged 18 or younger. 

In adult day care centers, functionally impaired adults aged 18 or
older and adults aged 60 or older who are not residents of an
institution are eligible to participate in the program.  Income
guidelines for free and reduced-price meals/snacks are the same as
those indicated for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast
programs. 

Homeless children or adults who meet the basic eligibility
requirements can receive benefits under the program.  In addition,
children from households eligible for assistance through the Food
Stamp Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations,
or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, as well as some children
in Head Start programs, may automatically be eligible for free meals
under the Child and Adult Care Food Program.  In addition, a person
aged 60 or older, or an individual defined as "functionally impaired"
under USDA's regulations who is a member of a household that receives
food stamps, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
benefits, Social Security, or Medicaid is eligible for free meals
through the Child and Adult Care Food Program. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a Child and Adult Care Food Program official, there are
no programmatic factors that prevent homeless children or adults, as
defined by federal regulations, from participating in this program. 


      COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD
      PROGRAM
------------------------------------------------------ Appendix II:0.3

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The objective of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program is to
improve the health and nutritional status of low-income pregnant,
postpartum, and breastfeeding women; infants; children up to the age
of 6; and persons aged 60 or older by supplementing their diets with
nutritious commodity foods. 

Information on the number of homeless persons served by the program
is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

State agencies, such as departments of health and social services,
administer this program.  The Department purchases food and makes it
available to the state agencies, along with funds to cover
administrative costs.  The state agencies store and distribute the
food to public and nonprofit private local agencies.  The local
agencies determine applicants' eligibility, give approved applicants
monthly food packages targeted to their nutritional needs, and
provide them with information on nutrition.  The local agencies also
refer applicants to other welfare and health care programs, such as
the Food Stamp Program and Medicaid. 

The Department is required by law to make 20 percent of the program's
annual appropriation and 20 percent of any carryover funds available
to the states to pay the costs of administering the program. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility:\21

Pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women; infants; and children
up to the age of 6 who are eligible for benefits under another
federal, state, or local food, health, or welfare program for
low-income persons are eligible for benefits under this program. 
Elderly persons whose incomes are at or below 130 percent of the
federal poverty guidelines are also eligible.  In addition, states
may establish nutritional risk and local residency requirements. 
Even though the program does not directly target homeless persons,
those meeting its eligibility criteria can receive benefits. 

Persons eligible for both the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and
the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC) cannot participate in both programs simultaneously. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a program official, assistance offered to homeless
persons is limited by the amount of available resources.  States are
allocated a specific number of caseload slots; that number depends on
the amount of the fiscal year appropriation for each caseload cycle. 
Once all slots have been filled, no additional persons can be served. 
In addition, no men other than those aged 60 or older can participate
in the program.  Women, infants, and children receive priority over
the elderly. 


--------------------
\21 As of May 1998, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program operated
only in AZ, CA, CO, IL, IA, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, NE, NC, NH, NM, NY,
OR, TN, the District of Columbia, the Oglala Sioux Reservation (SD),
and the Red Lake Indian Reservation (MN). 


      EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE
      PROGRAM
------------------------------------------------------ Appendix II:0.4

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The Emergency Food Assistance Program supplements the diets of
low-income persons by providing them with free, healthful foods. 
Under the program, the Department provides the states with (1)
commodity foods, such as fruits, dried beans, and canned meats, and
(2) funds to help cover the state and local costs associated with
transporting, processing, storing, and distributing the commodities
to needy persons. 

Information on the number of homeless persons served by the program
is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The Department buys the food, processes and packages it, and ships it
to the states.  The amount each state receives depends on its
low-income and unemployed populations.  The states provide the food
to local agencies for distribution to households or to organizations
that prepare and provide meals for needy people.  The states must
give at least 40 percent of the administrative grant to local
agencies. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

The states are required to match (in cash or in kind) the funds they
retain to pay state-level costs. 

Eligibility: 

Each state sets criteria for identifying households that are eligible
to receive food for home consumption.  Such criteria may, at the
state's discretion, include participation in other federal, state, or
local means tested programs.  Persons receiving benefits through the
Emergency Food Assistance Program can participate in other food
assistance programs at the same time. 

Homeless persons can benefit from the Emergency Food Assistance
Program through organizations that provide prepared meals or
distribute commodities for home use.  Homeless persons must meet
state eligibility requirements to receive food for home use. 

Organizations that distribute commodities for household consumption
can provide foods only to needy persons who meet the eligibility
criteria established by the state.  Organizations that prepare meals
are eligible for commodities if they can demonstrate that they serve
predominantly needy persons.  Persons seeking food assistance through
such organizations are not subject to a means test. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a program official, the assistance offered to homeless
persons is limited only by the amount of available resources.  The
Department allocates commodities and administrative funds among the
states on the basis of the number of needy and unemployed persons in
each state.  The value of the commodities and administrative funds
allocated to the states depends on the program's yearly
appropriation. 


      FOOD STAMP PROGRAM
------------------------------------------------------ Appendix II:0.5

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Entitlement

Program Overview: 

The Food Stamp Program is the primary source of nutrition assistance
for low-income persons.  The program's purpose is to ensure access to
a nutritious, healthful diet for low-income persons through food
assistance and nutrition education.  Food stamps, which supplement
the funds beneficiaries have to spend on food, may be used to
purchase food items at authorized food stores.  Homeless persons
eligible for food stamps may also use their benefits to purchase
prepared meals from authorized providers. 

Information on the number of homeless persons served by the program
is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism:\22

The Food Stamp Program is a federal-state partnership, in which the
federal government pays the full cost of food stamp benefits and
approximately half the states' administrative expenses.  Households
apply for benefits at their local; state; or state-supervised,
county-administered welfare offices.  The states certify eligible
households, calculate each household's allotment, monitor recipients'
eligibility, conduct optional nutrition education activities, and
conduct employment and training activities to enhance participants'
ability to obtain and keep regular employment.  Food stamp benefits
are typically dispensed on a monthly basis through electronic
issuance; the mail; and private issuance agents, such as banks, post
offices, and check cashers. 

States have the option of conducting outreach programs that target
low-income people.\23 During fiscal year 1998, four states--New York,
Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin--had optional federally approved
plans that specifically targeted homeless individuals or families. 
According to a Food Stamp Program official, other states also conduct
outreach efforts to low-income persons, including the homeless, but
use other funding sources.  Therefore, they are not required to
report their outreach efforts or target groups to the Department. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

The states are required to cover 50 percent of their administrative
costs. 

Eligibility: 

Eligibility is based on household size and income, assets, housing
costs, work requirements, and other factors.  A household is normally
defined as a group of people who live together and buy food and
prepare meals together.  Households in which all of the members
receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental
Security Income, or General Assistance are, in most cases,
automatically eligible for food stamps. 

Program Limitations: 

Food Stamp Program officials reported that several factors limit the
participation of homeless persons in the program.  First, there is a
false impression among homeless persons and the general public that a
permanent address is required to qualify for benefits.  In fact,
neither a permanent residence nor a mailing address is needed. 
Second, only a limited number of restaurants nationwide have been
authorized to accept food coupons for meals provided at a concession
price to elderly or homeless participants in the program.  Third, the
Food Stamp Act's current definition of "eligible foods," as it
relates to supermarkets and grocery stores, does not allow food stamp
recipients to purchase "hot" meals prepared by the deli departments
of such stores.  Finally, homeless persons generally have no place to
store food items purchased with food stamps.  Thus, the allotment may
not go as far for a homeless person as it does for someone with a
refrigerator and storage space. 


--------------------
\22 The Food Stamp Act contains the general provisions of the Food
Stamp Program.  The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996 (H.R.  3734, also known as the welfare
reform bill) changed the following food stamp provisions related to
homelessness:  (1) Definition of Homeless Individual - Section 805 of
H.R.  3734 changed the definition of a homeless individual and
amended Section 3(s) of the Food Stamp Act; (2) Deductions from
Income - Section 809 of H.R.  3734 indefinitely froze the maximum
homeless shelter allowance, and amended Section 5(e) of the Food
Stamp Act; and (3) Expedited Coupon Service - Section 838 of H.R. 
3734 eliminated households consisting entirely of homeless people
from those categories of households entitled to receive expedited
service, and amended Section 11(e)(9) of the Food Stamp Act.  Almost
90 percent of homeless persons still qualify for expedited service
based on their low monthly income. 

\23 The Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 provided state agencies with
the option to receive a 50 percent federal reimbursement for the cost
of outreach activities directed to low-income people, including
homeless people. 


      NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH
      PROGRAM
------------------------------------------------------ Appendix II:0.6

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Entitlement

Program Overview: 

The National School Lunch Program assists the states, through cash
grants and food donations, in making the school lunch program
available to school students and encouraging the domestic consumption
of nutritious agricultural commodities. 

Information on the number of homeless children participating in the
program is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The National School Lunch program is usually administered by state
education agencies, which operate the program through agreements with
local school districts.  Participating public or private nonprofit
schools (for students in high school or lower grades) and residential
child care institutions receive cash reimbursements and donated
commodities from state agencies for each meal they serve that meets
federal nutrition requirements. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

The states are required to contribute revenues equal to at least 30
percent of the total federal funds provided under section 4 of the
National School Lunch Act in the 1980-81 school year. 

Eligibility: 

All children, including those who are homeless, enrolled in schools
where the National School Lunch Program is operating may participate
and receive a federally subsidized lunch.  Lunch is served (1) free
to children who document that they come from households with incomes
at or below 130 percent of the poverty level and (2) at a reduced
price not to exceed 40 cents to children who document that they come
from households with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of
the poverty level.  If children are eligible for free or
reduced-price meals in the School Breakfast Program, they are
eligible for the same level of benefits in the National School Lunch
Program. 

Children from households eligible for benefits under the Food Stamp
Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, as well as some children in
Head Start programs, may automatically be eligible for free meals
under the National School Lunch Program.  Because of the difficulty
in getting homeless families to complete income eligibility
applications, school officials may directly certify homeless children
as eligible for free meals.  The officials must have direct knowledge
of the children's homelessness and evident need. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a National School Lunch Program official, there are no
programmatic factors preventing homeless children from participating
in the National School Lunch Program. 


      SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM
------------------------------------------------------ Appendix II:0.7

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Entitlement

Program Overview: 

The School Breakfast Program provides the states with cash assistance
for nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential child
care institutions. 

Information on the number of homeless children participating in the
program is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

State education agencies and local school food authorities administer
the program locally.  Participating public or private nonprofit
schools (for students in high school or lower grades) and residential
child care institutions are reimbursed by state agencies for each
meal they serve that meets federal nutrition requirements. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

All children, including those who are homeless, attending schools
where the program is operating may participate and receive a
federally subsidized breakfast.  Breakfast is served (1) free to
children who document that they come from families with incomes at or
below 130 percent of the poverty level and (2) at a reduced price,
not to exceed 30 cents, to children who document that they come from
families with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the
poverty level. 

Children from households eligible for benefits under the Food Stamp
Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, as well as some children in
Head Start programs, may automatically be eligible for free meals
under the breakfast program.  Because of the difficulty in getting
homeless families to complete income eligibility applications, school
officials may directly certify homeless children as eligible for free
meals.  The officials must have direct knowledge of the children's
homelessness and evident need. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a School Breakfast Program official, there are no
programmatic factors preventing homeless children from participating
in this program. 


      SPECIAL MILK PROGRAM
------------------------------------------------------ Appendix II:0.8

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Entitlement

Program Overview: 

The Special Milk Program provides subsidies to schools and child care
institutions to encourage the consumption of fluid milk by children. 
Homeless shelters can participate in this program and receive
reimbursement for milk they serve to homeless children. 

Information on the number of homeless children served by this program
is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The program makes funds available to state agencies to encourage the
consumption of fluid milk by children in public and private nonprofit
schools (for students in high school or lower grades), child care
centers, and similar nonprofit institutions devoted to the care and
training of children.  Milk may be provided to children either free
or at a low cost, depending on the family's income level. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

All children, including homeless children, attending schools and
institutions where the program is operating are eligible for
benefits. 

Children from households eligible for benefits under the Food Stamp
Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, as well as some children in
Head Start programs, may automatically be eligible for free milk. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a Special Milk program official, there are no
programmatic factors preventing homeless children from participating
in this program.  In fact, homeless shelters are identified in the
program's guidelines as child care institutions eligible for
participation. 


      SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL
      NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN,
      INFANTS, AND CHILDREN (WIC)
------------------------------------------------------ Appendix II:0.9

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC) provides supplemental nutritious foods, nutrition
education, and health care referrals to low-income pregnant,
postpartum, and breastfeeding women; infants; and children up to the
age of 5 determined to be at nutritional risk. 

In response to provisions of the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988,
several changes affecting the homeless were made to the WIC program's
regulations.  These changes specifically define a "homeless
individual;" identify WIC as a supplement to the Food Stamp Program
and to meals or food provided through soup kitchens, shelters, and
other emergency food assistance programs; establish conditions under
which residents in facilities and institutions for the homeless may
participate in WIC; require a description, in the state's
comprehensive plan of efforts to provide benefits to the homeless;
ensure that the special needs of the homeless are considered when
providing food packages; and authorize the states to adopt methods of
delivering benefits that accommodate the special needs of the
homeless. 

Information on the number of homeless WIC recipients/clients is not
available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The WIC program is operated through local clinics by state health
agencies.  Grants are made to state health departments or comparable
agencies that then distribute funds to participating local public or
private nonprofit health or welfare agencies.  Funds are allocated
for food benefits; nutrition services, including nutritional risk
assessments; and administrative costs. 

WIC recipients receive food through food instruments, usually
vouchers (listing the specific foods appropriate to the recipient's
status) or checks that can be redeemed at approved retail outlets. 
Participating retailers then redeem the vouchers for cash from the
WIC agency. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None.  However, some states contribute nonfederal funds in support of
a larger WIC program in their state. 

Eligibility: 

Low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women; infants;
and children up to the age of 5 are eligible for the WIC program if
they (1) are individually determined by a competent professional to
be at nutritional risk and (2) meet state-established income
requirements.  Applicants who receive, or have certain family members
who receive, benefits under Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families, or the Food Stamp Program may automatically meet WIC's
income requirements. 

Persons eligible for WIC and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program
cannot participate in both programs simultaneously. 

The WIC program's legislation establishes homelessness as a
predisposing nutritional risk condition.  Thus, categorical and
income-eligible homeless persons who lack any other documented
nutritional or medical condition are eligible for the program's
benefits. 

Program Limitations: 

WIC program officials said that because WIC is a fixed grant program,
all eligible persons will not necessarily be served.  State agencies
manage their WIC programs within their grants and seek economies in
benefit delivery to permit the maximum numbers of eligible persons to
be served.  State agencies target benefits to those who are most in
need, as defined by a regulatory priority system.  Persons who meet
income guidelines with nutritionally related medical conditions are
considered to be the most in need of benefits. 


      SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.10

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Entitlement

Program Overview: 

The Summer Food Service Program provides funds for program sponsors
to serve free, nutritious meals to children in low-income areas when
school is not in session.  In fiscal year 1997, sponsors served over
128 million meals at a total federal cost of about $243 million. 
Feeding sites for the homeless that primarily serve homeless children
may participate in this program.\24 The average number of children
who received meals at a homeless shelter during July (the month of
highest participation) in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 was 1,355;
2,032; 1,996; and 764 for the same fiscal years, respectively. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

State education agencies administer most Summer Food Service programs
at the state level, but other state agencies may also be designated. 
Participating service institutions (also called sponsors) can include
units of local government, camps, nonprofit private organizations,
and schools.  Approved sponsors operate local programs; provide meals
at a central site, such as a school or community center; and receive
reimbursement from the Department through their state agency for the
meals they serve and for their documented operating costs. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Local sponsors can qualify for reimbursement for the free meals
served to all children aged 18 or younger by operating a site in an
eligible area.  An eligible area is one in which at least 50 percent
of the children are from households with incomes at or below 185
percent of the federal poverty guidelines (i.e., households that are
eligible for free or reduced-price school meals).  Sponsors can also
qualify for reimbursement for the free meals served to all children
at sites not located in eligible areas if at least 50 percent of the
children enrolled are eligible for free or reduced-price school
lunches.  In addition, camps may be reimbursed only for meals that
are served to children who have been individually determined to be
eligible because of their household's income. 

Children from households eligible for benefits under the Food Stamp
Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, as well as some children in
Head Start programs, may automatically be eligible for free meals
under the Summer Food Service Program. 

Program Limitations: 

Summer Food Service officials reported that there are no programmatic
factors preventing homeless children from participating in this
program. 


--------------------
\24 The William F.  Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of
1998 (P.L.  105-336) transferred authority to serve sites that
primarily serve homeless children to the Child and Adult Care Food
Program, effective July 1, 1999.  Homeless feeding sites may continue
to participate in the Summer Food Service Program to the extent that
they are located in a low-income area or if 50% of the children they
serve are identified as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. 


      EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS
      CHILDREN AND YOUTH
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.11

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Education

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The objective of this program is to ensure that homeless children and
youth have equal access to the same free, appropriate public
education as other children; to provide activities and services to
ensure that these children enroll in, attend, and achieve success in
school; to establish or designate an office in each state educational
agency for coordinating the education of homeless children and youth;
to develop and implement programs for school personnel to heighten
awareness of problems specific to homeless children and youth; and to
provide grants to local educational agencies.\25

Local educational agencies may provide services such as tutoring,
remedial education, and other educational and social services for
homeless children, directly, and/or through contracts with other
service providers.  State and local educational agencies must
coordinate with the state and local housing authorities that are
responsible for preparing the comprehensive housing plan required for
federal housing and homeless programs to receive aid. 

According to an Education official, efforts to coordinate and provide
support services are essential to the enrollment, retention, and
success of homeless children and youth in school.  Therefore, all the
work of the state coordinators involves outreach and coordination so
that homeless children and youth receive appropriate educational and
support services, including Title I, Head Start, access to special
education or education for gifted children (as appropriate), health
care referrals, counseling, parenting education, free and
reduced-price meals, and other services. 

The local educational agencies that receive funds must (1) ensure
that homeless children are provided with services (e.g., school
meals) comparable to those provided to other children; (2) coordinate
with social services agencies and other agencies or programs
providing services to homeless children and youth (including services
provided under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, administered by
HHS); and (3) designate a liaison to ensure that homeless children
and youth receive the education to which they are entitled under law. 

The Department does not require the states to report the numbers of
homeless children and youth served through subgrants under the
McKinney Act program but rather to "provide the estimated number of
homeless children and youth in their state according to school
level." The program, however, has the potential to affect the
education of all homeless children and youth because its primary
purpose is to ensure that homeless children have the same equal
access to public education as all other children and youth. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

State educational agencies--including the equivalent agencies in the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the territories--are eligible
to participate in this program, as are schools supported by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs that serve Native American students.  For a
state educational agency to receive a grant under the program, the
state must submit an individual or consolidated plan to the
Department.  Each state educational agency must also ensure that
homeless students are able to participate in appropriate federal and
local food programs and before- or after-school care programs. 

Funds flow from the Department to the state educational agency
through a formula grant, and the state educational agency awards
discretionary subgrants to local educational agencies.  The average
grant to a state educational agency in fiscal year 1997 was $475,000. 
According to a senior agency official, about 3 percent of the local
educational agencies included in 1995 evaluation have subgrants. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Homeless children and youth, including preschool children, who, were
they residents of the state, would be entitled to a free, appropriate
public education. 

Program Limitations: 

According to an evaluation performed by the Department in 1995, the
largest obstacle to ensuring equitable educational services for
homeless children and youth is lack of transportation to the school
that would best meet their needs during the period of homelessness. 


--------------------
\25 A SEA is defined as the primary agency responsible for the state
supervision of public elementary and secondary schools.  An local
education agency is defined as a public board of education or other
public authority legally constituted within a State for either
administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service
function for, public elementary or secondary schools in a city,
county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of
a state, or for such combination of school districts or counties as
are recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public
elementary or secondary schools. 


      ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
      EDUCATION ACT PART A OF
      TITLE I
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.12

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Education

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

This program provides funds to support a variety of activities
designed to help educationally disadvantaged children in high-poverty
areas reach high academic standards.  These activities can include
supplemental instruction in basic and more advanced skills during the
school day; before- and after-school programs, summer school
programs, preschool programs; alternative school programs; programs
featuring home visits; parent education; and childcare. 

According to an official in the Office of Elementary and Secondary
Education, the Department first collected data on the number of
homeless children served by this program during the 1996-97 school
year.  As of October 1998, the Department was analyzing the data. 
The official also mentioned that a few states did not submit data. 

As part of its efforts to ensure homeless children's access to
mainstream programs, the Department issued formal guidance for the
Title I program to clarify that educationally deprived homeless
children are eligible to participate in the program regardless of
their current location or lack of a legal residence. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

State educational agencies and the Secretary of the Interior may
apply to the Department of Education for grants.  The Department then
makes grants to the state agencies and the Secretary using statutory
formulas.  The state agencies suballocate the grant funds to local
educational agencies on the basis of a formula that includes the best
available data on the number of children from low-income families. 
The Secretary suballocates the grant funds for Indian tribal schools. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Eligibility is based on the number of children who are failing, or
most at risk of failing, to meet challenging state academic
standards. 

Program Limitations: 

According to an official in the Office of Elementary and Secondary
Education, states may need to encourage local school districts to
implement the provision of Title I that pertains to homeless children
and youth.  Also, some Title I state coordinators reported that
record transfers remain a barrier because homeless children and youth
move frequently during the school year. 


      EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER
      PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.13

Administering Agency:  Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program supplements and expands
ongoing efforts to (1) provide food, shelter, and supportive services
for homeless or hungry individuals and (2) prevent individuals from
becoming homeless or hungry.  The program's funds are used for mass
feeding, food distribution through food pantries and food banks, mass
shelter, short-term other shelter (hotel/motel accommodations),
assistance with rent or mortgage payments to prevent evictions,
payment of the first month's rent for families and individuals
leaving shelters for more stable housing, payment of utility bills
for 1 month to prevent service shutoffs, and limited emergency
rehabilitation work on mass care facilities to bring them up to code. 

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program does not collect information
on the number of homeless persons served.  However, information is
available on the number of meals served; nights of shelter provided;
and bills paid for rent, mortgage, and utility charges. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program is governed by a national
board chaired by FEMA and includes representatives from (1) the
American Red Cross; (2) Catholic Charities, USA; (3) the Council of
Jewish Federations; (4) the National Council of the Churches of
Christ in the USA; (5) the Salvation Army; and (6) the United Way of
America.  The United Way of America serves as the Secretariat and
fiscal agent to the national board.  There are also local boards made
up of affiliates of national board members (with a local government
official replacing the FEMA representative), a homeless or formerly
homeless person, and other interested parties. 

The national board uses unemployment and poverty statistics to select
local jurisdictions (i.e., cities and counties) for funding and
determines how much funding each jurisdiction will receive.  In turn,
the local board in each area designated to receive funds assesses its
community's needs, advertises the availability of funds, establishes
local application procedures, reviews applications, selects local
nonprofit or public organizations to act as service providers, and
monitors the providers' performance under the program.  Grant funds
flow directly from the national board to the local recipient
organizations. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program targets individuals with
emergency needs.  The term "emergency" refers to economic, not
disaster-related, emergencies. 

Program Limitations: 

According to the chief of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program,
FEMA, the White House, and the Congress view this as a very
successfully administered federal program.  The program continues to
be lauded by agencies that receive funding and by recipients of
assistance.  The chief also said the reduction in the program's
funding level after fiscal year 1995 is the primary factor that
limits the program's usefulness.  In most areas of the United States,
this program is the only source of funding for the prevention of
homelessness.  When localities have depleted these funds, they have
no other source of emergency assistance for rent, mortgage or utility
bills. 

The only factor that may prevent the homeless or anyone in need from
obtaining benefits through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program is
lack of transportation to the agencies that provide the services.  In
many rural and suburban areas, transportation continues to be a
problem. 


      HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.14

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Project grants (discretionary)

Program Overview: 

The Health Care for the Homeless program awards grants to allow
grantees, directly or through contracts, to provide for the delivery
of primary health services and substance abuse services to homeless
individuals, including homeless children. 

This program emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to delivering
care to homeless persons, combining aggressive street outreach with
integrated systems of primary care, mental health and substance abuse
services, case management, and client advocacy.  Specifically, Health
Care for the Homeless programs (1) provide primary health care and
substance abuse services at locations accessible to homeless persons;
(2) provide around-the-clock access to emergency health services; (3)
refer homeless persons for necessary hospital services; (4) refer
homeless persons for needed mental health services unless these
services are provided directly; (5) conduct outreach to inform
homeless individuals of the availability of services; and (6) aid
homeless individuals in establishing eligibility for housing
assistance and services under entitlement programs.  The grants may
be used to continue to provide these services for up to 12 months to
individuals who have obtained permanent housing if services were
provided to these individuals when they were homeless. 

Health Care for the Homeless serves approximately 450,000 homeless
persons yearly. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

State and local governments, other public entities, and private
nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for Health Care for the
Homeless grants.  Health Care for the Homeless projects are
administered by federally funded community and migrant centers, inner
city hospitals, nonprofit coalitions, and local public health
departments.  The Department distributes grant awards directly to
nonprofit and public organizations. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

The program's 1996 reauthorization ended a matching requirement of $1
for every $2 of federal funds.  However, grantees that received
initial funding between 1988 and 1995 are required to maintain the
level of effort begun when the matching requirement was in place. 

Eligibility: 

The Health Care for the Homeless program serves homeless individuals
and families. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a Health Care for the Homeless official, recent federal
and state welfare changes, as well as the loss of Supplemental
Security Income benefits for individuals with substance abuse
problems, have led to a drastic increase in the number of uninsured
persons seeking Health Care for the Homeless services.  At the same
time, Health Care for the Homeless programs are facing decreases in
third-party reimbursements as many states enact Medicaid managed care
plans.  Because these managed care plans provide restricted access to
providers that may be geographically distant, homeless patients
regularly seek more accessible services "out of the plan" through the
Health Care for the Homeless program.  Patients receive care, but the
program receives no reimbursement.  Declining Medicaid reimbursement,
combined with increased numbers of uninsured persons needing
services, limits grantees' capacity to meet demand.  In some
instances, providers have been forced to turn away homeless persons
seeking Health Care for the Homeless services. 


      PROJECTS FOR ASSISTANCE IN
      TRANSITION FROM HOMELESSNESS
      (PATH)
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.15

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The PATH program provides financial assistance to states to provide a
variety of housing and social services to individuals with severe
mental illness, including those with substance abuse disorders, who
are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. 

Services funded under PATH include (1) outreach; (2) screening and
diagnostic treatment; (3) habilitation and rehabilitation services;
(4) community mental health services; (5) alcohol or drug treatment
services; (6) staff training; (7) case management; (8) supportive and
supervisory services in residential settings; (9) referrals for
primary health services, job training, and educational services; and
(10) a prescribed set of housing services.  PATH allows the states to
set their own priorities among the eligible services.  The states
cannot use more than 20 percent of their allotment for prescribed
housing services.  In addition, funds cannot be used to (1) support
emergency shelters or the construction of housing facilities, (2)
cover inpatient psychiatric or substance abuse treatment costs, or
(3) make cash payments to intended recipients of mental health or
substance abuse services. 

During fiscal years 1995 through 1997, the PATH program served
125,947; 76,395; and 62,112 homeless persons, respectively. 
Information for fiscal year 1998 was not available during our review. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The Department provides grants to states that, in turn, make
subgrants to local public and private nonprofit organizations. 
Eligible nonprofit subgrantees include community-based veterans
organizations and other community organizations. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

Grantees must contribute $1 in cash or in kind for every $3 in
federal funds. 

Eligibility: 

The PATH program targets persons with mental illness, including those
with substance abuse disorders, who are homeless or at risk of
becoming homeless. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a PATH official, the program cannot meet the demand for
its services from eligible persons.  Therefore, the program specially
targets those who are most in need.  Other factors limiting the
program's effectiveness include a lack of affordable housing;
difficulties for clients in gaining access to health and entitlement
benefits (because of limitations on eligibility, problems in
obtaining necessary documentation, or inability to follow through on
application processes); limitations on coverage under health and
entitlement programs; and limitations on the availability of mental
health resources. 


      RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH -
      BASIC CENTER
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.16

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Project grants (discretionary)

Program Overview: 

The Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center program provides grantees
with financial assistance to establish or strengthen community-based
centers that address the immediate needs of runaway and homeless
youth and their families.  The program offers young runaways a system
of care outside the traditional child protective services, law
enforcement, and juvenile justice agencies.  Basic centers provide
services such as emergency shelter, food, clothing, counseling,
referrals for health care, outreach, aftercare services, and
recreational activities. 

During fiscal year 1997, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center
and Transitional Living programs provided services to 83,359 homeless
youth.\26

The Department did not collect this information during fiscal years
1995 and 1996.  Information for fiscal year 1998 was not available at
the time of our review. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Grants are provided to local public and private or nonprofit
agencies, as well as to coordinated networks of such agencies. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

The grantee must match 10 percent of the federal grant, either in
cash or in kind. 

Eligibility: 

Runway and homeless youth and their families are eligible for
benefits. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a program official, funding levels severely limit the
types and duration of services that can be offered to young people. 
Basic centers may house youth for only 15 days, a period that is
often not long enough to locate a longer-term alternative for youth
who cannot return to their family home or to ensure that youth who
are returned home will be safe.  In addition, because of funding
limitations, the centers are often full and most Transitional Living
programs have waiting lists. 


--------------------
\26 The Department does not maintain separate data on the number of
homeless youth served by each program. 


      RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH -
      EDUCATION AND PREVENTION
      GRANTS TO REDUCE SEXUAL
      ABUSE OF RUNAWAY, HOMELESS,
      AND STREET YOUTH
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.17

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Project grants (discretionary)

Program Description: 

Education and Prevention Grants to Reduce Sexual Abuse of Runaway,
Homeless, and Street Youth (Street Outreach Program) fund
street-based education and outreach, emergency shelter, and related
services for runaway and homeless youth and youth on the streets who
have been, or are at risk of being, sexually exploited and abused. 
Street-based outreach activities are designed to reach those youth
who do not benefit from traditional programs because they stay away
from shelters.  Services provided through the program include
survival aid, emergency shelters, street-based education and
outreach, individual assessments, treatment and counseling,
prevention and education activities, information and referrals,
crisis intervention, and follow-up support. 

The Department does not collect data on the number of homeless youth
served through the program.  However, information is available on the
number of youth contacted through street outreach efforts. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The Department awards grants to private nonprofit agencies to provide
outreach services designed to build relationships between grantee
staff and street youth.  These agencies provide services directly or
in collaboration with other agencies. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

The grantee must provide 10 percent of the federal grant in cash or
in kind. 

Eligibility: 

Adolescents up to the age of 24 who are living on the streets are
eligible for the program's benefits. 

Program Limitations: 

The Department's comments on this program appear in our discussion of
the Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center programs. 


      RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH -
      TRANSITIONAL LIVING PROGRAM
      FOR OLDER HOMELESS YOUTH
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.18

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Project grants (discretionary)

Program Description: 

The Transitional Living Program for Older Homeless Youth supports
projects that provide longer-term residential services to homeless
youth aged 16 to 21 for up to 18 months to help them make a
successful transition to self-sufficient living.  These services
include (1) basic life skill building, (2) interpersonal skill
building, (3) career counseling, (4) mental health care, (5)
educational opportunities, and (6) physical health care. 

During fiscal year 1997, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center
and Transitional Living programs provided services to 83,359 homeless
youth.\27

The Department did not collect this information during fiscal years
1995 and 1996.  Information for fiscal year 1998 was not available at
the time of our review. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The Transitional Living Program provides grants to local public and
private organizations to address the shelter and service needs of
homeless youth. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

Grantees must provide 10 percent of the federal grant in cash or in
kind. 

Eligibility: 

The Transitional Living Program targets homeless youth aged 16 to 21. 
A homeless youth accepted into the program is eligible to receive
shelter and services continuously for up to 18 months. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a program official, most Transitional Living programs
have waiting lists because the number that can be funded with current
resources is limited. 


--------------------
\27 The Department does not maintain separate data on the number of
homeless youth served by each program. 


      COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.19

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Project grants
(discretionary)

Program Overview: 

The Community Health Center program supports the development and
operation of community health centers, which provide preventive and
primary health care services, supplemental health and support
services, and environmental health services to medically underserved
areas/populations. 

Although the Health Care for the Homeless program is specifically
designed to serve the homeless population, many community health
centers serve homeless individuals and have internal programs for
this purpose. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Any public agency or private nonprofit organization with a governing
board, a majority of whose members are users of the center's
services, is eligible to apply for a project grant to establish and
operate a community health center in a medically underserved area. 
Public or private nonprofit organizations may also apply for grants
to provide technical assistance to community health centers. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None.  However, grantees are expected to have nonfederal revenue
sources. 

Eligibility: 

Population groups in medically underserved areas are eligible for
services provided by community health centers.  Criteria for
determining whether an area is medically underserved include, among
others, a high rate of poverty or infant mortality, a limited supply
of primary care providers, and a significant number of elderly
persons. 

Program Limitations: 

A program official reported that there are no factors preventing
homeless people from gaining access to community health centers. 


      COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK
      GRANT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.20

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The Community Services Block Grant program provides block grants to
states, territories and Indian tribes for services and activities to
reduce poverty.  Block grants give states flexibility to tailor their
programs to the particular service needs of their communities. 
Activities designed to assist low-income participants, including
homeless individuals and families, are acceptable under this program. 
Eligible services include employment, education, housing assistance,
nutrition, energy, emergency, and health services. 

The Department does not collect data on the number of homeless
persons served by this program. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Each state submits an annual application and certifies that it agrees
to provide (1) a range of services and activities having a measurable
and potentially major impact on causes of poverty in communities
where poverty is an acute problem and (2) activities designed to help
low-income participants become self-sufficient. 

States make grants to locally based nonprofit community action
agencies and other eligible entities that provide services to
low-income individuals and families.  States are required to use at
least 90 percent of their allocations for grants to community action
agencies and other eligible organizations. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Community Services Block Grant programs are targeted at the poor and
near-poor, and need is the primary criterion for eligibility.  In
general, beneficiaries of programs funded by these block grants must
have incomes no higher than those set forth in the federal poverty
income guidelines. 

Program Limitations: 

The Department did not identify any factors limiting the usefulness
of this program for homeless persons. 


      HEAD START
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.21

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Project grants
(discretionary)

Program Overview: 

The Head Start program provides comprehensive health, educational,
nutritional, social, and other services primarily to preschool
children from low-income families.  The program fosters the
development of children and enables them to deal more effectively
with both their present environment and later responsibilities in
school and community life.  Head Start programs emphasize cognitive
and language development and socio-emotional development to enable
each child to develop and realize his or her highest potential.  Head
Start children also receive comprehensive health services, including
immunizations, physical and dental exams and treatment, and
nutritional services.  In addition, the program emphasizes the
significant involvement of parents in their children's development. 
Parents can make progress toward their educational, literacy, and
employment goals by training for jobs and working in Head Start. 

While all Head Start programs are committed to meeting the needs of
homeless children and families, 16 Head Start programs were selected
in a national demonstration competition to target children who are
homeless.  Head Start has provided $3.2 million a year since 1993 to
these 16 programs.  The Department plans to issue a final report
detailing the key lessons learned from the demonstration programs in
late 1998 or early 1999. 

During the last 4 program years, approximately 50 percent of local
Head Start programs reported that they undertook special initiatives
to serve homeless children and their families.  However, at this
time, information on the number of homeless persons served is not
collected nationally. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Head Start funds are awarded directly to local public and private
nonprofit agencies, such as school systems, city and/or county
governments, Indian tribes, and social service agencies. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

Grantees must provide 20 percent of the program's total cost. 

Eligibility: 

The Head Start program is primarily for preschool children between
the ages of 3 and 5 from low-income families.  However, children
under the age of 3 from low-income families may be eligible for the
Early Head Start program.  At least 90 percent of Head Start
participants must come from families with incomes at or below set
poverty guidelines.  At least 10 percent of the enrollment
opportunities in each program must be made available to children with
disabilities. 

Program Limitations: 

A Head Start program official reported that while there are a number
of effective approaches to serving homeless families, the efficacy of
any particular approach often depends on the local community's
resources, policies, and service delivery systems for homeless
families.  The official also reported that, according to grantees,
Head Start has a critical role to play in serving homeless families,
and in many communities it may be the only program serving homeless
families that focuses on children as well as families.  In addition,
because Head Start employs a family-based, comprehensive approach to
serving families, it is in a unique position to provide the multiple
services homeless families require.  A key lesson learned from the
Head Start Homeless Demonstration Projects is that Head Start
programs cannot "do it all." Collaboration with other agencies
serving homeless families was and is critical to the success of each
project. 


      MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
      SERVICES BLOCK GRANT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.22

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Program supports
states' activities to improve the health status of pregnant women,
mothers, infants, and children.  The program is designed to address
key health issues for low-income women and their children, including
reducing the rate of infant mortality and disabling diseases among
women and children.  Information on the number of homeless persons
served through this program is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

States receive grants from the federal government and may make
subgrants to public or private nonprofit organizations.  States are
required to use at least 30 percent of their block grant allocations
to develop systems of care for preventive and care services for
children and 30 percent for services for children with special needs. 
Approximately 30 percent may be used, at the state's discretion, for
services for either of these groups or for other appropriate maternal
and child health services, including preventive and primary care
services for pregnant women, mothers, and infants up to 1 year old. 
Spending for administrative costs is capped at 10 percent. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

States or localities must provide $3 for every $4 of federal funds. 

Eligibility: 

The Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant program targets
pregnant women, mothers, infants and children, and children with
special health care needs, particularly those from low-income
families (i.e, families whose income is below 100 percent of the
federal poverty guidelines). 

Program Limitations: 

A Maternal and Child Health Services program official reported that
there are no factors preventing homeless people from gaining access
to programs funded by the block grant. 


      MEDICAID
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.23

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Entitlement

Program Overview: 

The Medicaid program provides financial assistance to states for
payments of medical assistance on behalf of aged, blind, and disabled
individuals, including recipients of Supplemental Security Income
payments, families with dependent children, and special groups of
pregnant women and children who meet income and resource
requirements.  Medicaid is the largest program providing medical and
health-related services to America's poorest people. 

For certain eligibility groups known as the categorically needy,
states must provide the following services:  in- and out-patient
hospital services; physician services; medical and surgical dental
services; nursing facility services for individuals aged 21 or older;
home health care for persons eligible for nursing facility services;
family planning services and supplies; rural health clinic services
and any other ambulatory services offered by a rural health clinic
that are otherwise covered under the state plan; laboratory and X-ray
services; federally qualified health center services; nurse-midwife
services (to the extent authorized under state law); and early and
periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment services for individuals
under the age of 21. 

Information on the number of homeless persons served by the Medicaid
program is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Within broad national guidelines, each state (1) administers its own
program; (2) establishes its own eligibility standards; (3)
determines the type, amount, duration, and scope of services; and (4)
sets the rate of payment for services.  Thus, the Medicaid program
varies considerably from state to state, as well as within each
state, over time.  State and local Medicaid agencies operate the
program under an HHS-approved Medicaid state plan. 

The Department matches state expenditures for services provided to
eligible beneficiaries at a rate established by formula.  Under the
Social Security Act, the federal share for medical services may range
from 50 percent to 83 percent.  Medicaid payments are made directly
by the states to the health care provider or health plan for services
rendered to beneficiaries.  The Department also matches
administrative expenses for all states at a rate of 50 percent except
for some specifically identified administrative expenses, which are
matched at enhanced rates.  Among the expenses eligible for enhanced
funding are those for operating an approved Medicaid Management
Information System for reimbursing providers for services. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

States are required to match federal funds expended for covered
medical services to beneficiaries at a rate established by formula. 
Some states require local governments to provide part of the state
matching funds. 

Eligibility: 

Low-income persons who are over the age of 65, blind, or disabled;
members of families with dependent children; low-income children and
pregnant women; and certain Medicare beneficiaries who meet income
and resource requirements are eligible for benefits.  Also, in many
states, medically needy individuals may be eligible for medical
assistance.  Eligibility is determined by the states in accordance
with federal regulations.  The states have some discretion in
determining the groups their Medicaid programs will cover and the
financial criteria for Medicaid eligibility. 

In all but a few states, persons receiving Supplemental Security
Income are automatically eligible for Medicaid. 

Program Limitations: 

The Department did not identify any factors limiting the usefulness
of this program for homeless persons. 


      MENTAL HEALTH PERFORMANCE
      PARTNERSHIP BLOCK GRANT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.24

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

Mental Health Performance Partnership Block Grants assist states in
creating comprehensive, community-based systems of care for adults
with serious mental illnesses and children with severe emotional
disturbances.  In order to receive block grant funds, states must
submit plans that, among other things, provide for the establishment
and implementation of a program of outreach to, and services for,
such individuals who are homeless.  The plans must include health and
mental health, rehabilitation, employment, housing, educational,
medical and dental, and other supportive services, as well as case
management services.  States primarily use PATH and other limited
available funds to establish and implement their plans for outreach
to the homeless. 

Information is not available on the number of homeless adults with
serious mental illnesses and homeless children with severe emotional
disturbances served by this program. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Funds are used at the discretion of the state to achieve the
program's objectives.  States carry out their block grant activities
through grants or contracts with a variety of community-based
organizations, such as community mental health centers, child mental
health centers, and mental health primary consumer-directed
organizations. 

The Department uses 5 percent of the block grant funds for technical
assistance to states, data collection, and program evaluation. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

States have flexibility in allocating their block grant funds.  While
funds may not be identified explicitly for services to the homeless,
most state mental health agencies do provide services for homeless
adults with serious mental illnesses and homeless children with
severe emotional disturbances. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a program official, the demand for public mental health
services exceeds the ability of many programs to serve all eligible
persons.  Therefore, programs generally target services to
high-priority populations.  Many states and communities are faced
with significant needs among various high-priority populations, and
many states have identified significant gaps in services--such as
services related to the criminal justice system and transitional
services for children moving to adulthood.  Gaps in these service
areas may contribute to homelessness in some communities. 


      MIGRANT HEALTH CENTERS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.25

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Project grants

Program Overview: 

Migrant health centers support the planning and delivery of health
services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families as
they move and work. 

In some cases, migrant farmworkers are considered as homeless for at
least a portion of their work year, since housing is usually not
guaranteed with employment. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Migrant health centers make grants to public and private nonprofit
entities for the planning and delivery of health care services to
medically underserved migrants and seasonal farmworkers.  This
program is closely related to the Community Health Centers program. 
In fact, the majority of the grantees under the Migrant Health
Centers program also receive funds through the Community Health
Centers program. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Migratory and seasonal agricultural workers and their families are
eligible for services. 

Program Limitations: 

A program official reported that the Migrant Health Centers program
encourages centers to undertake farmworker housing projects. 
However, only a few centers have pursued this option.  As a result,
most centers are not in a position to assist farmworkers with housing
issues. 


      RYAN WHITE CARE ACT TITLES I
      AND II
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.26

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula and project grants

Program Overview: 

The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act (Ryan White
CARE Act) provides assistance to states, eligible metropolitan areas,
and service providers to improve the quality and availability of care
for individuals and families living with the Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) through
seven different programs that target specific aspects of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. 

Title I of the act provides substantial emergency resources to
metropolitan areas facing high HIV/AIDS caseloads to develop and
operate programs that provide an effective, appropriate, and
cost-efficient continuum of health care and support services for
individuals and families living with HIV.  Title II of the act
enables states to improve the quality, availability, and organization
of health and support services for individuals infected with HIV and
their families. 

Titles I and II receive the most funds and provide services to
low-income, underserved, vulnerable populations, such as the
homeless, who are infected with HIV/AIDS.  The services provided
include health care services and support services, such as housing
referrals, case management, outpatient health services, emergency
housing assistance, and assistance associated with residential health
care delivery--for example, residential substance abuse care. 

Information on the number of homeless persons served through titles I
and II of the act is not available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Under title I, eligible metropolitan areas receive formula grants
based on the estimated number of people infected with HIV who are
living in the metropolitan area.  The remaining funds available after
the formula grant amounts are determined are distributed as
supplemental grants through a discretionary mechanism established by
the Secretary of HHS.  Title I grants are awarded to the chief
elected official of the city or county that administers the health
agency providing services to the greatest number of people living
with HIV in the eligible metropolitan area.  Title II grants are also
determined by formula and are awarded to the state agency designated
by the governor to administer the title II program, usually the
health department.  The use of the program's funds is authorized only
after all other funding sources have been exhausted. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

Title I - None. 

Title II - States with a confirmed number of AIDS cases that exceeds
1 percent of the aggregate number of cases in the United States for
the 2-year period preceding the fiscal year for which the state is
applying for funds are subject to a matching requirement.  The
matching requirement increases each year of the grant cycle.  In the
first fiscal year of participation, states must provide at least $1
for every $5 of federal funds; in the second fiscal year, $1 for
every $4; in the third fiscal year, $1 for every $3; and in the
fourth and subsequent fiscal years, $1 for every $2 of federal funds. 

Eligibility: 

Low-income, uninsured, and underinsured HIV-infected individuals and
their families may be eligible for services funded through titles I
and II. 

Program Limitations: 

A program official reported that program priorities for titles I and
II of the Ryan White CARE Act are determined locally and are based on
local assessments of the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. 
Resources may not be adequate to meet all needs; therefore, important
services may not be provided. 

Also, according to the official, adequate housing for persons living
with HIV/AIDS remains a critical need and a major service gap in many
eligible metropolitan areas and states.  While inadequate housing is
a major problem for persons living in poverty, this problem is
magnified for persons living with HIV.  In many areas, the stock of
affordable housing is not growing, but the proportion of persons with
HIV living in poverty continues to grow.  To meet varying needs, a
range of services may be required to help such persons locate,
maintain and/or retain housing.  Homelessness not only affects basic
health and dignity but also disrupts access to services and makes
continuing compliance with medication regimens very difficult.  The
costs of providing housing assistance are high, and collaboration
among agencies and programs is needed to make more adequate housing
available for persons with HIV/AIDS. 


      SOCIAL SERVICES BLOCK GRANT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.27

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

Social Services Block Grants (SSBG) enable each state to furnish
social services best suited to the needs of its residents.  The
grants are designed to (1) reduce or eliminate dependency; (2)
achieve or maintain self-sufficiency; (3) help prevent the neglect,
abuse, or exploitation of children and adults; (4) prevent or reduce
inappropriate institutional care; and (5) secure admission or
referral for institutional care when other forms of care are not
appropriate. 

Each state determines which of 28 services included in an SSBG index
will be provided and how the funds will be distributed.  Services
that may be supported with SSBG funds are transportation, case
management, education and training, employment, counseling, housing,
substance abuse, and adoption services; congregate meals; day care;
family planning services; foster care services for adults and
children; health-related and home-based services; home-delivered
meals; independent/transitional living information and referral;
legal, pregnancy and parenting, and prevention/intervention services;
protective services for children and adults; recreational services;
residential treatment; and special services for youth at risk and
disabled persons. 

The Department does not collect data on the number of homeless
persons served by this program. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Grant funds are determined by a statutory formula based on each
state's population.  Local government agencies and private
organizations may receive subgrants.  States may also contract with
local service providers to supply the range of services allowed under
the program. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Each state determines the services that will be provided and the
individuals that will be eligible to receive services. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a program official, the ability of the SSBG program to
serve the homeless is limited by the discretionary nature of states
as independent program entities, the lack of an index service for or
explicit emphasis on the homeless within the SSBG index, and
objectives (1) and (2) of the legislative program.  These objectives,
which support efforts to prevent, reduce, or eliminate dependency,
encourage the use of SSBG funds to assist persons whose existing
housing is threatened rather than those who are already homeless. 
While SSBG funds can be used as a stopgap to prevent further
homelessness, they cannot be used to provide housing for the
homeless. 


      STATE CHILDREN'S HEALTH
      INSURANCE PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.28

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides funds
to states to enable them to initiate and expand child health
assistance to uninsured, low-income children. 

Information on the number of homeless children served by CHIP is not
available. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Any state applying for CHIP funds must submit and have approved by
the Secretary of HHS a state child health plan that includes certain
eligibility standards to ensure that only targeted low-income
children are provided assistance under the plan.  The plan must also
indicate what share of the costs, if any, will be charged by the
state.  The plan may not exclude coverage for preexisting conditions. 
The states may spend up to 10 percent of their total CHIP funds on
administrative activities, including outreach to identify and enroll
eligible children in the program. 

The final allotment for a state's CHIP plan is based on (1) the
number of low-income, uninsured children in the state and (2) the
state's cost factor.  A state-specific percentage is determined on
the basis of these two factors for each state with an approved CHIP
plan.  A state's final allotment for the fiscal year is determined by
multiplying the state-specific percentage for each approved CHIP plan
by the total national amount available for allotment to all states. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

The amount each state pays varies with the state's federal medical
assistance percentages used in the Medicaid program.  No state pays
more than 35 percent. 

Eligibility: 

CHIP targets children who have been determined eligible by the state
for child health assistance under the state's plan; low-income
children; children whose family income exceeds Medicaid's applicable
income level but is not more than 50 percentage points above that
income level; and children who are not eligible for medical
assistance under Medicaid or are not covered under a group health or
other health insurance plan. 

When a state determines through CHIP screening that a child is
eligible for Medicaid, the state is required to enroll the child in
the Medicaid program.  In addition, the state is expected to
coordinate with other public and private programs providing
creditable health coverage for low-income children. 

Program Limitations: 

According to a program official, there may be barriers at the state
level in both CHIP and Medicaid.  For example, documentation and
verification requirements vary from state to state.  Furthermore, a
limitation exists under the Medicaid side of the CHIP program related
to presumptive eligibility, a temporary status that allows a person
to receive care immediately if he/she appears to be eligible on the
basis of a statement of income.  The statute limits who can determine
presumptive eligibility.  Currently, most providers and shelters
serving the homeless are not included in the statute as entities that
can determine presumptive eligibility, even though they interact with
homeless children daily. 


      SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION
      AND TREATMENT BLOCK GRANT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.29

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant program
provides financial assistance to states and territories for planning,
implementing, and evaluating activities to prevent and treat
substance abuse. 

Information on the number of homeless persons served through this
program is not available because states are not required to routinely
provide the Department with information on the numbers of
individuals, including homeless individuals, receiving treatment
under the program. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

States receive grant awards directly from the Department on the basis
of a congressionally mandated formula.  States may provide prevention
and treatment services directly or may enter into subcontracts with
public or private nonprofit entities for the provision of services. 
Under this program, grantees are required to spend at least 35
percent of their total annual allocation for alcohol prevention and
treatment activities; at least 35 percent for prevention and
treatment activities related to other drugs; and at least 20 percent
for primary prevention programs geared toward individuals who do not
require treatment for substance abuse.  A maximum of 5 percent of a
grant may be used to finance administrative costs. 

Primary prevention programs must provide eligible individuals with
education and counseling about substance abuse and must provide
activities that reduce the risk of abuse by these individuals.  In
establishing prevention programs, states must give priority to
programs serving populations at risk of developing a pattern of
substance abuse. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

All individuals suffering from alcohol and other drug abuse,
including homeless individuals with substance abuse disorders, are
eligible for services. 

Program Limitations: 

The Department did not identify any limitations. 


      TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
      NEEDY FAMILIES
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.30

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Block grant

Program Overview: 

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a fixed block grant
for state-designed programs of time-limited and work-conditional aid
to families with children.  Title I of P.L.  104-193, the Personal
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,
created the TANF program.  This legislation repealed the Aid to
Families with Dependent Children, Emergency Assistance, and Job
Opportunities and Basic Skills Training programs and replaced them
with a single block grant to states.  All states were required to
implement TANF by July 1, 1997. 

Under TANF, cash grants, work opportunities, and other services are
provided to needy families with children.  TANF funds are used to (1)
provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared
for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives; (2) end the
dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job
preparation, work, and marriage; (3) prevent and reduce the incidence
of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals
for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies; and
(4) encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. 

In reference to serving homeless populations, TANF program officials
reported that P.L.  104-193 gives states the flexibility to design
programs that cover the circumstances and meet the needs of their
populations.  Providing emergency shelter and other services to help
families overcome homelessness is permitted under the statute, and a
number of states are engaged in this effort.  According to a March
1988 report on TANF and services for the homeless, 19 states' TANF
programs provide targeted cash benefits or services to the homeless,
while 29 states' TANF programs provide cash benefits or services to
families at risk of becoming homeless. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

TANF explicitly permits states to administer benefits directly or to
provide services through contracts with charitable, religious, or
private organizations.  Although states have wide flexibility to
determine their own eligibility criteria, benefit levels, and the
types of services and benefits available to TANF recipients, their
programs must adhere to a variety of federal requirements. 

The Department provides states with TANF funding primarily through
State Family Assistance Grants.  Certain federal conditions are
attached to the grants.  For example, to receive full grants, states
must achieve minimum work participation rates and spend a certain sum
of their own funds on behalf of eligible families (i.e., the
"maintenance-of-effort" rule).  States must maintain at least 80
percent of their own historic spending levels (75 percent if they
meet TANF's work participation requirements) or suffer a financial
penalty.  Moreover, states must impose a general 5-year time limit on
TANF-funded benefits.  In addition, states may transfer a limited
portion of their federal TANF grant for a fiscal year to the Child
Care and Development Block Grant and the Social Services Block Grant
programs. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

TANF beneficiaries are needy families with children whose eligibility
is determined by the state.  Because states may design their own
assistance programs, eligibility criteria vary from state to state. 
States must, however, adhere to federal requirements.  For example,
under federal requirements, persons eligible to receive TANF
assistance through state programs are families that include a minor
child who resides with a custodial parent or other adult caretaker
relative of the child.  States may also cover pregnant individuals. 

Program Limitations: 

According to TANF program officials, there are no statutory factors
that limit the use of the TANF program for homeless families.  These
officials were not aware of any statutory provisions or program
design decisions on the part of states that prohibit homeless
families from obtaining TANF benefits.  However, the officials did
report that many states face the challenge of trying to stabilize
homeless families in permanent living arrangements while encouraging
the move to self-sufficiency before the program's time-limited
benefits expire. 


      EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS
      PROGRAM (ESG)
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.31

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

This is one of the principal formula grant programs to state and
local governments under the McKinney Act.  It is also one of the
oldest and most widely used.  There are four major categories of
eligible activities:  the renovation, major rehabilitation, or
conversion of buildings for use as emergency shelters or transitional
housing for homeless persons; the provision of up to 30 percent of
the grant for essential social services (the Secretary may waive the
30-percent limit on essential services); the payment of operating
costs of facilities for the homeless (but no more than 10 percent of
the grant may be used for management costs); and the provision of up
to 30 percent of the grant for activities to prevent homelessness. 

According to HUD's estimates, grants under this program served
574,000 persons in fiscal year 1995, 420,000 in fiscal year 1996, and
420,000 in fiscal year 1997. 

The principal mechanism for coordinating and integrating this program
is the consolidated plan, a document required and approved by HUD
that describes what the community needs to assist the homeless,
details available resources, and provides a 5-year plan and an annual
action plan.  According to a HUD division director, the process of
developing this plan and using it to allocate funds from formula
grant programs such as ESG gives each community considerable
authority in deciding how funds will be used to meet the targeted
needs of its homeless and low- and moderate-income residents. 

According to the HUD division director, ESG is a very important
component of the Department's Continuum of Care policy (and of the
services offered in accordance with this policy) because it addresses
homeless people's needs for emergency and transitional housing. 

A 1994 study\28 determined that although ESG provided only 10 percent
of the average service provider's operating budget, the program has
allowed providers to meet their most basic needs for operating funds
and appropriate facilities, enabling them to use funds from other
sources to offer additional programs and services.  According to the
HUD division director, grantees may have shifted from funding
rehabilitative activities to funding more operating costs, essential
services, and prevention initiatives.  The official also stated that
the proportion of ESG funds used for essential services has increased
for some grantees because the limit on the percentage of the grant
that can be allocated for services was raised from 15 to 30 percent
and requests for waivers of the 30 percent limit were widely
approved. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Formula grants are provided to states, metropolitan cities, urban
counties, and territories in accordance with the distribution formula
used for HUD's Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). 

Local Matching Requirement: 

For local governments, a one-for-one match is required for each
grantee.  For states, there is no match for the first $100,000, but a
one-for-one match is required for the remainder of the funds. 

Eligibility: 

This grant specifically targets the homeless population.  To be
eligible, grantees must (1) ensure that any building using ESG funds
will continue as a homeless shelter for a specified period, (2)
ensure that assisted rehabilitation is sufficient to make the
structure safe and sanitary, (3) establish a procedure to ensure the
confidentiality of victims of domestic violence and assist homeless
individuals in obtaining appropriate supportive services and other
available assistance, and (4) meet other generally applicable
requirements, such as ensuring nondiscrimination and equal
opportunity.  Grantees are also required to supplement the grant with
funds from other sources. 

Program Limitations: 

ESG funds cannot be used to construct emergency shelter or
transitional housing or to develop or lease permanent supportive
housing for homeless persons.  Permanent supportive housing may be
obtained through the McKinney Act Shelter Plus Care, Supportive
Housing, and Section 8 Single-Room Occupancy programs under the
Continuum of Care competitive process. 

According to the 1994 study, grantees have suggested that more uses
of the grant funds be allowed.  Providers have had difficulty finding
the resources to help their clients obtain permanent housing or gain
access to a housing subsidy.  Broadening the block grant is viewed as
a way for the agencies operating ESG services to expand their
services in the direction of transitional and permanent housing for
homeless clients. 


--------------------
\28 Evaluation of the Emergency Shelter Grants Program, Volume I: 
Findings, Abt Associates, Sept.  1994. 


      SECTION 8 SINGLE-ROOM
      OCCUPANCY (SRO) MODERATE
      REHABILITATION
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.32

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Project grants (competitive)

Program Overview: 

The Section 8 Single-Room-Occupancy (SRO) Moderate Rehabilitation
program provides rental assistance to homeless individuals.  SROs are
housing units intended for occupancy by a single person that need
not, but may, contain food preparation or sanitary facilities, or
both.  Under the program, HUD enters into annual contributions
contracts with public housing authorities for the moderate
rehabilitation of residential properties that, when the work is
completed, will contain multiple single-room dwelling units.  The
public housing authority is responsible for selecting properties that
are suitable for assistance and for identifying landlords who will
participate.  The public housing authority then enters into a formal
agreement with the property owner to make repairs and necessary
improvements to meet HUD's housing quality standards and local fire
and safety requirements. 

The Continuum of Care concept, which applies to this program,
requires linkages to and coordination with the local consolidated
planning process undertaken by all states and CDBG entitlement
communities.  In addition, linkages with more than 100 federally
designated empowerment zones and enterprise communities are enhanced
through the awarding of additional points to applicants that can
demonstrate strong coordination.  Examples of coordination include
the use of common board members on the Continuum of Care and
empowerment zone/enterprise community planning committees, the
location of assistance projects for the homeless within an
empowerment zone or enterprise community, and the priority placement
of homeless persons in an empowerment zone or enterprise community
that provides assistance for the homeless. 

The use of mainstream housing programs, such as the Home Investment
Partnership Program (HOME), CDBG, and the Low-Income Housing Tax
Credit program in developing SRO housing involves further program
integration and cross-agency coordination (e.g., between HUD and the
Internal Revenue Service, within the Department of the Treasury). 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Public and Indian housing authorities and private nonprofit
organizations may apply for competitive awards of Section 8 rental
subsidies.  Private nonprofit organizations receiving awards must
subcontract with the housing authorities to administer the SRO rental
assistance.  These entities then use the funds received from HUD to
subsidize the rents of homeless people who will live in the housing. 
The housing authorities receive these funds from HUD over 10 years. 
The guaranteed cash flow from the Section 8 housing subsidies helps
the owners obtain private financing for the work, cover operating
expenses and service the project's debt, and make a profit on the
project. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Eligible participants are homeless single individuals.  Families are
not eligible. 

Program Limitations: 

The funding for this program is considered a permanent housing
resource.  Thus, homeless persons seeking temporary shelter or
support services only would not be eligible for assistance. 


      SHELTER PLUS CARE PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.33

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Project grants (competitive)

Program Overview: 

The Shelter Plus Care program provides rental assistance, together
with supportive services funded from a source other than this
program, to homeless persons with disabilities.  The program may
provide (1) tenant-based rental assistance, (2) sponsor-based rental
assistance, (3) project-based rental assistance, or (4) SRO
assistance. 

According to HUD's estimates, this program served 7,440 persons in
fiscal year 1995, 4,048 in fiscal year 1996, and 2,718 in fiscal year
1997.  Estimates were not available for fiscal year 1998. 

According to a program evaluation study,\29 HUD administers two
programs other than this one for disabled homeless persons--the
Permanent Housing for Handicapped Homeless Persons Program within the
Supportive Housing Program and Housing Opportunities for Persons With
AIDS (HOPWA).  Although some communities have grants for all three
programs, there is typically no direct linkage among them unless they
are administered by the same service provider.  When service
providers have had a choice, some have enrolled homeless persons in
the other two programs, especially when the homeless persons have
been greatly in need of supportive services, because both the
Supportive Housing Program and HOPWA permit the use of program funds
for services. 

Also, HHS' Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness
(PATH) program is a federal formula grant to assist the homeless
mentally ill population.  According to a Shelter Plus Care evaluation
study, PATH has been an excellent source of referrals for local
Shelter Plus Care programs and operates in many of the same
communities. 

The goals of the Shelter Plus Care program are to (1) assist homeless
individuals and their families; (2) increase housing stability, skill
and/or income; and (3) obtain greater self-determination.  The study
concluded that overall, these programs could successfully serve the
target population, but the program's independent living housing
options, as initially conceived, were not suitable for that
population because the participants needed a more supervised setting
that offered intensive case management, life skill training, housing
supervision, and treatment for one or more of the participants'
disabilities.  The study concluded that service providers adapted its
outreach sources and screening criteria to reflect this need.  The
program changed its focus to disabled formerly homeless persons who
came from transitional shelters, emergency shelters with strong
transitional programs, or detoxification and treatment programs
rather than directly from the streets. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The rent subsidy can be administered by states (including
territories), units of general local government, Indian tribes, and
public and Indian housing agencies.  Grant recipients may then
subgrant funds in the form of rental assistance to housing owners. 
Under the sponsor-based assistance component, grantees may also
provide rental assistance to private nonprofit entities (including
community mental health centers established as nonprofit
organizations) that own or lease dwelling units. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

Each grantee must match the federal funds provided for shelter with
equal funding for supportive services.  The match must come from a
source other than the Shelter Plus Care program; however, federal,
state and local resources may be used for the match.  Eligible
supportive services include health care, mental health and substance
abuse services, child care, case management, counseling, supervision,
education, job training, other services necessary for independent
living.  In-kind resources can count towards the match. 

Eligibility: 

Those eligible for participation include homeless persons with
disabilities (primarily those who are seriously mentally ill; have
chronic problems with alcohol, drugs, or both; or have AIDS) and, if
also homeless, their families.  Such persons must also have low
annual incomes (not exceeding 50 percent of the median income for an
area).  The Shelter Plus Care program also targets those who are
difficult to reach, such as persons living on the streets and
sleeping on grates, in parks, or in bus terminals; residing in
emergency shelters, welfare hotels, or transitional housing; or at
imminent risk of being evicted and subsequently living on the street
or in a shelter. 

Program Limitations: 

Homeless persons not meeting the definition of "disabled"\30 are not
eligible for assistance.  Also, homeless persons or families seeking
temporary shelter, transitional housing, or support services only
cannot participate in this program. 

According to a Shelter Plus Care evaluation study, the program is
regarded as a resource for providing permanent housing.  However, the
program's objective is to provide housing assistance for at least 5
years as needed; thus, the term "permanent housing" may not be
strictly applicable.  In addition, the study concludes that grantees
have generally not found regional HUD staff to be prompt and helpful
in providing technical assistance. 


--------------------
\29 National Evaluation of the Shelter Plus Care Program, October
1997, Abt Associates. 

\30 For the purposes of this program, "disabled" is defined as having
a physical, mental, or emotional impairment that (1) is expected to
continue for a long and indeterminate period, (2) substantially
impedes an individual's ability to live independently, and (3) could
be improved under more suitable housing conditions. 


      SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.34

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Project grants (competitive)

Program Overview: 

The Supportive Housing Program is designed to promote the development
of supportive housing and supportive services to assist homeless
persons in the transition from homelessness and to enable them to
live as independently as possible.  Program funds may be used to
provide (1) transitional housing within a 24-month period, as well as
up to 6 months of follow-up services to former residents to promote
their adjustment to independent living; (2) permanent housing in
conjunction with appropriate supportive services designed to allow
persons with disabilities to live as independently as possible; (3)
supportive services for homeless persons not provided in conjunction
with supportive housing (i.e., services only); (4) housing that is,
or is a part of, an innovative development or alternative method
designed to meet the long-term needs of homeless persons; and (5)
safe havens\31 for homeless individuals with serious mental illness
currently residing on the streets who may not yet be ready for
supportive services. 

According to HUD's estimates, the Supportive Housing Program served
279,491 homeless persons in fiscal year 1995, 328,037 in fiscal year
1996, and 123,033 in fiscal year 1997.  Estimates were not available
for fiscal year 1998. 

HUD is collaborating with HHS on the safe havens component of the
Supportive Housing Program.  The departments are planning to
distribute a guide that describes a combination of housing and
services in facilities designated as safe havens. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

States, local governmental entities (including special authorities,
such as public housing authorities), private nonprofit organizations,
and community mental health associations that are public nonprofit
organizations can apply for program funds. 

Program funds are to be used as follows:  (1) not less than 25
percent for homeless persons with children, (2) not less than 25
percent for homeless persons with disabilities, and (3) at least 10
percent for supportive services for homeless persons who do not
reside in supportive housing. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

A dollar-for-dollar cash match is required for grants involving
acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction.  A 25- to
50-percent cost share is required for operating assistance.  As of
fiscal year 1999, a 25-percent match for supportive services is
required. 

Eligibility: 

Homeless individuals and families with children are eligible for all
but the permanent housing for persons with disabilities.  Homeless
persons with disabilities are eligible for all components, including
services.  Although the Supportive Housing Program does not have a
statutory mandate to serve persons with substance abuse problems, HUD
has determined that homeless persons whose sole impairment is
alcoholism or drug addiction will be considered disabled if they meet
the Department's statutory criteria.\32

Program Limitations: 

Program funds cannot be used to develop or operate emergency
shelters, although the funds can be used to provide supportive
services at shelters.  Although exceptions to the 24-month limit on
stays in transitional housing are allowed, program funds cannot be
use to provide permanent housing for nondisabled persons. 


--------------------
\31 "Safe havens" are designed to provide safe residences for
homeless "street people" with serious mental illness who are
unwilling or unable to participate in mental health or substance
abuse treatment programs or to receive supportive services.  Safe
havens are intended to reach homeless people who are suspicious or
afraid of more structured supportive housing.  Safe havens are
authorized under title IV, subpart D, of the McKinney Act, but
because the Congress has not funded them as a separate program, HUD
has elected to provide funding for them under the Supportive Housing
Program. 

\32 See footnote 30. 


      COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK
      GRANT (CDBG)
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.35

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula and project
grants (competitive)

Program Overview: 

The CDBG program's objective is to assist in developing viable urban
communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living
environment and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for
persons with low and moderate incomes.  It is the federal
government's primary vehicle for revitalizing the nation's cities and
neighborhoods, thereby providing opportunities for self-sufficiency
to millions of Americans.  The block grant has three
components--CDBG/States' Program, CDBG/Entitlement Program, and
CDBG/Small Cities Program. 

CDBG grants can be used to acquire or rehabilitate shelters, operate
shelters, and provide supportive (public) services such as
counseling, training, and treatment.  In addition, CDBG funds may be
used for the construction of temporary shelter facilities and
transitional housing, such as halfway homes, for the chronically
mentally ill, considering these as public facilities, not residences. 

Data reported for funds expended in fiscal year 1995 under the
Entitlement Communities portion of the CDBG program show that
$27,500,000 was spent on facilities for the homeless and $51,000,000
was spent on public service activities specifically for the homeless. 
The actual number of homeless persons benefiting is not known because
data are captured by activity and several activities often benefit
the same individual.  Also, each local government is free to measure
data on beneficiaries to suit locally designed programs. 

According to HUD's Office of Block Grant Assistance, there are no
data on the number of homeless persons served by the CDBG State and
Small Cities programs. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Seventy percent of all CDBG funds are provided to entitlement
communities (cities) and 30 percent to smaller communities, either
through the states or directly from HUD (in New York and Hawaii). 

CDBG Entitlement Program:  Cities in metropolitan statistical areas
designated by the Office of Management and Budget as the central city
of the metropolitan statistical area; other cities with over 50,000
residents within the metropolitan statistical area, and qualified
urban counties with at least 200,000 residents are eligible to
receive entitlement grants, determined by a statutory formula. 
Recipients may undertake a wide range of activities directed toward
neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and the provision
of improved community facilities and services.  Activities that can
be carried out with CDBG funds include the acquisition of real
property and rehabilitation of residential and nonresidential
structures.  Up to 15 percent of CDBG entitlement funds may be used
to pay for public services.  All activities must aid in the
prevention or elimination of slums or blight or meet other urgent
community development needs.  The grantee must certify that at least
70 percent of the grant funds are expended for activities that will
principally benefit persons with low and moderate incomes. 

CDBG/States' Program:  State governments receive this formula grant
and must determine the methods for distributing funds and distribute
the funds to units of general local government in nonentitlement
areas.  The units of general local government funded by a state may
undertake a wide range of activities directed toward neighborhood
vitalization, economic development, or the provision of improved
community facilities and services. 

CDBG/Small Cities Program:  HUD administers this competitive grant
program only for nonentitlement communities in New York and Hawaii. 
Eligible applicants are units of local government (including
counties).  Small cities develop their own programs and funding
priorities.  Funds may be used for activities that the applicant
certifies are designed to meet urgent community development
needs--defined as those that pose a serious and immediate threat to
the health or welfare of the community.  The applicant must also
certify that no other financial resources are available to meet these
needs. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

The principal beneficiaries of CDBG funds are persons with low and
moderate incomes.  For metropolitan areas, such people are generally
defined as members of households with incomes equal to or less than
the Section 8 low-income limit (i.e., 80 percent or less of an area's
median income) established by HUD. 

Program Limitations: 

Grantees may not obligate more than 15 percent of their CDBG funds
for public services. 


      HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS
      PROGRAM (HOME)
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.36

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The objectives of this program are to (1) expand the supply of
affordable housing, particularly rental housing, for Americans with
low and very low incomes; (2) strengthen the abilities of state and
local governments to design and implement strategies for achieving
adequate supplies of decent, affordable housing; (3) provide both
financial and technical assistance to participating jurisdictions,
including the development of model programs for developing affordable
low-income housing; and (4) extend and strengthen partnerships among
all levels of government and the private sector, including for-profit
and nonprofit organizations, in the production and operation of
affordable housing. 

HOME funds can be used for acquisition, reconstruction, moderate or
substantial rehabilitation, and new construction activities that
promote affordable rental and ownership housing.  Transitional
housing is eligible for HOME funds.  Tenant-based rental assistance
is also eligible and is described by HUD as a flexible resource that
communities can integrate into locally designed plans to assist
persons with special needs, including those participating in
self-sufficiency programs. 

Because the purpose of the HOME program is to produce affordable
rental and homeownership housing for low-income families, HUD
collects data on the income levels of the persons being served. 
Information on whether these individuals are homeless is not
collected.  All families occupying HOME-assisted units or receiving
HOME-funded tenant-based rental assistance must have incomes at or
below 80 percent of their area's median income. 

Although HUD does not collect data on the number of homeless persons
served through HOME, there is anecdotal evidence that jurisdictions
are using HOME funds for single-room-occupancy projects and group
homes to serve the homeless, as well as for tenant-based rental
assistance to persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming
homeless. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

States, cities, urban counties, and consortia (of contiguous units of
general local governments with a binding agreement) are eligible to
receive formula allocations.  Funds are also set aside for grants to
insular areas (i.e., the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and
the Northern Marianas).  Applicants must submit a consolidated plan,
an annual action plan, and certifications to HUD.  The consolidated
plan and annual action plan identify the applicant's plans for using
funds from four major formula-distribution HUD community development
programs, including HOME.  Also, according to a director in the
Office of Affordable Housing, the annual action plan must describe
the federal and other resources expected to be available, as well as
the activities to be undertaken to meet priority needs. 

HOME funds are allocated to participating jurisdictions on a formula
basis--60 percent to participating local governments and 40 percent
to states, after set-asides for insular areas, management information
support, technical assistance, and housing counseling have been
subtracted.  The formula takes into account factors that reflect a
jurisdiction's need for more affordable housing for families with low
and very low incomes.  Designed by HUD to meet statutory criteria,
the formula considers shortfalls in the jurisdiction's housing
supply, the incidence of substandard housing, the number of
low-income families in housing units likely to need rehabilitation,
the cost of producing housing, the jurisdiction's poverty rate, and
the jurisdiction's relative fiscal incapacity to carry out housing
activities without federal assistance. 

HOME funds are frequently combined with funds made available under
the McKinney Act to pay for the acquisition, rehabilitation, or new
construction of projects for serving homeless persons.  HOME funds
are allocated by formula to state and local governments.  The use of
HOME funds with programs serving the homeless is coordinated at the
state and local level through the Continuum of Care. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

Grantees must provide an amount equal to 25 percent of the grant. 
This percentage may be reduced for jurisdictions that are fiscally
distressed or have been declared major disaster areas by the
President. 

Eligibility: 

For rental housing, at least 90 percent of HOME funds must benefit
families with low and very low incomes (at or below 60 percent of the
area's median income); the remaining 10 percent must benefit families
with incomes at or below 80 percent of the area's median income. 
Assistance to homeowners and homebuyers must be to families with
incomes at or below 80 percent of the area's median income. 

Program Limitations: 

HOME funds can be used for permanent and transitional housing and for
tenant-based rental assistance.  However, they cannot be used for
emergency shelters or vouchers for emergency shelter.  In addition,
because the program is designed to produce affordable housing, social
services are not an eligible cost under the program (although the
value of social services provided to persons in HOME-assisted units
or receiving HOME tenant-based rental assistance can be considered
part of the grantee's matching contribution). 


      HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR
      PERSONS WITH AIDS (HOPWA)
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.37

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula and project grants
(competitive)

Program Overview: 

The objective of this program is to provide states and localities
with the resources and incentives to devise long-term comprehensive
strategies for meeting the housing needs of person with AIDS or
related diseases and their families.  Activities are carried out
under strategies designed to prevent homlessness and may assist
homeless persons who are eligible for the program. 

HOPWA grantees report that about 14 percent of clients are persons
who were homeless upon entering the program.  According to HUD's
estimates, the program served about 6,200 homeless persons from the
street, in emergency shelters, or in transitional housing during a
12-month period. 

During fiscal years 1994-97, according to HUD's estimates, HOPWA
served 2,859 homeless persons from the street and 1,426 persons in
emergency shelter--a total of 4,285 persons. 

According to the director, HUD's Office of HIV/AIDS Housing has
conducted a Multiple Diagnosis Initiative (MDI) in conjunction with
HHS to improve the integration of health care and other services with
housing assistance.  The purpose of this initiative was to address
the needs of homeless people who are multiply diagnosed and living
with HIV/AIDS.  The Office of HIV/AIDS Housing is collaborating with
grantees and the Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center at
Columbia University's School of Public Health to evaluate the results
of this initiative.  As of September 1998, the assessment is ongoing,
and reports and other statistical information will be shared, as
developed, through the planned operating periods of these grants,
1996-2002. 

The principal mechanism for integrating and coordinating the HOPWA
program is the consolidated plan and, if homeless persons are served,
the area's Continuum of Care effort.  This process is intended to
help all states, metropolitan cities, and urban counties formulate a
holistic and comprehensive vision for their housing and community
development efforts, including meeting the needs persons with
HIV/AIDS who may be homeless or at risk of becoming homeless through
HOPWA and other programs.  Grantees are required to establish public
consultation procedures and may involve area Ryan White CARE Act
planning councils, consortia, and other planning bodies in designing
efforts. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

States and qualified cities that meet population and AIDS incidence
criteria (i.e., a metropolitan area with a population of at least
500,000 and at least 1,500 cases of AIDS) are eligible to receive
formula grants.  Activities must be consistent with an approved
consolidated plan.  Eligible activities include housing assistance
(including rental assistance; short-term payments for rent, mortgage,
and utilities to prevent homelessness; and housing in community
residences, single-room-occupancy dwellings, and other facilities);
housing development through acquisition, rehabilitation, and new
construction; program development through technical assistance and
resource identification; supportive services; and administrative
costs. 

Ninety percent of the program's funds are allocated, on the basis of
a statutory formula that considers AIDS statistics, to metropolitan
areas with a higher than average incidence of AIDS.  As required by
statute, HUD uses the remaining 10 percent of the funds to select
special projects of national significance to make grants to areas
that did not qualify for formula allocations.  These selections are
made by annual national competitions. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None.  Grantees are encouraged to coordinate activities with Ryan
White CARE Act programs and other health care efforts.  Competitive
applications are reviewed, in part, on the basis of the resources
leveraged; grantees selected in the 1992-97 competitions documented
leveraged resources equal to 131 percent of the federal funds made
available in these competitions. 

Eligibility: 

Low-income individuals with HIV or AIDS and their families are
eligible to receive housing assistance or related supportive services
under this program.  Grantees may target assistance to persons with
higher needs, including those who are homeless or at risk of becoming
homeless.  Only low-income individuals with HIV or AIDS are eligible
for health services if compensation or health care is not available
from other sources.  Survivors of eligible individuals are eligible
to receive housing assistance and related services for up to 1 year
following the death of the person with AIDS.  Individuals with AIDS
and their families are eligible to receive housing information and
coordination services, regardless of their incomes.  Each person
receiving rental or mortgage assistance under this program or
residing in any rental housing assisted under this program (including
single-room-occupancy dwellings and community residences) must make a
contribution towards the cost of housing, such as a rent payment
equal to 30 percent of the household's adjusted monthly income. 

Program Limitations: 

According to the director of HUD's Office of HIV/AIDS Housing, there
are no limitations on serving homeless persons if they meet the
program's eligibility requirements. 


      PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.38

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Direct payments for
specified uses

Program Overview: 

This program is designed to provide and operate cost-effective,
decent, safe and affordable dwellings for lower-income families
through an authorized local public housing authority. 

In fiscal year 1997, HUD distributed funds to public and Indian
housing authorities that provided public housing and services to 1.4
million households. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Public housing authorities established in accordance with state law
are eligible.  The proposed program must be approved by the local
governing body.  Under the Native American Housing Assistance and
Self-Determination Act of 1996, Indian housing authorities are no
longer eligible for funding under the U.  S.  Housing Act (of 1937). 

In fiscal year 1997, the Department made available nearly $3 billion
in annual contributions (operating subsidies) for about 1,372,000
public housing units.  No development was funded under this program;
such development of new or replacement units that did occur was
primarily financed with funds from the modernization accounts. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

There is no matching requirement; however an indirect local
contribution results from the difference between full local property
taxes and payments in lieu of taxes made by local public housing
authorities. 

Eligibility: 

Lower-income families that include citizens or legal immigrants are
eligible.  A "family" includes but is not limited to (1) a family
with or without children; (2) an elderly family (head, spouse, or
sole member 62 years or older), (3) a near-elderly family (head,
spouse, or sole member 50 years old but less than 62 years old), (4)
a disabled family, (5) the remaining member of a tenant family, (6) a
displaced family, or (7) a single person who is neither elderly,
near-elderly, displaced, or with disabilities.  According to HUD's
Deputy Secretary of Public Housing Investments, HUD's appropriation
legislation eliminates, for fiscal year 1999 and every year
thereafter, previous federal preferences for certain classes of
persons, including those who are homeless, and earmarks 40 percent of
public housing units for families earning less than 30 percent of
their area's median income. 

Program Limitations: 

The elimination of federal preferences in obtaining public housing
for select groups, including homeless people, provides less
opportunity for these groups to obtain affordable housing.  In the
past, some households received higher priority for admission if they
were paying more than 50 percent of their income for housing or were
living in severely substandard housing (a category that includes
homelessness and involuntary displacement). 

Additionally, in the past, homeless people with no income could
obtain public housing.  However, housing agencies are now allowed
(but not required) to charge a minimum rent of up to $50 a month. 
This charge could prevent homeless people from obtaining public
housing. 


      SECTION 8 PROJECT-BASED
      RENTAL ASSISTANCE
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.39

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Contract administration
and annual contribution contracts

Program Overview: 

HUD's Section 8 project-based program (HUD's major project-based
privately owned housing program) pays a portion of residents' rent
for housing owned by private landlords, public housing authorities,
and state housing finance agencies.  An assisted household generally
pays 30 percent of its income for rent, although this percentage can
vary depending on the household's income and the type of program. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Project-based contracts are generally between HUD and the owners of
private rental housing.  When the funds provided for long-term
contracts exceed the actual expenses incurred, HUD can recapture the
excess funds and use them to help fund other Section 8 contracts. 
Although expiring contracts were initially renewed for 5 years, they
are, as of 1998, being renewed for 1 year. 

To provide Section 8 project-based assistance, HUD may enter into (1)
a housing assistance payments contract with a private landlord or (2)
an annual contributions contract with a housing finance agency or a
public housing authority.  When HUD enters into a housing assistance
payments contract with a private landlord, it guarantees payments for
a period of time (as short as 1 year) specified in the contract. 
When it enters into an annual contributions contract, it provides the
Section 8 funds to the housing finance agency or the public housing
authority, which in turn enters into a housing assistance payments
contract with the private landlord.  Residents live in housing that
is designated as assisted housing for them. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Eligibility is restricted to individuals and families with very low
incomes (i.e., not exceeding 50 percent of the area's median income). 
A limited number of available units may be rented to families and
individuals with low incomes (i.e., between 50 and 80 percent of the
area's median income). 

Program Limitations: 

Assistance is limited to income-eligible individuals and families. 


      SECTION 8 RENTAL CERTIFICATE
      AND VOUCHER PROGRAMS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.40

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Annual contributions
contracts

Program Overview: 

The objective of this program, as of September 30, 1998,\33 is to aid
families with very low incomes in obtaining decent, safe, and
sanitary rental housing.  The voucher subsidy amount is based on the
difference between (a) a payment standard set between 80 and 100
percent of the fair market rent and (b) 30 percent of the household's
income.  The Section 8 rental certificate program generally requires
that rents at initial occupancy not exceed HUD-published fair market
rents. 

According to a program specialist from the Office of Public Housing
Operations, HUD's Multifamily Tenant Characteristics System (MTCS)
shows that 50,300 participants, or 3.5 percent of all applicants,
were admitted to the Section 8 voucher and certificate programs with
a preference because they were homeless.  But because several large
urban housing authorities have not adequately reported MTCS data, the
program specialist estimated that a higher percentage (4 to 5
percent) were homeless at the time of admission.  The housing
agencies that give preference to homeless applicants typically
receive referrals from, and coordinate the provision of support
services with, local homeless service providers. 

According to an October 1994 study of the use of rental vouchers and
certificates, the rate of success in finding suitable rental units in
properties whose landlords would honor Section 8 certificates and
vouchers was not significantly different for homeless and other
participants.  In the study's sample, 89 percent of all participants
were successful in finding suitable housing and 87 percent of
homeless participants were successful.\34

According to the program specialist, as of September 1998, there were
1,237,076 certificates and 429,310 vouchers available under this
program to assist eligible families. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Only housing agencies may apply to participate in this program. 

According to the program specialist, Section 8 federal expenditures
per unit in 1998 were about $5,499, (or about $458 per month). 
Housing authorities receive the amounts they need to pay housing
assistance and cover related administrative expenses. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Families with very low incomes are eligible.  Seventy-five percent of
vouchers and certificates are set aside for families earning less
than 30 percent of the area's median income. 

Program Limitations: 

According to the program specialist, the local housing agencies that
administer the rental voucher and certificate programs decide whether
to establish an admission preference for the homeless.  Thus, the
local agencies determine to what extent homeless people will be
assisted before other eligible applicants with very low incomes.  In
many areas, there are many more applicants for rental assistance than
there is assistance available.  The average wait, nationwide, for a
rental voucher or certificate is 2-1/4 years.  In some localities,
the wait is much longer, and occasionally housing agencies must close
their waiting lists to new applicants when there are more applicants
than the housing agency can serve in the foreseeable future.  >

Some homeless applicants are not ready for independent living under a
lease agreement or do not have the capacity to uphold a lease
agreement.  Thus, the program--which is intended to operate in the
private rental market and requires the participant to find and lease
housing (with HUD's financial assistance) for at least 1 year--may
not be a suitable source of housing assistance for some homeless
people.  The program does not require a housing agency to coordinate
supportive services for homeless applicants. 


--------------------
\33 A new law governing this program will take effect on Oct.  1,
1999. 

\34 Section 8 Rental Voucher and Certificate Utilization Study Final
Report, prepared for HUD by Abt Associates, Inc.  (Oct.  1994). 


      SECTION 811 SUPPORTIVE
      HOUSING FOR PERSONS WITH
      DISABILITIES PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.41

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The Section 811 program was established to enable persons with
disabilities to live with dignity and independence within their
communities by expanding the supply of supportive housing that is (1)
designed to accommodate the special needs of such persons and (2)
provides supportive services that address the health, mental health,
and other needs of such persons.\35

Owners of Section 811 projects must have a supportive services plan
that gives each resident the option to (1) receive any of the
services the owner provides, (2) acquire his/her own services (the
owner would provide a list of community service providers, as well as
make any necessary arrangements to receive services for a resident
selecting this option), or (3) receive no supportive services.  Given
these options, residents may be receiving supportive services through
programs that serve homeless persons.  The coordination and
integration of such services usually occurs at the local level. 

The Department does not collect information on the number of homeless
persons who have been served through this program. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

This program provides capital advances to nonprofit organizations
with 501(c)(3) federal tax exemptions to finance the development of
housing for very-low-income persons with disabilities aged 18 or
older. 

The funds can be used for (1) capital advances, which may be used to
develop housing through new construction, rehabilitation, or
acquisition; (2) rental assistance, which is provided to cover the
difference between the HUD-approved operating costs per unit and the
amount the household pays (30 percent of the household's adjusted
income); and (3) supportive services, which include mental health
services. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

Nonprofit organizations must provide a minimum capital investment of
one-half of 1 percent of the HUD-approved capital advance amount up
to $10,000. 

Eligibility: 

A person with a disability is eligible if he or she resides in a
household that includes one or more very-low-income persons, at least
one of whom is aged 18 or older.  The applicant must have a physical
or developmental disability or a chronic mental illness that (1) is
expected to be of long and indefinite duration, (2) substantially
impedes the applicant's ability to live independently, and (3) could
be improved by more suitable housing conditions. 

Program Limitations: 

Because eligibility is limited to adults with very low incomes who
are developmentally disabled and/or physically disabled and/or
chronically mentally ill, some homeless people could not participate
in this program. 


--------------------
\35 Funds for the supportive services cannot come from the program;
they must come from another source. 


      HOMELESS VETERANS
      REINTEGRATION PROJECT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.42

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Labor

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Project grants

Program Overview: 

The objective of this program is to fund projects designed to
expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force. 

According to the Department's director for Operations and Programs,
the program is projected to serve about 3,023 homeless veterans in
fiscal year 1998. 

Labor has established the creation of a prepared workforce as one of
its strategic goals.  In its annual performance plan, it lists
performance goals for accomplishing this strategic goal, including
the following: 

(1) Help 300,000 veterans find jobs:  10,000 will be disabled, and
1,800 will be homeless.  Labor mentions that it plans to focus on the
harder-to-serve veterans in 1999. 

(2) Develop and implement a national Veteran's Employment initiative
that will help approximately 25,000 unemployed older veterans find
jobs each year for 5 years.  Labor will receive a $100 million
reimbursement for this initiative from the Department of Veterans
Affairs over 5 years. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

State and local public agencies, private industry councils, and
nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for funds.  Competition
targets two types of areas:  (1) the metropolitan areas of the 75
largest U.S.  cities and San Juan and (2) rural areas defined as
those territories, persons, and housing units that the Census Bureau
has defined as not ï¿½urban.ï¿½

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Homeless veterans are eligible to participate. 

Program Limitations: 

According to the director of the Department's Office of Management
and Budget, Labor simply requires those who apply for this program to
meet the definition of being homeless and a veteran. 


      JOB TRAINING FOR
      DISADVANTAGED ADULTS - TITLE
      IIA OF THE JOBS TRAINING
      PARTNERSHIP ACT (JTPA)
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.43

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Labor

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

The objective of this program is to provide employment and training
services to economically disadvantaged adults and others who face
significant employment barriers, in an attempt to move such
individuals into self-sustaining employment. 

According to the director of Labor's Operations and Programs, about
6,048 homeless persons were served each year in program years 1995-98
each.  This number represents about 3 percent of all who were served. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The governor submits a biennial state plan to the Department's
Employment and Training Administration.  Title II funds are allocated
among states according to a formula that reflects relative
unemployment and poverty.  States use the same formula to suballocate
funds to local service delivery areas, retaining a portion to conduct
certain state leadership activities and administration.  Each state
is required to have a State Job Training Coordinating Council.  These
councils are formed by governors to make recommendations on proposed
service delivery areas.\36

Amendments to the Jobs Training Partnership Act and Labor's
administrative guidelines have improved homeless people's access to
services by eliminating residency requirements and creating
additional incentives for reaching hard-to-serve groups, specifically
including the homeless. 

Providers must refer all eligible applicants who cannot be served by
their programs to other suitable programs within their service
delivery area. 

Programs are to establish linkages with other federally assisted
programs, such as those authorized under the Adult Education Act, the
Food Stamp Employment and Training Program, HUD's housing programs,
and several others. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Economically disadvantaged adults are eligible for this program if
they face serious barriers to employment and need training to obtain
productive employment.  Providers must determine whether eligible
individuals are suitable participants, considering, among other
factors, whether other programs and services are available to these
individuals and whether they can reasonably be expected to benefit
from participation in the program, given the range of supportive
services available locally.  No fewer than 65 percent of the
participants shall be in one or more of the following categories: 
deficient in basic skills; school dropouts; recipients of cash
welfare payments; offenders; individuals with disabilities; homeless;
or in another category established for a particular service delivery
area upon the approval of a request to the governor. 

Program Limitations: 

According to the director of the Department's Office of Employment
and Training Programs, the primary limitation is funding.  Only a
very small percentage of the eligible population can be served with
existing resources.  In addition, some communities do not provide
support services, such as shelters, that may be needed to meet the
non-training needs of the individuals.  In order to effectively
service this cohort, it is critical that other local resources are
orchestrated to meet the multiple needs of this group. 


--------------------
\36 A service delivery area is a geographic area in which an entity,
or group of entities, is designated to provide job training services. 
Within each such area, the key mechanism for input from the private
sector is the private industry council.  With the concurrence of
local government officials, the council selects the entity to receive
the grant and acts as the administrative entity for the service
delivery area.  The grant recipient and the entity chosen to
administer the training program may be the same or different
entities. 


      YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AND
      TRAINING PROGRAM (TITLE IIB)
      AND JOB TRAINING FOR
      DISADVANTAGED YOUTH (IIC)
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.44

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Labor

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula grants

Program Overview: 

Title IIB offers economically disadvantaged young people jobs and
training during the summer.  This includes basic and remedial
education, work experience, and support services such as
transportation.  Academic enrichment, which may include basic and
remedial education, is also part of the program. 

Title IIC provides year-round training and employment programs for
youth, both in and out of school.  Program services may include all
authorized adult services, limited internships in the private sector,
school-to-work transition services, and alternative high school
services. 

For the IIB program, information on the number of homeless persons
served is not collected.  For the IIC program, for fiscal year 1996,
the most recent year for which data were available, 1,800, or 2
percent, of the youth served through this program were homeless. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The governor submits a biennial state plan to the Department's
Employment and Training Administration.  Title IIC funds are
allocated among states according to a formula that reflects relative
unemployment and poverty.  States use the same formula to suballocate
funds to local service delivery areas, retaining a portion to conduct
certain state leadership activities.  Each state is required to have
a State Job Training Coordinating Council.  These councils are formed
by governors to make recommendations to them on proposed service
delivery areas.\37

Amendments to the Jobs Training Partnership Act and Labor's
administrative guidelines have improved homeless people's access to
services by eliminating residency requirements and creating
additional incentives for reaching hard-to-serve groups, specifically
including the homeless. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Disadvantaged youth aged 14 to 21 are eligible for the Title IIB
(summer jobs) program. 

In-school youth and out-of-school youth are eligible for the Title
IIC program.  No fewer than 50 percent of the participants in each
service delivery area must be out of school.  Eligible in-school
youth must be aged 16 to 21, economically disadvantaged, without a
high school diploma, and in school full time.  At least 65 percent of
in-school participants must be hard to serve.  Out-of-school youth
are eligible if they are 16 to 21years old and economically
disadvantaged. 

Program Limitations: 

The ability of local administrators to use the IIB (summer) and IIC
(year-round) programs is contingent on the services that are
available locally to address the needs of eligible youth.  The IIB
program runs for only 6 to 8 weeks.  For continuity, the IIB program
would need to be linked with the IIC program and other resources in
the community.  The IIC program is severely constrained by limits on
funding:  Over half of the grantees operate programs of less than
$250,000. 


--------------------
\37 See footnote 30. 


      VETERANS EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM-
      TITLE IV-C OF JTPA
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.45

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Labor

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Project grants

Program Overview: 

The objective of this program is to provide employment and training
grants to meet the employment and training needs of veterans with
service-connected disabilities, veterans of the Vietnam era, and
veterans who have recently left military service. 

Labor is working to improve coordination with VA and to train its own
and VA staff working on vocational rehabilitation and counseling. 

According to a Labor official, JTPA grantees were not required to
report the number of homeless people served by this program. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

State and JTPA administrative entities are eligible to receive grants
under the Title IV-C program.  All applicants for grants must
demonstrate that they (1) understand the unemployment problems of
qualified veterans, (2) are familiar with the area to be served, and
(3) are able to effectively administer a program of employment and
assistance. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Eligible for services are disabled veterans, veterans from the
Vietnam era, or veterans who have left military service and applied
for program participation within 12 months of separation.  According
to a Labor official, section 168 of the Workforce Investment Act of
1998 has substantially changed the eligibility criteria for this
program, making veterans who face significant employment barriers
eligible for this program. 

Program Limitations: 

The Department did not identify any limitations for this program. 


      WELFARE-TO-WORK GRANTS TO
      STATES AND LOCALITIES
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.46

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Labor

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Formula and project grants

Program Overview: 

The Welfare-to-Work program was designed to help states and
localities move hard-to-employ welfare recipients into lasting
unsubsidized jobs and achieve self-sufficiency. 

Welfare-to-Work projects are encouraged to integrate a range of
resources for low-income people, including funds available through
TANF and the Child Care and Development Fund.  In addition,
coordination efforts should encompass funds available through other
related activities and programs, such as JTPA, state employment
services, private-sector employers, education agencies, and others. 
Partnerships with businesses and labor organizations are especially
encouraged.  States are urged to view Welfare-to-Work not as an
independent program but as a critical component of their overall
effort to move welfare recipients into unsubsidized employment. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

States are the only entities eligible for these federal formula
grants, although subgrantees include eligible applicable service
delivery area agencies under the supervision of the private industry
council in the area (in cooperation with the chief elected
official(s)).  The Secretary of Labor will allot 75 percent of these
funds to the state Welfare-to-Work agencies on the basis of a formula
and a plan that each state submits.  The states, in turn, must
distribute by formula no less than 85 percent of their allotments
among the service delivery areas.  They can retain the balance for
special welfare-to-work projects.  The balance of the federal
appropriated funds will be retained by the Secretary for award
through a competitive grant process to private industry councils,
political subdivisions, and eligible private entities. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

Grantees are required to provide $1 in matching funds for each $2 in
federal formula funds allotted.  The regulations allow the use of
in-kind contributions to satisfy up to 50 percent of this
requirement.  Applications for competitive grants are funded on the
basis of the specific guidelines, criteria, and processes established
under each solicitation.  However, there are no "formula" or matching
requirements for these grants. 

Eligibility: 

At least 70 percent of the funds must be expended on welfare
recipients or on the noncustodial parents of minors with a custodial
parent who is a welfare recipient and meets at least two of the
following requirements:  (1) the individual has not completed
secondary school or obtained a certificate of general equivalency and
has low skills in reading or mathematics, (2) the individual requires
substance abuse treatment for employment, and (3) the individual has
a poor work history.  In addition, the individual must have received
assistance under the state program funded under this component. 

Program Limitations: 

No program limitations were identified by the Department. 


      SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.47

Administering Agency:  Social Security Administration (SSA)

Program Type:  Nontargeted Funding Type:  Entitlement

Program Overview: 

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program provides monthly
payments to elderly, blind, or disabled individuals with low incomes
and few resources.  A person does not need to have a permanent
residence to be eligible for SSI.  The Social Security Administration
(SSA) can make special arrangements for delivering SSI checks to
homeless persons.  Receiving SSI may allow a homeless person to get
permanent housing.  In some locations, eligibility for SSI is
automatically associated with eligibility for Medicaid and/or food
stamps.  Other federal, state and local programs are also
automatically available to persons who are eligible for SSI. 

SSA does not collect data on the number of homeless persons receiving
SSI benefits. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

SSI is federally administered and funded from the General Trust Fund
(not the Social Security Trust Fund).  Some states supplement the
federal funding with state funds. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Individuals who are (1) aged 65 or older, (2) blind, or (3) disabled
and who meet requirements for monthly income and resources,
citizenship or alien status, and U.S.  residency are eligible for SSI
benefits. 

Program Limitations: 

A policy analyst for the SSI program reported that one of the most
pressing problems for SSA in trying to serve the homeless is that
homeless persons do not have a place to "hang their hat." They also
do not have a telephone or fixed address.  Although a majority of
them have a drop box in which they can receive mail and many have a
phone number for messages, these devices do not provide the security
of a phone or mailbox associated with a home.  Often, the address and
phone number a homeless person provides when first applying for SSI
are out of date when SSA tries to contact the applicant about medical
appointments, further needed documentation, or other matters. 


      DOMICILIARY CARE FOR
      HOMELESS VETERANS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.48

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Direct payments to VA
medical centers\38

Program Overview: 

This program provides health services and social services to homeless
veterans in a domiciliary setting that offers less care than a
hospital but more care than a community residential setting.  Health
care offered through this program includes medication for medical or
psychiatric illness, psychotherapy and counseling, health education,
and substance abuse treatment.  Social services include assisting
homeless veterans with housing needs, resume writing, job
interviewing, job searching, and/or job placement.\39 Other basic
program components include community outreach and referral, admission
screening and assessment, medical and psychiatric evaluation,
treatment and rehabilitation, and postdischarge community support. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

The Department provides funds to VA medical centers to address the
unmet needs of homeless veterans.  The program is primarily a
residential treatment program located within VA facilities.  Although
available to homeless veterans with any health problems, nearly 90
percent of the veterans treated by the program suffer from
psychiatric illness or dependency on alcohol or other drugs. 

According to program officials, participation in the program has been
voluntary because funds have been limited and the Department wants to
support only those facilities that are strongly committed to
assisting homeless veterans.  In past years, facilities that wanted
to participate prepared a proposal, which was evaluated by a Veterans
Health Administration committee, and funds were allocated according
to the merits of the individual proposals. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and have a
clinical need for VA-based biopsychosocial residential rehabilitation
services are eligible for this program.\40

Program Limitations: 

Although each VA facility has a homeless coordinator, VA, with one
exception,\41 has no specific requirement for facilities to
participate in initiatives for homeless veterans.  According to a
September 1996 Inspector General's report, 35 of VA's 173 hospitals
nationwide had Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans programs.\42


--------------------
\38 According to the director for Homeless Veterans Programs, the
Department provides funding directly to a VA medical center for this
program, and does not consider it to be a "grant" of any type. 

\39 Review of VA's Assistance to Homeless Veterans, Office of
Inspector General (6R3-A12-084, Sept.  20, 1996), p.  5. 

\40 Eighth Progress Report on the Domiciliary Care for Homeless
Veterans Program, Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC), VA
Connecticut Healthcare System (West Haven, Conn.:  June 1997), pg. 
3. 

\41 The exception is the CHALENG program, see appendix III. 

\42 See footnote 39. 


      HOMELESS CHRONICALLY
      MENTALLY ILL VETERANS
      PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.49

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Direct services
and contract awards\43

Program Overview: 

This program provides care, treatment, and rehabilitative services to
homeless veterans suffering from chronic mental illness.  Services
are provided in halfway houses, therapeutic communities, psychiatric
residential treatment centers, and other community- based treatment
facilities. 

VA refers to this program, and many of the supportive programs (see
app.  III) as Health Care for Homeless Veterans programs.  Although
all of these programs have continued to expand and diversify in
recent years, the Homeless Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans program
remains the core of these efforts, and its core activity is
outreach.\44

According to a study performed by VA's Northeast Program Evaluation
Center, one dominant theme of this program has been the increased
involvement with community providers.  By exchanging resources with
other agencies, VA has been able to leverage additional resources for
homeless veterans that would otherwise be inaccessible or
prohibitively expensive.\45

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Community-based residential treatment providers and other providers
of services for the homeless may receive contracts from, or enter
into partnerships with, local VA medical centers. 

According to an April 1998 study, there are 62 Homeless Chronically
Mentally Ill program sites in 31 states and the District of Columbia,
forming the largest integrated network of treatment programs for the
homeless in the United States.  In addition, the Homeless Chronically
Mentally Ill program has active contracts with over 200
community-based residential treatment facilities to provide treatment
and rehabilitation to these veterans at an average cost of $41
daily.\46

Local Matching Requirement: 

None. 

Eligibility: 

Homeless veterans with substance abuse problems and/or chronic mental
illnesses who are eligible for VA health care are also eligible for
the HCMI program.  Staff seek out homeless veterans in shelters, on
the streets, in soup kitchens, or wherever they may reside. 

Program Limitations: 

While the program constitutes the nation's largest integrated network
of assistance programs for the homeless, it does not cover every
state or every geographical area.\47 Furthermore, access to the
program's contract residential treatment component at individual
sites depends on available bed space in programs that meet VA's
criteria for therapeutic support and comply with federal and fire
safety codes. 


--------------------
\43 According to the director for Homeless Veterans Programs, in
addition to the contract awards for residential care, a portion of
the program funds are used to pay VA medical or clinical staff to
provide outreach and case management services. 

\44 Heading Home:  Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness Among America's
Veterans - A Post Summit Action Report and Resource Directory, VA
(Feb.  1997), p.  4. 

\45 Health Care for Homeless Veterans Programs:  The Tenth Annual
Report, VA, Northeast Program Evaluation Center, VA Connecticut
Healthcare System (West Haven, Conn.:  Aug.  1997), p.  1. 

\46 Guide to Federal Funding for Governments and Nonprofits - Aid For
The Homeless - Section N, Government Information Services, April
1998. 

\47 See footnote 46. 


      VA HOMELESS PROVIDERS GRANT
      AND PER DIEM PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix II:0.50

Administering Agency:  U.S.  Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Program Type:  Targeted Funding Type:  Project grants

Program Overview: 

The purpose of this program is to assist public and nonprofit
entities in establishing new programs and service centers to furnish
supportive services and supportive housing for homeless veterans
through grants that may be used to acquire, renovate, or alter
facilities and to provide per diem payments, or in-kind assistance in
lieu of per diem payments, to eligible entities that established
programs after November 10, 1992, to provide supportive services and
supportive housing for homeless persons. 

Program Administration/Funding Mechanism: 

Applicants eligible for grants include public and nonprofit private
entities that (1) have the capacity to effectively administer a
grant, (2) can demonstrate that adequate financial support will be
available to carry out the project, and (3) agree to demonstrate
their capacity to meet the applicable criteria and requirements of
the grant program. 

Applicants eligible for per diem payments include public or nonprofit
private entities that either have received or are eligible to receive
grants.  VA distributes the funds directly to the public or private
nonprofit agency. 

Local Matching Requirement: 

Grantees must provide 35 percent of the project's total costs for
grants and 50 percent of the service costs for per diem payments. 

Eligibility: 

Veterans--meaning persons who served in the active military, naval or
air service and were discharged or released from there under
conditions other than dishonorable--are eligible to participate. 

Program Limitations: 

No aid provided under this program may be used to replace federal,
state, or local funds previously used or designated for use to assist
homeless persons. 

In addition, the period of residence for a veteran in transitional
housing should be limited to 24 months unless the veteran needs more
time to prepare for independent living or appropriate permanent
housing has not been located. 


RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES FOR
ASSISTING THE HOMELESS
========================================================= Appendix III

This appendix describes some additional resources and activities used
to assist homeless people.  Agency officials and advocates for the
homeless did not identify them as ï¿½keyï¿½ programs but nevertheless
considered them important.  The appendix does not include all of the
resources and activities that serve homeless people. 


   DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
------------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:1


      BASE CLOSURE COMMUNITY
      REDEVELOPMENT AND HOMELESS
      ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1994
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:1.1

Under this law, surplus buildings and other properties on military
bases approved for closure or realignment are available to assist
homeless persons.  Assistance providers may submit notices of
interest for buildings and property to local redevelopment
authorities\48 that have been designated to plan for the reuse of
closing installations.  The Department of Defense (DOD) provides
planning grants to local redevelopment authorities for bases where it
determines that closure will cause direct and significant adverse
consequences or where it is required, under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1967, to undertake an environmental
impact statement.  The Department of Housing and Urban Development's
(HUD) Base Development Team in Washington, D.C., provides policy
coordination, and HUD's field offices provide technical assistance to
local redevelopment authorities and assistance providers throughout
the planning process. 


--------------------
\48 A local redevelopment authority is any authority or
instrumentality established by a state or local government and
recognized by the Secretary of Defense through its Office of Economic
Adjustment as the entity responsible for developing the reuse plan or
for directing its implementation. 


      COMMISSARY/FOOD BANK PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:1.2

DOD commissaries donate unmarketable but edible food to private food
banks that, in turn, provide food to soup kitchens, homeless persons,
or assistance providers, as well as other needy people.  The donated
food is owned by private vendors serving DOD commissaries.  If a
private vendor finds that the food is unneeded and that it is
uneconomical to return the food to the supplier, the vendor donates
the food for homeless persons' use.  FEMA certifies food banks and
other recipients as eligible to receive the food. 


      SURPLUS BLANKETS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:1.3

DOD provides unneeded bedding articles (cots, blankets, pillows,
pillow cases, and sheets) to various non-DOD shelters.  Most of the
bedding is distributed through the General Service Administration's
Federal Surplus Personal Property Program, but DOD distributes the
surplus blankets directly.  DOD emphasizes that the program is
intended to supply blankets to homeless shelters, not to distribute
blankets to homeless individuals generally.  The blankets are not
intended to be sold. 


   DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
------------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:2


      WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE
      FOR LOW-INCOME PERSONS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:2.1

Shelters for the homeless may qualify for this program.  The
Department will insulate the dwellings of low-income persons,
particularly elderly and disabled persons, to conserve needed energy
and reduce utility costs.  A unit is eligible for weatherization
assistance if it is occupied by a "family unit" and if certain income
requirements are met.  (A "family unit" includes all persons living
in the dwelling, regardless of whether they are related). 


   DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
   SERVICES
------------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:3


      FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION
      AND SERVICES/ BATTERED
      WOMEN'S SHELTERS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:3.1

The Battered Women's Shelters program provides grants to states and
Indian tribes to assist them in (1) supporting programs and projects
to prevent family violence and (2) providing immediate shelter and
related assistance for victims of family violence and their
dependents. 


      KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT AND
      APPLICATION - CENTER FOR
      MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:3.2

The Center for Mental Health Services Knowledge Development and
Application (KD&A) program promotes continuous, positive service
delivery system change for persons with serious mental illnesses and
children and adolescent with severe emotional disturbances.  This
program currently funds several projects/demonstrations related to
homelessness, including ACCESS, an interdepartmental effort to test
the impact of systems integration on outcomes for homeless people
with mental illnesses.  The ACCESS project is designed to study both
system and client-level outcomes and is now entering its final phases
of data collection and analysis.  Other projects include (1) an
evaluation of the effects of different housing models on residential
stability and residents' satisfaction and (2) an investigation of
targeted homeless prevention intervention to persons under treatment
for mental illness who are judged to be at risk of subsequent
homelessness.  The Center also funds the Community Team Training
Institute on Homelessness, a fiscal year 1997 initiative that was
jointly sponsored by other components of HHS and HUD.  Five
communities were competitively selected to receive intensive
technical assistance to help them achieve a seamless system of care
for homeless individuals with multiple diagnoses (chronic health
problems, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, and/or mental disorders). 


      KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT AND
      APPLICATION- CENTER FOR
      SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:3.3

The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is supporting activities
through the Knowledge Development and Application (KD&A) program to
develop and test innovative substance abuse treatment approaches and
systems.  This program tests information derived from research
findings and sound empirical evidence and distributes cost-effective
treatment approaches on curbing addiction and related behaviors to
the field.  Under the KD&A program, the Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment is collaborating with the Center for Mental Health Services
to administer a Homeless Prevention Program, which documents
interventions for individuals with serious mental illnesses and/or
substance abuse disorders who are at risk of subsequent homelessness. 
Eight projects, currently in their third and final year, are
evaluating strategies that were developed and documented in the first
year of the program.  Information on this program will be published
in a special addition of Alcohol and Treatment Quarterly in the
spring of 1999. 


      SPECIAL PROJECTS OF NATIONAL
      SIGNIFICANCE
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:3.4

The Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) program, part F
of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act,
supports the development of innovative models of HIV/AIDS care,
designed to address the special care needs of individuals with
HIV/AIDS in vulnerable populations, including the homeless.  These
projects are designed to be replicable in other parts of the country
and have a strong evaluation component. 

The SPNS program's HIV Multiple Diagnosis Initiative, a collaboration
between the Department and HUD, focuses on integrating a full range
of housing, health care, and supportive services needed by homeless
people living with HIV/AIDS whose lives are further complicated by
mental illness and/or substance abuse.  Sixteen nonprofit
organizations will receive funding.  These organizations will
contribute information to a national data set on (1) the service
needs of homeless, multiply diagnosed HIV clients and variations in
their needs linked to sociodemographic characteristics, health
status, and history of status; (2) the types of services being
provided; (3) the barriers in service systems to providing
appropriate care to clients; and (4) the relationship between
comprehensive services and improved patient outcomes with regard to
housing, mental health, social functioning, the reduction of
high-risk behaviors, adherence to treatment protocols, and overall
health and quality of life. 


   DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
------------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:4


      VICTIMS OF CRIME
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:4.1

The Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime administers
the Crime Victims Fund, which distributes grants to states to assist
them in funding victim assistance and compensation programs.  Under
the victim assistance grant program, states are required to give
priority to victims of child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual
assault by setting aside at least 10 percent of their funding for
programs serving these victims.  While there is no specific
initiative directed towards homeless persons, many local domestic
violence shelters provide a safe place for women and children who
find themselves on the streets following violence in the home.  In
addition to providing refuge for domestic violence victims, these
shelters offer counseling, criminal justice advocacy, and referrals
to other social service programs.  Support for the program comes from
fines and penalties paid by federal criminal offenders. 


   INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
------------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:5


      EARNED INCOME CREDIT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:5.1

This credit is a special tax benefit for working people who earn low
or moderate incomes.  Its purposes are to (1) reduce the tax burden
on low and moderate income workers, (2) supplement wages, and (3)
make work more attractive than welfare.  Workers who qualify for the
credit and file a federal tax return can get back some or all of the
federal income tax that was taken out of their pay during the year. 
They may also get extra cash back from the Internal Revenue Service. 
Even workers whose earnings are too small to have paid taxes can get
the credit.  The credit reduces any additional taxes workers may owe. 

Single or married people who worked full time or part time at some
point in a year's time can qualify for the credit, depending on their
income. 


   DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
------------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6


      HUD/VA SUPPORTED HOUSING
      (HUD-VASH)
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.1

The Department of VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies Appropriations
Act of 1990 (P.L.  101-144) authorized the use of rental assistance
vouchers (to subsidize rental costs for up to 5 years).  VA
clinicians help homeless mentally ill and substance abusing veterans
locate and secure permanent housing using these rental assistance
vouchers.  Once housing is secured, clinicians provide veterans with
the longer-term clinical and social support they need to remain in
permanent housing. 


      VA SUPPORTED HOUSING
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.2

This program assists homeless veterans in finding transitional or
permanent housing but does not provide rental assistance vouchers. 
The program involves working with veterans' service organizations,
public housing authorities, private landlords, and other housing
resources.  As in the initiative with HUD, clinicians provide
veterans with the longer-term clinical and social support (case
management) they need to remain in housing.\49


--------------------
\49 The information on VA's Supportive Initiatives is excerpted from
a VA Inspector General's report, Review of Department of Veterans
Affairs Assistance to Homeless Veterans (6R3-A12-084, Sept.  1996.)


      VA-SOCIAL SECURITY
      ADMINISTRATION EXPEDITION
      PROJECT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.3

In 1991, VA and the Social Security Administration (SSA) initiated a
joint project designed to expedite claims for Social Security
benefits to which homeless veterans are entitled.  Under the project,
SSA representatives work with staff from VA's Homeless Chronically
Mentally Ill Veterans and Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans
programs to identify homeless veterans who are entitled to benefits
and help them obtain the necessary income and eligibility
certifications, medical/psychiatric examinations, and substance abuse
treatment (if such treatment is a condition of the SSA benefit
award).  According to an April 1998 study,\50 the initiative was
operating at four sites and had helped 3,114 veterans file SSA
applications.  The study reported that 692 veterans had received
benefits. 


--------------------
\50 Guide to Federal Funding for Governments and Nonprofits:  Aid for
the Homeless, Section N, Government Information Services (Apr. 
1998). 


      VETERANS INDUSTRIES OR
      COMPENSATED WORK THERAPY
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.4

Program staff contract with private and public industry, including
VA, to secure paying work for homeless veterans.  The work is used as
a therapeutic tool to improve the veterans' functional levels (work
habits) and mental health.  While in the program, veterans
participate in individual and group therapy and are medically
followed on an outpatient basis. 


      VETERANS
      INDUSTRIES/THERAPEUTIC
      RESIDENCE
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.5

The Veterans Programs for Housing and Memorial Affairs Act (P.L. 
102-54) authorized VA to operate therapeutic transitional residences
along with furnishing compensated work therapy.  This program
provides housing in community-based group homes for homeless and
nonhomeless veterans while they work for pay in the program.  The
veterans must use a portion of their wages to pay rent, utilities,
and food costs; their remaining wages are set aside to support their
transition to independent living.  As in the Compensated Work Therapy
program, homeless veterans participate in individual and group
therapy and are medically followed on an outpatient basis. 


      VETERANS BENEFITS OUTREACH
      COUNSELORS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.6

The Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Service Programs Act of 1992
(P.L.  102-590) provided the impetus to collocate veterans benefits
counselors with Homeless Chronically Mentally Ill and Domiciliary
Care for Homeless Veterans staff to focus greater efforts on reaching
out to homeless chronically mentally ill veterans.  Under this
program, at selected VA regional offices, the Veterans Health
Administration (VHA) is providing reimbursed funding for the
commitment of full-time or part-time veterans benefits counselors who
collaborate with VA medical centers on joint outreach, counseling,
and referral activities, including applying for VA benefits.  The VA
regional office receives reimbursed funding for the veterans benefits
counselor but does not receive an increase in staffing levels. 


      PSYCHIATRIC RESIDENTIAL
      REHABILITATION AND TREATMENT
      PROGRAM
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.7

This program provides a 24-hour-a-day therapeutic setting that
includes professional support and treatment for chronically mentally
ill veterans in need of extended rehabilitation and treatment. 
According to a 1996 VA document, one such program was funded for
homeless veterans in Anchorage, Alaska. 


      DROP-IN CENTERS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.8

Drop-in centers offer safe daytime environments where homeless
veterans may find food, take a shower, wash their clothes,
participate in a variety of therapeutic and rehabilitative
activities, and establish connections with other VA programs that
provide more extensive assistance.  The centers also offer basic
education on topics such as HIV prevention and good nutrition.  The
drop-in programs serve as "points of entry" to VA's longer-term and
more intensive treatment programs. 


      COMPREHENSIVE HOMELESS
      CENTERS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.9

These centers provide an array of VA and community resources in one
framework to develop local comprehensive and coordinated services to
help homeless veterans.  Staff form strong ties with their
communities to eliminate overlap and duplication of efforts and to
streamline service delivery.  Resources include city, county, and
state governments; local representatives of the federal agencies that
provide assistance to the homeless; and other local VA activities for
homeless veterans. 


      COMMUNITY HOMELESS
      ASSESSMENT, LOCAL EDUCATION,
      AND NETWORKING GROUPS
---------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.10

The Veterans' Medical Programs Amendments of 1992 (P.L.  102-405)
authorized VA to conduct a nationwide needs assessment of homeless
veterans living within the area served by each VA medical center and
regional office.  This assessment is being conducted through a series
of VA-hosted meetings of public and private providers of assistance
to the homeless.  The goal of the program is to obtain information on
the needs of homeless veterans that have and have not been met in
each region and on the assistance available from non-VA providers.  A
secondary goal is to bring all relevant agencies and organizations
together in communitywide efforts to improve the assistance provided
to homeless veterans. 


      VA-SUPPORTED STAND-DOWNS
---------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.11

"Stand-down" is a military term used by VA and other non-VA providers
of assistance to homeless persons.  In this context, the term denotes
an array of services provided in one location for a day or several
days.  Services include meals, haircuts, clothing, sleeping bags,
minor medical care, dental and eye examinations, benefits counseling,
legal assistance, and identification cards.  Program officials have
encouraged VA staff to participate in these community efforts and
have provided additional funds, as available.  The primary goal of a
stand-down is to provide outreach and assistance to homeless
veterans; however, these events also serve to bring VA and non-VA
community providers together in one effort.  According to a VA
document, in fiscal year 1995, VA participated in over 45
stand-downs. 


      VETERANS HEALTH
      ADMINISTRATION VET CENTERS
---------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.12

Vet center staff provide a full range of assistance to veterans and
their families, paying particular attention to war-related
psychological and social problems that may interfere with returning
to civilian life.  The staff are specially skilled to do community
outreach, which is essential for making contact with lower-income
veterans and homeless veterans, and to provide counseling,
evaluation, and referral services to other VA facilities.  In 1996,
when VA released this information, there were 205 vet centers whose
staff reported that approximately 5 percent of their annual visits
were designed to provide direct assistance to homeless veterans. 


      LOAN GUARANTY HOMELESS
      PROGRAM
---------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.13

The Veterans' Home Loan Program Improvements and Property
Rehabilitation Act of 1987 (P.L.  100-198) authorized the Secretary
to enter into agreements with nonprofit organizations, states, or
political subdivisions to sell real property acquired through default
on VA-guaranteed loans, as long as the solvency of the Loan Guaranty
Revolving Fund was not affected.  The Homeless Veterans Comprehensive
Service Programs Act of 1992 (P.L.  102-590) extended VA's authority
to lease, lease with the option to sell, or donate VA-acquired
properties.  According to a VA document, between July 1988 and
December 31, 1995, VA sold, leased, or donated a total of 99
properties. 


      VA-DOD EXCESS PROPERTY FOR
      HOMELESS VETERANS INITIATIVE
---------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.14

This program locates excess federal and other personal property
(e.g., clothing, sleeping bags, toiletries, and shoes) for
distribution to homeless veterans at stand-downs or through other VA
programs for assisting the homeless.  According to a VA document,
during fiscal year 1995, VA distributed over $6 million in excess
clothing and supplies to homeless veterans. 


      VA SURPLUS PROPERTY (FEDERAL
      SURPLUS PROPERTY PROGRAM)
---------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.15

Title V of the Stewart B.  McKinney Homeless Assistance Act gives
assistance providers an opportunity to lease surplus federal
properties for services, such as emergency shelters, offices, and
facilities for feeding homeless persons.  VA's surplus property
initiative is a national program for homeless veterans that allows VA
to provide assistance by transferring leases of surplus real property
to nonprofit organizations caring for homeless persons.  This
initiative has two major components, the Title V Surplus Property
Program and direct leases of facilities made by VHA field directors
to nonprofit organizations.  According to a VA document, in March
1995, VA's Under Secretary for Health made a special request to VHA
field facilities to make more VA properties available to help
homeless veterans. 


      VETERANS ASSISTANCE SERVICE
      OUTREACH
---------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:6.16

Veterans Benefits Administration counselors go out into the community
to identify homeless veterans and determine their eligibility for VA
benefits.  The goal of the program is to improve homeless veterans'
access to VA benefits.  This program is conducted through existing
resources at applicable VA regional offices. 


   FEDERAL PROPERTY PROGRAMS
------------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:7


      USE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY FOR
      PROVIDERS OF ASSISTANCE TO
      THE HOMELESS UNDER TITLE V
      OF THE MCKINNEY ACT
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:7.1

Public agencies and nonprofit, tax-exempt institutions or
organizations that provide food, shelter, and support services to the
homeless may obtain personal property through the Surplus Federal
Personal Property Donation Program.  The General Services
Administration administers the program through a network of state
agencies for surplus property (SASP).  Under the Federal Property
Act, ï¿½excessï¿½ federal personal property must first be offered to
other federal agencies.  Any surplus property no longer needed by the
federal government is made available to the SASP.  Eligible
organizations apply to their state agency.  The SASP directors
determine eligibility and distribute the property to qualified
entities.  Property donated for use by the homeless can include
blankets, clothing, appliances, furniture, and other items. 


      USE OF FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY
      TO ASSIST THE HOMELESS
      (TITLE V OF THE MCKINNEY
      ACT)
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:7.2

The objective of this program is to make available, through lease,
permit, or donation, certain real federal property for use to assist
the homeless.  State and local governments and private nonprofit
agencies acting as representatives of the homeless may obtain the use
of unutilized or underutilized federal properties through lease,
permit, or donation.  The General Services Administration identifies
and sends a list of surplus properties to HUD.  Periodically, HUD
publishes a Notice of Funding Availability listing suitable and
available properties for which organizations seeking to use the
properties to assist the homeless can then apply.  HHS reviews and
approves all applications for the use of these properties by homeless
assistance providers. 

The McKinney Act requires all federal landholding agencies to
identify all unutilized, underutilized, excess, and surplus
properties, and to send a listing of the properties to HUD. 


      PURCHASE OR LEASE OF
      FEDERALLY ACQUIRED
      FORECLOSED PROPERTIES BY
      HOMELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS
----------------------------------------------------- Appendix III:7.3

Four federal agencies have special provisions or preferences for
selling or leasing certain properties in their inventory that have
been acquired through foreclosure to public agencies or nonprofit
organizations for use in programs to assist homeless people.  These
agencies include HUD's Federal Housing Administration, the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service, VA, and the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. 


GROUPS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE
SERVICES THROUGH TARGETED AND
NONTARGETED PROGRAMS
========================================================== Appendix IV



   (See figure in printed
   edition.)



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   edition.)



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   edition.)



   (See figure in printed
   edition.)


PROGRAMS, TYPES OF FUNDING, AND
REPORTED OBLIGATIONS FOR FISCAL
YEARS 1995-98
=========================================================== Appendix V

                                  (Dollars in millions)

                                                        Fiscal year
                                   ------------------------------------------------------
Program name         Funding type          1995          1996          1997        1998\a
-------------------  ------------  ------------  ------------  ------------  ------------
Targeted programs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Agriculture
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Homeless          Formula               $1.7         $1.7\          $2.1          $1.9
 Children Nutrition   grants
 Program

Education
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Education for     Formula               28.8          23.0          25.0          28.8
 Homeless Children    grants
 and Youth

FEMA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Emergency Food    Formula              130.0         100.0         100.0         100.0
 and Shelter          grants
 Program

HHS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Health Care for   Project               65.4          65.5          69.3          71.3
 the Homeless         grants
5. Projects for      Formula               29.5          20.0          20.0          23.0
 Assistance in        grants
 Transition from
 Homelessness
 (PATH)
6. Runaway and       Project               40.5          43.7          43.7          43.6
 Homeless Youth -     grants
 Basic Center
7. Runaway and       Project                 \b           5.6           8.0          15.0
 Homeless Youth -     grants
 Street Outreach
8. Runaway and       Project               13.6          14.9          14.9          14.9
 Homeless Youth -     grants
 Transitional
 Living

HUD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Emergency         Formula              155.0         115.0         115.0         165.0
 Shelter Grants       grants
10. Section 8        Project                 \c            \c          10.1          23.5
 Single-Room          grants
 Occupancy Moderate
 Rehabilitation
11. Shelter Plus     Project              162.0          89.0          61.0         116.9
 Care                 grants
12. Supportive       Project              602.0         577.0         620.0         574.2
 Housing Program      grants

Labor
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Homeless         Project                 \d            \d            \d         3.0\f
 Veterans             grants
 Reintegration
 Project

Veterans Affairs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Domiciliary      Direct                38.9          41.1          37.2        38.5\f
 Care for Homeless    services\e
 Veterans
15. Homeless         Direct                32.3          32.1          32.0          36.4
 Chronically          services
 Mentally Ill         and
 Veterans             contract
                      awards\g
16. Homeless         Project                6.3           6.3           6.1         5.9\f
 Providers Grant      grants
 and Per Diem
 Program

Nontargeted programs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Agriculture
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Child and Adult  Entitlement\       1,466.9       1,552.6       1,608.8       1,558.7
 Care Food Program    h
18. Commodity        Formula               88.6          86.6          92.1          89.1
 Supplemental Food    grants
 Program
19. Emergency Food   Formula              105.0          79.8         172.1         146.4
 Assistance Program   grants
20. Food Stamp       Entitlement       24,445.1      24,259.8      26,693.8      19,193.7
 Program
21. National School  Entitlement        4,587.6       4,761.0       5,131.1       5,130.3
 Lunch Program\i
22. School           Entitlement        1,181.8       1,122.1       1,212.7       1,299.6
 Breakfast Program
23. Special Milk     Entitlement           20.6          18.9          18.0          18.3
 Program
24. Special          Formula            3,583.6       3,829.2       4,034.9       4,046.8
 Supplemental         grants
 Nutrition Program
 for Women,
 Infants, and
 Children (WIC)
25. Summer Food      Entitlement          255.9         258.2         258.5         251.6
 Service Program

Education
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26. Elementary and   Formula            6,649.0       6,730.3       7,295.3       7,767.0
 Secondary            grants
 Education Act Part
 A of Title I

HHS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27. Consolidated     Project              756.6         758.1         802.2         824.9
 (Community) Health   grants
 Centers
28. Community        Formula              389.6         389.6         489.6         489.7
 Services Block       grants
 Grant (CSBG)
29. Head Start       Project            3,534.1       3,569.3       3,980.5       4,347.4
                      grants
30. Maternal and     Formula              683.9         687.2         681.0         681.1
 Child Health         grants
 Services Block
 Grant
31. Medicaid         Entitlement       89,240.0      92,727.5      96,476.7     104,495.4
32. Mental Health    Formula              261.6         261.6         261.6         261.6
 Performance          grants
 Partnership Block
 Grant
33. Migrant Health   Project                 \j            \j            \j            \j
 Centers              grants
34. Ryan White CARE  Formula and          356.5         391.7         449.8         464.7
 Act                  project
 Title I              grants
Title II             Formula              198.1       260.8\k       417.0\k       542.8\k
                      grants
35. Social Services  Formula            2,800.0       2,381.0       2,500.0       2,299.0
 Block Grant (SSBG)   grants
36. State            Formula                 \l            \l            \l       4,235.0
 Children's Health    grants
 Insurance Program
37. Substance Abuse  Formula            1,234.1       1,234.1       1,360.1       1,360.1
 Prevention and       grants
 Treatment Block
 Grant
38. Temporary        Block                   \n            \n      13,402.8      16,488.7
 Assistance for       grants\m
 Needy Families
 (TANF)

HUD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
39. Community        Formula and       4, 485.0       4,370.0       4,310.4       4,195.1
 Development Block    project
 Grant\o              grants
40. Home Investment  Formula            1,400.0       1,400.0       1,332.2       1,438.0
 Partnerships         grants
 Program (HOME)
41. Housing          Formula and          171.0         171.0         196.0         204.0
 Opportunities for    Project
 Persons With AIDS    grants
 (HOPWA)
42. Public and       Direct             3,728.2       2,963.0       2,990.1       2,990.0
 Indian Housing       payments
43. Section 8        Annual             4,400.0       1,200.0       1,977.2     2,769.4\f
 Project-Based        contribution
 Assistance           contracts
                      and
                      contract
                      administrat
                      ion\p
44. Section 8        Annual            16,947.9       7,308.2       7,830.3       8,126.3
 Rental Certificate   contribution
 and Voucher          contracts
 Program
45. Section 811      Project              233.7          53.0       435.8\q         174.0
 Supportive Housing   grants
 for Persons With
 Disabilities

Labor
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
46. Job Training     Formula              997.0         850.0         895.0         955.0
 for Disadvantaged    grants
 Adults, Title II A
47. Youth            Formula              867.0         625.0         871.0         871.0
 Employment           grants
 Training and Job
 Training for
 Disadvantaged
 Youth programs
 Title II B
Title II C           Formula              126.7         126.7         126.7         130.0
                      grants
48. Veterans         Project                8.9           7.3           7.3           7.0
 Employment           grants
 Program, Title IV
 C
49. Welfare-to-      Formula and             \l            \l             0           1.5
 Work Grants to       Project
 States and           grants
 Localities

SSA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50. Supplemental     Entitlement       24,443.0      24,302.8      26,639.6      27,418.1
 Security Income
 (SSI)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note:  All numbers are rounded. 

\a All figures in this column are estimates unless otherwise
indicated. 

\b Not applicable.  This program did not receive funding until 1996. 

\c Funding for this fiscal year is included in the outlays for the
Section 8 Rental Certificate and Voucher Program. 

\d Not applicable.  Funding for this program was not provided in this
fiscal year. 

\e Program funding is used to compensate VA staff for providing
treatment and rehabilitation for homeless veterans. 

\f Actual funding. 

\g Program funding is used to (1) pay the salaries of VA clinical and
administrative support staff involved in outreach and case management
and (2) contract with community-based residential care programs to
provide residential treatment for homeless veterans. 

\h An entitlement or direct payment is financial assistance provided
by the federal government directly to recipients who satisfy
eligibility requirements and are subject to no restrictions on how
the money is spent.  (except under the Food Stamp Program, which
restricts the use of benefits to eligible foods). 

\i The funding amounts for this program include most of the funding
for two other programs.  Specifically, the funding (in millions) for
Child Nutrition Commodities was $654.9, $673.3, $692.1, and $735.6
(estimate) for fiscal years 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. 
The funding for Child Nutrition State Administrative Expense was
$93.6, $99.9, $104.1, and $110.4 (estimate) during fiscal years 1995,
1996, 1997, and 1998, respectively.  While this funding is
distributed to all child nutrition programs, the majority goes to the
National School Lunch Program. 

\j The funding for this program is included in the funding for
Consolidated Health Centers. 

\k Beginning in fiscal year 1996, the total funding for Title II
includes funds states received that were earmarked for AIDS Drug
Assistance programs. 

\l Not applicable.  This program was created by the Balanced Budget
Act of 1997, and funding was not provided until fiscal year 1998. 

\m Unlike other block grant programs, such as the Community Services
Block Grant, which typically provide funding to the states through a
distribution formula, TANF provides the states with a fixed block
grant.  Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996, the fixed amount of each state's grants
is based on the amount of its grants in specified fiscal years under
prior law, supplemented for population increases under certain
circumstances.  The TANF amounts reported in this appendix are for
state and tribal family assistance grants only. 

\n Not applicable.  This program was created by the Personal
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, and
funding was not provided until fiscal year 1997. 

\o Includes Entitlement, States, and Small Cities programs. 

\p An annual contributions contract is a written contract between HUD
and a public housing authority.  Under the contract, HUD agrees to
provide funding for operating the program and the housing authority
agrees to comply with HUD's requirements for the program.  Contract
administration is the procedure through which HUD enters into a
housing assistance payment contract with a private landlord to
guarantee payments for a time limit specified in the contract. 

\q Estimated funding. 




(See figure in printed edition.)Appendix VI
COMMENTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
=========================================================== Appendix V



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)


The following are GAO's comments on the Department of Health and
Human Services' (HHS) letter dated February 10, 1999. 

GAO'S COMMENTS

1.  After reviewing HHS' comments, we deleted the comment made by the
Special Assistant to the Secretary because it was not central to the
discussion in the report.  We also revised the reference to "billions
of dollars worth of resources" to clarify that the resources assist
low-income people generally, including the homeless. 

2.  We agree that a significant percentage of homeless single men are
disabled and that some of their disabilities may qualify them for SSI
and/or Medicaid.  We added language to the report to clarify this. 

3.  As appropriate, we changed the attributions in the report. 

4.  We added the word "foreclosed" to clarify the type of surplus
properties. 

5.  We made the suggested changes to indicate that services are
"eligible" rather than "provided."

6.  We agree that while several programs provide or could provide the
same service, there is significant variation in the intensity of the
same service across programs.  This audit was not designed to
identify variations in services. 

7.  We made the suggested change to point out that TANF resources can
be used to provide rental assistance. 

8.  In response, we deleted the column totals from table 2 but
retained the row totals because the number of programs that provide a
particular type of service is relevant information. 

9.  We included a sentence that refers to the National Survey of
Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients. 

10.  The section of the report cited by HHS discusses the joint
administration of programs or resources.  Because HHS' examples of
interagency collaboration do not illustrate this topic, we did not
include them in the report. 

11.  We made the suggested changes to appendix I to indicate that
additional services can be provided through HHS' programs. 

12.  We deleted the reference to the number of homeless persons
served from the program summary for Community Health Centers. 

13.  We made the suggested technical changes to the program summaries
in appendix II . 

14.  We made the suggested technical changes to appendix III. 

15.  The three Runaway and Homeless Youth programs target children
and youth, including those who are disabled or have mental illnesses,
substance abuse disorders, or HIV/AIDS.  Thus, we did not make the
suggested change. 

16.  We made the suggested changes to update the information on
program funding provided in appendix V. 




(See figure in printed edition.)Appendix VII
COMMENTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
=========================================================== Appendix V



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)



(See figure in printed edition.)


The following are GAO's comments on the Department of Housing Urban
and Development's (HUD) letter dated February 2, 1999. 

GAO'S COMMENTS

1.  It is not our intent to hold the Council to the same standards
now as when it had its own budget.  The purpose of the section on the
Council is, first, to indicate that it is one of several mechanisms
through which programs and activities for the homeless are
coordinated and, second, to explain its status.  However, we noted
HUD's concerns, adding some of the points that the Department
suggested, such as an example of the Council's long-term coordination
efforts and the statement that the Council's policy group has
discussed ways of improving coordination between targeted and
nontargeted programs.  We also added infomation on the frequency of
the Council's meetings and stated HUD's belief that the Council is
still very involved in coordinating federal efforts and sharing
information. 

2.  We revised the report to eliminate the reference to mission
fragmentation because an assessment as to why so many agencies
provide similar services to the homeless was beyond the scope of this
review. 

3.  We revised the report to include the additional agencies. 

4.  We revised this sentence to reflect the Council's staffing level. 

5.  We deleted this footnote. 

6.  We replaced the word "surplus" with the word "foreclosed."

7.  We revised the sentence to reflect the Council's last meeting
date and deleted the word "formerly." We also revised the text to
make a clear distinction between the Council and its policy-level
working group.  A copy of the minutes from the policy group's April
1998 meeting indicates that representatives of HUD and the Department
of Defense discussed the distribution both of surplus blankets and of
surplus real property on base closure property.  We added a reference
to the surplus real property. 

8.  We replaced the word "providing" with the word "includes."

9.  We revised the text to indicate that HUD considers the percentage
of homeless persons who move from HUD transitional housing to
permanent housing an outcome measure. 

10.  We made the wording changes suggested by HUD. 

11.  We revised the report accordingly. 

12.  At the beginning of the report, we list the criteria we used to
select programs for inclusion in the report.  We do not state in the
report that program duplication exists; we observe that many of the
programs offer similar services. 

13.  We made the technical and editing changes suggested by HUD. 

14.  The statement that "permanent housing may not be realistic" came
from a program evaluation study prepared for HUD, in which homeless
service providers expressed the view that since there is a limit
(even if it is 5 years) on the length of time the housing is
available, it is not necessarily permanent. 

15.  We included this statement because it was identified as a
program limitation in a program evaluation prepared for HUD. 

16.  We made the technical and editing changes suggested by HUD. 

17.  In appendix IV, a mark under "general or low-income population"
indicates that all or most of the categories of eligible groups are
covered. 

18.  We made the suggested changes to appendix V. 


MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS REPORT
======================================================== Appendix VIII

RESOURCES, COMMUNITY, AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT DIVISION, WASHINGTON,
D.C. 

Susan Campbell
Bess Eisenstadt
Andrew Pauline
Cheri Truett

ATLANTA FIELD OFFICE

Sherrill Dunbar

*** End of document. ***