Local Forums on new federal homeless initiative

Posted by on March 29, 2010

PEC plans forum to prepare for new homeless initiative

Last May, President Obama signed the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition Act, better known as HEARTH, as part of an effort to change how the nation addresses homelessness.

HEARTH is expected to affect how Philadelphia serves its 14,000 homeless people every year in new and profound ways.  In signing HEARTH, Obama directed the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and the US Interagency Council on Homelessness to revise the nation’s homeless strategy and its programs.

This May, HUD is expected to propose new regulations and USICH is expected to announce the Administration’s Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. Both documents will explain the details on how Philadelphia can serve homeless families, children, and individuals for the next.

To help Philadelphia prepare to take advantage of the new opportunities likely to arise from HEARTH, the People’s Emergency Center is organizing a series of public forums to discuss the possibilities.

The first local HEARTH forum is co- sponsored by Project H.O.M.E. and will feature Norm Suchar, Senior Policy Analyst of the National Alliance to End Homelessness and others. It will be held on Thursday, April 15th from 2-4pm at a Center City location to be announced.

To register, email your name and organization to Policy@pec-cares.org.