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| October 31, 2004 DOL Home > Find It! By Audience > Annual Report on Homelessness |  |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 2003 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNUAL REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS OVERVIEW OF DEPARTMENT OF LABOR HOMELESS ASSISTANCE, ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
FISCAL YEAR 2004 BUDGET REQUEST POTENTIAL IMPEDIMENTS TO ACCESS FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE AND EFFORTS TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION This Administration has demonstrated strong leadership on the issue of homelessness. In June of 2001, the President reactivated the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH). Congress established the Council in 1987, as part of the Domestic Policy Council of the White House to coordinate the federal response to homelessness under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, (now known as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act). The main goal of the Interagency Council is to abolish homelessness. The twenty federal member agencies of the ICH are developing new strategies to better coordinate the nation's response to homelessness, including as the first priority, the President's goal of eliminating chronic homelessness by 2012. The Department of Labor is committed to the President's goal and is an active participant in both the Council and in the Administration's efforts to combat homelessness. On October 1, 2003, the Secretary of Labor was elected Vice Chairperson of the Interagency Council on Homelessness. Overview of Department of Labor Homeless Assistance, Activities and Accomplishments The Department of Labor administers programs providing services that are crucial components in the comprehensive efforts to address the cycle of homelessness. The Department has an important role in combating homelessness by encouraging access to employment-focused services and by providing workforce assistance to those who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless. DOL has a long history of assisting homeless individuals to become a part of the workforce by offering both mainstream and targeted programs that are employment-focused and help lead to self-sufficiency. These programs are described in detail in this report. The DOL Homelessness Working Group develops and recommends Departmental strategies to support the Administration's goals of ending chronic homelessness by 2012, and significantly reducing homelessness in America. Agencies represented on the DOL Working Group include the Employment and Training Administration, the Veterans' Employment and Training Service, the Office of Disability Employment Policy, the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy. The DOL homeless strategy focuses on helping homeless Americans who want to work or can become job-ready, by providing opportunities to achieve employment, that leads to self-sufficiency. DOL's strategic objectives are to: 1) Provide universal access to mainstream employment assistance and services; and 2) Identify and address skill needs that promote self-sufficiency. The Department's mainstream programs, authorized under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), offer employment and training services to all individuals in need of assistance, including those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. As the federal agency with primary responsibility for employment and training services, DOL is helping remove barriers so homeless persons may better access the workforce investment system through the Administration's proposal to reauthorize WIA. This effort will help improve services to targeted populations though the comprehensive One-Stop Career Center System, which maintains a universal access focus. The Department also provides technical assistance to the One-Stop System to help it better serve homeless individuals and those most in need. In addition to opportunities and assistance afforded to homeless persons through mainstream programs, the Department of Labor is directly involved in preventing and reducing homelessness through targeted and specialized employment and training programs such as the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Programs, the Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program, the Ready4Work programs, the Job Corps-Foster Care Recruitment Initiative, and through pilot and demonstration initiatives such as the Veterans' Workforce Investment Programs and the recent Department of Labor-Department of Housing and Urban Development collaborative Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Training grants. Each of these initiatives is an employment-focused effort directed toward getting people to work and giving them hope in their future. The Department is also a major funding and participating agency in the Department of Justice's Serious and Violent Reentry Initiative. During Fiscal Year 2003, the Department of Labor joined the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Veterans Affairs (VA) in sponsoring the Policy Academies, which are designed to help State and local policy makers develop action plans to improve access to mainstream health, human and employment services for the homeless. DOL sponsorship of these important homelessness-planning conferences has resulted in the active participation of State Workforce Investment System representatives on the State homelessness planning teams. Members of DOL's Homelessness Working Group, as well as DOL Regional Representatives, actively participate in the Policy Academies. This report describes each of these important DOL efforts to end the cycle of homelessness by providing homeless persons and those at risk of homelessness with the services they need to become self-sufficient. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) authorizes the Department of Labor's mainstream employment and training programs. Universal access is a fundamental principle of WIA. WIA provides universal access to employment-focused assistance for all individuals in need of help, including hard-to-serve populations such as the homeless. Statutory Authority The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, Public Law 105-220, was enacted on August 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 936 (42 U.S.C. 11313). The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers WIA. Program Description WIA established a national infrastructure for a coordinated Workforce Investment System designed to provide comprehensive employment and training services and information to all in need of assistance through an accessible delivery system: One-Stop Career Centers. WIA is based on the principle of federal, state and local partnerships. States and localities are given broad discretion to design and operate their systems to meet State and local needs. State and Local Workforce Investment Boards develop strategic plans and set priorities to meet workforce needs. The majority of board members on both State and local boards represent the business community. WIA funding flows to the States and local areas by formula. The mainstream WIA program includes three funding streams: youth, adult and dislocated workers. Individuals seeking assistance through the One-Stop Centers are provided with core, intensive or training services designed to meet their individuals needs. Client choice is promoted through Individual Training Accounts, which allow individuals to choose the kind of training and the training provider that best meets their needs and interests. In addition to the mainstream services available to the homeless under WIA, the DOL has identified additional ways to facilitate services to the homeless through technical assistance, identifying promising practices and research. Although DOL does not currently count the number of homeless individuals served by WIA, it is being proposed that data collection requirements be expanded to include the collection of this information beginning in Program Year 2004. For example, the DOL Fiscal Year 2003-2008 Strategic Plan establishes a goal to "increase the number of homeless persons who receive workforce services." To accomplish this, DOL is considering revising the WIA reporting system in order to collect information on the number of WIA adult program registrants who are homeless, and the percentage of WIA homeless adult program registrants who are employed through these programs. Targets for outcome goals dealing with homeless veterans are also included in the DOL Strategic Plan. Technical Assistance DOL will provide technical assistance to help homeless service providers in their efforts to assist homeless individuals in accessing the WIA system, in order to take full advantage of the employment and training services available though the One-Stop Career Center delivery system. Specifically, work is now underway in two multi-agency efforts involving DOL and other federal agencies. One is known as, "First Step" on the path to benefits for people who are homeless. It provides an interactive electronic tool via CD-ROM to local case managers, outreach workers and others working with people who are homeless. Developed by HHS and HUD, DOL joined the effort to ensure that service providers are made aware of all resources that can be made readily available, including specifically those of the workforce investment system, and can be brought to bear to provide assistance to homeless individuals in a given community. The second effort is a component of a $13.5 million interagency collaborative initiative that pairs supported housing [1] with employment and training services through the One-Stop Career Centers. [2] Technical assistance will be provided to those grantees selected to implement this initiative. The initiative will also develop research and materials that will assist the broader workforce investment system in providing better services to homeless youth and adults. Among the materials that the technical assistance provider will be disseminating are the relevant and updated elements of two publications developed attendant to the earlier Job Training for the Homeless Demonstration Program (JTHDP) carried out by the Department in the 1980's and 1990's: Employment and Training for America's Homeless: Best Practices Guide and Employment and Training for America's Homeless: Final Report on the Job Training for the Homeless Demonstration Program. Identifying and Sharing Promising Practices DOL is actively identifying "promising practices" that best serve homeless individuals through the workforce investment system. These successful practices are consistently being identified and disseminated as examples to be used by State and local agency officials and partners concerned with serving the homeless. These practices are shared with State and local officials at the Interagency Homeless Policy Academies to help them develop more effective action plans to serve homeless individuals. These "promising practices" are also shared with homeless service providers, DOL grantees and others who wish to duplicate such efforts. Research Through additional research, DOL will identify measures that address how to overcome barriers to providing needed assistance to the homeless population through both targeted and mainstream programs. Also, DOL will look at proven methods for effectively serving the unique employment and training needs of homeless individuals. A study is currently underway to identify areas where research may be needed as DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) considers options for dealing more effectively with the workforce needs of the homeless population. Budget The Fiscal Year 2003 Appropriation for the mainstream WIA programs was:
Targeted Prevention and Intervention Programs In addition to mainstream WIA services, DOL provides quality assistance through targeted prevention and intervention programs for homeless and at-risk populations. Most of these initiatives are grant programs available through national competitions. Research suggests that certain populations are at very high risk of becoming homeless. This is particularly true of individuals who are exiting publicly funded institutions, such as foster care, correctional facilities, and inpatient mental health and detoxification services. [3] The DOL supports several prevention programs directed at these high-risk populations. Job Corps Foster Care Initiative Statutory Authority Title I-C of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 authorizes the Job Corps program. The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration administers Job Corps through the Office of Job Corps, under the leadership of a National Director, supported by a National Office staff and a field network of Regional Offices. Program Description The Job Corps program is an education and training program for at-risk 16 to 24 year olds. Job Corps is a national program with 118 Centers located in 48 states and Puerto Rico. The program is primarily residential, and provides comprehensive academic and vocational training services, as well as supportive services including room and board, transportation, health care, and a clothing allowance. Foster care, homeless and runaway youth are specifically referenced in Job Corps' authorizing language as part of the population eligible to receive services under the program. Through improved tracking methods and outreach, Job Corps has significantly increased the numbers of youth served who are identified as foster care, homeless or runaway (from approximately 200 in 2001 to more than 2,000 projected in 2003). The services provided by Job Corps help prevent foster care and runaway youth from becoming homeless. Budget The cost of providing Job Corps training to foster care, homeless and runaway youth for Program Year 2003 was approximately $49,610,000. This figure was derived by multiplying the average cost per Job Corps participant in PY 2003 by the projected number of youth in the category "foster care, homeless and runaway" served in PY 2003. Program Description Ready4Work is an ex-offender re-entry workforce development initiative of the DOL's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI). Through DOL's grantee, Public/Private Ventures, and its national non-profit partners — the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, the National Jobs Partnership and Prison Fellowship Ministries — Ready4Work mobilizes local coalitions to work together for sustainable ex-offender re-entry, and to improve outcomes for ex-offenders and the communities in which they live. Ready4Work is a public/private initiative that will invest $22.5 million over the next three years in mentoring and other supportive services for men and women returning from state and federal correctional facilities. When fully implemented, Ready4Work will operate in 15 to 18 cities across the nation, serving an estimated 2,250 participants each year for the next 3 years. The President's 2005 budget is requesting $90 million for a new Prisoner Reentry Initiative that builds on the Ready4Work model. These funds will provide grants to faith-based and community organizations to help individuals exiting prison make a successful transition to community life and long employment through mentorship, job training, and supportive services. Budget The three-year budget for Ready4Work is $22,500,000 split between DOL, DOJ and a consortium of private foundations. This funding is intended for three-year grants. Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) Program Description The DOL is collaborating with the Departments of Justice, HHS, Education and HUD to focus on the increasing number of offenders who are being released from prisons, jails or court-affiliated training schools. This comprehensive initiative is designed to reduce further criminal activity by these ex-offenders upon their return to their communities through job training and supportive services in preparation for gainful employment. DOL has transferred more than $50 million in FY 2001 and FY 2002 funds to the Department of Justice to help support the SVORI initiative. DOL funds are being used for grants to states to implement reentry strategies, to support an evaluation of the initiative and to provide technical assistance to grantees. Budget DOL funding for the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative is from FY 2002 funds. These funds, of $54,640,000, are being used to develop state programs over a three year period. Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program (IVTP) Statutory Authority The IVRP is authorized under 38 U.S.C. 2023. Under provisions of Public Law 107-95, The Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001, funds are being awarded to conduct six demonstrations. One demonstration site will be a penal institution under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Prisons, the others are expected to be at the federal, State, municipal and/or local levels. The purpose of the program is to expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force with the intention of reducing the recidivism rate among ex-offenders. Program Description The Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program is a demonstration program operated by the Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Bureau of Prisons, and the National Institute of Corrections. All departments and agencies represented have a common interest in providing services to veterans, improving public safety and reducing the rate of unemployment, homelessness and recidivism of ex-offenders who are veterans of the United States Armed Forces. The program is designed to explore the process and impact of providing intensive veteran services to incarcerated veterans prior to release, including restoration of VA benefits, VA healthcare, and employment and training services after incarceration. The first demonstration program in Rochester, New York produced impressive results during 2003, including the placement of 60 out of 92 targeted veterans into employment. As this report is being prepared, the demonstration program with the State of Colorado is just beginning to get underway. In support of the Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program, the Veterans' Employment and Training Service is currently developing a formal training program and participant manual for State veteran employment representatives at the National Veterans Training Institute in Denver, Colorado. Budget The DOL Fiscal Year 2003 funding for the Incarcerated Veteran Transition Program was $550,000. The program has just been implemented. Several DOL programs provide intervention services to those who have become homeless, including veterans. The goal of these employment-related programs is to provide assistance to the homeless to help them become self-sufficient. The first two intervention programs target homeless veterans in particular. Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) Statutory Authority The Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Programs (HVRP) was first authorized under section 738 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act in July 1987, and is currently codified in Public Law 107-95 (38 U.S.C. 2021.) The Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training administers HVRP. Program Description The purpose of the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) is to "expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force." Funds are awarded competitively to State or local governments, Workforce Investment Boards, and nonprofit organizations to stimulate the development of effective delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing homeless veterans. The program is employment focused, ensuring veterans receive the employment and training services they need to reenter the labor market. Job counseling, resume preparation, skills assessment, job development and placement are among the services that may be provided. Supportive services such as clothing, shelter, referral to medical or substance abuse treatment, and transportation assistance are also provided to meet the needs of this target group. The emphasis on helping homeless veterans get and retain jobs is enhanced through linkages and coordination with veterans' services programs and organizations. These include the Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program and Local Veterans' Employment Representatives located in the State workforce agencies, Workforce Investment Boards, One-Stop Centers, Veterans' Workforce Investment Programs, veterans service organizations such as the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, non-profit organizations including faith and community based organizations that assist veterans and homeless populations, and federal agencies including VA, HUD and HHS. During Fiscal Year 2003, 8,668 veterans are projected to enter employment as a result of their participation in the HVRP, representing an overall 68 percent entered employment rate for this program. Budget Fiscal Year 2003 funding for the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Project was $18,131,000. Veterans' Workforce Investment Program (VWIP) Statutory Authority The VWIP is authorized under WIA §168. Funds are awarded competitively and for discretionary pilot/demonstration employment and training grants to units of State or local government and nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations. Program Description The Veterans' Workforce Investment Program, administered by DOL/VETS, is a competitive grant program providing funding to State and local governments and qualifying private, not-for-profit agencies. The grants are awarded to fund unique and innovative programs that provide training or assistance that leads to the employment of targeted groups of eligible veterans, notably, those veterans who have barriers to employment. This program enabled 2,376 individuals to enter employment from July 2002 through June 2003. Budget Fiscal Year 2003 funding for VWIP was $7,377,000. Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Housing Demonstration Grants Program Description DOL's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), and the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) have collaborated to design a competitive grant demonstration program to increase and improve employment opportunities for persons with disabilities who are chronically homeless. In support of the DOL awards, HUD is supplementing each cooperative agreement winner with additional resources to support housing needs. The goal of these cooperative agreements is to develop tailored employment strategies to enable persons with disabilities who are chronically homeless to achieve employment, permanent housing and self-sufficiency. These demonstration grants are designed to bring together the respective expertise and capabilities of the local workforce investment system (One-Stop Career Centers and their partners) in conjunction with local permanent housing service organizations, in order to develop and document the most effective strategies to respond to the employment needs of persons who are chronically homeless. Ideally, these grants will result in systemic change within the workforce delivery system and build the capacity within the mainstream employment and training system to serve hard-to-serve populations such as the chronically homeless. It is expected that over 400 chronically homeless, disabled persons will benefit from this initiative. Budget Fiscal Year 2003 funding for Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Demonstration Grants was $3,125,000. The DOL grants are for five years. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has funded this initiative at $10,000,000. Fiscal Year 2004 Appropriated Budget
Potential Impediments to Access for Homeless Persons and efforts to increase participation States and localities are held accountable for WIA outcomes such as placement and retention in employment, and must negotiate levels of performance to ensure the quality of services provided. Some contend that the performance standards, an essential component of accountability, can have the unintended effect of providing a disincentive to serving hard-to-serve populations. Concerns have been raised that the move towards universal service has resulted in less effective services to at-risk populations, such as the homeless, through the One-Stop system. Proposed legislative changes to WIA would enable States and local areas to provide a wider range of services to low-wage earners in general through work support. These legislative changes would help to diminish barriers to serving targeted populations through the One-Stop system. By addressing such barriers, the system will become more dynamic and flexible while maintaining the universal access focus. The Administration's proposal would require each State to include in their State plans, developed under WIA, a description of the strategies the State will use to serve the employment and training needs of homeless individuals. The proposal establishes separate reporting on the performance outcomes achieved by participants who are homeless, which will enable a review of the effectiveness of the services and facilitate appropriate improvements. Finally, the proposal includes incentive-grant funding criteria for States to encourage them to develop creative approaches to serving specific targeted populations, including the homeless. In addition, the Administration has proposed changes to the current performance accountability system in order to take into account the special needs of hard-to-serve populations so that state and local programs are not driven away from serving those most in need. The proposal specifically identifies the homeless as one of these populations. In addition to proposed WIA changes, DOL participation in the Policy Academies as well as the above-mentioned targeted programs, particularly the Ending Chronic Homelessness Through Employment and Housing grants and technical assistance efforts, should have the effect of increasing the participation of the homeless in DOL programs. The DOL Fiscal Year 2003-2008 Strategic Plan establishes a goal to "increase the number of homeless persons who receive workforce services." Establishing this goal and changing the reporting system to collect information on the number of WIA adult program registrants who are homeless should increase services to this population. Potential Impediments to Access for Homeless Persons and Efforts to Increase Participation States and localities are held accountable for WIA outcomes such as placement and retention in employment, and must negotiate levels of performance to ensure the quality of services provided. Some contend that the performance standards, an essential component of accountability, can have the unintended effect of providing a disincentive to serving hard-to-serve populations. Concerns have been raised that the move towards universal service has resulted in less effective services to at-risk populations, such as the homeless, through the One-Stop system. Proposed legislative changes to WIA would enable States and local areas to provide a wider range of services to low-wage earners in general through work support. These legislative changes would help to diminish barriers to serving targeted populations through the One-Stop system. By addressing such barriers, the system will become more dynamic and flexible while maintaining the universal access focus. The Administration's proposal would require each State to include in their State plans, developed under WIA, a description of the strategies the State will use to serve the employment and training needs of homeless individuals. The proposal establishes separate reporting on the performance outcomes achieved by participants who are homeless, which will enable a review of the effectiveness of the services and facilitate appropriate improvements. Finally, the proposal includes incentive-grant funding criteria for States to encourage them to develop creative approaches to serving specific targeted populations, including the homeless. In addition, the Administration has proposed changes to the current performance accountability system in order to take into account the special needs of hard-to-serve populations so that state and local programs are not driven away from serving those most in need. The proposal specifically identifies the homeless as one of these populations. In addition to proposed WIA changes, DOL participation in the Policy Academies as well as the above-mentioned targeted programs, particularly the Ending Chronic Homelessness Through Employment and Housing grants and technical assistance efforts, should have the effect of increasing the participation of the homeless in DOL programs. The DOL Fiscal Year 2003-2008 Strategic Plan establishes a goal to “increase the number of homeless persons who receive workforce services.” Establishing this goal and changing the reporting system to collect information on the number of WIA adult program registrants who are homeless should increase services to this population. Footnotes [1] Programs funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development [2] DOL funding for this initiative comes from three agencies: ETA, ODEP, and VETS [3] Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance. Six-Year Comparison of Emerging Populations in Massachusetts Emergency Shelters: 1997-2002. [4] Adult training is combined with Dislocated Worker and Employment Service in the Fiscal Year 2004 and Fiscal Year 2005 budget requests. [5] Dislocated Worker funding is combined with Adult Training and Employment Service in the Fiscal Year 2004 and Fiscal Year 2005 budget requests. [6] The funding for the Incarcerated Veterans Transition Demonstrations is authorized under the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Project Program in the 2001 Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act. The funding for the Incarcerated Veterans Transition Demonstrations is taken from the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program's budget. [7] Job Corps estimates are based on the number of students in the category "homeless, runaway, and foster care" multiplied by the average cost per student for that program year. [8] The Ready4Work grants are for three years and are jointly funded by DOL, DOJ and foundation dollars. DOL funds will be drawn from Fiscal Years 03, 04 and 05. [9] DOL funding for the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative is from FY 2002 funds. These funds are being used to develop state programs over a three-year period.
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