ACTION ALERT

***ACTION ALERT: SUPPORT NEEDED FOR THE HOUSING TRUST FUND AND T8 HOMELESS SERVICE FUNDING***

The House-Senate appropriations conference committee will determine funding for the Housing Trust Fund and the Homelessness Service Funding Initiative as early as TODAY, TUESDAY, MAY 5!

CALLS OR FAXES TO CONFEREES’ OFFICES NEEDED BY 12:30 TODAY!

T8 (Big City Mayors’) HOMELESS INITIATIVE
House Appropriations put $1 million annually in Article 7 (TDHCA budget) and $8 million annually in Article 11 for homeless funding and Senate Appropriations put $25 million annually in Article 11 “wish list”. We need to encourage appropriations conferees to put the $25M Senate amount in Article 7. The legislative affairs offices of Dallas and San Antonio have been working hard to secure conferees’ support; we need final phone calls/faxes to conferees TODAY! This funding will be shared between the eight largest cities, with a percentage set aside for rural Texas.

HOUSING TRUST FUND (info from TxLIHIS)
The House has approved approx. $50 million over the biennium, plus $20 million in the Article 11 "wish list." The Senate has approved just a $5 million increase, plus $20 million in the "wish list." We need to encourage the conference committee to support the House appropriations, PLUS the $20 million in the wish list.

WE URGENTLY NEED CALLS/FAXES IN THE NEXT 2 to 3 HOURS – followup to other delegation members will be requested later this week.

House-Senate Appropriations Conference Committee

Senate Chair: Senator Steve Ogden (Brazos, Burleson, Freestone, Grimes, Houston, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Milam, Robertson, Trinity, Walker, Williamson)
Phone: 512-463-0105, or 512-463-0370 to speak to Senate Finance aide Laura Kolstad

Senator charged with Article 7 (Housing Trust Fund):Florence Shapiro(Collin, Dallas)
Phone: 512-463-0108 (aide is Mike Kamerlander)

Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
(Brooks, Hidalgo, Jim Wells, Nueces)
Phone: 512-463-0120 (aide is Jerry Haddican)

Senator Royce West (Dallas)
Phone: 512-463-0123 (aide is Tim Thetford)

Senator Tommy Williams (Chambers, Harris, Jefferson, Liberty,Montgomery, Orange)
Phone: 512-463-0104 (aide is Jason Baxter)

House Chair: Jim Pitts (Ellis, Hill)
Phone: 512-463-0516 (aide is Todd Kercheval)

Rep. charged with Article 7: Ruth Jones
McClendon (Bexar)
Phone: 512-463-0708 (aide is Janis Reinken)

Rep. Richard Raymond (Webb)
Phone: 512-463-0558 (aide is Jesus "Chuy" Gonzalez)

Rep. John Otto (Liberty, Montgomery, Polk)
Phone: 512-463-0570 (aide is Nikki Dawson)

Rep. John Zerwas (Fort Bend, Waller, Wharton)
Phone: 512-463-0657 (aide is Brad Westmoreland)


Action Items:
· If your Representative or Senator is on the conference committee, please call that member and encourage their support of the Housing Trust Fund. Ask them to support the House appropriations for the Housing Trust Fund, as well as the $20 million in the Article 11 "wish list," or at least $35 million per year in funding.

Talking Points for Callers:
· Introduce yourself and your organization
· Highlight that your organization serves the Senator’s/ Representative's constituents
· State that limited funding for Homeless Service Initiative and the Housing Trust Fund are in Article 7, but the bulk of needed funding is in Article 11.
· Homeless Service Initiative: Encourage the Senator’s/ Representative's support for moving the $25M in Senate Appropriations from Article 11 to Article 7 (there is currently $1M in the House version of Article 7, plus $8M in Article 11).
· Housing Trust Fund: Encourage support for the House appropriations bill's funding for the Housing Trust Fund. Ask them to also support the $20 million from the Article 11 "wish list" that is in both the House and Senate versions.
· Thank the staffer for their time and for passing this message along to the Senator / Representative

DOL-VETS Issues SGA for VWIP Grants:

Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS) announces a grant competition under the Veterans' Workforce Investment Program (VWIP) for Program Year (PY) 2009, as authorized under Section 168 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. WIA section 168 authorizes the Department of Labor to make grants to meet the needs for workforce investment activities of veterans with service-connected disabilities, veterans who have significant barriers to employment, veterans who served on active duty in the armed forces during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, and recently separated veterans within 48 months of discharge (under conditions other than dishonorable). Veterans who received a "dishonorable'" discharge are ineligible for VWIP services. Priority of service for veterans in all Department of Labor funded training programs is established in 38 U.S.C. 4215.

VWIP grants are intended to address two objectives:

(a) To provide services to assist in reintegrating eligible veterans into meaningful employment within the labor force;

(b) to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the complex employability problems facing eligible veterans.

DOL-VETS will award $6.9 million for PY 2009, and expects to fund up to 13 grants. Projects that support the President's commitment to ``Green Energy Jobs' and propose a clear strategy for training and employment in the renewable energy economy, are considered unique and innovative and will receive priority consideration. The full Solicitation for Grant Application is posted on http://www.grants.gov under U.S. Department of Labor/VETS. Applications submitted through http://www.grants.gov or hard copy will be accepted.

If you need to speak to a person concerning these grants, you may telephone Cassandra Mitchell at 202-693-4570 (not a toll-free number). If you have issues regarding access to the http://www.grants.gov Web site, you may telephone the Contact Center Phone at 1-800-518-4726.

FREE Event

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND FINDING THEIR VOICE

Where: Discovery Green Anheuser-Busch Stage and Fondren Lawn
When: May 9, 6 pm
What: For the past six months, teenage parents working with Texans Together have been interviewing other young parents, educators, policy makers and advocates to discuss how to strengthen support for current young families and how to prevent unexpected teen pregnancy. The young parents speak candidly about their situation, challenge common stereotypes and discuss the personal impact of bad public policy in their own words.

Every 10 minutes a teenager gives birth in Texas and many young families fall through the cracks. They are 10 times more likely to live in poverty and children born to teenage parents may be among the most vulnerable children in our society. They are more likely to repeat grades, drop out of school, be abused as children and incarcerated as adults.

All interviews and filming were done by the young parents themselves, offering a unique perspective to a complex problem. With all the discussion around teenage pregnancy this films offers valuable insight from those who are impacted the most.

Featuring interviews with:
Young Parents from across the city;
Planned Parenthood's Teen Reach;
Susan Kellner, Spring Branch ISD President;
Suzii Paynter, Christian Life Commission;
Laura Guerra-Cardus, Childrens Defense Fund;
and many others.

Hip-Hop Artist Showcase begins at 6pm with performances from Rap-A-Lot Records and Fiyaworks Entertainment

***The music is aimed at a younger crowd so for those interested in only in the film, it is scheduled to show at 7:00.

This is a FREE outdoor event on a lawn, so consider bringing blankets or chairs. In the event of rain, the event will be canceled.

Lessen the Spread of Flu in the Home
(4/29/09)

Flu viruses are mainly spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with the flu. Germs can also be spread when a person touches something that has germs on it (e.g. a desk, phone, door knob) and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands. When providing care to a person who is sick with the flu, be sure to protect yourself and others who are not sick by washing your hands often with soap and water and following these recommendations:

Implement social distancing at home

• Keep the sick person in a room separate from the common areas of the home and keep the door closed.
• Have the sick person use a separate bathroom if possible.
• This bathroom should be cleaned daily with a household disinfectant such as bleach. Have the sick person wear a surgical mask when in a common area of the home.
• Have only one person in the home take care of the sick person if possible.
  
  Protect other persons in the home from becoming ill
• Ensure all persons in the home thoroughly wash their hands with soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer frequently. This is especially important for the sick person after coughing and/or sneezing.
• Use paper towels for drying hands after hand washing or assign each person in the home a separate cloth towel (e.g. have different colored towels for each person).
  
  Protect yourself from becoming ill
• Avoid close, face-to-face contact with the sick person.
• Remind the sick person to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the inside of the elbow.
• When holding small children who are sick, place their chin on your shoulder so that they will not cough into your face.
• Throw away tissues and other disposable items used by the sick person in the trash. Wash your hands after touching used tissues and similar waste.
  
  Good housekeeping helps everyone
• Keep surfaces clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to the directions on the product label.
• Linens, eating utensils, and dishes used by a sick person do not need to be cleaned separately, but should be washed with soap and water before being used by others in the home.

www.hcphes.org

"Understanding Grants
and the Grant Writing Process"

Workshop Topics:
• Is Your Organization Ready for Grant Funding?
• Private, Government, & Corporate Funding
• Where to Identify Funding Opportunities
• Writing Letters of Inquiry
• Interpreting RFPs and the review process
• Preparing a Grant Proposal
Also: “Tips and Rules of Thumb in Grantwriting”

Early Bird Registration - $69 per person.
Regular Registration - $79 per person.
On-site Registration - $99 per person

HOUSTON
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
8:30am - 12:30pm

MERIDIAN BUSINESS CENTER
11811 North Freeway
Houston, TX 77060

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION
(EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE: MAY 8, 2009)

City of Houston Municipal Court Amnesty Program

Program Runs From May 1st thru May 16th, 2009

Houston scofflaws who ignored parking tickets or traffic citations are getting a second chance.

Beginning Friday, Municipal Court judges will begin a 16-day amnesty program for those with outstanding warrants for traffic and parking tickets, as well as other citations for violation of city ordinances, that were delinquent as of Feb. 28.

There are a few rules for the May 1-16 amnesty program:

Those under the age of 17 must appear in court with a parent, guardian or managing conservator.

Only defendants named in the citation, or their attorneys, can make an appearance.

Those with delinquent parking citations will be allowed to pay the original citation amount, plus a 30-percent collection fee.

Defendants who come to the Municipal Courts to pay their fines, even those with warrants for failing to appear, will not be arrested, city officials said.

Fines can be paid in person at the Municipal Courts building at 1400 Lubbock, the Southeast and Westside police substations, and the court annex buildings in Clear Lake, Kingwood, and Acres Home.

Brought to you by the HoustonChronicle.com

For those homeless with outstanding cases and enrolled in a case managed program assisting you to exit homelessness, speak to your case manager on how you may access the Homeless Court Program.

For more information please call the Coalition for the Homeless, M-F between 8am-5pm @ 713.739.7514.

Wake Up, Check Up, MAN UP!

Save This Date!

For The Houston Department of Health and Human Services

Male Health & Wellness Expo
June 13, 2009

Saturday ● 10am – 6pm
George R. Brown Convention Center ● Exhibit Hall A

FREE Health Screenings ● Prevention and Wellness Information ● Consultations with Healthcare Providers ● Healthy Cooking Demonstrations ● Fitness Demonstrations ● Local Social Service Agencies ● Eligibility Screenings for Health Services ● Job Readiness ● GED Prep & Higher Education ● Massages
● Multilingual Staff Available
________________________

FREE Prizes and Give-a-ways ● Video Game and Basketball Contests ● Live Sports Talk Radio and Media Broadcast Remotes ● Scheduled Appearances by Local Celebrities and
Professional Athletes

For more information, please contact: Sopheak Pen 713-778-6505 sopeak.pen@cityofhouston.net