USICH, HUD, and Cumberland County provide information and resources to Continuums of Care, non-profits, and advocates that assist the homeless in New Jersey

Senior Management Analyst Samuel Miller, HUD Region II Homeless Coordinator answers questions for forum attendees.

HUD New Jersey CPD Director Annemarie Uebbing addresses CoCs, stakeholders at "Assessing and Accessing Federal Interagency Resources" in Vineland, NJ.

Vineland, New Jersey - Over 150 homeless advocates, non-profits, federal, and local officials came together at "Assessing and Accessing Federal Interagency Resources", a forum held at the Cumberland County College Luciano Conference Center on October 28. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Senior Management Analyst and Homelessness Coordinator Samuel Miller joined forces with Diane Strozyk, Director of the Cumberland County Division of Homeless and Chairperson of the Southern New Jersey Continuum of Care, to provide information and networking opportunities for anyone who works towards ending homelessness in the State. Region II USICH Presiding Chair Robert Asaro-Angelo Eastern Regional Representative to U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez; and Cumberland County Office on Aging & Disabled Executive Director Barbara A. Nedohon were instrumental to the success of the event.

The purpose of the forum was to bring together area stakeholders and make them aware of federal resources and information they could use to assist the homeless population. The Region II Interagency Council on Homelessness provided speakers from the following federal agencies: Barbara Andrews from the Administration of Children and Families - Health and Human Services; Veterans Affairs, the Department of Justice, the USDA, who provided information about the SNAP program, the Corporation for National and Community Services, and the Social Security Administration. All of these agencies have programs, information, and contacts that can assist stakeholders in their fight to end homelessness in the region.

Continuums of Care receive federal funding from HUD to provide housing and services to local homeless populations. CoCs also perform the annual Point-In-Time count, the counting of homeless individuals during one night at the end of January. Annemarie Uebbing, HUD New Jersey Director of Community Planning and Development was on hand to speak to the group and answer any questions attendees might have. The results of the 2015 Point-In-Time count will be released later this month.

HUD, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the VA, and the National League of Cities are also spearheading the Mayors Challenge to end Veteran Homelessness, a White House initiative that asks U.S. mayors to commit to ending veteran homelessness in their cities by the end of this year. In New Jersey, 31 mayors have committed to the Mayors Challenge including Westhampton Township Mayor Carolyn Chang; Middle Township Mayor Tim Donohue; and Harrison Township Mayor Louis Manzo.

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