HUD Archives: News Releases

Martinez Names Mangano Director of Interagency Homeless Council

WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez today announced Phil Mangano is the new executive director of the Interagency Homeless Council, an independent working group that will coordinate the activities of 15 federal agencies to improve the delivery of housing and services to homeless individuals and families.

Mangano leaves his current position as president of the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, a coalition of 75 agencies that operate more than 200 programs for the homeless in the Commonwealth. Under his leadership, Mangano helped transform Massachusetts' system of care for the homeless into a national model recognized by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

"Phil Mangano brings more than 20 years of compassion and commitment to the Interagency Homeless Council and will be a tremendous asset to this Administration's continuing efforts to house and serve the homeless," said Martinez, who is serving as the Council's chairman. "HUD and our other government partners are dedicated to increasing the teamwork needed to meet the challenges faced by homeless families and individuals."

Congress established the Council in 1987 to help streamline the government's approach to homelessness by coordinating the multiple efforts of federal agencies and other designated groups. The Council will review federal programs that assist homeless persons and will take necessary actions to reduce duplication. The Council can recommend improvements in programs and activities conducted by federal, state and local government as well as local volunteer organizations. In addition, Council staff will provide technical assistance to local governments and non-profit groups to increase the effectiveness of their homeless programs.

HUD and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), both Council members, are working closely to coordinate the government's approach to serving the homeless. A senior level task force was put into place last April by both Departments to identify and remove obstacles to the enrollment of homeless persons' in mainstream federal programs.

The two departments are also sponsoring training academies with state agencies to improve access by homeless men and women to the services they need. These academies bring senior state and local policy makers together to discuss how to improve access to mainstream federal service programs by persons who are homeless. The first academy was held in November and the next is scheduled for the spring and will focus specifically on increasing this access for chronically homeless persons.

"While none of us working alone can stop homelessness, this Administration is committed to strengthening federal efforts and working together with partners at the state and community level to coordinate health, social service and housing programs to enhance our efforts to meet the diverse needs of homeless individuals and families," said HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson.

Ending chronic homelessness is a primary goal of HUD's homeless assistance programs. It's estimated 650,000 people are homeless on any given night in America. The most recent federal report on homelessness, Homelessness: Programs and People They Serve, found that homeless clients are predominantly male (68 percent) and a majority of homeless women (60 percent) have young children. Homeless individuals are about equally divided between non-Hispanic whites (41 percent) and African-Americans (40 percent). The report also found Hispanics account for approximately 11 percent of the nation's homeless population.

HUD will further refine and improve the Department's approach to serving the homeless, including:

• Developing ways to meet the special needs of the chronically homeless by moving them toward permanent housing and the supportive services they require;
• Preventing homelessness through programs that reach those most at risk; and,
• Nurturing stronger ties with faith- and community-based organizations that are closest to the root causes of homelessness.

In addition to HUD and HHS, members of the Council include the Departments of Agriculture; Commerce; Defense; Education; Energy; Interior; Labor; and Transportation. Also included are Federal Emergency Management Administration; General Services Administration; Veterans Affairs; Corporation for National and Community Service; Postal Service; and other federal entities that the Council deems appropriate.

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Content Archived: April 9, 2010