Status Report
April 23, 2004
South Carolina Council on Homelessness
Convened by the Department of Mental Health
In March 2003, Governor Sanford appointed George Gintoli, State Director of the Department of Mental Health, as the official contact for South Carolina to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Toward improving the service delivery system for homeless individuals and families in South Carolina, the first South Carolina Council on Homelessness was convened in November 2003.
The Council is comprised of key leadership of agencies that provide services and funds to homeless individuals, programs or organizations. The purpose of this council is to provide the leadership and cooperation necessary for an integrated approach to addressing the comprehensive needs of homeless individuals and families. Attached is a current list of Council members, including the agencies or organizations each member represents, and the draft Work Plan. Also attached is a draft Governor's Executive Order establishing the Council, formalizing its membership, and authorizing the Council to coordinate, monitor and evaluate state policies and programs to ensure an effective homeless delivery system that will prevent and end homelessness in ten years.
Thus far, the Council has updated state agency and other statewide organization leaders on recent efforts of the State Policy Academy on Chronic Homelessness and other homeless initiatives at the state and local levels. The Council has also drafted and begun implementation of a work plan. Initial strategies include the assessment of the number and types of homeless individuals. The Council established a Data Work Group comprised of representatives of Budget and Control Board, USC, and HUD. This Work Group has begun coordinating with local homeless data efforts and is planning data sampling in at least one shelter. The Council next plans to address state discharge/release policies and prevention of homelessness.
In addition, recent collaborations have resulted in applications for federal funding to expand services and housing for homeless individuals and families. These applications are either in process or have been submitted and are awaiting responses from the funders. Examples include the State Housing Authority application for additional HOME funding targeting housing for homeless individuals and families; Mental Illness Recovery Center/Columbia Area Mental Health Center/Lexington-Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council application for HHS federal funding for new services for the dually diagnosed homeless population in Columbia; and the Upstate Homeless Coalition application to the Social Security Administration for funding to assist homeless individuals access benefits. The 2003 HUD Continuum of Care funding round was the most successful ever for South Carolina. HUD announced in January 2004 a total of $9,834,677 for homeless programs across the state. The $1,156,577 HUD award to the "Balance of State" Continuum of Care coalition was especially noteworthy because this was the first year counties in this coalition received significant federal funding for homeless programs. Counties included in this coalition are Aiken, Barnwell, Orangeburg, Calhoun, Bamberg, Allendale, Hampton, Colleton, Beaufort, and Jasper.