Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Purpose of Committee

Since 1976, the MAG Human Services Committees have collaborated with a number of key stakeholders such as state and county agencies, municipal planners, community based organizations and funders of human services within the MAG region.  The committees identify strategies to address human services priorities at the regional level and recommend allocations for human services funding in three areas: federal Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) funds for a variety of human services needs, Stuart B. McKinney funds to support homeless assistance programs and Section 5310 funds for agencies that transport older adults and people with disabilities.


The MAG Continuum of Care Regional Committee on Homelessness provides direction on homeless planning and policy. This is done through updates to the Regional Plan to End Homelessness and a consolidated application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support homeless assistance programs. 


My work as an intern:

  • HUD McKinney-Vento Application Assistant
  • MAG Regional Shelter Service Provider Training Coordinator
  • MAG Annual Homeless Street Count Coordinator

If you have an interest in what Maricopa County is doing to help with the issue of homelessness in the valley, frequent this new blog that I have created. I will update it with information on new projects that the MAG committee is exploring. I will also post information on the Department of Housing & Urban Development McKinney-Vento application status as well as the results and turnouts of the training sessions, our current project for non-profits in the valley. If you have any interest in volunteering at a shelter service provider or with assisting MAG in its annual Homeless Street Count, please feel free to contact me at nlanza@azmag.gov. Thank you for visiting!

-Nick Lanza

3 comments:

  1. This sounds like a really exciting internship. What kind of assistance programs are there for the homeless? Do they need to qualify some how or complete specific criteria before they receive assistance?

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  2. Thank you! I have already learned so much about the Greater Phoenix area. There are many different assistance programs for the homeless, all providing specific types of services for their service users. Each program has different guidelines and procedures for service users, some more complex than others. Our goal, along with many others organizations, is to help coordinate the efforts of all the providers in the city. When everyone works together, great results can come.

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  3. This is cool. I thought that the city dealt with homelessness through non-profit organizations.

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