Are you a homeless person? Do you work with homeless persons? Are you part of a workgroup to end homelessness? EHAC is asking for your help to identify barriers and solutions.

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) announces a request for applications under the Housing PLUS initiative. Funding under this RFA will provide permanent housing opportunities for homeless persons in non-entitlement HOME communities.

This request for applications is open until October 31, 2008 but may be subject to change.

A Home for Hope, the state's 10-year plan to end homelessness, identifies several early actions toward ending homelessness. They include establishing clear measures to gauge the state's progress.

Early activities include:

- Strengthen the partnership between Oregon Housing and Community Service and the Department of Human Services in their efforts to serve people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

- Create a statewide funders committee to coordinate assistance programs and maximize resources.

- Encourage the use of Housing First and Rapid Re-housing models and strategies.

- Increase collaboration between the Oregon Department of Veteran's Affairs and community-based agencies to ensure full utilization of federal VA resources.

- Establish closer links between housing programs and food and nutrition programs.

- Provide financial and technical assistance to help develop and implement ten year plans to end homelessness in all Oregon Counties.