As South Dakota continues to strive to end homelessness in South Dakota, The South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA), is partnering with the South Dakota State Interagency Council and the Statewide Housing for the Homeless Consortium, to host the 3rd Annual Statewide Homeless Summit, which will be held March 4th and 5th, 2008 at Cedar Shores Resort in Oacoma. This Homeless Summit “The Causes of Homelessness” is open to the public and free of charge. The registration deadline is February 20, 2008.
“We are partnering with other agencies across the state in an effort to end homelessness,” said SDHDA Executive Director, Mark Lauseng. “We are benchmarking proven programs and researching new ideas to accomplish this goal.”
There were over 1,026 homeless people in South Dakota, according to a 2007 survey. Of those surveyed the top five reasons for homelessness were domestic violence, released from prison or jail, mental health and substance abuse issues and unemployment. “We have noticed from past surveys that these continue to be our top five reasons and this summit gives us the opportunity for state/federal agencies, non-profit organizations and the faith-based communities to come together to work on solutions for these persistent causes ,” said Housing for the Homeless Coordinator Lisa Bondy. “Also, in addition to our summit this year, there is an additional training session, sponsored by the Department of Human Services regarding understanding traumatic stress in people experiencing homelessness.”
For registration and agenda information, please visit the website at: www.sdhda.org. For more information contact Lisa Bondy at 605.773.3445, e-mail to lisab (at) sdhda (dot) org or contact SDHDA at P.O. Box 1237, Pierre, SD 57501-1237. The registration deadline is February 20, 2008.
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The South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) is an independent, quasi-public agency that finances and develops affordable housing opportunities for low and moderate-income residents throughout South Dakota. SDHDA is totally self-supporting and receives no tax money, appropriations or other funding from the State. SDHDA does not discriminate against any person because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin. SDHDA is a proud partner of the State’s 2010 Initiative to “Brand and Develop South Dakota’s Quality of Life as the Best in America.” For more information, visit www.sdhda.org or www.2010initiative.com.
The South Dakota Housing Development Authority…Building a Better Quality of Life.
