Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) welcomes Alan Huntington to its staff to be their Program Specialist to coordinate Continuum of Care for Western New York (CoC) services in partnership with the Homeless Alliance of Western New York in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Counties.

A concept introduced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a Continuum of Care is a collaborative funding and planning approach that helps communities plan for and provide, as necessary, a full range of emergency, transitional, and permanent housing for homeless as well as other resources to address their needs.

He will encourage participation in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) as well as regularly meet with Warming Shelters and other organizations to provide information on resources to their direct service staff.

Huntington brings useful experience from his recent work with the City of Amarillo, Texas, where he was trained on HMIS and worked with the CoC committees to end homelessness for veterans in that area.  He was also assisting the social workers on the Coming Home housing project there which helped those who are chronically homeless and have complex needs.

Huntington holds a law degree from the University of Colorado Law School, Class of 2011. His defense of an innocent homeless man in one of his trials led to his desire to further serve the homeless. He says that, “You will find a passionate advocate for my home county and area homeless individuals in me.”

ILGR is delighted that Alan Huntington is bringing his passion and experience in helping homeless people to serve the GOW region in his new capacity.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living, Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) has long worked to assist residents of Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties (GOW) who are dealing with homelessness, through the Homeless Alliance of Western New York (HAWNY). ILGR is pleased to announce that Dai Nguyen has joined their staff in the position of HAWNY Program Specialist.

For those who might be unaware of them, Nguyen is inviting representatives of human service or government agencies that are likely to encounter clients who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or have problems securing housing, to an ongoing series of GOW Continuum of Care meetings.

These will be held on the third Thursday of every other month, from 10 to 11 a.m., beginning March 15^th.  Under HAWNY sponsorship, they take place at the Main Office of ILGR, 113 Main St. at Center Street, Suite 5, in Batavia.

While the gatherings are primarily open discussions on the needs of the homeless, likely topics include updates on:

• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Continuum of Care (CoC), a program designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness;
• The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), a database that keeps track of homeless people;
• Rapid Rehousing, HUD's model for alleviating homelessness;
• Grant applications;
• Housing updates in GOW;
• Plus new events and services. 

In addition, attendees can get assistance with HMIS training, HUD procedures, and the multifaceted, non-for-profit PathStone's programs, so that their clients can access these services as soon as possible.

The third Thursday dates set for 2018 are: March 15^th, May 17^th, July 19^th, Sept. 20^th, and Nov. 15^th.

While encouraged, registering in advance is NOT required to attend. To RSVP or ask questions on the event, please call Dai Nguyen, at (585) 815-8501, ext. 417. 

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.