4th Annual Michigan Summit on Ending Homelessness

Change That Makes a Difference

LANSING, Mich., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Over 400 representatives
from state agencies, supportive housing agencies and continuum of care
networks, will be gathering today at The Kellogg Center on the campus of
Michigan State University for the 4th Annual Michigan Summit on Ending
Homelessness. The theme for the two day Summit is "Change That Makes a
Difference."

"The plans have been created and are set in place across Michigan to end
homelessness, and it is now time to implement them," said Keith Molin,
executive director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority - the
lead state agency for Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness. "In doing so,
those of us attending this Summit and working to end homelessness understand
the need for change."

Also attending the Summit will be keynote speakers: Fred Karnas, Senior
Advisor to Secretary Shaun Donovan, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD); and Marge Whirly, MSW, Hennepin County DHS, Minnesota.

Michigan has received two national awards in the past for the work of the
Campaign to End Homelessness, being the only state in the nation to assemble a
statewide strategy that encompasses all of the 83 counties with 60 individual
plans in addition to the state level plans.

Also being distributed at the Summit will be the 2008 Annual Summary of the
State Of Homeless in Michigan, which is the yearly data report for the
homeless population in Michigan.

The Campaign to End Homelessness: A Declaration
Homelessness ends with a place to live. Michigan's Campaign to End
Homelessness is driven by public and private groups across the state, working
together toward a single goal: making stable, sustainable, and affordable
housing available to every person in Michigan. This goal guides our more than
60 dedicated and coordinated partner organizations. Together, we know that:
-- We must plan together, focusing all of our energies on the single goal
of permanent, affordable housing for every individual and family in
Michigan.
-- We must understand that homelessness is a risk that we all share -
people of all means, of all backgrounds, of all abilities, in all
regions.

-- We must be willing to speak in one voice, throughout our communities,
for the need for supportive housing and systems-based solutions to
make
housing for all an accessible reality.

Because only through our united efforts can homelessness be eradicated in
Michigan.

SOURCE Michigan State Housing Development Authority

Mary Lou Keenon, +1-517-242-6631, or Jeff Bickert, +1-517-256-4132, both of
MSHDA Communications