Category: Uncategorized

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic there has been an increase in mental health and substance use disorders in the United States. Join SAMHSA’s Homeless and Housing Resource Center (HHRC)on March 25, 2021 from 3:30 – 5:00 PM EDT in exploring equitable and culturally appropriate interventions to engage people experiencing homelessness in treatment and deliver services in non-congregate settings. Participants will hear from the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and Central City Concern about the creative methods they have used during the pandemic. Participants will also learn self-care strategies from the National Council for Behavioral Health to avoid burnout during and after the pandemic.

Speakers for this webinar include:

• Dave Iverson, MD, Director of Psychiatry, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Denver, Colorado
• Eowyn Rieke, MD, MPH, Blackburn Medical Director, in conversation with Walter Bailey, Peer Counselor at the Imani Center, Central City Concern, Portland, Oregon
• Laura Leone, DSW, MSSW, LMSW, Integrated Health Consultant, National Council for Behavioral Health

Register for the Webinar

The National Council for Behavioral Health and National Health Care for the Homeless Council contributed to the development of this webinar.

We’re hiring an HMIS Data Analyst! If interested, please review the job posting and apply here.

Check out the new Orange County CoC Dashboard here.

HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) hosts weekly Office Hours sessions to discuss COVID-19 planning and response on Fridays from 2:30 – 3:30 PM EST. The next session is January 8, 2021.

This week’s Office Hours will feature the following topics:

• University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative: Vaccination Strategies
   
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Homelessness Unit: Basics of Vaccination Efforts and Q&A
   
• HUD Updates on Vaccination Distribution Planning

Join Friday’s Office Hours

Date and Time: Friday, January 8, 2021 at 2:30 PM EST

Participants do not need to register in advance. It is strongly recommended that you join the Office Hours 15 minutes prior to the start time (2:15 PM EST). To join the Office Hours, simply access the login page at this link.

Previous Office Hours Recordings and Slides

If you participated in previous Office Hours, you are still encouraged to attend future Office Hours for the latest information and updates.

View the recordings and slides from previous Office Hours.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this Office Hours or encounter difficulties joining the Office Hours, please contact Thomas_Bednar@abtassoc.com.

Additional Resources

• Visit the Disease Risks and Homelessness page to access technical assistance materials from HUD as well as guidance issued from HUD’s federal partners dedicated to preparing for and responding to infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
   

HUD is also available to provide technical assistance to our homeless assistance providers who need support in preventing or responding to the spread of infectious disease. Submit your questions to the Ask A Question (AAQ) portal. In Step 2 of the question submission process, select “CoC: Continuum of Care Program” from the “My question is related to” drop down list and write “Health Preparedness and Response” in the subject line.

Visit the HUD Exchange at https://www.hudexchange.info

Check out the resources below for information on the 2021 HIC & Sheltered PIT:

• 2021 HIC & Sheltered PIT Overview knowledge base article
• Email blast for HMIS participating projects
• Email blast for non-HMIS participating projects

The Orange County CoC is considering a policy for charging service providers a fee to participate in the Orange County HMIS. Check out this email for information regarding the two proposals being considered, and submit your feedback to the HMIS Help Desk by EOD November 25th.

The 2020 HMIS User Re-Certification deadline of Friday, November 20th, 2020, is approaching. Agency Administrators should make sure that:

1. All HMIS Users at your agency have completed the HMIS Skills Test 
2. You have submitted an HMIS Account Update & Testing Form for each HMIS User by 11/20/20.

HMIS accounts belonging to users who have not completed the HMIS Skills Test by Friday, November 20th, 2020, will be locked.

If you have any questions regarding the 2020 HMIS User Re-Certification process please review the FAQ section of the HMIS Skills Test knowledge base article or contact the HMIS Help Desk.

HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) in partnerships with The National Sexual Resource Center, the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and the National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault (SCESA) is hosting a series of webinars focused on housing homeless survivors of sexual assault. The first webinar on August 18, 2020 from 3:00 – 4:30 PM EDT is for Continuum of Care (CoC) and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) recipients as well as members of the mainstream homeless service provision community. The webinar will discuss resources available to support homeless survivors of sexual assault and will highlight trauma-informed practices that homeless providers should implement to ensure the safety and agency for homeless survivors of sexual assault. Presenters include: Karla Vierthaler, National Sexual Resource Center Cat Fribley, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault Condencia Brade, National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault Shara Wells and Lisa Coffman, SNAPS Registration is not needed for this event. To join the webinar, simply access the login page at the link below: Join the Housing Homeless Survivors of Sexual Assault Webinar Questions? If you have any questions about this webinar or encounter difficulties joining, please contact Tommy Joe Bednar at Thomas_Bednar@abtassoc.com.

Families and Young Adults

August 11, 2020, 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. (ET)

Please join us on August 11, 2020, for the fifth webinar in the Engaging Sub populations of Clients Experiencing Homelessness and Serious Mental Illness (SMI) or Co-Occurring Disorders (CODs) series.   People become homeless for a myriad of reasons, and each person has a unique combination of experiences, culture, and vulnerabilities. Meaningful engagement requires a foundation of understanding upon which to build. This webinar series highlights commonalities among subpopulations experiencing homelessness who have SMI or CODs. Subject matter experts with real-world experience offer strategies and tools for engaging older adults, victims of human trafficking, people with histories that include criminal justice involvement, and families and young adults. Webinar 5: Families and Young Adults Homelessness can have a significant impact on physical and mental well-being, development, and life course. Youth and families are deeply affected by even a short stint of homelessness. Recent estimates indicate that: One in 10 young adults (ages 18 through 25) and one in 30 adolescents experience some form of homelessness over the course of a year. At least 700,000 homeless young people in this country experience homelessness, which is approximately 3 percent of households with 13- to 17-year-old members. [1] Adults and children in families make up about 33 percent of the entire population of people experiencing homelessness. [2] This webinar will provide insight into homelessness among young adults and families with children, how Unity of Greater New Orleans is managing youth and family homelessness, and what the United States Inter agency Council on Homelessness has learned about this difficult issue.   Presenters will include: Lindsay Knotts, M.S.W., Policy Director, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Demetra Phoenix, M.S.W., Director of Family Coordinated Entry and Manager of Housing Placement for Coordinated Entry, Unity of Greater New Orleans Tymuneka “Ty” Richards, Manager of Family Coordinated Entry for UNITY of Greater New Orleans HHRN Deputy Director Sherri Downing will moderate. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions, which will be addressed at the end of the presentation. A link to the recording will be made available. Please register here for webinar 5.   If you missed the first four webinars in the series, please access the recordings at the following links:   Webinar 1: Bridging Cultural and Social Lines   Webinar 2: Older Adults (Including Those Who Have Dementia)   Webinar 3: Victims of Human Trafficking   Webinar 4: Engaging People with a History of Criminal Justice Involvement   [1] Family & Youth Services Bureau: Runaway and Homeless Youth National Clearinghouse on Homeless Youth & Families. (n.d.). About runaway and homeless youth. https://rhyclearinghouse.acf.hhs.gov/about-runaway-and-homeless-youth [2] National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2020). Children and families. https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/who-experiences-homelessness/children-and-families/   This course has been approved by JBS International, Inc. as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #86832, JBS international, Inc. is responsible for all aspects of their programming.   JBS International, Inc. has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6442. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. JBS International, Inc. is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) invites homeless assistance providers and their partners to participate in a webinar on Thursday, July 23, 2020 from 2:00 – 3:30 PM EDT. During this 90-minute webinar and Q&A, experts from HUD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will highlight recent guidance for homeless providers published in response to COVID-19. Participants will hear from local communities implementing these tools to enhance safety practices in their homeless response systems and practitioners from the following cities will offer their experiences and insights:

• Washington, DC
• Fort Worth, Texas
• Chicago, Illinois

Participants do not need to register in advance. It is strongly recommended that you join this webinar 15 minutes prior to the start time (1:45 PM EDT). To join the webinar, simply access the login page at the link below.

Join the webinar

Questions?

If you have any questions about this webinar or encounter difficulties joining, please contact Thomas_Bednar@abtassoc.com.

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Visit the SNAPS Disease Risks and Homelessness page for a full list of COVID-19 infectious disease prevention and response resources.