Starting this week, Alliance staff and other experts will be discussing various tools, guidance, and strategies relating to how providers and homelessness system leaders can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Please use #COVIDwebinar during the webinars if joining the conversation on Twitter. View descriptions and register for webinars at the links below: 

COVID-19 Webinar Series: Understanding & Planning for Federal Funding
Wednesday, April 1 – 3:00 pm ET
Steve Berg (Vice President for Programs and Policy)
Kristi Schulenberg (Director, Center for Capacity Building)
  This webinar will provide an overview of the federal stimulus funding to address the novel corona virus pandemic among people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The webinar will also provide a framework for how communities and homeless system leaders can plan and strategize to ensure efficient and effective implementation of local, state, and federal funds to achieve maximum benefit to reduce infection, negative health outcomes, and homelessness.

COVID-19 Webinar Series: Protocols for Addressing Sheltered and Unsheltered Homelessness
Thursday, April 2 – 3:30 pm ET
Cynthia Nagendra, Executive Director, UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative
Margot Kushel, MD, Director, UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations
Vivian Wan, Abode Services, San Francisco

Homeless system providers and health systems are developing local COVID-19 approaches for people experiencing homelessness that are consistent with emerging guidance from the CDC, and informed by the experience of people on the ground working hard to keep clients and staff as safe as possible.

This webinar will present the guidance developed by the State of California with the University of California San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, and protocols being used by Abode Services in the San Francisco Bay Area. Guidance and protocols will include suggestions for shelter and emergency housing providers, outreach workers, and coordinating public health systems for how to reduce risk for the most vulnerable in unsheltered and congregate settings.

COVID-19 Webinar Series: Serving and Supporting Unsheltered People During COVID-19
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 – 3:00-4:00pm ET
Iain De Jong, OrgCode Consulting, Inc

This webinar will be facilitated by Iain De Jong of OrgCode Consulting, Inc. and will examine the following: a rationale for why and under which conditions street outreach should continue at this time; examining and re-configuring the workflow for responding to unsheltered homelessness; engagement precautions and considerations; supporting and responding to encampments; prioritizing who to see; harm reduction considerations; responding to food insecurity; and protocols for encountering ill or deceased unsheltered persons.

This webinar will be a reprise of the webinar Iain De Jong provided for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, with some slight modifications.

COVID-19 Webinar Series: Working with FEMA to Address Homelessness During the Pandemic
Thursday, April 9, 2020 – 3:00-4:00pm ET
Partner webinar with the National Low Income Housing Coalition

The Alliance is partnering with speakers from the National Low Income Housing Coalition to provide a webinar on working with FEMA to address homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic. 

COVID-19 Webinar Series: Supporting People Remotely in Housing Programs During COVID-19
Thursday, April 16 – 3:00 – 3:30 pm ET
Iain DeJong, OrgCode Consulting, Inc. 

This webinar will be facilitated by Iain De Jong of OrgCode Consulting, Inc. and will highlight a number of considerations for staff that work in Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs to support people remotely during the coronavirus pandemic.

Topics to be covered in the webinar include: staff wellness; communicating with program participants; considerations for prioritizing time and who to serve; staying connected; supporting financial matters; supporting harm reduction; addressing food security; changing support plans; assisting with crisis planning; and supporting landlords. This webinar is a condensed version of the original 90-minute webinar topic provided by OrgCode on March 31.

COVID-19 Resource Highlights

Fact Sheet: 
Population At-Risk – Homelessness and the COVID-19 Crisis

Report:
Estimated Emergency and Observational/Quarantine Bed Need for the US Homeless Population Related to COVID-19 Exposure by County; Projected Hospitalizations, Intensive Care Units and Mortality

Resources:
Coronavirus and Homelessness

Homelessness & COVID-19: Considerations and Action Steps

Community Survey: Protecting People Experiencing Homelessness from COVID-19

Using Medicaid Waivers to Improve Access to Care for People Experiencing Homelessness During COVID-19

The post below was an email sent to the HUDExchange listserv. Make sure you receive important emails from HUD by signing up here. HUD sends a Daily Resource digest on COVID-19 Prevention and Response for Homeless Providers through this listserv.

HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) invites homeless assistance providers and their partners to participate in weekly Office Hours sessions to discuss COVID-19 planning and response on Fridays from 2:30 – 4:00 PM EDT. The next session will be this Friday, March 27, 2020. Presenters from the following federal agencies and their partners will be available for a live question and answer session:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• National Healthcare for the Homeless Council (HCH)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Note: This Friday, March 27, 2020 will be the third Office Hours session offered by SNAPS related to COVID-19 Planning & Response. If you participated in the session on March 20, you are still encouraged to attend future Office Hours for the latest information and updates. View the March 20, 2020 Office Hours recording and slides on the HUD Exchange.

Watch the Recorded Webinar

On March 10, HUD presented an Infectious Disease Preparedness for Homeless Assistance Providers and Their Partners webinar. If you have not done so already, please view the webinar materials before joining the Office Hours question and answer session. The recording is approximately 75 minutes long.

View the webinar recording and slides on the HUD Exchange.

Join the Office Hours Online

Date and Time: Friday, March 27, 2020 at 2:30 PM EDT

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

Join the Office Hours question & answer session.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this Office Hours question & answer session or encounter difficulties joining the session, please contact Natalie_Matthews@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.

The contents of these materials, except when based on statutory or regulatory authority or law, do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. These materials are intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.

HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) invites homeless assistance providers and their partners to participate in an Office Hours session to discuss COVID-19 planning and response on March 20, 2020 from 2:30 – 4:00 PM EDT. Presenters from the following federal agencies and their partners will be available for a live question and answer session:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• National Healthcare for the Homeless Council (HCH)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Note: This is the second Office Hours session offered by SNAPS related to COVID-19 Planning & Response. If you participated in the session on March 13, you are still encouraged to attend for the latest information and updates. View the March 13, 2020 Office Hours recording and slides on the HUD Exchange.

Watch the Recorded Webinar

On March 10, HUD presented an Infectious Disease Preparedness for Homeless Assistance Providers and Their Partners webinar. If you have not done so already, please view the webinar materials before joining the Office Hours question and answer session. The recording is approximately 75 minutes long.

View the webinar recording and slides on the HUD Exchange.

Join the Office Hours Online

Date and Time: Friday, March 20, 2020 at 2:30 PM EDT

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

Join the Office Hours question & answer session.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this Office Hours question & answer session or encounter difficulties joining the session, please contact Natalie_Matthews@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.

The Homeless Prevention Goals and Outcomes Report has been posted!

Click here to see the report

Continuum of Care (CoC) and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) funding supports homeless projects throughout the country to assist households move into sustainable housing. Families and individuals experiencing homelessness are more vulnerable to infectious diseases due to lack of access to primary care, mobility, and poor health status from extended episodes of homelessness. 

HUD released the new Infectious Disease Toolkit for CoCs to provide structure and specific examples for planning and responding to influenza, Coronavirus, and other infectious diseases. The toolkit consists of three documents that provide information for CoC leadership, homeless service providers, and partners to utilize when planning for and responding to infectious diseases:

• Preventing and Managing the Spread of Infectious Disease for People Experiencing Homelessness
• Preventing and Managing the Spread of Infectious Disease within Shelters
• Preventing and Managing the Spread of Infectious Disease within Encampments

HUD strongly encourages CoCs to contact local public health departments, Healthcare for the Homeless agencies, and other local health partners to ensure the unique needs and opportunities related to the homeless service system are incorporated. CoCs can take steps now to develop preparedness and response plans to protect against infection.

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. Please submit your questions to the Ask A Question (AAQ) portal with “Health Preparedness and Response” in the subject line.

Additional Resources

• Read the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Access National Healthcare for the Homeless Council’s Resources on Influenza
• Visit the HUD Exchange Disease Risks and Homelessness Page

Also, be on the lookout for a one page document HUD is releasing on how current ESG funds can be used to support infectious disease preparedness efforts.

Orange County’s HUD CoC System Performance Measures have been submitted to HUD for 2018-2019! Check out the report here.

The Permanent Supportive Housing & Other Permanent Housing Goals and Outcomes Report has been posted!

Click here to see the report

The Data Quality Report Cards for Q4 of 2019 has been published and is available for your review:

Quarter Four 2019 (10/1/19 – 12/31/19)

The Data Quality Dashboard is posted quarterly, and it is looking at two of the main components of Data Quality: Data Completeness and Data Timeliness.

HMIS Data Element Cheat Sheets are now available here and aim to assist case managers with the data collection process as well as clarify common misconceptions.