Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care: July Newsletter

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

FY 2024 Enhanced Shelter Opportunities – Request for Proposals 

The Maricopa Association of Governments is requesting proposals from qualified consultants for the FY 2024 Enhanced Shelter Opportunities. The purpose of the project is to provide temporary shelter and wrap around services that connect people experiencing homelessness with social, mental and socioeconomic services to help them transition into permanent housing and employment. The project will be completed in a maximum of 10 months from the date of the notice to proceed at a cost not to exceed $200,000. Review the Request for Proposals here. 

By Name List Input Survey 

The By-Name List Workgroup would like your input. Whether you work with the BNL every day or are only familiar with the list as a concept, please complete this survey to let us know your thoughts on the BNL. The survey is estimated to take 5-10 minutes: BNL Input Survey. 

ADOH Request for Feedback 

The Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) is soliciting feedback from stakeholders on how to program future funding opportunities for the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 2024) State Housing Trust Fund. This is an opportunity for ADOH to gain insight into how FY 2024 could be programmed to fund potential projects. Potential project proposal narratives should not exceed three pages in length and must be uploaded on the ADOH website FY24 State HTF Proposals Portal, which will be available from July 1, 2023, through July 31, 2023.  

Race Equity Committee Seeking New Members 

The Continuum of Care Race Equity Committee is currently seeking new members. The Race Equity Committee provides input and makes recommendations to the Continuum of Care Board on how principles and guidelines for the Continuum of Care disproportionately impact people of color experiencing homelessness and implements the recommendations of the Race and Homelessness in Maricopa County report ensuring racial equity across the system. We continue to seek to diversify Committee membership and invite anyone interested to apply. The application for the Continuum of Care Race Equity Committee will close on July 19, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. 

Gain Access to the CoC Learning Gateway 

The CoC Learning Gateway is a Learning Management System designed to support organizations with a myriad of trainings, best practices, and resources. Join over two dozen organizations already using the platform by completing the CoC Partner survey today! 

Written Standards Review Office Hours 

Each year, the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care reviews and updates the Continuum of Care Written Standards and ESG Written Standards. This year, we will be holding office hours for the community to provide feedback. This will be held on July 19, 2023 at 2:30pm. If you are interested in attending, Register Here! 

PAST MEETINGS 

A description of each of the CoC meetings can be found on the CoC Committee Overview where you can learn more about the Committees, find out when they meet, or contact the appropriate MAG staff member. Registration for CoC meetings and events can be found on the Meeting and Event Calendar. 

The Continuum of Care Board reviewed and approved the Community Adopted Best Practices, the Governance Charter, and the Gaps Analysis. The Board also heard an update on the sober living home response, Home is Where It All Starts, and the encampment around the Human Services Campus. The Board discussed the performance standards and recommended changes to be reconsidered at their July meeting.  

The Continuum of Care Committee received an update on the Quarterly Trends Report and System Performance Measures. They also received a presentation on the Data for Decision Making report, which was created by From the Ground Up and Phoenix Rescue Mission. The Committee provided their feedback for the Community Adopted Best Practices document and were updated on the work of the Connecting Our Systems of Care Workgroup. 

The Coordinated Entry Committee reviewed numbers of singles and families entering the system, the number of individuals who are experiencing domestic violence and entering coordinated entry, and the number of new access points. There was a notable increase across all areas reporting, and discussion whether this was a seasonal uptick or another issue at play. The committee also discussed and reviewed at length the work of the Coordinated Entry Evaluation Workgroup. The group is finalizing their report for a new assessment pilot in July. This will be shared with the CoC Board and others for input on implementation. The CE Homeless Prevention workgroup was paused to reevaluate funding. The workgroup will regroup with the Local Jurisdiction Committee to further identify prevention opportunities in the future. The CE DV workgroup met and continues discussion regarding how to get buy-in from DV shelters across the region in using the new reporting tool to help match individuals in need with available housing. A new DV assessment is also being discussed, addressing the privacy concerns of individuals fleeing DV who may need housing services.  

The Data Committee reviewed 3 new agency requests to join HMIS, as well as 2 data requests. The group also heard a presentation on and later discussed the CoC performance standards. The Data Analytics Workgroup shared their returns data findings with the Data Committee as well. Currently, a workgroup is reviewing and updating all HMIS policies for committee review in August. Next meeting will include a discussion of the Outreach Activity policies as they relate to the By Name List and System Flow dashboard. 

The ESG Committee voted in 2 new co-chairs in June and began the conversation of updating the ESG funding matrix for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The committee heard a presentation from the Data Analytics Workgroup on their findings pertaining to returns data, with a particular focus on Rapid Rehousing. The group discussed questions that may lead to further analysis, as well as the importance of keeping households in a program until they are prepared to exit.  

The Lived Experience Committee continues to work alongside various stakeholders on the Shelter Bill of Rights, which is intended to be available for both providers and clients of shelters. 

The Local Jurisdiction Committee heard updates for the launch of the Home is Where it All Starts toolkit, which aims to provide jurisdictions and other partners with a framework to reshape conversations and build support for attainable housing. The City of Surprise detailed their response to unlicensed Sober Living Homes, and the committee discussed their experiences with ongoing housing challenges in the region. 

The Race Equity Committee leadership are focusing meetings and speakers on the four identified goals in the 2021 Race Equity report focusing on redesigning the Coordinated Entry assessment, inclusion of people with lived experience, building capacity to use data, and conducting training and organizational change activities in the workforce. Further, a Race Equity workforce workgroup is looking for membership. If you are interested in furthering the conversation about a more diverse workforce, from frontline to leadership, email Kelli Williams for more details: kwilliams@azmag.gov. Membership for the Race Equity Committee is open until July 19, 2023. The application can be found here. 

The Youth Action Committee met to finalize their video responses and to review the complete written application for the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project Grant. The grant application was submitted at the end of June and the HUD grantees will be announced this fall. 

NEW! The By-Name List Workgroup was formed from one of the main priorities of the Data Committee to build a strong BNL and create education and communication plans that foster community trust. As one of the group’s first actions, a survey will be distributed to those who interact with the BNL. Please feel free to take the survey and share with colleagues so the group can analyze results from a wide range of perspectives in the community.  

The Communications Workgroup recommended a logo and slogan to take to the Committee and Board in July. The group also discussed changes to takeaways for the Homelessness Trends Report webpage and language for a new public facing dashboard. The group will continue discussing talking points for across the CoC, common responses to questions within the homeless system, and the role of the CoC in education.   

The Connecting to Housing Workgroup canceled their June meeting but will reconvene in July to review the overlay of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects, homeless programs, and Public Housing Authority boundaries. The group will identify how to better streamline access to LIHTC projects with dedicated units from these resources.  

The Connecting Our Systems of Care Workgroup chose to focus on returns to homelessness from Rapid Rehousing placements. They will be contacting RRH providers to get more information on their current processes, including the amount of time people can be served in RRH and how RRH providers received and elicit feedback from their clients. 

The Data Analytics Workgroup presented key findings on their Returns to Homelessness analysis to the Data Committee and ESG Committee. After taking a month off from meetings, the group met to discuss next steps in group structure and priority.     

The Emergency Shelter Workgroup continue to meet to review the coordination of singles shelter and how to best ensure individuals are able to access shelter when available. The workgroup will continue to provide updates on shelter availability and discuss how to best coordinate moving forward. The group added a second check-in meeting on the second Thursday of the month for the summer.  

The Move On Workgroup finalized the assessment and workflow, adding Rapid Rehousing participants to the process. The workgroup will begin rolling out trainings through the Learning Gateway and piloting the process. The group also continued the discussion with Public Housing Authorities to offer support and technical assistance for move on strategies.  

The Outreach Collaborative is finalizing a Contact List update and surveying outreach teams to understand more about the work they do and the regions they cover. If you are interested in being part of the Outreach Collaborative, please contact Haleigh Owens at howens@azmag.gov.   

The Public Housing Authority Collaborative reconvened in June to review EHV lease ups, discuss the pilot of the Move On Workgroup, and discuss the overlap with the Connecting to Housing Workgroup. The PHA Collaborative developed a mission statement and discussed the new PIH notice.  

NEW! The System Flow Dashboard Workgroup was formed to create an open space for the HMIS team to present on the System Flow Dashboard. Attendees can ask questions, explore subpopulations, and have discussions on details of the dashboard. The meeting will occur on the last Tuesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. To attend, register on the Events Calendar.   

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 

Legislators briefly returned to the Capitol in mid-June. During this period: 

The Legislature is currently set to reconvene on July 31. 

The Arizona Housing Coalition leads the efforts to end homelessness and advocate for safe, affordable homes for all Arizonans. For any questions, please contact Nicole Newhouse with the Arizona Housing Coalition at nicole@azhousingcoalition.org, join the Arizona Housing Coalition, or get involved in their Advocacy Committee if you are a member.    

UPCOMING TRAININGS AND WEBINARS 

Partner Organization Trainings: As we learn about trainings, we add them to the CoC Learning Gateway Events. These events link straight to the event and allow you to register. We will keep it updated throughout the month so check back when looking for training opportunities.  

PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES 

Click this link for open Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), and Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO). 

RESOURCES 

Click this link for available service provider resources, including toolkits and definitions. 

Interested in reviewing the System Performance Measures and seeing changes over time? Check out the recently launched System Performance Measures dashboard!  

Click this link to view previous months’ newsletters.    

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