Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care: September Newsletter

Committee Openings! 

The Continuum of Care is currently recruiting members for the Youth Action Committee, Lived Experience Committee, and Board.  

The Youth Action Committee provides input and makes recommendations to the Continuum of Care Board on how principles and guidelines for the Continuum of Care affects youth experiencing homelessness. The application for the Youth Action Committee will close today at 5:00 p.m. 

The Lived Experience Committee provides input and makes recommendations to the Continuum of Care Board on how principles and guidelines for the Continuum of Care affects individuals experiencing homelessness. The application for the Lived Experience Committee will close on September 8, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. 

The Continuum of Care Board plans for the region, convenes diverse stakeholders that address and are impacted by homelessness, and makes regional policy recommendations to local leaders. The application for the Continuum of Care Board will close on Friday, September 15th at 5:00 p.m. 

City of Phoenix Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher 

The City of Phoenix Housing Department is opening the pre-application to join the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) waitlist. The HCV waitlist will be open for pre-applications for 15 days, from September 12 at 8AM through September 26 at 7PM. 

The City’s HCV program (commonly known as Section 8) is available for low-income individuals and families to afford safe and decent housing in Phoenix. Follow this link to learn more: Housing Section 8 HCV Waitlist (phoenix.gov).  

Homeless Services Workforce Survey 

The National Alliance to End Homelessness is seeking to promote a better understanding of the strengths and challenges of the homeless services workforce.  As a part of this work, they are seeking your feedback via the following survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDB7lu7Jju9elC8_d1V7JQAPJhLJwv_xPS9-ODijrdylrXYA/viewform?usp=sf_link. 

They hope that you participate in the survey and broadly share it with other people working in homeless services (including both frontline workers and office personnel).  They anticipate the results of the survey to be published this Fall. 

Semper Fi & America’s Fund – Military and Family Support Services 

Semper Fi & America’s Fund is offering financial assistance for veterans in the form of rent payments and/or deposits and eviction prevention (notice of eviction / pay or quit notice required).  The veteran has to have served - branch of service, timeframe, and length of service do not matter.  There is also potential to assist with past evictions debts on a case-by-case basis. Disqualifying factors include felony conviction, sex offender, or dishonorable discharge. 

Please use the online inquiry form for the referral process.  This form can be completed by a service provider or the veteran. If a service provider completes the form on behalf of the veteran, please ensure the veteran’s contact info is shown on the form. Online Inquiry linked here: https://thefund.org/our-programs/get-assistance/ . 

When completing the inquiry, you only need to enter info into the “required” categories. For Inquiry type please choose “Service Member or Family Member Seeking Assistance”.  At the bottom of the form in the comments section please state, “Homeless Initiative – referred by John Hinkle”.  This will ensure it gets to the correct program / intake case manager.  You can also list if the veteran has combat experience in the comment section. Documents that will be required and collected by the Intake Case Manager include DD214, signed application is required prior to assistance being provided, photo ID, and eviction notice / pay or quit notice / foreclosure documentation (eviction prevention / foreclosure only).  

Launch of New Workgroup! 

The Committee is launching a new Continuum Referral to External Systems workgroup dedicated to bridging gaps between community support systems, focusing on streamlining referrals to external systems and resources, and improving coordination between the homelessness response system and these external systems. It will meet the third Monday of each month at 1:00 pm. If you are interested in participating in this workgroup, please contact Matt Finley at mfinley@azmag.gov.  

Dashboards & Data Office Hours 

Previously the System Flow Dashboard Office Hours, this reimagined office hours will be a space to learn about and discuss the wide variety of dashboards and data tools available to the CoC. September’s meeting will be organized with an intended audience of CoC providers and feature a discussion on the Maricopa Error Report available on the HMIS Tableau. If you’d like to learn more about this tool, please register on the MAG Event Calendar with the next meeting on Tuesday, September 26 at 10:30 am.  

Arizona Housing Analytics Collaborative Updates 

The Arizona Housing Analytics Collaborative (AzHAC) is a tri-university collaborative among Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and University of Arizona. In partnership with community leaders and stakeholders, AzHAC is doing extensive work in analytics and predictive modeling around homelessness and housing to provide direct analytics to decision-making and care coordination. To learn more about the work that AzHAC is doing, read their updates.  

PAST MEETINGS 

A complete 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 the Quarter 2 Homelessness Trends Report, approved changing the By Name List and System Flow Dashboard inclusion of outreach from 30 days to 90 days, and heard an update on the work of Coordinated Entry and the Coordinated Entry evaluation process. The Board will convene again on Wednesday, September 6 to approve the Notice of Funding Opportunity Priority Listing.  

The Continuum of Care Committee heard a presentation from the Communications Workgroup, where they shared the new logo and tagline for the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care. The Committee also further discussed their priorities for next year’s Strategic Plan. A new workgroup, the Continuum Referral to External Systems was established and will begin in September. 

The Coordinated Entry Committee heard updates from the lead agencies overseeing Coordinated Entry (CE) for families, single adults, and survivors of domestic violence. MAG staff also informed committee members that the CE Dashboard is complete and available for anyone in the community to reference. The Committee also heard updates on proposed new entry points to the CE System and the forthcoming CE assessment tool being developed by the Coordinated Entry Evaluation Workgroup. This workgroup met twice during the month to review the working draft of the tool, reviewing edits and strategy for implementation and evaluation. The Coordinated Entry-Domestic Violence Workgroup met and reviewed utilization of the new reporting tool, continuing the discussion from last month on ways to increase this. 

The Data Committee discussed the annual updates for the HMIS policies, 3 data requests, and enhanced BNL visibility. Additionally, the group approved the finalization for the Coordinated Entry dashboard and began conversations on the CoC Strategic Plan updates for 2024.  

The ESG Committee met twice in August to plan actionable steps for a provider-focused meeting initiative for those funded by ESG, as well as to make a plan for addressing coming ESG administration challenges shared across the funders. The ESG Committee also began preliminary conversations regarding updates to the CoC Strategic Plan.  

The Lived Experience Committee voted to approve a Shelter Bill of Rights, which will be distributed to shelters within Maricopa County. The Committee also opened membership for those who are interested in serving on the Lived Experience Committee. If you are interested in applying, please complete the Lived Experience Committee application. 

The Local Jurisdiction Committee considered possible methods to increase rental units available to individuals experiencing homelessness, and HOM, Inc. joined to present on Threshold’s impact to the region after a year in operation. The Local Jurisdiction Committee also reviewed updates to ongoing projects related to data and prevention. 

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 workforce development. The committee opened membership last month and voted in six new members who will be welcomed at the September meeting. There are two remaining race equity trainings that will be offered in 2023. Dates and topics are to be determined by the Committee during the September meeting.  

The Youth Action Committee discussed their priorities for the remainder of the year and opened membership. If you are interested in applying for the Youth Action Committee, please complete the YAC application by end of day today, September 1, 2023. 

The By-Name List Workgroup decided on a structure for a BNL training designed for the CoC Learning Gateway and assigned group members to create various pieces of the needed content. The group will reconvene in September to share and edit content.  

The Communications Workgroup reviewed the Communications Plan prior to going to the Board at the end of the month. The workgroup has also started a Communications Listserv to distribute talking points about activities happening in the homelessness and housing space. If you or your Communications staff are interested in being added, reach out to Katie at kgentry@azmag.gov.  

The Connecting to Systems of Care Workgroup reviewed what was discussed in the Rapid Rehousing Office Hours, which identified some issues experienced by RRH providers. They also discussed convening RRH providers and funders to share more information about those issues and potential resolutions. 

The Data Analytics Workgroup met twice in August to hear presentations on returns data from AZHAC and discuss the analysis achieved so far. The workgroup will be regrouping to decide next steps for September.  

The Emergency Shelter Workgroup continues to meet to improve coordination of singles shelter beds and individuals’ access to these when available. The group reviewed the new shelter occupancy dashboard and the process for ensuring this tool is kept up-to-date and impactful. 

The Move On Workgroup reviewed and revised the Moving On assessment and is still in the process of finishing training materials required to facilitate move-ons from Permanent Supportive Housing and Rapid Rehousing to low-income, subsidized rental units. 

The Outreach Collaborative met for the first time in several months, discussing potential objectives for the group to take on. These include developing an updated set of standards for conducting homeless outreach in the region and serving as a forum for frontline providers needing a place to discuss challenges and solutions in their work. 

The Public Housing Authority Workgroup reviewed EHV lease ups and received information on new vouchers available in the region. The group also discussed potential changes to the workgroup, including moving to a bi-monthly meeting schedule. 

The Youth Provider Collaborative shared updates on their respective agencies, including a brief description of the work they do, and the population served. The Collaborative also discussed the Civic Roundtable platform and were encouraged to join if they haven’t already. 

UPCOMING MEETINGS, TRAININGS, AND WEBINARS 

Click here to learn more about the CoC Learning Gateway and on-demand training opportunities, or check out the CoC Event Calendar for live events. 

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. 

Click this link to view previous months’ newsletters.    

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