Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care: December Newsletter

2024 NOFO Scorecard Revisions: Community Conversation 

We are seeking feedback on the scorecards used to evaluate project applications for the annual Notice of Funding Opportunity. The questions and structure for new, renewal, and infrastructure projects will all be considered. Please make your voice heard and join us in-person or via Zoom on December 13th at 11:00am – Register Here!  

City of Phoenix 2024-2025 Annual Action Plan Survey 

Please see a message from the City of Phoenix below: 

Your city, your voice! The City of Phoenix needs your input to help make important investments in our community by taking the Annual Action Plan Survey. Each year, the City receives millions of dollars in federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and we want to hear from our residents and business owners about how you think that money should be spent. When you take the survey, you help us identify needs in housing and homelessness, community and economic development, infrastructure and enhancement, and public services and facilities. These funds help make real change; they can be used for projects like improving parks and streetlights, creating programs for youth and seniors, providing services for people experiencing homelessness or living with HIV/ AIDS, and helping families buy their first home. Your voice is important! Tell us what matters most in your community. Take the Annual Action Plan Survey today at phoenix.gov/yourvoice. 

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 approved new Program Performance Measures based on the 2023 federal fiscal year, approved the Homelessness Trends Report, opened membership for an East Valley representative, and approved the Coordinated Entry Assessment Tool pilot. The Board also discussed the Shelter Bill of Rights, discussed ways to get involved in advocacy, reviewed the Data Landscape Evaluation, and heard an update on the Human Services Campus engagements. The Board reconvenes in December for Strategic Planning.  

The Continuum of Care Committee approved 7 new members to serve on the CoC Committee. They received a presentation on the Coordinated Entry New Assessment Tool and updates on the Move-On Workgroup, the Connections to Other Systems of Care Workgroup, and the Continuum Referral to External Systems Workgroup. 

The Coordinated Entry Committee held a second Community Conversation forum early in November to discuss potential changes to the coordinated entry prioritization process. CE Committee then presented proposed changes to the CE assessment tool to the CoC Committee and CoC Board, ultimately receiving approval to begin piloting the new tool. The Coordinated Entry-Domestic Violence Workgroup met and agreed on updates to the CE-DV workflow to improve access to permanent housing resources for DV providers and their clients. 

The Data Committee heard presentations from Solari regarding data sharing with AHCCCS and the use of alternative data tools for data quality cleaning. Additionally, the committee agreed to move forward with new strategic plan items for the 2024 plan update.  

The ESG Committee met and reviewed feedback from October’s provider meetings, using this to set committee objectives for the coming year. These also aligned to a large degree with the 2023 CoC Strategic Plan goals. 

The Lived Experience Committee reviewed the feedback received from the Continuum of Care Board on the Shelter Bill of Rights and formulated responses to present at the next Board meeting. 

The Local Jurisdiction Committee elected its new Co-Chair and heard the latest Pathways Home update, which included a summary of the upcoming Veteran’s Village development in Glendale. The committee also identified the presentations and training it will conduct in the coming year, beginning with CAP Offices in January. 

The Race Equity Committee leadership are focusing meetings and speakers on the four identified goals in the 2021 Race Equity report: redesigning the Coordinated Entry assessment, inclusion of people with lived experience, building capacity to use data, and workforce development. On November 17, 2023, leaders from Racial Equity Partners provided a webinar on developing diverse organizations. There was robust participation from attendees. The training has been saved to the learning management system for future use. There is one remaining race equity trainings that will be offered in 2023.  

Register for Understanding Racism: a Structural and Historical Analysis on December 8, 2023 at 2 pm here.  

All are welcome to attend. 

The Youth Action Committee provided feedback on a Youth Resource Guide being put together by the ASU Action Nexus. They also received a presentation on the annual Point in Time Count and discussed their goals for the 2024 Strategic Plan. 

The By-Name List Workgroup will begin testing their created training and making final adjustments before announcing its availability on the Learning Gateway.  

The Communications Workgroup continue to send out Talking Points to CoC Partners. If interested in being added to the Communications Listserv, reach out to Katie at kgentry@azmag.gov.  

The Connecting to Systems of Care Workgroup discussed what specific items they would like to see covered under Flexible Funding and created a comprehensive list. They also discussed solutions to extending Rapid Rehousing contracts to 24 months. 

The Continuum Referral to External Systems Workgroup reviewed drafts of one-pagers intended for case managers and direct support personnel to facilitate effective referrals to the education and justice systems. After input from workgroup members and their colleagues, an additional one-pager will be created. This new one-pager will provide explanations about specialty courts and the municipalities involved with each. The group's December meeting will be dedicated to reviewing the drafts for the homelessness and healthcare systems, and the newly developed specialty courts one-pager. 

The Data Insights Workgroup met for the first time in November, covering workgroup expectations and listening to a presentation on Returns to Homelessness from AZHAC. The group will continue to meet every 2 weeks to find avenues to incorporate this data analysis into actionable steps in the CoC.  

The Emergency Shelter Workgroup discussed and began planning to move to a more collaborative meeting format, focusing on shelter providers’ concerns and challenges. Workgroup participants agreed that meeting as a discussion forum in the future would be highly beneficial. 

The Move On Workgroup saw its first cohort of providers finish the Move-On training on the CoC’s online training platform. The cohort is currently working toward identifying and putting forward candidates to participate in Move-On. 

The Outreach Collaborative met four times over the course of the month to discuss topics to be included in the forthcoming regional outreach standards. Providers and funders contributed their expertise to the ongoing production of the draft document. Topics included recommended practices teams should employ in the field, required core services, training expectations, etc. 

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. 

PSH/RRH Community Conversation – Please join us for a Community Chat designed for Permanent Supportive Housing Providers and Rapid Rehousing Providers. We are providing a space for housing providers to learn from one another, ask each other questions, and get support from your fellow providers. The first 30 minutes will be dedicated to PSH providers, the last 30 minutes will be focused on RRH providers, and the middle 30 minutes will be open to both. Register Here! 

TOMORROW, December 5, 2023 – 1:00pm – 2:30pm 

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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