Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care: March Newsletter

2023 NOFO Application Update 

On January 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care $46.5 million, which will help fund 33 local homelessness programs. To learn more about the funding and to see the full list of projects, please view MAG’s press release.  

ACESDV’s 2024 Learning Conference - A Future Without Fear 

The Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV) is pleased to announce their 2024 conference, A Future Without Fear, held on August 14th and 15th at Desert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix. The theme, A Future Without Fear, embodies their commitment to dismantle oppression and promote equity among all people. ACESDV is offering scholarship assistance for the 2024 Learning Conference. If interested, please complete the following application by Friday, April 5th, 2024. For more information, please contact Ada@acesdv.org or Lizette@acesdv.org. 

Free File Program with the IRS    

Taxes are almost due! The IRS offers the Free File Program for qualifying individuals. Their website also includes resources and tools to help you avoid errors and master the process. Learn more here.  

New THE ALL INSIDE INITIATIVE  

Challenges and Opportunities Accessing Social Security benefits for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness: 

Social Security benefits play a critical role to prevent and end homelessness.  In January 2024, the ALL INside cities/jurisdictions gathered feedback from their communities about Social Security-related challenges.  Specific issues were identified that people experiencing homelessness were going through.  In late February 2024, the ALL INside federal teams took that community feedback directly to Social Security Administration (SSA) leaders.  In early Spring 2024, the intention is to act on the feedback and utilize the direct link to SSA leadership to accomplish more effective SSA benefit access for those experiencing homelessness.  

During the information gathering phase about SSA-related benefits (like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)), it was discovered that the Arizona SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) team can provide additional help and assistance.  Specifically, the Arizona SOAR team mentioned that better tracking of SOAR benefit applications can be done through the SOAR Online Application Tracking (OAT).  In fact, for those SOAR-trained practitioners, there is a pertinent webinar training on Tuesday, March 5 at 12:00-1:00pm local Arizona time. 

SOAR OAT and Outcomes Orientation 

Date and Time:  Tue, Mar 5, 2024, 12pm - 1pm AZ time; 2pm - 3pm - EST 

Register Here 

To contact CAPT Forde, please reach him by email (kent.forde@samhsa.hhs.gov), phone (240-276-2096), or LinkedIN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kent-forde5555/). 

PAST MEETINGS 

A complete description of each of the CoC meetings can be found on the CoC Overview where you can learn more about the Collaboratives, find out when they meet and register for meetings, or contact the appropriate MAG staff member.  

The Continuum of Care Board heard from Capt. Kent Forde regarding the Social Security Administration’s SOAR work, and from Michael Simm about basic income and homelessness. MAG homeless team staff gave updates on the quarterly trends report, the provider performance dashboard, and the 2023 NOFO award. For questions: kwilliams@azmag.gov. 

The Continuum of Care Collaborative received a presentation from the Arizona Department of Education on the McKinney Vento act, services available to families, and current youth data. The group also discussed the latest NOFO scorecard updates and progress with the Community Adopted Best Practices updates. This month, the collaborative will begin prioritizing their assigned Strategic Plan items and creating action-oriented goals and next steps.  

The Coordinated Entry Collaborative continued its work developing a new assessment tool and began conversations with AzHAC around options for evaluating this tool. CE Collaborative also began planning other work for the year, in line with the CoC Strategic Plan, including an update of the CE Policies and Procedures. 

The Data Collaborative decided next steps for their strategic plan priority items and provided input on a Provider Performance Dashboard being created by MAG and the HMIS team. With membership open until 3/5, the collaborative also assigned an application review workgroup. Natalie Davenport was voted in as the collaborative’s 2nd Co-Chair.   

The ESG Collaborative began planning work for the year, in line with the CoC Strategic Plan. This includes coordinating with other groups that are invested in updating operating standards for emergency shelter and Rapid Rehousing. 

The Lived Experience Collaborative began planning for the roll-out of the Shelter Bill of Rights, as well as upcoming work for the year outlined in the CoC Strategic plan. 

The Local Jurisdiction Collaborative received a demonstration from AzHAC on their Social Determinants of Health interactive mapping tool, which can be used to help inform strategic resource allocation using various datasets. This tool continued the conversation initiated by the Prevention & Diversion toolkit, which the collaborative finished in January. Members also heard an update from City of Phoenix on the progress and next steps of the Safe Outdoor Space. 

The Race Equity Collaborative analyzed the year-over-year improvement of agency scores and strengthened responses to the race equity NOFO criteria, despite raised expectations, and identified this as an indicator of community progress. Additionally, the Race Equity Workforce Leadership Workgroup shared plans to explore development of a professional development mentorship program within the CoC. 

The Youth Action Collaborative brainstormed additional resources to include in guides for youth experiencing homelessness developed by the ASU Action Nexus and FIRE Mentoring. The collaborative also discussed and approved the goals outlined in the application for the Youth Homelessness System Improvement grant. 

The Connecting to Systems of Care Workgroup is working to complete a toolkit for Rapid Rehousing Providers. This toolkit will help RRH providers understand ESG funding, provide talking points for connecting with non-ESG funders for flexible funds, and offer data points on RRH and flexible funding to aid conversations with funders. The workgroup will have a completed draft of this toolkit by the end of March. 

The Continuum Referral to External Systems Workgroup completed their objective and is no longer meeting. The CORES Toolkit will be distributed this month, serving as a pilot. Feedback will be collected on the toolkit for a period of three months to ensure the resource is usable and valuable for direct support personnel. 

The Data Insights Workgroup continues to work with AzHAC to identify the best strategies to complete a comprehensive analysis on Returns to Homelessness using HMIS data.  

The Emergency Shelter Workgroup will resume in the coming months with peer-to-peer learning on best practices in emergency shelter. The group will discuss public health topics including substance use. If interested in joining, reach out to Brian Gruters at bgruters@azmag.gov. 

The Move On Workgroup continued processing candidate referrals through Coordinated Entry, as well as discussing options for Public Housing Authorities interested in participating in the Move-On program. 

The Outreach Workgroup will resume in the coming months with a review of the first draft of regional operational standards for street outreach programs. If interested in participating in this discussion, reach out to Brian Gruters at bgruters@azmag.gov. 

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. 

Delivering Evidence-Based and Culturally-Competent Firearm Suicide Prevention Interventions in Clinical Settings – This didactic lecture will review the conceptual basis and empiric evidence linking firearm access to suicide risk and provide clinicians with basic knowledge, language, and strategies to facilitate secure firearm storage solutions among patients identified as having elevated suicide risk.  Register Here! 

March 5th, 2024, at 11:00am 

Youth Gaming and Gambling, Is It a Problem? – Discuss youth gaming, gambling, and the warning signs of problems with these activities. An overview of strategies to prevent youth problem gaming and gambling behaviors that have been adapted from alcohol and substance misuse prevention will be presented. Register Here! 

March 5th, 2024, at 11:00am   

SAMHSA Tribal Listening Session Reducing Burden When Measuring Performance of SAMHSA Client-Level Grants – SAMHSA is committed to reducing burden related to grant performance data collection and reporting. To achieve this goal, SAMHSA is working to significantly redesign client-level performance management tools currently in use and is seeking feedback from Tribes, Tribal organizations, and evaluators.  

Register Here! 

March 5th, 2024, at 1:00pm 

Reducing Stigma Toward the Transgender Community – Transgender people face significant stigma, resulting in mental health disparities. The goal of this webinar is to help mental health providers/trainees better understand stigma toward the transgender community and how it impacts mental health. Register Here! 

March 7th, 2024, at 10:00am   

Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family: Staff Resiliency and Burnout – This 90-minute webinar is designed for leadership positions in the sexual violence response and prevention sectors, and is meant to facilitate a discussion on high levels of staff turnover and burnout. Learn more & register here! 

March 7th, 2024, 1:00pm - 2:30pm  

Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family: Medical Trauma and Sexual Violence – Medical Trauma and Sexual Violence is a 90-minute webinar that will focus on the various impacts of the medical community and healthcare system have systematically had on survivors of sexual violence and traumatic impact, including discussion of historical and current harm caused towards patients. Learn more & register here! 

March 20th, 2024, 12:00pm - 1:30pm 

ACESDV Rural Workgroup– ACESDV is pleased to convene a workgroup to network, learn, and grow, specifically for rural sexual violence providers that will be meeting in-person in Apache Junction, Arizona. Learn more & register here! 

Multi-Generational Center, Apache Junction, AZ 

March 27th, 2024, 12:00pm - 4:00pm 

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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