Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care: May Newsletter

Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care (CoC) Newsletter | MAY 2024                                        

Web: azmag.gov/Homelessness 

X: @MaricopaCoC | LinkedIn: Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Lived Experience Collaborative is Seeking New Members 

The Continuum of Care (CoC) Lived Experience Collaborative (LEC) is currently seeking new members. The LEC provides input and makes recommendations to the CoC Board on how principles and guidelines for the CoC affects individuals experiencing homelessness. We continue to seek to diversify CoC membership and invite anyone interested to apply. The application for the CoC LEC will close on May 8, 2024, at 5 p.m. 

Youth Action Collaborative is Seeking New Member 

The Continuum of Care (CoC) Youth Action Collaborative (YAC) is currently seeking new members. The YAC provides input and makes recommendations to the CoC Board on how principles and guidelines for the CoC affect youth and young adults, aged 16-24, experiencing homelessness. We continue to seek to diversify CoC membership and invite anyone interested to apply. The application for the CoC YAC will close on May 8, 2024, at 5 p.m. 

THE ALL INSIDE INITIATIVE  

SAMHSA’s Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit:  

The All INside Initiative is focused on providing the most updated and relevant support, resources, and information to support those experiencing unsheltered homelessness.  According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, more than five people die every day from opioid overdoses in Arizona.  This is devastating and more assistance is needed to reduce the impact of overdoses.  Locally, help is available.  For that assistance, please call the Arizona Opioid Assistance and Referral Line (OAR Line) at 1-888-688-4222 which is open 24/7.  The Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a program directory of Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP) across the country.  The SAMHSA OTP directory for Arizona lists 72 OTP programs and can be found here: https://dpt2.samhsa.gov/treatment/ 

In addition, SAMHSA recently released an Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit that is full of evidence-based practices that can be utilized when serving those individuals and families experiencing homelessness.  The link to this new Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit (released January 2024) can be found here: https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/overdose-prevention-response-kit-pep23-03-00-001.pdf 

One of many evidence-based practices highlighted in this toolkit is Harm Reduction.  Harm Reduction is described in this toolkit as an, “evidence-based, practical, and transformative approach that incorporates public health strategies—including prevention, risk reduction, and health promotion—to empower people who use drugs (PWUD) and their families with the choice to live healthier, self-directed, and purpose-filled lives.” 

There are so many SAMHSA resources to share, so please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or other requests.  Learn more at the SAMHSA homepage: https://www.samhsa.gov/  

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 updates on the forthcoming Housing and Health Opportunities program, as well as the CoC’s 2024 strategic plan. 

The Continuum of Care Collaborative received updates on current legislation, 2-1-1 ARPA funded programs, the HMIS vendor change, and the Heat Relief Network. The collaborative also discussed the Strategic Plan tasks and requested volunteers for workgroups. 

The Coordinated Entry Collaborative approved updates to the Coordinated Entry policies and procedures, began participation in the HUD Community Workshop on Coordinated Assessment and Prioritization, and continued its review of the 2023 third-party evaluation of our regional coordination. 

The Data Collaborative voted in 3 new members and processed a data request. Additionally, the collaborative voted to add information about the DWEL-AZ data warehouse in the HMIS Privacy Policy in preparation for client information to be added to the data warehouse.  

The ESG Collaborative began forming workplans for system-wide operating standards for street outreach, emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, and prevention. The collaborative will be working in partnership with AHCCCS to develop these over the next year. 

The Lived Experience Collaborative discussed how to best disseminate resources for people experiencing homelessness. The Lived Experience has also opened recruitment for new members and Co-Chair. 

The Race Equity Collaborative discussed the creation of a professional development mentorship project for individuals working in homelessness. The end goal would be to increase the number of career opportunities and the development of a career ladder for those working in the field, especially for People of Color. Conversations are still underway on the development of the project. After the idea is fine-tuned, the proposed project will go before the CoC Board for further conversation. The RE Collaborative also discussed their current strategic planning goals, including: evaluation of system performance measures across race and ethnicity. Working with CoC-funded organizations to set diversity targets for staff, increasing trainings available in the learning gateway, and expanding culturally specific outreach.   

The Youth Action Collaborative opened their annual membership. They also received an update on the Continuum of Care Board and the All INside intiative. They discussed a potential upcoming workshop on Storytelling that they will be partnering with the Lived Experience Collaborative on. 

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 Data Quality Workgroup is examining data quality deficits from the perspective of both federal reporting and care coordination needs. The group continues working through strategy to address key system data quality needs 

The Data Literacy Workgroup met twice in April to begin discussing and outlining a CoC-wide data literacy plan. 

The Emergency Shelter Workgroup will be reconvening over the summer to assist in development of the emergency shelter operating standards. 

The Move On Workgroup successfully processed seven people through coordinated entry into mainstream vouchers, with additional applicants in the pipeline. The workgroup will continue on with a focus on onboarding additional housing resources. 

The Outreach Workgroup will be reconvening over the summer to assist in development of the street outreach operating standards. 

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. 

ASU Action Nexus Shared Housing Model Training - Join ASU’s Action Nexus for a training on how to implement the shared housing model within your organization! We will highlight why Maricopa County needs shared housing now, how to work the shared housing process with your clients, and how to effectively engage landlords to increase access to affordable housing. Register here. 

May 21st, 10:00am – 11:30am  

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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