Funding, Boosters, Vaccine Incentives, and Reminder to Join the Weekly Provider Webinar
COVID-19 has pushed Minnesota’s response to homelessness, people experiencing homelessness, and everyone supporting the response beyond what we might have thought possible. Our challenges – Delta outbreaks, vaccination rates that must climb faster, and uncertainty – remain, but as a member of the community of people working to prevent and end homelessness, you have already demonstrated how much we can do together. The State of Minnesota’s team on homelessness is proud to work alongside you every day.
We are pleased to report that today the Legislative COVID-19 Response Commission approved the $15 million in Fiscal Recovery Funds proposed by the Walz-Flanagan Administration for shelter settings to improve their ability to prevent transmission of infectious diseases through modifications or by acquiring new space. Modifications could include physical changes designed to reduce transmission risks (such as increasing physical separation of shelter guests, changes to ventilation or air filtration systems, modifications for traffic flow especially in high-traffic areas), or to acquire new shelter space designed to operate effectively for staff and guests in the context of an infectious disease. Awards will prioritize acquisition and renovation projects that minimize COVID-19 risks in congregate settings and can be completed most quickly.
These funds will be administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) through a competitive RFP process. More details on the application process and eligible costs will be shared in the coming weeks.
To support rapid responses to outbreaks in shelters and other temporary congregate settings for people experiencing homelessness or domestic violence, OEO will also be working closely with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to allocate additional Fiscal Recovery Funds previously awarded for targeted, immediate outbreak response activities. Initially, these funds will be directed by MDH in helping settings experiencing an outbreak respond effectively and reduce the health impacts for shelter guests and staff.
Depending on the rate of funding disbursed for outbreak response, a portion of these may also be funds available to help settings prevent outbreaks. Stay tuned for more information on these funds in the coming weeks.
What you should know about boosters for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has announced new recommendations regarding COVID-19 booster shots. The CDC recommends that adults who received the Pfizer vaccine and completed their vaccine series at least six months ago should receive a booster if they are 65 or older, or 50-64 and have underlying medical conditions, or are 18 and over and live in Long-Term Care settings. Adults who work or reside in higher-risk settings, including homeless shelters, and completed their Pfizer vaccine series at least 6 months ago can receive a booster shot. If you think you are eligible based on these criteria, you should consult with your healthcare provider about receiving a booster shot. In Minnesota, local pharmacies and other healthcare providers will be offering booster shots to individuals based on their attestation of eligibility.
The Minnesota Council on Foundations has established a $300,000 fund, administered by the American Indian Community Development Corporation, to support COVID-19 vaccination incentives and education for people experiencing homelessness and other at-risk populations. Organizations can apply to use these funds for a variety of activities including cash incentives, gift cards, raffles, food, the production of marketing and educational materials, and covering staff time related to COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The funds can be used for first shots, second shots, or boosters.
Organizations can apply for these funds through an online survey:
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis while funds are available. Funding decisions will be made within two weeks of proposal submission. All funds must be expended by June 30, 2022. If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact Josh Leopold or Mike Goze.
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change our collective trajectory on responding to homelessness. Here are some ways that you can learn more about these opportunities and get engaged in state and local decisions about how these funds are deployed:
- National Alliance to End Homelessness' Resource Series: Using COVID-19 Federal Funding to End Homelessness outlines core principles and priorities for this funding with recorded webinars on ways to use these resources strategically and a funding summary chart of the ARP resources that can support people experiencing homelessness.
- The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness’ Guide to American Rescue Plan Funding describes ARP funding sources that support people experiencing homelessness.
- HUD is hosting a series of webinars to walk through the newly released guidance and process for using the HOME-ARP funds. You can register for the webinars and find the guidance on the HOME-ARP website.
- In addition to the funds already committed by the Walz-Flanagan administration, Governor Walz and legislative leaders agreed to set aside $1.15 billion in State Fiscal Recovery Funds (SFRF) to address long-term needs as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response. These funds will be allocated as part of the supplemental budget process during the 2022 legislative session. Share your ideas for the 2022 legislative session by completing this form to submit your ideas. The form is also available in Hmong, Somali, and Spanish. The deadline to share your ideas is September 30.
- We have compiled details about ARP funding allocated to jurisdictions in Minnesota here. Each jurisdiction will determine how it allocates funding within the allowable purposes of each funding source.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) launched House America: An All-Hands-on-Deck Effort to Address the Nation’s Homelessness Crisis. The initiative has set a goal to leverage investments in the American Rescue Plan to re-house people experiencing homelessness and increase the number affordable housing units in production. House America recognizes that it will take government working at all levels and local collaboration to address this crisis. If your local community is interested in getting involved, HUD has posted additional information about this initiative.
The peer-to-peer conversations are an opportunity for providers to ask questions, hear what their counterparts from other organizations are doing, and support one another. Monthly peer-to-peer conversations will be held on the third Tuesday of each month from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Join your peers for the next conversation on Tuesday, October 19 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.. You can join the Microsoft Teams meeting on your computer or mobile device, or for audio only call, 651-395-7448 and enter conference ID 979281139. You do not need to register. As a reminder, there will be no formal presentation or recommendations from the State. This is an open space for you to talk with your peers. If you have any technical questions or trouble joining the meeting, please email Elizabeth Dressel.
We hope you join us tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. for the weekly provider webinar to hear updates from the State team and to get your questions answered. If you have not registered for the webinar, you can do so by clicking this link:
If you have any questions about your registration, please email Elizabeth Dressel.
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