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Thank you for the incredible feedback and ideas you provided during our discussion last week on shelter, outreach, and crisis response. If you missed the discussion or want to go back, you can review the Menti responses or recording.
We are excited to continue the conversation to solicit your guidance and advice about the proposed investments being considered at the Legislature. Your feedback will provide critical insight that helps shape the processes for these funds to be requested, for allocations to be determined, and for expectations to be set related to the use of these resources. Tomorrow’s conversation will focus on transitional housing (THP) and transitional supportive housing (TSP). Ahead of the discussion tomorrow, please consider the following questions:
- What unmet needs have you or your community identified for THP/TSP?
- How could new or existing resources be configured or arranged to better meet those unmet needs?
- What strategies can help develop or enhance culturally specific THP/TSP providers and programs?
- What is most important for a successful transition to permanent housing for participants enrolled in a THP/TSP program?
- What are the pros and cons of expanding the purposes of THP funds to support acquisition of site-based transitional housing (small site, duplexes/4-plexes, etc.)?
- What other issues with accessing existing THP/TSP resources could the State help to address?
Join the discussion tomorrow from 1:00 -2:00 p.m. to share your ideas and insights! If you have any questions about your registration, please email Elizabeth Dressel.
We greatly appreciate your help spreading the word about these discussions over the next two months, to make sure that we collect the best guidance and recommendations about these funds ahead of final decisions being made at the Capitol. Check out the conversation schedule here.
The Office of U.S. Senator Tina Smith will be joining the webinar tomorrow to share information about Congressionally Directed Spending within the federal budget process. Over $130 million for 70+ projects were funded across the state in the previous fiscal year. A wide variety of housing activities, including projects to support “shelter capital” needs, are an eligible expense. Senator Smith’s staff will provide information on how earmarks fit into the federal budget process, discuss project eligibility, share how to submit an application, and answer common questions.
Information and a link to the application may be found on the Senator’s website. Applications are due Friday, April 15, 2022. If you have questions, please email ben_ellgen@smith.senate.gov
As we shared previously, the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness is developing a justice-oriented statewide plan to prevent and end homelessness and has contracted with Rainbow Research to support the first phase of the work. Rainbow Research is launching Justice Work Groups that will create a unified, operational definition of housing, racial, and health justice for people experiencing homelessness. This definition will drive the development of strategies and specific actions that will shape the statewide plan.
We invite you to join participants from across Minnesota, including leaders with lived experience of homelessness, to co-create this operational definition. The work groups will meet five times over the next two months on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., April 29, May 6, May 20, June 3, and June 17. A flyer with more details and information about how to join will be coming soon.
All are welcome to join. This success of this process depends upon gathering a wide variety of perspectives and expertise. In addition to the Justice Work Groups, there will be community conversations to allow people the opportunity to provide input and follow the progress of the work groups. More details on the community conversations to come next week. Thank you for your interest and we hope you can participate.
Vaccinations remain the most effective tool to prevent COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. The Minnesota Department of Health’s partnership with Hennepin Healthcare to provide testing and vaccination clinics for people experiencing homelessness or living in other congregate settings is ending on April 17, 2022.
- MDH is identifying new vendors to continue providing testing services to congregate living facilities after the Hennepin Healthcare Swab Team contract ends on April 17 and the test only contract ends in June 2022. MDH will notify facilities when the new contracts are in place and ready to go. In the meantime, we encourage facilities to review the state COVID-19 testing options that continue to be available to congregate living facilities for testing staff and residents for COVID-19.
- Moving forward, all providers can request vaccine clinics through the Community Vaccination Event Request Form. Providers can request to host a vaccine clinic within their facility or a mobile clinic through a mobile vaccination bus. Providers can request a one-time clinic or recurring clinics. MDH can provide support with vaccination incentives, interpreters, logistical needs, promotion material and support staff during the clinics. If onsite support from MDH is needed, providers may need to execute a site agreement with MDH prior to the clinic. Organizations must complete the request form by May 20, 2022 to schedule clinics on or before June 30, 2022.
The Emergency Staffing Pool through the Department of Human Services (DHS) is available again to support residential programs experiencing severe staffing shortages. Settings must show that they have exhausted all other measure to identify staff and are in danger of closure or placing residents in situations with unsafe staffing levels. Eligible facilities for emergency staffing include: homeless shelters, shelters for domestic violence survivors, site-based supportive housing programs, boarding care, and board and lodge programs.
Once approved, the staffing firm will work to place temporary employees at your site. Temporary staff can be assigned to the program for up to 21 days at no cost to the site. Access the online application here. If you have any questions, visit the DHS FAQ page or reach out to Elizabeth Dressel, elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us.
The number of COVID-19 cases among people experiencing homelessness continues to remain low.
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ServeMinnesota is seeking your feedback on the Minnesota Shelter Emergency Staffing Pool. ServeMinnesota and Worldwide Travel staffing operated this temporary short term staffing support to help shelters weather COVID-related staffing crises by deploying individuals on a shift-by-shift basis. Help them learn from this opportunity and experience, by completing this brief survey by April 15th, 2022. Doing so will help us better understand how well MSESP met the needs of shelters and other temporary congregate settings during this moment in time, as well as to help us improve our operations, should we be asked to stand this initiative back up depending on future COVID needs.
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Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless Free HVAC Assessment Program is offering free HVAC assessments to congregate sites focused serving people experiencing homelessness. Sites may be emergency overnight shelters, day shelters, or drop-in centers. Qualified organizations will receive assessments on a first-come, first-served basis until fund have been expended. To request an assessment, complete the HVAC request form. The submission deadline is April 17. Please email noa@mnhomelesscoalition.org if you have any questions.
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The Shelter Outbreak Response Fund (FRF-Shelter) continues to be available to support rapid responses to outbreaks in shelters and other temporary congregate settings for people experiencing homelessness or domestic violence. As a reminder, beginning April 16, OEO will no longer be funding requests for expenses incurred before March 1, 2022, andHazard pay requests will only be eligible if settings have an active outbreak. If you have any eligible expenses prior to March 1, 2022, complete the funding request survey by April 15. Please visit the Heading Home Alliance website for an updated “Frequently Asked Questions” document as well as a new “Eligibility over Time” document describing these changes in detail. If you have any questions, please email Vincze@state.mn.us.
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