The Supportive Housing Alliance, formerly known as the Stewardship Council, is an interagency working group whose purpose is to directly impact the creation, preservation, and stabilization of supportive housing as a key component in Minnesota’s work to prevent and end homelessness. The Supportive Housing Alliance has embarked on a project to establish supportive housing standards and align service, operating and capital funding resources to strengthen and simplify the process for creating quality supportive housing across the state of Minnesota. They met with a deep bench of supportive housing providers, tribal and state leaders, and people with lived experience across the state to develop recommendations for supportive housing standards, which are described in this report.
The Supportive Housing Alliance has used these recommendations to develop a draft of supportive housing standards, as well as an outline of operating guidelines that will provide more context, suggestions, and promising practices to successfully implement the supportive housing standards. Learn more by reviewing the draft supportive housing standards and operating guidelines outline.
The Supportive Housing Alliance wants to hear your feedback on the draft supportive housing standards on the webinar tomorrow, October 12, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Ahead of the discussion tomorrow, here are some questions to consider:
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Is there a guiding principle we should add?
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Is there a guiding principle we should remove?
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Is there anything missing from the description of the guiding principles that should be included?
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Is there anything included in the description of the guiding principles that is confusing or you disagree with?
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What, if any, will be the biggest barriers to your agency/organization implementing these principles in your supportive housing?
If you are not able to join the webinar tomorrow, you can also provide feedback through this survey.
If you have any questions about your registration or want to sign up for the Speakers Bureau, please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us
The Department of Human Services' (DHS) Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) continues to have funding available to support rapid responses to outbreaks in overnight or day shelters, drop-in centers, and street outreach programs for people facing homelessness or domestic violence. As of 9/1/22, funding for hazard pay is limited to settings with at least one active case; however, expenses under all other categories do not require any active cases to be eligible. Learn more about eligible uses and how eligible settings can apply at https://mich.mn.gov/shelter-outbreak-funds. Please contact Demetri Vincze at Demetri.Vincze@state.mn.us with any questions.
Settings can use these response funds to support access to therapeutics in the following areas:
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Transportation to bring residents to clinic appointments, bring residents to test to treat sites, or get medications to/from pharmacy.
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Equipment to support telehealth visits. In addition to clinics that already support telehealth for COVID-19 therapeutics, the state is in the process of contracting with a telehealth vendor who will be able to support telehealth for COVID-19 therapeutics for shelters. We anticipate this service to begin this fall so we encourage shelters to plan ahead to make sure you have the equipment to support telehealth visits this fall/winter. We will provide more information on telehealth as it becomes available.
Such requests should be submitted under the “Other” category on the survey request form. OEO staff will join the webinar tomorrow to discuss these funds during tomorrow’s webinar from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Cases among people experiencing homelessness and the staff who support continues to remain steady. The MDH team continues to monitor cases and our team continues to plan alongside local public health and emergency management on ways to be best prepared to support people experiencing homelessness through any future surges. If you are looking for any information or resources you can find information at https://mich.mn.gov/covid-19 or email Health.R-Congregate@state.mn.us.
Thank you for all the insights and thoughts you shared with Ann Oliva and her team at the National Alliance to End Homelessness on the webinar last week!
To foster increased collaboration and input from partners, the Alliance is accepting proposals for three new presentation formats, Innovation Sessions, Spotlight Sessions, and Transformation Talks, at the upcoming Innovations & Solutions for Ending Unsheltered Homelessness Conference (March 1-3 2023). Proposals will be accepted until October 30, 2022 at 5:00 pm ET. Find all the details on the submission process and submit your proposal on the Alliance’s call for presentations page.
The conference will focus on the innovative and creative ways people are exploring collaborative partnerships, leveraging resources, and implementing best practices to meet the needs of those experiencing unsheltered homelessness. In requesting submissions, the Alliance seeks to highlight a diverse range of voices and perspectives at its conference. Submissions are open to anyone with skill, background, knowledge, or expertise relevant to ending unsheltered homelessness. Speakers with lived expertise of homelessness are especially encouraged to submit proposals.
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The NASTAD Drug User Health Team, in partnership with National Health Care for the Homeless Council, will be hosting the Centering Health: Models for Integrated Harm Reduction Services webinar on Wednesday, October 26, from 3:00-4:30 pm CT. The webinar will feature a dynamic discussion on integrating harm reduction principles and practices, including naloxone distribution, safe disposal, and harm reduction supply access, within the community health care setting. Health centers across the country that offer these services as part of comprehensive care will share their experiences and the ways that service expansion can contribute to engagement and care access. Speakers will provide local, state, and national perspectives on how health departments and direct service providers can encourage or incorporate harm reduction practices in community health centers, including navigating funding requirements. All are welcome to join so please share this opportunity with others who may be interested!
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Help us spread the word about a new newsletter for engagement opportunities for people who have faced or are currently facing homelessness. The Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness is building a new newsletter list to share opportunities for people who have faced or are currently facing homelessness to share their input, ideas, and expertise. Interested individuals can sign up for the newsletter by filling out this form. We will share a range of opportunities in this newsletter from state agencies and partner organizations and the newsletter will be sent out as opportunities are available. Please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us if you have any questions.
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