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Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated Guidance on Management of COVID-19 in Homeless Service Sites and in Correctional and Detention Facilities. You can review the updated CDC guidance here.
Following is a summary of what changed:
- Combines and replaces previous CDC guidance documents for COVID-19 in homeless service sites and correctional and detention facilities.
- Describes tailored every day and enhanced COVID-19 prevention strategies.
- Recommends adding enhanced COVID-19 prevention strategies when the COVID-19 Community Levels are high (previously medium) or when there are facility-specific risks.
- Facilities should always offer masks to residents and staff, but universal masking is no longer recommended when community levels and facility level risks are low.
- No longer routinely recommends quarantine after someone is exposed to a person with COVID-19. Continues to provide considerations for facilities that prefer to continue implementing quarantine protocols.
- Includes an option to end isolation for people with COVID-19 after 7 days with a negative viral test.
- Emphasizes the importance of maximizing access to in-person visitation to promote correctional and detention facility residents’ mental health and well-being.
Join the webinar tomorrow, December 7, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. to hear from the MDH team about these updates and ask any questions you may have. If you have any questions about your registration, please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us.
Through the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP), Minnesota Housing received a one-time allocation of $31,137,836 in HOME ARP funds. These funds are intended to assist individuals or households who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, fleeing (or attempting to flee) domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, or where providing supportive services or assistance would prevent homelessness or would serve those with the greatest risk of housing instability. Eligible uses of HOME ARP funding include the production or preservation of affordable housing, tenant-based rental assistance, supportive services, including services defined at 24 CFR 578.53(e), homeless prevention services, and housing counseling as well as the purchase and development of non-congregate shelter.
Minnesota Housing and ICF will join the webinar tomorrow to share important information about the HOME ARP program, the process to develop a plan for how to spend the available funds, and to hear from you. Please come and share your thoughts about the gaps and needs you see for people who fall within one of the four qualifying populations listed below. Some questions to consider ahead of the webinar:
- Knowing there are unmet needs in all these categories, what are the most critical unmet needs in these areas that you see in your community?
- Affordable rental housing
- Tenant based rental assistance
- Supportive services
- Non-congregate shelter
- Non-profit operating and capacity building
- How would you prioritize the qualifying populations within your community?
- Homeless (McKinney Act Definition)
- At Risk of Homelessness (McKinney Act Definition)
- Fleeing/Attempting to flee DV, Dating Violence, Sexual Violence, Stalking or Human Trafficking
- Other families requiring services or housing assistance to prevent homelessness
- Please rank you funding priority for HOME-ARP activities based on the unmet needs of people in your community.
- Affordable Housing
- Tenant Based Rental Assistance
- Supportive Services
- Non-Congregate Shelter
The Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness is a cabinet-level body led by Lt. Governor Flanagan and is comprised of the commissioners of 13 state agencies and the chair of the Metropolitan Council. It is accountable for leading the state’s efforts to move towards housing, health, and racial justice for people experiencing homelessness.
The Council is holding their next meeting virtually Wednesday, December 14, 2022 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The agenda includes a presentation from the hired consultants with lived experience of homelessness and a discussion with the commissioners about the second phase of work focused on developing results and strategies to achieve housing, racial, and health justice for people facing homelessness. You can learn more about the justice strategic planning work here. These meetings are open to the public and we would love for you to join. Register for a link to watch the meeting online.
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) has launched a new program, the Veteran Temporary Emergency Housing Voucher Program (V-TEMP). V-TEMP will provide reimbursement to Community Service Providers covering the cost of a temporary hotel room or non-congregate temporary unit for Veterans or former service members and their households, who are actively experiencing homelessness and have no other sheltering options available to them at this time. Community service providers can learn more about the program and how to participate here. Please email allison.kier@state.mn.us with any questions.
Cases among people experiencing homelessness and the staff who support continues to remain steady this week. 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.
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Minnesota Housing is seeking your feedback on how to prioritize the use of remaining funds under the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, states received historic levels of federal emergency funding to meet urgent and unprecedented housing challenges. Minnesota Housing has approximately $75 million remaining in Emergency Rental Assistance funds and seeks your input on the best use of the funds to balance our state’s immediate and long-term housing needs. Please complete the survey by December 28 to share your thoughts. Complete the survey here.
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MDH has re-launched its COVID-19 Vaccination Request Form for Congregate Settings: COVID-19 Vaccination Event Request Form for Congregate Settings. The form is open to staff at congregate settings, such as shelters, transitional and supportive housing facilities, and day centers, as well as food shelves and outreach programs. Settings can request vaccine clinics for COVID-19 first shots, second shots, and boosters, as well as the annual influenza vaccine. Settings can also request to have a Harm Reduction Team available at the clinic to offer overdose prevention and response training, distribution of opioid overdose reversal kits (i.e., naloxone), distribution of safer use supplies including syringe exchange (distribution of sterile syringes, collection of used syringes), rapid HIV/Hepatitis C testing and linkage to care.
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The webinars have moved to monthly on the first Wednesday of the month. We will begin each monthly webinar with Speakers Bureau. Anyone who has lived experience of homelessness is welcome to sign-up to share through the Speakers Bureau. This is open time each month for lived experience experts to share ideas and feedback with the webinar audience. Additional details can be found on this flyer. Please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us or call Elizabeth at 651-248-5548 with any questions or to sign up.
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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 questions.
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