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Join us for a presentation from Kate Murray, MPH, Program Manager for Long COVID & Post-COVID Conditions at the Minnesota Department of Health tomorrow, Wednesday, March 15 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm. Kate will go over what we know so far about long COVID, what we’re still learning, and the impacts of long COVID on communities, disability, the workforce, and more. There will also be an opportunity for questions. You can find more information about long COVID and resources at MDH: Long COVID: A Post-COVID Condition.
The webinars are open to anyone. If you have already registered for the monthly webinars, you will use the same link to join this special webinar. If you cannot attend the webinar, all materials and recordings are shared here: https://mich.mn.gov/webinars. If you have any questions about your webinar registration, please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us.
The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) at the Department of Human Services (DHS) has two Requests for Proposals open for funding to support the work to prevent and end homelessness.
- The Homelessness Assistance Grants Request for Proposals (RFP) by the Office of Economic Opportunity at DHS is now published. This RFP includes the Emergency Services Program (ESP), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), Homeless Youth Act (HYA), Transitional Housing Program (THP). Applicants can apply to provide Outreach, Drop-in Center/Day Shelter, Shelter, Scattered-Site Transitional Housing & Rapid Re-Housing, Site-Based Transitional Housing, and/or Permanent Supportive Housing services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the state of Minnesota. View the RFP document to see the broad range of activities these funds can support. Responders can request funding for more than one activity and/or program. The term of any resulting contract is anticipated to be for two (2) years, from July 1, 2023 until June 30, 2025. Proposals are due Thursday, April 13, 2023 by 4:00 p.m. Find the full RFP at: Grants and RFPs / Minnesota Department of Human Services (mn.gov). Questions on this RFP can be sent to Andrea.simonett@state.mn.us. You can join the Responders Conference for this RFP TODAY, Tuesday, March 14 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. to learn more and ask questions. No registration is required. Click on the link below at 1:00 p.m. The meeting number (access code) is 2485 209 4872 and meeting password is yxPvJbJT832. Additionally you can join the webinar by phone by dialing and entering in the access code: 1-855-282-6330,,24852094872##. All of the specifics on the responders conference can be found on on page 14 of the RFP document.
- The Safe Harbor Shelter and Housing RFP administered by the Office of Economic Opportunity at DHS is now published. This request for proposals is to provide specialized outreach, emergency shelter, and supportive housing services to youth age 24 and younger experiencing sexual exploitation for the time period of July 1, 2023-June 30, 2025. The RFP can be found at the link below, on the DHS Grants and RFPs website. Proposals are due Thursday, March 30, 2023. Find the full RFP at: Grants and RFPs / Minnesota Department of Human Services (mn.gov). Questions on this RFP can be sent to chou@state.mn.us.
- Shelter-Linked Mental Health RFP – Coming soon
There are numerous proposals currently working their way through the legislative process at the state Capitol this session that could result in substantial increases to OEO managed housing and homeless grant programs. Important Note: These RFPs are the avenues to apply for all the funding sources including base funding AND any increases to OEO grant programs approved in this legislative session. Share this flyer and help spread the word about the RFPs and the message that now is the time to apply!
Given that there could be increased funding levels through the legislative session, DHS is encouraging current and potential new providers to think about submitting funding requests that can:
- Sustain Programming
- Expand Program Capacity (e.g., increase number of available units, increase number of households served, etc…)
- Enhance Program Services (e.g., add housing navigator or mental health supports, increase staffing level, etc…)
- Enhance Staff Compensation/Support (e.g., increased training, increased wage/benefits for existing staff, increasing self-care opportunities, etc…)
- Develop New Programs
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Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP): Minnesota Housing is pleased to announce the availability of up to $20.5M in funding to provide supportive services and direct financial assistance to help households who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness to retain their housing or obtain new housing. Funding availability is contingent upon legislative approval of program appropriations and may increase or decrease. Applications are due Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. For application materials and more information visit the FHPAP website. Questions can be directed to diane.elias@state.mn.us and nancy.urbanski@state.mn.us.
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Homework Starts with Home (HSWH): Minnesota Housing is accepting applications for the HSWH program. This program supports collaborative efforts between schools, housing organizations and local governments to identify, engage and stabilize students and their families who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. Minnesota Housing anticipates allocating up to $3.5M in HSWH funds using the Family Homelessness Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP) and Housing Trust Fund (HTF) program guidelines. Funding availability is contingent upon legislative approval of program appropriations and may increase or decrease. Applications are due Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. For application materials and more information, visit HWSH website. Questions can be directed to diane.elias@state.mn.us and nancy.urbanski@state.mn.us.
Additional AmeriCorps support is available to nonprofit, education, and government organizations supporting Minnesotans with housing stability this summer! ServeMinnesota and Ampact are excited to launch a new program, Summer Impact Corps, which will connect housing, climate, and youth-serving organizations with summer-only AmeriCorps members at no cost to the partner organizations. AmeriCorps members serving in housing stability roles will serve full-time for twelve weeks in flexible positions and can assist organizations with:
- Implementing housing and related services that promote stability for participants,
- Helping people access food services such as food pantries, meal deliveries, or meal programs,
- Researching and connecting people to resources that promote stability in housing,
- Conducting outreach about housing services or other basic needs resources to unhoused individuals in a supervised setting, and
- Creating a welcoming environment to greet individuals seeking assistance.
Help spread the word with organizations who would benefit from the extra help this summer! Partner organizations do not pay a fee to host Summer Impact Corps AmeriCorps members. Partner applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis until April 14 at 5pm CST. Organizations can submit an application to partner here. Contact Chue Xiong, Program Director, with questions about the program.
Summer Impact Corps will provide AmeriCorps members with basic training, a living stipend of $1,100 every two weeks, a scholarship called an Education Award, and access to health insurance and childcare reimbursement at no cost to the AmeriCorps member. Apply to serve as a Summer Impact Corps member here.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has a new flyer for shelters encouraging residents to seek treatment right away if they start to show symptoms of COVID. The flyer is available for download and printing here on MDH website. We encourage shelter providers to display this information where it will be visible to both long-term shelter residents and those who are just dropping in for services.
The Highly Impacted Settings Team has also updated our webpage through MDH. The site is now a one-stop-shop for resources specific to congregate settings, including operational guidance, information on testing and case reporting, therapeutic and vaccine resources, access to funding sources, and links to outside partners. That updated site is found here.
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 support including emergency staffing or outbreak response funding, visit https://mich.mn.gov/state-and-federal-funding-resources.
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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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