Hello CoC members. We hope that you are all staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. Below are local, state and national resources for homeless service providers dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 virus. This newsletter will be updated weekly.
LOCAL RESOURCES:
War Memorial Update: The field house at the War Memorial, which is being used as a temporary shelter, is open today. The field house at the War Memorial, which is being used as a temporary shelter, is open today. The Field House will open in stages due to the availability of testing kits. Initially, the Field House will be open to residents staying at the Warming Center who test negative for COVID-19. Next week, additional testing will take place for residents staying at the CASPAR shelter. As more testing becomes available, the City will look to expand and provide relief for additional shelters. You can read the full press release here. For more information on the complete list of services available at the War Memorial, you can visit the FAQ page here.
Homemade Masks: We have been contacted by some community members about donating homemade masks to local homeless service agencies. If you are interested in receiving these masks, please reach out to Keitha Crozier.
CoC COVID-19 Website: The CoC has created a COVID-19 website to gather relevant resources in one place. This page will be updated frequently. You can access the page here.
City of Cambridge COVID-19 Website: The City of Cambridge has created a website with a wealth of information, both local and state, for COVID-19 information and resources. The website is updated daily, and can be accessed here.
Food Resources: The City of Cambridge has set up a page with resources for meal sites, food delivery, etc. Click here to learn more.
- Click here for a list of food pantries and meal sites. This list is updated frequently and services available can change day-to-day.
UPDATE-Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund: The Mayor's disaster relief fund is live. To apply for funds, go here.
Cambridge CAN: Intake and assessment for C-CAN has been suspended at this time. Please check the C-CAN website (cambridgecoc.org/cambridgecan) and look for email updates as we continue to monitor the situation.
Boston Healthcare for the Homeless: Healthcare for the Homeless has created a COVID-19 resource page, as well as a COVID-19 response fund. You can learn more here.
STATE RESOURCES:
Statewide Food Resources: You can find a list of available food resources by CoC region here and a list of statewide nutrition access for aging and disability services here.
MA COVID-19 Relief Fund: Lauren Baker and local non-profits and community banks have created a fund to help alleviate the impact on individuals affected by the crisis. To learn more, you can go here.
Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: MCDHH has created Coronavirus visual tool to assist medical professionals better assist those who are deaf and hard of hearing. The tools also work for those who do not speak English. You can access the tool and get more information at the CoC's website here.
Evictions and Utility Shut Off: Mass Legal Help has put together and information page for tenants facing eviction or who have had their utilities shut off during this crisis. You can read more here.
Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance: MHSA, with guidance from DHCD, is asking that all homeless service providers begin tracking all expenses related to COVID-19 response to be prepared in the event that emergency funds become available. Their instructions to service providers is below. They ask that all providers use the excel sheet linked here.
Please immediately start tracking all COVID-19 emergency costs for your permanent supportive housing programs.
· MHSA subcontractors through Home & Healthy for Good, Pay for Success, State Historic, and a few CoC projects – You may submit that information directly to your MHSA program manager. We will be in touch with you directly.
· PSH providers where MHSA is NOT the intermediary – We’ll see if your CoC lead agency might coordinate gathering that information and then getting it to us. We’re moving fast so we’ll need to follow up about the best way to submit that information.
*We will be compiling estimates ASAP to submit as part of supplemental state budget requests. But keep documenting your expenses in the days and weeks ahead.
Questions about completion of the spreadsheet, please contact: Deniz Hallik at MHSA: DHallik@mhsa.net
Questions or input about collecting this info from non-MHSA affiliated programs, feel free to reach out to me directly, Joyce Tavon jtavon@mhsa.net
Examples of types of costs:
Having to hire professional cleaners, or increase the frequency of professional cleanings
-Increased purchases of:
- Phones for clients for remote case management
- Over the counter non-prescription items (such as Tylenol, Pedialyte, etc.)
- Surgical masks, gloves, thermometers, hand sanitizer, etc.
- General cleaning supplies and disinfectants
- Additional food or water supply
Weekly Call for PSH Providers: MHSA is hosting a weekly phone call for PSH providers at 10am each Tuesday. They are using Zoom so to login using your computer go to https://mhsa.zoom.us/j/976497093. The Meeting ID is 976 497 093.
You can also call in by phone at (929) 436-2866 and use the same passcode.
Loans for non-profits: The Baker Administration announced that the Small Business Administration has made available low interest federal disaster loans for small businesses, non-profits and other entities to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 closures. You can learn more here.
NATIONAL RESOURCES:
Economic Impact Payments: The IRS has created a website with information on the economic impact payments that were passed in the CARES act. Go here for more information. The website also has a tool to help non-filers receive payment that can be found here.
Centralized Resource List: The National Housing Conference has created a one stop resource page for COVID-19 that they will update regularly. The page can be found here.
National Alliance to end Homelessness: On Thursday, April 23, NAEH is hosting an "Ask the Experts" webinar regarding homeless funding in the CARES Act. To learn more and register, go here.
NAEH will be hosting a series of webinars on COVID-19 response in homeless systems. For information on the upcoming webinars on unsheltered homelessness scheduled and to watch previous webinars, click here.
Point Source Youth: Point Source Youth will be hosting weekly COVID-19 webinars for homeless youth providers. These webinars will be every Wednesday at 2 p.m. To register, go here.
Centers for Disease Control: The CDC has issued updated guidance for homeless service providers to plan and respond to COVID-19 for people facing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness. You can review the updated guidance here.
The CDC has also put together a screening tool for shelters to quickly triage for COVID-19 symptoms. You can access the tool here.
HUD Infectious Disease Toolkit: HUD has gathered information and created a toolkit for homeless service providers responding to a COVID-19 outbreak. You can find the toolkit here.
HUD Office Hours: The SNAPS office is hosting weekly office hours every Friday for homeless service providers to discuss planning and response to COVID-19. You do not need to register. If you want to join this week's call, you can go here. If you would like to hear last week's recording and see the slides, you can go here.
On Tuesday, April 14, HUD will be hosting a special webinar around the "mega waiver" and funding through the CARES act. The webinar is from 1:30-3:30 and participants are advised to log in 15 minutes prior to the start time. You can go here next Tuesday to join.
The SNAPS office has a resource page that is updated frequently. You can find the latest resources here.
Federal Stimulus Bill: The National Low Income Housing Coalition has put together a full analysis of the homelessness and housing assistance in the $2 trillion stimulus bill. You can read more here.
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness: On Monday, April 13, USICH hosted a webinar with folks from King County/Seattle, discussing COVID-29 response and coordination transportation. Recording and materials from the webinar can be found here.
USICH has put together a COVID-19 resource page, which gathers information from federal, state and local resources. You can go here to learn more.
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