ACEH Update on the Housing Surge & Shelter Stabilization Initiative

Giving & Volunteer Opportunities:

Alaska Legal Services

SNAP Emergency Allotments Extended
Due to the pandemic, Alaska has extended the emergency allotment for SNAP benefits. This means SNAP households should be receiving the maximum level of benefits, regardless of income. Need help getting your full benefits? Call Alaska Legal Services Corporation intake line at 1-888-478-2572.

Alaska Public Media

Anchorage is clearing homeless camps in midwinter for the first time, raising concerns from advocates
“The program has existed for years in the summer, but starting in late December, for the first time Anchorage started abating homeless camps on public property during the winter months. The Parks and Rec Department says it’s cleared more than 50 camps since Dec. 22.” View the full article here.

National Housing & Homelessness Highlights

US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

COVID-19 Resource Digest for Homeless Providers – January 25, 2022
The emergence of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) calls for enhanced cooperation between public health authorities, homeless service systems, and other partners at the local level. To support these partnerships and the vulnerable households served, HUD and its partners are issuing guidance from subject matter experts on best practices and lessons learned.
This digest contains recently published resources from HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) and its national, state, and local partners.

New Resource:
Updated: Carrying Out Coordinated Entry Activities Under the ESG Program

National Alliance to End Homelessness

USICH Releases Omicron Guidance
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) recently released guidance on serving people experiencing homelessness during the Omicron COVID-19 surge. The document was developed in collaboration with CDC, VA, HHS, and HUD, and includes guidance on five main areas: ensuring quarantine and isolation spaces, conducting routine testing, supporting vaccination efforts, implementing protocols for mitigating COVID-19, and avoiding displacement of unsheltered people.

National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)

LaToya Ruby Frazier to be Featured at NLIHC Virtual Housing Policy Forum 2022, March 22-23!
NLIHC’s Virtual Housing Policy Forum 2022: Achieving Housing Justice, taking place March 22-23, 2022, 12:30-5:30 pm ET on March 22 and 1-5:30 pm ET on March 23, will feature a conversation between acclaimed MacArthur “Genius” photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier and NLIHC Senior Vice President for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Renee Willis on “The Human Toll of Housing and Economic Injustice.”

Throughout her brilliant and impactful body of work, LaToya Ruby Frazier depicts America’s current reality of poverty, racism, healthcare inequality, urban decay, housing injustice, environmental toxicity, and unravelling civic connections and features perspectives traditionally erased from the U.S. narrative. LaToya will discuss the value of collaboration—with individuals, families, and communities—in creating social change. While mass media often silences marginalized communities, there are ways to engage these communities to amplify their voices and come together with renewed agency. Through art, activism, and grassroots action, LaToya inspires advocates to use digital technology and storytelling to foster empathy, connection, and understanding. Register today to attend the Forum.

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH )

Federal Health and Social Service Programs That Support People Experiencing Homelessness
Need help identifying and accessing federal non-emergency health and social service funding to meet the short- and long-term needs of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness?
 
This new tool lists the relevant programs in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department and in the following Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies:

• Administration for Children and Families
• Administration for Community Living
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Food and Nutrition Service
• Health Resources and Services Administration
• Indian Health Services
• Program Support Center
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

 
The tool breaks down the following information for each program:

• Populations served
• Allowable uses
• Patient access or program duration
• Number of participants served
• Geographic reach
• Funding and operating mechanisms