Impact Southern California

06/27/2022

Tenant-Based Housing Choice Voucher Program Wait List Enrollment Now Open!

The Tenant-Based Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8) wait list is open and accepting applications until 4:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, June 30, 2022.

Go to https://hacsb.com to start an application

03/23/2022

New Rapid Rehousing Toolkit is available here: https://endhomelessness.org/resource/rapid-re-housing-toolkit/

01/31/2022

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

This new tool seeks to help state and local leaders identify and access federal non-emergency health and social service programs so they can use multiple streams of funding for holistic supportive services that meet the short- and long-term needs of people...

01/25/2022

The following is relevant information and links to the many available resources throughout San Bernardino County.

Vaccination Resources:

For vaccinations, interested parties can visit our website at sbcovid19.com or https://myturn.ca.gov/ to schedule appointments. There are close to 500 locations providing vaccinations throughout the County.

COVID-19 Testing Resources:

San Bernardino County COVID-19 Hotline at 909-387-3911| Monday – Friday | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Covid Website at sbcovid19.com
· The hotline provides support with making testing appointments, information on potential walk-in testing locations, and answers to questions about COVID-19 testing, COVID-19 results support when an individual is tested at a County location, and resources to each individual on a personalized level.

San Bernardino County-facilitated testing locations | sbcovid19.com/testing-sites
· Provides an up-to-date list of both County-facilitated and State-facilitated locations and operational hours

01/20/2022

Updated COVID-19 Guidance for Homeless Service Providers Developed by USICH, CDC, HHS, HUD, and VA

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) published new guidance to help communities minimize the spread and impact of the rapidly-spreading variant of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness, who face an increased risk of infection and severe disease compared to the general population.

The new guidance, "The Omicron Variant of COVID-19: What Homeless Service Providers Need to Know," was developed by USICH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Veterans Affairs (VA).

Unlike the 5-day isolation and quarantine that the CDC recommends for the general population, the CDC still recommends a 10-day isolation and quarantine for people experiencing homelessness—regardless of vaccination status. To explore shortened quarantine periods for staff during critical staffing shortages and/or for individual client circumstances, USICH recommends consulting with state, local, and/or tribal health departments.

This new federal guidance, which is available as a PDF, is intended to help communities minimize the spread and impact of the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness, who face an increased risk of infection and...

01/19/2022

On Friday, January 14, 2022, San Bernardino County requested an exception from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in order to postpone the annual homeless count to February 24, 2022.

In light of the recent surge of COVID-19 cases, the federal government has authorized the county to postpone the annual Point-In-Time Count (PITC) of unsheltered homeless individuals until February 24, 2022.

The decision was made in light of the recent surge of COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant. The health and safety of our community, those experiencing homelessness, and PITC volunteers, is of utmost importance to San Bernardino County.

01/10/2022

Updated CDC Quarantine and Isolation Guidance for Shelter Residents and Staff
As of January 4, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated guidance on COVID-19 quarantine and isolation protocols, including for high-risk congregate settings with a risk of secondary transmission. This includes homeless shelters.

Guidance for Residents
For homeless shelter residents exposed to COVID-19, CDC recommends a ten-day quarantine, regardless of vaccine or booster status.

Isolation is used to separate people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 from those without COVID-19. CDC recommends ten-day isolation for residents in these circumstances.

Guidance for Staff
For homeless shelter staff exposed to COVID-19, CDC recommends a ten-day quarantine, regardless of vaccine or booster status. If there is a critical staff shortage, facilities may consider shortening staff quarantine times. These decisions should be made in conjunction with local health departments and take all facility characteristics into consideration.

For homeless shelter staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 (or are suspected to be positive for COVID-19), CDC recommends a ten-day isolation period. As with quarantine guidance, if there is a critical staff shortage, facilities may consider shortening staff isolation periods. These decisions should be made in conjunction with local health departments and take all facility characteristics into consideration.

Symptoms, testing, what to do if sick, daily activities, and more.

01/07/2022

2022 Homeless Point In Time Count (PITC)

Volunteers needed!

Thursday, January 27

6:00AM – 10:00AM

The PITC and survey is critical to secure government and private grant funding, as well as other resources for local communities to assist individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. See attached flyer.


Volunteers may include:
· Social service providers
· Educational institutions
· Community and faith-based organizations
· Local businesses, civic/nonprofit organizations, neighborhood associations and individuals with lived experience

For more information or to volunteer, please visit: https://link.sbcounty.gov/PITC

Volunteers must attend a training for safety guidelines and instructions on how to use the Survey 123 mobile application. A smartphone/device will be needed to conduct the count/survey.

Training will be available:
· In-person with hands-on technical assistance
· Virtually with a PowerPoint and instructions for the mobile application

For your protection, the team will adhere to the Center for Disease Control COVID -19 safety guidelines. Personal Protective Equipment will be provided to all volunteers.

If you have any questions contact project lead Claudia Doyle at [email protected] or (909)501-0617

01/06/2022

To help more Americans exercise their right to vote, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) created the following step-by-step voting guides for homeless providers and for people experiencing homelessness. Both are available in five languages:

Election checklist for homeless service providers:
https://www.usich.gov/.../step-by-step-guide-for-homeless...

Voting checklist for people experiencing homelessness:
https://www.usich.gov/.../step-by-step-voting-guide-for...

By some estimates, less than 10% of people vote while experiencing homelessness, even though 60% of the homeless population was eligible to vote as of 2008. By comparison, 67% of U.S. voters cast a ballot in 2020. These guides are the first of many efforts USICH will make to address this election inequity.

People can vote without a permanent address, and homeless providers can help through nonpartisan registration and get-out-the-vote efforts. This work is more important than ever.

At the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, we coordinate and catalyze the federal response to homelessness, working in close partnership with senior leaders across our 19 federal member agencies.