Invitation to Participate in the Anchorage Restaurant and Hunger Relief Program Restart

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ACEH Weekly Digest for 7/7/2021

Please reach out to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=ACEH%20Weekly%20Digest) if you have questions, suggestions or resources you would like to share in the weekly digest.


** Invitation to Participate in the Anchorage Restaurant and Hunger Relief Program Restart
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Background: In the last months of 2020, as community members, small businesses and restaurants were struggling, the Alaska Hospitality Retailers Association, the Municipality of Anchorage, and United Way of Anchorage created an innovative partnership to bring desperately needed revenue to Anchorage restaurants. The goals were to keep restaurant workers -- cooks, dishwashers, and delivery staff -- on the job, to keep restaurants purchasing food and supplies, and to provide welcome meals to low-income families, children, youth, and seniors who are underserved and food insecure.

Between November 2020 and April 2021, the program provided 110,965 meals to children, youth, seniors, people experiencing disabilities, victims of domestic violence, and those seeking housing, jobs, and safe shelter. The impact of this project meant that many non-profits who participated were able to save funding and time to dedicate additional support for their participants during the demanding time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new opportunity: Additional funding has been made available by the Municipality of Anchorage and will provide meals to organizations from July to December 2021. There will be two sessions for the meals – the summer round will run from approximately July 19th to October 10th, and winter round will run from approximately October 11th through January 2, 2022, or when funding is expended. The program will once again target locations that are serving meals to children, youth, elders, people experiencing disabilities and those who are housing insecure or seeking safe shelter.

Who will be eligible? The United Way will be looking for sites that serve the target population(s) and have on-location meal service that can distribute and ensure delivery or consumption to participants quickly. The meals are in individual containers that are subject to protocols for take-out service delivery. Meals are monitored for food safety. In prior rounds of the program, recipient sites had between 35 and 135 people receiving any combination of breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. Meals were provided between 1 and 7 days per week.

Interested? Please complete the survey in the link below. Please note that the survey will be used to indicate interest in this program and if we have more interested non-profit partners than we can take in our sessions, we may hold a lottery for participation in the program.

Restaurant and Hunger Program Survey ([link removed])

For more information: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Thank you for all the work that your organizations do for our community and for your support of Anchorage as we recover from the pandemic!


** Breaking Ground and Building Bridges for Youth Experiencing Homelessness
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In June, Covenant House Alaska broke ground on its historic and innovative plan to build 22 micro-unit apartments for youth experiencing homelessness.

View the full post on Covenant House Alaska here. ([link removed])


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Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) Updates
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** Policy Concerning Masks, Vaccines, and Re-Opening Government Offices
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Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson launched his first term in public office Thursday by issuing a series of mayoral directives within hours of being sworn in...

In a fourth directive ([link removed]) , Bronson announced that the city will not require municipal employees to be vaccinated and he rescinded any remaining mask mandates in buildings owned, leased or used by the city. “People get to make their own choice on what they’re going to do,” Bronson said of the directive.


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Institute for Community Alliances (ICA) Updates
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** Help Desk Transition
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ICA transitioned the AKHMIS Help Desk platform from Spiceworks to Help Scout to improve user and provider HMIS support. The format of the new Help Desk platform is similar to sending an email. The user interface will be different but user-friendly.

If you need to reach the ICA Help desk during the transition, please send your requests and questions to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .


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National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) Updates
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Alliance Resource Series: Using COVID-19 Federal Funding to End Homelessness
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Federal relief funds to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic provide communities with an opportunity to end homelessness for more people than ever before.

View the series here ([link removed])


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Social Security Administration Increases Support for Vulnerable Populations
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The Social Security Administration is working with organizations in local communities to help often-underserved individuals claim their benefits. To connect your organization with a Vulnerable Population Liaison, please contact your Social Security Regional Communications Director ([link removed]) .


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US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Updates
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HUD Issues CPD Memo: Availability of Additional Waivers for CPD Grant Programs to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 and Mitigate Economic Impacts
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On June 30, 2021, HUD issued a memorandum explaining the availability of waivers of certain regulatory requirements associated with several Community Planning and Development (CPD) grant programs to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to facilitate assistance to eligible communities and households economically impacted by COVID-19. This memorandum covers program-specific waivers for the following CPD programs, including for grants that have not yet been awarded (e.g., funds awarded under the FY 2021 Appropriations Act):
* Continuum of Care (CoC)
* Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP)
* Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA)

Read the CPD Memo: Availability of Additional Waivers for CPD Grant Programs to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 and Mitigate Economic Impacts Caused by COVID-19 (Issued June 30, 2021) ([link removed]) .


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** Webinar Series: Coordinating HHS Housing-Related Supports and Services with HUD Housing Assistance for People Experiencing Homelessness
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This webinar series will introduce Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), Continuums of Care (CoCs), and other housing stakeholders to U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opportunities that fund and provide housing-related supports and services. Each webinar will provide information on partnership opportunities and on-the-ground examples of successful approaches to pairing HHS agency resources with HUD housing assistance for people experiencing homelessness, including the 70,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs) awarded by HUD to PHAs through the American Rescue Plan (ARP).
The series will introduce HHS opportunities and resources offered by:
* Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
* Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
* Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
* Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Webinar Title Date and Time Registration
HRSA and SAMHSA Resources for Housing Supportive Services July 14, 2021
3:00 - 4:30 PM EDT Register Now ([link removed])
CMS-Medicaid Resources for Housing Supportive Services August 12, 2021
3:00 - 4:30 PM EDT Register Now ([link removed])
ACF Resources for Housing Supportive Services August 16, 2021
3:00 - 4:30 PM EDT Register Now ([link removed])


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U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Updates
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Biden-Harris Administration Takes Action To Prevent Evictions
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The Biden-Harris administration took several steps to help renters and homeowners who are struggling amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. It extended the moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures for federally-backed mortgages through July 31 and announced a series of actions to help state and local governments prevent evictions.

The extension of the federal moratorium is just the start. Read the full article here ([link removed]) .


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USICH Outlines Commitment to Racial Equity at NCHV Conference
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On June 23, USICH Interim Executive Director Anthony Love addressed the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans' annual conference.

"We will not end homelessness without addressing racial inequity," said Interim Executive Director Anthony Love. Read his full speech here ([link removed]) .


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** Case Conferencing and Coordinated Entry (CE) Training
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If you have any questions about these meetings or are interested in coordinated entry access point ([link removed]) training for you or your team, please contact Mac Lyons at: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=o%09Case%20Conferencing%20Meetings%20%26%20Coordinated%20Entry%20Access%20Point%20Training)

What is CE? CE is a triage process to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to necessary resources. It is a federally mandated program that recognizes communities rarely have enough resources. There are three main goals of CE: prioritize the most vulnerable, streamline the experience for providers and unsheltered people, and provide data to inform decisions regarding the structure of and need for services.

View the updated CE Access Points list on our website ([link removed]) .


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If you have thoughts or suggestions, we want to hear from you. Please let us know what you think. Email us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Weekly%20Digest%20Feedback)
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