[3/11/2020 – 12:59 ET Correction: This post originally incorrectly identified this webinar as the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness’s webinar. It is actually the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s webinar.]
A recording of HUD’s webinar on Infectious Disease Preparedness for Homeless Assistance Providers and Their Partners has been posted. It can be found below.
The HUD Exchange sent an email of links to new material from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for Homeless Assistance Providers. The new materials include the following:
The email also provides a link to the CDC: Interim Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations for US Community Facilities with Suspected/Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Finally, HUD notes that it has portal where individuals can ask questions about preventing or responding to the threat of infectious diseases, which can be found here.
The Department has released a new Infectious Disease Toolkit for Continuums of Care (CoCs). The toolkits provide “structure and specific examples for planning and responding to influenza, coronavirus, and other infectious diseases.” The toolkit is composed of three documents for CoC leadership, homeless service providers, and other partners to use in responding to infectious diseases. The documents include the following:
Additionally, one of our members wanted to share these coronavirus anti-stigma resources. They mostly apply to the local King County / Seattle area, but others may also find them useful.
Earlier this week, HUD was supposed to livestream a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Landlord Participation webinar, but was unable to stream it because of technical difficulties. Despite the difficulties, the Department was able to record the webinar and has now made it publicly available. It can be found here.
Slides for the webinar can be found here.
[1/29/2020 – Links to the summary have been updated to reference an updated version of the summary. The original summary has been removed from HUD’s website.]
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has published a summary of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program landlord listening sessions it conducted in late 2018. The summary lists the qualities of the HCV program which both attract and drive off landlords from participating in the program. A brief outline of them is presented below.
While the causes of landlord dissatisfaction are multi-faceted and may vary by jurisdiction, NAHRO believes that fully funding the administrative fee account will help PHAs address many of these issues.
The above is a brief outline of the report and excludes details for added brevity. The full summary can be found here.
The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) is offering a webinar that promises to inform potential applicants about the goals of the Opening Doors to Public Housing Initiative. The Opening Doors to Public Housing Initiative seeks to provide technical assistance to PHAs that wish to plan and implement reentry programs or change their admissions policies for people with conviction histories. Additionally, the webinar will provide an overview of the application requirements, allow time for questions from interested applicants, and present applicants from past Opening Doors sites who will share their experiences implementing reentry programs and changing their housing policies.
Housing authorities and their justice system partners are strongly encouraged to participate in the webinar, though it is open to all.
Opening Doors to Public Housing (Friday, January 17, 2020 at 1 pm ET)
The webinar registration can be found here.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Landlord Task Force is offering the first in a series of webinars on landlord participation. The webinar will take place on Jan. 29th at 1 to 2:30 pm ET. This webinar “will provide an overview of HUD’s recent engagement with landlords . . . and public housing authority (PHA) representatives.” In those engagement events, HUD learned about strategies that PHAs are using to recruit and retain landlords for their HCV programs. Prior registration is required to participate in the webinar. Future webinars in the series are tentatively scheduled for April and July 2020.
Registration for the webinar can be found here.
A flyer for the webinar can be found here.
The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) is soliciting applications from PHAs that would like to plan and implement reentry programs or change their policies toward people with conviction histories. Applications are due February 28, 2020.
The goals of the initiative are the following (quoted from Vera):
Vera encourages PHAs of all sizes–including those with Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs–to apply. Applicants must submit a letter of intent, an application narrative, and letters of support. While PHAs will first be informed, Vera will make a public announcement in April.
Additional information can be found here.
In its effort to publicize the Moving to Work (MTW) Expansion, HUD will host a call dedicated to potential cohort #1 applicants this Wednesday (4/17/19). This is in addition to NAHRO’s complementary MTW application webinars. Relevant details on the call, provided by a HUD official, can be found below:
On Wednesday, April 17th from 3-4PM EDT the MTW Team will hold a conference call for all agencies eligible for MTW Cohort 1. Please join the call to get any questions you may have regarding MTW Cohort 1 and/or the application process answered.
The conference begins at 3:00 PM Eastern Time on April 17, 2019; you may join the conference 5 minutes prior.
Dial-in: 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633
Access Code: 0397071##
Need an international dial-in number?
Need technical assistance? Call the AT&T Help Desk at 1-888-796-6118 or 1-847-562-7015.
![[The Call HUD: Because Sexual Harassment in Housing is Illegal poster]](https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/Main/images/HUD_No_18_040.jpg "[The Call HUD: Because Sexual Harassment in Housing is Illegal poster]")
Earlier today, HUD published a press release announcing a campaign “to help protect people from harassment by landlords, property managers, and maintenance workers in HUD-assisted housing.” The campaign–named “Call HUD: Because Sexual Harassment in Housing is Illegal”–will educate people on what activities constitute sexual harassment and who to contact if people experience it. The campaign will also offer sexual harassment training to PHAs and other housing providers.
HUD will introduce the “Call HUD” campaign at HUD headquarters on Thursday, April 4th from 2 pm to 4 pm at the Brooke-Mondale Auditorium.
Persons who believe they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint by contacting HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 or (800) 927-9275.
The complete press release may be found here.
The NAHRO Blog: Legislative & Policy Updates from Washington, DC 