CoC Updates for January 2021
Greetings,

Happy New Year!

This update brings information about housing and funding opportunities, an update on the Point in Time count, and the story of one of our most vulnerable community members being safely housed.

As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions, concerns and/or feedback at c[email protected].
COVID-19 Updates
The deadline for Round 1 applications has been extended to January 13th, 2021, at 11:59 p.m.

New dates and deadlines:
  • Start a new application –December 30th, 2020 –closes January 13th, 2021, at 11:59 p.m.
  • Update and upload documents for in-process applications –January 6th, 2021 –January 13th, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.
  • The new closing date for Round 1 is January 13th, 2021 at 11:59 pm.

As a reminder, this is not a first-come, first-serve application process or rolling approval process -all eligible applicants will be considered for the grant at the close of Round 1 on January 13th, 2021 at 11:59 pm and not before.
Apply now at CAReliefGrant.com.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is committed to helping ensure African Americans maintain their wealth and financial security during this unprecedented time of COVID-19. They are honored to partner with BeyGOOD to provide financial support to families or individuals who are facing eviction and/or foreclosure. The BeyGOOD Impact Fund will provide one hundred grants up to $5,000 each to families who are delinquent in their home mortgage or rental payments. 

Please note: To complete this application process you will be required to upload a copy of your most recent mortgage statement or rental delinquency notice.

Application process closes January 15th.


The IRS has begun processing a second round of Economic Impact Payments. Direct deposit payments have started and paper checks will be mailed through January. For Social Security and other beneficiaries who received the first round of payments via Direct Express, they will receive this second payment the same way. Providers are encouraged to visit the IRS Economic Impact Payments web page to learn more about this important potential resource for their clients. 
Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) is gearing up to provide as many as 7,000 vaccines per day in an effort to vaccinate all eligible residents in Contra Costa County over the next six months. About 900,000 Contra Costa residents will be eligible for the vaccine once the County reaches Phase 2 of the distribution plan that you can see here.

For more information about the vaccine and it's distribution, go to https://www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/vaccine.
COVID-19 can take up to two weeks to show up on a test. If you saw people outside your household over the winter holidays, consider getting tested to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

To schedule a test, call (844) 421- 0804 or go to bit.ly/3hUGUIS
As of January 8, 2021, over 10,000 people experiencing homelessness have received tests for COVID and 325 people experiencing homelessness have tested positive.

For the most up to date information on testing, cases and hotel placements for people experiencing homelessness in Contra Costa, visit the full dashboard using the button below.
System Updates
Due to the increasing trends in COVID-19 infection rates in our community and concerns about safety and capacity, Contra Costa County, like most Bay Area Counties, will be seeking an exemption from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from conducting the official unsheltered Point in Time Count in 2021.
 
Not conducting the count this year will not have a negative impact on our ability to address homelessness due to a lack of data. Shelter data and housing inventory count (HIC) data will be collected in the end of January as usual. The County uses multiple data sources, outside of the Point in Time count, to inform the state of unsheltered homelessness in our community. The priority this year is keeping everyone safe!
 
For more information, email [email protected]
Resources are now available to help people financially impacted by COVID-19 and struggling with housing and/or utility costs.

You may be able to get help with:
  • Payment of past due rent
  • Payment of current month's rent
  • Payment of future month's rent
  • Payment of utilities (PG&E, water, etc)

For more information, go to https://shelterinc.org/renthelp/
A calendar of 2021 CoC meetings and events, including log on/location information for Council on Homelessness regular and committee meetings, CoC Learning Hubs, Stakeholder meetings, Trainings and other meetings and events can be found here.
Community Updates
The City of Lafayette has a number of Below Market Rate Homes available for purchase. A Below Market Rate Home (often called a BMR) is a home that has certain deed restrictions recorded on the property which ensure the home remains affordable for future generations.

Your household income must not exceed these limits:
Household size:          50% AMI:         120% AMI:
2                           $52,200           $114,450
3                           $58,750           $128,750
4                           $65,250           $143,050
5                           $70,500          $154,500
6                           $75,700           $165,950
7                         $80,950           $177,400

Four homes with 2 Bedrooms/1.5 Baths; 1,136 Sq Ft
Prices start at $242,575, HOA dues $355/month*

Two homes with 3 Bedrooms/2 Baths, 1,360 Sq Ft
Offered at $679,572, HOA dues $559/month*

Pre-Application Period: January 4th–January 25th
For more information see flyer below or click here.
The California Victim Compensation Board is a state agency that provides financial reimbursement for crime-related expenses and relies on partnerships to inform crime victims that they can help with certain crime-related expenses not covered by insurance or any other source.
 
Crime victims who sustain a physical injury, emotional injury, a threat of injury or death because of a qualifying crime may be eligible for CalVCB help. Family members of a crime victim may also be eligible for help.
 
Learn more about CalVCB by watching the CalVCB Overview on their website https://victims.ca.gov/ or by calling our Helpline at 1-800-777-9229. Contact [email protected] for events, conferences and other collaborative opportunities.
Success Stories
Ms. D, a domestic violence survivor, had been homeless since 2018 and struggled with substance abuse and health issues. After bouncing between detention facilities and hospitals, outreach services connected with her and determined that she was eligible for the Housing Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP), a program funded by the state of California to provide housing and benefit support for those who are disabled and have no income. Due to her vulnerability, she was placed in a Project Roomkey hotel room and began regular check-ins with her case manager. With a stable place to stay and ongoing case management, Ms. D. was finally ready to seek substance abuse treatment and permanent housing. With much needed supports and her own hard work, Ms. D. is now stably housed in Permanent Supportive Housing, rebuilding her relationships with her children and maintaining her sobriety. 
Upcoming Meetings and Events
Join our next Council on Homelessness meeting.

Thursday, January 21
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
[note different date and time than usual]
Phone: 1-844-517-1271 US Toll Free
Meeting number (access code): 146 050 0225
Meeting password: zkGrjJf*244
Rapid Resolution is a housing intervention designed to prevent immediate entry into homelessness or to immediately resolve a household’s homelessness once they enter shelter, transitional housing situation, or an unsheltered situation. Rapid Resolution focuses on trying to preserve a current housing situation or assist someone in making alternative arrangements. Rapid Resolution is a system-wide intervention and can be used for all populations.
 
At the end of this training, participants will be able to:
·        Describe Rapid Resolution, Diversion and Rapid Exit
·        Identify resources that can be used to facilitate Rapid Resolution
·        Identify Key Components of Problem Solving Conversations
·        Identify when to refer to the Hume Center Rapid Resolution Program
 
This training is recommended for all providers working in the Coordinated Entry system including line staff and program managers. The goal of this training is to ensure that staff have the skills necessary to help a consumer rapidly resolve their homelessness whenever possible. 

Monday, January 25, 2021
1 pm - 3 pm
To register, click here
CoC Stakeholder meetings provide an opportunity for a wide cross section of people concerned about/impacted by homelessness to come together to discuss and provide input to the homelessness Continuum of Care (CoC) on issues related to homelessness in Contra Costa. The first CoC Stakeholder meeting of the the year will focus on ways the CoC can improve Consumer Engagement. Bring your thoughts, ideas and examples of best practice from other fields!

Monday, February 8, 2021
1 pm - 3 pm
To attend meeting, click here
Call in: 1-844-517-1271 US Toll Free
Access code: 146 619 1665
211 is one of the three homeless service access points in our community. Learn how to better utilize their incredible database to connect to services
During this one hour training, you will learn how to:
- Search for resources
- Create your own resource groups
- Send information to your email or your cell
- Update your agency listing
- Add a new program to the database
- Train your clients to search for themselves

This training is geared towards agency providers who would like to become more familiar in accessing the resource database, however, other trainings can be conducted for a group of clients or community members. To arrange an independent training, reach out to Blanca Gutierrez, 211 Resource Manager at [email protected].

Every 2nd Tuesday
1 pm -2 pm
Zoom call-in details will be emailed one day before the training.
Contact: Blanca Gutierrez, 211 Resource Manager at [email protected]
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