News+&+Updates

= Continuum of Care Performance Dashboard for Transition Age Youth (TAY) Ages 18-24 =

The CoC recently updated its performance dashboard to reflect outcomes for Transition Age Youth ages 18-24. Information includes:
 * Length of time TAY remain homeless before securing permanent housing
 * Rate of return to homelessness after securing permanent housing
 * Exits to permanent housing
 * Annual number of first time homeless in HMIS
 * Increase in earned & other income

Updated information can be found below:

media type="custom" key="29606843"


 * [|CoC Youth Dashboard]**

= Sonoma County Homeless Datasets =

Data gleaned from the 2017 Homeless Count and Housing Inventory Count is now available online. These datasets include information gleaned from surveys conducted during the 2017 Homeless Count as well as homeless dedicated housing in Sonoma County.

Links to all datasets are below:


 * 1) [|Homeless Dedicated Housing]
 * 2) [|Point In Time Homeless Census, 2017 Data By Age]
 * 3) [|Point In Time Homeless Census, 2017 Data By Gender]
 * 4) [|Point In Time Homeless Survey, 2017 Data]

= 2018 Sonoma County Point in Time Homeless Count =

The 2018 Sonoma County Point in Time Homeless Count will take place on Friday, February 23, 2018 from 6am-10am at locations across Sonoma County. Due to the impact of the fires in Sonoma County, HUD has approved a slight delay in holding this year's count.

Volunteer registration will open shortly. Please refer to the Homeless Count website for full information in the coming days:


 * https://sonoma-county-homelesscount.wikispaces.com/home**



= = = = = Updated Information on Homeless Service Providers & Shelters Affected by Fires in Sonoma County =

Attached is a listing of homeless service providers, shelters, and other sources of support for the Continuum of Care's existing homeless population. This list is accurate as of Friday, October 13, 2017. Some agencies may have changed. Please contact the agency directly or contact Michael Gause, Continuum of Care Coordinator, at Michael.Gause@sonoma-county.org or (707) 565-1977 for more information.

= = = = = = = Continuum of Care Performance Measurement Dashboard =

At the September 26, 2017 CoC Board Meeting, the CoC Board reviewed a draft Performance Measurement Dashboard. This dashboard contains information on overall and agency system performance, including:

For the most recent data, see:
 * Length of time individuals remain homeless before securing permanent housing
 * Rate of return to homelessness after securing permanent housing
 * Annual number of first time homeless in HMIS
 * Increase in earned & other income
 * http://sonoma-county-continuum-of-care.wikispaces.com/Continuum+of+Care+Data+Dashboard**

The CoC plans to review this dashboard on a monthly basis at Continuum of Care Board meetings on the last Tuesday of each month from 12-2pm. For more information, please contact Michael Gause, CoC Coordinator, at Michael.Gause@sonoma-county.org

= = = = = = = Homeless System Redesign Draft Report available for review = //September 28, 2017// In May 2017, the Community Development Commission contracted with HomeBase/The Center for Common Concerns, to provide technical assistance in developing funding policies that align with national best practices, align contracts and performance measures with federal and state requirements, and otherwise assist the local system of care to transition to a Housing First system per federal and State regulations. Since the Commission would likely be requiring significant change from the field, the consultants were also invited to comment on how its homeless services staffing is organized. Through extensive stakeholder interviews, HomeBase staff came to the conclusion that Sonoma County's system of care is so fragmented that progress in these areas would likely only be successful with a redesign of the structure of homeless services. The draft report is available here for download:.

Please forward any comments to Jenny Abramson, jenny.abramson@sonoma-county.org by October 15, 2017.
= Youth Homelessness Demonstration NOFA =

As the Collaborative Applicant of the Continuum of Care, the Sonoma County Community Development Commission led the development of a proposal for the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Over 15 county and nonprofit stakeholders supported this effort, and the newly formed Youth Advisory Board and the existing Homeless Youth Task Force helped lead the final development of the proposal.

The full proposal can be found below. We expect to hear back by January 2017. = = = = = On Wednesday September 14, 2016, approximately 400 Sonoma County and City of Santa Rosa employees will partner for Day of Caring 2016. =

Projects will focus on homeless and affordable housing initiatives, and as such projects will include painting (interior and/or exterior), gardening, landscaping, cleaning, and more at local sites that need much care. Projects that include food sorting, trail work, and others will also be available. For those who can’t participate by volunteering on the event day, you can still participate in Day of Caring by bringing food items, clothing and accessories, and ‘travel-size’ toiletries to donate to local homeless assistance centers. More information and the participation form can be found here.

= Coordinated Intake - Initial Point of Contact Request for Proposals (RFP) =

//May 12, 2016//

The CDC is seeking formal proposals from eligible applicants to provide Initial Point of Contact Call-In services for the Coordinated Intake Project, beginning July 1, 2016 and for the duration of its current Pilot phase, as well as for anticipated expansion to a Full Implementation phase. For the balance of the Pilot effort, the Initial Point of Contact screening must be capable of fielding up to fifty (50) calls per month, or 600 calls per year, averaging 30 minutes in duration. At full scale, the Initial Point of Contact will be required to complete screenings of at least 300 callers per month. There is a mandatory bidder's conference at 11:00 am on May 23, 2016. Submissions are due June 16, 2016. The RFP is located at
 * http://sonoma-county-cdc-funding.wikispaces.com/Coordinated+Intake+Initial+Point+of+Contact+RFP**.

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= Intent to Release Notice of Funding Availability: =

The Sonoma County Community Development Commission hereby gives notice of an Intent to Release a Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) for 2016-2017 Non-Entitlement State Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding. The NOFA will be released on or by April 13th, 2016.

__Eligible applicants for Non-Entitlement State ESG funding include non-profit organizations located in or operating projects within eligible Sonoma County service areas (City of Santa Rosa and City of Petaluma). Nonprofits located in or operating in outside of these service areas are not eligible applicants. Nonprofits must have attained their 501(c)(3) status at the time the funding application is submitted. Individual persons are not eligible to apply for ESG funding.__

Full details, including the application guidelines and funding policies, will be released with the application packet on or by April 13th, 2016. Please contact Michael Gause, Continuum of Care Coordinator, with any questions at (707) 565-1977 or at Michael.Gause@sonoma-county.org

= = = = = The latest version of the Sonoma County Homelessness Winter Weather Response Plan can be found below. We welcome feedback on the plan. Please contact Chuck Mottern at Chuck.Mottern@sonoma-county.org with any feedback or questions: =



= = = = = = = = = On **Wednesday, September 9, 2015**, over 300 County of Sonoma and City of Santa Rosa employees will partner for the 2015 United Way of the Wine Country – Day of Caring event. =

This year, Day of Caring projects will include an emphasis on the priority areas identified by // [|A Portrait of Sonoma County] //. The //Portrait// examines differences in life expectancy, education, and income by place (Sonoma County’s 99 census tracts), race and ethnicity, and gender. The report helps identify specific geographic places and populations in the County where we have the potential to positively affect long-term health outcomes. We are working to find projects to positively impact these areas: Southwest, Southeast, and Northwest Santa Rosa, the Springs (Sonoma), and Cloverdale. The Day of Caring Project Application and Participation Form can be found here: []

=Sonoma Count Agencies awarded $1.2 million in funding for 2015 Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) for homeless shelter operations and rapid re-housing.= On Tuesday, May 13th, 2015, the California Department of Housing and Community Development announced the results of their Emergency Solutions Grant competition Catholic Charities was awarded three grants totaling $600,000, COTS was awarded two totaling $400,000, and Interfaith Shelter Network was awarded one grant totaling $200,000. = = = = =State Emergency Solutions Grant Notice of Funding Availability was released on October 30, 2014.= Information on local scoring and links to the workshops delivered in Santa Rosa on November 5, will be posted here.

=Winter Weather Planning= A new page has been added here with County and non-profit plans.

=The 2014 Continuum of Care application was submitted on October 30, 2014.= Many thanks to all who participated! the final submission will be posted on the 2014 Continuum of Care Competition page.

==The Coordinated Intake/Homeless Outreach Team Pilot Project mandatory bidder's conference has been rescheduled for Monday, September 29, 2014 - the RFQ and other details are here. Supporting documents for the RFQ are in this wiki here.== = =

=//Coordinated Intake White Paper Released - August 29, 2014//= The results of over two years planning work by our Coordinated Intake Workgroup have been published in a document titled **"** ** A New Front Door for Homeless Services - Coordinated Intake and Homeless System Entry Planning in Sonoma County, CA ** **"**.
 * Click this link to download **

To download the August 19, 2014 Board Item regarding the Homeless Outreach (HOT) Team:
 * Click this link to download**

=10-Year Homeless Action Plan Update Available= The **2014 Update of the Ten-Year Homeless Action Plan** is now available here. It will be presented to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on August 19, 2014.

Vocationalizing Homeless Services Committee Reconvenes [[file:Vocationalizing Homeless Services flyer 5-22-2014.docx]]
I am very excited to announce the re-launch of the Vocationalizing Homeless Services after a break for the cold weather programs we implemented. Please see the attached for the new meeting and time. This initiative is at a very important moment in time, and will need as many people as possible to participate. The goals of the initiative are as follow: ü Ensure that people experiencing homelessness have the opportunity and support to re-enter the job market ü Raise the percentage of people exiting homeless service programs with employment income ü Redefine the homeless provider role to support participation in the workforce system ü Embed the expectations, practice and service delivery of employment in all facets of program operations ü Establish a culture of ability and high expectations If you can’t make it, it would be great if someone could be there to represent your agency. Also feel free to share this among other service providers as well. Look forward to re-connecting!

Jennielynn Holmes, Directorof Shelter and Housing Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa 465 A. Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 707-542-5426 ext. 210 (p) jholmes@srcharities.org

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Tuesday 3rd June 3-4.30 in the Hearing Room at Sonoma County Community Development Commission, 1440 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. For more information, contact Gillian Squirrel, workingdog.org@gmail.com ======

More on homeless and animals:
We have 3 on-line surveys out at: For agencies and agency staff: [] For homeless people with companion animals: __ [] __ For advocates, campaigners and others committed to challenging homelessness: []

Gillian says: I am trying to interview homeless people because of issues of access to computers, other things to do in their day and possibly any literacy etc issues but there is a survey for any who'd like to offer their views this way. All surveys can be easily accessed from our facebook page [|facebook.com/workingdog.co]

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