GH CAN Leadership 12/16/2020

 

GREATER HARTFORD COORDINATED ACCESS NETWORK MEETING AGENDA

Wednesday, December 16, 2020 via Zoom

 1PM – 2:15PM

 

1.       Welcome and Introductions – 5 minutes

2.       Cold Weather/Winter Planning Updates – Lisa Cretella, Bryan Flint, Kara Capone, Mark Jenkins– 15 minutes

a.       Operating the overflow, opening the warming center early today. Will be open all day for the next two days. Will work towards staffing for 24 hours with grant from JH. Overflow is not full at the moment. Triage – working on hiring, will try to open by end of Dec, early Jan.

b.       Step and Geri have been working together, would like to open triage space at the same time. Working on hiring. Low flow of families. Outreaching and hoteling families. Families are being addressed immediately.

c.       Cornerstone has been a triage space for those outside Hartford. New Hope house is also a triage location. Using Red Roof Inn in Vernon.

d.       HOH – meal program and day program will be closed due to storm.

e.       Prioritizing Hartford residents for Warming Center. Having a few people arrive that are not from Hartford.

f.        Warming Center – capacity is 60. Highest night in mid 40s. Have not hit capacity since opening.

g.       Open Day Programs

                                                              i.      CHR Enfield – working to have 24/7 center in the next few weeks. Open to East of the River clients. Will not need to be associated with towns

                                                             ii.      Open Hearth – open 24/7

                                                           iii.      YWCA – open 24/7

                                                           iv.      McKinney – at hotel 24/7

                                                             v.      SPI – open 24/7

                                                           vi.      EH Shelter – open 24/7, looking to hire additional staff

                                                         vii.      ImmaCare – open 24/7. Working on testing partner.

3.       COVID – 19 Agency Updates – 5 minutes

a.       For notes on shelters with positive cases, please reach out to Sofina B. 

g.       Vaccine webinar – slides will be forwarded.

 

4.       Participation in Virtual Meetings –  8 Minutes

a.       Collaborative effort.

b.      Cameras on when/if possible.

c.       Welcome to the CAN guide to come soon.

d.      Pending referrals ahead of time to be sent out and returned to shorten meetings

5.       HIC/PIT – 5 minutes – Lisa Quach

a.       Database information has been received

b.      Draft sent out and shared with HUD

c.       New method – shelter count as is, unsheltered count will not canvas locations due to pandemic, will use HMIS street outreach including PATH.

d.      New outreach program to enter data

e.       PATH – filter down clients based on residence prior field

f.        Meeting on Friday for local strategies

6.       Dedicated Plus – 5 minutes- Lisa Quach and Crane Cesario

a.       Allows us to help those who have long term homelessness and severe needs. Will allow us to help those who do not have continuous 12 months of homelessness. Will not be bound to chronic homelessness status.

b.      CT BOS is working on forms. Have added extra signature lines.

c.       Program start date relative to housing start date needs document from outreach worker. Some providers are requiring letter from CAN Manager. Jan 1^st moving forward.

d.      Forms are still being revised. Training has been postponed. Training will come when forms are completed.

7.       CHESS Program Training Updates– Beacon Health – 3 minutes

a.       Community training was last week, still waiting on finalizing. PowerPoint has not been sent out yet. More information to come soon.

b.      CHESS -

8.       ESG-COVID Program Updates/FLASH –Jane Banks, Andrea Hakian, Stephanie Corbin, Lisa Quach, Lionel Rigler, Barbara Shaw, Kara Zichichi, Matt Morgan – 7 minutes

a.       JH first to go under contract with the state for Outreach

b.      CHR – 2 full time staff for RRH. 5 household housed. 6/7 under housing search. Using FLASH.

c.       Mercy – 1 FTE. 4 FLASH Clients who have been housed. Several in housing search.

d.      Do we have enough staff to spend down funds? If no staff turnover, can spend about 10k per month, looks like it is possible.

e.       Working on training to come soon for new staff. Critical Time Intervention.

f.        Will look into hiring more staff.

g.       SPI Prevention – staff is receiving training.

h.      Outreach project is moving along. Will add more hours for outreach in Hartford and GH region.

i.        Contracts have not gone out for most programs. Award letters have gone out.

9.       Future Agenda Items or Additional Announcements – 2 minutes

a.       CHR Enfield – Enfield will end mobile outreach on Dec 31^st. Town of Enfield has made the decision. Working no plans to go forward.

b.      Mercy job postings have gone out for new Diversion staff – about 3 new staff

c.       Individuals booking out, call volume has increased.

GH CAN Leadership Meeting 12/2/2020

 

GREATER HARTFORD COORDINATED ACCESS NETWORK MEETING AGENDA

Wednesday, December 2, 2020 via Zoom

 1PM – 2:15PM

 

1.       Welcome and Introductions – 5 minutes

2.       Cold Weather/Winter Planning Updates – Lisa Cretella, Bryan Flint – 15 minutes

a.       First night at overflow warming center. Families did not come into overflow (SAMH). 1 of the families is expected to go into triage location today. 10 at warming center. Working on funding for triage. Will work with GHHR and Mercy for triage space. Waiting on update on 1^st night.

b.      RFP is due today at 4pm for additional shelter capacity programs that include day time shelter for city of Hartford. Will determine selection committee soon.

c.       Text messages went out for warming center update, 88 text went through. Responses were received from clients saying they will go.

d.      Hotel in Hartford for extra room. Hotel in Vernon as well for 10 extra rooms.

e.       Working with CHR for other hotel space in Enfield

f.        Cornerstone – will use cornerstone space to triage. 3 buildings are on one campus. Will finalize soon. As of last night hotel rooms are in place. Working with Ace Taxi for transportation. Clarivex(spelling check) house is being worked on with renovations like painting, 4 bedrooms for 4 families(no more than 10 people, no males over 13 allowed at the time- will be adjusted), also has a large common area.

g.       Town of Manchester looking into repurposing schools that are not being used. Looking at 4 month process with committee. Conversations are still occurring.

h.      Protocol document is being on drafted

i.        Hartford has submitted protocol to 211. Will continue to update.

3.       COVID – 19 Agency Updates – 5 minutes

                                                              i.      Open Hearth – At this time no one else has tested positive. Monthly testing has been changed to every two weeks. DOC client is now at New London location and will quarantine for 14 days. Test was this morning.

                                                             ii.      SA – 4 rooms in MH that are quarantining, have some symptoms. No fever just symptoms like body aches. Waiting on test results. Everyone who has symptoms has agreed to quarantine, no problems.

                                                           iii.      ImmaCare – not able to have testing site. Problematic to head to Charter Oak location with big group. Not testing on site. Kara is working with Louis to work on having a testing partner.

                                                           iv.      McKinney –  testing again on 12/7, retest on 12/30.

                                                             v.      SPI – some exposure in veterans unit, isolating accordingly. Challenging for staff and guest, but following system. Executed plan.

                                                           vi.      EH – quarantined a family, a teacher of child has tested positive, family tested negative but still quarantining until 12/4.

                                                         vii.      DMHAS – extended telework till 1/29

2. COVID Vaccines – 5 minutes- Matt Morgan

                                                              i.      Survey has gone out. YW has completed it but survey did ask about staff, some from Conover, should they also fill it out? Cathy will look into it.

4.       HIC/PIT – 5 minutes

a.       Housing Inventory Chart and Point and Time Count. Every year prioritize and update chart.

b.      PIT – count everyone in shelter and anyone unsheltered.

c.       Meeting will be today. Bed counts have been submitted to database.

d.      Update will be provided.

e.       Will not do volunteer recruitment this year, will be based on outreach enrollments. Will not canvas locations this year.

5.       CHESS Program Training Updates– Beacon Health – 3 minutes

a.       No major updates

6.       ESG-COVID Program Updates/FLASH –Jane Banks, Andrea Hakian, Stephanie Corbin, Lisa Quach, Lionel Rigler, Barbara Shaw, Kara Zichichi, Matt Morgan – 7 minutes

a.       Barbara – GH Outreach collaborative, still hiring. Had a call yesterday for training plan. Contracts are in process. GHHRC partner with HOH. Working on signed contract from city.

b.      RRH proposals were due Monday. Selection committee meeting on 12/7. Hartford Diversion due on 11/20, contract is awarded to Mercy for 3 Diversion staff for individuals.

c.       Cold Weather RFP is due today!

d.      Contract dates are back dated.

e.       Mercy – RRH at status. Working on hiring three new staff for individuals. Housed 1 more FLASH client. Diversion and RRH will have new location 117 Wethersfield Ave.

f.        SPI has been awarded Homeless Prevention – will work on eviction prevention program for those who have non payment for rent.

g.       Received DOH contract for prevention

7.       Future Agenda Items or Additional Announcements – 2 minutes

a.       Dedicated Plus – Lisa Q. training was this morning, implement changes Jan 2021

b.      Homeless Verification Completion – training at solutions meeting to discuss new form.

c.       Received protocols for CRC program – Matt has a few questions and will have a meeting tomorrow. Will be forwarded tomorrow.

 

 

GH CAN Leadership Meeting 11/18/2020

 

GREATER HARTFORD COORDINATED ACCESS NETWORK MEETING AGENDA

Wednesday, November 18, 2020 via Zoom

 1PM – 2:15PM

 

1.       Welcome and Introductions – 5 minutes

2.       ImmaCare Update and Prioritization to Fill Beds – 5 minutes -  Louis Gilbert

a.       ImmaCare is open, opened on Monday 11/16. They are at 18 out of 40 right now with outreach trying to engage the remaining clients

b.      Prioritization for those verified outdoors and homeless

c.       Targeting those who are outside. Engaging with clients who are outside.

3.       Cold Weather/Winter Planning Updates – Lisa Cretella – 10 minutes

a.       Warming center and overflow expected to open Dec 1^st, starting to train staff tomorrow

b.      Warming center will be for Hartford residents.

c.       Triage is a gap at the moment.

d.      Bryan working with churches in Downtown Manchester. Looking for more regional areas. Bryan working with Joel from Manchester looking into empty schools. Possibly will use cornerstone shelter as triage space. Cornerstone is placing room dividers. Renovations are being worked on now for New Hope House and C. House at Cornerstone.

e.       Enfield – working with engagement center, opening in January. Anyone that walks in will have CAN appointments, will be at a Church 3 days a week. Will be open at night. New Soup kitchen in Enfield, will determine day hours. Several restaurants in the area are willing to provide food.

f.        Protocols will be established soon.

4.       COVID – 19 Agency Updates – 5 minutes

                                                              i.      No major agency updates

2. COVID Vaccines – 5 minutes- Matt Morgan

                                                              i.      Survey went out last week. Anyone not complete the survey? Brian – work with a lot of religious organizations. ImmaCare, McKinney,

                                                             ii.      CRT completed the Survey. MSP completed it. SPI completed it.

                                                           iii.      Who will be your vaccine provider? Is a question in the survey. Hartford Healthcare is working on becoming a vaccine site. Charter Oak looking into.

                                                           iv.      Send Survey again. Report out next meeting.

3. COVID Discussion– 15 minutes – Yoshi Bird

                                                               i.       COVID isolation/quarantine protocols (ways to manage live outbreaks and COVID+ referrals, not just prevention measures)

 

 

                                                             ii.      Mask refusers (What strategies have providers used that have been effective in addressing the risk posed by this specific population?)

1.       Those with mental health issues- how to engage in having them use mask or distance?

 

                                                           iii.      Personnel policies around COVID (What is the most recent technical assistance we have received around managing COVID-exposed staff? What guidelines should we be using with staff who are testing negative but confirmed exposed? What are people doing about secondary/tertiary/etc. potential exposure, among both clients and staff?)

 

1.       7 staff who have been exposed to those with COVID. Quarantine space is limited. Staff has tested negative post exposure.

2.       Respite clients exposed to COVID at hospitals. Need space for 6 populations. Trying to move general population.

3.       Anyone coming from the hospital – asking for name, date of birth, exposure date, photo of client.

4.       If testing negative, should they move client to general population? Any recommendations from the group?

5.       City does not have a quarantine space at the moment. Would like us to reach out to the statewide departments. Anyone testing positive should call the hotline : 833-560-2843. If someone is pending results and not in the system of the CRC hotline, call Amanda Gordon or Stephanie Corbin. Hotline has been responsive!

6.       Hotline has been created for the general population. Service regardless of income. This is accessible to everyone!

7.       Any DOH updates to the guidance that was previously sent out? Amanda will ask Kara.

 

                                                           iv.      Barriers preventing better performance for shelters due to COVID

1.       Ctcandata.org

5.       CHESS Program Training Updates– Beacon Health – 3 minutes

a.       No updates today. Will be added to the agenda for statewide. Dec 1^st go live has been pushed back – possibly to February.

6.       ESG-COVID Program Updates/FLASH –Andrea Hakian, Kara Zichichi, Matt Morgan, Lionel Rigler, and Stephanie Corbin, Barbara Shaw – 5 minutes

a.       No major updates.

b.      Looking to do FLASH with some diversion clients.

c.       CHR continuing to take referrals.

d.      Mercy continuing to take referral and working with 4^th FLASH client.

e.       HOH had first collaborator meeting with JH. Will identify where the outreach team will go. Wheeler Clinic is also involved.

f.        Award letter from DOH – JH received the letter. Proposals submitted for Outreach RFP. Diversion and RRH RFP still out –diversion RFP due 11/20/2020. RRH RFP due 11/30/2020.

g.       Solicitation needs to be sent out for emergency shelters I will

7.       Length of Stay in Shelter – 5 minutes – Matt Morgan

8.       Chronic Homelessness Trends – 5 Minutes – Matt Morgan

9.       Future Agenda Items or Additional Announcements – 2 minutes

a.       House of Bread will serve grab and go meals during the winter. Facility will not be open.

b.       CRC Hotline 833-560-2843

c.       PIT – Data must be entered in for COVID bed count extended till November 20^th – email sent 11/17/2020