Thursday, April 2, 2020

GH CAN Leadership Meeting: Follow Up 4/1/2020


GREATER HARTFORD COORDINATED ACCESS NETWORK MEETING AGENDA

Follow Up Meeting

Wednesday, April 1st via Zoom

 1PM – 2:15PM



1.      Welcome and Introductions – 5 minutes

2.      COVID – 19  – 15 minutes

                                                    i.     Shelter Updates

1.      McKinney – curfew is 7pm instead of 10pm. Clients cannot return if they stay out one night out of hotel. 1 client was stopped from entering yesterday, that client was positive for COVID – 19.

2.      EH Shelter – trying to keep clients in shelter. Asking clients where they are going if they are trying to leave. Trying to reduce # of residents, trying to house as many clients as possible. Was able to house a family of 3 – provided air mattresses. Looking to house another family this week. If a client is out more than 24 hours they cannot return. Expecting clients to return by 8pm.

3.      Cornerstone – received thermometer. Working to get Tri town building to move clients to separate bedrooms. Working with board on space. 4 people in hotels, food is being brought over every day.

4.      SPI – 1 client is symptomatic, is quarantined but not tested. 1 staff has been tested positive. 1 staff also is being tested – has not been at work. Nonresidents not allowed in building. Transition to hotels – what if someone refuses? What will be done for Resbit clients? Will the Warming Center be backfilling the current census of 40 people as they transition to regular shelter beds, or are the current 40 the last people who will be served by the warming Center before it closes?

5.      Open Hearth – no one is isolated at the moment. 2 staff have been tested. Main dorm is down to 16. Meals are being served in main dormitory. Capacity of 48 – 43 people currently. Satellite location downtown, will help spread out men. Over 60 are in single rooms.

6.      Interval House – all is well so far

7.      YWCA – all is well so far

8.      SA Marshall House – full, no mandatory quarantine. People are cooperating. Received thermometers – have English translation. Discovery survey. Warming center – taking census down, 12 placed in hotel. 2 guest retuned to home state. Prioritizing Hartford and Hartford CAN region. 40 will have beds held for them. Will not be back filling Warming center – also doing discovery survey. 1 self-report – false report. Extending till May 31st, cooperative staffing, will keep doors open during the day.

                                                   ii.     Hotel Updates

1.      Waiting for state to determine hotel space, DAS is administrating. Looking at hotels in Hartford and East Hartford. Looking for a large hotel to relocate McKinney, SPI and some EH residents. 70-75 people in hotel at the moment in Capitol Hotel and Comfort Inn in Wethersfield

2.      Case management is being done for hotel clients

3.      1 client has symptoms but not positive for COVID – 19

4.      Will move some residents from Capitol hotel to a larger hotel once available

3.      Extending time limit for DOC discharges for diversion appointments– Stephanie Corbin - 5 minutes

a.      Teamed with CCEH - $ for discharges from DOC, 48 hour discharge to 14 days

b.      CHR and Manchester are working on this – have staffing capacity

c.      If end of sentence – no choice but to discharge

                                                    i.     Is DOC obligated to do more for inmate?

d.      Pilot to see how many clients we will receive – will monitor closely

e.      Should we support all or just end of sentence people?

f.       Will cover 1st month and security deposit

g.      Everyone is in support as a pilot

4.      COVID-19  - PSH/RRH/Other agency updates – 10 minutes

a.      Mercy – Amendment for staffing, RRH. 60K to use from now to June 30th   - short term, 3 months, just $, some can be for services. Will need to figure out how to get the money into the community. Will be able to pay up to 3 months of rent upfront. Will need to figure out prioritization- is it for elderly and medically compromised? We have 7 people with 1K income – can they live independently and some services needed. Lisa will add this for Individuals. Identified those with income and will ask about barriers. Will connect those to case managers and or GHBI. Mercy will cut checks instead of ACT.  Can serve 12 to 15 people of families from shelter or unsheltered space. Money needs to be spent, can possibly access security deposit money from Hartford Foundation.

b.      The Connection – continuing to house youth, no positive tests and no symptoms at the moment.

c.      Town of Manchester – working to identify resources for those who are chronic and newly homeless. No quarantine plan at the moment – working on.

d.      CRT – Vets, GPD not taking in new clients

e.      CRT Supportive housing – staff are working from home; some are working at the office. 5 new HPASS clients, contact by phone, trying to house clients. Staff are reaching out to landlords for inspections. Working on rehousing clients who were in a recent fire.

f.       ImmaCare – no one has tested positive in programs, staff are working from home. Landlords do not want to show apt unless clients have gloves and mask – working with landlords.

g.      DOH – no updates

h.      DMHAS – able to get charter oak families housed, working with 1 more clients. Mega waiver to delay inspections – inspect by FaceTime, virtual signatures – working on

i.       Community Solutions –

j.       CHR Enfield – warming center in Enfield is closing Saturday. 9 people currently at WC. Some are refusing resources but working with clients to resolve homelessness, also providing camping gear to those who refuse resources

k.      HOH – takeout food and beverages, day shelter only on inclement weather days, providing navigating resources. for the next few weeks MANNA’s community meals day program, operating out of our Center at 55 Bartholomew, Mons – Thursdays, is doing takeout food and beverages.  Day sheltering will be provided on inclement weather days (or if someone requests it) only to folks living outside.  We are still providing some navigation, referral and resource services.



5.      Plan for “non-symptomatic newly homeless” – 10 minutes

a.      Receiving calls from hospital and city of Hartford. Right now – we have nothing available, they have to sleep on the street – any communication to help?

b.      No answer for anyone who we cannot divert.

c.      Are they being to a list? Yes, to SmartSheet, not called shelter waitlist. No process in place yet for prioritization. Only adding those who are reporting they have slept outside. Can we refill hotel rooms if someone move out of hotel? – we can but might not have a relationship with them.

d.      Adding people to hotel sites who are unsheltered? Need to be connected to a provider. Will work on collaborative. How will we identify who is most vulnerable, how should we prioritize?  - Operations topic, for newly homeless

                                                    i.     SPI, McKinney to add those who are newly homeless

                                                   ii.     Not sure if we will get more hotel rooms – 1 drop in location at most communities

                                                  iii.     Staff concern if clients are in hotels and shelter

                                                  iv.     Need to approach city or come up with plan for a location to take new intakes, it will be a lot of people going into hotels

                                                   v.     Smaller group to discuss on 12pm tomorrow – daily call





6.      Plan for homeless clients (not in shelter or hotel) who are being discharged from Hospitals after testing positive for Covid-19 – 10 minutes

                                                    i.     In Hartford hospitals call the City directly to sort out a quarantine plan?



                                                   ii.     Any updates on these hospitals? - Johnson Memorial, Rockville General, Manchester Memorial, UConn Health, (and the Central hospitals too).



7.      How to handle quarantine in hotels or shelters if people test Positive? – 10 minutes

a.      Particularly for clients with addictions- how strict is quarantine- might need a public health perspective on this – Intercommunity and COH

b.     Do we need Quarantine specific detox beds?



8.      Announcements

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