MAY 2021 NEWSLETTER

The Office to Prevent and End Homelessness – now part of the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development – is committed to eliminating the disproportionality of people at-risk of or experiencing homelessness from communities of color and other marginalized populations by providing equitable paths to safe, stable, affordable housing.

 

 

COVID-19 UPDATES

Thanks to the ongoing dedication of numerous partners, the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness has continued to address the needs of those at risk of and experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Temporary Shelter Available During COVID-19: More than 1,560 people have transitioned into Quarantine, Protection, Isolation, and Decompression (QPID) Hotels since April 16, 2020 with locations operating across Fairfax County. The QPID Hotels are managed by several non-profit partners, including Cornerstones, FACETS, New Hope Housing, and Shelter House. Northern Virginia Family Service operates a Central Intake (703-267-3511) to triage referrals to the QPID Hotels. Fairfax County released a video to provide information on how to access temporary shelter.
  
   
• Eviction Prevention: The Eviction Moratorium established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to temporarily halt evictions of tenants unable to make rental payments has been extended through June 30, 2021. Fairfax County’s Eviction Webpage continues to serve as a resource that compiles eviction prevention data and information related to basic needs assistance, the eviction process, tenant rights, financial and medical assistance, emergency shelter, legal services and more.
   
• Northern Virginia Eviction Prevention and Housing Stability Toolkit: The Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA) and Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV) have published a toolkit explain what can be done to prevent evictions in Northern Virginia and where gaps in eviction prevention currently exists.
   
• COVID-19 Vaccination: For information on the COVID-19 Vaccine and its administration locally, please visit Fairfax County’s Vaccine Website.
   

Thank you to the many providers that are serving people in our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each and every one of you are sincerely appreciated.

 

PARTNERSHIP UPDATES

• President Biden Proposes 15% Increase to HUD Budget for FY22: President Biden released a budget blueprint previewing the full fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget, which included a proposed increase of $9 billion (15%) from FY 2021 to HUD’s budget. If this budget increase is enacted, it would bring substantial federal investments in affordable homes and increase the availability of housing assistance to families with the greatest need. More details can be found in the budget chart compiled by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

• Secretaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Issue Joint Statement on Ending Veteran Homelessness: The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress found that on a single night in January 2020, there were 37,252 Veterans experiencing homelessness in America, an increase of 0.4% over 2019. On April 12, 2021, the secretaries of VA and HUD announced they are aligning efforts to end veteran homelessness.

• HUD Withdraws Proposed Rule, Reaffirms its Commitment to Equal Access to Housing, Shelters, and Other Services Regardless of Gender Identity: On April 22, 2021 HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge announced that HUD will withdraw its proposed rule from the previous administration to weaken the Equal Access Rule. The Equal Access Rule affirms that all people–regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity--have equal access to shelter and other services. HUD has also released additional resources for serving individuals from the LGBTQ Community experiencing homelessness.

• Connecting People Experiencing Homelessness to Economic Impact Payments (EIP): The National Alliance to End Homelessness developed flyers to help inform people experiencing homelessness about their rights to receive Economic Impact Payment (EIP) benefits – also known as stimulus checks – provided under the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act. More information is available on the IRS resource page on EIPs and homelessness.

• Consolidated Community Funding Pool FY2023-2024, Selection Advisory Committee: Fairfax County Consolidated Community Funding Pool Funding Application for the FY2023-2024 award cycle will be released this coming fall. The county is seeking community volunteers willing to participate on a Selection Advisory Committee to review and evaluate proposals and make recommendations on how to distribute funds to community partners that provide programs to support Fairfax County residents. Extensive pre-service orientation will be provided, and this volunteer opportunity can be done entirely virtually if requested. More information can be found on the Selection Advisory Committee Flyer.

• County Opens Community Discussions on Proposed Relocation of the Eleanor Kennedy Shelter: In 2016, Fairfax County voters approved funding to renovate or replace four emergency housing facilities or shelters through a 2016 Human Services and Community Development Bond Referendum. The existing Eleanor Kennedy Shelter operates from a 103-year-old converted pump house on Fort Belvoir with no options for additional supportive housing. Fairfax County is proposing a mixed-use project to combine a new, modern shelter with the construction of the new Penn Daw fire station on a property formerly owned by the Hybla Valley Nursery on Beacon Hill Road.

 

DATA SPOTLIGHT

• Comparing Point in Time Counts between 2019 and 2020 across the United States: A new tool from the National Alliance’s Homelessness Research Institute allows users to compare 2019 and 2020 homeless counts and percentage differences on both the state and CoC levels, and among subpopulations. The 2020 Point in Time count reflected a 2.2 percent increase in overall homelessness compared to 2019. Individual states and Continuums of Care (CoCs) showed significant variation in the changes to their overall homelessness counts, as well as the counts for key subpopulations.

FUNDING INFORMATION

• FY 2020 Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program: HUD has released a (NOFA), Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program, which provides Capital Advance funding for the development of supportive rental housing for Very-Low-Income persons aged 62 years or older and project rental subsidies in the form of a Project Rental Assistance Contract (PRAC) to maintain ongoing affordability. Applications are due by May 26, 2021.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Please register for the following trainings if you have an interest in attending. By registering, we will be able to inform you of any adjustments or cancelations due to COVID-19.

• Move On Webinar Series – Spring 2021
  This series of seven webinars begin March 3, 2021 and runs through May 12, 2021. The series is designed to introduce participants to the tools and resources they need to develop and implement Moving On strategies and programs, which help tenants who wish to move on from supportive housing.

• Fair Housing 101 – VA Fair Housing Office
  Fri, May 7, 2021
  9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
  This three-and-a-half-hour course teaches about legal rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Law. The course, conducted by a board-approved education provider, gives you the foundation of Fair Housing Law. Those who complete the course are eligible for state certification by the Fair Housing Board

• Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications – VA Fair Housing Office
  Fri, May 14, 2021
  9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
  This course teaches about legal rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Law as related to Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications. The course, conducted by Mahalia Dryden-Mason the VA Fair Housing Office the board-approved education provider, gives a foundation of Fair Housing Law as it relates to Reasonable Accommodations.

• Impact of Child Sexual Abuse on Adult Male Survivors
  Tues, May 17, 2021
  3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
  Doug Tinder shares his story of surviving and healing from childhood sexual abuse to help normalize conversations about male childhood sexual abuse and to enable survivors and the community to work together to heal and prevent abuse. He will discuss the prevalence, gravity, and lifetime impact of this type of trauma, as well as the healing process and the support survivors may need.

• Hoarding & Fair Housing – VA Fair Housing Office
  Fri, May 21, 2021
  9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
  Mahalia “Mally” Dryden-Mason, Virginia Fair Housing Office Training Specialist will inform attendees how the Fair Housing laws apply to hoarding. DPOR/VA Fair Housing Office will issue certificates to attendees.

• Responding to LGBTQ Survivors of Sexual Violence
  Wed, Jun 16, 2021
  1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
  The Virginia Anti-Violence Project will explore institutional barriers and normative beliefs that make LGBTQ people vulnerable to sexual violence and discourage survivors from seeking help. The discussion will include best practices to help services providers and community members improve the response to LGBTQ sexual violence survivors, as well as efforts to address harmful barriers and beliefs.

• Reproductive and Sexual Coercion
  Fri, Jul 16, 2021
  10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
  Participants will learn about reproductive and sexual coercion using a reproductive justice framework, an intersectional approach created by SisterSong that treats reproductive health in a holistic way. The presenter will discuss how local partners can collaborate; how to improve providers’ procedures regarding clients’ sexual activity and sexual health; and how to better identify and support survivors.