Important announcements about the coronavirus and the homeless

We know this is a uniquely challenging time for our community--for our clients, our staff, ourselves, our agencies, and our city/county/country. The Coalition would like to be a support in whatever ways we can--we are in this together as one.  
 
As a start, we have compiled information from multiple sources and it into one place with information on updates, resources, etc.  We also plan to have our regular meeting by Zoom on April 10--agenda will be sent beforehand.
 
ALSO--we know that some shelters, food banks, and access centers are very short of food and cleaning supplies.  Please let us know if you 1) have a source for  food and/or supplies or 2) if you are in dire need of these things or anything else.  We will work to connect folks with one another and/or any other resources that come up.


 
If you have any ideas, input, questions, concerns, additional resources or need help with anything, please email me at smurray@wlcac.org.  
 
Be Well and Stay Safe,
 
SPA 6 Homeless Coalition Steering Committee

* * *

 
 Latest updates from LAHSA:

  •  Last week, LAHSA launched a web based portal with key COVID-19 resources for providers and an email address (cov19@lahsa.org) to capture any of your questions. To increase our accessibility, we’ve now established a Provider Hotline. This hotline is staffed by LAHSA each weekday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.starting, Wednesday, March 18th at 8 a.m. LAHSA staff will record all questions and will publish a FAQ document the next day by 12 p.m. here that provides answers to the questions received the previous day. If your staff have any questions, please encourage them to contact us via the Provider Hotline at 213-233-4796.   
  • Most up-to-date map our Mobile hand washing stations stations.   
  • See below for information on the newest beds that have been opened and the bus route (attached) 

 
 Below are the newest updates from Mayor Garcetti:

·  On Friday, Mayor Garcetti announced the L.A. Jobs Portal, a one-stop shop for Angelenos who are out-of-work as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. This site will continue to be updated with the most relevant resources and listings.
·  Last night, Mayor Garcetti announced more testing will soon become available to Angelenos. In the meantime, testing is limited and we are prioritizing access to testing for our most vulnerable neighbors. At this time, we are prioritizing the following groups:
o Those with symptoms who are 65 and older
o Those with symptoms who have underlying chronic health conditions
o Those who are subject to a mandatory 14 day quarantine period due to a confirmed COVID-19 exposure (with more than 7 days of quarantine remaining)
·  If you or a loved one are eligible, please click here or visit corona-virus.la to request testing
·  Safer at Home FAQ
·  The Mayor's Daily Briefings at 5:15pm will resume on Monday, 3/23/20. You can stream here. 
·  LAUSD Grab and Go Centers for meal pick up.  60 Grab and Go Centers. Click here to find the closest center.  Opened 7am-10am. 
·          
o While both Governor and Mayor issued  “Stay at Home” orders, this essential services will remain open.
o Volunteers Needed to help with food distribution at their sites. Sign up.

  • Small Business Micro Loans 
  • Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) Food Distribution Guidelines for CBOs.
  • I am working on Community Resource Guides for the Harbor & Watts area. If you have any resources or services you'd like to share, please submit them below.
  • Harbor submissions
  • Watts submission
  • Unhoused Angelons- By the end of this week we will bring 1,600 beds online in 13 recreation centers. That will be the first phase.  Attached are the locations of shelters coming on-line in the next few days. The City and County will work with LAHSA to get these filled.
  • Census 
    • Response Period has been extended to August 14th 
    • Door Canvassing Outreach has been extended to May 28th
    • County of LAs CAKS are being temporarily suspended 
    • **We recommend that you contact the census bureau on COVID-19 as things are changing. 

 
RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

  • DPH has provided guidance for Homeless Service Agencies, as well as telecommunications (attached).  

 

 

  • Sample Telecommuting Agreements and Logs--we know several agencies have gone or are going to have as many staff as possible work from home.  We enclosed some samples just in case. 

 

  • Information from Inner City Law Center on Eviction Prevention (see attached)

 

  • A great community-sourced Google Doc that offers links and advice on where to get food for students during the LAUSD shutdown, tenant and housing support resources, hotline numbers for mental health services, and much more.  

 

  • Bright by Text is a free messaging program for parents and caregivers with children ages 0-8 years old. Messages are targeted to children's age and include research-based content from Bright by Three, PBS KIDS, Vroom, and Sesame Street. The program is proven to build nurturing caregiver-child relationships, and positively impact a child’s healthy development and school readiness. PBS SoCal will also curate local messaging to support families and children with information and activities in both English and Spanish.To sign up, simply text SOCAL to 274448 or click on the link below. You will begin receiving 2 to 5 messages per week, and each message will include a link to additional resources. Bright by Text is completely free to sign up, but message and data rates may apply. You may opt-out of these messages at any time by texting STOP to 27448.  Sign up for Bright by Text here: https://bit.ly/2WrcCVQ

 

  • AND ON THE SELF CARE SIDE :-):

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