October 26, 2011
As you know, Thanksgiving is always the 4th Thursday of November. HSN’s CoC Meetings are always on the 4th Tuesday of the month, so our November meeting is scheduled right in the middle of that short week before the holiday. Historically, CoC meetings held that day have been poorly attended, so we asked for a consensus from the October CoC meeting attendees and everyone agreed to cancel the November meeting.
Our December meeting would be expected on the 27th, however, over the past few years, we have elected to merge the CoC meeting with the annual Homeless Persons Memorial Service, which will be held the week prior, on Tuesday, December 20th. Stay tuned for more details on that event in the coming weeks.
October 26, 2011
The following announcement comes from our partners at Covenant House Florida:
The 21st Annual Covenant House International Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth is a powerful homeless prevention and awareness event.
Come light a candle and brighten the path of hope for Central Florida’s homeless youth during the 21st Annual Covenant House International Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth. Approximately 400 youth and adults will gather to keep the light of hope burning for homeless youth
When: Thursday, December 1, 2011 at Walt Disney Amphitheater at Lake Eola Park.
For more information, please visit the Covenant House Florida web site.
To register for the event, please visit the event web site.
October 25, 2011
The following announcement comes from Buddy Balagia, Community Development Project Manager, Seminole County Community Services Department:
The Federal funding Program Year having just ended, I am now preparing the year-end report to HUD (the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, or the CAPER), and would like your input. We are soliciting public comment on Sem Co’s performance during 2010-2011. This, of course, pertains to the following programs:
Officially, the public comment period is from Nov 23 through Dec 8, but you may submit comments now, and any time up to Dec 8. We are conducting a Countywide Public Hearing on Nov 30 at 6.30 pm at the County Services Bldg (1101 E. First St, Sanford, Commission Chamber), and would love for you to come and speak up. Remember, your comments should be limited to our past performance, and not to specific or general housing and community development needs for Sem Co.
You may submit comments in any format. I will have available a draft of the year-end report by Nov 30 (at the Hearing) so, if you want to wait till then, feel free to. Call me if you have any questions. Thanks for your input.
Buddy Balagia
Community Development Project Manager
Community Services Dept.
534 West Lake Mary Boulevard
Sanford, FL 32773
Phone: 407-665-2389
Fax: 407-665-2399
October 19, 2011
HSN’s next monthly Continuum of Care meeting takes place on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. We are in a new location this month. Our hosts will be our long-time partners at Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, located at 7531 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32809 (map).
We are featuring several speakers at our meeting:
All of this, plus the usual CoC news and announcements, including an update on the annual CoC application for funding from HUD.
As always, the meeting starts at 9:00am, but feel free to arrive as early as 8:30am for refreshments and peer networking.
October 18, 2011
The Families in Transition (F.I.T.) Program with Seminole County Public Schools has identified over 900 homeless children in Seminole County since the start of the school year. The F.I.T. Program seeks to support our homeless families in achieving stabilization by providing the opportunity and insight on how to access services available in the community. To continue this effort, the Families in Transition Program will be hosting their 6th Annual Event, “A Day of Magical Connections,” on Saturday November 12, 2011 from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm at Winter Springs High School. This event is a resource fair that provides our 250+ families with a “one-stop-shop” day of connecting and accessing services from over 50+ community agencies.
To make this event successful and beneficial for our homeless families, we need the support and enthusiasm of adult volunteers like you! Please complete and return the Volunteer Application.
Volunteers are also required to register as a “Dividend Volunteer” with Seminole County Public Schools and attend a one-hour training session prior to the event. Dividend registration instructions as well as training dates, times, and locations will be provided upon receipt of your application. Please feel free to contact the Families in Transition program via phone with any questions. For more information, please see the Volunteer Letter from Families in Transition.
September 27, 2011
Homeless Services Network will roll out a new program performance report card as part of its annual review process for Supportive Housing Program project renewal process. This report will inform the HSN Board review process for the annual Continuum of Care application for funding.
The report card includes the following data points: (more…)
September 27, 2011
The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida is soliciting proposals for permanent supportive housing to be funded under the HUD 2011 CoC “Permanent Housing Bonus” for inclusion in the 2011 Continuum of Care application to be submitted by HSN to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on October 28, 2011. The funding is provided by the HUD Supportive Housing Program (SHP). Grants are based on the cost reimbursement model.
Eligible Applicants: Any unit of government or organization with a 501 (c) (3) in Orange, Seminole or Osceola Counties may submit a proposal in response to this RFP.
Notification Requirements: All applicants are urged to notify HSN of their intent to respond to this RFP by September 30, 2011. Send an email to rfp {at} hsncfl(.)org.
Timeline and Process (more…)
September 26, 2011
These rates were measured on September 22, 2011, using a combination of HMIS data and telephone survey data. (more…)
August 25, 2011
The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida is soliciting proposals for projects previously awarded and now requiring the selection of a new sub-recipient agency for inclusion in the 2011 Continuum of Care application submitted by HSN to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding for these grants is provided by the HUD Supportive Housing Program (SHP). Grants are based on the cost reimbursement model. (more…)
August 23, 2011
HSN continues to monitor bed utilization rates for emergency shelter and transitional housing programs across the Continuum of Care. We obtain our data through HMIS and telephone surveys. The following chart illustrates the rates over the past four months (click to enlarge).
Rates appeared to stabilize after our first report in May. We attribute the drop in utilization not to less beds being in use, but to incomplete HMIS data in May. Several providers found client records missing program exit data, resulting in artificially high utilization rates.
