Thank you to Lakeside Behavioral Healthcare for assisting us in solving this last-minute logistical challenge caused by space issues at HFUW!

Meeting topics will include:

• Mustard Seed Workshop to update case managers on the new services, inventory and procedures at Mustard Seed to assist our homeless clients in obtaining critically-needed household goods and furniture as clients move into their new community-based housing.
• Participants’ recommendations on potential Challenge Grant funding uses (bus passes, Homeward Bound, ID expenses?)
• Information on HHAG mandatory workshops for October 1, 2010 deadline
• New HSN website features highlighting your agencies — how you can become a featured agency
• Speaker’s Bureau update — let us help you tell your story to the community!

8:30 — coffee, donuts and networking

9:00 — 10:30 meeting

• Availability of 2010 Homeless Housing Assistance Grants (HHAG) from DCF
• East Orange Prevention Center update
• HSN’s partnership with Orange County Corrections for their Re-Entry Program
• Follow-up on topics from April’s CoC meeting

As usual, the meeting will be in the Dr. Phillips conference room at the Heart of Florida United Way (1940 Traylor Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32804). We’ll start at 9am, but feel free to arrive as early as 8:30am for refreshments and peer networking.

Here’s a quick recap:

The minutes from the April meeting were approved.

The Healthcare Center for the Homeless would like feedback from the Continuum as it conducts its strategic planning process. Stay tuned for a quick, online survey coming to your inbox.

Vivian Bryant of the Orlando Housing Authority spoke about what they do. Because of the great deal of interest in the OHA by the meeting attendees, the OHA staff intends to put together a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) booklet to address the many issues and questions raised.  Stay tuned for more on that soon.

HSN intends to apply for DCF Challenge Grant funding to offset the loss of DCF’s Grant In Aid funding and we are going to need your help.  We are asking all agencies in the CoC to provide us with documentation of the private income that you have received for delivering homeless services. A letter will be going out to all agencies to formally request this information which will serve as leveraging for our Challenge Grant application.

HSN is helping put together Project Homeless Connect and Veterans Stand Down events, scheduled as follows:

• Veterans’ Stand Down, Sanford, August 8
• East Orange PHC, probably September
• Veterans’ Stand Down, Orlando, September 26
• Discovery Church PHC, probably October
• Downtown PHC, 12/4

HSN will be conducting a Violence Against the Homeless survey over the summer the will help us understand how we can better meet the needs of people who are homeless in Florida. Thank you for your feedback on the survey and would appreciate any help you can give in administering it.  We’ll have the updated survey available soon.

Next meeting, Tuesday, July 28, 2009.

• March 2009 CoC Meeting Agenda
• February 2009 CoC Meeting Minutes
• Sanford HOPE Team FAQ
• Homelessness Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) FAQ
• 2009 HSN Board Roster
• HSN Board Meeting Schedule 2009-10