CONTINUUM OF CARE UPDATES | |
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Message from our Executive Director
With the holidays and the end of the year approaching, I'd like to take a moment to celebrate our homeless response system and some incredible accomplishments we achieved this year by working together.
San Antonio was the first community in the nation to reach our "House America" goal of rehousing over 1,500 households experiencing homelessness. We reimagined Homelink, our Coordinated Entry system, and undertook the biggest overhaul and revamp of our local system since its inception in 2016. We established a Lived Expertise Advisory Board (LEAB) to ensure that people who have experienced homelessness are centered in our policy work and funding decisions. Our community launched a Drop-In Center for Youth & Young Adults, as envisioned by our Youth Action Board (YAB). In partnership with Notre Dame, we developed an innovative, equitable housing assessment tool to match people to resources. We also published a Community Dashboard on Homelessness to track our collective outcomes. And our community passed a historic $150 million dollar affordable housing bond with $25 million dedicated to Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) for people experiencing chronic homelessness to move permanently off the street. This amount was later leveraged into a $45 million RFP for PSH development!
We can accomplish so much when we work together as one community of partners, and we've seen the fruits of our labor this year. However, we are still facing unprecedented challenges. Housing that is affordable for people on a limited income or making minimum wage is incredibly hard to find. Additionally, people living unsheltered continue to languish without housing that fully addresses their physical and mental health needs while options are developed. And, many families are falling behind on rent and entering our shelters for the first time.
You can act now to support our entire homeless response system and the deeper issues that are key to moving the needle with homelessness. You can give to our Alternative Giving Campaign to spread your dollars across a network of partners in our response system. SARAH is accepting donations to continue our collaborative work to operate as one system. Finally, we are recruiting volunteers for our 2023 Annual Homelessness Point-in-Time Count, where you can see the challenges firsthand and be a part of our data-informed solutions.
It takes a community to work together to address homelessness at its root. Will you join us?
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PIT Count Volunteers Needed! | |
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The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is an annual census of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. SARAH conducts the PIT Count in San Antonio/Bexar County, providing staff, partners, and volunteers with an organized opportunity to interact with our neighbors experiencing homelessness. The information collected impacts local priorities on homelessness and HUD’s funding decisions nationally.
This year, our annual PIT Count is taking place on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, 6 PM to midnight, and we need volunteers! If you or anyone you know is interested in assisting at the event, please register using the button below. Need additional information? Send a message to grants@sarahomeless.org.
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Board Member Anniversaries
We’d like to recognize the following CoC Board Members who have December Boardiversaries. Thank you for donating your time and expertise to help guide and improve our local homeless response system!
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Leilah Powell (Board President), Executive Director, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) San Antonio, serving since December 2017
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Greg Zlotnick (Board Vice President), Director of Pro Bono Programs, St. Mary’s University School of Law, serving since December 2019
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Melody Woosley, Director, City of San Antonio Department of Human Services, serving since December 2019
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La Juana Chambers Lawson, Founder & CEO, Tacit Growth Strategies LLC, serving since December 2021
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Edward Johnson, Deputy CEO, VIA Metropolitan Transit, serving since December 2021
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Congrats, Dacey, for making NLC! | |
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Congratulations to our Strategic Planning Manager, Dacey Werba, for being selected as a New Leaders Council (NLC) San Antonio 2023 Fellow!
NLC San Antonio develops, connects, and uplifts inclusive, cross-sector leaders who will transform San Antonio through social and political change rooted in equity.
New Leaders Council is revolutionizing San Antonio by training change-makers across industries who are passionate about making social and political change.
We are excited for Dacey to embark on this distinctive professional development opportunity and share what she learns to help SARAH progress as an organization.
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Congrats, Katie, for making LSA Class 47! | |
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Congrats to our Executive Director, Katie Vela, for being selected as a member of Leadership San Antonio (LSA) Class 47!
A partnership between the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, LSA is considered the premier development program for existing and emerging leaders in the Alamo Region.
The program goes beyond personal and professional development and, as its goal, educates and informs these leaders in the vital areas affecting San Antonio, as well as encouraging Chamber Business involvement and Community advocacy.
Katie, the SARAH team is proud of you for committing to this opportunity to grow as a leader and learn more about the promise and challenges of our community.
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SAMMinistries 16th Annual
Homeless Persons' Memorial Service
Friends, family members, and neighbors who passed away while experiencing homelessness this year in San Antonio will be recognized and remembered on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, 7-8 PM, at Milam Park (500 W Commerce St) with a reading of names, candle lighting, and a special tribute in their honor.
Please join SAMMinistries and community partners in remembering our most vulnerable community members who have passed on.
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Book Signing Benefiting SARAH
Head to the Twig Book Shop at the Pearl on Thursday, December 15, from 5-7 PM for a meet & greet with author Michael Camarillo. Michael will have a book reading, signing, and Q&A while donating 5% of all book sales to SARAH on the night of the event.
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
- APPLY NOW -
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Texas Capital Bank Foundation Honors Awards
The Texas Capital Bank Foundation will honor four outstanding nonprofit programs with its newly created Honors awards. Three of the grants are $50,000 each to represent Capital Bank's giving pillars: Live, Learn, and Lift. The fourth grant, $100,000, is for Supporting Our Troops, Active and Remembered (STAR).
LIVE - Access to health care in under-resourced communities
LEARN - Early childhood education
LIFT - Transitional housing and wraparound services
STAR - Support services for veterans
Key Dates:
Informational Webinars: December 15, 2022 or January 12, 2023, from 2-3 PM
Submission Portal Opens: January 2, 2023
Applications Due: February 28, 2023
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Funding Opportunities for Veteran Service Providers | |
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Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Grant Program
The Legal Services for Homeless Veterans and Veterans At-Risk For Homelessness Grant (LSV) Program provides grants to entities that provide legal services to eligible veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The deadline to apply is December 30, 2022. More information and application instructions can be accessed here.
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Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program
The Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program provides support to organizations that coordinate or provide supportive services to very low-income veteran families. The deadline to apply is February 10, 2023. Access the Notice of Funding Availability for more information and application instructions here.
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Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program Transition in Place (TIP) Grant
The TIP grant component of the VA Homeless Providers GPD program provides per diem payments for apartment-style houses to veterans experiencing homelessness. This will allow veterans to remain in their homes when they complete the GPD program. Approximately 40 TIP grants are being issued to support 600 beds nationwide. The deadline to apply is January 30, 2023. More information and application instructions can be accessed here.
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Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program Per Diem Only (PDO) Grant
The PDO grant component of the VA Homeless Providers GPD program was created to provide per diem payments for facilitating housing stabilization for veterans experiencing homelessness. It will supply transitional supportive housing beds or service centers with 350 PDO grants to support approximately 10,500 transitional housing beds and 15 service centers nationwide. The deadline to apply is February 26, 2023. More information and application instructions can be accessed here.
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HOMELINK / COORDINATED ENTRY | |
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Introducing the Resource Placement Index
A vital aspect of our community's recent Homelink revamp was implementing a new equitable prioritization tool for housing resources, which our Lived Expertise Advisory Board (LEAB) named the Resource Placement Index (RPI). The RPI, developed in partnership with the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame, replaces the VI-SPDAT scoring system and features data-driven risk scoring, case worker ratings, and client input. We look forward to monitoring and reporting findings in 2023 as data becomes available on this innovative development.
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Stay Up-to-Date with Homelink Happenings!
Homelink Happenings serves as our "industry insider" publication, featuring detailed Coordinated Entry news, updates, policies, and procedures as they occur.
Click here to subscribe!
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