Homeless Services Coordinating Council

Next Meeting

May 6, 2009

8:00 AM Networking

Meeting 8:30 - 10:00 AM

Beacon Day Center
@
Christ Church Cathedral
1212 Prairie
Houston, TX 77002

TOPIC:
2010 Census

Facilitator:
Preston Witt

Presenter:
Alexica Laye

Partnership Specialist

Parking is located in the Cathedral Church parking ramp on San Jacinto between Texas and Prairie. Meeting held in the Beacon Day Center, located directly below parking garage. Questions, call the Coalition for the Homeless @ (713) 739-7514

All About Grants

Texas Center for Grants Development
presents

All About Grants: Two-Day Institute

Tuesday, June 2, 2009
8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Harris County Department of Education
6300 Irvington Blvd
Houston, Texas 77022-5618

The Two-Day Institute is designed to enhance your organization’s
capability to plan, coordinate and write successful grant proposals.

At a minimum, you will discover:
• New funding resources and how to find them
• Tools for program planning that funders require
• How to make your grant office work for you
• Where to locate local statistics fast

Fees: $225 (by May 2); $275 (after May 2) includes lunch both days, handbook of materials and full-year subscription to the GrantQuest.
Access http://wms.hcde-texas.org to register online via HCDE’s secure payment system. Call Martha Silva-Froude at 713-696-1393 for more information.

Voice Broadcast Message to all Houston Community Voice Mail Users

Hello.

Here’s an important public health message from Community Voice Mail and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC). This is a long message, but it contains a lot of good information to help you stay healthy.

You may have heard about the recent outbreak of swine flu virus infection in some parts of the country. As of April 29, 91 total cases of swine flu have been confirmed in 10 states: Arizona, California, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio and Texas. Because this flu is potentially dangerous, we want you to know more about it.

The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the symptoms of regular seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. If you live in areas where swine flu cases have been identified and become ill with flu-like symptoms, you may want to contact a health care provider, particularly if you’re worried about your symptoms. If you or your children are ill and experience more severe symptoms, seek emergency medical care.

Like the seasonal flu, human-to-human swine flu can be spread in two main ways: through the coughing or sneezing of infected people, or by touching an object contaminated with swine flu virus and then touching your mouth, nose or possibly eyes. Swine flu viruses are not transmitted by food. You cannot get swine flu from eating pork products.

There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. However, there are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like flu.

Take these steps to protect your health:

· Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
· Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
· Avoid close contact with sick people.
· If you get sick with flu, the CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

For more information on Swine Flu or any health question, call the CDC 24 hours a day at 1-800-CDC-INFO… or 1-800-232-4636.

This information went out to all 1,841 Houston Community Voice Mail users and their 91 host agencies. Please share this information with all your friends, coworkers and clients. We will send more messages as information changes.

***ACTION ALERT:
SUPPORT NEEDED FOR THE HOUSING TRUST FUND***

The House-Senate appropriations conference committee will determine funding for the Housing Trust Fund this TUESDAY, MAY 5!

THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE COULD DRAMATICALLY INCREASE FUNDING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR VERY LOW-INCOME FAMILIES AND FOR INNOVATIVE HOUSING PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, THE ELDERLY AND SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
But in order to make it happen, we need you to take action!

The House has approved appx. $50 million over the biennium, plus $20 million in the Article 11 "wish list." The Senate has approved just a $5 million increase, plus $20 million in the "wish list." We need to encourage the conference committee to support the House appropriations, PLUS the $20 million in the wish list.

Action Items:
· If your Representative or Senator is on the conference committee, please call that member and encourage their support of the Housing Trust Fund. Ask them to support the House appropriations for the Housing Trust Fund, as well as the $20 million in the Article 11 "wish list," or at least $35 million per year in funding.

Talking Points for Callers:
· Introduce yourself and your organization
· Highlight that your organization serves the Senator’s/ Representative's constituents
· State that funding for the Housing Trust Fund is in Article 7.
· Encourage the Senator’s/ Representative's support of the House appropriations bill's funding for the Housing Trust Fund. Ask them to also support the $20 million from the Article 11 "wish list" that is in both the House and Senate versions.
· Thank the staffer for their time and for passing this message along to the Senator / Representative

House-Senate Appropriations Conference Committee

Senate Chair: Senator Steve Ogden (Brazos, Burleson, Freestone, Grimes, Houston, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Milam, Robertson, Trinity, Walker, Williamson)
Phone: 512-463-0105, or 512-463-0370 to speak to Senate Finance aide Laura Kolstad

Senator charged with Article 7 (Housing Trust Fund): Florence Shapiro (Collin, Dallas)
Phone: 512-463-0108 (aide is Mike Kamerlander)

Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (Brooks, Hidalgo, Jim Wells, Nueces)
Phone: 512-463-0120 (aide is Jerry Haddican)

Senator Royce West (Dallas)
Phone: 512-463-0123 (aide is Tim Thetford)

Senator Tommy Williams (Chambers, Harris, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Orange)
Phone: 512-463-0104 (aide is Jason Baxter)

House Chair: Jim Pitts (Ellis, Hill)
Phone: 512-463-0516 (aide is Todd Kercheval)

Rep. charged with Article 7: Ruth Jones McClendon (Bexar)
Phone: 512-463-0708 (aide is Janis Reinken)

Rep. Richard Raymond (Webb)
Phone: 512-463-0558 (aide is Jesus "Chuy" Gonzalez)

Rep. John Otto (Liberty, Montgomery, Polk)
Phone: 512-463-0570 (aide is Nikki Dawson)

Rep. John Zerwas (Fort Bend, Waller, Wharton)
Phone: 512-463-0657 (aide is Brad Westmoreland)

For more information, you may also contact Kristin Carlisle at 512-477-8910 x4 or at kristin@texashousing.org.

New Guidence from the CDC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

– New Guidance 04-29-2009Interim Guidance—

Children and Pregnant Women who may be Infected with Swine-Origin Influenza Virus:

Considerations for Clinicians
Today CDC issued new interim guidance for clinicians on how to care for children and pregnant women who may be infected with a new influenza virus of swine origin that is spreading in the U.S. and internationally. Children and pregnant women are two groups of people who are at high risk of serious complications from seasonal influenza.

New Interim Clinical Guidance for the Treatment of Children
Little is currently known about how swine-origin influenza viruses (S-OIV) may affect children. However, we know from seasonal influenza and past pandemics that young children, especially those younger than 5 years of age and children who have high risk medical conditions, are at increased risk of influenza-related complications. Illnesses caused by influenza virus infection are difficult to distinguish from illnesses caused by other respiratory pathogens based on symptoms alone. Young children are less likely to have typical influenza symptoms (e.g., fever and cough) and infants may present to medical care with fever and lethargy, and may not have cough or other respiratory symptoms or signs.

The new interim guidance for clinicians on the prevention and treatment of swine influenza in young children is available at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/childrentreatment.htm

New Interim Clinical Guidance for the Treatment of Pregnant Women
Evidence that influenza can be more severe in pregnant women comes from observations during previous pandemics and from studies among pregnant women who had seasonal influenza. An excess of influenza-associated deaths among pregnant women were reported during the pandemics of 1918–1919 and 1957–1958. Adverse pregnancy outcomes have been reported following previous influenza pandemics, with increased rates of spontaneous abortion and preterm birth reported, especially among women with pneumonia. Case reports and several epidemiologic studies conducted during interpandemic periods also indicate that pregnancy increases the risk for influenza complications for the mother and might increase the risk for adverse perinatal outcomes or delivery complications.

The new interim guidance for clinicians for the treatment of influenza in pregnant women is available at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/clinician_pregnant.htm

Background
Human infections with the newly identified S-OIV that is spreading among humans were first identified in April 2009 with cases in the United States and Mexico. The epidemiology and clinical presentations of these infections are currently under investigation. There are insufficient data available at this point to determine who is at higher risk for complications of S-OIV infection. However because pregnant women and children are known to be at higher risk for complications during seasonal influenza complications and during prior pandemics, it is reasonable to assume that these groups of people may be at higher risk for complications from infection with this new virus.

Additional Information
For additional information about the current influenza outbreak, see:http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ For additional information about CDC’s investigation of the current H1N1 outbreak, see http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm

This information is also available by calling 1-800-CDC-INFO.