What's New

Stay on the cutting edge by routinely checking this page for upcoming webinars, trainings, technical assistance, and tools.

Newsletter

• December 2024 - Issue #1 was released in December 2024. This newsletter covered the HSPA Application Deadline, New products, tools, and resources, as well as funding opportunities and upcoming events. 

Announcements and Upcoming Events 

Additional future webinars and events will be posted once they are announced.

• Supporting People with Brain Injury through Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics - On March 4, 2025, at the Hilton Arlington National Landing in Washington, D.C., the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) is hosting an in-person event focused on the intersection of brain injury and behavioral health. Register here.
• 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR): Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates - On Friday, December 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its annual snapshot of the number of individuals in shelters, temporary housing, and unsheltered settings. The report found more than 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024, an 18% increase from 2023. This report reflects data collected a year ago and likely does not represent current circumstances, given changed policies and conditions. To view the AHAR Press Release visit: HUD Releases January 2024 Point-In-Time Count Report | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); to view the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) website visit: AHAR Reports | HUD USER; to view the 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates visit: 2024 AHAR: Part 1 - PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S.
• FY24 Behavioral Health Service Expansion: HRSA expects to award $240 million in FY24 and $200 million in FY25 to 400 health centers. The applications are currently closed. Find more details on the service expansion page.
• Creating and Managing Rental Registries — For a city’s most vulnerable residents, a rental registry with proactive inspections is a lifeline. Read the latest blog from The National League of Cities (NLC), exploring the experiences and challenges that cities encounter when creating and managing rental registries.

Prior Events and Webinar Materials

• HSPA National Webinar - On Thursday, January 16, 2025, the Housing and Services from 3:00 - 4:30 PM, the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator is hosting the final webinar of the 2024 Cohort to review the accomplishments the team has made.
• Addressing Behavioral Health Crisis in Aging Adults: Reducing Stigma and Enhancing Care — On Thursday, December 12, 2024, from 2:30- 4 p.m. ET, join SAMHSA for the first workshop of a series that will delve into the complex relationship between mental health and aging. It will highlight the detrimental effects of stigma and the lack of awareness surrounding mental health conditions on the quality of care for older adults in crisis.
• HSRC Webinar: Partnerships To Expand Accessible Housing Options With Assistive Technology — On Thursday, November 21, from 3:00-4:00 PM, HSRC hosted a webinar discussing the wide range of assistive technology currently available and how it can be used to make a home accessible. Watch the video here
• Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator: Information Session — Join the HSRC on October 30th from 1:00-2:00 PM ET for an informational webinar with important information about next year’s Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator opportunity.
• HSRC Webinar - The Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator: Accelerating Housing and Services Partnerships To Advance Housing Stability: Centers for Independent Living (CILs) — On October 10, 2024, the third HSRC hosted webinar highlighted how Independent Living (IL) community organizations in three different HSPA states are providing housing-related services and supports to people with disabilities.
• HSRC Webinar - The Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator: Accelerating Housing and Services Partnerships To Advance Housing Stability: Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) — On September 24, 2024, HSRC hosted a webinar where attendees discovered how a local AAA in a HSPA state is delivering an array of Medicaid-funded supportive housing services and partnering with their local public housing authority.
• HSRC Webinar - The Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator: Emerging Findings for Strengthening Housing, Health and Social Care Partnerships — On September 18, HSRC hosted a webinar where select HSPA states shared best practices, challenges, and lessons learned as they develop and implement effective partnerships and innovative solutions to advance housing stability.
• HSRC Webinar: HUD Mainstream Voucher Discussion — On September 16, 2024, the HSRC hosted a discussion on new Mainstream Voucher flexibilities following HUD’s announcement of changes to the program on August 20, 2024.
• Webinar: Role of Legal Assistance in Enhancing Housing Stability — On September 12, HSRC hosted a webinar that highlighted how legal assistance providers can reinforce a valuable rights-based perspective and ensure older adults receive equal treatment and access to housing.
• Enhancing Housing Stability for Individuals With TBI at Risk For or Experiencing Homelessness — This March 2024 webinar featured the Housing and Services Resource Center discussing cross-sector partnerships that can enhance housing stability for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at risk for or experiencing homelessness.
• Expanding Access to Service Coordination: Two Models of Braiding Funding — This January 2024 webinar featured two models for braiding funding streams across sectors to maximize the use of existing resources and broaden access to service coordination in a sustainable way. Access the webinar recording and materials and the new HSRC Service Coordination Partnerships Toolkit to learn more.
• Expanding Home Accessibility Services: Strategies for Sustaining Cross-Sector Collaborations — This November 2023 HSRC webinar explored how cross-sector partnerships can help to sustain services and programs that support accessible and stable housing for older adults and people with disabilities.
• Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator Information Session — This November 2023 event provided an overview of the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator, which will support states with technical assistance in developing or expanding innovative housing-related supports and services for Medicaid-eligible people with disabilities and older adults who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Access the recording and slides to learn more.
• Improving and Expanding Community Living Options for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) — This three-webinar series explores barriers people with I/DD face in securing housing; highlight the limited range of housing options; and feature innovative strategies, resources, partners, and funding streams to help create more housing options for people with I/DD.
  • Innovators Share Strategies to Advance Inclusive and Integrated Housing and Supports for People With I/DD  — This September 2023 webinar introduced innovative, replicable housing models that support full inclusion and integration of people with I/DD into their community. Stakeholders discussed how they brought these models to their communities, and a self-advocate shared personal experiences. Webinar materials will be posted when they are available. View the recording and slides.
  • Beyond Group Homes: How States Have Successfully Housed People With I/DD  — This May 2023 webinar provided an overview from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development (HUD) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of their programs that advance community living for people with I/DD. A state official described its strategy for using these resources to create more community-based housing options, and a self-advocate shared their success story of getting housing in the community. View the webinar recording and slides.
  • Community Living Housing Options for People With I/DD: Perspective on Barriers and Solutions — Safe, accessible, and affordable housing that is integrated in the community is a vital component for people with I/DD to live and participate in their communities. This March 2023 webinar looked at barriers, programs and partnerships, and examples of community-driven solutions. View the webinar recording and slides and explore links from Disability Rights Center-NH: A Place to Call Your Own article and Spring 2022 magazine. Also see Iowa COMPASS housing tip sheet.
• Partnerships To Increase Housing Stability Through Assistive Technology, Home Modifications, and Repairs — The August 2023 Housing and Services Resource Center webinar explored the role of home modifications, assistive technology (AT), and home repairs in promoting accessible, stable housing.  
• Meeting People Where They Are: Partnerships With Independent Living and Assistive Technology Programs To Address Homelessness and Housing Stability for People With Disabilities and Older Adults — This June 2023 HSRC webinar highlighted the benefits of partnerships between Centers for Independent Living (CILs), statewide Assistive Technology (AT) Act programs, and Continuums of Care programs in the development and implementation of ongoing strategies to address homelessness.
• Solving for Homelessness Among Older Adults, People With Disabilities, and Other Populations: An HSRC Case Study Webinar — The recording, transcript, and handouts for this April 2023 webinar are now available. The session featured a model cross-sector partnership that is creating bridges across systems so individuals can have both housing without precondition and access to comprehensive services that they choose.
• The Role of Transportation in Cross-Sector Collaborations Designed To Improve Housing Stability — This February 2023 webinar featured two effective pathways to create cross-sector partnerships that support housing stability for older adults and people with disabilities by improving access to transportation options.
• Braiding Resources To Collaboratively Develop and Strengthen Housing and Services Partnerships — This January 2023 webinar featured examples of strong collaborations across federal, state, and local levels that combine rental assistance and access to supportive services for people with disabilities, older adults, and people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Presenters explored not only opportunities to braid funding and resources but also approaches to developing partnerships that really work.
• Ending Homelessness: Developing Partnerships Between HUD Continuums of Care (CoCs) and Disability, Aging and Health Services Providers — This recording of the August 2022 HSRC webinar orients participants to CoC structures and cross-sector partnerships that address the needs of people experiencing homelessness. (Tip: This YouTube Help page on playback speeds has tabs for different devices.)
• Working Together To Empower Community Inclusion: Health/Housing/Independent-Living Partnerships — This August 2022 HSRC webinar discussed the preference for many people with disabilities to live and fully participate in their communities and their civil right to do so under the Americans with Disabilities Act (Olmstead v L.C., 1999). A clear goal of community integration is one hallmark of effective approaches for people with disabilities, including people with behavioral health needs, to transition to the community from an institution. Featuring a top national expert, a center for independent living, and a large health system, this webinar reveals effective strategies for supporting individuals as they find homes in the community, arrange for services individuals need and choose, and integrate into community life.
• Community Transitions: Creative Collaborations Move People Home — Also from August 2022, this HSRC webinar featured two states' programs that entail partnerships with nursing homes, hospitals, and community-based organizations to assist people with settling back into homes in the community and have reduced readmissions. What are the core elements of these programs? What roles do industry, other state programs, and community service providers play? How can states and local partners overcome common barriers? Two panels explored these and other questions during this engaging webinar. Participants also learned about funding sources, tools, and tips for replicating these models in their states.
• Building and Sustaining Home Modification Collaborations: Strategies for Your Community — This July 2022 office hour explored the many opportunities to use cross-sector collaboration to expand access to home modification. Staff from the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology were "in the office" to answer questions and offer other solutions.
• Addressing Housing Accessibility Through Cross-Sector Partnerships: A Closer Look at Home Modification Collaborations at Work — This June 2022 webinar focused on effective home modification service delivery through partnerships with professionals and funding sources from the aging, disability, housing, and health care sectors.
• Webinar Series Engaging the Disability Community in Fair Housing Planning — This April 2022 two-part series included the history of the Fair Housing Act and context for the requirement to affirmatively further fair housing; best practices for fair housing planning that considers the needs of individuals with disabilities; an overview of effective community participation that involves individuals with disabilities and their stakeholders; principles of community engagement with the disability community; best practices for community engagement throughout the fair housing planning process; and engaging stakeholders in fair housing planning.
• Cross-Sector Partnerships That Create Housing Stability — This two-part webinar series in March 2022 featured new federal funding and flexibilities that states and local stakeholders can use to sustainably improve housing stability for older adults, people with disabilities, and people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The second webinar highlighted state partnerships that spur local collaborations so these groups have both housing and access to an array of supportive services.
• Cross-Sector Partnerships To Expand Options for Affordable, Accessible Housing — January and February 2022 recordings of three office hours and related materials. The series highlighted innovative partnerships between the housing sector, aging and disability networks, and health care that expanded access to affordable, accessible housing, service coordination, home modifications, durable medical equipment, and housing search information.
• Preventing and Addressing Eviction Through Community Partnerships — November 2021 webinar recording and related materials on ACL-funded programs protecting rights and preventing abuse. Presenters describe state and local partnerships that help them address the needs of people dealing with eviction.
• Emergency Rental Assistance Program: Tools To Assist the People You Serve — September 2021 webinar recording and related materials with tools and information to help people assist consumers with the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
• Pairing HUD and HHS Resources To Address Homelessness Webinar Series— Summer 2021 recordings of a webinar series on partnership opportunities and on-the-ground examples of successful approaches to pairing HHS agency resources with HUD housing assistance for people experiencing homelessness, including the 70,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers.

New Technical Assistance Resources and Tools

• Issue Briefs - Based on the 2024 HSPA activities, these issue briefs offer information and models to facilitate state program development supporting people with disabilities and older adults who are homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
• Guide to Resource Mapping and Assessing Community Needs— HHRC fact sheet outlining resource mapping and assessing community needs, including definitions of key terms, identifying collaborative partners, and tips to engage area partners.
• The Hidden Crisis: Long COVID’s Association With Housing Stability and Home Accessibility Among People With Disabilities — NIDILRR-funded study examined the impact of Long COVID on housing stability and home accessibility, explored challenges faced by people with Long COVID, and identified potential strategies to address them. Read the abstract and find a free link to the article.
• Federal Resources for Addressing Behavioral Health Needs of People Experiencing or at Risk of Homelessness— USICH guidance provides high-level information about federal funding, technical assistance, policy and regulatory flexibilities, and other resources available to support the delivery and financing of behavioral health services for people experiencing homelessness.
• New Podcast Series VHA Homeless Programs – Ending Veteran Homelessness— Want to know what the Department of Veterans Affairs is doing to end Veteran homelessness? Join the VA and explore all the ways our country is working to ensure that every Veteran has a safe and stable place to call home.
  • S1EP28: Ending Veteran Homelessness as One Team
  • An Introduction to Veteran Homelessness, Part 1: What is Veteran Homelessness?
  • An Introduction to Veteran Homelessness, Part 2: Who Do We Serve?
  • An Introduction to Veteran Homelessness, Part 3: Tools in the Toolkit
• Medicare Advantage Coverage Among Individuals Receiving Federal Housing Assistance
  
  — May 2024 report and infographic with analyses intended to better understand Medicare Advantage enrollment among individuals receiving HUD housing assistance.
• Variations in Availability of Assistive Tech Waivers Limits Access for Some— Article from the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab discussing the differences in the existence and availability of AT-related waivers across states and some inherent disparities.
• New website for The Link Center — An ACL resource that provides training and technical assistance and advances systems change that will increase access to effective services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, and other cognitive disabilities with co-occurring mental health conditions.
• HUD Resources To Support Housing-Related Services for People Experiencing Homelessness— An overview of federal health programs and resources that communities and housing providers can leverage to help people experiencing homelessness transition to and sustain their housing.
• ADvancing States - Person-Centered Approaches: Connecting Individuals to Services and Benefits— This brief describes person-centered approaches to gain understanding of an individual’s long-term services and supports, needs, and preferences to live the life they desire and value.