++ Housing, utilities, and food assistance are among the top needs of people seeking assistance nationwide, a survey conducted for United Way Worldwide finds. Read more.
| ++ On May 31, 2024, the Department of Veterans Affairs will launch a new program — the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program — to help more than 40,000 veterans experiencing severe financial hardship avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. If you are working with survivors who are veterans please Read More. |
++ AID in PA is a collaborative effort between ASERT (Autism Services, Education, Resources and Training) and its subsidiary teams #ASDNext and the Philly Autism Project, the HCQUs (Health Care Quality Units) across the state and Temple University’s department of Disability Resources and Services, all operating under Pennsylvania’s ODP (Office of Developmental Programs). They have produced trauma-informed sensory positive toolkits for the purpose of informing self-advocates, shelter staff/volunteers, families, caregivers, and Direct Support Professionals (DSP) on how to best support persons with sensory needs, including individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and/or Autism in a disaster shelter setting. These toolkits are available to download, print, and share here.
++ Sheltering Taskforce Information: Contact: Christine Heyser – [email protected]. Sheltering Toolkit here: https://bit.ly/COVID-19ShelteringTaskforce
++ The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Disaster Housing Recovery Update is available. In it you will find news of the United Nations Buildings and Climate Forum in Paris, France, and HUD’s efforts to decarbonize and increase resiliency within its programs and housing portfolio. In addition to helping tackle the climate crisis, investing in energy efficiency measures makes homes more resilient to climate-fueled disasters and reduces energy expenses. Read More.
++ Notes from the National Low Income Housing Coalition indicates:
- The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau mirrors what researchers have also found: that households with the fewest resources, as well as those who have disabilities or who have been historically marginalized were more likely to be displaced from homes by disasters than others.
- More than 44.8% of the country’s homes face at least one kind of “severe or extreme climate risk” from either flood, wind, wildfire, heat or air quality, according to the 2024 Realtor.com Housing and Climate Risk Report. Realtor.com provides climate factor risk scores for properties, highlighting potential disaster risks over the next 30 years, using data from the First Street Foundation. The total value of those homes is nearly $22 trillion, according to the study.
++ Researchers at Princeton have found that projected variations in temperature and precipitation are expected to drive increased flooding in the Northeast and Southeast, particularly along the Eastern Seaboard. Flooding will generally decrease in the Southwest and the Northern Great Plains. Read more.
++ Registration for the Rural Pennsylvania Housing Summit is open! The Summit will be held June 5, 2024, at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort, 777 Waterwheel Drive, Seven Springs, PA 15622. Click on these registration buttons to:
1. Preview the session lineup and register for the Rural Pennsylvania Housing Summit.
2. Determine if sponsorship is right for you.
3. Learn about the Pennsylvania Land Bank Summit that’s happening on June 4th and complete your registration.
++ The Housing Alliance is looking for workshop and presenter proposals for their 20th annual Homes Within Reach Conference, December 4 – 6, 2024, at the Hershey Lodge. Please review RFP questions here. Submit Your Workshop Ideas Here. The deadline to submit workshop proposals has been extended to April 26, 2024.
++ You can visit www.dhs.pa.gov/masscare to read about mass care in Pennsylvania, disaster feeding, and to get information about the exercise coming up in May of 2024. You can self-manage your subscriptions PA DHS publications at this site also.