++ 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.
| The National Low Income Housing Coalition has released Advancing Equity: Strategies, Tactics, and Best Practices for Disaster-Impacted Communities, a comprehensive toolkit for advocates and organizers in communities that have experienced or are likely to experience climate change-induced disasters. Alongside their other destructive consequences, disasters cause housing instability, homelessness, and permanent displacement and often exacerbate existing racial and social inequities. Advocates are encouraged to use the new toolkit to educate policymakers and the public about the systemic barriers to equitable and complete disaster housing recovery and the steps necessary for reforming our nation’s disaster housing recovery framework. |
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| To search for shelters near you, text SHELTER and the ZIP code to 43362 (e.g. Shelter 12345). You may look up shelters any time through the American Red Cross shelter map or by downloading the FEMA App. |
| ++ The Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program helps 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 – cheyser@pa.gov. Sheltering Toolkit here: https://bit.ly/COVID-19ShelteringTaskforce
++ The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Disaster Housing Recovery Update is available.
++ 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.
++ You can visit www.dhs.pa.gov/masscare to read about mass care in Pennsylvania, and disaster feeding. You can self-manage your subscriptions PA DHS publications at this site also.
++ Coming in January: PA DHS G108: Community Mass Care and Emergency Assistance – Tuesday, January 14 and Wednesday January 15, 2025. This free training will be held at the Venango County Franklin Professional Building, 150 Prospect St., Franklin, PA 16323. Mass Care and Emergency Assistance (MC/EA) has evolved beyond the traditional sheltering, distribution of emergency supplies, and feeding and now includes:
• Access and functional needs support
• Reunification services
• Evacuation support and
• Support to household pets and service animals.
This course is designed to provide training for local communities to prepare for and manage this function effectively. The goal is to prepare community agencies, organizations, and businesses to work together to provide Mass Care and Emergency Assistance services. This course is not a “how to” for sheltering. Participants will use this information to build community emergency action Items and to identify gaps in the community’s program. This course is intended for emergency managers, community agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), and private sector organizations that will collaborate to provide Mass Care and Emergency Assistance. Learn more at www.train.org/pa or at https://www.pavoad.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/G108-FLYER-MASS-CARE_EMERGENCY-ASSISTANCE.pdf.