Important Update:

New England Housing Forum

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the housing sector with unprecedented challenges. With a focus on New England, this forum seeks to highlight these challenges and introduce mitigation strategies that may be deployed at the community and project level to protect residents and minimize displacement. With an eye towards homelessness prevention, the forum will discuss Federal, state, and local government resources available to support these strategies.

Registration due by July24th at https://apps.hud.gov/emarc/index.cfm?fuseaction=emar.registerEvent&eventId=3914&update=N

 

FEMA Frequently Asked Questions about Duplication of Benefits

Federal funds generally cannot be used to pay for the exact same cost or activity already paid for from another source of funding. This is sometimes referred to as a prohibition on duplication of benefits (DOB), or “double-dipping.” Entities using multiple federal funding sources should be aware of the different authorities and program requirements for each funding source, being careful to avoid DOB in instances where they are paying for similar costs or activities from multiple sources.

 

USDA Rural Development–Multifamily Stakeholder Frequently Asked Questions

Multifamily Housing Partners,

As some key deadlines in the CARES Act are approaching, USDA-RD wanted to provide a few updated questions and answers to clarify how Rural Development Multifamily Housing programs will be impacted by the expiration of certain CARES Act provisions.

To review our previously posted Multifamily Housing (MFH) questions and answers on Covid-19, please visit the Rural Development COVID-19 Response website - https://www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus

 

Q1: The CARES Act prohibited late fees and evictions for USDA’s Multifamily Housing tenants for 120 days, expiring July 25. What happens now?

 

A: The CARES Act was enacted on March 27, 2020 and contained a prohibition on both nonpayment evictions and late fees for 120 days. This prohibition applies to all Rural Development MFH programs, including Section 514, Section 515 and Section 538 loans, as well as Multifamily voucher holders.

This prohibition on late fees remains in place for the period covered by the CARES Act, meaning that if a resident has unpaid rent on August 1, retroactive late fees may not be assessed. Late fees may only be charged going forward. We encourage MFH owners and agents to work with tenants wherever possible to assist them in maintaining housing, including processing interim certifications if possible or arranging payment plans for past-due balances.

In addition, while the national prohibition on nonpayment evictions will lift July 25, many state and local governments have ongoing restrictions. Owners and agents must closely follow any applicable local guidance in this matter.

As a reminder, properties under a forbearance/deferral agreement are prohibited from nonpayment evictions through the life of the deferral. For example, if a property requests a deferral for June, July, and August, no nonpayment evictions would be permitted until September 1.

 

Q2: Is USDA still accepting deferral requests in USDA’s Multifamily Housing Programs?

 

A: The 2020 CARES Act allows Multifamily borrowers experiencing a financial hardship related to COVID–19 to request forbearance for up to 90 days. Guidance on how to request this forbearance/deferral was distributed on April 2, 2020, and we encourage you to contact your Servicing Official with questions.

MFH has processed over 4,000 deferral requests for its 514 and 515 programs.

Forbearance/deferral requests are still being accepted for properties experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 that have not yet requested a forbearance. Requests will be accepted as long as the National Emergency is in place or through December 31, 2020. As a condition of a deferral, owners and management agents must not evict tenants for nonpayment of rent through the deferral period.

 

Q3: How can USDA Multifamily Housing owners and management agents assist tenants who experience an ongoing reduction in income due to COVID-19?

 

A: For tenants receiving Rental Assistance, an interim recertification should be completed as quickly as possible for any changes in monthly income. Tenants who completed a previous interim recertification may need to complete a second interim certification, for example if their unemployment benefits change or if a partial layoff becomes permanent. We encourage agents to be accurate but flexible, including receiving information by phone or email, and making accommodations when income changes can’t be verified due to business closures.

Given the high number of potential zero-income certifications, we have suspended Handbook 2-3560 Attachment 6-B used to verify living expenses for zero income interim recertifications. Tenants who have been laid off due to COVID-19 do not qualify for income annualization as mentioned in Handbook 2-3560 Chapter 6 Section 6.9 (4), as this emergency is not a seasonal or predictable layoff. Rent should be calculated based on current income.

We continue to appreciate your partnership through this challenging time. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your local RD staff if you have additional questions.

Open NH Website Now Online

The Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) is pleased to introduce the Open NH website. With residents and visitors eager to find places to go and things to see and do, the Open NH website will provide a comprehensive database of businesses that are open and services that are currently available.

We encourage all tourism businesses to sign up for a free listing on Open NH to let visitors know that you are open and ready to welcome them back. Your business listing will include the following information:

• New or resuming services offered
• Hours of operation
• Amenities
• Guidelines, restrictions or new requirements
• Reopening specials or deals
• Logo and images

To create your listing on Open NH, please click here. It takes just a minute to set up a new account and you can login and update your information at any time. If you have any questions please contact travel@livefree.nh.gov.

Concord, NH - Today, Governor Chris Sununu, Deborah Scher, Executive Advisor to the Secretary, Secretary's Center for Strategic Partnerships, Office of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Dean Kamen, and local VA officials, greeted a FedEx cargo plane carrying 400,000 gowns to be shipped to VA hospitals across the country on the tarmac of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.

“New Hampshire is here to help,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “We all have our skill sets, and New Hampshire has become an expert at procuring PPE. When Secretary Wilkie called, I let him know that this was a mission New Hampshire would take on. This is an all hands on deck effort, and New Hampshire is proud to play our part to help deliver these lifesaving materials to VA hospitals across the country.”

Through the leadership of Governor Sununu and his championing of VA causes, the ingenuity, humanitarian-focused efforts and patriotism of Dean Kamen and the whole team at DEKA, the NH National Guard and our team at VA Manchester, we have been able to put together a coalition unlike any other in the nation," said Deborah Scher, Executive Advisor to the Secretary, Secretary's Center for Strategic Partnerships, Office of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs. "New Hampshire is the single most dependable source for PPE for the entire VA serving 9M Veterans and protecting our healthcare workers.  The department could not be more grateful."

July 21, 2020

Department also awards $1 million to boost rural hospital lab capacity and opens second round of Keep Maine Healthy grants for municipalities

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced today four additional COVID-19 “swab and send” testing sites, the award of $1 million in federal funding to rural hospitals to increase their labs’ capacity to process COVID-19 tests, and a second round of grants to municipalities under the Keep Maine Healthy Plan to support local COVID-19 public health, education, and prevention efforts.

“While Maine people have made great progress in mitigating the spread of this dangerous virus, we cannot let our guard down now,” said Governor Janet Mills. “These positive steps build on our Administration’s work to expand access to testing and to support municipalities as they fight on the frontlines to keep people safe and healthy.”

“Maine people are to be commended for keeping the state’s COVID-19 infection rates among the lowest in the nation, but we must continue our robust response to the pandemic,” said DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew. “The actions announced today will further expand access to testing for residents and visitors, position our rural hospitals to increase lab capacity at a critical time, and enhance the valuable work of Maine municipalities in promoting the health of their communities.”

DHHS is finalizing agreements this week with four additional “swab and send” sites, in addition to the 18 sites announced last week, bringing the statewide total to 22. The sites will send samples to the Maine CDC’s Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL) for testing, strengthening access to safe and accessible testing for residents, tourists, seasonal workers, and other visitors to Maine. They will offer specimen collection free of charge to any individuals who believe they may have COVID-19 or could have been exposed to the virus, with or without symptoms, as defined under the DHHS Standing Order. The sites operate under several models, including drive up, drive through, mobile, and office settings. They typically require an appointment.

DHHS is finalizing agreements with the following four additional organizations:

• City of Westbrook
• Redington-Fairview General Hospital, Skowhegan
• Penobscot Valley Hospital, Lincoln
• York County Community Action Corp./Nasson Health Care, Sanford

Some of the swab and send sites are already in operation while others are coming online. As part of the Administration's vast expansion of testing capacity announced last month, DHHS formally invited applications that will use federal grant funding to support the establishment of these specimen collection sites and testing of their samples at HETL. The full list of current and proposed swab and send sites is below.

Penobscot Valley Hospital anticipates starting its swab and send site on Monday.

“We are very happy the Department is working with Penobscot Valley Hospital to be able to adapt to the evolving needs of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Crystal Landry, RN, CEO of Penobscot Valley Hospital. “Especially during these challenging times, providing local care and testing for the Lincoln Lakes Region remains our priority. The Swab and Send testing site, under the standing order, strengthens access to testing which is a key piece in ensuring our community stays safe and healthy.”

“Nasson Health Care welcomes the opportunity to work with the Maine CDC to improve access to coronavirus testing in York County,” said Martin Sabol, Director of Health Services at Nasson Health Care. “We now limit testing to only Nasson patients but plan to welcome community members in the next few weeks. We feel privileged to be working in Maine where strong public health leadership and reasonable prevention measures have kept the impact of COVID-19 low relative to many other states.”

The City of Westbrook plans to begin operating its swab and send site within the next week.

“Having this resource enhances testing capacity not only citywide, but statewide and will allow any resident, regardless of their background, financial status, or any other limiting factor to have the ability to test,” said Westbrook Fire Chief and Local Health Officer Andrew Turcotte. “Reducing those barriers to testing is critical to our public health response as we all work to defeat this pandemic.”

“We are excited to work and partner with DHHS with the Swab & Send program as we all work collaboratively, in our combined efforts to combat this pandemic,” said Westbrook Mayor Mike Foley.

Redington-Fairview expects to begin offering testing under the swab and send agreement in two to three weeks.

“We are pleased to be able to offer this service for members of our community and Somerset County,”said Lindsay Webber, Director of Laboratory Services at Redington-Fairview General Hospital.

These 22 sites complement the roughly 40 current testing sites already available to the public. DHHS aims to further increase the number of testing sites outside of health care office settings and continues to accept applications for the swab and send effort to ensure access throughout Maine.

The swab and send sites help Maine meet the primary goal of the $52.7 million in federal funding the Mills Administration announced in May: to enhance prevention, detection, and mitigation of the spread of COVID-19 in Maine. DHHS is also announcing today action on the second goal of bolstering capacity at labs operated by Maine’s rural hospitals. DHHS is awarding a total of $1 million to 25 hospitals to expand laboratory capacity to help them respond to COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks.

Finally, DHHS is announcing a second opportunity for Maine municipalities and Tribal governments to apply for funding under the Keep Maine Healthy plan. Following the award of almost $9 million earlier this month to nearly 100 cities and towns, DHHS is now awarding an additional $4 million to incentivize municipalities and Tribal governments to develop and implement their own COVID-19 prevention, education and protection plans. The initiative will reimburse municipal costs associated with public health education and prevention activities. Municipal plans, supported with Coronavirus Relief Funds from the CARES Act, aim to help keep Maine people and visitors safe from COVID-19 through public education activities, physical distancing and public health support, and local business assistance.

Round two of the Keep Maine Healthy grant program will cover expenses incurred from August 1 – October 31, 2020, with applications due to Maine CDC by Friday July 31, 2020.

COVID-19 testing site details

Some of the organizations operating swab and send sites, as well as other organizations, are offering testing at additional sites outside of the swab and send agreement with DHHS. For a complete and frequently updated list of all COVID-19 testing sites in Maine, visit Get-Tested-COVID19.org.

The 22 current and proposed DHHS-sponsored swab and send sites are:

• Bangor: Northern Light
• Brewer: PCHC (currently operational)
• Old Town: PCHC (currently operational)
• Augusta: MaineGeneral (currently operational)
• Portland: Northern Light
• South Portland: Northern Light
• Belfast: PCHC (currently operational)
• Ellsworth: Northern Light
• Blue Hill: Northern Light
• Dover-Foxcroft: Northern Light
• Presque Isle: Northern Light
• Calais: Calais Regional Hospital (currently operational)
• Greenville: Northern Light
• Waterville: Northern Light
• Pittsfield: Northern Light
• Bar Harbor: MDI Hospital (currently operational for frontline workforce testing for participating businesses)
• Fort Kent: Northern Maine Medical Center
• Westbrook: City of Westbrook
• Skowhegan: Redington-Fairview General Hospital
• Lincoln: Penobscot Valley Hospital
• Sanford: York County Community Action Corp./Nasson Health Care
• Mobile site: Promerica Health

The Department is also separately supporting York Hospital in its drive-through point-of-care testing site which has been open since July 1, 2020.

NH Businesses, If you experience any technical difficulties with your GAP-FUND application, please complete the GOFERR Help form using the link below:

 www.goferr.nh.gov/contact  

• DOVER, N.H. – With fall sports season approaching, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital and Wentworth Health Partners Seacoast Orthopedics & Sports Medicine are pleased to host pre-participation school sports physicals during convenient evening hours on July 28, August 5, and August 13. 

• 
  

• July 28 & August 13, 2020, 5:30 - 7:00pm

Seacoast Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
7 Marsh Brook Drive
Somersworth, NH

• August 5, 2020 | 5:30 - 7:00pm

Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
67 Corporate Drive, Building A
Portsmouth, NH

            Many school systems require pre-participation sports physicals to make sure there are no underlying health conditions that might put a child at risk of a serious health condition while participating in their chosen sport.  Sports physicals are similar to routine physicals and involve reviewing family health history and a physical exam to make sure posture, joints, strength, and flexibility are within normal ranges. During the sports physical, the physician will record measurements such as height and weight, blood pressure and pulse, as well as checking the heart, abdomen, ears, nose, lungs, and throat.

Limited walk-in appointments are available and insurance is not required.  The cost for these sports physicals is $20 and ages 12 and up are welcome.  If a child is under the age of 18, a parent/guardian must be present.  Because of COVID-19 visitor restrictions, only parents or guardians may accompany the patient. To schedule an appointment, please call (603) 742-2007 and select Option 1.

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (wdhospital.org) is a not-for-profit charitable health care organization located in Dover, New Hampshire with a 110-year history of compassionate care and innovation. Serving the Seacoast communities since 1906, it is a family of 3,000 employees including 500+ registered nurses and a medical staff of over 480 physicians and advanced practitioners dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of residents and visitors to the Seacoast area of New Hampshire and Southern Maine. Wentworth-Douglass Hospital was awarded Magnet® designation in 2016, joined the Massachusetts General Hospital family in 2017 and includes a 178-bed hospital, several urgent care and walk-in facilities, multiple testing centers, Wentworth Health Partners (primary and specialty provider practices), The Works Family Health and Fitness Center and the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation.

DON'T GO VIRAL CAMPAIGN

Using the lingo of social media (and the way users communicate on those platforms), the "Don't Go Viral" campaign frames the messaging of masks/social distancing/testing in a simple and relevant way. The campaign will feature a series of clever headlines paired with concise and direct messaging around the importance of following COVID-19 safety protocols.

To view complete details about the campaign, please download the presentation from the link below. We encourage you to share these graphics on your own social media channels. Please note: the following graphics should not be modified to include additional images or logos.  However, please feel free to use your own text in the copy of the social posts to best reflect the needs of your own property.

https://www.visitnh.gov/industry-members/industry-resources/seasonal-campaigns/covid-19/viral

When: Thursday, August 6, 10:00am-11:00am
Register: HERE

2020 has been hard, to say the least on small businesses. The SBA and our partners continue to provide assistance to not only start a business, but to grow your business by providing assistance to access new global markets.

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Maine International Trade Center (MITC), the SBA Maine District Office, and the SBA Maine Exporter of the Year 2019 are conducting a webinar to provide you with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration to explore your possibility to access global markets.

Getting Back on Track-- SBA Loan Programs and Technical Assistance Programs

When: Thursday, July 23, 9:00am-11:00am
Register: HERE

If you are thinking about starting your own business, or already own a small business and want it to grow, then please join us for this no-cost informative webinar.

Representatives from the Small Business Administration's Maine District Office will discuss; recognizing good ideas for a business, deciding if your business idea will work, the steps to take to get started, and what lenders are looking for from borrowers.

If you already have a business and are looking to grow, this webinar will also discuss ways to increase sales through targeted marketing, and introduce you to no-cost partners who can help you achieve ongoing success in your venture.

When: Wednesday, July 22, 2:30pm-4:30pm
Register: HERE

Are you thinking about starting a new business or purchasing one but do not have the knowledge or experience?

Many people consider business ownership as an alternative to employment. Do you have a great idea to fill a need? Are you a subject matter expert in your field? Have you been working in your industry and are now interested in branching out on your own? Do you need to know more about the ins and outs of operating a business? Do you want to take advantage of the services available to put yourself on a road to success?

The U.S. Small Business Administration can help you start, grow, expand, and recover your business. This workshop will help you start out on the right path! This two (2) hour workshop will provide an overview of SBA programs and service, and cover the basics of starting a business.