The continuum of care (COC) program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, states, and local…

The Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Hearth Connection $352,280 on April 1, 2026, under the Continuum of Care Program (CFDA 14.267) to address unsheltered and rural homelessness through a Special Notice of Funding Opportunity. The award funds eligible activities including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, transitional housing, supportive services only, coordinated entry, and homeless management information systems. For rural set-aside projects, eligible costs also include up to six months of rent or utility arrears, short-term emergency lodging in motels or shelters, repairs up to $10,000 per structure to make housing habitable, emergency food and clothing assistance, costs associated with federal inventory property programs, and capacity building activities. Hearth Connection, a St. Paul-based tax-exempt nonprofit, serves as fiscal agent and lead coordinator distributing funds to partner organizations that collectively deliver permanent housing placement, case management, and wraparound support services across the Twin Cities homeless services continuum. The period of performance runs from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2029, with work performed in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Continuum of Care Program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to ending homelessness, quickly house homeless individuals and families while minimizing trauma and dislocation, and optimize self-sufficiency among persons experiencing homelessness.

Activities

Continuum of care program funds under the special nofo may be used to pay for the following eligible costs: • permanent housing (PH): permanent supportive housing (PSH) • PH: rapid RE-housing (RRH) • joint transitional housing (TH) and PH-RRH • supportive services only (SSO) coordinated entry (SSO-CE) • SSO-non CE: street outreach or SSO other • homeless management information systems (hmis) projects awarded under the rural set aside may also fund the following eligible costs: • up to 6 months of rent or utility arrears after 2 months of nonpayment of rent or utilities; • short-term emergency lodging in motels or shelters, either directly or through vouchers; • repairs, up to $10,000 per structure, that are necessary to make housing habitable to be used for transitional or permanent housing; • emergency food and clothing assistance; • costs associated with making use of federal inventory property programs to house individuals and families experiencing homelessness; and • capacity building activities. Detailed information on the eligible activities funded can be found at: • unsheltered set aside: special nofo to address unsheltered and rural homelessness (https://WWW.HUD.GOV/program_offices/comm_planning/COC/specialcocnofo/competiton_resources). Refer the slides listed under the "kick off webinar: special nofo to address unsheltered and rural homelessness - june 28, 2022". • rural set aside: rural focus: special nofo to address unsheltered and rural homelessness (https://WWW.HUD.GOV/program_offices/comm_planning/COC/specialcocnofo/competiton_resources). Refer the slide listed under the "rural focus: special nofo to address unsheltered and rural homelessness - june 29, 2022"

Expected outcomes

The purpose of this special nofo to address unsheltered and rural homelessness (special nofo) is to target efforts to reduce unsheltered homelessness, particularly in communities with very high levels of unsheltered homelessness and homelessness in rural areas. Through this special nofo, HUD will award funding to communities to implement coordinated approaches - grounded in housing first and public health principles - to reduce the prevalence of unsheltered homelessness, and improve services engagement, health outcomes, and housing stability among highly vulnerable unsheltered individuals and families. HUD expects applicant communities to partner with health and housing agencies to leverage mainstream housing and healthcare resources

Intended beneficiaries

Individuals and families experiencing unsheltered and rural homelessness

Subrecipient activities

The subrecipient activities are unknown at the time of award