8.27.19 CoC 6300 25 .pdf

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Community Planning and Development

Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Continuum of Care

Program Competition

FR-6300-N-25

Application Due Date: 09/30/2019

Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Continuum of Care

Program Competition

FR-6300-N-25

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description and Program Overview II. HUD's Homeless Policy Priorities and Program Highlights

III. Continuum of Care Program Requirements IV. Award Information V. Eligibility Information

VI. Application and Submission Information VII. Application Review Information

VIII. Project Review and Selection Process IX. Award Administration Information X. Appeals

XI. Agency Contacts XII. Other Information

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Program Office: Community Planning and Development Funding Opportunity Title: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Continuum of Care Program Competition

Announcement Type: Initial Funding Opportunity Number: FR-6300-N-25 Primary CFDA Number: 14.267 Due Date for Applications: 09/30/2019

HUD is prohibited from disclosing 1) information regarding any applicant’s relative standing,

2) the amount of assistance requested by an applicant, and 3) any information contained in the application. Prior to the application deadline, HUD may not disclose the identity of any applicant or the number of applicants that have applied for assistance.

For Further Information regarding this NOFA - Please direct specific program requirements of this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to the agency contact identified in Section XI.

Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access these numbers via TTY by calling the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

OMB Approval Number(s): 25060112

I. Funding Opportunity Description and Program Overview A. Program Description. The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program (24 CFR part 578) is designed to promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; to provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, states, and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals, families, persons fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and youth while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused by homelessness; to promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and to optimize self-sufficiency among those experiencing homelessness.

B. Authority. The CoC Program is authorized by subtitle C of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, (42 U.S.C. 11381–11389) (the Act), and the CoC Program rule found in 24 CFR part 578 (the Rule). The Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 funds were authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-6, approved February 15, 2019) (FY 2019 HUD Appropriations Act).

C. Deadline. The deadline for submitting applications to HUD for the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition is 8:00 PM Eastern time on September 30, 2019. Applicants must complete and submit their applications in e-snaps at https://esnaps.hud.gov/. See Sections VI.E and F of this NOFA for application submission and timely receipt requirements.

https://esnaps.hud.gov/

D. Available Funds. Approximately $2.3 billion is available in this FY 2019 CoC Program Competition CoC, including up to $50 million available for Domestic Violence (DV) Bonus projects, described in Section III.C.3.h of this NOFA. HUD may add to the total amount with available funds that have been carried over or recaptured from previous fiscal years. All requirements in the FY 2019 application process, including requirements for the entire CoC Consolidated Application and the total amount of funds available, are included in this NOFA. HUD will continue to require Collaborative Applicants to rank all projects, except CoC planning and Unified Funding Agency (UFA) Costs in two tiers as described in Sections II.B.10.a and b of this NOFA.

E. Summary of the Application Process. The FY 2019 CoC Program Competition is administered under the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition NOFA and 24 CFR part 578.

Applicants should review and follow the steps as outlined below to ensure applications are complete and submitted timely. Documents referenced in this section can be found on the HUD Exchange at https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/e-snaps/.

1. CoC Registration. Collaborative Applicants were required to complete the FY 2019 CoC Program Registration in accordance with CPD-18-03: Continuum of Care Program Regis tration. If a Collaborative Applicant did not complete the FY 2019 CoC Program Registration, HUD moved the previous year's registration forward with no changes.

2. CoC Project Review and Ranking. Project applications submitted to the CoC for inclusion on the FY 2019 CoC Priority Listing as part of the CoC Consolidated Application must be reviewed and either accepted and ranked or rejected by the CoC. All project applications approved by the CoC must be listed on the CoC Priority Listing in rank order, except project applications for CoC planning and UFA Costs projects which are not ranked. Higher ranked projects will be assigned to Tier 1 and lower ranked projects will be assigned to Tier 2 as described in Sections II.B.10.a and b of this NOFA. The purpose of this two-tiered approach is for CoCs to indicate to HUD which projects are prioritized for funding.

3. CoC Consolidated Application Submission. Collaborative Applicants, including any Collaborative Applicant designated by HUD as an UFA, are responsible for submitting the CoC Consolidated Application in e-snaps on behalf of the CoC. The CoC Consolidated Application is made up of the following three parts:

a. FY 2019 CoC Application. The Collaborative Applicant must provide information about the CoC planning body, governance structure, overall performance, and the strategic planning process. This part of the application is scored and will determine the order in which CoCs are funded.

b. FY 2019 Project Application. Project applications must be completed by project applicants for all renewal, new, CoC planning, UFA Costs, and renewal YHDP including the population(s) and subpopulation(s) they will serve, the type of housing and services that will be provided, and the budget activities that are being requested.

Collaborative Applicants applying for CoC planning and UFA Costs (if designated as an UFA by HUD) must provide a description of the activities that will be carried out with CoC Program grant funds. For more information on project applications, see Section V of this NOFA. Additionally, all project applicants must ensure their organization has a Code of Conduct that complies with the requirements of 2 CFR part https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/e-snaps/ https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/5695/fy-2018-coc-program-registration-notice/ https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/5695/fy-2018-coc-program-registration-notice/

200 and is on file with HUD at https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm/gmomgmt /grantsinfo/conduct. If the organization's Code of Conduct does not appear on HUD's website, the project applicant must attach its Code of Conduct that includes all required information to its Project Applicant Profile in e-snaps.

c. FY 2019 CoC Priority Listing. The CoC Priority Listing includes:

(1) the reallocation forms for CoCs to indicate which eligible renewal projects, if any, will be reduced or eliminated through the reallocation process;

(2) five separate project listing forms-three of which, new, renewal, and YHDP, are for ranked projects, and two for nonranked projects: CoC planning and UFA costs (if applicable);

(3) form HUD-2991, Certification of Consistency with the Consolidated Plan, which must be signed and dated between May 1, 2019 and September 30, 2019.

The project listing forms rank all new (reallocated, CoC bonus, and DV Bonus) and renewal project applications in order of priority and identify any project applications rejected by the CoC. HUD is not requiring Collaborative Applicants to rank CoC planning and UFA Costs; however, Collaborative Applicants must ensure that only one project application for CoC planning, and if designated an UFA by HUD, one project application for UFA Costs is submitted by the CoC. The Collaborative Applicant cannot accurately complete the project listing forms of the CoC Priority Listing until all project applications have been submitted to the CoC. Further, the Collaborative Applicant will be required to certify that there is a demonstrated need for all ranked permanent housing renewal projects on the Renewal Project Listing. For more information on the CoC Priority Listing, see Section VI.F.3 of this NOFA.

F. Eligible Applicants.

1. Collaborative Applicants. Only those CoCs with a valid registration for FY 2019 will have access to the FY 2019 CoC Consolidated Application, which includes the CoC Application, CoC Priority Listing, and the project application(s). CoCs should not attempt to change Collaborative Applicants during the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition without HUD's prior approval, unless HUD replaces the CoC's designated Collaborative Applicant under the authority of Section 402(c) of the Act. HUD will approve Collaborative Applicant changes outside the annual CoC Program Registration process under the following circumstances:

a. the Collaborative Applicant made an error when entering the Collaborative Applicant name in the CoC Applicant Profile;

b. the Collaborative Applicant designated by the CoC is no longer in business;

c. the CoC selected a new Collaborative Applicant; or

d. a new Collaborative Applicant was selected by HUD as a remedial action under Section 402(c) of the Act.

In cases where the CoC needs to change the Collaborative Applicant approved during the FY 2019 CoC Program Registration process, the CoC must notify the local HUD CPD field office, in writing, stating the reason for the Collaborative Applicant https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm/gmomgmt/grantsinfo/conduct https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm/gmomgmt/grantsinfo/conduct change. The notice to HUD must provide documentation of the CoC's approval of the change (e.g., a copy of the meeting minutes to include the date and attendees).

2. Project Applicants. Eligible project applicants for the CoC Program are identified in Section V.A of this NOFA. Tribes, tribal housing authorities, and for-profit entities are ineligible and applications from them will not be reviewed.

G. Amendments to FY 2019 CoC Program Registration. If a geographic area that includes projects eligible to apply for renewal funding during the CoC Program Competition was not claimed by a CoC in the FY 2019 CoC Program Registration process, a contiguous CoC or the Balance of State CoC may contact HUD in writing through the e-snaps Ask A Question (AAQ) on the HUD Exchange to request that its Registration and FY 2019 Grant Inventory Worksheet (GIW) be amended to include the unclaimed geographic area and the renewal project(s).

H. Local Competition Deadlines. 24 CFR 578.9 requires CoCs to design, operate, and follow a collaborative process for the development of an application in response to a NOFA issued by HUD. As part of this collaborative process, CoCs should implement internal competition deadlines and notification processes to ensure transparency and fairness at the local level. The implementation of deadlines that meet the standards outlined in Section VII.B.1.d of this NOFA for FY 2019 project applications will be part of the scoring criteria.

I. CoC Review of Project Applications. HUD expects each CoC to implement a thorough review and oversight process at the local level for both new and renewal project applications submitted to HUD in the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition. It has been HUD’s experience that many project applications contain information that results in conditions on the grant; or for more serious infractions, a project application being rejected. Deficient project applications prolong the review process for HUD, which results in delayed funding announcements, lost funding for CoCs due to rejected projects, and delays in funds to house and assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness. CoCs are expected to closely review information provided in each project application to ensure:

1. all proposed program participants will be eligible for the program component type selected;

2. the information provided in the project application and proposed activities are eligible and consistent with program requirements at 24 CFR part 578;

3. each project narrative is fully responsive to the question being asked and that it meets all the criteria for that question as required by this NOFA;

4. the data provided in various parts of the project application are consistent; and,

5. all required attachments correspond to the list of attachments in e-snaps that must contain accurate and complete information that are dated between May 1, 2019 and September 30, 2019.

J. FY 2019 CoC Program Competition NOFA. CoCs and applicants should read this NOFA in its entirety in conjunction with the Rule to ensure a comprehensive understanding of and compliance with all CoC Program requirements. This NOFA frequently references citations from the Rule.

1. CoCs should consider the policy priorities established in this NOFA in conjunction with local priorities to determine the ranking of new and renewal project application requests. See Section II of this NOFA for more information on HUD's homelessness policy priorities and program highlights.

2. HUD will conduct a threshold review of ranked projects for all CoCs that submit the CoC Consolidated Application by the application deadline.

3. HUD may issue up to two conditional funding announcements, except that in the case of CoCs that have been affected by a disaster and for which HUD has extended the deadline for application submission, HUD may issue additional announcements.

4. HUD will score the FY 2019 CoC Application portion of the Consolidated Application in accordance with the criteria set forth in Section VII.B of this NOFA.

5. HUD will select new and renewal project applications in Tier 1 in accordance with the criteria set forth in Section II.B.10.a of this NOFA.

6. The project application score(s), which will incorporate the CoC Application score, will determine which projects in Tier 2 will be conditionally selected for award as set forth in Section II.B.10.b of this NOFA.

II. HUD's Homeless Policy Priorities and Program Highlights A. Policy Priorities. This section provides additional context regarding the selection criteria found in Section VII.B of this NOFA and is included here to help applicants better understand how the selection criteria support the goal of ending homelessness:

1. Ending homelessness for all persons. To end homelessness, CoCs should identify, engage, and effectively serve all persons experiencing homelessness. CoCs should measure their performance based on local data that consider the challenges faced by all subpopulations experiencing homelessness in the geographic area (e.g., veterans, youth, families, or those experiencing chronic homelessness). CoCs should have a comprehensive outreach strategy in place to identify and continuously engage all unsheltered individuals and families. Additionally, CoCs should use local data to determine the characteristics of individuals and families with the highest needs and long experiences of unsheltered homelessness to develop housing and supportive services tailored to their needs. Finally, CoCs should use the reallocation process to create new projects that improve their overall performance and better respond to their needs.

2. Creating a systemic response to homelessness. CoCs should be using system performance measures such as the average length of homeless episodes, rates of return to homelessness, and rates of exit to permanent housing destinations to determine how effectively they are serving people experiencing homelessness. Additionally, CoCs should use their Coordinated Entry process to promote participant choice, coordinate homeless assistance and mainstream housing and services to ensure people experiencing homelessness receive assistance quickly, and make homelessness assistance open, inclusive, and transparent.

3. Strategically allocating and using resources. Using cost, performance, and outcome data, CoCs should improve how resources are utilized to end homelessness. CoCs should review project quality, performance, and cost effectiveness. HUD also encourages CoCs to maximize the use of mainstream and other community-based resources when serving persons experiencing homelessness. CoCs should also work to develop partnerships to help CoC Program participants sustainably exit permanent supportive housing, such as through partnerships with Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and other government, faith-based, and nonprofit resources specializing in areas such as treating mental illness, treating substance abuse, job training, life skills, or similar activities, including those that help CoC Program participants, whenever possible, reach recovery, self-sufficiency, and independence. Finally, CoCs should review all projects eligible for renewal in FY 2019 to determine their effectiveness in serving people experiencing homelessness, including cost effectiveness.

4. Using an Evidence-Based Approach. CoCs should prioritize projects that employ strong use of data and evidence, including the cost-effectiveness and impact of homelessness programs on positive housing outcomes, recovery, self-sufficiency, and reducing homelessness. Examples of measures that CoCs may use to evaluate projects include, but are not limited to: rates of positive housing outcomes, such as reduced length of time homeless and reduced rates of return to homelessness; improvements in employment and income; and improvements in overall well-being, such as improvements in mental health, physical health, connections to family, and safety.

5. Increasing employment. Employment provides people experiencing homelessness with income to afford housing. Employment also improves recovery outcomes for individuals with mental illness or addiction. CoCs and CoC-funded projects should work with local employment agencies and employers to prioritize training and employment opportunities for people experiencing homelessness. CoC’s should also promote partnerships with public and private organizations that promote employment.

6. Providing Flexibility for Housing First with Service Participation Requirements. The traditional Housing First approach has two basic parts: First, individuals are rapidly placed and stabilized in permanent housing without any preconditions regarding income, work effort, sobriety or any other factor. Second, once in housing, individuals never face requirements to participate in services as a condition of retaining their housing. The first part, placement into permanent housing without preconditions, is an important priority to ensure that federal funds are allocated to providers that serve the most vulnerable homeless individuals. This NOFA maintains the commitment to unconditional acceptance of individuals into housing, especially for people with a high degree of vulnerability. At the same time, allowing service participation requirements once a person has been stably housed may promote important outcomes (e.g., employment, increased income, reduced substance use, and strengthened social connection), so this NOFA also provides communities and programs with flexibility, without penalty, to use service participation requirements after people have been stabilized in housing (consistent with 24 CFR 578.75(h)).

B. CoC Program Implementation. The following list highlights important information that applicants should consider as they are preparing the FY 2019 CoC Application and project applications(s). This is not an exhaustive list of considerations or requirements; therefore, all applicants and CoC stakeholders should carefully review the Rule for comprehensive information.

1. Performance-Based Decisions. Consistent with the requirements of the FY 2019

Appropriations Act:

a. CoCs cannot receive grants for new projects, other than through reallocation, unless the CoC competitively ranks projects based on how they improve system performance as outlined in Section VII.B.1.a of this NOFA;

b. HUD is increasing the share of the CoC score that is based on performance criteria;

and

c. HUD will prioritize funding for CoCs that have demonstrated the ability to reallocate resources to higher performing projects.

2. Transition Grants. See Section III.C.2.u of this NOFA for a definition of the transition grant.

3. Domestic Violence (DV) Bonus. The FY 2019 HUD Appropriations Act provides up to $50 million for “rapid re-housing projects and supportive service projects providing coordinated entry, and for eligible activities that the Secretary determines are critical in order to assist survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.” In the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition, CoCs will be able to apply for a DV Bonus for Permanent Housing-Rapid Rehousing (PH-RRH) projects, Joint TH and PH-RRH component projects, and SSO projects for coordinated entry (SSO-CE). Except as provided in Section II.B.1.a of this NOFA, a CoC may apply for up to 10 percent of its Preliminary Pro Rata Need (PPRN), or a minimum of $50,000, whichever is greater, or a maximum of $5 million, whichever is less, to create DV Bonus projects.

A CoC may apply for the following types of projects:

a. Rapid Re-housing (PH-RRH) projects that demonstrate trauma-informed, victim-centered approaches.

b. Joint TH and PH-RRH component projects as defined in Section III.C.2.n of this NOFA that demonstrate trauma-informed, victim-centered approaches.

c. SSO Projects for Coordinated Entry (SSO-CE) to implement policies, procedures, and practices that equip the CoC’s coordinated entry to better meet the needs of people experience homelessness who are survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking (e.g., to implement policies and procedures that are trauma-informed, client-centered or to better coordinate referrals between the CoC’s coordinated entry and the victim service providers coordinated entry system where they are different).

Regardless of the type of project the CoC applies for, the grant term must be 1-year.

A CoC can only submit one project application for an SSO-CE project. A CoC may apply for any number of PH-RRH and Joint TH and PH-RRH projects provided that each application is for at least $25,000. A CoC may also apply to expand an existing renewal project in accordance with Section III.C.2.j of this NOFA, including one that was previously funded with DV Bonus funding. DV Bonus funding may be used to expand an existing renewal project that is not dedicated to serving survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking who meet the definition of homeless in paragraph (4) of 24 CFR 578.3 so long as the DV Bonus funds for expansion are solely for additional units, beds, or services dedicated to persons eligible to be served with DV Bonus funding.

4. DV Bonus projects Awarded in FY 2018. DV Bonus projects awarded funding in the FY 2018 CoC Program Competition are eligible to apply for renewal in the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition provided:

a. the project has an operating end date in Calendar Year (CY) 2020 (between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020); and

b. continues to serve 100 percent survivors of domestic violence, date violence, or stalking.

5. Consolidated Project. Eligible renewal project applicants will continue to have the ability to consolidate two or more eligible renewal projects (but no more than four projects) into one project application during the application process. The projects being combined during a grant consolidation will continue uninterrupted. To be eligible for consolidation, the projects must have the same recipient and be for the same component;

and will be funded in this competition only with FY 2019 funds (meaning no funds recaptured from prior years will be awarded to the project). HUD will not permit projects with the following characteristics to consolidate:

a. outstanding audit or monitoring findings;

b. outstanding obligation to HUD that is in arrears,

c. unresolved construction delays,

d. history of poor financial management or drawdown issues,

e. history of low occupancy levels, or lack of experience in administering the project type, or

f. or other capacity issues.

HUD will not permit a transitional housing and a permanent housing project to consolidate to form a Joint TH and PH-RRH component project and will not permit a transition grant to be consolidated with any other project. If a project meeting these characteristics attempts to consolidate as part of the project application process, the submitted consolidated project will be rejected by HUD during the application review process.

To apply for a consolidated grant, applicants must submit separate renewal project applications for each of the grants that are proposed to be consolidated, and an application for the new consolidated grant with the combined budget and information of all grants proposed for consolidation. Project applications for the grants that are proposed to be consolidated will be ranked, and if all those grants are selected, HUD will award the single consolidated grant. If one of the grants proposed to be consolidated is found to be ineligible for consolidation or is not selected, HUD will award all grants that are eligible for renewal and selected as separate grants. See Section V.B.3.a.(7) of this NOFA for additional requirements.

Collaborative Applicants designated as UFAs have more flexibility in how they manage their CoC Program-funded projects making consolidating projects through the FY 2019 project application process unnecessary. A Collaborative Applicant with UFA designation can consolidate projects during the grant term, so long as the consolidations are not combining different component types and the projects are funded under the same grant

(e.g., projects are currently funded under the same renewal grant). If a Collaborative Applicant consolidates projects during the grant term, it can apply to renew them during the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition as consolidated projects.

6. Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP). YHDP projects that were initially awarded in FY 2016 may be eligible for renewal in the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition provided they meet the requirements of the CoC Program and will have an operating end date in Calendar Year (CY) 2020 (between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020). The following are applicable to YHDP projects renewing in the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition:

a. may only request 1 year of renewal funding; and

b. if the project applicant has more than one YHDP project that is eligible for renewal in FY 2019, the project applicant can consolidate the renewing YHDP projects through the renewal application provided it follows the process outlined in Section II.B.5 of this NOFA.

A YHDP project that requested and received a waiver for activities related to youth must attach a new waiver request to the FY 2019 renewal application that will be reviewed by HUD. YHDP projects cannot use the reallocation process, consolidate with a non-YHDP project, nor use the expansion processes outlined in Section III.C.2.j of this NOFA.

7. Adjustments for Ineligible Projects. If an ineligible renewal project is submitted in this Competition or used in the reallocation process, HUD will remove the ineligible project when calculating the final ARD amount for the CoC. To be eligible for renewal in FY 2019, a project must have an executed grant agreement by December 31, 2019 and have an expiration date in Calendar Year (CY) 2020 (between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020).

8. HMIS. As directed by Congress, HUD must provide an annual estimate of all individuals and families experiencing homelessness nationwide and within the territories. Therefore, all CoCs must have an HMIS that has the capacity to collect unduplicated counts of individuals and families experiencing homelessness and provide information to project subrecipients and applicants for needs analysis and funding priorities. Additionally, CoC and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program recipients must participate in the local HMIS; unless a recipient is a victim service provider or legal service provider, in which case it must use a comparable database and provide de-identified information to the CoC. For many communities, the inclusion of ESG recipients and subrecipients and other HUD federal partners (e.g., the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Veterans Affairs) that require their programs to use the CoC’s HMIS, will mean an increase in users that the HMIS must be able to accommodate. HUD expects communities to be able to use the HMIS information as well as aggregate data from comparable databases to review performance for the entire CoC geographic area, not just at the project level. The HMIS Lead should continue to consider any unique needs that the HMIS might be required to address to accommodate emergency shelter, street outreach, homelessness prevention, and other federal programs.

9. Review of CoC Rankings. CoCs will be required to rank all new reallocated, CoC Bonus, DV Bonus, and renewal project applications submitted by project applicants in e-snaps, except CoC planning and UFA Costs (if applicable) projects. Additionally, if a CoC's Renewal Project Listing includes a consolidated project application(s) HUD will follow the ranking process outlined in Section II.B.5 of this NOFA. HUD will not review any project that is rejected by the CoC.

10. HUD Funding Process. HUD will continue the Tier 1 and Tier 2 funding process and CoCs and applicants should ensure there is a thorough understanding of the information provided in this NOFA. For CoC Collaborative Applicants designated as an UFA, HUD will use the selection process described in Section II.B.10 of this NOFA. HUD will establish each CoC’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 amounts based on the total amount of funds requested by eligible renewal project applications on the Renewal Project Listing combined with the eligible renewal project amount(s) that were reallocated as listed on the reallocation forms in the CoC Priority Listing. HUD will post a report that lists each CoC’s PPRN amount, estimated ARD amount, Tier 1 amount, CoC planning amount, amount for CoC Bonus, and maximum amount for DV Bonus, on the HUD Exchange. HUD has also posted the GIWs on the HUD Exchange. Section VIII of this NOFA provides additional information regarding project selection.

a. Tier 1. Tier 1 is equal to 100 percent of the combined Annual Renewal Amounts for all projects eligible for renewal for the first time plus 94 percent of the combined Annual Renewal Amounts for all other projects eligible for renewal. Project applications in Tier 1 will be conditionally selected from the highest scoring CoC to the lowest scoring CoC, provided the project applications pass both eligibility and quality threshold review. Any type of new or renewal project application can be placed in Tier 1, except for CoC Planning and UFA Costs (if applicable), which are not ranked. However, in the event insufficient funding is available to award all Tier 1 projects, Tier 1 will be reduced proportionately, which could result in some Tier 1 projects falling into Tier 2. Therefore, CoCs should carefully determine the priority and ranking for all project applications in Tier 1 as well as Tier 2, which is described below.

b. Tier 2. Tier 2 is the difference between Tier 1 and the CoC’s ARD plus any amount available for CoC Bonus projects (not including amounts available for DV Bonus projects) and before adjustments are made to permanent housing leasing, operating, and rental assistance budget line items based on changes to Fair Market Rent (FMR) as described in Section III.K of this NOFA. This does not include the amounts available for CoC planning and UFA Costs (if applicable) projects. Project applications placed in Tier 2 will be assessed for eligibility and threshold requirements, and funding will be determined using the CoC Application score as well as the factors listed in Section II.B.10 of this NOFA.

HUD will award a point value to each new and renewal project application that is in Tier 2 using a 100-point scale:

(1) CoC Score. Up to 50 points in direct proportion to the score received on the CoC Application; e.g., if a CoC received 100 out of 200 points on the CoC Application, the project application would receive 27.5 out of 55 points for this criterion.

(2) CoC Project Ranking. Up to 40 points for the CoC’s ranking of the project application(s). To more evenly distribute funding across CoCs and consider the CoCs ranking of projects, point values will be assigned directly related to the CoCs' ranking of project applications. The calculation of point values will be 40 times the quantity (1-x) where x is the ratio of the cumulative funding requests for all projects or portions of projects ranked higher by the CoC in Tier 2 plus one half of the funding of the project of interest to the total amount of funding available in Tier 2. For example, if a CoC is eligible to apply for projects totaling $500,000 in Tier 2 and applies for 5 projects ranked in Tier 2 of $100,000 each:

the highest ranked project would receive 36 points and then the subsequently ranked projects would receive 28, 20, 12, and 4 points.

(3) Low Barriers to Entry. Up to 10 points for how the project application demonstrates that it is low barrier and prioritizes rapid placement and stabilization in permanent housing. (See section II.A.6 in this NOFA for more information).

Permanent housing (including PSH and RRH), Transitional housing, Joint TH and PH-RRH component, safe haven, and SSO projects that are not for centralized or coordinated assessment can receive up to 10 points for how the project demonstrates that it is low-barrier and does not have preconditions to entry (such as sobriety or minimum income threshold) and prioritizes rapid placement and stabilization in permanent housing. HMIS projects and SSO projects for a centralized or coordinated assessment system will automatically receive 10 points.

c. Projects Straddling Tiers. If a project application straddles the Tier 1 and Tier 2 funding line, HUD will conditionally select the project up to the amount of funding that falls within Tier 2. Using the CoC score and other factors described in Section II.B.10 of this NOFA, HUD may fund the Tier 2 portion of the project. If HUD does not fund the Tier 2 portion of the project, HUD may award the project at the reduced amount, provided the project is still feasible with the reduced funding (e.g., is able to continue serving homeless program participants effectively).

d. CoC Planning and UFA Costs. As previously stated, CoC planning and UFA Costs projects are not ranked, therefore, those items will not be included in Tier 1 or Tier

2. CoC planning and UFA Costs projects that pass eligibility and review threshold will be conditionally selected using CoC scores from the highest scoring CoC to the lowest scoring CoC.

CoCs may only submit one project application for CoC planning costs and, if designated as an UFA, one project application for UFA Costs. The project applicant for CoC planning and UFA Costs must be the Collaborative Applicant that is listed on the CoC Applicant Profile in e-snaps.

e. DV Bonus. For projects the CoC indicates it would like considered as part of the DV Bonus, HUD will award a point value to each project application combining both the CoC Application score and responses to the domestic violence bonus specific questions in the CoC Application using the following 100-point scale:

(1) For Rapid Re-housing and Joint TH and PH-RRH component projects:

(a) CoC Score. Up to 25 points in direct proportion to the score received on the CoC Application.

(b) Need for the Project. Up to 25 points based on the extent the CoC quantifies the need for the project in its portfolio, the extent of the need, and how the project will fill that gap.

(c) Quality of the Project Applicant. Up to 50 points based on the previous performance of the applicant in serving survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, and their ability to house survivors and meet safety outcomes. Additionally, to be eligible to receive a PH-RRH or Joint TH and PH-RRH project, the CoC must demonstrate that the project will use trauma-informed, victim-centered approaches.

(2) For SSO Projects for Coordinated Entry:

(a) CoC Score. Up to 50 points in direct proportion to the score received on the CoC Application.

(b) Need for the Project. Up to 50 points based on the extent to which the CoC demonstrates the need for a coordinated entry system that better meets the needs of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, and how the project will fill this need.

CoCs are required to rank all DV Bonus projects on the New Project Listing of the CoC Priority Listing with a unique rank number. If a project application designated as DV Bonus is conditionally selected by HUD with DV Bonus funds, HUD will remove the ranked DV Bonus project from the New Project Listing and all other project applications ranked below the DV Bonus project will slide up one rank position (e.g., if the conditionally selected DV Bonus project is ranked #5, HUD will remove the DV Bonus project and each project below #5 will move up one ranked position). If the DV Bonus project application is not conditionally selected with DV Bonus funds, the project application will remain in its ranked position and will be considered for funding as a new project provided it meets the requirements in Section II.B.1 of this NOFA and passes the eligibility and threshold criteria in Sections V.C.3.b and c of this

NOFA.

f. Participant Eligibility. Projects funded through this NOFA must have the following eligibility criteria for program participants. References to paragraphs of the definition of homelessness refer to the paragraphs listed under the definition of "homeless" in 24 CFR 578.3. All projects must participate in coordinated entry, and selection of program participants must be consistent with the CoC's Coordinated Entry process. As provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, youth aged 24 and under must not be required to provide third-party documentation that they meet the homeless definition in 24 CFR 578.3 as a condition for receiving services funded under this NOFA. Additionally, any youth-serving provider funded under this NOFA may serve unaccompanied youth aged 24 and under (or families headed by youth aged 24 and under) who have an unsafe primary nighttime residence and no safe alternative to that residence. HUD interprets “youth-serving provider” as a private nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to provide services to youth aged 24 and under and families headed by youth aged 24 and under. HUD interprets “living in unsafe situations” as having an unsafe primary nighttime residence and no safe alternative to that residence. These youth-related requirements supersede any conflicting requirements under this NOFA or the CoC Program rule.

Any youth-serving provider funded under this NOFA may serve unaccompanied youth aged 24 and under (or families headed by youth aged 24 and under) who have an unsafe primary nighttime residence and no safe alternative to that residence.

(1) Renewal Projects

(a) PH-PSH renewal projects must serve one of the following:

(i) program participants who are eligible for assistance under the project's current grant agreement;

(ii) persons who meet the definition of DedicatedPLUS (see Section III.C.2.g of this NOFA) where all units funded by this project must be used to serve program participants who meet the qualifications for DedicatedPLUS;

or

(iii) persons experiencing chronic homelessness at the time they initially enrolled in the project.

(b) PH-RRH, Joint TH and PH-RRH component, TH, and SSO projects may serve persons who qualify as homeless under paragraphs (1), (2), or (4) of 24 CFR 578.3. Additionally, these projects may serve persons who qualify as homeless under paragraph (3) of 24 CFR 578.3 if the CoC is approved to serve persons in paragraph (3).

(c) YHDP projects renewing for the first time in the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition must serve youth experiencing homelessness, including unaccompanied and pregnant youth, where no member of the household is older than 24.

(2) New Projects

(a) New PH-PSH projects must serve one of the following:

(i) persons who meet the definition of DedicatedPLUS (see Section III.C.2.g of this NOFA) in which case all units funded by the project must be used to serve program participants who meet the qualifications for DedicatedPLUS; or

(ii) persons experiencing chronic homelessness at the time they initially enroll in the project.

(b) New PH-RRH and new Joint TH and PH-RRH projects may serve persons who qualify as homeless under paragraphs (1), (2), or (4) of 24 CFR

578.3. Additionally, these projects may serve persons who qualify as homeless under paragraph (3) of 24 CFR 578.3 if the CoC is approved to serve persons in paragraph (3).

III. Continuum of Care Program Requirements

A. Definitions

DUNS Number is the nine-digit identification number assigned to a business or organization by Dun & Bradstreet and provides a means of identifying business entities on a location-specific basis. Requests for a DUNS number can be made by visiting the Online DUNS Request Portal.

Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) is a database that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance.

Point of Contact (POC) is the person who may be contacted with questions about the application submitted by the AOR. The point of contact is listed in item 8F on the Standard Form 424 (SF424) Application for Federal Assistance Programs, which is required by discretionary grant programs.

System for Award Management (SAM), located at the website Sam.gov is the official U.S.

Government system that consolidated the capabilities of Central Contractor Registry (CCR), Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) and the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). Registration with Sam.gov is required for submission of applications via Grants.gov.

B. Departmental Resources The following links give detailed information on each resource

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Code of Conduct List Do Not Pay DUNS Request/Dun & Bradstreet Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System Federal Subaward Reporting System HUD Funding Opportunity HUD’s Strategic Plan HUD Grants Limited English Proficiency State Point of Contact List System for Award Management Uniform Relocation Act Information USASpending

The Rule details the requirements with which grants awarded under this Competition must comply. Regulatory citations are provided below so applicants can refer to specific areas of 24 CFR part 578. The grant agreements will be subject to the program regulation as it may be amended from time to time. Recipients will be subject to regulatory revisions as they come into effect.

C. Definitions and Concepts. The definitions and concepts contained in this section include terms that are important for all applicants to understand to complete all parts of the FY 2019 CoC Consolidated Application in e-snaps on behalf of the CoC.

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ https://www.grants.gov https://www.huduser.gov/portal/affht_pt.html#affh https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm/gmomgmt/grantsinfo/conductgrants http://donotpay.treas.gov/ http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.fapiis.gov/fapiis/index.action https://www.fsrs.gov/ https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm/gmomgmt/grantsinfo/fundingopps https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm/gmomgmt/grantsinfo https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/promotingfh/lep-faq https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/grants_spoc https://secure.login.gov/sign_up/start?request_id=5ad569ce-2d57-4e5a-85ce-ff3062c959e0 https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/administration/hudclips/handbooks/cpd/13780 https://www.usaspending.gov/Pages/Default.aspx

1. Definitions from 24 CFR 578.3. The following terms are defined in 24 CFR

578.3. Applicants must refer to the Rule for the definitions contained in this section.

a. Annual Renewal Amount (ARA)

b. Applicant

c. Centralized or Coordinated Assessment System

d. Chronically Homeless

e. Collaborative Applicant

f. Continuum of Care

g. Consolidated Plan

h. High Performing Community (HPC)

i. Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)

j. Homeless Management Information Lead (HMIS Lead)

k. Homeless

l. Permanent Housing

m. Permanent Supportive Housing

n. Private Nonprofit Organization

o. Program Participant

p. Project

q. Recipient

r. Subrecipient

s. Transitional Housing

t. Unified Funding Agency

2. CoC Program NOFA Concepts. The following terms are not found in 24 CFR 578.3 but may be found in other areas of the Rule or are used in this NOFA to define concepts that pertain specifically to the FY 2019 CoC Consolidated Application.

a. Annual Renewal Demand (ARD) (24 CFR 578.17(b)(2)). The total amount of all the CoC’s projects that will be eligible for renewal in the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition, before any required adjustments to funding for leasing, rental assistance, and operating budget line items based on FMR changes. The ARD will be calculated by combining the total amount of funds requested by eligible renewal projects on the Renewal Project Listing and the combined eligible renewal project amount(s) that were reallocated.

b. Beds Dedicated to Chronically Homeless Individuals and Families. A permanent supportive housing bed that is dedicated specifically for use by chronically homeless individuals and families within a CoC’s geographic area, as reported in the CoC’s HIC and the FY 2019 permanent housing project applications. When a program participant exits the project, the bed must be filled by another chronically homeless participant unless there are no chronically homeless persons located within the CoC’s geographic area. This concept only applies to permanent supportive housing projects.

c. CoC Bonus Project. A CoC is eligible to apply for up to 5 percent of its Final Pro Rata Need (FPRN), or 25 percent of the CoC's Preliminary Pro Rata Need (PPRN) minus its ARD, whichever is greater. New projects created through the CoC Bonus must meet the project eligibility and quality threshold requirements established by HUD in Sections V.C.3.b and V.C.3.c of this NOFA. To be eligible to receive a bonus project, a CoC must demonstrate that it ranks projects based on how they improve system performance as outlined in Section VII.B.1.a of this NOFA.

d. Consolidated Plan Certification. The standard form, Certification of Consistency with the Consolidated Plan (form HUD-2991), in which a state or local official certifies that the proposed activities or projects are consistent with the jurisdiction's Consolidated Plan and, if the project applicant is a state or unit of local government, that the jurisdiction is following its Consolidated Plan per the requirement of 24 CFR part 91. All project applications submitted by the Collaborative Applicant must be included in the certification either by submitting one appropriately signed and dated HUD-2991 for each project or a single signed and dated HUD-2991 from the jurisdiction that includes a listing of all project applications. The CoC planning, UFA Costs, and renewal YHDP projects, if applicable, must be included.

e. Consolidation. The process by which two or more projects that are eligible for renewal in the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition apply for funding and are combined into a single renewal project upon award. See Sections II.B.4, V.B.2.b.(2) and V.B.3.a.(4) of this NOFA for additional information.

f. Continuum of Care Merger. The CoC merger is a process where two or more CoCs voluntarily agree to merge the entire geographic areas of all CoCs into one larger CoC. HUD strongly encourages CoCs that struggle with capacity to merge with a neighboring CoC or Balance of State CoC during each fiscal year’s CoC Program Registration process. To encourage CoC mergers and mitigate the potential adverse scoring implications that may occur when a high performing CoC merges with one or more lower performing CoC(s), HUD will award up to 25 bonus points to CoCs that first registered as a merged CoC during the FY 2018 or FY 2019 CoC Program Registration process. The minimum number of points awarded will be 5 with the maximum points awarded up to 25. To be eligible for these points, the merged CoC must contain all the geographic areas previously included in two or more CoCs that applied for funding in the FY 2018 CoC Program Competition. Points will be awarded as follows:

(1) 5 bonus points to CoCs that merged;

(2) 10 bonus points to CoCs where one or more of the merging CoCs had a CoC Application score of 140 points or lower in either the FY 2017 or FY 2018 CoC Program Competitions;

(3) up to 10 bonus points to CoCs that demonstrate the results of their Point-in- Time (PIT) count reported in the Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX) were adversely affected by changes in methodology that resulted from the merger (e.g., higher numbers of homeless individuals, families, and youth due to the merger process, particularly if one of the CoCs in the merger did not have a reliable PIT count).

g. DedicatedPLUS project. A permanent supportive housing project where 100 percent of the beds are dedicated to serve individuals, households with children, and unaccompanied youth that…