oppFOA-VETS-18-01-cfda17.805-cidFOA-VETS-18-01-instructions.pdf

VETS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR: Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP), Incarcerated

Veterans Transition Program (IVTP), and the Homeless Female Veterans’ and Homeless

Veterans’ with Families Program (HFVVWF) (referred to collectively as HVRP)

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: FOA-VETS-18-01

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 17.805

KEY DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is May 7, 2018. We must receive applications no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

ADDRESSES: Address mailed applications to:

The U.S. Department of Labor

Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management

Attention: Donna Kelly, Grant Officer

Reference FOA-VETS-18-01

200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716

Washington, DC 20210

For submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), is responsible for the grant award process of the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service grant program.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), announces the availability of approximately $12 million in grant funds authorized under Title 38 of United States Code (U.S.C.), Sections 2021 and 2023. You may apply for a 12-month grant.

2018 Option Year Award recipients are not eligible to receive funding from this competition for an identical project proposal. The grant period of performance is July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

The maximum limit for an individual award is $500,000.

Historically, HVRP programs have demonstrated the following:

A clear need for the program based upon current statistical evidence, including the numbers and characteristics of the eligible veterans who are homeless in your proposed service delivery area;

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Ability to develop and execute strategies with attainable goals for job-driven training based on Labor Market Information (LMI) and evidence-based practices;

Ability to collaborate and coordinate with organizations to ensure that local, state, and federal resources are used effectively and efficiently to expedite the reintegration of eligible veterans into the labor force;

Ability to deliver or connect participants to effective job training, counseling, and other wraparound services, such as the provision of housing and necessary health services as the means for expediting the reintegration of eligible veterans into the labor force;

Ability to provide services specifically tailored to the needs of female homeless veterans and homeless veterans with families as appropriate;

Ability to provide services specifically tailored to the needs of incarcerated or recently incarcerated veterans who are at risk of homelessness as appropriate; and

Ability to provide services to chronically homeless veterans as appropriate.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

This Announcement solicits applications for HVRP. The purpose of this program is to provide services to assist in reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment within the labor force and to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing homeless veterans.

In its 2017 annual Point-In-Time (PIT) count of homeless persons in the nation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimated there were 40,056 veterans experiencing homelessness, an increase of 585 veterans between 2016 and 2017. This 2016 – 2017 increase was driven entirely by an 18 percent increase in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in unsheltered places (2,299 more veterans), especially along the west coast, and who are facing significant challenges within their rental markets.

VETS recognizes that veteran homelessness fluctuates over time. For example, the PIT data also indicated an estimated 36 percent reduction between 2010 and

2015 in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness, including a 47 percent reduction in the estimated number of veterans experiencing unsheltered homelessness. There was a total reduction of 4 percent in the number of veterans reported as experiencing homelessness between 2014 and 20151. Given the number of veterans entering and exiting homelessness, VETS strives to award

1 United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Sustaining Our Data-Driven Focus:

Findings and Implications of Recent Reports and Data Regarding Homelessness in America, December 4, 2015.

https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Findings-Implications-PIT-Data-Results.pdf https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Findings-Implications-PIT-Data-Results.pdf

3 | P a g e grants that commit to researching the changes in the local homeless veteran population and then design programs that respond appropriately to these changes.

In order to meet the fluctuations in population and the changing needs of those veterans experiencing homelessness, grant recipients are expected to provide an array of client-focused services utilizing a case management approach that directly assists homeless veterans, as well as provides critical linkages for a variety of support services available in their local communities. The program is focused on obtaining employment, and veterans should receive the employment and training services they need in order to re-enter the labor force. Job placement, training, job development, career counseling, and resume preparation are among the services that must be provided. Support services such as clothing, provision of or referral to temporary, transitional, and permanent housing, referral to medical and substance abuse treatment, and transportation assistance are also expected to be provided to meet the needs of this population. We encourage applicants to leverage partnerships with federal, state, and local organizations to provide these support services.

VETS establishes annual national goals. Below are the established goals for

Program Year 2018. For additional guidance in establishing goals for your application, please refer to Table 1 on page 15:

75 percent overall placement rate calculated by dividing the total number of exiters who have been placed into employment in one or more jobs in the reporting period by the total number of exiters during the same period.

For the purposes of these grants, a participant who is placed or dropped during a quarter and is not scheduled to receive future homeless veterans program services is considered an exiter;

Overall average hourly wage at placement of $12.75, which is the mean hourly wage rate for those employed participants who have exited the program during the quarter; and

60 percent placement rate for chronically homeless, calculated by dividing the total number of chronically homeless exiters who have been placed into employment in one or more jobs in the reporting period by the total number of chronically homeless exiters during the same period.

For a detailed list of definitions, see Attachment A to this FOA.

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

38 U.S.C. §§ 2021 and 2023.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

Funding will be provided in the form of a grant. We expect availability of approximately $12 million in grant funds. You may apply for a maximum individual grant fund of up to $500,000. Awards made under this Funding

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Opportunity Announcement (FOA) are subject to the availability of federal funds.

In the event that additional funds become available, we reserve the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this FOA. We also reserve the right to proportionally reduce or increase the size of a requested award for an applicant selected for funding under this solicitation to ensure adequate geographic coverage.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance will be for the 12-month period beginning July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019, unless modified by the Grant Officer. We expect that grantees will begin program operations on July 1, 2018. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

C. CONTINUATION OF FUNDING

Should Congress appropriate additional funds for this purpose, we may consider awarding option years.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

State Government

County Government

City or Township Government

Special District Government

Regional Organization

U.S. Territory or Possession

Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education

Private Institution of Higher Education

Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally Recognized)

Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Other than Federally

Recognized)

Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization

Public and Indian Housing Agencies

Nonprofit Organizations

For-profit/commercial entities

State and Local Workforce Development Boards (SWDBs/LWDBs) established under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

Other State and Local Government Agencies

Faith-based organizations

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

This program does not require cost sharing or matching funds. The inclusion of such funds is not one of the application screening criteria to be considered, and applications that include any form of cost sharing or matching will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Instead, the agency considers

5 | P a g e any resources that will be contributed to the project beyond the funds provided by the agency as leveraged resources.

C. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. If your application does not meet all of the screening criteria, it will not move forward through the merit review process.

Application Requirement Instructions Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met Section IV.C

If submitted through Grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt.

(We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.)

Section IV.C

Application for Federal funds request does not exceed $500,000 Section II.A

SAM Registration Section

IV.B.1

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

SF-424 includes a DUNS Number

SF-424A, Budget Information Form

IV.B.2

Budget Narrative

IV.B.2

Project Narrative

IV.B.3

Abstract

(included as an attachment)

You must provide the service delivery area to be served defined by county, parish, or independent city. You must also include the

CoC name and number.

IV.B.4

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Intent to Work Collaboratively Statement

Competitive Grants Planned Goals Chart

You must identify in the planned goals spreadsheet (included here as Attachment B) the percentage of individuals to be served by your project that fall into each special group of veterans, as defined in Attachment A, when considering the total number of persons served.

2. Priorities and Number of Applications Applicants May Submit The Department is establishing three priorities for this FOA. Every application will be assigned one of these priorities. Priority 1 (HVRP priority) is for applications that meet the requirements of this FOA but do not fall under

Priorities 2 or 3. Priority 2 (HFVVWF priority) is for applicants proposing to use

100 percent of their funding to serve homeless female veterans and veterans with families. Priority 3 (IVTP priority) is for applicants proposing to use 100 percent of their funding to serve incarcerated veterans.

The Department plans to make at least one award each under Priority 2

(HFVVWF) and Priority 3 (IVTP) if the applications are competitive. Priority 2

(HFVVWF) and Priority 3 (IVTP) applicants will only be considered for an award if their application otherwise meets the FOA’s requirements. Additional

Priority 2 (HFVVWF) and Priority 3 (IVTP) awards may be made in accordance with the review and selection factors.

Applicants MUST identify in the abstract if an application is to be reviewed under the Priority 1 (HVRP), Priority 2 (HFVVWF), or Priority

3 (IVTP). If one single priority is not explicitly identified in the abstract, the application will be reviewed under the HVRP priority. There will no additional changes or discussions of this priority determination before, during, or after the competition.

Applicant organizations may submit multiple applications to serve the same service delivery area, provided that each application is for a different priority.

The service delivery area is the area where the applicant is proposing to serve, as defined by county, parish, or independent city. An “independent city” is defined as a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. The service delivery area and corresponding priority

MUST be stated clearly in the abstract. DOL cannot review the entire application to make this determination. We will not review grant applications with the same service delivery area from the same applicant organization for

7 | P a g e the same priority. If we receive multiple applications from the same organization for the same service delivery area and priority, we will only consider the most recently received application that meets the deadline. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, we will not replace it with an earlier application.

3. Eligible Participants

The intent of this FOA is to fund projects that provide training, employment, and related support services to eligible veterans. An “eligible veteran” is a veteran eligible for grant services under Sections 2021 and 2023 of Title 38 of the United States Code. Under 38 U.S.C. 2023, this program can serve incarcerated veterans, the FY 2017 appropriations act and subsequent continuing resolutions allowed VETS to serve veterans who are recently released from incarceration and who are at risk of homelessness. In the unlikely event that statutory eligibility requirements change for FY 2018, we will work with grantees to modify their projects to accommodate the new requirements.

A Homeless Veteran:

1. A person who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence;

2. A person living in a supervised public or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living arrangements;

3. A person who resided in a shelter or place not meant for human habitation and who is exiting an institution where he or she temporarily resided;

4. A person with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;

5. An individual who will imminently lose his or her housing, has no subsequent residence identified, and who lacks the resources or support network needed to obtain other permanent housing;

6. Unaccompanied youth and homeless families with children and youth, defined as “homeless” under other federal statutes, who have experienced a long period without permanent housing; have experienced persistent instability as measured by frequent moves over such period; and can be expected to continue in such status for an extended period of time because of chronic disabilities, chronic physical health or mental health conditions, substance addiction, histories of domestic violence or childhood abuse, the presence of a child or youth with a disability, or multiple barriers to employment;

or

7. An individual or family who is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other

8 | P a g e dangerous or life-threatening conditions in the individual’s or family’s current housing situation, including where the health and safety of children are jeopardized, and who have no other residence and lack the resources or support network to obtain other permanent housing.

An Incarcerated Veteran: Veterans who have been convicted as an adult and imprisoned under municipal, county, tribal, federal, or state law and fall into one of the following categories:

Category 1 – The veteran was released within the previous 12 months from a penal institution into homelessness and needs employment assistance;

Category 2 – The veteran has been incarcerated for at least six months and is scheduled for release within six months with no known housing destination and needs employment assistance;

Category 3 – The veteran was released within the previous 12 months from a penal institution into temporary or permanent housing, but is now at imminent risk of homelessness and needs employment assistance; or

Category 4 – The veteran is a resident of an institution that provides long-term care for mental illness and is scheduled for release with no known housing destination and needs employment assistance.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

This FOA, found at Grants.gov, contains the requisite information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of four separate and distinct parts:

The SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance;

Project Budget;

Project Narrative; and

Attachments to the Project Narrative.

You must ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.

1. SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

You must complete the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1. In the address field, fill out the nine-digit (plus hyphen) zip code. Nine-digit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1

9 | P a g e zip codes can be looked up on the USPS website at https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action.

The SF-424 must clearly identify the applicant and must be signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement. Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF-424 on behalf of the applicant is considered the Authorized Representative of the applicant.

As stated in block 21 of the SF-424 form, the signature of the Authorized

Representative on the SF-424 certifies that the organization is in compliance with the Assurances and Certifications form SF-424B

(available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1). You do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.

Requirement for Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number:

All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities must have a DUNS number, and must supply their DUNS Number on the SF-424. The DUNS

Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a DUNS Number, you can get one for free through the D&B website:

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do.

Grant recipients authorized to make sub-awards must meet these requirements related to DUNS Numbers:

Grant recipients must notify potential sub-awardees that no entity may receive a sub award from you unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.

Grant recipients may not make a sub-award to an entity unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.

Requirement for Registration with SAM: Applicants must register with the

System for Award Management (SAM), using chrome or other supported browser before submitting an application. Find instructions for registering with SAM at https://uscontractorregistration.com/sam-registration/.

A recipient must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the SAM database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update the registration at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration or subsequently update its information in the SAM database to ensure it is current, accurate, and complete. For purposes of this paragraph, the applicant is the entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the legal authority to apply and receive the award. If an applicant has not fully complied with these requirements by the time the Grant Officer is ready to make a Federal award, https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do https://uscontractorregistration.com/sam-registration/

10 | P a g e the Grant Officer may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a

Federal award and may use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

2. Project Budget

You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at: at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1. In preparing the Budget Information Form, you must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.

Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A.

Use the following guidance for preparing the budget narrative:

Personnel: List staff positions by title (both current and proposed), Provide the annual salary of each position, the percentage of each position’s time devoted to the project, the amount of each position’s salary funded by the grant, and the total personnel cost for the period of performance.

Fringe Benefits: Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement, etc.

Travel: Specify the purpose, mileage, per diem, estimated number of in-state and out-of-state trips, and other costs for each type of travel. You should include funds to provide for an annual post-award conference, and or professional conference, allowing for two staff members to travel to and from an estimated national location, with four–nights lodging, and allowable expenses. Travel expenditures may not exceed 10 percent of the total HVRP funds requested in the application.

Equipment: Identify each item of equipment you expect to purchase that has an estimated acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (or if your capitalization level is less than $5,000, use your capitalization level) and a useful lifetime of more than one year (see 2 CFR 200.33 for the definition of “Equipment”). List the quantity and unit cost per item. Items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 are considered supplies, not “equipment.” In general, we do not permit the purchase of equipment during the last funded year of the grant.

Supplies: Identify categories of supplies (e.g. office supplies, to include laptops and cell phones) in the detailed budget and list the quantity and https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1

11 | P a g e unit cost per item. Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.94 for the definition of Supplies).

Contractual: Identify each proposed contract and specify its purpose and estimated cost. If applicable, identify any sub-recipient agreements, including purpose and estimated costs.

Construction: Construction costs are not allowed, and this line must be left as zero. Minor alterations to augment an existing space for grant activities (such as a classroom alteration) may be allowable. We do not consider this as construction, and you must show the costs on other appropriate lines such as “Contractual,” as discussed above.

Other: Identify each item in sufficient detail for us to determine whether the costs are reasonable or allowable. List any item, such as conducting

Stand Down events, bus passes, or incentives, which are not covered elsewhere.

Indirect Costs: If you include indirect costs in the budget, then include either

a) The approved indirect cost rate with a copy of the Negotiated

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), a description of the base used to calculate indirect costs along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested, or

b) If you meet the requirements to use the 10 percent de minimis rate as described in 2 CFR 200.414(f), then include a description of the modified total direct costs base (see 2 CFR 200.68 for definition) used in the calculation along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested based on the 10 percent de minimis rate. The following link contains information regarding the negotiation of

Indirect Cost Rates at DOL:

http://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm.

Note that the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative must include the entire

Federal grant amount requested. Applicants must also show cost sharing or match on the SF-424 (line 18b), SF-424A, and budget narrative.

Do not show leveraged resources, as described in section III part B, on the SF-

424 and SF-424A. You should describe leveraged resources in the budget narrative.

http://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm

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Applicants should list the same requested Federal grant amount on the SF-

424, SF-424A, and budget narrative. If minor inconsistencies are found between the budget amounts specified on the SF-424, SF-424A, and the budget narrative, ETA will consider the SF-424 to be the official funding amount requested. However, if the amount specified on the SF-424 would render the application nonresponsive, the Grant Officer will use his or her discretion to determine whether the intended funding request (and match, if applicable) is within the responsive range.

3. Project Narrative

The Project Narrative must demonstrate your ability to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this FOA. It provides a comprehensive framework and description of all aspects of the proposed project. It must be succinct, self-explanatory, and well organized so that reviewers can understand the proposed project.

The Project Narrative is limited to 15 pages, double-spaced, single-sided 8.5 x

11 inch, with Times New Roman, 12-point text font, and 1-inch margins. You must number the Project Narrative beginning with page number 1.

We will not read or consider any materials beyond the specified page limit in the application review process.

The following instructions provide the necessary information to complete the

Project Narrative. Carefully read and consider each section, and include the required information in your Project Narrative. The agency will evaluate the

Project Narrative using the evaluation criteria identified in Section V.A. You must use the same section headers identified below for each section of the

Project Narrative:

a) Statement of Need

Describe in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the need for assistance, including the nature and scope of the problem. You must identify the specific service delivery area you propose to serve, including the county, parish, or independent city, the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC), program name and number, and/or Native American tribal area(s) contained within the proposed service delivery area. In cases where there are other HVRP grantees who are already serving homeless veterans in a proposed CoC (see Attachment E), you must submit justification that an additional award is needed to serve the homeless veteran population. Your justification must include the CoC name, CoC number, PIT count for the CoC, the remaining participants available to be served, and the reasons why another award will

13 | P a g e enhance HVRP services already provided within the identified CoC.

See Attachment C for a PIT estimate of homeless veterans by CoC.

Your description of the service delivery area must also state if the area is urban or non-urban. The distinction between urban and non-urban areas will be used in determining the starting points for you to use in deriving planned performance goals for your project.

For this application, urban areas are the 75 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in population in 2016 as estimated by the U.S.

Census Bureau. Please see Attachment D, List of 75 Largest in

Population Urban Areas, 2016 Census Estimates. Areas not listed in

Attachment D are considered non-urban. For applicants proposing to serve both urban and non-urban areas, please identify your service delivery area as urban if over half of the population you propose to serve is in an urban area.

The statement of need should present current facts and evidence to support the need for the proposed project, including an analysis to determine the nature and extent of the problem or need, and the reasons and causes. Your statement of need must include a description of the:

service delivery area to be served by the project, including the number of eligible veterans in need, demographic information describing the employment and training needs of the local employers and identification of the proposed service delivery area as urban or non-urban;

supporting evidence clearly demonstrating the nature and extent of the employment-related need or problem facing eligible veterans to be served;

labor market conditions in the service delivery area, including in-demand occupations as determined by the Local Workforce

Development Board (LWDB), industry, or employers, and the types of jobs and careers that are sustainable;

factors contributing to the problem or the circumstances creating the need;

current gaps in services or programs to meet the needs of eligible veterans in order to obtain and retain meaningful employment;

unemployment rate and poverty rate for the service delivery area served; and the PIT estimates of sheltered and unsheltered homeless veterans from your service delivery areas (see attachment C);

the date of that PIT count; the annual estimated number of

14 | P a g e sheltered and unsheltered veterans; and whether or not your community has or expects to meet the federal benchmarks2 for ending veteran homelessness by the end of this calendar year.

b) Expected Outcomes and Outputs

We require grants to have measurable outcomes of the grant’s effect in order to maximize the impact of grant dollars. Each awarded grantee will be required to report on progress toward its planned goals or targets on a quarterly basis each year and at the end of the grant.

You will provide numeric goals for the following critical performance indicators and include these performance targets in the Competitive

Grants Planned Goals Chart (see Attachment B) as part of your application: the number of enrollments, the overall placement rate, the overall average hourly wage at placement, and the placement rate for the chronically homeless.

We recognize there are differences in labor markets when comparing urban to non-urban areas, where enrollments, placement rates, and average hourly wages are typically higher in urban areas. A lower capacity of homeless service provider infrastructure in non-urban areas is one of the largest differences between homelessness in non-urban versus urban areas. In order to account for these differences when proposing targets, we ask you to consider the adjusted PY 2017 values in Table 1 as a starting point when setting project targets. These values may be further adjusted to account for the ease or difficulty in serving a particular group based on characteristics and other mitigating factors, and should be justified in the project narrative.

Table 1

Cost Per Enrollment, Placement Rates and Hourly Wage Data to

Consider in Setting Targets

Urban Area Non-Urban Area

Cost Per Enrollment1 $2,2902 $2,992

Placement Rate for All

Exiters 77 percent 74 percent

2 For current information regarding federal benchmarks for ending veteran homelessness see https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Vet_Criteria_Benchmarks_V3_February2

017.pdf https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Vet_Criteria_Benchmarks_V3_February2017.pdf https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Vet_Criteria_Benchmarks_V3_February2017.pdf

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Average Hourly Wage at Placement3 $12.37 $11.57

Placement Rate for the

Chronically Homeless 69 percent 63 percent

1 Used to determine the total enrollments for your project. The cost per enrollment values were adjusted upward to reflect a 18 percent increase from PY 2016 median values to account for the effects of inflation and the anticipated increased intensity of services to participants due to the expected increase in the number of harder to serve participants.

2 For example, if an urban area applicant proposed to spend $500,000 in its application, then the calculated enrollment result is 218 (500,000/2,290=218).

3 The median hourly wage rate values were adjusted to account for the effects of inflation.

Critical performance indicators for HVRP grants are aligned to national established goals (see Section I.A.). The critical performance indicators are the:

number of enrollments, placement rate for exiters, average hourly wage at placement, and placement rate for the chronically homeless.

The determination of overall success or failure of a grant-funded project is limited to actual performance on the critical indicators. The remaining advisory indicators are considered non-critical. Please refer to Attachment A for definitions of the performance indicators.

Performance on each indicator will be defined as a range, bounded by an upper value representing the performance goal and a lower value representing 85 percent of the performance goal. Performance below

85 percent of the goal on an indicator is considered failure.

Minimum acceptable performance overall is defined as meeting or exceeding planned goals for at least 50 percent or more (2 or more of the 4) of the critical indicators. Failure to meet minimum acceptable performance overall is defined as not meeting planned goals for over

50 percent (3 or more of the 4) of the critical indicators. This constitutes failure overall and will result in the grant being designated as “high risk” (see 2 CFR 200.207). Please refer to the Technical

Assistance Guide For Competitive Grants Technical Performance

Report for more detailed information on the reporting of performance outcomes on the critical performance indicators.

Please note that we will also collect data from each grant recipient to compute performance on the average cost per placement, and the three

WIOA post-program indicators which are:

https://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/hvrp/VETS-700-Series-TAG-2017.pdf https://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/hvrp/VETS-700-Series-TAG-2017.pdf

16 | P a g e percentage of program participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exit from the program;

percentage of program participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the fourth quarter after exit from the program; and median earnings of program participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exit from the program.

c) Project Design

You must describe your overall strategy for providing job-driven employment and training services delivered through a client-centered case management approach that imparts relevant skills, connects participants with local employment opportunities, and leads to improvements in employment and earnings outcomes over time. You must also describe the types of support services to be offered to participants and the approaches to providing these support services, with an emphasis on meeting the complex employment-related needs of special population groups of veterans, as defined in Attachment A.

If you are applying under Priority 2 (HFVVWF) or Priority 3 (IVTP), you are already required to serve 100 percent of that Priority’s special population group; therefore, no additional breakout of the special population to be served is required. The strategy must address:

i. Outreach and Engagement – You must describe in your application how your program will conduct effective client outreach and engagement or recruitment to meet your participant enrollment goals, including the recruitment of special population groups of eligible veterans, and the use of

Stand Down3 events. The description must include evidence to support the proposed recruitment and engagement strategy with references from published research studies, government reports, or the applicant’s experience showing the strategy yielded promising results in the past.

3 Stand Downs are typically one- to three-day events providing supplies and services to homeless veterans, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings and benefits counseling.

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You must describe how your project will provide effective case management. Effective case management with veterans who are homeless includes an active phase of outreach and engagement that is non-threatening, persistent over time, and offers a flexible array of services, including help with basic survival needs. Effective engagement and outreach also builds on actions that show commitment to client choice, maintenance of dignity, and investment in a relationship.

You must describe how your project will promote the active engagement of industry, employers, and employer associations in determining the available types of occupations and the skills needed to pursue in-demand jobs and careers.

ii. Intake, Assessment, and Case Management – You must fully explain how you will design and implement your proposed intake, assessment, and case management process to serve eligible veterans. You must provide evidence to support the proposed intake, assessment, and case management process.

This evidence should reference published research studies, government reports, or the applicant organization’s experience that shows the strategy yielded positive results in the past. You must demonstrate that your proposed intake process involves the collection of necessary information on individuals seeking services in order to determine eligibility for the program and for the assessment of the types of services needed to assist the eligible veteran in gaining and retaining meaningful employment. The assessment is the foundation for the development of the participant service plan and budget used by the case manager in coordining services on behalf of the participant. The assessment process must demonstrate how you will determine a participant’s readiness to enter employment following the receipt of services, including the use of information about the individual’s strengths, preferences, medical, social and environmental issues, and behavioral and cognitive status.

iii. Job-Driven Employment, Training, and Support Services –

You must describe in your application the employment, training, and support services you will make available to participating veterans to assist these individuals to obtain and retain meaningful employment. Please note a minimum of 80 percent of your participants must receive one or more training services. Some examples of training that may be provided to

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HVRP participants are subsidized apprenticeship, on-the-job training (OJT), customized training, upgrading or retraining, and institutional skills training. Please note that placement into an unsubsidized apprenticeship is considered placement into employment. See Attachment A for definitions of the various types of training provided to HVRP grantees.

You must also describe in your application how you will develop a formal job-driven employment, training, and support services plan. This plan must be based on the training needs assessment results for participants. You must indicate how you will manage and note the progress made by participants within a formal case management process. The description must include evidence to support the proposed job-driven employment, training, and support services strategy. This evidence may reference research studies, government reports, or the applicant organization’s experience showing the strategy yielded positive results in the past.

Employment and training services described in a service plan must be focused on in-demand jobs that impart relevant skills, add value, and sought-after skills within the existing job-market, and should align with and leverage other federal education and training program resources. You must describe the array of employment and training services you will make available to participants. Examples of employment and training services include:

career technical skills training;

subsidized registered apprenticeships;

occupational skills training, including on-the-job training (OJT);

short-term unpaid work experience activities;

internships;

individualized job search assistance, including resume writing, interviewing skills, and counseling services;

and, work readiness training, including basic skills training.

Please note the job-driven employment, training services, and support services received by participants may be provided directly through the grant or provided to participants through partnerships with American Job Centers (AJCs) and other organizations. At a minimum, all participants in your proposed program must be enrolled in Wagner-Peyser Act, Jobs for

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Veterans State Grant Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program

(DVOP), or another WIOA-Title I-funded service offered through AJCs to maximize the array of services available to participants. Please refer to Veterans’ Program Letter (VPL)

No. 03-16, https://www.dol.gov/vets/VMS/VPLs/VPL-03-

16.pdf for guidance and policy for enrollment of HVRP participants at AJCs.

Support services for overcoming barriers to employment include, but are not limited to, physical rehabilitation, drug or alcohol treatment, and/or mental health services. As part of your plan for support services, you must also propose a specific housing assistance strategy. You must describe in your application how HVRP participants will be rapidly re-housed, and highlight the provisions that will be made for program participants to access emergency, temporary, transitional, and/or permanent housing through various community resources, including all supportive, affordable, and permanent housing programs for homeless individuals. Examples of these resources include, but not limited to:

the Veteran Affairs’ Supportive Services for Veteran

Families (SSVF) Program, which rapidly rehouses homeless veterans and their families, VA’s Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program, which funds emergency and transitional housing programs, Federal Emergency Management Administration’s

(FEMA) food and shelter programs, which provides emergency food and shelter, and

HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program, which provides permanent housing for eligible homeless veterans, as well as the HUD CoC program, which is a national HUD program that coordinates housing for any homeless citizen and assists in locating other affordable housing alternatives and permanent supportive housing options.

Please note that grant funds may only be spent directly on housing assistance for participants who meet the definition of incarcerated veterans in Attachment A. For all other participants, you cannot spend any grant funds on housing.

However, if you propose to use funds for housing assistance for incarcerated veterans, you must demonstrate in writing that you have exhausted other housing options offered by penal https://www.dol.gov/vets/VMS/VPLs/VPL-03-16.pdf https://www.dol.gov/vets/VMS/VPLs/VPL-03-16.pdf

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The use of grant funds for IVTP housing assistance is limited to 90 days and the amount of assistance must meet the test of rent reasonableness. To meet this test and to be able to pay a landlord up to 90 days of reasonable rent, you must secure at least three samples of rent for housing units located in the specific community and zip code of the desired housing that meets the needs of the eligible incarcerated veteran. You may not provide housing funds directly to project participants.

iv. Quality of Linkages - Stable housing, health care, and other support services are critical in helping homeless veterans reintegrate into the labor force. You must describe how you will partner and coordinate proposed activities with a wide array of federal, state, and local housing, health care, and other support service programs and their associated agencies and/organizations, including penal institutions and halfway houses, if appropriate. The description must include evidence to support the proposed network of housing assistance, healthcare, and other support service linkages to enable the applicant to successfully provide employment and training services to participants. VETS considers the SSVF program and the HUD CoC program to be critical federal partners. To the full extent possible, all HVRP programs should partner with these programs given the availability of these programs in the proposed service delivery area.

d) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity

You must describe in your application your organization’s ability to manage the operational, administrative, programmatic, and financial reporting requirements specified within this funding announcement.

You must demonstrate the strength of the fiscal and administrative controls to properly manage federal funds. You must describe key staff skills, experience, history, knowledge, qualifications, capabilities, and office locations, and provide an organizational chart. The description must include evidence to demonstrate: the organization’s capacity to carry out the proposed project; the organization’s ability to support follow-up tracking activities that will sustain the project once federal funding ceases; and the sufficiency of qualifications and

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You must also address your capacity for timely implementation of the program, programmatic reporting, and participant tracking, which should also include the ability of follow-up services to capture and report post-program outcomes. The conduct of follow-up tracking services for each participant begins the first quarter after the quarter of exit and ends the fourth quarter after the quarter of exit. Applicants must describe all associated costs for obtaining and retaining participant information that is pertinent to the follow-up tracking services, including any costs of using State Unemployment Insurance data to substantiate an applicant’s follow-up tracking results, if applicable.

For each PY 2018 award made under this solicitation, the grant recipient will be responsible for: 1) tracking and reporting post-program outcomes during the 12-month grant period of performance, and 2) tracking and reporting post-program outcomes for up to 12-months after exit for a prior year’s grant award, if applicable. The collection and reporting of post-program outcome data is discussed in more detail in the Technical Assistance Guide For Competitive Grants

Technical Performance Report.

You must fully describe how the proposed program can or will outlast the federal funding being provided under this grant. You must describe in your application a diverse funding base or illustrate an organizational strategic plan that will lead to the attainment of financial resources beyond those secured through the HVRP grant.

e) Past Performance – Programmatic Capability

If you have previously operated a HVRP, HFVVWF, and/or IVTP program(s), then you must include the planned and actual performance outcomes from the most recent program year for each (if operating multiple concurrent programs) of your completed Technical

Performance Report (TPR) and Planned Goals Chart.

If you have not received an HVRP grant award in the past but have experience operating comparable federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements, then please submit a list of no more than three such agreements. For each agreement, please describe and document past accomplishments achieved against expected outcomes while operating the comparable program. Explain how your experience operating a comparable program prepared you to undertake the complexities of operating the proposed project. Describe how long the comparable program has been in operation.

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4. Attachments to the Project Narrative

In addition to the Project Narrative, you must submit attachments. All attachments must be clearly labeled as attachments. We will only exclude those attachments (required and requested attachments) listed below from the page limit.

You must not include additional materials such as general letters of support.

You must submit your application in one package because documents received separately will be tracked separately and will not be attached to the application for review.

Save all files with descriptive file names of 50 characters or less and only use standard characters in file names: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and underscore (_). File names may not include special characters (e.g. &,–,*, %,/,#), periods (.), blank spaces or accent marks, and must be unique (i.e., no other attachment may have the same file name). You may use an underscore (example:

my_Attached_File.pdf) to separate words in a file name.

Required Attachments: Please note that if your application does not contain all of the required attachments, it will be considered as non-responsive and will not move forward…