2026 Supportive Housing Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)

The Orange County Housing and Community Development (OCHCD) department is issuing a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the 2026 Supportive Housing program, which makes available up to $20.9 million in capital funding and up to 100 Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs) to support the acquisition, new construction, and acquisition/rehabilitation of permanent supportive housing for extremely low-income households experiencing homelessness. The procurement is open to qualified organizations capable of developing supportive housing projects with a minimum of five units per project, with small-scale housing projects eligible if they meet NOFA criteria and the principles outlined in the Commission to Address Homelessness Small-Scale Housing Unit Report. Funding sources include Federal HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), HOME American Rescue Plan Program (HOME-ARP), Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)/Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), 15G Reserves, and Housing Successor Agency (HSA) funds. The application process operates on a tiered, first-come, first-served basis: Days 1-60 for unincorporated Orange County and Urban County Participating Cities; Days 61-90 for Entitlement Cities (except Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Garden Grove); and Day 91 forward for county-wide applications, with submissions required electronically to OCHCD.NOFA@occr.ocgov.com. The NOFA remains open until closure is announced, all funds are committed via Board of Supervisors action, or it is replaced by a new NOFA, with applicants advised to allow a minimum of eight months from application submission to Board approval. Conditional Commitment Letters typically reserve funds for up to twenty-four months with one six-month extension available, and potentially additional extensions requiring Board approval. All units must remain affordability-restricted for fifty-five years under a Regulatory Agreement, with loans structured as residual receipts loans at three percent simple interest over fifty-five years.

Applicants must comply with Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, Section 3 employment provisions, Build America Buy America Act requirements, and fair housing regulations as evaluation criteria. Maximum loan amounts vary by unit size and location, ranging from $95,000 to $137,500 per unit, with MHSA/BHSA projects eligible for a maximum loan limit of $207,235 per regulated unit plus an additional $207,235 per unit for Capitalized Operating Subsidy Reserve (COSR) funding. Match requirements mandate that applicants in Entitlement Cities and Urban County Participating Cities secure municipal financial support equal to or exceeding the County's assistance. The NOFA documentation is available on the OpenGov portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ocgov/projects/210644 and on the OCHCD website at https://www.ochcd.org/housing-development/developer/notice-funding-availability. Questions regarding the procurement should be directed to Sherluna Vien at sherluna.vien@occr.ocgov.com or (714) 480-2936, or Michelle Zdeba at Michelle.Zdeba@occr.ocgov.com or (714) 480-2994. The deadline for proposals is December 31, 2027, with the procurement posted as of March 6, 2026.