Eastern PA CoC Special HUD NOFO - Rural Homelessness

HUD has recently released a Special CoC NOFO to Address Unsheltered and Rural Homelessness (Special CoC NOFO, https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/coc/specialCoCNOFO). The Eastern PA CoC Board is reviewing the Special CoC NOFO materials and is interested in potentially applying for the Rural Set Aside funds.

The CoC is looking to identify organizations serving rural counties in the Eastern PA CoC who may wish to apply for new projects under this funding. To be competitive for these funds, the CoC is looking for organizations that can leverage healthcare or housing costs as part of a new project application. If your organization meets the criteria below, we would like to hear from you to learn more about your proposed project:

• REQUIRED: Project will serve one or more of the counties in the Eastern PA CoC defined by HUD as rural under this Special CoC NOFO (see list below)
• Organization is interested in applying for a new project under this Special NOFO (see list below of eligible project types and costs)
• Organization is able to leverage healthcare or housing costs as part of a new project application (see information below)

Note: Organizations CANNOT submit project applications directly to HUD under this Special CoC NOFO. Project applicants MUST work with a registered CoC to submit a project application. The CoC will decide which project applications serving the CoC’s geographic area will be submitted to HUD.If you believe your organization meets the above criteria and may be interested in applying for a project under the Rural Set Aside, please email the CoC by the end of this week - Friday, July 15th - with the following information:

• Name of Org
• Contact Person
• 1-3 sentence description of proposed project (including project type)
• 1-3 sentence description of potential healthcare or housing partnership that can be built into this project (NOTE: you do not have to have this partnership finalized, but should have an idea of what the partnership could look like)

Emails should be sent to the CoC at easterncoc@pennsylvaniacoc.org. Please include “Rural Set Aside Project Idea” in the subject line.Key Information Regarding the Special CoC NOFO: Rural Set Aside Eligible Counties
 List of Eastern PA CoC counties defined as rural by HUD Special NOFO:

• Bedford
• Bradford
• Clinton
• Fulton
• Huntingdon
• Juniata
• Mifflin
• Northumberland
• Perry
• Schuylkill
• Snyder
• Somerset
• Sullivan
• Susquehanna
• Tioga
• Union
• Wayne
• Wyoming

 Grant Terms

• Each project will have an initial grant term of 3 years
• After 3 years, projects are eligible to be renewed annually by the CoC as part of annual HUD CoC Competition.

 Eligible Project Types

• Permanent Housing

• Permanent Supportive Housing (PH-PSH)
• Permanent Housing- Rapid Re-housing (PH-RRH)

• Joint TH and PH-RRH
• Supportive Service Only

• Coordinated Entry (SSO-CE)
• Street Outreach (SSO-SO)
• Standalone SSO

• Hard costs (acquisition, new construction, and rehabilitation) may be included in a project application, but hard costs are not renewable.

 Special Eligible Costs for Rural Set Aside
 Rural Set Aside projects may also apply for the following special eligible costs:

• Up to 6 months of rent or utility arrears after 2 months of nonpayment of rent or utilities
• Short-term emergency lodging in motels or shelters, either directly or through vouchers
• Repairs necessary to make housing habitable to be used for transitional or permanent housing. Up to $10,000 per structure.
• Capacity building activities, such as employee education, job training, staff retention activities such as financial incentives to staff, paying for continuing education opportunities, cross training within an organization, staff training and professional licensing or certification, and other professional development activities. Up to 20% of funds requested.
• Emergency food and clothing assistance
• Costs associated with making use of Federal Inventory property programs to house individuals and families experiencing homelessness

 Leveraging Housing and Healthcare Resources
 Important Note: To be competitive for this funding, the CoC is looking to identify organizations who can leverage housing or healthcare resources, as defined by HUD in the Special CoC NOFO, as part of the project design.

• Leveraging housing costs: Permanent housing project(s), including permanent supportive housing or rapid rehousing, that utilizes housing subsidies or subsidized housing units not funded through the CoC or ESG Programs (e.g., Housing Choice Vouchers, HOME-ARP, HOPWA).

• Ideally, the applicant will be asked to demonstrate that these housing units, which are not funded through the CoC or ESG programs, will:

• In the case of a permanent supportive housing project(s), provide at least 50 percent of the units included in the project; or
• In the case of a rapid re-housing project(s), serve at least 50 percent of the program participants anticipated to be served by the project.
• Project applicants will be asked to attach letters of commitment, contracts, or other formal written documents that clearly demonstrate the number of subsidies or units being provided to support the project.

• Leveraging healthcare costs: Permanent housing project(s), including permanent supportive housing or rapid rehousing, that utilizes non-CoC resources to cover healthcare costs.

• The project applicant will be asked to provide a written commitment from a healthcare organization, (may include organizations that serve people with HIV/AIDS) that the value of assistance being provided by the healthcare organization is at least:

• In the case of a substance abuse treatment or recovery provider, it will provide access to treatment or recovery services for all program participants who qualify and choose those services; or
• An amount that is equivalent to 50% of the funding being requested for the project(s) will be covered by the healthcare organization.
• Acceptable forms of commitment are formal written agreements and must include the value of the commitment and dates the healthcare resources will be provided.

• Sources of healthcare resources include:

• Direct contributions from a public or private health insurance provider to the project.
• Provision of health care services, including mental health services, by a private or public organization (including FQHCs and state or local health departments) tailored to the program participants of the project.
• Direct partnerships with organizations that provide healthcare services, including mental health services to individuals and families (including FQHCs and state or local public health departments) experiencing homelessness who have HIV/AIDS.
• Eligibility for the project must comply with HUD program and fair housing requirements.
• Eligibility criteria cannot be restricted by the eligibility requirements of the healthcare service provider.

 Special CoC NOFO Additional Resources

• HUD resources related to the Special CoC NOFO: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/coc/specialCoCNOFO
• NAEH resources related to the Special CoC NOFO: https://endhomelessness.org/resource/2022-unsheltered-and-rural-homelessness-supplemental-nofo-resource-series/
• Questions related to project ideas for the Eastern PA CoC can be sent to easterncoc@pennsylvaniacoc.org.