Continuum of Care (CoC)

On January 29, 2021, HUD awarded $2.5 billion to renew support to thousands of local homeless assistance programs across the nation. HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) grants will provide critically needed support to 6,597 local programs on the front lines of serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

The funding announced on January 29, 2021, renews grants for existing programs. This process was dramatically streamlined because communities have been and will continue to be consumed with COVID-19 response and have limited capacity to participate in the traditional CoC competition.

“HUD wants to ensure that thousands of local homeless assistance providers continue to receive federal funds needed to provide stable housing for people experiencing homelessness during these trying times,” said Acting HUD Secretary Matt Ammon. “Renewing these grants not only offers relief to our local partners but it allows Continuums of Care to continue their work to end homelessness and help keep our most vulnerable neighbors off the streets.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to provide funding without diverting the attention of communities from the vital work of preventing, preparing for, and responding to the pandemic,” said James Arthur Jemison, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant funding supports a broad array of interventions designed to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, particularly those living in places not meant for habitation, located in sheltering programs, or at imminent risk of experiencing homeless. Each year, HUD serves more than a million people through emergency shelter, transitional, and permanent housing programs.

“HUD wants to ensure that thousands of local homeless assistance providers continue to receive federal funds needed to provide stable housing for people experiencing homelessness during these trying times,” said Acting HUD Secretary Matt Ammon. “Renewing these grants not only offers relief to our local partners but it allows Continuums of Care to continue their work to end homelessness and help keep our most vulnerable neighbors off the streets.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to provide funding without diverting the attention of communities from the vital work of preventing, preparing for, and responding to the pandemic,” said James Arthur Jemison, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant funding supports a broad array of interventions designed to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, particularly those living in places not meant for habitation, located in sheltering programs, or at imminent risk of experiencing homeless. Each year, HUD serves more than a million people through emergency shelter, transitional, and permanent housing programs.

View a complete list of all the state and local homeless projects awarded funding on HUD’s website.

Read HUD’s press release announcing these awards.

Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA) serves as the Collaborative Applicant for Idaho’s Balance of State Continuum of Care, and submits annually all required CoC application documents. IHFA is currently soliciting local applications for the 2019 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. HUD has released the 2019 Continuum of Care Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), which we encourage you to read for more detailed information.

This announcement serves as a formal solicitation for new project applications to be considered for funding. Eligible component types under this notice include Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and Rapid Re-housing (RRH). PSH projects must serve the Chronically Homeless exclusively, and persons served must come from the streets (places not meant for human habitation) or from emergency shelters. RRH must serve persons who come from the streets (places not meant for human habitation), from emergency shelters, or persons fleeing domestic violence situations.

Performance Goals

The local CoC application aims to enforce the adoption of federal and local strategies and goals intended to:

• Reduce lengths of episodes of homelessness
• Reduce new and return entries into homelessness
• Increase income growth, including debt to income ratio
• Reduce first time homelessness
• Increase permanent housing retention
• Reduce the number of those homeless

Funding for new projects, including through reallocation, is limited to Permanent Housing and Supportive Services Only for Coordinated Entry projects. Transitional housing and other supportive services only projects will not be accepted.

New project proposals will be scored and ranked based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated ability to comply with HUD, Collaborative Application, and IHCC requirements
• Demonstrated ability to accurately and appropriately execute fiscal management, including match and leverage funds
• Demonstrated experience administering and complying with current and prior HUD-funded projects (no adverse findings or performance)
• Proposed activities meet a homelessness/housing need identified as an IHCC priority
• Capable and willing to participate in HMIS/CMIS, including adherence to HUD, HMIS Lead, and IHCC standards, and comply with Homeless Connect requirements
• Willingness to operate the project using Housing First practices and philosophy

The Idaho Balance of State CoC’s estimated annual renewal demand is $3,116,383. In addition, the CoC is eligible to apply for a CoC Bonus project in the amount of $155,819 and a Domestic Violence (DV) bonus project in the amount of $274,690.

All project applications will be ranked in two tiers, with the lowest scoring projects comprising Tier 2 in the amount of $170,090.00. Note that CoC planning grants are not scored.

• Tier 1: $2,946,293
• Tier 2: $170,090
• CoC bonus: $155,819
• DV bonus: $274,690
• CoC planning: $93,491

The renewal application for the 2019 State Continuum of Care Competition closed on June 7, 2019. Applications for new projects will be considered, in combination with the renewal applications already received, following the August 15, 2019 deadline. Application materials will be reviewed, scored, and ranked according to objective scoring criteria, as well as federal and local priorities. Our project evaluation method has been reviewed and approved by the Idaho Homelessness Coordination Committee (IHCC), our CoC Board.

Applications and all accompanying attachments must be submitted to snap@ihfa.org no later than 12pm (noon) Mountain Time, Thursday, August 15, 2019. If you intend to apply, please email snap@ihfa.org by August 1, 2019, to provide your agency name, contact information, and type of project, so that we can keep you updated if any additional information becomes available.

• FY2019 CoC Application
• FY2019 Priority Listing
• FY 2019 CoC Local New Project Application
• FY 2019 Coc Local Renewal Application

Please complete and submit an application for each new project you are proposing. Final notice of inclusion or exclusion from the CoC application, score, and possible ranking will be provided after the review process is complete, and the IHCC has approved new projects and ranking.

The ranking and review process is conducted by an Independent Review Panel (IRP) made up of volunteers not associated with an agency or project funded by the Continuum of Care program. Those interested in being an IRP panelist may express their interest by sending an email to snap@ihfa.org.

After applications are scored by the IRP, a Project Priority Listing is created, consisting of the IHCC’s ranking of new and renewal CoC projects. This ranking will be based on application score, threshold standards, project component type, and an assessment by the IHCC. All renewal projects will be listed in score order (highest to lowest), in the manner chosen by the IHCC.

IHCC meeting minutes are available to the public upon request. A homelessness and housing coalition exists within each of the 6 regions of our CoC. Each coalition appoints one individual to act as a representative for the region on the IHCC Board. Anyone who would like to share their preferences and priorities with the IHCC may present them to their regional representative.

Further information regarding the application, review process, and project ranking can be found in the Idaho Balance of State CoC Written Standards.

05/07/2019: CoC Renewal Applications Open

06/07/2019: CoC Renewal Applications Due

07/16/2019: CoC New Applications Open

08/15/2019: CoC New Applications Due

08/20/2019: Project Ranking Recommendation to IHCC Board

09/04/2019: Final Ranking and Priority Listing Approved

09/05/2019: Ranking Results and Priority Listing Emailed to Applicants

09/15/2019: CoC Ranking Results and Priority Listing Posted Online

09/30/2019: FY 2019 CoC Application Submission Deadline

CoC Program Overview

• CoC Eligible Cost Detail
• CoC Reimbursement Request Forms