Eastern PA Continuum of Care (CoC)

*CENTRAL VALLEY RHAB*

FY2016 NEW Project Solicitation for Rapid Re-Housing

Preliminary Application due by C.O.B. on August 25, 2016

The Eastern PA CoC is soliciting Preliminary Applications from agencies interested in operating a new Rapid Re-Housing project in the Central Valley RHAB. The budget for this project is approximately $163,650, although projects submitted for a higher amount will still be considered.

This funding is being made available in order to prevent a gap in homeless assistance resulting in the reallocation of Transitional Housing projects in Lebanon and Perry counties. The proposed service area must include Lebanon and Perry counties, but may also include additional counties throughout the Central Valley RHAB.

  • Central Valley RHAB includes the following counties: Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, and Union

Projects selected by the CoC and funded by HUD will be awarded 1-year grants with the expectation that they can be renewed in future CoC applications.

To indicate your interest in a new project, please submit the attached Preliminary Application by 5pm on August 25, 2016.

The application should be emailed to

Please use the e-mail subject line: Preliminary Application – Central Valley RHAB

Please review the information provided below regarding project type, eligible participants, eligible activities, expectations and requirements of the project recipient, and selection/scoring criteria to be used in the selection of new project applicants.

Additional Information to review prior to submitting a Preliminary Application

Note: Webinars and PowerPoint presentations are available on the CoC’s website, which provide an overview on eligibility of project participants; matching requirements; eligible use of CoC funding, etc. This information can be accessed via

What is Rapid Re-Housing (RRH)?

Rapid Re-Housing is a model of housing assistance that is designed to assist the homeless, with or without disabilities, move as quickly as possible into permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing. Rapid re-housing assistance is time-limited, individualized, and flexible. More information about best practices for operating Rapid Re-Housing can be obtained from the National Alliance to End Homelessness at

Who is eligible to receive services under Rapid-Re-Housing?

Under the 2016 HUD Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), the following types of households are eligible to participate in Rapid Re-housing programs funded in FY2016:

  • Individuals
  • Families
  • Unaccompanied Youth – Unaccompanied youth are defined as persons under age 25 who are not accompanied by a parent or guardian and are not a parent presenting with or sleeping in the same place as his/her child(ren). Unaccompanied youth are single youth, youth couples, and groups of youth presenting together as a household.

Households must be homeless in accordance with the HUD definition:

  • Coming directly from the streets or emergency shelters
  • Fleeing domestic violence AND no subsequent residence has been identified AND has no resources or support networks to obtain permanent housing

What will the grant pay for?

The HUD grant can be used towards:

  • Housing Costs: Rental Assistance, which can be used to provide security deposit, first month’s rent and a portion of the household’s monthly rent
  • Supportive Services Costs: Case management to assist households in obtaining and maintaining their housing
  • Administrative Costs: To provide funding for your agency to manage the grant including drawing down funds and reporting to HUD

Are there match requirements?

The grantee must provide a 25% match – either cash or in-kind.

Are there any special considerations that I need to be aware of?

  • Programs and are expected to operate in accordance with a Housing First approach:
  • Participants are not screened out based on the following:
  • Having too little or no income
  • Active or history of substance use
  • Having a criminal record with exceptions for state-mandated restrictions
  • History of domestic violence
  • Participants are not terminated from the program based on the following:
  • Failure to participate in supportive services
  • Failure to make progress on a service plan
  • Loss of income or failure to improve income
  • Being a victim of domestic violence
  • Any other activity not covered in a lease agreement typically found in the project’s geographic area
  • You will be expected to participate in the Eastern PA Coordinated Entry system when it becomes operational. Until then, you will be expected to prioritize entrance to your program based on households that most need the resources (those with the longest length of time homeless and those with the most severe needs), rather than first come first served or other prioritization.
  • Veterans should be referred to specialized VA funded programs, VASH and SSVF. If they are not eligible, they should be prioritized under your new program.
  • If you are targeting Youth, your agency should have the expertise to work with youth or partner with a youth serving agency.
  • You must enter complete and accurate data into the PA Homeless Management Information System (PA-HMIS). Domestic violence programs must enter data into a HMIS-comparable database.
  • Your agency will be expected to participate in the Regional Homeless Advisory Board (RHAB) representing your geographic area and attend the Eastern PA Continuum of Care (CoC) semi-annual meetings.
  • You will be expected to have the capacity to operate your program in accordance with HUD requirements including:
  • Submitting your Annual Progress Report (APR) on time
  • Draw down grant funds at least quarterly
  • Expend all of your grant funds within the 12 month grant period

How will projects be selected for submission to HUD?

All Preliminary Applications will be reviewed by the Eastern PA CoC Funding Committee based on the following criteria. Those that are selected for submission will be notified no later than August 30.

Threshold: to be considered, applicants must commit to the following:

  • Using a Housing First approach
  • Provide program participants with assistance with Mainstream Benefits
  • Experience working with the population to be served
  • Participate in the Eastern PA CoC Coordinated Entry System when it becomes operational
  • Enter data into PA-HMIS or DV comparable database
  • Participate in the RHAB/CoC
  • Be cost effective, compared to similar projects
  • Ensure that service delivery is client-centered and culturally competent

Selection Criteria: Among other factors, the below listed will be considered in the selection of new projects:

  • Targeting a priority population: Families, Youth, Veterans, Projects targeting geographic areas with the greatest needs
  • Ability to provide outreach in order to engage individuals currently living in unsheltered situations
  • Organizational capacity will be evaluated to ensure successful program operation. This includes new organizations not currently receiving CoC-funding, as well as organizations already operating CoC-funded projects
  • For current CoC grantees, considerations will include meeting HUD’s grant management requirements and implementation of HUD policy priorities such as housing first
  • Bonus points will be given to agencies that have not previously received CoC funding
  • Bonus points will be given to organizations that voluntarily reallocated a transitional housing grant

If my project is selected for submission, what is the next step?

You will be notified no later than August 30 if your project has been selected for submission to HUD and the approved amount of funding that you can request. At that time, you will receive instructions for the submission of a full project application.

If I have questions about this who should I contact?

Send an e-mail to and DMA will get back to you as quickly as possible.

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Eastern PA Continuum of Care, CoC PA-509

*CENTRAL VALLEY RHAB*

FY2016 New Project Preliminary Application

Instructions:

  • This document was created as a “Form”. To complete the form, you will need to click “View” in the toolbar, and then click “Edit Document”.
  • Click on the gray shaded area and begin typing. To indicate a check a response, click inside the shaded box and an “X” will appear within the box - .
  • All applications must be returned to by close of business on August 25th.

1) Agency Name:

Contact information:

  • Name
  • Phone number
  • E-mail address

2) Which County(s) do you intend to serve through the Proposed Rapid Re-

Housing project?

Columbia Cumberland Juniata Lebanon Mifflin

Montour Northumberland Perry Schuylkill Snyder

Union

3) Which of the following subpopulations do you plan to serve? Check all that

apply:

Chronically Homeless

Veterans

Youth (under age 25)

Families Individuals Both

4) Did your organization voluntarily reallocate a Transitional Housing project this

year?

Yes. Project Name:

No

5) Did your organization lose a Tier 2 project during the FY15 CoC funding round?

Yes. Project Name:

No

6) Do you have relationships with landlords who would participate in your

program?

Yes No

  • If yes, please describe:

7) Provide a general description of your proposed project.

This should include a clear and concise description of the scope of the project. The following information should be included in your description:

  • description of community needs
  • target population(s) to be served and priority population
  • estimated number of households to be served at a point in time? Annually?
  • experience in working with households experiencing homelessness, and in particular with the subpopulation you identified. This should include any experience using a housing first model.
  • Additionally, if your target population is youth, you must discuss your experience working with use and best practices you are already utilizing
  • project plan for addressing the identified housing and supportive service needs, including any agencies that you plan to partner/coordinate with to provide additional expertise
  • projected project outcome(s)
  • the reason why CoC Program support is required
  • how you will ensure that the project provides client-centered and culturally competent services.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

8) Please indicate which of the following requirements you commit to follow:

Using a Housing First approach

Assist participants with Mainstream Benefits: (must provide all of the following)

Provide transportation assistance to attend mainstream benefit

appointments, employment training or jobs

Use a single application form for four or more mainstream programs

(example DHS’s COMPASS

Provide annual follow-ups with participants to ensure mainstream benefits

are received and renewed

Provide access to SSI/SSDI technical assistance provided by the applicant,

a subrecipient or partner agency

Utilize a SOAR trained individual to provide this technical assistance

Participating in the Eastern PA Coordinated Entry System when it becomes

Operational

Entering data into PA-HMIS (unless domestic violence organization)

Participating in the Central Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board and the CoC

9) Do you anticipate hiring a case manager to provide services to the population

being served? Yes No

  • If yes, provide the number of FTEs and expected FTE rate:

10) The selected applicant will be required to provide Rapid Re-housing

assistance in Lebanon and Perry counties. Please describe your

organization’s ability to operate a multi-county or region-wide program, not

just one that serves your local County. This should include any relationships

you have with providers in the other counties and their ability to identify

landlords in this larger area. If you have experience operating regional

projects, this should also be included.

11) Describe your experience in administering a program similar to the one that

you are proposing. This organizational capacity description should include:

  • Experience effectively utilizing federal funds and performing the described services with given funding and time limitations
  • Experience leveraging other federal, state, local and/or private sector funding
  • Description of the program management and financial account system that will be used to administer the grant
  • Any unresolved monitoring or audit findings from HUD, DCED, the Office of the Inspector General

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY:

12) Proposed budget

For a list and description of eligible cost, please refer to the Continuum of Care

regulations at 24 CFR Part 578, Subpart D – Program Components & Eligible Costs

PROGRAM COMPONENT / REQUESTED BUDGET / DESCRIPTION OF USE
Rental Assistance
Supportive Services
Annual Assessment of Service Needs.
Assistance with moving costs.
Case management.
Child care.
Education services.
Employment assistance and job training.
Food.
Housing search and counseling services.
Legal services.
Life skills training.
Mental health services.
Outpatient health services.
Outreach services.
Substance abuse treatment services.
Transportation.
Utility deposits.
Direct provision of services.
Administrative Costs (cannot exceed 10% of total grant)

13) A match of 25% is required. Match can be in-kind or cash. Please indicate

your anticipated source(s) of matching funds:

Signature of Responsible Party: ______

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