Continuum of Care (COC) Announcement Information from HUD

Monday, July 24, 2017

What’s New and Special Considerations for the FY 2017 CoC Program Competition

So that CoCs know their maximum award amounts, including amounts for planning and Permanent Housing Bonus, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has posted the Estimated Annual Renewal Demand (ARD) Report that includes each CoC’s Preliminary Pro Rata Need (PPRN), estimated ARD, CoC Planning, and Permanent Housing Bonus amounts.

The list below highlights some important information about what has changed, what is new, and special considerations that CoCs should make while planning for the FY 2017 CoC Program Competition. This list is not exhaustive and additional details are located in the FY 2017 CoC Program Competition NOFA. A full list of new, changed, and highlighted information can be found on the FY 2017 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition: Funding Availability page.

• Tier 1 is 94 percent of the CoC’s ARD amount.
• The amount available for the Permanent Housing Bonus is 6 percent of the CoC’s Final Pro Rata Need (FPRN).
• Renewal project applicants may submit their renewal project applications with no changes. We strongly encourage you wait to access e-snaps to complete your renewal project application until the FY 2017 Renewal Project Application Detailed Instructions are posted on the HUD Exchange so you can determine if you want to take advantage of this new function.
• HUD has made several changes to the eligibility requirements for permanent housing, permanent supportive housing, and rapid rehousing. Applicants should carefully read the FY 2017 CoC Program Competition NOFA regarding these changes.
• Most of the mandatory HUD form attachments have been moved to e-snaps as fillable forms that only require a checkbox certification with the project applicant’s authorized representative information. The only HUD required form that remains an attachment is the HUD-2991, Certification of Consistency with the Consolidated Plan, and it must be attached by the Collaborative Applicant to the FY 2017 CoC Priority Listing.
• Tier 2 project-level scoring has been revised to include only three criteria – CoC Application score, ranked position of the project application in Tier 2, and the project application’s commitment to Housing First. The type of project has been removed as a Tier 2 scoring criteria.
• System Performance Measurement information will be largely scored on data submitted by the CoC to the Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX), although CoCs will be required to attach the FY 2017 Competition Report to their CoC Application in e-snaps.
• The local ranking process continues to be crucial to making the CoC Program as effective as possible. CoCs should use objective, performance-based criteria to rate projects and should consider both the need to serve particular populations of people experiencing homelessness (for example, survivors of domestic violence, youth, and persons with substance use disorders) and the effectiveness of their projects in reducing homelessness.
• All applicants must have a current HUD-approved Code of Conduct. Most organizations’ Codes of Conduct were removed from HUD’s website in early 2017, as they did not meet the requirements of 2 CFR part 200, and the organizations were notified by another HUD office that a new Code of Conduct must be submitted. Be sure to review the Code of Conduct for HUD Grant Programs page on HUD’s website to ensure your organization is listed which means you have submitted an approved Code of Conduct. If you do not see your organization on the list, be sure to attach a current and complete Code of Conduct to your Project Applicant Profile in e-snaps.

Questions

During the competition, it is critical that questions are submitted to the correct Ask A Question (AAQ) portal.

Questions pertaining to the CoC Program Competition should be submitted to the e-snaps portal. These questions include e-snaps technical issues; questions about the NOFA, CoC Application, CoC Priority Listings, or Project Applications; and questions about grant awards, agreements, or amendments.

To submit a question to the e-snaps AAQ portal, select “e-snaps” from the “My question is related to” drop down list on Step 2 of the question submission process.

If you have questions related to the CoC Program interim rule or a policy related question, please submit your questions to the CoC Program AAQ portal. To submit a question to the CoC Program AAQ portal, select “CoC Program” from the “My question is related to” drop down list on Step 2 of the question submission process.

The AAQ portal accepts question submissions 24/7. However, responses are usually provided between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for weekends and federal holidays. Additionally, per the FY 2017 CoC Program Competition NOFA, starting 2 days prior to the application deadline for FY 2017 funds, the AAQ will respond only to emergency technical support questions up to the deadline of Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 8:00 PM EDT.