HUD Homeless Funding Discussion

• How does WV access HUD Homeless funding?• What is the process by which WV is judged

adequate in the competition?• What are the results of the competition for

the last two years?• What can we do to improve West Virginia’s

scoring in the competition?

What is a Continuum of Care??

It is a community-based, long-range plan that addresses the needs of homeless persons in order to help them reach maximum self-sufficiency.

It is a process and strategic plan mandated by HUD for a community addressing homeless needs with federal McKinney-Vento funds.

What purpose does a CoC serve?

• Pulls community people together to identify needs, set local priorities and apply for HUD funding to meet those needs;

• Makes the annual planning process deliberate, makes use of data indicating needs and gaps in services the basis for setting goals;

• Creates collaboration in delivering services to the homeless.

What are the essential programmatic elements of a CoC?

• Homeless Prevention• Outreach, Intake and Assessment• Emergency Shelter• Transitional Housing• Supportive services • Permanent housing• Permanent Supportive Housing

What constitutes a CoC group?

• Homeless services providers• Government agency service providers• Homeless consumers• Representatives from the business community• Representatives from the faith community• Veterans services agencies• State hospitals and prisons representatives

What are the functions of a CoC Group?

• Carrying out a strategic planning process:– Conducting annual homeless counts;– Annual survey of all shelter and supportive services

in the area;– Annual program and outcomes monitoring of all

projects funded with HUD McKinney-Vento money;– Annual determination of gaps and priorities for

HUD funds;– Submission of annual application for HUD funding.

How does the CoC carry out its work?

• HUD scores the NOFA applications based on frequency and quality of participation with all the members of the CoC group;

• Workgroups must be organized and must carry out all the functions of the strategic planning process;

• Documentation and outcomes of this work is presented in the annual NOFA application.

How, ideally, should a CoC be staffed?

• Staffing must be sufficient to guide the workgroups formed by CoC members to go through all the functions of the CoC group;

• Staffing must be sufficient to coordinate with state and local government agencies, nonprofits, and interested parties;

• Staff must be supported by, and supervised by, a stable, resource-rich agency;

With whom should a CoC coordinate/collaborate?

• Local and state government agencies;• All homeless service providers, regardless of

whether or not they receive HUD funding;• Mainstream resources agencies that provide

public services that homeless people use;• Consumers of homeless services;• Agencies that operate other HUD programs:

CDBG, ESG, HPRP, HOME;• The WV Interagency Council and the 10-year

plan.

West Virginia has Four CoCs:

1. Wheeling/Weirton2. Huntington/Cabell and Wayne Counties3. Charleston/Kanawha, Putnam, Boone and

Clay Counties4. WV Balance of State: all the other counties

not included in the above three CoCs.ONLY Huntington received a score adequate

for funding new projects in 2008.

Current HUD McKinney-Vento Programs

Competitive Programs•Supportive Housing Program (SHP)•Shelter Plus Care Program (S+C)•Single Room Occupancy Program (SRO)

Formula Program:•Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG)

Other Programs:•Housing for Persons with Aids (HOPWA)

New (2009) HUD Homeless ProgramHomeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing

Program (HPRP):

• Provides rental assistance and services to homeless and those at imminent risk of homelessness;

• Limited to 18 months or less;• For individuals and families who are deemed to

be capable of independence after the subsidy ends.

Essential Elements of Competition for HUD Homeless Funds (NOFA)

• Scoring is done on the Exhibit 1 document, the document describing the strategic planning process a Community undertakes;

• If an Exhibit 1 scores the requisite points, then new projects submitted by the community can be funded;

• If it does not score the requisite points, only renewals of current projects will be funded for one year.

Deficiencies of the Balance of State (BoS) CoC in the 2008 NOFA competition

CoC Organizational Structure and CoC Housing and Services: -2.75

Needs and Data (HMIS): -9.5Strategic Planning: -10.0Performance (client outcomes): -7.75Emphasis on Housing: -3.0

-33.0Total Possible Points = 100; WV BoS got 67

How much money did we fail to get for the BoS CoC in 2008??

Pro Rata Need Share for 2008: $1,908,544Amount of New Money for 2008: $286,282

Total Available: $2,194,286

Total Awarded: $428,269Amount Not Awarded: $1,766,017

Charleston/Kanawha CoC 2008 Awards:

Pro Rata Need Share for 2008: $889,140New Money Available: $110,577Total Money Available for 2008: $999,717

Total Awarded: $702,410Amount Not Awarded: $298,196

Wheeling/Weirton CoC 2008 Awards

Pro Rata Need Share for 2008: $423,804New Money Available: $37,745Total Money Available for 2008: $461,549

Total Awarded: $423,804Amount Not Awarded: $37,745

Huntington, Cabell, Wayne CoC for 2008:

Pro Rata Need Share for 2008: $1,476,238New Money Available: $121,358Total Money Available for 2008: $930,414

Total Awarded: $1,597,596Amount Not Awarded: 0

2008 Funding Results for entire State of West Virginia

Pro Rata Need Share for 2008: $4,697,726New Money Available: $555,962Total Money Available for 2008: $5,253,688

Total Awarded: $3,152,079Amount Not Awarded: $2,101,609

How do we improve this funding picture?

• Offer all four CoCs training and technical assistance, peer group support, and assistance with monitoring program performance(client outcomes);

• Provide an organizational structure for the BoS CoC that gives the necessary staff time and expertise and agency support to perform all their necessary strategic planning functions.

Suggested Change for BoS CoC:

• Designate Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity as the Lead Agency for BoS;

• Hire and train staff for fulfilling this function;• Get out into the rural counties (“circuit rider”)

to develop capacity and interest;• Reframe the WVCEH to work on advocacy,

helping the ICH to implement the 10-year plan, and “working” the legislative branch;