CoC Program

LA BOSCOC awarded more than $20 million in CoC Program funding

Overview

On March 13, 2020, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $20,125,458 to the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC) under the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program.

This amount includes approximately $18 million of new and renewal funding announced earlier this year and an additional $2,132,676 in renewal funding for the Louisiana Permanent Supportive Housing Initiative (LAPSH) project.

The LA BOSCOC received 100% of the funding it requested, including full funding for all new and renewal projects.

These awards reflect all awards made under the CoC Program for Funding Year 2019 (FY 2019).

For more information about the previously awarded amount, please refer to the LA BOSCOC’s previous announcement here: https://laboscoc.org/news/2020/1/15/la-boscoc-awarded-18-million-under-the-coc-program

Funding Availability

The LA BOSCOC does not have any information at this time regarding when as-yet-unreleased CoC Program from FY 2018 or FY 2019 will become available. Funding availability is subject to HUD’s timing and discretion.

Interested in CoC Program funding?

The LA BOSCOC expects the FY 2020 CoC Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to become available in Q3 2020. Organizations interested in funding are strongly advised to begin planning their applications now. For more information, please contact Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov or 225-242-1388.

Board Outcomes - January 24, 2020

Overview

The Board met in executive session by conference call on January 24, 2020, to discuss the LA BOSCOC Monitoring Tool (2020) and multiple organizations’ request to push back their monitoring dates.

Attendance

The attendance record of this meeting, being in executive session, is redacted.

Enough Board members were present that full votes were conducted (rather than quorum votes).

Outcomes

LA BOSCOC Monitoring Tool

The Board voted by acclamation to approve the LA BOSCOC Monitoring Tool as written.

Monitoring Date Changes

Two organizations, O’Brien House and Volunteers of America - Greater Baton Rouge, requested that the CoC push back their monitoring dates.

The Board voted to approve a change to O’Brien House’s monitoring date.

The Board voted to approve a change to Volunteers of America - Greater Baton Rouge’s monitoring date.

Monitoring Policy

The Board instructed CoC staff to develop a Monitoring Policy that governs when and how CoC Program recipients can request changes to their monitoring schedule.

The Membership and Rules Committee will have authority over this policy.

LA BOSCOC awarded nearly $18 million under the CoC Program

Overview

On January 14, 2020, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $17,992,782 to the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC) under the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program.

The LA BOSCOC received 100% of the funding it requested, including full funding for all new and renewal projects.

These awards reflect all Tier 1, DV Bonus, and Planning awards made under the CoC Program. The LA BOSCOC expects Tier 2 funding to follow in the near future. The LA BOSCOC expects to receive full funding for its Tier 2 project, which will fund an additional $1.9 million under the Louisiana Permanent Supportive Housing renewal project.

New project funding by Region

Note: all project funding is projected to be renewed on an annual basis. All funding and projected people/households served are for one year of operations.

Baton Rouge

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (through its subrecipients the Particular Council of St. Vincent de Paul of Baton Rouge and Start Corporation) will provide approximately $225,000 in Coordinated Entry activities. These include:

  • St. Vincent de Paul: a full-time Coordinated Entry Navigator who will help those people most likely to be referred to housing via Coordinated Entry become document-ready and remain in contact

  • Start Corporation: multiple case managers at the One Stop to provide access to emergency shelter, referral to mainstream benefits and other resources, and case management designed to return people to housing via their existing support networks without a full housing subsidy

Youth Oasis will provide approximately $213,000 in transitional housing and rapid re-housing to 20 youth-headed households. This innovative project — one of the first of its kind in Louisiana and across the country — will provide both transitional housing and/or rapid re-housing based on each household’s needs. It will provide site-based transitional housing, scattered site rental assistance, wrap-around case management, and access to supportive services.

Houma

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (through its subrecipient Start Corporation) will provide approximately $150,000 in Coordinated Entry activities. This will include both site-based and mobile case managers to provide access to emergency shelter, referral to mainstream benefits and other resources, and case management designed to return people to housing via their existing support networks without a full housing subsidy

The Haven will provide approximately $242,000 in rapid re-housing to 54 youth and families. This will include scattered site rental assistance, wrap-around case management, and access to supportive services.

Lake Charles

The Education and Treatment council will provide approximately $466,000 in rapid re-housing to 50 people fleeing domestic violence. This will include scattered site rental assistance, wrap-around case management, and access to supportive services.

Natchitoches/Sabine

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (through its subrecipient Start Corporation) will provide approximately $150,000 in Coordinated Entry activities. This will include both site-based and mobile case managers to provide access to emergency shelter, referral to mainstream benefits and other resources, and case management designed to return people to housing via their existing support networks without a full housing subsidy

Plaquemines/St. Bernard

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (through its subrecipient Start Corporation) will provide approximately $150,000 in Coordinated Entry activities. This will include both site-based and mobile case managers to provide access to emergency shelter, referral to mainstream benefits and other resources, and case management designed to return people to housing via their existing support networks without a full housing subsidy

Interested in CoC Program funding?

The LA BOSCOC expects the FY 2020 CoC Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to become available in Q2 2020. Organizations interested in funding are strongly advised to begin planning their applications now.

The CoC can provide significant technical assistance at no cost to organizations interested in applying. Click here to learn more and to apply for technical assistance: https://laboscoc.org/news/2020/1/8/technical-assistance-opportunity-project-design-for-2020-continuum-of-care-program-funding

Technical Assistance: Project Design for 2020 Continuum of Care Program Funding

Overview

As part of its commitment to assist new and previous applicants in successfully applying for Continuum of Care (CoC) Program funds, the Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) is offering a full suite of technical assistance to any eligible organization (see below) in developing a project to submit to the upcoming Funding Year (FY) 2020 CoC Program Competition.

LHC anticipates that approximately $20 million will be made available under the FY 2020 CoC Program Competition, including approximately $1.5 million for new projects.

The CoC Program funds housing and services for people experiencing homelessness, including people fleeing domestic violence.

Eligibility

Any non-profit organization, local government, or division of local government located in the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC) is eligible to receive this technical assistance and apply for CoC Program funds.

Funding and technical assistance is available to both new and previous CoC Program applicants.

Funding and technical assistance is available to both projects/organizations that serve the ‘general’ homeless population (i.e. people living on the streets, in a shelter, etc.) and projects/organizations that serve people fleeing domestic violence, including human trafficking.

The LA BOSCOC covers more than 20 parishes and includes the cities of Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and Houma. Click here for a complete list of LA BOSCOC parishes.

Technical assistance topics

LHC staff can provide technical assistance including but not limited to:

  • Education about what the CoC Program can and can’t fund

  • Data about homelessness in your area

  • Information about best practices in rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, and other project models

  • Guidance on how to develop a high-scoring project both for the CoC Program Competition

  • Assistance in developing narratives that will likely be required for the CoC Program Competition

  • Feedback on project design, including cost efficiency, supportive services offerings, outcomes, staffing patterns, outreach strategies, etc.

  • Feedback on grant application narratives

LHC staff can work with you in person at a location of your choice, by webinar, over the phone, or by email — whichever works best for you.

How to request technical assistance

Contact Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at 225-242-1388 or (by preference) glevine@lhc.la.gov.

FY 2018 CoC Program Funding Awards

Overview

The LA BOSCOC is pleased to announce new and renewal funding for Continuum of Care (CoC) Program projects for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018.

The full list of projects can be found here under LA-509: https://www.hudexchange.info/onecpd/assets/File/2018-louisiana-coc-grants.pdf

Congratulations to every organization that received funding! This funding recognizes that you submitted competitive grants to fund necessary, exceptional projects. The LA BOSCOC looks forward to working with all of you this coming year and in years to come!

Project Awards by Type

Renewal Projects

All renewal projects submitted received full funding.

In addition, those projects that provide housing tied to fair market rent values received small increases (above what was requested) to compensate for changing fair market rent values.

In total, the LA BOSCOC received $16,786,308.

New Projects

All new projects submitted under the Permanent Housing Bonus received full or nearly full funding. One of two projects submitted under the Domestic Violence Bonus received full funding.

In total, the LA BOSCOC received $1,093,851 in new funding (excluding planning project funding).

Those projects are:

DV Coordinated Entry Access Point - St. Bernard/Plaquemines

Organization: St. Bernard Battered Women’s Place
Funding Amount: $100,000
Project Type: Coordinated Entry
Service Area: Plaquemines/St. Bernard Region
Project Description: Funding for Coordinated Entry activities, including access, intake, assessment, and diversion, for people fleeing domestic violence in St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parish.

HMIS Expansion

Organization: Louisiana Housing Corporation
Funding Amount: $77,178
Project Type: HMIS
Service Area: LA BOSCOC
Project Description: Additional funding for the LA BOSCOC’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), the statewide database of information and services for people experiencing homelessness. This expansion project primarily funds another full time staff person to provide monitoring and technical assistance to the LA BOSCOC’s growing roster of HMIS-compliant organizations.

HP Serve RRH for Individual Youth

Organization: Empower 225 (formerly HP Serve)
Funding Amount: $231,470
Project Type: Rapid Re-housing
Service Area: Baton Rouge Region
Project Description: This project provides short- to medium-term scattered site rental assistance to 12 single-person households of youth experiencing homelessness aged 18-24. It also funds 20 hours/week of street outreach to better identify youth experiencing homelessness and to connect them with resources, including diversion case management.

Louisiana Housing Corporation-RRH Expansion

Organization: Louisiana Housing Corporation
Funding Amount: $242,787
Project Type: Rapid Re-housing
Service Area: Baton Rouge Region
Project Description: This project provides short- to medium-term scattered site rental assistance (estimated at 9-12 months of assistance for each household) to 5 single-person households and 3 families of people experiencing homelessness, focusing on families, people with mental illness, and people experiencing chronic homelessness. It also funds 40 hours/week of street outreach to connect the project’s target population with resources, including diversion case management.

Partners in Health & Housing for Baton Rouge

Organization: Start Corporation
Funding Amount: $297,588
Project Type: Permanent Supportive Housing
Service Area: Baton Rouge Region
Project Description: This project provides open-ended, scattered site permanent supportive housing to 20 single-person households of people living with severe and persistent mental illness who are experiencing chronic homelessness. It also funds 20 hours/week of street outreach to connect the project’s target population with resources, including diversion case management.

TPCG Rapid Re-housing

Organization: Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government
Funding Amount: $144,828
Project Type: Rapid Re-housing
Service Area: Houma Region
Project Description: This project provides open-ended, scattered site permanent supportive housing to 5 single-person households 8 families of people experiencing homelessness. It also funds 20 hours/week of street outreach to connect the project’s target population with resources, including diversion case management.

LA BOSCOC Board Votes - Week of 8/30/18

Overview

The Board voted by email during the week of August 30, 2018 on the following issues related to the FY18 State ESG NOFA:

  • Good Standing waivers for all organizations that provided sufficient justification (approved 8-0);
  • Good Standing waivers for all organizations that did not provide sufficient justification, including those that provided no justification or did not apply in the specified form and/or timeframe (denied 0-5);
  • Using Good Standing waivers from the FY18 State ESG NOFA to fulfill the same criteria for the FY18 CoC Program RFP (approved 5-0).

Voting Corpus

  • Nicole Sweazy, Louisiana Housing Authority (chair)
  • Antiqua Hunter, Louisiana Department of Education
  • Eric Gammons, HMIS Lead
  • Addie Duval, Baton Rouge
  • Brooke Guidry, Houma
  • Tarek Polite, Lake Charles
  • Mitzi Harris, Natchitoches/Sabine
  • Gail Gowland, Plaquemines/St. Bernard