Emergency Shelter

Funding available: Safe Haven Low Barrier Shelter NOFA

Overview

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) has issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Safe Haven Low Barrier Shelters.

Click here to download the NOFA.

Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent to Apply. Letters of Intent are due Friday, November 15, 2019, by 4 PM CST.

The deadline for submitting applications to LHC is Friday, December 13, 2019, by 4 PM CST.

Details

Purpose of the NOFA

The NOFA will fund “the development and operation of a low barrier shelter with supportive services and whose mission includes serving people experiencing homelessness […] The intent of this NOFA is to address the need for shelter in [East Baton Rouge Parish] due to an increased number of people experiencing homelessness.”

In the LA BOSCOC, this NOFA is restricted to funding activities in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Amount of funding

LHC will award up to $3,700,000 under this NOFA.

Applicant eligibility

Eligible applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Non-profit organization with a mission that includes people experiencing homelessness in East Baton Rouge Parish;

  • Must have at least three years of demonstrated experience serving people experiencing homelessness and demonstrated capacity to coordinate supportive services from external agencies;

  • Must have the capacity to partner with construction firms/development organizations for the purposes of this NOFA;

  • Must submit, as part of the application, written certification from the CoC stating that the project is an integral, strategic component of the CoC’s resource system;

    • NOTE: the LA BOSCOC will only issue written certifications to applicants who either (1) meet the CoC’s Good Standing requirements or (2) apply for and receive a waiver of Good Standing. For more information, see the “Good Standing” section below.

For more information about applicant eligibility, refer to section III.B of the NOFA.

Eligible activities

Requirements

All projects must:

  • Be located in a facility;

  • Target primarily people experiencing chronic homelessness in an unsheltered location;

  • Provide 24-hour residence for an unspecified duration to eligible participants;

  • Provide private or semi-private accommodations to participants;

  • Serve no more than 50 participants;

  • Provide supportive services and service referrals to participants;

  • Prohibit the use of illegal drugs in the facility.

Projects may also provide for the common use of kitchen facilities, dining rooms, and bathrooms.

Eligible activities include:

  • Supportive services: supportive services, including case management, for up to 18 months to people experiencing chronic homelessness;

  • Acquisition: acquisition of property to be used for the project;

  • Construction; construction of property to be used for the project;

  • Rehabilitation and demolition; rehab/demolition of site to be used for the project;

  • Renovation: labor, materials, tools, and other costs for renovation, including major rehabilitation or conversation of a building into a Safe Haven shelter facility;

  • Shelter operations: maintenance, security, equipment, utilities, food, furnishings, and supplies necessary to operate the facility;

  • HMIS: the costs of contributing data to the LA BOSCOC’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), including hardware, equipment, technical support, data entry and analysis, monitoring, training, and reporting;

For more information about eligible activities, particularly details about acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation, refer to section III.C and III.D of the NOFA.

Good Standing

Overview

“Good Standing” is a qualification that the LA BOSCOC awards to organizations that have consistently participated in the CoC’s operations and self-governance.

Click here to learn more about the requirements and benefits of Good Standing.

Organizations in Good Standing

Click here to view the list of organizations currently in Good Standing. (The relevant information is on the “Membership” tab under Column E.)

Waivers of Good Standing

Organizations not currently in Good Standing can request a waiver for this NOFA. A waiver will allow that organization to receive written certification from the CoC even if they aren’t currently in Good Standing.

To apply for a waiver, submit a waiver request to Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov. The request must:

  • Be on organization letterhead signed by someone with signature authority;

  • Include detailed information about why the organization was unable to meet the Good Standing requirements.

Organizations who have belonged to the CoC for fewer than 12 months (i.e. whose first semiannual meeting was in 2019) will receive a waiver if they state that in their written request.

Timeline for waivers of Good Standing

Written requests for waivers of Good Standing must be submitted by Friday, November 22, at 4 PM.

Written Certification for this NOFA

Overview

To successfully apply for this NOFA, organizations must submit written certification from the LA BOSCOC stating that the project is an integral, strategic component of the CoC’s resource system.

To apply for written certification, submit a request to Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov. The request must:

  • Be on organization letterhead signed by someone with signature authority;

  • Include detailed information about the project, including where it will be located, its target population, how many people on a given night and in a year it will serve, availability of supportive services, and any other information the CoC might find valuable to making a determination.

Timeline for written certifications for this NOFA

Written requests for certification must be submitted by Friday, November 29, at 4 PM.

Questions?

Questions about this NOFA can be submitted to LHC at wconnor@lhc.la.gov.

Questions about the LA BOSCOC’s interaction with this NOFA can be submitted to Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov.

Emergency Solutions Grant Funding Now Available

Overview

The Louisiana Housing Corporation has released the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Funding Year 2018 (FY18).

ESG funds projects that serve people experiencing homelessness. ESG is an annual formula-based funding source distributed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to states and certain entitlement areas.

Click here to access the full ESG FY18 NOFA.

The application period began June 5, 2018; applications are due August 31, 2018.

What does ESG fund?

ESG funds the following project types:

  • Street Outreach
  • Homeless Prevention
  • Emergency Shelter
  • Rapid Re-housing

For more information about these project types and eligible costs, refer to 24 CFR Part 576 or https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/esg/.

How much funding is available?

Funding is allocated by formula to each Continuum of Care (CoC) in Louisiana, and to each Region of the LA BOSCOC. Each CoC and Region receives funding in proportion to the size of its homeless population. (Homeless population is reported during the January 2018 Point in Time Count.) All CoCs/Regions are eligible to apply for at least $50,000 regardless of their homeless population.

ESG funding by LA BOSCOC Region is as follows:

  • Baton Rouge Region: $148,430
  • Houma Region: $50,000
  • Lake Charles Region: $67,697
  • Natchitoches/Sabine Region: $50,000
  • Plaquemines/St. Bernard Region: $50,000

In addition, the Louisiana Housing Corporation is offering a $300,000 grant to fund one Homeless Prevention project dedicated to reducing the number of people who exit Department of Corrections custody into homelessness. For more information, see page 20 of the ESG FY18 NOFA.

Who can apply?

Each Region will submit one Regional Application through its Regional Applicant. Regional Applicants will consist of one or more project applications that fund one or more organizations.

Regional Applicants were elected by member organizations in attendance at the June 2018 LA BOSCOC General Meeting. They are as follows:

  • Baton Rouge Region: St. Vincent de Paul of Baton Rouge (contact: SVDP BR)
  • Houma Region: Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government (contact: Kelli Cunningham)
  • Lake Charles Region: Calcasieu Parish Police Jury (contact: Tarek Polite)
  • Natchitoches/Sabine: Project Celebration (contact: Mitzi Harris)
  • Plaquemines/St. Bernard: St. Bernard Battered Women's Place (contact: Gail Gowland)

Both private non-profit organizations and units of local government, including cities and parish governments, are eligible to apply. Please contact your Regional Applicant if you would like to receive funding through the ESG FY18 NOFA.

Every agency that wishes to receive ESG -- either as a regional applicant or sub-recipient -- is required to attend the following information session:

ESG Mandatory Information Session
June 27, 2018
9:30 AM to Noon

Louisiana Housing Corporation
2415 Quail Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

If you plan to attend the information session, please send your RSVP to Aimee LeBlanc at aleblanc@lhc.la.gov.

Questions?

Please email your questions about the ESG FY18 NOFA to Winona Connor, ESG Program Manager at the Louisiana Housing Corporation, at wconnor@lhc.la.gov.