FY 2021 CoC Program Local Competition Now Open

Overview

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC), on behalf of the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC), has opened its local competition for funding available under the Funding Year (FY) 2021 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its FY 2021 CoC Program NOFO in August 18, 2021. The CoC Program funds eligible organizations to provide housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness, including people fleeing domestic violence.

Through its local competition, the LA BOSCOC expects to make approximately $23 million available, including approximately $2 million for new projects.

The LA BOSCOC welcomes and encourages applicants that have not previously received CoC Program funding to apply.

The LA BOSCOC will publish all information about its local competition on its website at https://laboscoc.org/fy21-coc-program-competition and via its email distribution list. Click here to subscribe to the LA BOSCOC’s email distribution list.

Key documents

Today, the LA BOSCOC published three key documents related to the local competition:

• Request for Proposals (RFP)

• Timeline and Critical Dates

• Rating, Ranking, and Scoring Policy

All three documents can be accessed here: https://laboscoc.org/fy21-coc-program-competition

Upcoming documents

The LA BOSCOC expects to publish all remaining documents needed to successfully apply to the local competition on September 13. They include:

• Annual Local Competition Changelog

• New Project Scoring Tool

• Renewal Project Scoring Tool

• Renewal Projects Eligible to Apply

This release date is an estimate and may change.

FY 2021 CoC Program local competition webinar

LHC intends to host an informational webinar for its FY 2021 CoC Program local competition on the morning of Friday, September 10. This webinar will provide both an overview of the FY 2021 CoC Program NOFO and critical information for potential project applicants.

LHC will release registration details about this webinar in a subsequent email.

Timeline changes due to Hurricane Ida

In response to the impacts of Hurricane Ida, and as provided for in HUD’s FY 2021 CoC Program NOFO, LHC submitted an extension request for its consolidated application from HUD. The request would, among other easements, extend the deadline for new and renewal projects by approximately two weeks.

The Timeline and Critical Dates published today reflects the extension request. If HUD does not approve the extension request, LHC will publish an amended Timeline and Critical Dates.

About the LA BOSCOC

The LA BOSCOC is Louisiana’s largest coalition to end homelessness. It serves more than half of Louisiana’s geography, including more than 20 parishes and the cities of Baton Rouge, Houma, and Lake Charles.

For more information, please contact Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov.

LA BOSCOC Board Meeting: Monday, August 30, from 11 AM to Noon

UPDATE: the NOFO documents under discussion are linked below:

• Timeline and Critical Dates

• Rating, Ranking, and Selection Policy

• Request for Proposals

***

The Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC) Board, which is the LA BOSCOC’s primary governing body, will meet Monday, August 30, from 11 AM to noon.

This meeting will focus on two topics:

Coordinated Entry in the Houma Region. Insofar as there are few people experiencing literal homelessness living in the Houma Region or interested in moving to the Houma Region, and insofar as that situation is likely to continue, the Board will consider offering flexibilities to that Region’s permanent housing providers in filling project slots, including suspending the Intervention element of Coordinated Entry and creating a limited path to housing people who are at risk of homelessness.

FY 2021 CoC Program NOFO. On August 18, HUD released its Funding Year (FY) 2021 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which will fund approximately $23 million in housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness in the LA BOSCOC, approximately $2 million of which will be funding for new projects. The Board will consider several key documents and mechanisms related to the LA BOSCOC’s local competition for funding.

Click here to access the agenda.

FY 2021 CoC Program - New Project Application Session

Introduction

The Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC) is Louisiana’s largest coalition to end homelessness.

On August 18, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its Funding Year (FY) 2021 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The CoC Program funds eligible organizations to provide housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness, including people fleeing domestic violence. Click here for more information about the FY 2021 CoC Program NOFO from HUD.

Under the FY 2021 CoC Program NOFO, the LA BOSCOC is eligible to apply for approximately $23 million. The majority of that funding will be dedicated to existing projects; however,

• Approximately $1 million will be made available for new projects serving people experiencing literal homelessness (including people experiencing chronic homelessness);

• Approximately $850,000 will be made available for new rapid re-housing activities serving people fleeing domestic violence (which includes but is not limited to dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking).

The LA BOSCOC expects to release its Request for Proposals (RFP) for new project applications under the FY 2021 CoC Program NOFO within the next two weeks. The LA BOSCOC, in partnership with TAC, is providing this session to equip potential applicants with the foundational knowledge they need to successfully design a new project and submit a new project application.

Session Description

Facilitator: Melany Mondello, TAC

Date and Time: Thursday, September 2, from 1 PM to 2:30 PM CST

Overview: This session is an opportunity for potential Continuum of Care (CoC) Program new project applicants to ask questions about the general CoC Program application process and how to put together a competitive CoC Program new project application.

Before the Session: Please review the CoC Program Interim Rule (the CoC Program’s core rules and regulations) and familiarize yourself with eligible activities under this funding source, as this session will not be a full review of the CoC Program Interim Rule. Click here to view the CoC Program Interim Rule.

Target Audience: Staff who will be responsible for writing CoC Program new project applications and other leadership-level staff involved in the new project creation and application process

Who Can Attend?: Any eligible organization that is interested in or considering applying for new project funding in the LA BOSCOC’s geography. “Eligible organizations” are limited to non-profit organizations, local governments and instrumentalities of local governments, Indian Tribes and tribally designated housing entities (TDHEs), and public housing agencies. Click here to view a map of the LA BOSCOC’s geography (each region in green is part of the LA BOSCOC).

Register

Click here to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting.

Questions?

Contact Gordon Levine at glevine@lhc.la.gov with questions about the CoC Program NOFO and new project application process.

Contact Melany Mondello at mmondello@tacinc.org with technical questions about this session.

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.

Public Comment: LA BOSCOC New and Renewal Project Scoring Tools - FY 2020

Overview

Purpose

The LA BOSCOC is seeking public feedback on its draft New Project Scoring Tool and Renewal Project Scoring Tool for the upcoming Funding Year 2020 (FY 2020) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Local Competition.

The FY 2020 CoC Program Local Competition will be used to select and rank new and renewal projects to submit to the FY 2020 CoC Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).

Note that these drafts are based on the LA BOSCOC’s best projections about the FY 2020 CoC Program NOFA and will not be finalized until the NOFA is released. These drafts will be adjusted as needed to ensure projects are scored in concert with the NOFA and competitive at the national level.

CoC Program Funding

The CoC Program is the single largest competitive grant in the federal government. Last year, it funded more than $2.2 billion nationwide into projects dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.

The LA BOSCOC anticipates being eligible to apply for more than $20 million in FY 2020, including approximately $1.5 million in new funding.

For new projects, the CoC Program will primarily fund housing and supportive services for people experiencing literal homelessness or fleeing domestic violence. The CoC Program does not fund emergency shelter.

Changelog

Overview

The following is a condensed list of the most significant changes from last year (FY 2019). It is not intended to be a full list of changes. CoC staff encourage you to read the Tool(s) in their entirety as appropriate.

Changes to Both Tools

• “Evidence-based approach” language removed from the Definitions section and from all questions; in questions where a data-driven approach is appropriate, more specific data questions have been added, while in others, specific requests for data have been removed entirely

• The New Project Supplement and Renewal Project Supplement have been removed; applicants will no longer be required to submit anything other than their project applications to the LA BOSCOC

• Added a threshold criterion, “Equal Access,” which explicitly states that all projects must comply with HUD’s Equal Access in Accordance with Gender Identity Final Rule (2012) and Equal Access to Housing Final Rule (2012); while some of this was previously included in the “Eligible Populations” threshold criterion, the “Equal Access” criterion is both more comprehensive and more clearly signals the CoC’s commitment to serving all people according to their gender, regardless of their gender, and without separating families

• Clarified that domestic violence service providers are required to use an HMIS-comparable database, not “projects that serve people fleeing domestic violence”

• The “Low Barrier” threshold criterion has been replaced by the “Housing First” threshold criterion; this reflects (1) the CoC’s commitment to the Housing First model and (2) the LA BOSCOC’s expectation that the low barrier model from the FY 2019 CoC Program NOFA will be reverted to the Housing First model from the FY 2018 CoC Program NOFA

• Projects no longer receive points for targeting specific subpopulations (i.e. youth, veterans, people experiencing chronic homelessness); by placing general population projects on an equal footing with target population projects, the LA BOSCOC hopes to generate more umbrella projects that can react to evolving needs within its geography

• Questions about monitoring now include LA BOSCOC findings as well as HUD and OIG Audit findings

• Bonus points are now awarded for organizations that send at least one staff member to attend at least one CoC-sponsored training in the last year; the CoC expects to make a free, CoC-sponsored case management training available in May 2020

• Bonus points for “Staff Sustainability” have been removed due to liability concerns

New Project Scoring Tool Changes

• Under “Community Need,” projects are no longer asked to project their outcomes (projects share and are assessed by HUD on common outcomes including exits to permanent housing, increases in income, etc.)

• Multiple narratives now more clearly stress that projects must have a clear, well-developed plan to increase participant income

• “Outreach” has been removed, as asking projects to project their participant in their Region’s outreach network during the project application phase is beyond what many applicants could reasonably project

• “Homeless Services Experience” has been rewritten to put first-time applicants on more even footing with existing recipients

• “Point in Time Count” and “Housing Inventory Chart” have been removed to put first-time applicants on more even footing with existing recipients

• Full points for hiring an outreach worker now requires 1.0 FTE (up from 0.5 FTE)

Renewal Project Scoring Tool Changes

• Scoring thresholds for “Percentage of Participants Exiting to or Maintaining Permanent Housing” and “Percentage of Participants Exiting to Shelter/Streets/Unknown” have been raised due to renewal projects almost universally clearing the scoring thresholds in FY 2019

• Project type-specific criteria that were forecasted in FY 2019 will be included in FY 2020

• “APR Timeliness” simplified

• “Funding Request Timeliness” removed

• “Monitoring Results” is now worth 6 points (up from 2) and has two scoring thresholds (up from one)

Accessing the documents

Click here to download the New Project Scoring Tool.

Click here to download the Renewal Project Scoring Tool.

How to provide public comment

Please submit public comments by email to Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov.

Public comments will be accepted through 4 PM on March 6, 2020.

Now Available: Technical Assistance Opportunity (FY 2020 CoC Program Funding)

Overview

The LA BOSCOC has released a Technical Assistance Opportunity (TAO) for the upcoming Funding Year 2020 (FY 2020) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition.

The CoC Program is the single largest source of funding in the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC) for projects providing housing and services to people experiencing homelessness. Under the FY 2020 CoC Program NOFA, the LA BOSCOC expects to receive more than $20 million, including approximately $1.5 million for new projects (including expansions of existing projects).

The CoC has released this TAO to assist organizations in creating high quality project applications for the FY 2020 CoC Program NOFA, including organizations that have never applied or received CoC Program funding.

The CoC strongly encourages any organization that is considering applying for CoC Program funding to receive technical assistance through this TAO.

TAO details and how to apply

Click here to download the TAO, which includes information about funding availability, technical assistance availability, and how to apply for technical assistance.

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

Funding Available: Grant Per Diem (GPD) Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)

Overview

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s Grant Per Diem (GPD) Program has released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). This NOFA is competitive and open to both new and existing recipients.

This NOFA provides funding opportunities for eligible organizations to provide transitional housing and/or service centers for veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

For more information, please visit the VA’s GPD site here: https://www.va.gov/homeless/gpd.asp

How can the CoC help?

The CoC can assist applicants with the following elements of the GPD NOFA application:

• IV.E.5: Describe your participation with the local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). The CoC operates the HMIS and can assist your organization in either beginning to participate or describing your participation in HMIS.

• IV.G(a) — Outreach: The CoC operates the Coordinated Entry System (CES) and coordinates outreach efforts in each of its Regions, including Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and Houma. The CoC can assist your organization in either beginning to participate or describing your participation in the CES and in your local street outreach network.

• IV.G(b) — Project Plan 1, 8, 16: The CoC provides access to most of the homeless-dedicated permanent housing and permanent affordable housing resources in its geography; it also routinely connects people experiencing homelessness to resources for increasing their income and benefits. The CoC can assist your organization in developing a plan to meet these application criteria.

• IV.G(c) — Bridge Housing 1-3: The CoC provides access to most of the homeless-dedicated permanent housing resources in its geography; it also operates the ‘bridge’ from rapid re-housing to permanent supportive housing through the CES. The CoC can assist your organization in developing a plan to meet these application criteria.

• IV.G(e) — Need 1-2: The CoC collects data on levels of need for types of housing, types of services, and people experiencing homelessness across all target populations. The CoC can assist your organization in answering questions about need in your area.

• IV.G(f) — Coordination 1-2: The CoC is the coalition to end homelessness, including veterans homelessness, operating in its geography. The CoC can assist your organization in beginning to work with or describing your work with the coalition.

• IV.G(f) — Letter of Support: The NOFA encourages applicants to submit a letter of support from their CoC. This could contribute to the application’s score. The CoC can provide a letter of support. Please provide us at least 10 business days’ notice to return a letter of support.

• General Application Support: CoC staff can provide grant writing and application assistance, including reviewing application narratives, at your request.

How to request assistance from the CoC

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

If you intend to request assistance from the CoC, please let us know as soon as possible, but no later than February 28, 2020.

Funding Available: Coordinated Entry Incentive Program -- Baton Rouge

Overview

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) has issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for its Coordinated Entry Incentive Program (CEIP).

The CEIP is a pilot project that provides low-cost non-cash incentives to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Baton Rouge for the purposes of increasing their engagement with the case management features of the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC)’s Coordinated Entry System (CES).

This NOFA does not require an application; any organization that is a Coordinated Entry Access Point operating in the Baton Rouge Region can request reimbursement under this NOFA via its non-contract reimbursement process.

Funding will become available Tuesday, January 14, 2020 and continue through June 2020 or until funding made available under this NOFA is exhausted.

Click here to download the NOFA.

Questions?

Questions about this NOFA can be submitted to Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov or 225-242-1388.

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.

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.

Public Comment: FY 2019 CoC Consolidated Application

Overview

The LA BOSCOC is seeking public comment on its Consolidated Application to the Funding Year 2019 (FY 2019) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition.

The CoC Consolidated Application contains two parts:

• The CoC Application, which includes narratives and other information about the CoC;

• The CoC Priority Listing, which includes ranking and funding information about projects being submitted to the Competition.

Accessing the documents

The CoC Consolidated Application can be accessed as follows:

• CoC Application

• CoC Priority Listing

How to provide public comment

Please submit public comments by email to Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager.

Public comments will be accepted through 2 PM on Tuesday, September 24.

FY 2019 CoC Program Local Competition - New and Renewal Projects Selected

Overview

The LA BOSCOC has selected all new and renewal projects to be included in its consolidated application to HUD’s FY 2019 CoC Program Competition.

The Scoring Committee met on Wednesday, September 4, to score, rank, and select projects. This process was conducted according to the Project Rating, Ranking, and Selection Process as approved by the Board. The Scoring Committee submitted its unanimous recommendation for project ranking and selection to the Board that day.

The Board voted by email on Thursday, September 5 on the Scoring Committee’s project ranking and selection. The Board voted unanimously to accept the Scoring Committee’s project ranking and selection as written.

New project funding

Eight projects were submitted for consideration. Three were selected. They were (in alphabetical order):

• The Education and Treatment Council’s “Rapid Re-Housing” project, which on an annual basis will provide short- to medium-term rental assistance and supportive services via the Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) project type to at least 54 youth (aged 24 and under) and people living in youth-headed households in the Lake Charles Region;

• The Haven’s “DV-RRH” project, which on an annual basis will provide short- to medium-term rental assistance and supportive services via the RRH project type to at least 50 people fleeing domestic violence in the Houma Region;

• Youth Oasis’s “TH-RRH” project, which on an annual basis will provide both transitional housing and short- to medium-term rental assistance and supportive services via the innovative new Joint Transitional-Rapid Re-Housing (TH-RRH) project type to 20 youth and people living in youth-headed households in the Baton Rouge Region.

On behalf of the Scoring Committee, CoC staff would like to extend their deep appreciation to all eight project applicants. The CoC Program project application process can be challenging, and we are profoundly grateful to have so many organizations in our CoC with the interest, investment, and dedication to ending homelessness required to engage that process.

Renewal project funding

All projects that requested renewal funding were selected to receive full funding for those requests.

Project feedback

As in previous years and once time allows, CoC staff will provide each applicant with a comprehensive breakdown and assessment of each of their new and renewal projects’ scores.

CoC staff hope that applicants whose new projects were not selected for inclusion will use these assessments to refine their project applications for resubmission in future years.

Project ranking

The LA BOSCOC’s project ranking for the FY 2019 CoC Program Competition can be found here.

Revised FY 2019 CoC Program Request for Proposals

Overview

The LA BOSCOC has issued a revised Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY 2019 CoC Program Local Competition.

The RFP was revised due to a change in the amount of reallocation funds available. This change reduced the amount of funding available through the General Funding Pool for the Baton Rouge Region. For more information, refer to RFP, section F.I., “General Funding.”

Click here to view the revised RFP.

Baton Rouge RFP for FY 2019 ESGP

Overview

St. Vincent de Paul of Baton Rouge (SVDP), the Regional Applicant for the Funding Year 2019 Emergency Solutions Grant Program (FY 2019 ESGP) administered by the Louisiana Housing Corporation LHC), has released its Request for Proposals (RFP) to include projects in Baton Rouge’s Regional Applicant.

ESGP can fund projects that provide housing and services to people experiencing homelessness, including people fleeing domestic violence, via homeless prevention, emergency shelter, street outreach, and rapid re-housing (rental assistance) projects.

Documents

Click here to download the Baton Rouge RFP.

Questions?

For more information about the FY 2019 ESGP NOFA, please see: https://laboscoc.org/news/2019/7/9/fy-2019-emergency-solutions-grant-program-esgp-nofa

Questions about the Baton Rouge RFP can be directed to Michael Acaldo, Executive Director of SVDP, at macaldo@svdpbr.com.

Questions about the FY 2019 ESGP can be directed to Aimee LeBlanc, ESGP Program Manager at LHC, at aleblanc@lhc.la.gov.

Local Q&As and Technical Assistance - FY 2019 CoC Program Local Competition

Overview

CoC staff will be holding local Q&A and Technical Assistance sessions in each of the LA BOSCOC’s Regions.

Anyone interested in submitting a new or renewal project to the FY 2019 CoC Program Local Competition is very welcome to attend.

CoC staff will not be making formal presentations during these sessions, so please come prepared with your questions, comments, and thoughts.

Topics that might be covered include but are not limited to:

• What does a sustainable budget for a Rapid Re-Housing project in my Region look like?

• How much detail is HUD/the CoC looking for in [question]?

• What does the change from Housing First to Low Barrier mean for my project?

• What are the added challenges involved in a Joint Transitional Housing-Rapid Re-Housing project, and how do I address them?

• What kind of data can I use to support an “evidence-based approach?”

• …and anything else you come up with!

Meetings by Region

Meetings are scheduled as follows.

Baton Rouge

• When: July 25, 1 PM to 3 PM

• Where: The Louisiana Housing Corporation — Board Room (2415 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808)

Houma

• When: July 25, 12 PM to 2 PM

• Where: First United Methodist Church — Fellowship Hall (6109 Highway 311 Houma, LA 70360)

• Lunch is provided!

Lake Charles

• When: July 30, 10 AM to noon

• Where: Epps Branch Library (1320 N. Simmons Street Lake Charles, LA 70601)

Natchitoches/Sabine

No meeting has been scheduled; to request a meeting, please email Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov

Plaquemines/St. Bernard

No meeting has been scheduled; to request a meeting, please email Gail Gowland, Plaquemines/St. Bernard Board Member, at gail.gowland@stbernardbwp.org or Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov

Coordinated Entry (One Stop) RFP Selection

Overview

The Louisiana Housing Corporation is pleased to announce that its Scoring Committee has selected Start Corporation to serve as its subrecipient under the Coordinated Entry (One Stop) Request for Proposals (RFP).

The Scoring Committee received a number of excellent proposals, many of which came from organizations that play a critical role in Baton Rouge’s Coordinated Entry System. The Louisiana Housing Corporation and te Scoring Committee extend their sincere appreciation for the applicants’ time, attention, and commitment to Baton Rouge’s coordinated community approach to ending homelessness.

Start Corporation will receive approximately $147,000 in funding to perform intake, diversion, and assessment activities at the One Stop for people experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, and fleeing domestic violence. This funding will likely become available in late Q1 or Q2 2020.

FY 2019 CoC Program Local Competition Now Open

Overview

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC), on behalf of the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC), has opened its Funding Year 2019 Continuum of Care Program (FY 2019 CoC Program) Local Competition.

Through this Local Competition, the LA BOSCOC will award approximately $18 million to organizations that provide housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness, including people fleeing domestic violence.

More than $1 million of the funding awarded will be for new projects. The LA BOSCOC welcomes ‘first time’ applications from organizations that do not currently receive funding from the CoC Program or HUD.

How to apply

For more information, including how to apply, eligible activities, and grant application training opportunities that will be available over the next few weeks, please refer to the LA BOSCOC’s FY 2019 CoC Program Local Competition page: https://laboscoc.org/fy19-coc-program-competition

The Local Competition closes August 27, 2019.

About the LA BOSCOC

The LA BOSCOC is Louisiana’s statewide coalition of people and organizations dedicated to ending homelessness. It serves more than 20 counties and includes the cities of Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and Houma. LHC serves as the LA BOSCOC’s collaborative applicant (“lead agency”).

Public Comment Period - FY 2019 CoC Program Local Competition

Overview

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC), as the Collaborative Applicant (or “lead agency”) of the Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC), has released its Request for Proposals and associated documents for the FY 2019 CoC Program Local Competition for public comment.

Public comments will be accepted through 4 PM on Monday, July 15, 2019.

All public comments will be submitted to the LA BOSCOC Board for consideration.

Documents

The following documents have been released for public comment as part of the FY 2019 CoC Program Local Competition:

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Timeline and Critical Dates

Project Rating, Ranking, and Selection

New Project Scoring Tool

Renewal Project Scoring Tool

How to submit public comments

You can submit public comments one of two ways:

1. Public comments can be emailed to Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov. If possible, please submit comments on the documents themselves using Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes” and “New Comment” functions.

2. Public comments can be submitted anonymously via Google Forms using this form: https://forms.gle/DitUSuAsY44jPCeLA

3. Public comments can be submitted publicly to the CoC using the LA BOSCOC’s Slack platform. For a free invitation to the Slack platform, please email Gordon Levine, Continuum of Care Manager, at glevine@lhc.la.gov.

Disclaimers

All Local Competition documents are subject to change at the discretion of the LA BOSCOC Board until their final versions are published.

HUD has not yet published their Renewal Project Application Detailed Instructions or New Project Application Detailed Instructions. While it is unlikely that these documents will change the scoring elements in the Local Competition Scoring Tools, it is possible these documents will affect how points awe awarded within those elements.

LHC strongly encourages applicants who review the public comment versions of Local Competition documents to re-read the final published versions to ensure they are aware of any changes.

FY 2019 Emergency Solutions Grant Program (ESGP) NOFA

Overview

The Louisiana Housing Corporation, as the statewide recipient of federal Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds, has announced more than $1 million in competitive funding for organizations that provide housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness.

For more information, please refer to the ESGP FY19 NOFA here: https://www.lhc.la.gov/public-comments-and-notices?description=&type=8

How to apply

Each Region of the LA BOSCOC can submit ONE application to the ESGP NOFA for an amount equal to its allocation in the ESGP FY19 NOFA. Each application will contain one or more projects from one or more organizations. Each Region’s application – and its process for selecting projects – is created and managed by one organization elected by that Region’s CoC members to serve as Regional Applicant.

If you are interested in EITHER being Regional Applicant OR submitting a project for funding, please follow the steps below for your Region.

Baton Rouge

• Parishes: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Point Coupee, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana

• Contact: Addie Duval @ Start Corporation — Addie.duval@startcorp.org

• Regional Applicants: elected via conference call on 7/11 at 1:30 PM; for call-in information, contact Addie or Gordon at glevine@lhc.la.gov

• Project Selection: to be determined by Regional Applicant; to be added to the distribution list for projects, contact Addie or Gordon

Houma

• Parishes: Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, Terrebonne

• Contact: Brooke Guidry @ Start Corporation — Brooke.guidry@startcorp.org

• Regional Applicants: elected via email during an upcoming week; to be added to the email chain, contact Brooke or Gordon at glevine@lhc.la.gov

• Project Selection: to be determined by Regional Applicant; to be added to the distribution list for projects, contact Brooke or Gordon

Lake Charles

• Parishes: Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis

• Contact: Tarek Polite @ the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury — tpolite@cppj.net

• Regional Applicants: Calcasieu Parish Police Jury will serve as Regional Applicant unless another organization expresses interest; to nominate your organization for Regional Applicant, contact Tarek or Gordon at glevine@lhc.la.gov by 4 PM on July 12

• Project Selection: to be determined by Regional Applicant; to be added to the distribution list for projects, contact Tarek or Gordon

Natchitoches/Sabine

• Parishes: Natchitoches, Sabine

• Contact: Gordon Levine @ the Louisiana Housing Corporation — glevine@lhc.la.gov

• Regional Applicants: no organizations have expressed an interest; if you are interested, please contact Gordon at glevine@lhc.la.gov ASAP

• Project Selection: if no Regional Applicant is selected, no application will be submitted; to be added to the distribution list for projects (if there will be one), contact Gordon

Plaquemines/St. Bernard

• Parishes: Plaquemines, St. Bernard

• Contact: Gail Gowland @ St. Bernard BWP — Gail.gowland@stbernardbwp.org

• Regional Applicants: St. Bernard BWP will serve as Regional Applicant, as they are currently the sole CoC member in this Region

• Project Selection: the RFP is available at www.stbernardbwp.org; project applications are due on July 19 by 3 PM