The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds housing and services for people who are homeless through the annual NOFA (Notice of Funding Availability) process.
HUD’s Continuum of Care homeless assistance programs serve as the largest single source of funding for homeless services in Chicago; and, in 2010 Chicago received more than $54 million from HUD to support over 170 programs for homeless individuals and families. HUD awards the Continuum of Care homeless assistance grants through an annual application process known as the NOFA (Notice of Funding Availability), which is typically released by HUD in the spring or summer of each year.
Each year, on behalf of the Chicago Planning Council on Homelessness, the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness submits a lengthy application to HUD for the Continuum of Care NOFA funding. Included in this application is Chicago’s priority list for distributing the annual HUD funding. In order for a program to receive HUD funding, it must appear on Chicago’s priority list.
Chicago runs a local application process to determine which programs will be placed on the list to receive HUD funding. The Chicago Alliance staffs this process, with oversight provided by the Chicago Planning Council on Homelessness, which is a planning body made up of homeless service agencies, consumers of homeless services, government partners, private foundations, and members of the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness. The role of the Chicago Planning Council on Homelessness is to establish the policies, principles, and priorities of Chicago’s NOFA process.
For agencies applying for HUD funding in Chicago, the NOFA process has two parts – the local evaluation process and the submission of the HUD application:
Part 1: The Evaluation Process
Prior to the release of the Continuum of Care NOFA by HUD, Chicago performs its own evaluation of renewal and new projects through two simultaneous processes. These processes are established by the Chicago Planning Council on Homelessness and managed by the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness.
For Supportive Housing Program (SHP) renewal projects, agencies complete and submit the evaluation instrument, which is a tool used to evaluate each program. Evaluation instrument applications are then scored by independent evaluators and projects are prioritized for HUD funding through ranking policies established each year by the Chicago Planning Council on Homelessness. Shelter Plus Care (S+C) renewal projects are managed by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (formerly Chicago Department of Human Services) and do not compete in the evaluation process.
For new projects, agencies complete a separate application process consisting of a letter of interest (LOI) and an application (if applicable). New projects may be for any of the following HUD Continuum of Care programs: Supportive Housing Program (SHP), Shelter Plus Care (S+C) or Section 8/SRO. As with renewal SHP projects, new projects are prioritized for HUD funding through ranking policies set by the Chicago Planning Council on Homelessness.
Part 2: Submission of HUD Application
Once HUD releases the Continuum of Care NOFA, agencies are required to submit a series of online forms, for each program, through HUD’s new electronic application system e-snaps. These include: SF-424, SF-LLL, Logic model, and the Exhibit 2 application.
Exhibit 2 serves as the universal application for all projects applying under the Continuum of Care—including new and renewal Supportive Housing Program (SHP), new and renewal Shelter Plus Care (S+C), and new Section 8 Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) program applications.
Chicago Evaluation Process:
The 2011 HUD Continuum of Care NOFA process started with the local evaluation process, which began on April 27, 2011 when the 2011 Evaluation Instrument was distributed via email to all renewal Supportive Housing Program (SHP) projects. Alliance staff held Evaluation Instrument trainings on May 10 and 11, and Evaluation Instruments were due on June 17, 2011. After preliminary project scores were sent out, all agencies had the opportunity to submit an appeal of their project scores in July 2010. Agencies were then notified of their final project scores in August 2010.
Chicago Ranking Policies:
The Chicago Planning Council on Homelessness passed the 2011 NOFA Ranking Policies on August 17th, 2011. Click here to read the policies. Note that projects that score below two standard deviations on the local Evaluation Instrument will be notified that they are required to participate in technical assistance sessions and propose an action for improvement. Click on the links for additional information about standard deviation or for background information on the 2011 ranking policies. A Public Ranking Meeting was held via webinar on November 18th, 2011, and the presentation slides are available here. The 2011 Ranking Order can be downloaded by clicking here. For more information, please contact Nicole Bahena.
HUD Application Process:
The HUD application process began when HUD released the 2011 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program. The Chicago Alliance submitted Chicago's Exhibit 1 and all Exhibit 2 HUD Applications to HUD on October 26, 2011.
New APR: HUD requires all HUD projects ending on or after June 1, 2011 to use submit a new version of the APR in e-snaps. HUD provides several resources on its HUDHRE website. Additionally, the local HUD provided a special APR training at the request of the Alliance, and the presentation slides from that training can be downloaded here.
e-snaps and HUD e-snaps Training and Resource Page: HUD unveiled a new electronic application for the 2008 Continuum of Care (CoC) competition through a new online system, called e-snaps. HUD provides frequently updated information about e-snaps during the NOFA process on their Training and Resource Page.
Supportive Housing Program Desk Guide: The SHP Desk Guide describes the SHP grant process from grant award onward. It will take you through the life cycle of a grant, incorporating everything from very basic information to the intricacies of grant administration. The guide is not a substitute for the SHP regulations. However, it is a practical guide to issues that arise during project implementation.
Supportive Housing Program Self-Monitoring Tools: The guide provides user-friendly forms to enable staff to assess their project operations against the standards set by HUD rules and regulations. Tools include: Measuring Project Progress, Determining and Documenting Participant Eligibility, Tracking Match Requirements, Tracking Important Contract Dates and Implementation Milestones, Calculating Resident Rent, Record Keeping and Financial Management, and Conducting a Housing Assessment.
HUD Homeless Resource Exchange: The Homelessness Resource Exchange is your online one-stop shop for information and resources on assisting people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Program guidance and regulations, technical assistance (TA) and training resources, research and publications, and more are available.
Local HUD Representatives: See section entitled "Homeless Programs" for representatives' contact information for HUD SHP, S+C, and SRO programs in Chicago.
Program Models Chart: The Program Models Chart, which was revised and approved by the Chicago Planning Council on Homelessness in May 2010, describes each program model considered to be in alignment with Chicago's Plan to End Homelessness. The Chart is used for local funding purposes, including Chicago's HUD NOFA funding process.