2023
Notice of Funding Availability: Emergency Solutions Grants Balance of State
On July 28, 2023, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced the availability of approximately $5.3 million in new federal funds for the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program, Balance of State (BoS) Allocation.
Primary eligible ESG project types were Emergency Shelter (ES), Rapid Rehousing (RRH), and Street Outreach (SO).
The ESG NOFA included two parts: BoS regional competition (Santa Cruz County is in the ESG Bay Area region) and a non-competitive local RRH-only set-aside.
Role of the CoC: HCD only accepts applications that are recommended by the CoC. Each CoC was required to submit a CoC Recommendations Packet that identified:
- Up to two projects (maximum $200,000 each) for the BoS regional competition, and
- One or more projects (totaling $145,001 in the case of our CoC) for the non-competitive RRH-only set-aside.
The final deadline for project applications and for the CoC Recommendations Packet was October 16, 2023. Awards are expected in January 2024.
Local Santa Cruz County CoC Process
On August 22, 2023, the Housing for Health Partnership commenced the required local process by issuing a notice to the CoC membership and broader community of the funds available and by publishing an ESG Request for Applications (RFA), including local priorities, scoring criteria (worth 100 points), local process requirements, and timeline as follows:
- 8/15/23 - Local Letters of Intent to apply for ESG funds due
- 9/8/23 – ESG Office Hours held to review RFA and answer applicant questions
- 9//27/23 – Local deadline for applications for review by Review and Ranking Committee
- 10//12/23 – Review and Ranking Committee meeting held to select projects for recommendation to HSD
- 10/12/23 – Decision letters sent to applicants
- Up until 10/16/23 – Technical assistance to applicants with certifications, requirements, etc.
Results of Local Process
- Three applications were received for the BoS regional competition, and one project for the non-competitive RRH set-aside.
- ES was relatively prioritized this round, and AFCSC applied for the first time this round.
Summary of Review and Ranking Committee Decisions
| Project & Type |
Request |
Local Score |
Local Decision |
| BoS Regional Competition (No more than two projects could be selected |
| Housing Matters - Rebele Family Center ES |
$200,000 |
87 |
Approved |
| AFCSC – Faith Community Shelter ES |
$181,150 |
84 |
Approved |
| Housing Matters – RRH 2 (competitive) |
$200,000 |
80 |
Declined |
| Non-competitive RRH Set-Aside (One or more project up to $145,001) |
| Housing Matters – RRH 2 (non-competitive) |
$200,000 |
80 |
Approved |
| Total Amount Approved Requests |
$526,151 |
|
|
Notice of Funding Opportunity for the 2023 CoC Program Competition and the Renewal and Replacement of YHDP Grants
To see a complete list of 2023 Final HUD CoC & YHDP Awards click here.
Final CoC-Approved 2023 CoC Application Materials (posted September 26, 2023):
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2023 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition and the Renewal and Replacement of Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) Grants was released on July 5, 2023. The NOFO can be found here.
On July 27, 2023 interested applicants attended an ‘Applicant Orientation Session’. The video of the session is below:
Introductions 0:00 – 10:59
Presentation begins at 11:00
Application Materials
- Agenda Applicant Orientation 7-27-23
- Santa Cruz County 2023 CoC NOFO Solicitation Policies and Procedures Final
- 2023 CoC NOFO Process Timeline Final
- Santa Cruz County 2023 CoC Objective Rating Final
- H4H 2023 Renewal Project Local Application Form
- H4H 2023 New Project Application Form
- Santa Cruz County 2023 CoC Local Evaluation Checklist Final
- Match Format
- H4HP Appeals Policy
The agenda for the Applicant Orientation Session will include:
- Overview of the HUD CoC Competition
- Local Process and Timeline
- Local Applications and Scoring
- Question and Answer
Attendance is highly recommended for representatives of any organization that is a:
- Current CoC grantee
- Current YHDP grantee
- Non-CoC funded agency interested in applying for CoC/YHD NOFO funding, including nonprofit organizations, local governments, instrumentalities of local governments, and public housing agencies.
- The CoC encourages applications from organizations that have not previously received CoC Program funding. The CoC also encourages applications from organizations led by, representing, and/or serving LGBTQ+ or races and ethnicities that may be over-represented in the homeless population.
What is the Role of the Housing for Health Partnership and the Housing for Health Division?
Our CoC, known locally as the H4HP, is the local body charged by HUD with carrying out a collaborative process for prioritizing and selecting local projects for CoC and YHDP funds. The County Human Services Department H4H Division staffs the H4HP and is the HUD-required Collaborative Applicant for the CoC, responsible for coordinating the process and submitting a consolidated application to HUD for CoC and YHDP funds. More details on the local process will be provided at the Applicant Orientation Session. The H4H contact e-mail is housingforhealth@santacruzcounty.us.
How Much CoC Funding is Available and How Can it be Used?
The possible overall competitive funding for the Santa Cruz County CoC is $6,173,945, which includes the following:
- $5,418,194 for one-year renewal of existing CoC projects, renewal of existing YHDP projects or replacement of the projects by their existing grantees, or reallocation of CoC or YHDP funds to the following allowable new project types: permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, joint transitional housing and rapid rehousing, HMIS, and/or coordinated entry system.
- $379,274 for one or more new CoC bonus projects of the following allowable types: permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, joint transitional housing and rapid rehousing, HMIS, and/or coordinated entry system.
- $105,567 (estimated) for one or more Domestic Violence (DV) bonus projects of the following allowable types serving a 100% DV population: rapid rehousing, joint transitional housing and rapid rehousing, and/or coordinated entry system.
- $270,910 for one non-competitive CoC planning project.
What Are the Key Local Dates and Deadlines?
Following is the summary tentative local timeline. Please note local dates are subject to change. However, HUD deadlines remain fixed.
- 7/27/23 – Applicant Orientation Session.
- 8/29/23 – Local CoC deadline for proposals (local applications AND Esnaps applications).
- 9/13/23 – Local CoC selection/ranking decisions sent to applicants.
- 9/28/23 – HUD deadline for CoC applications and project priorities.
Thank you very much for your interest in the HUD CoC Program Competition. Please do not hesitate to contact H4H at housingforhealth@santacruzcounty.us or tonygardnerconsulting@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
2022
2022 Continuum of Care Program Competition and Non-Competitive Award of Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program Renewal and Replacement Grants
To see a complete list of 2022 Final HUD CoC & YHDP Awards click here.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2022 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition and Non-Competitive Award of Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) Renewal and Replacement Grants was released on August 1, 2022. The NOFO can be found here. Qualified applications are invited for projects within Santa Cruz County. An estimated total of $5.5 million is available for one-year grants. The HUD deadline is September 30, 2022, although earlier internal deadlines will also apply as detailed below.
Final CoC Application Materials:
Application materials:
Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity to Address Unsheltered and Rural Homelessness
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has released the Continuum of Care (CoC) Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity to Address Unsheltered and Rural Homelessness (Special NOFO).
This is a first-of-its-kind package of resources to address unsheltered homelessness and homeless encampments. The funds available nationally through the Special NOFO will be $322 million, including $54 million set aside for rural communities.
Please note, this is not the regular Annual CoC NOFO, which is expected to be announced soon, but a supplemental NOFO to address unsheltered and rural homelessness. For further information please visit:HUD’s Special CoC NOFO page and HUD Exchange’s CoC Program Supplemental NOFO page.
Applying for project funding through the Special NOFO will require participating in our local CoC Housing for Health (H4H) Partnership process for prioritizing, ranking and selecting projects. H4H Partnership staff and consultants are currently developing the local process and materials. Local application process details and materials will soon be posted. Stay tuned for a public invitation to a Special NOFO Applicant Orientation Session.
Final Draft Local Application Materials:
Application materials:
Request for Qualification: Housing for Health Vendor Pool
The Housing for Health Division of the County of Human Services Department is establishing a Housing for Health Vendor Pool in partnership with the County General Services Department. This Request for Qualification (RFQ) is to identify qualified vendors interested in providing various health and housing-related services in the County.
The Vendor Pool will serve as a repository for a selection of qualified vendors to partner with the County on the critical issue of homelessness. The County will use the vendor pool to contract with qualified vendors when specific funding opportunities arise. Being in the vendor pool does not guarantee any minimum or maximum dollar amount or any awarded scope of services. Initial responses to this RFQ are due on August 26, 2022. The RFQ can be found here.
Request for Proposal: Shelter and Supportive / Transitional Housing Predevelopment Work, City of Santa Cruz
The City of Santa Cruz has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for shelter and supportive/transitional housing predevelopment work to help support the creation of more temporary and permanent housing resources throughout the County. Information about this funding opportunity can be found here. The deadline is Aug. 19 at 5:00 p.m.
2022 Notice of Funding Availability for Emergency Solutions Grant Program
The State of California Department of Housing and Community Development has released the 2022 Notice of Funding Availability for the state-administered Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program.
The ESG program funds street outreach, emergency shelter operation, services for emergency shelter residents, rapid rehousing programs and homeless prevention programs run by private nonprofits and government agencies. Information about this funding opportunity can be found at: https://www.hcd.ca.gov/emergency-solutions-grants.
The maximum amount of funding available for Santa Cruz County is $351,867. All organizations interested in applying must prepare and submit their application to the Housing for Health Partnership as a first step in the process. To learn more about this funding opportunity and how to apply, please read the complete information materials here.
Funding Update 3.18.22 - Bringing Families Home program
The County of Santa Cruz Human Services Department announced on March 18 the allocation and acceptance of $1,566,553 from the California Department of Social Services’ fiscal year 2021-22 Bringing Families Home (BFH) program.
This allocation is equal to the amount awarded to implement the BFH program for the three-year period of Fiscal Year 2019/20 – 2021/22 and allows the County to continue operating the program. BFH program participants are identified through both the County’s Child Welfare Program and the countywide homeless Coordinated Entry System.
Information on BFH related benefits, eligibility and program related requirements with regards to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and the local Coordinated Entry System can be found here.
Housing for Health Partnership (H4HP) – Transition Age Youth Funding and Partnership Opportunity
H4HP and participants in Youth Homelessness Demonstration Projects in Santa Cruz County are seeking one or more nonprofit organizations interested in helping build out a combined transitional housing and rapid rehousing program for youth experiencing homelessness in Santa Cruz County. To learn more about this opportunity please click here.
Initial expressions of interest are due via email by Friday, March 25 at 3 p.m. Formal letters of interest are due on Friday, April 15 at 3 p.m.
California Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG)
The California ESG provides funds for a variety of activities to address homelessness as authorized under the federal Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009 and State program requirements. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) administers the ESG program with funding received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
ESG funds are federal dollars distributed by the state focused on funding programs to prevent and end homelessness.
The State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has announced its annual notice of funding available under the regular California ESG Program (ESG NOFA). For more information about the State's ESG program, including the State funding notice and application materials, please go to: http://www.hcd.ca.gov/grants-funding/active-funding/esg.shtml
As required by the State's annual ESG process, the Homeless Action Partnership (HAP) Board, as the local Continuum of Care governance body, is required to rate, rank, and recommend ESG applications within Santa Cruz County. The HAP Board may recommend no more than:
- Two applications (up to $162,553 in total funds) for the non-competitive Rapid Rehousing (RRH) Set-Aside, and
- Two applications of no more than $200,000 each for the Regional Competition.
While RRH is the only eligible project type for the non-competitive set-aside, the following types of projects are eligible for the Regional Competition:
- Emergency Shelter (ES) services and operations, including domestic violence shelters
- RRH programs
HMIS, Street Outreach, and Prevention activities can be added to the above applications at no more than 10% for each but are not eligible as standalone projects.
For further information about this the local process, including the requirements, timeline, rating criteria, and local priorities, please carefully review the RFA.
To review the ESG RFA Notice, click here.
If you have questions about the local process or need technical assistance, please contact H4H at housingforhealth@santacruzcounty.us or me at tonygardnerconsulting@yahoo.com.
Questions regarding the State ESG NOFA and application can be directed to: ESG@hcd.ca.gov.
State ESG Website →
California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH)
The CESH Program provides funds for a variety of activities to assist persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness as authorized by SB 850 (Chapter 48, Statues of 2018). HCD grants CESH Program funds in the form of five-year grants to eligible applicants.
CESH funds may be used for five primary activities: housing relocation and stabilization services (including rental assistance), operating subsidies for permanent housing, flexible housing subsidy funds, operating support for emergency housing interventions, and systems support for homelessness services and housing delivery systems.
State CESH Website →
California Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP)
HHAP was signed into law on July 31, 2019 by Governor Gavin Newsom and is a $650 million one-time block grant that provides local jurisdictions with funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address their immediate homelessness challenges.
State HHAP Website →
Federal HUD Continuum of Care (CoC)
The CoC Program is designed to promote communitywide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, and State and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effect utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Please be advised that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2021 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition was released on August 18, 2021. The CoC Program Competition provides ongoing and new funding opportunities for projects focused on preventing and ending homelessness around the country. The NOFO can be found here: www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=335322.
2021 and Earlier
Update November 12, 2021
The 2021 CoC Application with Attachments and the 2021 Project Priority Listing (with reallocation forms and all project applications that were accepted and ranked, or rejected, new and renewal) are now available for review. To review these documents, please click the following links:
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's CoC Program competition! We are very close to the final submission.
Questions? Email Housing for Health or tonygardnerconsulting@yahoo.com for answers to questions and more information.
Update November 2, 2021
Overview of the Committee Role & Process
On Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, the Santa Cruz County Homeless Action Partnership (HAP)Review and Ranking Committee (Committee) heard and discussed a briefing regarding U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program requirements and policies, and the local CoC process and the committee’s role in approving, rating, ranking, and tiering new and renewal CoC project proposals; approving renewal and replacement Youth Homelessness Demonstration (YHDP) project proposals; and approving the CoC planning grant project proposal. The group also discussed local challenges and priorities, as well as CoC strategic considerations.
Committee members had been previously asked to submit certifications relating to conflict of interest. There were no conflicts disclosed. Although not a committee member, Robert Ratner nonetheless disclosed potential conflicts relating managing County Human Services Department (HSD) renewal projects and partnering with County Health Services Agency on their grants. As staff, he did not vote or take part in the project decision process.
Review and Evaluation of Projects
The committee then reviewed and discussed project aggregate scores (which were based on the previously announced objective rating criteria), and a summary of comments made by committee members, who had previously prepared a brief written evaluation of each project. Comments included evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of each project, suggestions for enhancements to projects, and recommendations relating to approval, ranking, tiering, spending issues, and budget amounts.
Project Approval, Ranking, and Tiering Decisions
The committee then engaged in a discussion and decision process including consideration of:
- Project aggregate objective scores that were based on previously publicly announced objective scoring criteria that included HMIS-generated performance measures.
- Committee members written evaluations of each project proposal.
- Consideration of ranking scenarios in the context HUD priorities, local strategic plan priorities, performance metrics, tiering considerations, funding factors, etc.
After careful consideration, the committee unanimously approved the project proposal selection, ranking, and tiering decisions reflected in the linked project list.
View the Oct. 29, 2021 meeting minutes.
View the Final 2021 Santa Cruz CoC Project Rank Order Listing.
Housing for Health Orientation Session for CoC applicants, held September 10, 2021 (YouTube Video) →
Virtual Applicant Orientation Session Materials
- HAP CoC Orientation Agenda 9/10/21
- HAP 2021 CoC Local Application Policies and Procedures
- HAP 2021 Renewal Project Local Application Form
- HAP 2021 New Project Local Application Form
- HAP 2021 YHDP Replacement Project Request Form
- HAP 2021 Eligible Renewal Projects and Amounts
- HAP 2021 Match Training Presentation
- HAP 2021 Match Format
- HAP 2021 YHDP FAQs and Flexibilities
This Public Solicitation of Applications for projects within the Santa Cruz County CoC area provides a summary of the 2021 CoC NOFO, the local process for reviewing and selecting projects, and the local timeline for applying for CoC funding.
Click here for a detailed, print-ready version of the Public Solicitation for Applications.
Thank you very much for your interest in the HUD CoC Program Competition. Please do not hesitate to contact H4H at housingforhealth@santacruzcounty.us or me at tonygardnerconsulting@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
HUD CoC Website →