The HEARTH Act in Focus as Continuum of Care Program NOFA Application Period Begins

As providers and stakeholders across the country, we are all aware that the HEARTH Act enacted by Congress in 2009 is, in many ways, a game changer. It gave the federal government the charge to create the first federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness, setting forth the vision that no one in this country should be without a safe and stable place to call home. This strong statement by the federal government foregrounds the work of implementing the HEARTH Act in communities across the country. Perhaps most importantly, HEARTH moves governments and local stakeholders from a focus on individual program outcomes to a focus on how all programs work as a system to achieve results for an entire community.  Implementation of the HEARTH Act is critically important to all of the goals in Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, especially Objective 10: to re-tool the homeless crisis response system to more effectively prevent homelessness and rapidly return people who experience homelessness back into stable housing.

HUD's recently released Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Continuum of Care program is a further indication of just how serious the federal government is about reaching the goals in Opening Doors. The Continuum of Care has always been a competitive grants program; and this NOFA essentially highlights the word "competitive" for Continuums this year. The NOFA makes it clear that communities cannot assume funding of all renewals and must therefore prioritize carefully. Because of the tight fiscal environment at all levels of government, all investments in ending homelessness must be smart investments.  We cannot afford "business as usual" programming and practices if they are not getting the results needed to meet the goals in Opening Doors. The next step is taking a tough but necessary look at what's working and what could be modified for greater results in your community. 

In this newsletter, you will hear from some of our nation's experts on what the HEARTH Act means to local communities and what key opportunities must be explored to maximize efforts to end homelessness. We will also highlight the importance of data and performance management to achieve the outcomes HEARTH requires. 

This year's CoC Program NOFA has some changes: some items to note as you develop your application 

We have created a quick list of some important changes and items to note in the recently released NOFA for HUD's CoC Program, as applicants are working on improving their system to achieve better results. This list covers:

• The Interim Rule;
• CoC prioritization of projects;
• Renewals under the Supportive Housing and Shelter Plus Care Programs;
• Reallocation eligibility and procedures;
• Who to contact for CoC program changes; and
• New incentives for Permanent Supportive Housing to help end chronic homelessness.