The Fiscal Year 2019 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program represented a significant commitment to addressing homelessness across communities. This initiative, governed by 24 CFR part 578, aimed to foster a comprehensive, community-wide approach to ending homelessness. For nonprofit organizations, state entities, and local governments dedicated to providing housing and support, understanding the nuances of the 2019 CoC Program was crucial. This program prioritized rapidly rehousing individuals, families, and vulnerable populations, including those fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and homeless youth. The core principle was to minimize the trauma associated with homelessness while facilitating access to mainstream resources and promoting long-term self-sufficiency.
A central document for any entity seeking to engage with the FY 2019 CoC Program was the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFA). This NOFA, alongside the program rule, provided a detailed roadmap for understanding and adhering to all CoC Program requirements. Applicants were expected to thoroughly review both documents to ensure full compliance.
Key considerations for CoCs and applicants during the 2019 cycle included aligning project priorities with both the policy objectives outlined in the NOFA and locally identified needs. HUD emphasized specific policy priorities within the NOFA, which served as crucial guidance for ranking new and renewal project applications. These priorities, detailed in Section II of the NOFA, were designed to strategically direct funding towards the most impactful interventions in combating homelessness.
The application process for the FY 2019 CoC Program involved a structured threshold review conducted by HUD. This review assessed all projects ranked by CoCs that submitted their Consolidated Application by the established deadline. Furthermore, HUD reserved the flexibility to issue multiple conditional funding announcements, particularly accommodating CoCs impacted by disasters who received application deadline extensions.
Scoring for the FY 2019 CoC Application, a component of the Consolidated Application, was based on criteria clearly defined in Section VII.B of the NOFA. This transparent scoring system ensured a fair and objective evaluation of applications. Project selection within Tier 1 funding was determined according to the criteria outlined in Section II.B.10.a of the NOFA. For Tier 2 projects, conditional selection was based on a combination of project application scores and the overall CoC Application score, as detailed in Section II.B.10.b of the NOFA.
The FY 2019 CoC Program Competition boasted a substantial budget of approximately $2.3 billion. This allocation included a dedicated set-aside of up to $50 million for Domestic Violence (DV) Bonus projects, as specified in Section III.C.3.h of the NOFA. HUD also retained the option to augment the total available funds with resources carried over or recaptured from previous fiscal years, potentially increasing the financial scope of the program. The FY 2019 application process, encompassing the comprehensive CoC Consolidated Application and the total funding pool, was fully articulated within the NOFA document. A key procedural element was the requirement for Collaborative Applicants to rank all projects, with the exception of CoC planning and Unified Funding Agency (UFA) Costs, into two distinct tiers, as described in Sections II.B.10.a and b of the NOFA, to optimize resource allocation and strategic project prioritization.
Funding Opportunity Details:
- Funding Opportunity Number: FR-6300-N-25
- Opportunity Title: Continuum of Care
- Competition ID: CoC
- CFDA No.: 14.267
- OMB Approval Numbers: 2506-0112
- Opening Date: July 3, 2019
- Deadline Date: September 30, 2019
