[Federal Register: January 27, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 17)]
[Notices]
[Page 4017-4046]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27ja03-131]
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Part V
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Veterans Affairs
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Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Collaborative Initiative
To Help End Chronic Homelessness; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
[Docket No. FR-4805-N-01]
Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Collaborative
Initiative To Help End Chronic Homelessness
AGENCIES: Office of Community Planning and Development, HUD; Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and Health Resources
and Services Administration, HHS; Substance Abuse, Mental Health and
Provider Care Services, VA.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces a $35 million initiative to help end
chronic homelessness. The initiative, coordinated by the U.S.
Interagency Council on the Homeless (ICH), involves the participation
of three Council members: The Department of Housing and Urban
Development, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the
Department of Veterans Affairs. The initiative supports the
Administration's goal to end chronic homelessness by seeking to create
a collaborative and comprehensive approach to addressing homelessness.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Title of Initiative
Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness: Notice of
Funding Availability
2. Departments
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Veterans Affairs
3. Date of Issuance
January 27, 2003.
4. Deadline for Receipt of Applications
April 14, 2003.
5. Authority
Housing and Urban Development, 42 U.S.C. 11303
Veterans Affairs, 38 U.S.C. 1710, 1712 and 1722
Health and Human Services/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, Section 509 and 520 of the Public Health Service Act
Health and Human Services/Health Resources and Services Administration,
Section 330, 42 U.S.C. 254b
6. Introduction
The U.S. Interagency Council on the Homeless (ICH) is coordinating
a $35 million joint initiative with the Departments of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Veterans
Affairs (VA) to support the Administration's initiative to end chronic
homelessness. This initiative seeks to create a collaborative and
comprehensive approach to addressing the problems of homelessness of
our most vulnerable citizens. This collaboration among the departments
offers housing and service funding through a consolidated application.
Applicants must show how the funds they are requesting will be part of
a comprehensive and integrated community strategy to use funding
sources, including mainstream services resources, to assist persons who
are chronically homeless and homeless families with a disabled adult
member (as defined in this NOFA) to move from the streets and emergency
shelters into stable housing and receive the range of services and
other support needed to promote and maintain greater self-sufficiency.
Funds will be awarded by HUD, two agencies within HHS, and VA based
on one consolidated application. This application requests a
description of the comprehensive approach (Section 1) being taken by
each applicant, and includes four Agency-Specific application sections
(Sections 2-5) tied to the four federal funding streams. Applications
must address both the overall approach and specific technical
requirements established by the participating agencies. Funding
provided by HUD must be used to provide permanent housing; HHS/SAMHSA
(Substance Abuse and Mental Heath Services Administration) funds will
be directed toward substance abuse treatment, mental health and related
supportive services; and HHS/HRSA (Health Resources and Services
Administration) funds will be used for primary health care services.
Applicants will be able to obtain additional resources from local VA
facilities by addressing the specific needs of chronically homeless
veterans in their application.
7. Background and Purpose
Research indicates that as many as 150,000 people experience
chronic homelessness in this country each year. People experiencing
chronic homelessness often have an addiction or suffer from a disabling
physical or mental condition and are homeless for extended periods of
time or experience multiple episodes of homelessness. For the most
part, they get help for a short time but soon fall back to the streets
and shelters. Because the needs of these persons are not
comprehensively addressed, they cycle through the homeless system and
consume a significant portion of available resources. In fact, research
indicates that these individuals consume more than half of all homeless
services. As such, there are significantly fewer resources available
for 90 percent of the homeless--including families--who, with a little
assistance, could often exit homelessness relatively quickly. By
addressing the housing and service needs of persons who are chronically
homeless, we will have more resources available to meet the needs of
other homeless people. When persons who are chronically homeless have
access to basic assistance like housing and treatment, they have fewer
problems and are less likely to need expensive emergency interventions.
The research makes it clear that one of our best hopes for ending
homelessness of every sort depends on addressing chronic homelessness.
We are setting policy and taking action based on that research.
Goals: The purpose of this initiative is to assist states and
communities in ending or substantially reducing chronic homelessness.
The goals are as follows:
1. Increase the effectiveness of integrated systems of care for
persons experiencing chronic homelessness and homeless families with a
disabled adult member by providing comprehensive services and treatment
and linking them to housing.
2. Create additional permanent housing for persons experiencing
chronic homelessness and homeless families with a disabled adult
member. A critical element in ending chronic homelessness is the
provision of adequate housing resources. As such, HUD's funds may be
used only for permanent housing activities. For the purpose of this
NOFA, permanent housing is defined as housing that has no limit imposed
on the length of a resident's stay in the project and includes the Safe
Havens program in addition to other programs described in HUD's Agency-
Specific Section (Section 2).
3. Increase the use of mainstream resources (e.g. Medicaid,
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Food Stamps, Substance Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Block Grants, Mental Health Block Grants,
Social Services Block Grants, State Children's Health Insurance
Program, etc.) that pay for
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services and treatment for this population. Existing mainstream
resources are available, but underused in serving chronically homeless
persons and homeless families with a disabled adult member.
4. Replicate service, treatment, and housing models that have
proven to be effective based on sound evidence.
5. Support the development of infrastructures that sustain the
housing, services, treatments, and inter-organizational partnerships
beyond this federal initiative.
8. Target Population
This initiative targets persons experiencing chronic homelessness,
including veterans. A chronically homeless person is defined as ``an
unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has
either been continuously homeless for a year or more OR has had at
least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years.''
Not more than 10 percent of the funds awarded will be targeted to
projects that will serve homeless families with a disabled adult
member. For the purpose of this NOFA, a family is defined as two or
more adults, one of whom has a disabling condition as defined below.
Two key terms in the above description of the population to be
served that need to be defined are ``homeless'' and ``disabling
condition.'' For the purpose of this NOFA, the term ``homeless'' means
``a person sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g.,
living on the streets) or in an emergency homeless shelter.'' For the
purpose of this NOFA, disabling condition is defined as ``a diagnosable
substance use disorder, serious mental illness, developmental
disability, or chronic physical illness or disability, including the
co-occurrence of two or more of these conditions. A disabling condition
limits an individual's ability to work or perform one or more
activities of daily living.''
One applicant may serve both chronically homeless individuals and
homeless families with a disabled adult member, but must complete
separate applications for each population. No one project and no one
application may serve both populations.
9. Funding
This notice is intended to simplify the application process, bring
consistency and uniformity to the application and selection process,
and facilitate funding opportunities available from these three
departments by awarding grants in a coordinated fashion. By announcing
this notice as a joint effort, the participating federal agencies
believe applicants will be better able to coordinate and integrate
services within communities to avoid duplication, close gaps, and
comprehensively serve those persons most in need of housing and
services.
Although funds will come from separate federal agencies for
specific components of the housing and service plans, awards will be
made on the basis of a comprehensive review by all involved agencies.
This is to ensure that applicants have addressed and can provide for
each of the four core elements--(1) housing, (2) mental health and
substance abuse treatment, (3) primary care, and (4) veteran's
services. In order to be eligible for funds from any of the
participating agencies, applicants must address each of these elements,
even if they are not requesting funding for a particular element.
Applicants will address these elements in the Agency-Specific sections
of the application. Even if not requesting funding from each of the
four agencies, the applicant must still complete the appropriate
section of each agency's portion of the application form. For example,
provision of primary care services is a required core element, but
applicants may use other resources instead of applying for HHS/HRSA
funds to provide these services. The Agency-Specific sections will
specify which questions pertain to applicants not seeking funding from
each of the partnering federal agencies.
The term of the grant award will vary depending on the funding
sources being used. The overall intent is to make the program available
for three to five years, based on availability of appropriations. The
entirety of the HUD and VA funds will be awarded at the beginning of
the grant term, in FY 2003, for the life of the project. HHS funds will
be awarded on an annual basis, subject to the availability of
appropriations.
[sbull] Approximately $20 million is expected to be awarded by HUD
for terms of three to five years to fund permanent housing activities.
HUD's funds may be used under specified components of the Supportive
Housing Program, which funds acquisition, minor rehabilitation,
leasing, and operating costs for permanent housing for up to three (3)
years, or specified components of the Shelter Plus Care Program, which
provides rental assistance to tenants for five (5) years.
[sbull] Approximately $7 million is expected to be available from
HHS/SAMHSA in FY 2003 to fund mental health and substance abuse
services. Awarding of FY 2003 funds is contingent on passage of a
permanent HHS appropriation for FY 2003. Awards in FY 2004 and 2005
will be subject to the availability of appropriations and will be
reduced in size in order to increase grantees' reliance on mainstream
resources and alternate sources of funding.
[sbull] Approximately $3 million is expected to be available from
HHS/HRSA in FY 2003 to fund primary health care services. These funds
will be awarded as supplemental awards to existing Section 330 Health
Centers. The awarding of FY 2003 HHS/HRSA funds is contingent on
passage of a permanent HHS appropriation for FY 2003. Subject to
availability of appropriations, funds may be available for FY 2004 and
FY 2005.
[sbull] Subject to availability of appropriations, approximately $5
million of in-kind support is expected to be available from VA to fund
services for chronically homeless veterans for grant terms of three
years.
Of the $35 million available, no grant award for an individual
project will exceed $3.5 million in total grant funds from all federal
partners in this initiative. In addition, HUD will not award more than
$2 million to any one project or applicant for housing activities. HHS/
SAMHSA will not award more than $700,000 to any one project or
applicant for mental health and substance abuse services for the first
year of funding. Also, HHS/HRSA will not award more than $300,000 per
project per year. The awarding of HHS funds in FY 2004 and FY 2005 will
be subject to continued availability of funds and progress achieved by
the grantee.
In making the funding decisions, if funds from one source are
exhausted, but funds from other sources remain available, applicants
may still receive available funds if they can demonstrate an ability to
provide the services or housing with alternate sources of support. This
situation will be handled in the form of a conditional award or
deferred decision.
10. Application Submission
The HUD Headquarters building, in which the U.S. Interagency
Council on the Homeless is currently located, has implemented security
procedures that apply to application submission. Please read the
following instructions carefully and completely.
[sbull] No hand deliveries will be accepted.
[sbull] Applications may only be shipped using DHL, Falcon Carrier,
Federal Express (FedEx), United Parcel Service (UPS), or the United
States Postal Service (USPS).
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[sbull] All mailed applications must be postmarked on or before
midnight of the due date established by this Notice of Funding
Availability (NOFA) and must be received within 30 calendar days of the
due date.
[sbull] All applicants who mail applications must have a
Certificate of Mailing (USPS Form 3817) as their documentary evidence
that the application was filed on time.
Addresses: Since four federal partners will be involved in
reviewing applications, provide one original and four copies of your
application to the U.S. Interagency Council on the Homeless, Room 2204,
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20410. The application deadline submission date is April
14, 2003.
Applications Sent by Overnight/Express Mail Delivery: If your
application is sent by overnight delivery or express mail, your
application will be considered timely if it is placed with the delivery
service by the application deadline. You may be required to submit
documentary evidence that your application was placed in transit with
the overnight delivery/express mail service no later than the
application due date. Delivery must be made between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30
p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
11. General Guidance on Application Development
This NOFA provides the application procedures and requirements for
funding under this initiative, and is divided into separate sections.
Section 1, the Comprehensive Approach, explains the requirements and
rating factors applicable to the Comprehensive Approach section of the
application. Sections 2-5, the Agency-Specific sections of this NOFA,
provide descriptions of the specific programs for which funding is made
available and describes any additional procedures and requirements that
are applicable to a specific component of the comprehensive program.
Please be sure you read both the Comprehensive Approach and the Agency-
Specific sections of this NOFA to ensure that you respond to all the
requirements for funding.
Applicant Eligibility: One organization is expected is take the
lead in submitting the consolidated application. This lead organization
is expected to submit the consolidated application, which identifies
the consortium arrangements, and is responsible for coordinating this
consortium over the term of the grant. The lead organization must be a
non-profit or public entity. The entities that partner with the lead
organization must meet one or more of the agency-specific eligibility
criteria. See the Agency-Specific sections of the NOFA to determine
your eligibility to apply for specific funds. Participation by eligible
non-profit organizations, including faith-based and other community-
based organizations, is encouraged.
Additionally, applicants must commit that any proposed project will
exclusively serve those individuals who are chronically homeless or
homeless families with a disabled adult member as defined in this
notice.
Technical Assistance: Before the application due date, agency staff
will be available to provide you with general guidance and technical
assistance about this NOFA. However, staff are not permitted to assist
in preparing your application. For technical questions on program
issues, contact the U.S. Interagency Council on the Homeless at 1-866-
450-2273 (this number may also be dialed as 1-866-450-CARE) (these are
toll-free telephone numbers). Persons with hearing and/or speech
challenges may access the above telephone number by TTY (text
telephone) by calling the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 (this
is a toll-free number). The Council will be able to put applicants in
contact with the federal agency best able to answer technical
questions.
Satellite Broadcast: HUD, HHS, and VA are planning to hold an
information broadcast via satellite for potential applicants to learn
more about this initiative and preparation of the applications. For
more information about the date and time of the broadcast, consult the
web pages listed below.
Application Submission: To apply for funding under this NOFA, the
lead applicant must submit a cover letter, as described in the
Application Kit, and a signed Memorandum of Agreement between all
participating entities. The Agency-Specific sections of the application
require an agency-specific SF-424 and set of assurances and
certifications, plus additional forms, certifications, and other
information required for their specific programs. All of the required
forms for each agency can be found in the application kit.
12. Application Kits
You can download the application kit and required forms from the
following federal Web sites:
www.ich.govhttp://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/apply/index.cfmhttp://www.hrsa.gov/grants/homeless.htmhttp://www.samhsa.govhttp://www.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg=20
13. Review Process
Applications submitted in response to this NOFA will be reviewed
for threshold criteria and technical merit. Threshold criteria are
described below, and additional threshold criteria are included in the
Agency-Specific sections.
Overall threshold requirements are that:
[sbull] All applicants and all participating partners must be non-
profit or public entities;
[sbull] Each application must address all aspects of housing and
service provision, even if the applicant is not requesting funds for
one or more of these elements;
[sbull] The application is received by the specified receipt date;
[sbull] The application is complete; and
[sbull] The application conforms to the instructions for format,
including page limitations, as described in the Application Kit.
Technical merit has two components--the merit of the Comprehensive
Approach and the merit of activities proposed under each Agency-
Specific section. An application must pass both reviews in order to
receive funding. The maximum total score for any applicant under this
NOFA is 200 points. These points are divided between the Agency-
Specific sections and the Comprehensive Approach section. The Agency-
Specific sections are worth a total of 100 points. Within these 100
points, HUD's portion is worth 30 points, the HHS/SAMHSA section is
worth 25 points, the HHS/HRSA portion is worth 25 points, and the VA
section is worth 20 points. If an application is deficient in one
Agency-Specific section, the entire application will be disqualified.
Deficiency is defined as scoring below 40 percent of the allotted
points for any agency's section.
The U.S. Interagency Council on the Homeless (ICH) will serve as
the central point for the receipt of applications. Upon receipt at ICH,
applications will be sent to HUD, HHS, and VA where each agency will
review its Agency-Specific section first for threshold criteria and
then, for those applications passing the threshold, for technical
merit. (See the Agency-Specific sections for each agency's criteria.)
Applications that pass all four agency's reviews will move to the
next stage of review. In this stage, an interdisciplinary,
interdepartmental team will review and score each
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application's Comprehensive Approach using the six rating criteria
described in Section 1--Comprehensive Approach. The Comprehensive
Approach is scored up to an additional 100 points, broken down among
these six rating criteria. Only those applications with a Comprehensive
Approach that is acceptable to all federal partners involved will be
funded.
Ranking: The score for all ranking factors will be summed to obtain
a total score for each project submitted under the collaborative NOFA.
The projects will then be ranked from highest to lowest nationally
according to the total combined score.
Selection and Adjustments to Funding: (a) Selection--Projects will
be awarded based on national ranking as described above and according
to the provisions for geographical diversity described below. The
awarding of funds may be conditional upon receipt of further
information, as requested by the federal agencies involved.
When insufficient funds remain to fund all projects requesting
funding that receive the same total score, ties will be broken among
such projects by comparing scores received by the projects for each of
the following scoring factors, in the order shown: Soundness of
Approach, Capacity, and Coordination.
(b) Adjustments to Funding--In order to ensure maximum geographic
diversity in the awards, no individual project applicant and no one
unit of general local government will be awarded more than 10 percent
of the total amount of available resources under this collaborative
NOFA. The federal departments reserve the right to make selections out
of rank order to provide for geographic distribution of funds.
Additional selection considerations: In order to be eligible for
funding under this notice, applicants must commit that funds will be
used exclusively to serve those individuals who are chronically
homeless as that term is defined in this notice except that no more
than 10 percent of these funds will be awarded to projects committed to
serving disabled homeless families as that term is defined in the
notice.
14. General Reporting/Evaluation Requirements
Grantees must submit annual progress reports and a final report to
the ICH and to the grant-administering agencies. ICH and the federal
partners will use this information to determine progress of the
grantees toward meeting their goals. Consistent with the main objective
of this initiative, grantee performance will be measured by the number
of persons experiencing chronic homelessness and homeless families with
a disabled adult member moved off the streets and out of shelters and
placed into permanent housing. It is expected that local evaluations
will include measuring progress toward accomplishing the tasks
described in the grant application and providing for collection of
quantitative and qualitative data that permits measurement of progress
toward achieving the outputs and outcomes envisioned by the goals and
objectives contained in the application. Grantees must collect outcome
information on clients served to be compared against benchmarks
throughout the term of the grant.
The annual progress and final reports shall include, but are not
limited to, narrative and empirical information on the following: (1)
Type and number of housing units provided; (2) characteristics of the
clients and residents served; (3) a description of the services and
treatments provided, including funding sources other than from this
grant; (4) description of the collaborations and partnerships
established over the course of the grant; (5) the extent to which
services are financed by mainstream programs and how financing patterns
change during the duration of the grant program; (6) any revisions or
refinements to the benchmark estimate of persons experiencing chronic
homelessness in the target community; and (7) other such information as
prescribed by the federal partners.
As a condition of award, grantees funded under this initiative
agree to fully cooperate with any organization funded by one or more of
the sponsoring federal agencies to conduct an independent evaluation of
the full initiative.
15. Post-Award Requirements
The federal partners will each provide post-award support, as
appropriate, to grantees through technical assistance on clinical,
programmatic, and evaluation issues. The Agency-Specific portions of
this NOFA may specify further post-award requirements. Please refer to
these sections for this information.
16. General Outline of Application
While the funding for this initiative will come from HUD, HHS, and
VA, one overall application will be required, including Agency-Specific
sections, each of which may specify program-specific SF-424s, sets of
assurances and certifications, and additional forms. A cover letter and
memorandum of agreement between all participating entities are
required, as described in the application kit. The overview of each
Section is as follows:
1. Comprehensive Approach: The applicant will be required to submit
a description of its approach that is comprehensive in nature and
includes: (1) A description of the problem; (2) the target population;
(3) a description of the method by which potential clients will be
identified and referred to the program; (4) the gaps in housing and
supportive services; (5) provision for client-level comprehensive
service planning; (6) the coordination of the housing with needed
supportive services to assure access to these resources by the target
population; (7) a planning process that addresses leveraging of
resources and sustainability of services and treatment beyond the
availability of these federal funds; (8) capacity of the providers to
deliver housing, treatment, and services; (9) an implementation plan
with a firm schedule of major action steps; (10) the budget and fiscal
controls; and (11) how progress toward reducing chronic homelessness
will be monitored and measured.
2. HUD Section-Permanent Housing: The applicant will be required to
submit a description of how HUD funds will be used to develop permanent
housing, a budget, and a budget narrative. A description of housing
activities for which funds are requested from HUD should also be
included in this section. Additionally, the applicant must complete
several mandatory applicant certifications, which are provided. If not
requesting HUD funding, the applicant is required to explain how the
permanent housing units needed to house individuals served by the
proposed project will be provided.
3. HHS/SAMHSA Section-Substance Abuse Treatment, Mental Health, and
Related Supportive Services: The applicant will be required to submit
an application (Public Health Service Application Form 5161-1) that
describes how HHS/SAMHSA funds will be used to provide substance abuse
treatment, mental health services and related supportive services, a
budget, and a budget narrative for these components of the
comprehensive approach. If not requesting SAMHSA funding, the applicant
is required to explain how the substance abuse and mental health
services will be provided.
4. HHS/HRSA Section-Primary Health Care Services: The applicant
will be required to submit an application (Public Health Service
Application Form 5161-1) that describes how HHS/HRSA funds will be used
to provide primary health care services and
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coordination of care with other providers involved in the
collaboration. Applicants are limited to existing Health Center
grantees (including Health Care for the Homeless grantees) currently
funded under Section 330 of the Public Health Service PHS Act (PHS
Act). Applicants are limited to existing Health Centers, since funding
for this initiative is coming from the Health Center funding line and
consequently the requirements of Section 330 of the PHS Act apply to
the recipients of those funds. In addition, existing Health Center
grantees receive certain privileges, including coverage under the
Federal Tort Claims Act, ability to receive higher Medicare and
Medicaid reimbursement rates, and reduced price pharmaceuticals. It
would be inappropriate to provide these privileges to a new group of
grantees who had not been approved through the extensive, comprehensive
application process to achieve Section 330 Health Center status.
Applications should be submitted as a proposed supplemental grant
and will be funded as such. Further instructions appear in this
section. If not requesting HRSA funding, the applicant is required to
explain how the primary health care services will be provided.
5. VA Section--Substance Abuse, Mental Health and Primary Care
Services Targeted to Veterans: The applicant is required to submit a
detailed description of how a collaborative relationship with VA will
be created and sustained in an effort to provide services to
chronically homeless veterans. The chronically homeless veterans to be
served will be those veterans housed in or being provided services
through this joint initiative and who meet the definition of homeless
as put forth in this NOFA. Although funding will not be awarded
directly to the recipient of the grant, funding is available for the VA
facility that partners with the applicant. VA facilities can include
medical centers or programs under the direction of medical centers
including VA outpatient clinics. If not requesting VA services, the
applicant is required to explain how the needs of chronically homeless
veterans will be addressed.
Statement of Support: The Council and the three agency Council
members (HUD, HHS and VA) participating in this initiative look forward
to receiving applications that set out a comprehensive and integrated
community strategy to use funding sources to assist persons who are
experiencing chronic homelessness and homeless families with a disabled
adult member.
Dated: December 20, 2002.
Mel Martinez,
Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Tommy G. Thompson,
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.
Anthony J. Principi,
Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
BILLING CODE 4210-29-P
[[Page 4023]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN27JA03.001
[[Page 4025]]
Section 1: Comprehensive Approach--100 Points
I. Overview
The purpose of the Comprehensive Approach is to demonstrate that
the applicant and the providers of all four core elements--(1)
permanent housing, (2) mental health and substance abuse treatment and
related supportive services, (3) primary care, and (4) veteran's
services--are working in collaboration to integrate housing and
services for persons experiencing chronic homelessness and disabled
homeless families. This comprehensive strategy will use funding
sources, including mainstream services resources, to provide a holistic
approach to ending chronic homelessness.
Eligible Applicants
Although the lead applicant must submit the comprehensive approach
as a part of the consolidated application, it is expected that the lead
applicant and the relevant partner agencies will have collaborated in
developing the comprehensive approach. It is up to the partner entities
to provide sufficient and appropriate resources to plan and coordinate
this collaborative effort throughout the grant period.
Funding Criteria
[sbull] Threshold Requirements.
[sbull] Technical Merit.
[sbull] Availability of Funds.
II. Rating Criteria for the Comprehensive Approach
The Comprehensive Approach will not receive technical review if any
one of the Agency-Specific sections score below 40 percent of the
allotted points as the result of technical review of each agency's
section.
The Comprehensive Approach will be reviewed using the following six
criteria:
1. Documentation of Need and Extent of the Problem
This will include the extent to which the applicant demonstrates
understanding of the unique characteristics of the target population,
in terms of the overall number of homeless persons, disabled homeless
families, and chronically homeless persons and their characteristics.
The applicant must include a preliminary estimate of the number of
persons experiencing chronic homelessness in the target community to
establish a benchmark of need, and the method by which this estimate
was derived. The narrative will also include a detailed assessment of
the community resources currently available to meet the permanent
housing and supportive services needs of the target population and the
extent to which gaps in available services are identified and
documented. Points: 10.
2. Soundness of Approach and Adequacy/Appropriateness of Delivery
System
The Federal partners will consider the adequacy of the
comprehensive approach, including the method by which potential clients
will be identified and referred to the program, and the method by which
the needs of the target population will be addressed. This includes:
The extent to which a comprehensive range of services and treatment is
available; the availability of permanent housing units that meet
housing quality standards; and, the adequacy of the proposed service
delivery model that coordinates treatment, services and supports with
housing. The quality of the comprehensive approach will also be judged
on the comprehensiveness of the content, feasibility of approach, and
provision for linkages and coordination of services. In particular, the
comprehensive approach needs to be the foundation for establishing
sustainable service programming beyond the life of the Federal grant.
Issues such as resource leveraging, establishing entitlements, and
enrollment in mainstream service delivery are critical components of a
sound comprehensive approach. Points: 25.
3. Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Partner Agencies and Staff
This will include the demonstrated capacity of the lead applicant
and other organizations that will be involved in the proposed project
to provide appropriate permanent housing, primary care, mental health
and substance abuse treatment, and supportive services. It will also
include the appropriateness of the management and organizational
capability of all organizations involved in this initiative. The
Federal partners will take into account: The applicants' past
performance in managing funds; the timely use of funds received from
Federal, state or local programs; past success in meeting performance
targets for completion of activities; and, the number of persons to be
served or targeted for assistance. For those persons with service needs
not eligible under this NOFA, capacity also includes the ability of the
partnering entities to obtain necessary services for these persons. For
example, a person with a developmental disability or persons living
with AIDS and requiring home health care may have service needs beyond
the scope of this NOFA. Partnering entities must explain how these
needs will be met. Points: 20.
4. Appropriateness of Budget and Fiscal Controls
This will include a review of the following: How the proposed
program is a cost-effective approach to meeting the needs of the target
population; the resources required to achieve the goals and objectives;
the expectations regarding Federal grant support and maximization of
non-grant revenue relative to the proposed plan, including a
description of leveraging resources; and the total grant dollars per
client/unit and total cost per client/unit. Points: 15.
5. Collaboration
This will include the extent to which the lead applicant can
coordinate the participation of all partner agencies/organizations,
sub-contractors, consultants, sub-recipients, and members of consortia
that are firmly committed to the project. Memoranda of agreement from
the major providers of housing and services will be required to prove
the collaboration efforts of the partners. In addition, specific plans
on how the project will systematically assist clients in accessing
major Federal, State and local programs, such as Medicaid, TANF, SSI,
SSDI, and VA Health Care, must be described. Points: 20.
6. Adequacy/Appropriateness of Evaluation Plan
The Federal partners will consider the appropriateness and adequacy
of the overall plan for evaluating and monitoring the process and
outcomes of the project, both for the lead organization and for all the
partners, to ensure that the goals of the initiative are being met.
This will include plans to comply with all requirements for each agency
(i.e. Government Performance Results Act, Annual Performance Report)
and the proposed approaches for gathering quantitative and qualitative
data on the target population. Applicants must demonstrate the
existence of a data collection system to track the goals/objectives of
the project. Points: 10.
III. Reporting and Evaluation Requirements
The lead applicant must submit annual progress reports and a final
report to the ICH and to the four Federal agencies. The annual progress
and final
[[Page 4026]]
reports shall include, but are not limited to, narrative and empirical
information on the following: description of the collaborations and
partnerships established over the course of the grant; description of a
strategic planning process; the extent to which services are financed
by mainstream programs and how financing patterns change during the
duration of the program; the extent to which barriers in accessing
housing and services are reduced; numbers of clients served and
permanent housing provided, any revisions or refinements to the
benchmark estimate of persons experiencing chronic homelessness in the
target community, and other such information as prescribed by the
Federal partners.
BILLING CODE 4210-29-P
[[Page 4027]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN27JA03.002
[[Page 4029]]
Section 2: HUD Section--30 Points
I. Purpose
The purpose of the housing component of this collaborative NOFA is
to provide permanent housing for chronically homeless persons and
disabled homeless families when proposed as part of homeless assistance
projects in which housing is directly linked to needed supportive
services funded through other components of this NOFA or through other
sources.
Eligible Applicants
The chart in Appendix 1--HUD of this announcement identifies the
eligible applicants for the McKinney-Vento Act programs through which
housing funds are available.
II. Amount Allocated
Approximately $20 million in funding is available under the housing
component of this collaborative NOFA. Funds for housing will be awarded
for new projects under only one of the following two McKinney-Vento Act
programs:
A. Supportive Housing Program (Permanent Housing or Safe Havens
Components only); or,
B. Shelter Plus Care (Tenant-Based, Sponsor-Based, and Project-
Based without Rehabilitation components only)
III. Program Descriptions
A. Supportive Housing Program (SHP)
1. Purpose and Eligible Activities
The SHP program promotes the development of supportive housing and
services that help homeless persons transition from homelessness to
living as independently as possible. Each project submitted under SHP
must be classified under one of the program components described below.
Eligible activities under this NOFA are limited to: acquisition, minor
rehabilitation (e.g. reconfiguring a doorway for handicap
accessibility), leasing, operating costs, and limited administrative
expenses. Not eligible for funding are new construction, major
rehabilitation, or services costs. New construction is not included, as
this activity often requires a substantial amount of time to develop
the project and the emphasis of this initiative is to provide housing
as soon as possible. Supportive services are not an eligible activity
because HUD wants to devote the resources it provides through this
initiative to the provision of housing; the resources being made
available by HHS and VA for this initiative can be used to provide
supportive services needs in the project.
2. SHP Components
The following SHP components are eligible for funding under this
NOFA:
a. Permanent Housing for Persons with Disabilities. Permanent
Housing projects provide long-term housing and supportive services
(provided with other funds) that are designed to enable homeless
persons with disabilities to live as independently as possible.
Permanent housing can be provided at one site or in scattered sites.
Further, Permanent Housing may be tenant-based, meaning that the tenant
can choose the housing. This is consistent with the philosophy of
supported housing. This approach focuses on identification and
engagement through assertive outreach to individuals and families,
immediate placement in permanent housing, and availability of
appropriate supportive services. All Permanent Housing for Persons with
Disabilities projects must comply with the program size limitations, as
described in Section 424(c) of the McKinney Act.
b. Safe Havens. Safe Havens are projects targeted to hard-to-reach
homeless persons who have severe mental illness and are on the streets.
The goal of a Safe Haven is to serve as a small, highly supportive
environment where an individual can feel at ease, out of danger, and
subject to limited service demands. Tenants can move directly into
housing with few explicit services required. It is hoped that after a
period of stabilization in a Safe Haven, residents will be more willing
to participate in services and referrals and will eventually be ready
to move to more traditional forms of housing. Safe Havens may serve as
an entry point to the service system and provide access to basic
services such as food, clothing, bathing facilities, telephones,
storage space, and a mailing address. Safe Havens are not appropriate
housing for homeless families with disabilities.
The specific criteria that must be exhibited by a Safe Haven are:
[sbull] No limit on length of stay.
[sbull] Provision of 24-hour residence.
[sbull] Provision of private or semiprivate accommodations.
[sbull] Overnight occupancy limited to 25 persons.
[sbull] May also provide supportive services to eligible persons
who are not residents on a drop-in basis.
B. Shelter Plus Care
1. Shelter Plus Care (S+C)--Purpose and Eligible Activities
Shelter Plus Care serves only homeless persons who have
disabilities and may be administered on a tenant-, sponsor-, or
project-based level. S+C components were designed to give applicants
flexibility in devising appropriate housing and supportive services for
homeless persons with disabilities. Rental assistance provided through
the S+C program must be matched in the aggregate by the recipient on a
dollar for dollar basis with supportive services. Federal funds
received from the other participating agencies under this NOFA are
eligible to be counted as matching funds. Rental assistance is the only
eligible activity for this program.
2. S+C Program Components
The following S+C program components are eligible for funding under
this NOFA:
a. Tenant-Based S+C--Tenant-Based S+C assisted units may be of any
type, and clients may retain the rental assistance even if they move,
as long as they stay within a S+C unit. Assisted projects may provide
supportive services to clients, either by the applicant or a third
party, in a variety of ways, from structured to very low-demand.
b. Sponsor-Based S+C--Sponsor-Based S+C provides rental assistance
through contract(s) between the grant recipient and a nonprofit
organization(s), called a sponsor. The nonprofit organization may be a
private nonprofit organization or a community mental health center
established as a public nonprofit organization. The assisted units must
be owned or leased by the sponsor. After a grant is awarded should the
sponsor lose its capacity to own or lease the assisted units, the
grantee must identify an alternate sponsor in order to continue to
serve the original number of persons proposed to be served.
c. Project-Based without Rehabilitation S+C--Project-Based without
Rehabilitation S+C provides rental assistance through a contract with a
building owner(s). An applicant must enter into a contract with the
building owner(s) for the full five-year period of assistance. The
building owner must agree to accept eligible S+C participants to live
in an assisted unit for this time period.
C. Match
Applicants must match Supportive Housing Program funds provided for
acquisition and minor rehabilitation (new construction, major
rehabilitation, and supportive services are not eligible activities
under this collaborative NOFA) with an equal amount of funds from other
sources; for operating costs, since by law SHP can pay no more than
[[Page 4030]]
75 percent of the total operating budget for supportive housing,
applicants must provide at least 25 percent of the total annual
operating costs. The cash source may be the applicant, the Federal
Government, State and local governments, or private resources. In-kind
contributions are not eligible as match under SHP.
Applicants must match rental assistance provided through the
Shelter Plus Care Program on a dollar for dollar basis with supportive
services.
D. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements
An applicant selected for funding as a result of the competition
will be required to coordinate and integrate the homeless project with
other mainstream health, social services, and employment programs for
which homeless populations may be eligible, including Medicaid, State
Children's Health Insurance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families, Food Stamps, and services funding through the Mental Health
Block Grant and Substance Abuse Block Grant, Workforce Investment Act,
Welfare-to-Work grant program, SSI, SSDI, and Healthcare for Homeless
Veterans Program. In addition, as a condition for award, any
governmental entity serving as an applicant must agree to develop and
implement, to the maximum extent practicable and where appropriate,
policies and protocols for the discharge of persons from publicly
funded institutions or systems of care (such as health care facilities,
foster care or other youth facilities, or correction programs and
institutions) in order to prevent such discharge from immediately
resulting in homelessness for such persons. This condition for award is
intended to emphasize that States and units of general local government
are primarily responsible for the care of these individuals, and to
forestall attempts to use scarce McKinney-Vento Act funds to assist
such persons in lieu of State and local resources.
E. Special Provisions Applicable to This Notice
1. Only new SHP and S+C projects, including expansions of HUD-
funded existing projects, will be funded.
2. Any project submitted under this NOFA must be coordinated with
the Continuum of Care plan for its region and must submit a
certification of consistency with the applicable Continuum of Care
plan.
3. Only the following components of the SHP will be funded under
this NOFA: Permanent Housing and Safe Havens.
4. Only tenant-, sponsor-, and project-based without rehabilitation
components of S+C will be funded.
5. The term of all proposed SHP projects must be three (3) years.
The term of all proposed S+C projects must be five (5) years.
6. New construction and substantial rehabilitation activities will
not be eligible SHP activities under this notice. Minor rehabilitation
activities, such as those required to remove lead-based paint or
conform a unit to ADA standards, are eligible. All other activities
eligible under the SHP program are eligible for purposes of this NOFA.
See Appendix 1--HUD for eligible activities.
7. Applicants are encouraged to use approaches that can rapidly
move chronically homeless persons into housing with necessary
supportive services.
8. All SHP and S+C statutory and regulatory provisions, other than
those specifically amended by this NOFA, apply to the use of those
funds.
F. Other Program-Specific Requirements
Where an applicant for Supportive Housing Program funding is a
State or unit of general local government that utilizes one or more
nonprofit organizations to administer the homeless assistance
project(s), administrative funds provided as part of the SHP grant must
be passed on to the nonprofit organization(s) in proportion to the
administrative burden borne by them for the SHP project(s). States or
units of general local government that pass on at least 50 percent of
the administrative funds made available under the grant will be
considered as having met this requirement. (Note: This requirement does
not apply to the S+C Program, since paying the costs associated with
the administration of these grants is ineligible by regulation. For the
S+C program, administrative costs associated with the administration of
rental assistance are eligible, but are capped at eight (8) percent of
the total grant award).
G. Timeliness Standards
As an applicant, you are expected to initiate your approved
projects promptly in accordance with the instructions of this
announcement. In addition, if you fail to satisfy the following
timeliness standards being established specifically for funding awarded
under this collaborative NOFA, the awarded funding may be withdrawn in
whole or in part:
1. Supportive Housing Program
[sbull] Your award may be deselected if you do not demonstrate site
control within three (3) months of the date of your grant award letter.
[sbull] Your award may be deselected if the following additional
timeliness standards are not met:
--You must complete any minor rehabilitation activities permitted under
the terms of your SHP award within nine (9) months of the date of the
grant award letter.
--You must begin all activities that may proceed independent of minor
rehabilitation activities within six (6) months of the date of the
grant award letter.
2. Shelter Plus Care Program Components
Your award may be deselected if you do not meet the following
timeliness standard: For Tenant-based Rental Assistance, for Sponsor-
based Rental Assistance, and for Project-based without Rehabilitation
Rental Assistance, you must begin providing the rental assistance to at
least a majority of the awarded units within six (6) months of the date
of the grant award letter.
IV. Selection
A. Review, Rating, and Conditional Selection
The same review, rating, and conditional selection process will be
used for all proposed SHP/PH, SHP/Safe Havens and S+C projects. The
factors described in the General Section of this NOFA together with all
agency-specific factors will be used to assign points. To review and
rate applications, expert panels may be used. In order to obtain
certain expertise and outside points of view, including views from
other Federal agencies, these panels may include persons not currently
employed by HUD, HHS or VA. Only those projects passing threshold
criteria will be rated. Paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) below describe the
threshold reviews that will be conducted. Paragraph (4) describes the
HUD-specific rating factors that will be applied to those projects
requesting housing funds.
1. Applicant eligibility
The identity of each applicant submitting an application in
response to this component of the collaborative NOFA will be reviewed
to ensure that each such entity meets the eligibility requirements of
the program for which it is seeking assistance. If it is determined
that these standards are not met, the project will be rejected.
[[Page 4031]]
2. Project eligibility
Proposed projects submitted in response to this component of the
collaborative NOFA will be reviewed to determine if they meet the
following eligibility standards. If it is determined that the following
standards are not met by a specific project or activity, the project or
activity will be rejected or reduced.
(a) The activities being proposed must meet the eligibility
requirements as specified in this notice. Please note that for the SHP/
PH, SHP/Safe Havens and S+C programs, these requirements are more
restrictive than defined by program statute and regulation. At least
one of the activities for which assistance is requested must be
determined eligible or the proposed project will be rejected from the
competition.
(b) The population to be served must meet the eligibility
requirements as specified in this notice. Please note that for SHP/PH,
SHP/Safe Havens and the S+C programs, these requirements are more
restrictive than defined by program statute and regulation.
(c) The project must be cost-effective and such costs must not
deviate substantially from the norm in the locale for the kind of
activity being proposed.
3. Compliance With Fair Housing and Civil Rights Laws
(a) All applicants and their subrecipients must comply with all
Fair Housing and Civil Rights laws, statutes, regulations, and
Executive Orders as enumerated in 24 CFR 5.105(a).
(b) If you, the applicant:
(i) Have been charged with a systemic violation of the Fair Housing
Act alleging ongoing discrimination;
(ii) Are a defendant in a Fair Housing Act lawsuit filed by the
Department of Justice alleging an on-going pattern or practice of
discrimination; or,
(iii) Have received a letter of non-compliance findings,
identifying on-going or systemic noncompliance, under Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or section 109
of the Housing and Community Development Act, and if the charge,
lawsuit, or letter of findings has not been resolved to HUD's
satisfaction before the application deadline stated in this NOFA, you
may not apply for assistance under this NOFA. HUD will not rate and
rank your application.
HUD's decision regarding whether a charge, lawsuit, or a letter of
findings has been satisfactorily resolved will be based upon whether
appropriate actions have been taken to address allegations of on-going
discrimination in the policies or practices involved in the charge,
lawsuit, or letter of findings. Examples of actions that may be taken
prior to the application deadline to resolve the charge, lawsuit, or
letter of findings, include but are not limited to:
(a) A voluntary compliance agreement signed by all parties in
response to the letter of findings;
(b) A HUD-approved conciliation agreement signed by all parties;
(c) A consent order or consent decree; or
(d) A judicial ruling or a HUD Administrative Law Judge's decision
that exonerates the respondent of any allegations of discrimination.
4. Rating Factors
The permanent housing section of the application will be scored
using the following rating factors (total of 30 points):
a. Applicant Capacity. Up to 10 points will be awarded based on the
project applicant's experience specifically in providing housing,
especially for the population assisted by this NOFA. The points will
also be based on the applicant's performance in administering housing
activities, especially in serving the population to be assisted by this
NOFA.
b. Timeliness. Up to 10 points will be based on the demonstrated
ability of the applicant and project sponsor to execute the program in
a timely manner. This includes the applicant and project sponsor's
ability to achieve rapid project start-up (e.g. environmental review,
site control, permitting, minor rehabilitation, and occupancy).
c. Project (Housing) Quality. Up to 10 points will be awarded based
on the extent to which an applicant demonstrates how the housing is
appropriate to the needs of the persons to be served. The application
should demonstrate the following:
[sbull] How the type (e.g. apartments, group home) and scale (e.g.
number of units, number of persons per unit) of the proposed housing
will fit the needs of the participants.
[sbull] That the basic community amenities (e.g. medical
facilities, grocery store, recreation facilities, schools, etc.) will
readily be accessible to your clients.
[sbull] That the housing will be accessible to persons with
disabilities in accordance with applicable laws.
[sbull] That services and treatment will be linked to permanent
housing so that the target population will be sustained in that
housing.
[sbull] That any innovative aspect, if included, of a proposed
project is fully described and evidence of the unique nature of the
project is demonstrated.
[sbull] The extent to which the project integrates program
recipients into the community being served.
B. Action on Selected Applications
Selected applicants, including those conditionally selected, will
be notified in writing. As necessary, conditionally selected applicants
will subsequently be requested to submit additional project
information, which may include documentation to show the project is
financially feasible; documentation of firm commitments for cash match;
documentation showing site control; information necessary for the
performance of an environmental review, where applicable; and such
other documentation as specified in writing to the applicant, that
confirms or clarifies information provided in the application.
Conditionally selected applicants will be notified of the deadline for
submission of such information. If a conditionally selected applicant
is unable to meet any conditions for fund award within the specified
timeframe, those funds may be withdrawn and instead used to select the
next highest ranked application(s) from the competition for which there
are sufficient funds available.
V. Application Submission Requirements
A. Required Materials
The application provides the application materials, including the
SF-424 and certifications that must be used in applying for homeless
assistance under this notice. In addition to the required narratives,
the items that you must submit as part of the application for funding
are the following:
1. SF-424
2. Applicant Certification
4. Consolidated Plan Certification(s)
5. Continuum of Care Plan Certification
6. Special Projects Certifications-Discharge Policy and Mainstream
Programs
7. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities
B. Certification Requirements
The application also contains certifications that the applicant
will comply with fair housing and civil rights requirements and other
Federal requirements, and (where applicable) that the proposed
activities are consistent with the HUD-approved Consolidated Plan of
the applicable State or unit of general local government, including the
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice and the Action Plan to
address these
[[Page 4032]]
impediments. Projects funded under this NOFA will also coordinate with
the regional Continuum of Care process and will provide a certification
of consistency with the applicable Continuum of Care plan, if any.
Projects funded under this NOFA shall operate in a fashion that does
not deprive any individual of any right protected by the Fair Housing
Act (42 U.S.C. 3601-19), section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(29 U.S.C. 794), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
12101 et seq.), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C.
2000d), section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of
1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301) or the Age Discrimination Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C.
6101).
VI. Corrections to Deficient Applications
After the application due date, HUD may not, consistent with its
regulations in 24 CFR part 4, subpart B, consider any unsolicited
information you, the applicant, may want to provide. HUD may contact
you to clarify an item in your application or to correct technical
deficiencies. HUD may not seek clarification of items or responses that
improve the substantive quality of your response to any rating factors.
In order not to unreasonably exclude applications from being rated and
ranked, HUD may contact applicants to ensure proper completion of the
application and will do so on a uniform basis for all applicants.
Examples of curable (correctable) technical deficiencies include
failure to submit the proper certifications or failure to submit an
application that contains an original signature by an authorized
official. In each case, HUD will notify you in writing by describing
the clarification or technical deficiency. HUD will notify applicants
by facsimile or by USPS, return receipt requested. Clarifications or
corrections of technical deficiencies in accordance with the
information provided by HUD must be submitted within 14 calendar days
of the date of receipt of the HUD notification. (If the due date falls
on a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, your correction must be
received by HUD on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or
Federal holiday.) If the deficiency is not corrected within this time
period, HUD will reject the application as incomplete, and it will not
be considered for funding.
VII. Environmental, Local Resident Employment, and Relocation
Requirements
A. Environmental Requirements
All assistance is subject to the National Environmental Policy Act
and applicable related Federal environmental authorities. Section 208
of Pub. L. 106-377 (114 Stat. 1441, approved October 27, 2000) amended
section 443 of the Stewart B. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to
provide that for purposes of environmental review, projects shall be
treated as assistance for special projects that are subject to section
305(c) of the Multifamily Housing Property Disposition Reform Act of
1994, and shall be subject to HUD's regulations implementing that
section. The effect of this provision is that environmental reviews for
project activities are to be completed by responsible entities (States
or units of general local government) in accordance with 24 CFR part
58, whether or not the applicant is itself a State or a unit of general
local government. Applicants (such as PHAs or nonprofit organizations)
that are not States or units of general local government must request
the unit of general local government to perform the environmental
review. This statutory provision supersedes those portions of 24 CFR
582.230 and 583.230 that provide for automatic HUD environmental review
in the case of applications from such entities. With this exception,
conditional selection of projects is subject to the environmental
review requirements of 24 CFR 582.230 and 583.230 as applicable.
Recipients may not commit or expend any assistance or nonfederal funds
on project activities (other than those listed in 24 CFR 58.22(c),
58.34 or 58.35(b)) until HUD has approved a Request for Release of
Funds and environmental certification from the responsible entity. The
expenditure or commitment of assistance or nonfederal funds for such
activities prior to this HUD approval may result in the denial of
assistance for the project under consideration.
B. Local Resident Employment
To the extent that any housing assistance funded through this
collaborative NOFA is used for housing rehabilitation (including
reduction and abatement of lead-based paint hazards, but excluding
routine maintenance, repair, and replacement), then it is subject to
section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, and the
implementing regulations at 24 CFR part 135. Section 3, as amended,
requires that economic opportunities generated by certain financial
assistance for housing and community development programs shall, to the
greatest extent feasible, be given to low- and very low-income persons,
particularly those who are recipients of government assistance for
housing, and to businesses that provide economic opportunities for
these persons.
C. Relocation
The SHP and S+C programs are subject to the requirements of the
Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies
Act of 1970, as amended (URA). These requirements are explained in HUD
Handbook 1378, Tenant Assistance, Relocation and Real Property
Acquisition. Any person or family that moves, even temporarily, as a
direct result of acquisition, rehabilitation or demolition for a
project that is assisted through one of these programs (whether or not
HUD funded the acquisition, rehabilitation or demolition) is entitled
to relocation assistance. Displacement that results from leasing a unit
in a structure may also trigger relocation requirements. Relocation
assistance can be expensive. To avoid unnecessary costs, it is
important to provide occupants with timely information notices,
including a general information notice to be sent at the time the
application is submitted to HUD. HUD Handbook 1378 contains guideform
information notices. The HUD field office can provide a copy of the
handbook and copies of appropriate information booklets to be provided
to occupants. Accordingly, if the site is occupied, the applicant
should contact the HUD field office in the planning stage to obtain
advice, including help in estimating the cost of required relocation
assistance.
VIII. Authority
The Supportive Housing Program is authorized by Title IV, Subtitle
C, of the Stewart B. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-
Vento Act), 42 U.S.C. 11381. Funds made available under this section of
the collaborative NOFA for the Supportive Housing Program are subject
to the program regulations at 24 CFR part 583. The funds are also
subject to the requirements of this NOFA.
The Shelter Plus Care program is authorized by Title IV, Subtitle
F, of the McKinney-Vento Act, 42 U.S.C. 11403. Funds made available
under this section of the collaborative NOFA for the Shelter Plus Care
program are subject to the program regulations at 24 CFR part 582. The
funds are also subject to the requirements of this NOFA.
[[Page 4033]]
IX. Finding and Certifications
Environmental Impact
A Finding of No Significant Impact with respect to the environment
has been made in accordance with the HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 50
that implement section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332). The Finding of No Significant Impact is
available for public inspection during regular business hours in the
Office of the General Counsel, Regulations Division, Room 10276, U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20410-0500.
Appendix I-HUD.--Eligible Applicants and Activities
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elements Supportive housing Shelter plus care
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Authorizing Legislation......... Subtitle C of Subtitle F of
Title IV of the Title IV of the
McKinney-Vento McKinney-Vento
Homeless Homeless
Assistance Act. Assistance Act.
Implementing Regulations........ 24 CFR part 583... 24 CFR part 582.
Eligible Applicant(s)........... [sbull] States.... [sbull] States.
[sbull] Units of [sbull] Units of
general local general local
government. government.
[sbull] Special [sbull] PHAs.
purpose units of
government such
as Public housing
agencies (PHAs).
[sbull] Private
nonprofit
organizations.
[sbull] CMHCs that
are public
nonprofit
organizations.
Eligible Components............. [sbull] Permanent [sbull] Tenant-
Housing for based.
Persons with [sbull] Sponsor-
Disabilities. based.
[sbull] Safe [sbull] Project-
Havens. based.
Eligible Activities 1 2......... [sbull] [sbull] Rental
Acquisition. assistance.
[sbull] Minor [sbull] Costs of
Rehabilitation. administering
[sbull] Leasing... rental assistance
[sbull] Operating (limited to 8% of
Costs. the grant award).
[sbull]
Administrative
Costs (limited to
5% of the grant
award).
Eligible Populations \2\........ [sbull] [sbull]
Chronidcally Chronically
Homeless Persons. Homeless Persons.
[sbull] Disabled [sbull] Disabled
Homeless Families. Homeless
Families.
Term of Assistance.............. 3 years........... 5 years.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Homeless prevention activities are statutorily ineligible under
these programs.
\2\ Persons at risk of homelessness are statutorily ineligible for
assistance under these programs.
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN27JA03.003
[[Page 4037]]
Section 3: HHS/SAMHSA Section--Substance Abuse Treatment, Mental Health
Services and Supportive Services--25 points
I. Overview
A. Purpose
The purpose of the substance abuse and mental health services
component of this collaborative NOFA is to ensure that the target
population receives, as part of a comprehensive system of services, the
mental health and substance abuse treatment they need to achieve the
highest level of recovery possible. Specific objectives are to reduce
or eliminate symptoms, increase independence and community functioning,
and avoid relapse. Recognizing the high prevalence of co-occurring
mental health and substance abuse disorders, another objective is to
improve the effectiveness of mental illness and substance abuse
treatment by ensuring that the appropriate level of service integration
is achieved. To achieve these objectives, an overall goal is to
increase the reliance on mainstream programs for funding behavioral
health services to the maximum extent possible.
Background: People who experience chronic homelessness tend to have
disabling mental health and substance abuse problems. Recent estimates
suggest that at least 40 percent have substance use disorders and 20
percent have serious mental illnesses. Often individuals have more than
one of these conditions. An estimated 50 percent of adults with serious
mental illnesses who are homeless also have a co-occurring substance
use disorder. Among veterans who are homeless, one-third to nearly one-
half have co-occurring mental and addictive disorders. These problems
not only contribute to persons' risk for becoming homeless, but also to
the difficulty they experience in overcoming it.
People who are chronically homeless require a broad range of
services and supports that are coordinated with each other and linked
to permanent housing. SAMHSA has identified evidence-based and
promising practices that are effective in preventing and ending
homelessness among people with serious mental illnesses and substance
use disorders. These include: outreach and engagement, housing with
appropriate supports, multidisciplinary treatment teams/intensive case
management, integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders,
motivational interventions, modified therapeutic communities, and self-
help programs.
B. Eligibility
Eligible entities are States, political subdivisions of States,
Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and public or private non-
profit entities, including community-based and faith-based providers of
homeless services, health care, housing and other closely linked
services for persons experiencing chronic homelessness. The lead
applicant need not be a direct provider of substance abuse treatment or
mental health services.
In addition to meeting these criteria, SAMHSA requires that any
agency that will be using SAMHSA funds to provide substance abuse or
mental health services must be licensed and have been providing
services for a minimum of two years prior to the date of the
application. The reason for this is to ensure that there is minimal
start-up time required in providing services to the target population
by experienced providers.
For proof of two years experience and licensing, you must include
copies of licenses for this period or a copy of your Articles of
Incorporation as an appendix in your application. Examples are copies
of an organization's prior and current year operator's licenses, i.e.,
(1) Issue Date: 5/1/2001, Expiration Date: 4/30/2002, (2) Issue Date:
5/1/2002, Expiration Date: 4/30/2003.
II. Amount Allocated
Approximately $7 million is available in FY2003 for this component
and approximately 10 awards will be made. Subject to the availability
of future funds, grantees will receive additional funds in grant years
2 and 3 for substance abuse and mental health services on a declining
basis: 100 percent for Grant Year 1; 70 percent for Grant Year 2; and
40 percent for Grant Year 3. To qualify for continuation funds,
grantees are required to demonstrate that the difference in grant
amounts in Grant Years 2 and 3 is being offset by increasing revenue
from mainstream financing resources such as Medicaid, Block Grants,
State general funds, local sources, etc. The purpose of this provision
is to increase long-term reliance on mainstream programs and to improve
program sustainability after termination of discretionary grant funds.
In order to promote successful continuation by attending to
mainstream financing opportunities early, applicants must address the
types of mainstream funding that will be sought, an assessment of the
extent of eligibility among the target population, projections of
potential revenues and discussion of the administrative actions that
will be taken to capture the target revenue. Special attention should
be paid to needed billing and collection mechanisms.
III. Program Description
A. Allowable Activities
Funds must be used to provide substance abuse treatment, mental
health services, and supportive services that promote entry to and
maintenance in permanent housing. Examples of allowable activities in
each of these areas are the following:
[sbull] Street outreach and engagement
[sbull] Assertive community treatment/intensive case management
[sbull] Supportive housing
[sbull] Substance abuse treatment including detox, residential
treatment, intensive outpatient, and outpatient treatment
[sbull] Mental health services including treatment for trauma and post
traumatic stress disorder
[sbull] Integrated/coordinated treatment for co-occurring disorders
[sbull] Motivational interventions
[sbull] Modified therapeutic communities
[sbull] Medications management
[sbull] Self-help programs
[sbull] Psychosocial rehabilitation
[sbull] Assistance in accessing income support and entitlement
[sbull] Supportive employment
[sbull] Discharge planning
[sbull] Parental skills training
[sbull] Child care and family support
[sbull] Transportation
Examples of how these services can be provided include the
following:
[sbull] Strengthen or expand an existing program to include persons
who are chronically homeless by providing street outreach and
engagement.
[sbull] Provide treatment and services to persons participating in
homeless programs.
[sbull] Provide treatment and supportive services to maintain
persons in stable housing.
[sbull] Develop referral linkages with community service providers
to create a ``no wrong door'' approach for accessing treatment and
services.
[sbull] Enable participation in treatment and/or services by
providing transportation or child care.
[sbull] Providing for the coordination efforts of partnering
entities.
[sbull] Managing the implementation of the comprehensive approach.
[sbull] Developing a strategic plan for accessing mainstream
programs and sustaining the initiative.
[sbull] Monitoring the evaluation of the comprehensive approach.
[sbull] Build linkages among substance abuse treatment providers
and/or
[[Page 4038]]
mental health service providers, housing providers, and homeless
service providers.
[sbull] Provide emergency funds to enable persons to remain housed,
including purchase groceries or household supplies, pay utility bills,
etc.
[sbull] Create sustainability of services by getting clients on
Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) and Social
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Using mainstream Federal, state
and local resources (such as Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG),
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPTBG), Social
Services Block Grant, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
etc.) to fund services beyond this initiative.
[sbull] Train direct care providers and others in the system
serving the target population about provision of substance abuse
treatment and/or mental health services to persons who are homeless.
B. Funding Restrictions
SAMHSA funds may NOT be used to:
[sbull] Pay for housing (other than residential substance abuse
treatment).
[sbull] Provide services to incarcerated populations (defined as
those persons in jail, prison, detention facilities, or in custody
where they are not free to move about in the community).
[sbull] Carry out syringe exchange programs, such as the purchase
and distribution of syringes and/or needles.
[sbull] Pay for treatment of diseases other than substance abuse
and mental health disorders; e.g., SAMHSA funds may not be used to pay
for pharmacologies for HIV antiretroviral therapy, STDs, TB and
hepatitis B and C.
IV. Application Selection Process
A. Funding Criteria
Decisions to fund a SAMHSA grant are based on:
1. Threshold requirements.
2. Technical Merit.
3. Availability of funds.
4. Evidence of non-supplantation of funds.
5. Continued funding contingent on ability to fund services in the
second and third years of this initiative through other resources such
as Medicaid, Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG), Substance Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPTBG).
B. Threshold Requirements
Applications will not be accepted for review by SAMHSA and will be
returned for the following reasons:
1. The applicant organization is ineligible.
2. Proof of at least two years of service provision and licensure
by the lead applicant is not attached.
C. Agency-Specific Review Criteria for Technical Merit
The determination of the technical merit of the substance abuse and
mental health section of the application will be based on the quality,
feasibility and comprehensiveness of the project narrative, described
in the SAMHSA Section of the Application Kit. A maximum of 25 points
can be earned for specific behavioral health criteria. For example, a
perfect score for Section A will result in a rating of 10 points.
D. SAMHSA Review Criteria:
1. Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health Services (10 Points)
Points will be awarded based on the extent to which the substance
abuse and mental health services array proposed for clients of the
grant conforms to identified needs, is accessible, appropriately
coordinated or integrated, and is evidence-based.
2. Sustainability (7 Points)
Points will be awarded based on the thoroughness and feasibility of
the applicant's plan to obtain mainstream funding for the substance
abuse and mental health services offered to clients in years 2 and 3 of
the grant program. The assessment of readiness to identify appropriate
mainstream sources and to pursue billing and collection activity will
form an important predictor of the applicant's ability to obtain
continuation grant funding by meeting mainstream financing goals
described above.
3. Evaluation/Methodology (3 Points)
Points will be awarded based on the extent to which the proposed
local evaluation will ensure objective measurement of progress toward
achieving the goals and objectives of the grant. The criteria will also
address the extent to which the proposed output and outcome data
collection will accommodate CMHS and CSAT GPRA data reporting
requirements. Special emphasis will be placed on the applicant's
ability to identify and enroll clients in mainstream entitlement
programs and collect mainstream reimbursements for substance abuse and
mental health treatment services.
4. Project Management: Implementation Plan, Organization, Staff,
Equipment/Facilities, and Other Support (5 Points)
Points will be awarded based on the adequacy of resources dedicated
to accomplishing the substance abuse and mental health objectives of
the grant program. Resources include quantity and quality of proposed
staffing, strength of implementation planning, and ability to leverage
other behavioral health resources.
E. Evaluation Requirements
Applicants may allocate no more than 15 percent of grant funds to
their local evaluation activities including collection of GPRA
measures.
1. Government Performance and Results Act. The Government
Performance and Results Act (GPRA) mandates accountability and
performance-based management by Federal agencies, focusing on results
or outcomes in evaluating effectiveness of Federal activities and on
measuring progress toward achieving national goals and objectives.
Grantees must comply with GPRA data collection and reporting
requirements, including the collection of CSAT and CMHS Core Client
Outcomes.
2. Local Evaluation. Grantees will be expected to develop a plan
for evaluating their programs. At minimum, the local evaluations should
include both process and outcome evaluations using GPRA client outcome
measures and other measures as appropriate. Grantees should describe
linkages to GPRA measures.
F. Post-Award Requirements
SAMHSA will provide post award support to grantees through
technical assistance on mental health and substance abuse services.
Grantees will be required to attend (and, thus must budget for) one
jointly sponsored SAMHSA/HRSA technical assistance meeting in the first
year of the grant, and one meeting in each of the remaining years. Each
meeting will be two days. A minimum of three persons must attend, which
can include housing, mental health, and substance abuse
representatives. Consumers are encouraged to attend. These meetings
will be held in the Baltimore/Washington, DC area.
The applicant must notify the Single State Agency (SSA) within 30
days of receipt of an award. Notify the SSA for mental health for
projects providing mental health services; the SSA for substance abuse
for projects providing substance abuse treatment services; and the SSA
for mental health and substance abuse if serving populations with co-
occurring disorders.
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[[Page 4041]]
Section 4: HHS/HRSA Section--Health Resources and Services
Administration With a Focus on Primary Health--25 Points
I. Overview
A. Purpose
To increase the access of chronically homeless persons and homeless
families with a disabled adult member to cost-effective and integrated
primary health care services provided by existing programs and
providers, as part of an effort to eradicate chronic homelessness and
eliminate health disparities for chronically homeless people.
It is the intent of HRSA to continue to support health services to
chronically homeless people and disabled homeless families in these
areas/locations given the continued need for cost-effective, community-
based primary care services. Therefore, the proposed projects must
exclusively serve chronically homeless individuals and/or disabled
homeless families as defined in this notice.
Funding will be awarded pursuant to section 330 of the Public
Health Service Act.
B. Eligible Applicants
Primary Health Care Services: Applicants are limited to existing
Health Center Grantees (including Health Care for the Homeless
grantees) currently funded under section 330 of the Public Health
Service Act. Applications should be submitted as a proposed
supplemental grant and will be funded as such.
Applicants are limited to existing Health Centers, since funding
for this initiative is coming from the Health Center funding line and
consequently the requirements of section 330 of the PHS Act apply to
the recipients of those funds. In addition, existing Health Center
grantees receive certain privileges, including coverage under the
Federal Tort Claims Act, ability to receive higher Medicare and
Medicaid reimbursement rates, and reduced price pharmaceuticals. It
would be inappropriate to provide these privileges to a new group of
grantees who had not been approved through the extensive, comprehensive
application process to achieve section 330 Health Center status.
II. Amount Allocated
Approximately $3 million will be available from HHS/HRSA as
supplemental awards to existing section 330 health centers in FY 2003
to fund primary health care services. HHS/HRSA will not award more than
$300,000 per project per year.
The awarding of FY 2003 HHS funds is contingent on passage of a
permanent HHS appropriation for FY 2003. Subject to availability of
appropriations, funds may be available for FY 2004 and FY 2005.
III. Program Description
Health Centers (HCs) are designed to provide accessible, affordable
personal health care services to low-income individuals and families.
HCs provide family-oriented primary and preventive health care services
for people living in rural and urban medically underserved communities
and for medically underserved populations. Specifically, HCs provide
services that include: primary and preventive health care; outreach;
dental care; essential ancillary services; mental health and substance
abuse services; case management services; and enabling services such as
transportation.
HCs exist in areas where economic, geographic, or cultural barriers
limit access to primary health care for a substantial portion of the
population, and they tailor services to the needs of the community. HCs
demonstrate cost effective responsiveness, empower underserved
communities and populations, reduce infant mortality rates, lower
hospital admission rates and length of hospital stays for patients,
lower patients' health costs, and provide care for specific conditions
that meets or exceeds protocols for the general population.
IV. Funding Criteria
A. The applicant thoroughly describes the proposed program for the
delivery of primary health care and related services to be provided to
the target population.
B. The health care program is designed in a manner that is
appropriate to meet the unique needs of homeless people in the proposed
service area.
C. The applicant presents evidence of arrangements in place for the
delivery of each of the required services. Required services include:
--Primary health care;
--Provision of or arrangements for emergency health services;
--Referral for inpatient hospitalization;
--Case management services;
--Outreach services;
--Entitlement eligibility assistance;
--Supplemental/additional services, including oral health services;
and,
--Provision of or arrangements for accessing mental health and
substance abuse services.
D. The applicant provides, for each service offered, information
on:
--The location of services;
--The service setting (e.g., clinic, van, shelter site);
--The arrangements in place to ensure the availability of services
(i.e., whether through direct provision by the applicant or provision
through subcontract or referral agreement);
--Arrangements to guarantee access to the services; and,
--Continuity of care.
E. Signed letters of commitment or memoranda of understanding are
included for all subcontractor and referral arrangements.
V. Application Selection Process
Only those applications that satisfy the threshold criteria will be
rated. The threshold criteria are:
A. Applicants for HRSA funds must be a section 330 Health Center
program. A copy of the FY 2002 Notice of Grant Award must accompany the
request for HRSA funds.
B. Health centers applying for HRSA funds must not be designated as
an exceptional/high risk grantee at the time of application. Note that
HRSA may exclude from funding any Health Center which is significantly
out of compliance with section 330 program expectations.
An application must be given a satisfactory rating in order to
receive further consideration. Those applications that are determined
to be acceptable will be then reviewed for the comprehensive approach.
If an application does not meet the aforementioned threshold
criteria, the entire application will be rejected.
VI. Application Submission
Applicants should submit: (1) A copy of the most recent Notice of
Grant Award document from the Health Center program; (2) a completed
Public Health Service Application Form 5161-1, including budget pages
and a Project Narrative as described below.
A. Project Narrative
The Project Narrative describes your project and your project's
relationship to the primary applicant or other providers in this
collaboration. It is made up of the following sections:
1. Project Summary (Points: 8)
The project summary is intended to be a brief synopsis of the
proposed design of the primary care component of the collaborative
initiative.
The applicant should summarize the need for health services in the
target population and the organization's proposed response to that
need. The following issues should be addressed.
a. Overview of the Population. (1) Provide a brief description of
the target
[[Page 4042]]
population for this project and the nature of their health care needs.
(2) Describe any major issues or barriers to care faced by the
target population.
b. Overview of the Organization. (1) Provide a brief history of the
organization proposing to provide primary care and related services,
including a discussion of the size and nature of the client population
currently being served.
(2) Describe the experience of the organization in meeting the
needs of chronically homeless persons.
c. Identify unique characteristics and significant accomplishments
of the organization.
2. Project Plan (Points: 15)
a. Relationship of HC to other providers in this collaboration.
b. Identify how many people will be served and the number of
projected encounters at full operational capacity at the proposed new
collaborative program.
c. Describe any unique characteristics regarding the health care
needs of persons to be served under this initiative.
d. Describe the proposed service delivery model and the services to
be provided.
e. Describe the proposed staffing for the new collaborative
program.
f. Provide evidence of arrangements in place for the delivery of
each of the required services. Required services include:
--Primary health care;
--Provision of or arrangements for emergency health services;
--Referral for inpatient hospitalization;
--Case management services;
--Outreach services;
--Entitlement eligibility assistance;
--Supplemental/additional services, including oral health services;
and,
--Coordination with other providers of services, including providers of
mental health and substance abuse services.
g. For each service offered, provide information on:
--The location of services;
--The service setting (e.g., clinic, van, shelter site, patient's
residence);
--The arrangements in place to ensure the availability of services (i.e
whether through direct provision by the applicant or provision through
subcontract or referral agreement);
--Arrangements to guarantee access to the services;
--Continuity of care; and,
--Coordination of care with other providers involved in the
collaboration.
3. Readiness (Points: 2)
a. Where appropriate, include agreement from site sponsor to allow
applicant organization to provide services at specified location(s).
b. Services must be available within 90 days of the award of
program funds.
B. Budget Narrative
1. Describe the annual budget for years 1, 2, and 3 in terms of:
1. The total resources required to achieve the goals and objectives
of the new collaborative program;
2. The expectations regarding Federal grant support and
maximization of non-grant revenue relative to the proposed plan. The
applicant must demonstrate that the Federal funds will not supplant
other funds, and must make maximum use of third party revenues,
including Medicaid;
3. The total cost per client;
4. The total grant dollars per client,
5. One-time minor capital needs; and
6. Applicant should itemize the estimated value of in-kind
resources, including equipment, rent, personnel, renovations and
alterations, pharmaceuticals, etc.
VII. Post-Award Requirements
HRSA will provide post-award support to grantees through technical
assistance on primary health care services. Grantees will be required
to attend (and, thus must budget for) one jointly sponsored SAMHSA/HRSA
technical assistance meeting in the first year of the grant, and one
meeting in each of the remaining years. Each meeting will be two days.
A minimum of two persons must attend. These meetings will be held in
the Baltimore/Washington, DC area.
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN27JA03.005
[[Page 4045]]
Section 5: VA Section--20 Points
I. Overview
Although funding will not be awarded directly to the recipient of
the grant, funding is available for the VA facility that partners with
the applicant. VA facilities can include medical centers or programs
under the direction of medical centers including VA outpatient clinics.
The applicant will be required to submit a plan that describes in
detail how a collaborative relationship with VA will be created and
sustained in an effort to provide services to chronically homeless
veterans. The chronically homeless veterans to be served will be those
veterans housed in or being provided services through the program
developed by the collaborative initiative grant recipient and who meet
the definition for homeless as put forth in this NOFA.
If it is anticipated that the project will not be serving veterans,
the applicant will be asked to demonstrate why veterans will not be
participating in the project. If it is anticipated that veterans will
be served but it is unlikely a VA facility will be available to engage
in partnering, the applicant will be asked to demonstrate other sources
of providing substance abuse, mental health and primary care services
for those chronically homeless veterans.
II. Amount Allocated
Up to $5.0 million will be made available for up to three years.
Funds available for each project will be in an approximate amount
equivalent to the proportionate yearly salary of full-time employees
(FTE) to provide professional care or care-coordination/case management
for chronically homeless veterans participating in the program and for
FTE to assist in data collection and evaluation. Funding will be made
available to the VA facility that enters into a collaborative
relationship with the recipient of this grant.
III. Program Description
It is expected that these FTEs will provide necessary and
appropriate care for chronically homeless veterans which can include
but is not limited to: case management; direct medical care, mental
health or substance abuse treatment; assistance with veterans benefits;
vocational development; and housing referrals. The goal is to provide
comprehensive, project- and community-linked substance abuse, mental
health and primary care services for chronically homeless veterans. FTE
assigned data evaluation duties will be responsible for data collection
through participant interviews, tracking program participants and
record keeping for the purposes of the program study.
IV. Application Selection Process
A. Review and Rating
The factors described in the General Section of this NOFA together
with all agency-specific factors will be used to assign points.
To be eligible for the VA section of this NOFA, the application
will undergo a VA threshold review prior to rating to ensure:
1. Forms, time and adequacy: application must be filed in the form
prescribed by VA in the application process and within the time
established in the NOFA;
2. Application eligibility: the applicant must be a non-profit or
public entity, as described in the General Section of the NOFA;
3. Eligible population to be served: the population proposed to be
served must be chronically homeless veterans. Homeless is defined in
this NOFA. A veteran is a person who served in the active military,
naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released under
conditions other than dishonorable. Such veterans must also be enrolled
in VA's health care system.
B. Rating Criteria
The applicant who intends to apply under this VA section of the
Joint NOFA must submit a signed Memorandum of Agreement (one original
and four copies) between the applicant and its partnering VA facility,
and a Program Plan (one original and four copies). Much of the
information that will be used to determine the ranking of application
and ultimately the likelihood of funding will be from the Comprehensive
Section of the application.
Applications will be rated and ranked on the criteria listed below.
1. Need: Up to 5 points will be awarded based on the applicant's
demonstrated understanding of the needs of the chronically homeless
veteran population proposed to be served in the specified area or
community. Ratings will be made based on the extent to which applicants
demonstrate:
a. Identified gaps in services for chronically homeless veterans
and how the program will address, and if appropriate, fill those gaps;
and
b. An understanding of the homeless population to be served and its
unmet housing, substance abuse, mental health, and primary care needs.
2. Plan: Up to 10 points will be awarded based on the extent to
which the application presents a clear, well-conceived, and thorough
plan for assisting chronically homeless veterans. The plan should
include, at a minimum:
a. A detailed discussion of the nature of the collaboration between
VA and the other partners;
b. How the collaboration will be sustained for the benefit of
chronically homeless veterans; and
c. How the collaboration will be linked on a short-term as well as
long-term, strategic level with the total project conceptualization and
design.
3. Ability: Up to 5 points will be awarded based on the extent to
which those who will be involved in carrying out the project have
experience in activities similar to those proposed in the application.
This includes activities involving housing, the planning and delivery
of substance abuse and mental health treatment and primary care as well
as activities regarding the accessing and/or delivery of VA benefits,
medical and mental health care, and other VA related services.
Any applicant scoring a zero in the Need, Plan, or Ability criteria
of the VA section, or any applicant scoring less than 8 points (40%)
for a total score on all VA criteria will be eliminated from the
competition and will not be eligible for any part of this grant
funding.
Projects that will not be serving veterans will not be required to
complete these sections of the application. However, the applicant will
be asked to demonstrate how it was determined that services for
chronically homeless veterans are not needed for the project.
V. Application Submission
A. Required Materials
The application provides the application materials. In addition to
the narratives, the applicant will be required to submit a Memorandum
of Agreement with its partnering VA facility.
B. Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
To be eligible for the VA section of this NOFA, the applicant must
submit a Memorandum of Agreement in addition to the application
materials. The collaborative relationship must be documented in a
jointly signed Memorandum of Agreement between a local VA facility and
the applicant of this grant specifically stating the terms of the
agreement. At a minimum, the terms of the agreement should include:
1. Number of chronically homeless veterans expected to be served by
the grant recipient and the extent and level of services that will be
provided by the VA facility;
[[Page 4046]]
2. Process and outcome measures clearly delineated and linked to
service delivery and responsibilities for collection, compilation, and
reporting of these measures; and
3. How services provided by the FTE funded under this section will
be integrally linked in a comprehensive fashion with the intent of the
collaborative initiative grant recipient's project and the strategic
plans of the project in an effort to break the cycle of homelessness.
[FR Doc. 03-1801 Filed 1-24-03; 8:45 am]
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