The annual U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was announced July 31, 2024. For the first time, it will be a two year application cycle.
This is a collaborative community application to apply for federal HUD Homelessness Assistance funding. The NOFO contains funding for youth, $188 million available for noncompetitive renewal and replacement of expiring Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP) grants. This NOFO also includes provisions to improve CoC’s efforts to improve the way they address the needs of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.
The full details are available in the NOFO. Quote highlights:
- (page 20) YHDP Renewal and replacement grants may provide rental assistance for shared housing where youth may reside with family or another unrelated person.
- (page 24) YHDP Renewal projects and YHDP Replacement projects including YHDP Reallocation projects are non-competitive YHDP projects and must not be ranked by CoCs.
- (page 32) Additionally, any youth-serving provider funded under this NOFO may serve unaccompanied youth aged 24 and under or families headed by youth aged 24 and under who are living in unsafe situations. HUD interprets “youth-serving provider” as a private nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to provide services to youth aged 24 and under and families headed by youth aged 24 and under. HUD interprets “living in unsafe situations” as having an unsafe primary nighttime residence and no safe alternative to that residence. These youth-related requirements supersede any conflicting requirements under this NOFO or the Rule.
- (page 33) CoC, DV and YHDP Renewal projects must serve the same population of individuals or families as indicated in the expiring grant agreement.
- (page 33) (4) New YHDP Replacement projects including YHDP Reallocation must serve youth aged 24 or younger, including unaccompanied and pregnant or parenting youth who:
- (a) qualify as homeless under paragraphs (1), (2), or (4) of the homeless definition in 24 CFR 578.3 or Section 103(b) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;
- (b) have an unsafe primary nighttime residence and no safe alternative to that residence; or
- (c) qualify as homeless under paragraph (3) of 24 CFR 578.3 if the CoC is approved to serve persons in paragraph (3).
- (page 41) New YHDP Projects Created Through YHDP Replacement processes.
- (page 83) CoC Collaboration Related to Children and Youth. Demonstrate the CoC coordinates to provide education services to families with children between the ages of 0-5. (3 points)
- (page 86) Preventing People Transitioning from Public Systems from Experiencing Homelessness. Coordinates with and assists in state or local planning efforts to prevent people transitioning from public systems (e.g., reentry from prisons and jails, health care or residential care, and foster care) from experiencing homelessness. (2 points)
- (page 92) Involving Individuals with Lived Experience of Homelessness in Service Delivery and Decision-Making and Provide Professional Development and Employment Opportunities. The CoC has included persons with lived experience are of homelessness in the CoC’s decision-making process, and the CoC encourages CoC members to provide professional development and employment opportunities to people experiencing homelessness. (5 points)
- (page 101) Effectively Count Youth. Implement specific measures to identify youth in the CoC’s PIT count. (2 points)
NN4Y has been advocating for these policy changes for several years and we are encouraged to see these improvements in this HUD CoC NOFO.