Some Renewal Projects are being submitted as Renewal Expansion (adding funds/units/services) or Renewal Consolidation (combining multiple existing projects into one) applications.

Some New Projects are being submitted as Transition Grant applications, which allow an existing CoC Program-funded project to transition to a different project component type.

Note: YHDP Renewal Projects are not eligible to use the transition grant process. YHDP Renewal Projects must submit a YHDP Replacement project application to change component types.

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You did not answer one of the following questions:

• Renewal Project Type
• New Project Type

Please return to the question for your Application Type and choose one of the options. For additional guidance, please email CoCNOFO@sacstepsforward.org.

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Project Eligibility Threshold Factor Certifications Information Missing

All questions in this section must be answered.  For additional guidance, please email CoCNOFO@Sacstepsforward.org.

Project Quality Threshold Criteria: SSO-Standalone

Please describe how your SSO-Standalone project meets the following criteria. Your response must address:

• how the proposed supportive services are necessary to assist people in exiting homelessness and increasing self-sufficiency, including your plan to conduct annual assessments of participant service needs;
• your strategy for providing supportive services to eligible participants, including individuals with histories of unsheltered homelessness and those who do not traditionally engage with services;
• how your project leverages other public or private resources (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, SNAP, workforce programs) to supplement and strengthen services; and
• how the services provided are cost-effective and consistent with 2 CFR 200.404.
  

Project Quality Threshold Criteria: SSO-Street Outreach

Please describe how your SSO-Street Outreach project meets the following criteria. Your response must address:

• how your project leverages public or private resources—including mainstream health, social, and employment programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, SNAP, and workforce programs—to supplement and strengthen outreach services;
• your strategy for providing supportive services to eligible participants, including individuals with histories of unsheltered homelessness and those who do not traditionally engage with services;
• your agency’s history of partnering with first responders and law enforcement to engage people living in places not meant for human habitation and to facilitate access to emergency shelter, treatment programs, family reunification, transitional housing, or independent/long-term housing;
• how your organization cooperates with and does not impede local law enforcement in enforcing public laws (e.g., public camping, public drug use), while maintaining trauma-informed, person-centered engagement practices;
• your agency’s experience providing Street Outreach services consistent with 24 CFR 578.53(e)(13) and demonstrated effectiveness in helping unsheltered individuals exit to shelter, treatment, transitional housing, or permanent housing; and
• how your project ensures that all services provided are cost-effective in alignment with 2 CFR 200.404.
  

Project Quality Threshold Criteria: SSO-Coordinated Entry

Please describe how your SSO-Coordinated Entry project meets the following criteria. Your response must address:

• how your Coordinated Entry system is easily available, reachable, and accessible to all persons seeking homelessness assistance within the CoC’s geographic area, including people with disabilities;
• your strategy for outreach and advertising that is intentionally designed to reach households with the highest needs and highest barriers to housing;
• your use of a standardized assessment process, including how assessments are administered consistently and equitably across access points or outreach contexts; and
• how your project ensures that all program participants are directed to appropriate housing and services based on their needs, vulnerabilities, and preferences.

Project Quality Threshold Criteria: Transitional Housing (TH)

1. Please describe how your TH project meets the following criteria. Your response must address:
   • how the project provides or partners to provide eligible supportive services to help participants obtain and maintain housing;
   • your agency’s experience operating transitional housing or similar programs that help participants exit homelessness within 24 months;
   • how your project currently achieves—or plans to achieve—at least 50% exits to permanent housing within 24 months and 50% exits with employment income;
   • how the project leverages public or private resources (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, SNAP, workforce programs);
   • how the project requires participation in supportive services in compliance with 24 CFR 578.75(h);
   • how you will ensure participants receive 40 hours per week of individualized services (or a proportionate amount if the participant is employed or exempt due to age or disability under 24 CFR 582.5); and
   • how your project ensures that all services provided are cost-effective in alignment with 2 CFR 200.404.
     
2. Please upload your supportive service agreement (e.g., service contract, occupancy agreement, lease, participation agreement, or equivalent) demonstrating service participation expectations in compliance with 24 CFR 578.75(h).

Project Quality Threshold Criteria: Rapid Re-Housing (RRH)

Please describe how your RRH project meets the following criteria. Your response must address:

• how the provision of tenant-based rental assistance will help individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency within 3 months up to a maximum of 24 months, consistent with RRH program expectations;
• the supportive services and assistance your project will provide (e.g., case management, substance use treatment, mental health treatment, employment assistance) to ensure participants can obtain self-sufficiency and successfully exit homelessness;
• your agency’s prior experience operating homelessness programs that have demonstrated improved employment income outcomes compared to the average project in the CoC;
• how your project requires participants to engage in supportive services in compliance with 24 CFR 578.75(h) (a supportive service agreement will be uploaded separately);
• how your project ensures that its average cost per household served is reasonable and consistent with 2 CFR 200.404—meaning that housing and service costs align with the needs of the population served; and
• how your project is supplemented with additional public or private resources, such as Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, SNAP, and workforce or employment programs.

Project Quality Threshold Criteria: Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)

Please describe how your PSH project meets the following criteria. Your response must address:

• how the type of housing proposed—including the number, configuration, and design of units—fits the needs of the participants your project intends to serve;
• the supportive services and assistance your project will provide to ensure participants can successfully obtain and retain permanent housing, including transportation, safety planning, case management, and any enhanced or on-site services (if expanding an existing project, describe how services will be expanded accordingly);
• how the project is designed to serve elderly individuals and/or individuals with a physical disability/impairment or a developmental disability (as defined in 24 CFR 582.5, excluding substance use disorder), including how unit prioritization will support these populations;
• how your project requires participants to engage in supportive services in compliance with 24 CFR 578.75(h) (a supportive service agreement will be uploaded separately);
• how the project ensures that its average cost per household served is reasonable and consistent with 2 CFR 200.404, given the population served and the intensity of supports provided; and
• how the project is supplemented with resources from public or private sources, including mainstream health, social, and employment programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, SNAP, and workforce services.

Renewal Budget Line Items
The total request for each renewing project, including YHDP Renewal and YHDP Replacement projects, is limited to a project’s ARA. Additionally, where two or more eligible projects are being consolidated through the project application, the total ARA of the consolidation project must be equal to or less than the sum of the original ARA of the renewal projects before consolidation.

Note: CoC renewal project applications (including DV Renewal projects and projects originally funded under the Special NOFO) may include non-significant changes including shifting up to 10 percent of funds from one approved eligible activity to another. 

Returns to Homelessness (Max 5 pts)
This factor measures the percentage of program leavers who exited to permanent housing destinations and subsequently returned to homelessness.  Applicants can answer this question in the text box below in one of two ways:

1. Provide your comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 5 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to preventing returns to homelessness. Please make sure your answer addresses the following topics. (Max 2 points)

• Your housing stabilization plan
• Retention benchmarks
• Follow-up protocols
• Methods used to reduce returns to homelessness

Employment Income (Max 5 pts)
This factor measures the percentage of program participants who had an increased income from employment.  Applicants can answer this question in the text box below in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 5 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to helping participants increase income from employment.  Please make sure your answer addresses the following topics. (Max 2 points)

• Your employment services model or approach
• Partnerships with workforce development agencies
• Staffing structure to support employment outcomes
• Projected employment income increases, with justification

Successful Outcomes (Max 15 pts)
This factor measures the percentage of program leavers exiting to HUD defined positive destinations for SSO projects (e.g. permanent housing, temporary housing, and some institutional destinations). Applicants can answer this question in the text box below in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 15 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to helping participants exit to HUD defined positive destinations. Please make sure your answer addresses the following topics. (Max 6 points)

• Engagement strategies that support positive exits
• Exit pathways and referral processes
• Formal partnerships that support exits
• Projected positive destination rate, with justification

Engagement and Assessment Completion (Max 10 pts)
This factor measures the percentage of program participants who: (1) have a
date of engagement, and (2) have complete a Coordinated Entry assessment (e.g., Housing Conversation Tool, Individual Service Plan).  Applicants can answer this question in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 10 points) OR
 
2. Describe your project’s approach to engaging participants and completing Coordinated Entry assessments. Please address the following topics. (Max 4 points)

• Your participant engagement strategy
• Your CE assessment workflow
• Staff training and supervision plan
• Projected engagement and CE completion rates, with justification

Successful Housing Outcomes (Max 15 pts)
This metric evaluates the percentage of program leavers to HUD defined positive destinations for TH or RRH projects (e.g., permanent).  Applicants can answer this question in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 15 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to helping participants exit to permanent housing. Please address the following topics. (Max 6 points)

• Your housing model
• Your housing location/landlord engagement strategy
• Your financial assistance approach
• Projected permanent housing outcomes, with justification

Length of Time to Housing (Max 10 pts)
This factor evaluates the average number of days from project enrollment to permanent housing placement.  Applicants can answer this question in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 10 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to quickly housing participants from enrollment to permanent placement. Please address the following topics.  (Max 4 points)

• Your housing location infrastructure
• Your housing navigation staffing plan
• Your move-in assistance workflow
• Projected days from enrollment to housing placement, with justification

Unit Utilization (Max 15 pts)
This factor evaluates the percentage of units occupied on an average day during the reporting period, calculated by dividing total client nights by total unit nights available.  Applicants can answer this question in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 15 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to achieving high unit utilization. If you have comparable data, describe past utilization rates. Please address the following topics.  (Max 6 points)

• Your referral pipeline
• Your lease-up strategy and occupancy plan
• Your process for monitoring occupancy
• Projected utilization rate, with justification

Successful Housing Transitions (Max 10 pts)
This factor evaluates the percentage of program leavers who exit to unsubsidized permanent housing.  Applicants can answer this question in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 10 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to supporting participants in transitioning to unsubsidized permanent housing. Please address the following topics.  (Max 4 points)

• Your exit planning process and timeline
• Your financial capability/employment supports
• Your aftercare strategies
• Projected transition rate to unsubsidized housing, with justification

Cost Effectiveness (Max 10 pts)
This factor evaluates the ratio of total program budget to total households served.
 Applicants can answer this question in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 10 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to delivering cost-effective services. Please address the following topics.  (Max 4 points)

• Your cost-per-household approach
• Your staffing model and efficiency
• Leveraged services or in-kind resources
• Justification for costs relative to CoC norms

Connection to Benefits & Healthcare (Max 10 pts)
This factor evaluates the percentage of participants connected to non-cash benefit sources.  Applicants can answer this question in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiates performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 10 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to connecting participants to non-cash benefits and healthcare services. Please address the following topics. (Max 4 points)

• Partnerships with benefit or healthcare providers
• Your enrollment workflow
• Staff training or dedicated roles
• Projected connection rates, with justification

Data Accuracy (Max 5 pts)
This factor evaluates the percentage of HMIS data recorded accurately.  Applicants can answer this question in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiate performance against renewal scoring criteria. (Max 5 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to ensuring accurate HMIS data. Please address the following topics. (Max 2 points)

• Data quality protocols
• Audit/review practices
• Staff oversight and accountability
• Strategies for maintaining high accuracy

Data Timeliness (Max 5 pts)
This metric evaluates the average length of time between when a client enters or exits the project, and when the project records the entry or exit in HMIS. Applicants can answer this question in one of two ways:

1. Provide comparable program statistics that substantiate performance against renewal scoring criteria (Max 5 points) OR

2. Describe your project’s approach to ensuring timely HMIS data entry.  Please address the following topics (Max 2 points)

• Workflow for entering enrollments and exits
• Staff accountability and supervision
• Timeliness benchmarks
• Plan for sustained timely entry

Leveraging External Resources & Diversified Funding (Max 5 pts)

This metric awards points for projects that demonstrate at least 25% of their units or service slots supported through non-CoC/ESG resources.  Describe your project’s approach to leveraging external resources to support at least 25% of units or service slots. Please address the following topics. (Max 5 points)

• Types of resources leveraged
• Funding partners or commitments
• How leveraged funding supports operations

We are collecting information about the physical bed/unit inventory your program may have.  Please use this HMIS Housing Inventory training material for the HUD definitions of beds and units.