5 - 2024 Grant Applications
Section 1: Overview
Renewal Project applications are due by 12 PM on Monday, June 3, 2024, along with Agency Uploads. Below is an overview of the layout of the new project application.
Section 2: Instructions & Resources
As you work through your application please utilize the instructions and resources available:
Answer all questions that appear in the application, be as complete as possible in your responses.
Deadline for submissions: Monday, June 3, 2024 by 12 PM (CST). Any forms submitted after this deadline WILL NOT be accepted and the organization WILL NOT be considered for submitting a full project application for 2024 HUD CoC funds.
This form was built with conditional logic, which hides or shows questions based on user selection. Please ensure you complete all required questions before submitting.
When using Save & Resume files uploaded to the form and signatures executed by the end-user will NOT be saved to the form until the form is submitted to the database. Users should not upload files or sign the forms until they are ready to submit.
If you are utilizing Save and resume, a link will be sent to the primary email contact you provided. Save this link, if you do not have this link you cannot access your saved application and will have to start the application over.
When using Save & Resume, uploaded files and signatures will NOT be saved to the form until the form is submitted to the database. Users should not upload files or sign the form until they are ready to submit.
2024 Iowa Balance of State (IA-501) Continuum of Care (CoC) Grantee Renewal/Expansion Agency Upload
Note- Each organization that applies for funding, except HMIS and SSO-CE, must submit the Agency Upload BEFORE submitting their project application(s).
All questions on the agency upload are required, but not scored. The information will be used for informational purposes for the IA BoS CoC Consolidated Application.
Resources:
2024 CoC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
2024 Renewal Scoring Rubric
Section 3: Application- Applicant Name & Information
Note: to be eligible to apply for funding, applicant must have completed the 2024 Intent To Apply process. As applicants work through the application, please use the scoring rubric to assist in the detail needed for each question.
Note: CoC-funded projects must utilize HMIS or DVIMS for data entry.
Provide organization information including name, registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), address, and primary & secondar contact information.
Proposed start and end date for your project. (Please ensure this aligns with the renewal projects start/end date as noted in the agreement with HUD)
Select if you serve any entitlement cities (Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, Iowa City, or Waterloo). If your project is in an entitlement city, the HUD-2991 Certification of Consistency form will be required with your e-snaps submission. CoC staff will connect with you to determine the due date as listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
Coordinated Service Region (CSR) & counties project will provide housing placement in: Please select your CSR and then select the counties within that region where you will provide housing placement.
Funding Amount and Number Served: Provide your anticipated renewal amount (full project budget (CoC request & Applicant match) CoC request alone) and the projected number of participants to be served in the renewal grant period.
Expansion: Note if you are applying for an expansion you must complete a new project application for the expansion. To expand high-performing projects, expansion projects will only be considered if the renewal project aligned with the expansion scores above a 90% threshold.
Section 4: Application- Thresholds & Housing First
Thresholds: Projects MUST meet ALL of these requirements to be eligible for CoC funding consideration.
The project must ensure that it has removed the following barriers to accessing housing and services and must confirm that each barrier described does NOT exist to be eligible for funding.
Having too little or no income
Having a criminal record with exceptions for state, and/or federal restrictions
Fleeing domestic violence (e.g., lack of a protective order, period of separation from abuser, or law enforcement involvement)
Having (or not having) a previous address within Iowa
Failure to comply with HUD’s 2016 Gender Identify Rule
Failure to comply with Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Requirements including assuring non-discrimination on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and familial status and disability.
Housing First: Projects must not terminate participants for any of the following reasons.
Failure to participate in supportive services and/or failure to make progress on a service plan
Loss of income or failure to improve income
Active substance abuse
Any other activity not covered in a lease agreement typically found in the project's geographic area
Housing First- Coordinated Entry:
This project should follow a Housing First approach and ensure program participant termination is not for any of the following reasons? Applicants should upload the Coordinated Entry policies & procedures and highlight the areas that verify the Housing First approach is followed at the end of the application.
Section 5: Application- Participation, Engaging People with Lived Experience, & Equity and Diversity
Projects include: Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), Rapid Rehousing (RRH), & Joint Transitional Housing-Rapid Rehousing (Joint TH-RRH)
Coordinated Entry (CE): Participation in CE is a requirement for receiving CoC funds. Projects are expected to pull 100% of participants for their program from the Coordinated Entry Prioritization List. If this practice is not currently being utilized, organizations have an opportunity to share how they will adapt to ensure they pull 100% of participants from CE. They also have the opportunity note that they will have maximum participation through attending regional pull meetings and pulling and adding participants to the CE system.
Point in Time (PIT): It is important for projects across the CoC to participate in the PIT count to ensure information from the geographic area is shared and utilized to advocate for ending and preventing homelessness. Projects will have the opportunity to note if they participated in the PIT count or how they will participate in future counts and share strategies to assist those experiencing or with a history of unsheltered homelessness.
Projects include: PSH, RRH, Joint TH-RRH, Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), & Coordinated Entry (CE)
CoC Participation: It is important to attend IA BoS CoC meetings/events and participate in Task Groups as voting members to assist the CoC in preventing and ending homelessness. Projects will be able to show their attendance at the past Board meeting, the 2024 Annual Meeting, and if any representatives from their organization are voting members on any IA BoS CoC Task Groups.
Projects include: PSH, RRH, Joint TH-RRH, & CE
People with Lived Experience (PWLE): Engaging PWLE is extremely important and organizations will have an opportunity to share how PWLE have been engaged in their project which can include engagement in planning, oversight activities, decision-making, revision of policies/procedures for the project to improve effectiveness, or hiring PWLE.
Equity & Diversity: The CoC is focused on identifying, addressing, and preventing inequities in the CoC. Projects will have the opportunity to note the training/experience of front-line staff, resources supporting participants with higher barriers, observations in their service area, and goals for the project.
Section 6: Application- Project Management (PSH, RRH, Joint TH-RRH)
Scope of Project: projects are asked to provide a description that address the entire of their proposed project. They must describe describe the project, the target population(s) to be served, and the plan for addressing the identified needs of the target population(s). Type of housing (scattered site or project based); how the project pulls participants exclusively from Coordinated Entry; strategies used in assisting hard-to-serve populations to secure housing; scope of services provided and specific partners who provide services; strategies in accessing mainstream resources.
Subpopulation: If the project serves any subpopulations, this will be the opportunity to note that focus and describe additional outreach activities, partnerships with organizations that serve that population, and a service plan that meets that subpopulation's specific needs.
Supportive Services: Projects must provide the following supportive services for their participants and note in the charts the services, who they are provided by, and the availability of those services.
Transportation assistance will be provided to participants to attend mainstream benefit appointments, employment training, or jobs.
Project has the ability to provide at least semi-annual follow-ups are attempted with participants after project exit to ensure that mainstream benefits are received and renewed (and for RRH projects, to verify that housing stability is maintained) for a period of 2 years.
Project has the ability to provide annual interim reviews with participants that will be completed with 30 days of anniversary date to check on participant well-being and update all relevant data including: income, disability status, health care, etc.
Project participants will have access to SSI/SSDI technical assistance provided by the applicant, a sub-recipient, or partner agency.
Section 7: Spending History, Annual Performance Report (APR), and Monitoring (PSH, RRH, Joint TH-RRH, HMIS, & CE)
Note the renewal year for you CoC-funded project, for PSH, RRH, & Joint TH-RRH projects.
Spending History
Provide the most recent completed grant year end-date, the grant amount for the period, the total funds expended from that grant amount, and the number of participants the project serviced in the past grant year. Note if more than 5% of funds were not expended, applicants will have the opportunity to share why funds were not expended. If this is a new grant explain applicants can explain projected spend down date and if they are on track for full expenditure of funds. Please note if a project has more than 10% of funds not expended, this could result in a reduction or reallocation of funding.
Annual Performance Report (APR) - Note the APR Deadline will be automatically provided once the project grant year end-date has been entered.
Provide the APR submission date to HUD in SAGE and note if the 90 day requirement was met. If the requirement was not met, applicants will have the opportunity to note describe any issues and note if an extension was granted by HUD. Written documentation must be available upon request.
Monitoring
Applicants will have the opportunity to share if there have been any monitoring findings from HUD or the CoC and if the applicant is on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with the CoC. If there are findings or a PIP in place, applicants will have the opportunity to upload items showing progress and provide explanation on why any findings have not been resolved or why the PIP has not seen any progress.
Section 8: Project Performance/Evaluation (PSH, RRH, & Joint TH-RRH)
Note 2nd Year Renewals will provide this information, but it will not be scored.
ALL DATA in this section will be pulled from your attached 2024 Renewal Application Report. (Your reporting period will be your last completed APR grant period.) You may add a narrative to any particular question in this section if you choose. Data Quality & Performance metrics are laid out by project type below:
All Project Performance Measurements-
Data Timeliness- Under 7 Days average
Data Completeness- Less than 2% missing (null) values in HMIS or DVIMS
Time to Permanent Housing- Under 30 Days
Move-in Date Errors- Under 5% Move-In Errors
Exit Destinations Errors- Under 10% Error Destination Rate
RRH & Joint TH-RRH Performance Measurements-
Prioritization of literally homeless or fleeing domestic violence- 95% or higher entering from literally homeless or fleeing domestic violence
Income Increase- Leavers- ≥25%
Successful Exits- ≥80%
Chronic Population- ≥10%
PSH Performance Measurements-
Prioritization of literally homeless or fleeing domestic violence- 90% or higher entering from literally homeless or fleeing domestic violence
Income Increase- Stayer- ≥25%
Successful Exits/Retention- ≥85%
Chronic Population- 50%
Section 9: Coordinated Entry (CE)
The Renewal Coordinated Entry (CE) application will also include:
Description of the scope of the project- an overview of what Coordinated Entry is and what the Coordinated Entry Lead provides for the IA BoS CoC.
Access- Noting access to CE.
Outreach & Strategy: Noting if CE uses affirmatively fair marketing, is easily accessible, and describing the community education/outreach to reach thos ewith the highest barriers to accessing assistance.
Assessment & Referral: Noting the assessment process.
Addressing Domestic Violence (DV): Noting how staff assist access points and other partners to promote safety and best practices- System protocols incorporating trauma-informed, victim-centered approaches while maximizing participant choice for housing and services that: 1. prioritize safety; 2. use emergency transfer plan; and 3. ensure confidentiality.
Coverage & Assistance: Describing how the IA BoS CoC Coordinated Entry system covers 100 percent of IA BoS CoC's geographic area, reaches people who are least likely to apply for homeless assistance in the absence of special outreach, prioritizes people most in need of assistance, and ensures people most in need of assistance receive assistance in a timely manner.
Public Housing Authorities (PHA): How technical assistance and support is provided and PHA-funded units utilizing CE process.
CE Participation: Leads role in defining CE participation and support provided across the CoC ensuring high rates of participation by partners.
Training & Technical Assistance (TA): Description of training and TA offered to regions.
Call Center: Description of support across CoC and utilization moving forward.
Section 10: Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
The Renewal Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) application will also include:
Description of the scope of the project: an overview of what HMIS is and what the HMIS Lead provides for the IA BoS CoC.
Data Standards & Required Reports: Description of steps and action to ensure compliant with HMIS Data Standards & submits all required reports.
Privacy & Confidentiality Practices: Ensuring practices in place and policies and procedures are updated and utilized.
HMIS Role: Description of the HMIS role in providing tools for the CoC Board’s responsibilities in setting performance goals, evaluating programs and projects, and monitoring key HEARTH performance goals. Describe methods for assisting the IA BoS CoC Board in setting and implementing HUD system performance measures.
Data Quality Plan (DQP): Description of the role of the HMIS Lead and support/monitoring of partnering agencies.
Data Collection: Description on support to funded projects and barriers encountered and how they have been overcome in outreach to non-HUD funded projects.
Training & Technical Assistance (TA): Description of training and TA offered to end users.
HMIS System: Description of steps taken by the HMIS Lead to ensure the ease of use of the IA BoS CoC HMIS system by provider agencies.
Domestic Violence Comparable Database (DVIMS): Description of steps taken and support provided by the HMIS Lead to ensure DV Housing & Service providers are utilizing a comparable database that collects the same data elements required by the HUD HMIS Data standards?
Coordinated Entry (CE) Support: Description of how the HMIS provider supported the Coordinated Entry process in the CoC.
Section 11: Uploads
Files uploaded to the form and signatures executed by the end-user will NOT be saved to the form until the form is submitted to the database. Users should not upload files or sign the forms until they are ready to submit. Applications include the following uploads, dependent upon your project layout:
PSH, RRH, Joint TH-RRH Projects:
Required, Threshold Assurances: Upload All Threshold Assurance Items- Highlight relevant sections in attached document and ensure project eligibility criteria is provided.
Required, Housing First: Termination Policy: Upload the project’s written termination policy. The effective date must be evident on the policy.
Required, Supportive Services: Upload Project Manual/Guide highlighting all relevant sections showing all Supportive Services provided as it aligns with questions 8a-d.
Require, 2024 BoS CoC Renewal Application Report from HMIS/DVIMS (2nd Year or 3rd Year Renewal): Upload 2024 BoS CoC Renewal Application Report- Report located in Reports > SAP BusinessObjects > Folders > Public Folder > des_moines_ia_live_folder for HMIS, ica2_live_folder for DVIMS > Iowa Balance of State CoC > 2024 BoS CoC Renewal Application Report
CE Project
Required, Coordinated Entry Policies & Procedures: Upload CE Policies & Procedures highlighting the areas focused on Housing First Approach.
PSH, RRH, Joint TH-RRH, HMIS, & CE Projects
If applicable, HUD Monitoring: Upload official HUD monitoring/finding report & explanation of why findings have not been resolved.
If applicable, IA BoS CoC Monitoring/Performance Improvement Plan: Upload official BoS CoC monitoring/finding report, Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) & the most recent Quarterly Outcome Report, if eligible, & explanation of why findings have not been resolved.