3 - 2024 Intent to Apply
Section 1: Intent To Apply Time Frame
All eligible agencies, new and renewal projects, interested in applying for funding through the Iowa Balance of State Continuum of Care Local Competition process are required to fill out the non-binding Intent to Apply form. It is understood that the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) may include additional requirements not referenced in the Intent To Apply form. The Intent To Apply form is non-binding and changes or additional requirements for projects may be included in the full local competition application.
The deadline to submit the intent to apply is Friday, June 21, 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.
Section 2: Before Organizations Apply
In applying for new projects make sure you have collaborated with your community/service area to discuss what is needed in your community. This will help support a strong application showing the need and how it was gathered.
If you are applying for a Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) project, this project will not have a high turnover rate, ensure you have connections with your public housing authorities to have a homeless preference, moving on program, or possibly match project-based vouchers with the housing.
If you are applying for Rapid Rehousing (RRH), ensure you have connections with landlords or have housing opportunities. Remember in this type of project you are trying to find permanent housing for the participant so have a variety of areas to provide housing to ensure all participants are able to live where they can obtain and maintain their housing with support around them.
Before applying for a Joint Transitional Housing-Rapid Rehousing (Joint TH-RRH) consider the following factors:
Communities with high rates of unsheltered homelessness and where stays in shelter and other forms of crisis housing are usually brief and would likely benefit from adding a joint component project to their system. In communities where shelter, crisis housing, and transitional housing stays are long, increasing rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing resources may be more effective ways to increase capacity.
Communities with no emergency shelter or crisis housing options available for people fleeing domestic violence should consider a joint component project. However, where there are already shelters or crisis housing projects serving survivors, communities should assess whether lowering the barriers in those existing projects and adding rapid re-housing would better meet survivors’ needs and be a better use of resources.
Communities with transitional housing projects, particularly those that are not able to provide their participants with financial resources to obtain permanent housing, should consider whether reallocating funds from those projects to a joint component project would better meet the needs of the people the project is intended to serve
Section 3: Funded Project Commitment
The success of the Iowa Balance of State Continuum of Care depends in part on strong CoC-funded projects invested in serving those experiencing homelessness across the CoC with the goal of preventing and ending homelessness. These CoC-funded projects represent the CoC and focus on providing services to obtain and sustain permanent housing.
Below is a list of required CoC-funded project responsibilities. (*Please note you must certify that these are commitments your organization can make.*)
Follow and align with Housing First practices, CoC Governance & Policies, and CoC Written Standards in project operation and in creating project policies and procedures.
Utilize HMIS or DVIMS, as applicable, to document project/participant data.
Provide physical location(s) across your service area/Coordinated Service Region. Physical presence can include office locations or shared space with a community partner where participants are aware of your staff being available for support & services.
Pull 100% of participants from the Coordinated Entry Prioritization List.
Have maximum participation in Coordinated Entry which includes attending at least 75% of regional pull meetings and actively discussing participants, consistently pull participants into services from the Coordinated Entry system, and consistently adding participants into the Coordinated Entry system.
Attend at least 70% of monthly board meetings annually. Board meetings are generally no more than 1.5 hours in length. They will be held in person or via video call. The CoC Board of Directors meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 2 p.m.
Have at least one staff attend the Annual Meeting, which is in-person and typically held in May.
Participate in at least one Task Group as a voting member. Task Group responsibilities include tracking match, recruiting members, developing and/or following the established charter with goals, preparing presentations, and updating members on Task Group progress during the BOS board meeting.
Actively participate or lead the Annual Point in Time/Housing Inventory Count within your Coordinated Service Region. Submit PIT/HIC data to the HMIS Lead by the requested due date in order to note the unsheltered and sheltered count, as required by HUD.
Actively engage people with lived experience in your program through a variety of ways, such as engagement in planning, oversight activities, decision-making, revision of policies/procedures for the project to improve effectiveness, hiring people with lived experience.
Provide updated project information with CoC staff including grant contracts, grant amendments, spending concerns, and any communication with HUD regarding the CoC-funded project.
Ensure access to E-snaps, eloccs, and SAGE to complete required reporting and documentation.
Complete and submit quarterly Data Quality Plan reports and work with staff to ensure data completeness.
Comply with CoC Monitoring process and any follow-up with performance improvement or findings.
Section 4: New Projects
To assist in planning for the 2024 HUD Continuum of Care Local Application process, the IA BoS CoC has the Intent to Apply process. This process will assist the IA BoS CoC in requesting assistance in implementing new permanent housing projects needed to fill specific gaps in the CoC using HUD CoC bonus funds, HUD CoC DV bonus funds, or through re-allocation of existing program funds. Depending upon the direction of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), new project opportunities could include-
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)
Rapid Rehousing (RRH)
Joint Transitional Housing-Rapid Rehousing (Joint TH/RRH)
Please note for new projects, the intent will be reviewed to ensure alignment with the project type and the priorities of HUD and the IA BoS CoC. CoC staff will connect with applicants if there are any questions or clarifications needed to ensure applicants can continue onto the process of completing a 2024 IA BoS CoC Grant Competition application.