Summary of remarks by Norm Suchar, Director, SNAPS Office, HUD at COSCDA Conference, 3/15/16
COC Related Notes
• No way to tell form the Tier I awards how Tier II will sort out. Tier II is the competitive portion and there will be both new projects funded and renewal projects unfunded across to country. There is $300 million left to award.
• The most important factors for Tier II scoring will be (in the order of importance):
o Overall COC Score
o Nature of Project (PSH and RRH will score higher)
o Ranking of Project within Tier II
• Tier II awards should be made by April
• For FY 2016 round, they are working feverishly to open registration by April, (GIW after April) and have CoCs work on the NOFA over the summer. Ideally they would be able to announce FY 2016 awards by December 31, 2016. This is a “best-case scenario”. He’d like NOFA to be open 90 days.
• In 2016 they will give preference to CoCs that have demonstrated the ability to reallocate funds from lower performing projects
• NOFA scoring will be increasing based on system performance. System performance standards will be released in the coming months.
• CoCs will only be awarded bonus projects if they can demonstrate they rank projects based on how the projects improve the overall system performance.
• Obviously, system performance will become increasingly critical to successful CoCs.
Youth Demonstration Project
• HUD will be funding 10 youth demonstration projects, four of which must be rural. They have not decided exactly on how it will look, but most likely there will be two steps: 1) Cocs apply to be selected as one of the 10 and then 2) they will be invited to propose projects.
• They are looking at new and innovative ways to end youth homelessness. Current methods aren’t working. HUD will keep an open mind on how to solve youth homelessness
• Only CoCs will be eligible to apply.
• They are looking at this summer to announce details/release NOFA. Likely to overlap with CoC NOFA, but will be out longer.
2017 PIT Count
• There will be a BIG PUSH on counting youth during the 2017 PIT count
• 2017 will be a national baseline year for youth.
• CoCs who do a poor job in counting youth in 2017 will be negatively impacted in future evaluations (system performance)
• There will be a lot of TA materials available
Coordinated Entry
• HUD has settled on the term “Coordinated Entry” because they want to focus more on entry and less on “assessment”.
• There will be a Notice on Coordinated Entry released later this year. However, the current brief on the topic will be a good place to start.
Prioritization Notice
• HUD will be revising the Prioritization Notice to reflect changes to the chronic definition.
ESG Final Rule
• Will probably take a while to get out; probably looking at next year. Rulemaking process will likely stop in late summer.
HMIS Rule
• The HMIS Rule and various notices have taken longer to get out because it has turned out to be very complicated from a legal perspective. Probably will be released in 2-3 months.
• It will also include three notices: Privatization & Security; Functionality; Governance.
Norm then took a few questions:
Recovery Housing
• Someone asked about recovery housing (sober living). Norm said that HUD believes some are good and some are bad. Elements of a good recovery project include:
o People choose to be there and not in permanent housing. A choice between recovery housing and shelter is NOT a choice. It must be between the program and permanent housing.
o The project must have low barriers. Sobriety prior to entry doesn’t work in HUD’s view. If sobriety is required prior to entry that means the recovery assistance is getting to those least likely to need it. However, a commitment to recovery once in the home is fine.
o You must house people at the “end of the day.” It can’t have a time limit.
Transitional Housing
• HUD’s direction on transitional housing is clear and there will be no changes.
Program Income
• Program income can now be used as a match.
Equal Access
• Shelters must accept men with children.
• Single sex shelters must take a person based on the gender they identify with
• Norm was very strong on enforcing this and other equal access questions.
• He stated that “single sex facilities are on shaky ground legally”. It is entirely possible that one day HUD’s legal folks may decide they are illegal.
• Homeless men have been treated very poorly (and so have homeless women) but men have been treated particularly badly
• HUD shut a shelter down that refused to take a man with a child