Supportive Housing Program Quick Facts

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Summary:

Supporting Housing Program (SHP) provides grants to develop supportive housing and services that will enable homeless people to live as independently as possible.

Purpose:

SHP helps develop housing and related supportive services for people moving from homelessness to independent living. Program funds help homeless people live in a stable place, increase their skills or income, and gain more control over the decisions that affect their lives.

Type of Assistance:

HUD awards SHP funds as annual competitive grants. It announces the competition each year in the Continuum of Care NOFA, with the Shelter Plus Care Program and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation for SROs.

Eligible Grantees:

Eligible applicants include States, local governments, other government agencies (such as public housing agencies), private nonprofit organizations, and community mental health associations that are public nonprofit organizations.

Eligible Customers:

A person must be homeless to receive help from SHP projects.

Eligible Activities:

SHP funds supportive housing projects that include: (1) transitional housing (generally used for 24 months or less as a stepping stone to permanent housing); (2) permanent housing for homeless people with disabilities; (3) supportive services for homeless people not living in supportive housing; and (4) other types of innovative supportive housing for homeless people. Supportive services include child care, employment assistance, outpatient health services, case management, help in getting permanent housing, nutritional counseling, security arrangements, and help in obtaining other assistance. SHP provides funding for new projects and for the renewal of projects currently receiving SHP funds. Providers may choose among a variety of activities: to acquire a homeless facility; to build, rehabilitate, or lease a homeless facility; to pay for new or increased supportive services to homeless people; and to meet some of the day-to-day operating expenses of homeless facilities. Finally, they may use SHP to pay limited administrative expenses.

Grantees must match funds for acquisition, rehabilitation, and new construction with equal or greater funding amounts from other sources. They may use up to $200,000 for acquisition and rehabilitation of structures (up to $400,000 in designated high-cost areas) and up to $400,000 for new construction. SHP funds up to 75 percent of the operating costs for a supportive housing project. Finally, grantees may use up to 5 percent of their grant for administrative expenses.

Application:

After HUD publishes a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance in the Federal Register, applicants must submit specific information about a proposed project, along with their Continuum of Care application. Each application must include a certification that the project is consistent with the Consolidated Plan of the jurisdiction where each proposed project is found.

The application packet for Continuum of Care programs is available by calling Community Connections (1-800-998-9999) for the Homeless Assistance Program Application Package Upgrade for Fiscal Year 1997 (SN0097) and the Homeless Application Instructional Video for FY 1997 (SN0085, $12).

Funding Status:

Congress allocates funds to a Homeless Assistance Grants category that includes: the Supportive Housing Program, Shelter Plus Care; the Emergency Shelter Grant; and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy Program for Homeless Individuals. Of the $823 million appropriated for Homeless Assistance Grants in FY 1996, $577 million was awarded to SHP projects. However, the distribution of these funds among the four Continuum of Care programs may change dramatically from year to year. While the overall appropriation for Homeless Assistance Grants has remained stable at $823 million in FY 1997 and FY 1998, total awards made under the Supportive Housing Program are not yet known.

Technical Guidance:

The Supportive Housing Program is authorized under Subtitle C of Title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11361 et seq.). Program regulations are at 24 CFR 583. These regulations, program notices, and other relevant technical information on the Supportive Housing Program are available electronically through HUDCLIPS. The Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs at the HUD Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) administers the program. Contact: Jean Whaley, 451 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410, (202) 708-0614 ext. 4473. Hearing impaired users may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.