Continum of Care (CoC)
Funding What is the CoC?
CoC funding is offered through the U.S. Department of HUD through the The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The funds are offered on a competitive basis to agencies that apply through ‘Continuum of Care’. There are four Continua of Care in South Carolina:
• Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless (MACH) - From York to the Midlands to Aiken Counties.
• Upstate Homeless Coalition – Greenville and surrounding areas
• ECHO – Florence, Myrtle Beach and surrounding areas
• Low Country – Charleston and surrounding areas
What Type of Funding is Offered Through the CoC?
The HUD CoC funding is available for three programs:
Supportive Housing Program (SHP) – SHP provides housing, including housing units and group quarters, that has a supportive environment and includes a planned service component.
Shelter Plus Care (S+C) – S + C provides grants for rental assistance for homeless persons with disabilities through four component programs: Tenant, Sponsor, Project, and Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Rental Assistance. Single Room Occupancy (SRO) - Provides rental assistance on behalf of homeless individuals in connection with moderate rehabilitation of SRO dwellings.
How Does the MACH’s CoC Process Work?
MACH member agencies are eligible to apply for CoC funding through the MACH annually. HUD determines a ‘pro rata’ amount that the MACH may apply for. The application is very competitive nationally and the MACH makes every effort to ensure that only strong program are submitted in the CoC application yearly.
The HUD CoC Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is released by HUD typically in January or February each year. MACH member agencies then submit applications to the MACH Grants Committee for review. Renewal applications are evaluated for program outcomes. The Grant Committee makes recommendations to the membership and Board on the projects that should be submitted in the CoC application. Decisions are based on agency capacity, previous history on grant and CoC grant administration, need for the project, and funding available. Most years not all projects submitted to the MACH actually go into the application.
So What Happens Then?
The MACH submits a consolidated application to HUD. The first part of the consolidated application is called the Exhibit One. Exhibit One is an overall assessment of homelessness in the MACH area, services and housing offered, and other information critical to the consolidated application. The remaining portions of the application are produced by the agencies applying funding. The deadline for the consolidated application is usually May or June. HUD announces funding decisions later in the year such as late December or early the January/February. Agencies awarded funds then submit a more detailed application to directly HUD called the ‘technical submission’ for approval. If the technical submission is approved the grant usually starts in late spring.
How Does the MACH and SC Compare?
Rest of the State (2007):
Upstate: $2,888,325
TCHC: $806,446
Pee Dee: $288,394
Low Country: $234,258
Total for South Carolina: $6,026,640
How we compare to surrounding states (2007)?
Georgia: $24,370,375
North Carolina: $15,503,387
Click here for the 2010 MACH CoC Exhibit 1
For More Info on CoC visit HUD’s Website:
http://hudhre.info 