The recently enacted state budget provides more than $700 million dollars to help local governments and entities combat homelessness. Local governments must navigate the requirements for existing and new programs all within a matter of months. Decision makers will need to determine how to fold these new funding opportunities into local efforts that are already underway.

New Homelessness Funding Chart

September 13, 2018

Counties provide essential services to their communities, but many localities struggle with insufficient funding.It is critical that counties understand the available funding opportunities. CSAC has developed a homeless resource chart for counties to navigate the new funding sources.

Resources: Homelessness Funding Chart

Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) Overview With Sample Declaration of Shelter Crisis Resolution

August 8, 2018

The Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) and The Homeless Coordinating and Finance Council (HCFC) has released new guidance for the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP). HEAP is one of many programs intended to assist local governments battle California’s homelessness and housing crisis. The recent guidance provides information on applicant eligibility, allowable uses, program and application timelines, and a detailed overview of the program. The guidance also includes a Sample Declaration of Shelter Crisis Resolution and Continuum of Care (CoC) funding estimates.

Resources: HEAP Overview with Sample Resolution: Declaration of Shelter Crisis

Homeless Mentally Ill Outreach and Treatment Funding

August 1, 2018

The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has released the application and funding allocations for one-time Homeless and Mentally Ill Outreach and Treatment monies authorized as part of the state’s 2018-19 Budget Act. The notification was sent to all County Administrative Officers. The Homeless Mentally Ill Outreach and Treatment Program is designed to provide flexible one-time funding for county activities involving individuals with serious mental illness and who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. All counties are eligible to receive this funding, and counties are encouraged to leverage this funding with other funding sources and initiatives, including Whole Person Care pilots and efforts to address mental illness among populations with a high likelihood of homelessness, including those with recent involvement in the criminal justice system or release from incarceration.

Resources: DHCS notice for One Time HMIOT Funding Sample Resolution

New Homelessness Funding: Thinking it Through

July 25, 2018

The recently enacted state budget provides more than $700 million dollars to help local governments and entities combat homelessness. Local governments must navigate the requirements for existing and new programs all within a matter of months. Decision makers will need to determine how to fold these new funding opportunities into local efforts that are already underway.

How can local governments access these critical resources? What can you do with the funding? How can local governments leverage this funding for both short-term efforts to tackle the crisis as well as long-term planning for housing and services?

Presenters:
– Farrah McDaid Ting, CSAC Legislative Representative, Health & Behavior Health Policy
– Catherine Kungu, Housing Policy Development Analyst, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
– Lynn von Koch-Liebert, Deputy Secretary of Housing and Consumer Relations, Business Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH)

A recording of this webinar is available here.

Handouts: Detailed Summary of Funding (.docx); Homelessness Emergency Aid Budget Deal CoC Allocations (.pdf); HEAP County Groupings (.docx); Declaration of Shelter Crisis Code Section (.docx).