VA Department Capital Grant for Homeless Veterans Transitional Housing Projects

DATES: An original completed and collated grant application (plus three
completed collated copies) for assistance under the VA’s Homeless
Providers Grant and Per Diem Program must be received in the Grant and
Per Diem Field Office by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 25,
2009. Applications may not be sent by facsimile (FAX). In the interest
of fairness to all competing applicants, this deadline is firm as to
date and hour, and VA will treat as ineligible for consideration any
application that is received after the deadline. Applicants should take
this practice into account and make early submission of their material
to avoid any risk of loss of eligibility brought about by unanticipated
delays, computer service outages (in the case of Grants.gov), or other
delivery-related problems.
For a Copy of the Application Package: Download directly from VA’s
Grant and Per Diem Program Web page at: http://www.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg=3 or http://www.grants.gov/. Questions should be referred
to the Grant and Per Diem Program at (toll-free) 1-877-332-0334. For a
document relating to the VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem
Program, see the Final Rule published in the Federal Register on
September 26, 2003.
Submission of Application: An original completed and collated grant
application (plus three copies) and a cover letter clearly stating
under which funding priority applicants (see funding priorities) wish
to be considered must be submitted to the following address: VA
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Field Office, 10770 N. 46th
Street, Suite C-200, Tampa, FL 33617. Applications must be received in
the Grant and Per Diem Field office by the application deadline. This
includes applications submitted through Grants.gov. Applications must
arrive as a complete package. Materials arriving separately will not be
included in the application package for consideration and may result in
the application being rejected or not funded.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Chelsea Watson, VA Homeless
Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, Department of Veterans Affairs,
10770 N. 46th Street, Suite C-200, Tampa, FL 33617; (toll-free) 1-877-
332-0334.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Notice announces the availability of
capital funds for assistance under VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and
Per Diem Program for eligible entities to: (1) Expand existing
transitional housing projects; or (2) develop new transitional housing
programs. Supportive service centers will not be considered in this
NOFA. Funding applied for under the capital grant component may be used
for: (1) Remodeling or alteration of existing buildings; (2)
acquisition of buildings, acquisition and rehabilitation of buildings;
(3) new construction; and (4) acquisition of vans (in connection with a
new Grant and Per Diem grant project) for outreach to and/or
transportation for homeless veterans. Funding applied for under this
Notice is authorized by the “Homeless Veterans Comprehensive
Assistance Act of 2001,” Public Law 107-95, Sec. 5, codified as
amended at 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 2013, 2061, 2064. For eligibility
criteria please refer to 38 CFR part 61.
Capital grant applicants may not receive assistance to replace
funds provided by any State or local government to assist homeless
persons.

Note: Applicants considering the use of Low Income Housing Tax
Credits (LIHTC) in conjunction with the capital grants in this NOFA
should take into account that these tax credits are often used for
permanent housing projects. Permanent housing is not an eligible
activity under VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program.
Other issues such as site control, leases for residents, and using
the grant funds as a loan may be problematic to applicants even if
transitional housing is provided and upon review and discovery may
result in the application being denied.

A proposal for an existing project that seeks to shift its focus by
changing the population being served or the precise mix of services
being offered is not eligible for consideration. No more than 25
percent of housing and services available in projects funded through
this grant program may be provided to clients who are not receiving
those services as veterans.
VA is pleased to issue this NOFA for the Homeless Providers Grant
and Per Diem Program. The Department expects to award approximately $15
million under the capital grant component.
Funding available under this NOFA is being offered to help offset
the capital expenses of existing state and local governments, Indian
Tribal Governments, faith-based, and community-based organizations that
are capable of creating and providing supported transitional housing
for homeless veterans. The District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, are
considered eligible entities under the definition of “State” in the
Final Rule, Sec. 61.1 Definitions.
Note, all organizations that are conditionally selected will be
requested to submit the Second Submission portion of the application
package. In order to be considered eligible for funding, organizations
must demonstrate in the Second Submission firm commitments of match for
35% of the total project cost or the difference between the total
project cost and what is requested from VA, whichever is greater.
Per diem for these programs is requested in the grant application
and may be paid at the time of grant project completion. It should be
noted that VA per diem payment is limited to the applicant’s cost of
care per eligible veteran minus other sources of payments to the
applicant for furnishing services to homeless veterans up to the per
day rate VA pays for State Home

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Domiciliary care. Awardees will be required to support their request
for per diem payment with adequate fiscal documentation as to program
income and expenses.
Interested organizations should know that the vast majority of
homeless veterans in this country suffer from mental illness or
substance abuse disorders or are dually diagnosed with both mental
illness and substance abuse disorders. In addition, many homeless
veterans have serious medical problems. The recent events associated
with the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) coupled with the Nation’s
returning OEF/OIF veterans further emphasizes the need for
collaboration with VA medical centers, VA community-based outpatient
clinics or other health care providers as well as with VA and other
benefit providers as an important aspect of assuring that homeless
veterans have access to appropriate health care services. VA considers
this program an important part of our effort to end chronic
homelessness among all veterans.
It is important to be aware that VA places great emphasis on
responsibility and accountability. VA has procedures in place to verify
the completion of the capital grant as well as monitor services
provided to homeless veterans and outcomes associated with the services
provided in grant and per diem-funded programs. Applicants should be
aware of the following:
All awardees that are conditionally selected in response to this
NOFA must meet the requirements of the current edition of the Life
Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association as it relates
to their specific facility. Applicants should note that all facilities
are to be protected throughout by an approved automatic sprinkler
system unless a facility is specifically exempted under the Life Safety
Code. Applicants should make consideration of this when submitting
their capital grant applications. VA will conduct an inspection prior
to awardees being able to submit request for per diem payment to ensure
this requirement is met.
Upon capital grant completion each program seeking per diem will
have a liaison appointed from a nearby VA medical facility to provide
oversight and monitor services provided to homeless veterans in the per
diem-funded program.
Monitoring will include at a minimum an annual review of each per
diem program’s progress toward meeting internal goals and objectives in
helping veterans attain housing stability, adequate income support, and
Self-Sufficiency as identified in each per diem program’s original
application. Monitoring will also include a review of the agency’s
income and expenses as they relate to this project to ensure per diem
payment is accurate.
Each per diem-funded program will participate in VA’s national
program monitoring and evaluation system administered by VA’s Northeast
Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC). NEPEC’s monitoring procedures will
be used to determine successful accomplishment of these housing
outcomes for each per diem-funded program.
Authority:Funding applied for under this Notice is authorized by
the “Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001,” Public
Law 107-95, Sec. 5, codified as amended at 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 2013,
2061, 2064. The program is implemented by the final rule codified at 38
CFR Part 61.0. The regulations can be found in their entirety in 38
CFR, Sec. 61.0 through 61.82. Funds made available under this Notice
are subject to the requirements of those regulations.
Allocation: Approximately $15 million is available for the capital
grant component. Capital grant awards will be limited to transitional
housing projects (service center programs will not be considered in
this round). Vans must be directly connected to a new Grant and Per
Diem Grant project and will be limited to one per project number. Per
diem payments to capital grant recipients are subject to the
availability of funds and recipients maintaining the program for which
the grant was awarded.
Funding Priorities: VA establishes the following funding priorities
in order to: (1) Implement the provisions of Public Law 107-95
regarding geographical dispersion and non-duplication of service; and
(2) bolster capacity in areas that are underserved by the Grant and Per
Diem Program. These areas may have high populations of homeless
veterans and limited services to address homeless veterans’ needs.
These areas can include both urban and rural areas but may be
particularly prevalent outside the high population areas.
VA is offering to eligible applicants funding priorities for
transitional housing and services to: (1) serve women and women with
care of dependent children; (2) Indian Tribal Governments or non-profit
agencies that will provide transitional housing and services on Indian
Tribal Property and finally, VA is encouraging interested state and
local governments and faith-based and community-based organizations to
apply for funding under this NOFA. In this round of capital grant
funding, VA expects to award funding to create approximately 1000
community-based supported housing beds.
Funding priority 1. VA is offering the opportunity for providers
who are willing to create new projects specifically for women and women
with care of dependent children only, which are 30 beds or less. Of
those eligible entities in the first funding priority, that are legally
fundable, the highest scoring applicants will be funded first until
approximately $2 million is awarded. Applicants not funded in this
priority will be considered in the third funding priority. Should not
enough eligible projects be funded under the first funding priority,
funds not expended in this priority will fall to the third funding
priority.
Funding priority 2. VA is offering the opportunity to Indian Tribal
Governments or non-profit agencies that will provide transitional
housing and services on Indian Tribal Property to apply for funding
under this NOFA to create transitional housing and services for
homeless veterans. Eligible entities that are Indian Tribal Governments
or non-profit agencies willing to provide transitional housing and
services on Indian Tribal Property will be considered in the second
funding priority as applicable. Of those eligible entities in the
second funding priority, that are legally fundable, the highest scoring
applicants will be funded first until approximately $1 million is
awarded. Applicants not funded in this priority will be placed in the
third funding priority. Should not enough eligible projects be funded
under the second funding priority, funds not expended in this priority
will fall to the third funding priority.

Note: Non-profit agencies who apply under this priority will be
required to provide a letter of assurance from the Indian Tribal
Government that if funded the provision of service will occur on
Indian Tribal Property.

Funding priority 3. VA is encouraging interested state and local
governments, faith-based and community-based organizations, as well as
eligible entities located in the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States, to
apply for funding under this NOFA to create transitional housing and
services for all homeless veterans. Eligible entities that are state
and local governments, Indian Tribal Governments, faith-based, and
community-based organizations, or any territory or possession of the
United States, will be considered in the third funding priority as
applicable. Of those

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eligible entities that are legally fundable, the highest-ranked
applications for which funding is available, will be conditionally
selected for eligibility to receive a capital grant in accordance with
their ranked order until funding is expended (approximately $12
million).
Methodology: VA will review all capital grant applications in
response to this notice of funding availability as follows: VA will
group the applicants into the funding priorities categories as
applicable. Applicants will then be ranked within their respective
funding category based on score and any ranking criteria set forth in
that funding category only if the applicant scores at least 600
cumulative points and receives points under the criteria in paragraphs
(b), (c), (d), (e) and (i) of section 61.13.
The highest-ranked application for which funding is available,
within the highest funding category, will be conditionally selected in
accordance with their ranked order until VA reaches the projected
amount of funding for each category. If funds are still available after
selection of those applications in the highest priority group VA will
continue to conditionally select applicants in lower priority
categories in accordance with the selection method set forth in the
final rule Sec. 61.14.
Application Requirements: Applicants must include a cover letter
clearly stating under which funding priority they wish to be
considered. Non-profit agencies who apply under funding priority two
are required to provide a letter of assurance from the Indian Tribal
Government that if funded the provision of service will occur on Indian
Tribal Property. The grant application requirements will be specified
in the application package. Applicants should be careful to complete
the proper application package. Submission of the incorrect or
incomplete application package will result in the application being
rejected at threshold. The packages include all required forms and
certifications. Selections will be made based on criteria described in
the application, Final Rule, and NOFA. Applicants who are conditionally
selected will be notified of any additional information needed to
confirm or clarify information provided in the application. Applicants
will then be notified of the deadline to submit such information. If an
applicant is unable to meet any conditions for grant award within the
specified time frame, VA reserves the right to not award funds and to
use the funds available for other grant and per diem applicants.