What is in the House Appropriations Subcommittee Spending Bill for Continuum of Care Program?

The House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding levels for HUD affordable housing and community development programs voted on July 8 to approve a fiscal year (FY) 2021 spending bill that provides an increase in funding for the Continuum of Care Program. The bill states

• not less than $2,586,000,000 shall be for the Continuum of Care program;
• prioritize funding under the Continuum of Care program to continuums of care that have demonstrated a capacity to reallocate funding from lower performing projects to higher performing projects;
• provide incentives to create projects that coordinate with housing providers and healthcare organizations to provide permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing services;
• funds may be used to competitively or non-competitively renew or replace grants for youth homeless demonstration projects under the Continuum of Care program;
• up to $75,000,000 shall be for grants for rapid re-housing projects and supportive service projects providing coordinated entry, and for eligible activities the Secretary determines to be critical in order to assist survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, except that the Secretary may make additional grants for such projects and purposes from amounts made available for such Continuum of Care program; and
• such projects shall be eligible for renewal under the Continuum of Care program subject to the same terms and conditions as other renewal applicants.

An additional $250,000,000 shall be for projects to reduce unsheltered homelessness and

• given priority to projects located in areas with high numbers or rates of unsheltered homeless or high rates of increase in the number of unsheltered homeless;
• provide incentives to establish projects that coordinate with housing providers, healthcare organizations and social service providers to reduce unsheltered homelessness; and
• that none of the funds provided be used to require people experiencing homelessness to receive treatment or perform any other prerequisite activities as a condition for receiving shelter, housing or other services.