Newsfeed Category: Funding

RFP Released for Second Phase of Livonia Project in Brooklyn

Apr.15.2014

Last week, HPD released a Request for Proposals for Phase II of the Livonia Avenue Initiative in East New York, Brooklyn. The RFP is for a mixed-use development on four sites in East New York. The document does not specifically mention supportive housing, but Phase I did include 51 units (out of 278 total) for supportive housing through the New York/New York III Agreement.

Proposals must have both mixed-income and affordable housing units. According to the RFP, “Proposals must include a primary financing scenario that does not include competitive financing sources,” like 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The competitive criteria include financial feasibility (defined as providing a range of affordability with the least subsidy), development experience, management and capacity, quality of building and urban design and a retail plan.

The pre-submission conference will be held next week on Wednesday, April 23 at 10:00am at HPD’s offices at 100 Gold Street, Room 1R. The proposal submission deadline is no later than 4:00pm on July 11, 2014.

Supportive Services RFA for Seniors Released

Mar.25.2014

In addition to yesterday's Request for Applications (RFA) from the NYS Department of Health (DOH), the agency has also released an RFA for the Senior Supportive Housing Services program. Applications are due May 15 with several additional deadlines throughout April. See below for an overview of the RFA.

Program Description

DOH is seeking to fund eight projects that provide senior supportive housing services to Medicaid-eligible seniors who are homeless, seniors who reside in the community and are at risk of nursing home placement or seniors transitioning out of nursing homes in the community who require long term care. Funding can be used for home modifications to make the living environment more accessible and/or services to allow the person to remain housed and live independently in the community.

Use of Funds

For purposes of this RFA, a senior supportive housing services project is defined as the pairing of capital assistance and supportive services within existing senior housing communities.

Capital assistance funding is available to increase accessibility features within existing units. Funding for new construction or gut rehabilitation of vacant buildings is not available through this RFA. Funding can also be used to develop and provide supportive services to residents in order to sustain the residents’ ability to remain housed, live independently in the community and to avoid unwanted institutional care.

Department of Health Releases Supportive Services RFA

Mar.24.2014

The NYS Department of Health (DOH) has just released Request for Applications (RFA) for the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Supportive Housing Nursing Home to Independent Living program.

Applications are due May 15 with several additional deadlines throughout April. Funding will support services and rental subsidies for high-need Medicaid beneficiaries. See below for an overview of the RFA.

Program Description

DOH is seeking to fund up to two innovative projects to provide supportive housing services -- including the provision of rental subsidies to seniors and individuals with physical disabilities who require a nursing home-level of care and who currently are homeless, reside in the community or in nursing homes or those who are at risk of nursing home placement. The funded projects will develop, implement and provide supportive services to participants in order to sustain the participants’ ability to live in the community independently, and to avoid unwanted institutional care. The funded projects will also develop and implement a system to provide rental subsidies on behalf of participants of this project.

Available Funding

DOH intends to award up to two contracts for a two-year term with no renewals anticipated. The total anticipated amount available for this procurement is up to $8 million (up to $4 million per year for two years).

MRT Supportive Housing Health Home Pilot RFA Released

Mar.11.2014

The NYS Department of Health (DOH) has just released the Medicaid Redesign Team Supportive Housing Health Home Pilot Project Request for Applications (RFA). DOH is seeking applications from supportive housing providers for funds to provide rental subsidies and/or on-site or community-based services to provide housing for homeless or unstably housed Medicaid members that are enrolled in New York State’s Health Home program.

Applications are due May 23 with several additional deadlines throughout March and April. See below for an overview of this RFA.

Program Description:

The intent of the Pilot Program is to identify best practices, procedures and methods for supportive housing providers to collaborate with Health Homes to:

• Identify and locate homeless or unstably housed Health Home members.
• Provide housing as a means to facilitate access to health services and improve the health status of Health Home members.
• Coordinate the efforts of the Health Home care manager and the housing specialist to implement the Health Home member’s plan of care.
• Provide an opportunity for providers and Health Homes to develop innovative services or methods to ensure that Health Home members remain stably housed.

Five Network Members Receive Funding to House Homeless Families

Feb.14.2014

In New York City, 70 homeless families will soon have access to housing and support services thanks to a funding announcement made yesterday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The State will award $1.75 million to five supportive housing nonprofits scattered across NYC. All five nonprofit providers are members of the Supportive Housing Network: Fortune Society, Odyssey House, Project Hospitality, Samaritan Village and Women In Need. This funding will support the creation of 70 units of supportive housing for homeless families struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

“Supportive housing programs are essential to breaking the cycle of homelessness for New York’s most vulnerable individuals and families,” said Gov. Cuomo. “These programs provide the vital support services necessary to help families maintain physical and emotional health, sustain healthy relationships and generally improve the overall quality of their lives.”

These funds are available through the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). They mark the latest round of funding through the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement, a ten-year partnership between New York City and State to create 9,000 new units of supportive housing.

NYCHA Releases Supportive Housing RFP

Jan.31.2014

Gov. Cuomo Announces Major Supportive Housing Increases in Executive Budget

Jan.22.2014

Governor Andrew Cuomo released his fourth executive budget yesterday, and it is an extremely positive one for supportive housing!

The SFY 2014-15 Executive Budget Proposal provides major infusions of new capital for supportive housing development, large allocations of new supportive housing subsidies for high-cost Medicaid recipients and modest but significant increases to key supportive housing programs like the NYS Supportive Housing Program (NYSSHP), Solutions to End Homelessness Program (STEHP) and NYS Office of Mental Health Supported Housing.

The Network would like to thank Governor Cuomo and his staff, the Division of Budget and all of our State agency leaders who worked tirelessly to put this budget together. We deeply appreciate your continuing commitment to supportive housing. We are confident the Legislature will also share the governor’s commitment to provide safe and secure housing for some of our most vulnerable citizens. The Network and its members will do our best to help secure passage of the budget in the next few months.

"This is a budget that shows a serious commitment to housing and supporting some of New York’s most vulnerable citizens,” says Network Executive Director Ted Houghton. “We are particularly pleased with the massive $260 million, two-year allocation for the DOH Medicaid Redesign Team Supportive Housing Program. This investment of State dollars will provide a stabilizing foundation of affordable housing and supports that will be particularly effective when the federal government approves the State’s waiver application to transform its Medicaid program.”

Budget highlights of particular interest to supportive housing providers include:

Department of Health/Medicaid Redesign Team

MRT Supportive Housing Fund: $260 million (over two years)
The executive budget funds the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Supportive Housing Fund at $260 million over two years. The budget allocates $100 million for SFY 2014-15 and $160 million for SFY 2015-16. This marks a $14 million increase from last year’s funding level. This fund will continue to provide service funding, rent subsidies and capital dollars to create supportive housing for high-cost Medicaid recipients. The MRT Affordable Housing Workgroup will work with State agencies to determine the most effective and efficient way to spend these funds on housing-based interventions to improve care and reduce Medicaid spending. Specific program recommendations for the allocation plan will be drafted and finalized in the next few months.

Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

Homeless Housing Prevention Services Program: $30.3 million
The executive budget KEPT WHOLE the Homeless Housing Prevention Services Program that funds NYSSHP, STEHP and the Operational Support for AIDS Housing Program. This funding will keep all existing supportive housing and homelessness prevention programs whole at the baseline of last year’s final adopted budget level. We would like to thank the governor’s office and the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) for their support for this critical services and operating program. We will ask the Legislature to increase this funding further to fund new supportive housing programs opening up this year.

Homeless Housing Assistance Program: $63 million
The executive budget proposes to DOUBLE the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) capital development program for supportive housing from last year’s level of $33 million. This is the first time HHAP has ever been doubled; the program has remained constant at approximately $30 million over the past ten years.

Federal Spending Bill Includes Housing Restorations, Cuts

Jan.14.2014

After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, the US House and Senate Appropriations Committees yesterday released their budget for the 2014 federal fiscal year.

This budget provides significant relief to US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs from the harmful effects of sequestration cuts. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance funding rose by 9%, which should minimize cuts to existing programs in next year’s Continuum of Care competition. This increase will have no impact on the 5% of programs that are on the chopping block in the current round of funding, however.

Both tenant-based and project-based rental assistance (Section 8) were increased in this budget. These programs, thankfully, will be funded above pre-sequester levels. The budget aims to avoid having any current tenant lose an existing voucher.

This is a substantial improvement over the sequestration budget levels. Overall, however, the budget remains a tight one. It will probably take a couple of months before New York State, the City and other localities know the exact program funding levels they will receive from HUD.

HCR Announces Early Unified Funding Round Winners

Jan.08.2014

NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has announced the winners of its early Unified Funding Round awards. HCR funded ten projects with a total of $9.8 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). This amount represents more than one-third of the $26 million available this year. The agency also allocated more than $12 million in funding through the Housing Trust Fund. This amount equals roughly 40% of the total amount available. The Network expects that at least $3.4 million in LIHTC awards remain to be allocated under the supportive housing set-aside during the regular round, with awards expected to be announced in the spring.

You can read the full list of awardees here.

This early round prioritized shovel-ready projects, which included supportive housing for veterans with special needs or affordable housing that reserved up to 20 percent of its units for persons with developmental disabilities. The latter projects were supported by the NYS Office for People with Development Disabilities (OPWDD).

HCR funded one supportive housing project through its priority to house veterans. Concern for Independent Living received $1.275 million in LIHTCs for its Ronkonkoma project, which will include 30 units of veteran supportive housing in a 59-unit, mixed-use project. Several Network members were also involved in other early-round projects as either developers and/or service providers: Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, Dunn Development Corporation, Housing Visions, Independent Home Care and Providence Housing Development Corporation.

We would like to congratulate all of our members who were successful in this year’s early round process.

OMH Releases RFP for 700 SRO Units

Dec.03.2013

The NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) has announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for 700 units of Supported SRO housing. This funding will be available statewide and phased in over a two-year period through calendar year 2014-2015. Click here to read the RFP applications.

OMH will fund up to $300,000 per unit and provide operating and services funding, which will range from $14,875 upstate to $16,481 downstate per unit per year. These amounts are subject to annual appropriations.

OMH will allocate funding for units in the following New York regions:

NYC: 300 units
Hudson River: 150 units
Long Island: 100 units
Central New York: 75 units
Western New York: 75 units

As you apply for these units, keep the following dates in mind:

• Mandatory Letter of Intent: December 16, 2013
• Mandatory bidders' conference: January 8, 2014 or January 9, 2014
• Application due date: February 10, 2014