Capital Grant and “Per Diem Only” Grant NOFAs

March 11, 2008

Speakers:

Department of Veterans Affairs Grant and Per Diem Program – Chelsea Watson and Jeff Quarrels

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans – Melanie Lilliston

Melanie Lilliston, NCHV

-    Welcome

-    Introduction of Jeff Quarels and Chelsea Watson

-    Question and Answer session will follow presentation

-    Questions not addressed during call may be sent to nchv5@nchv.org or 
202-546-1969

Chelsea Watson, VA

-    Published material in NOFA announcements on February 15

-    Rules, regulations, and application are all on VA website: go to www.va.gov;
   under “Special Programs,” click on “Homeless Veterans” link; then click on  
   “Grant & Per Diem Program” icon  
-  The NOFAs can be downloaded at www.nchv.org; they provide basic guidelines
   rules, and regulations

-    Due date for applications is April 9, 2008 at 4 p.m. EDT

-    GDP office address is listed in NOFA and application package

-    Application package must be complete; VA will not include items sent separately

Capital Grant

-    For remodeling, acquisition and new construction of buildings, and acquisition of vans

-    Must create new beds, cannot be used for “beautification” or upgrade of current beds

-    No service center funding during this round

-    Funding vans, limit of one van per application

-    $25 million available under capital grant component

-    All projects must meet Life Safety Code; build costs of improvement into budget because once grant award has been set, cannot be increased

-    Must be prepared to meet minimum regulations in NOFA: inspections, complying with accounting standards (OMB cost principles)

-    No minimum or maximum for funding requests or number of beds

Capital Grant Funding Priorities

Funding priority 1

-    Projects with 30 beds or less

-    Exclusively for women and women with dependent children

-    $3 million available

Funding priority 2

-    For projects located in Vermont, Nebraska, and Alaska

-    $2 million available

Funding priority 3

-    For Indian Tribal governments or nonprofit agencies that will provide transitional housing and services on Indian Tribal property

-    $1 million available

Funding priority 4

-    All other eligible entities: State and local governments, Indian Tribal governments, faith-based and community-based organizations, eligible entities in District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of United States

-    $19 million available

-    All funding not used in priorities 1-3 goes into priority 4

-    Priorities targeted at reaching gaps in services

Application Requirements

-    When applications are received, go through threshold

-    Is application complete? Is entity/organization eligible? Is requested activity eligible?

-    Eligible entities (federal nonprofit status)

-    501c3 and 501c19

-    State or local government and Indian tribal government

-    Submit cover letter stating under which funding priority they wish to be considered

-    75% of clients must be homeless veterans

-    Remaining 25% may include family members, spouses, non-veterans, etc.

-    Second submission component

Scoring Application

-    In Section E, Appendices, Section 61.13 provides detailed information about rating criteria and how applications are scored

-    Applicant must receive at least 600 points out of possible 1,200

-    Need (150 points)

-    Document unmet needs of veterans

-    Use data from Census Bureau, HUD, CHALENG Report

-    Must address unmet need in local community

-    Targeting to persons on streets and in shelters (150 points)

-    Outreach into community

-    Have multiple avenues for outreaching and filling beds

-    Ability of applicant to develop and operate project (200 points)

-    Set up program design; three specific, relevant goals and objectives

-    Past experience of staff, job descriptions and resumes of current staff

-    Coordination with other programs (200 points)

-    Based on extent to which applicants demonstrate they have coordinated with Federal, State, local, private and other entities

-    Innovative quality of proposal (50 points)

-    Uniquely innovative, replicable across country

-    Quality of project (300 points)

-    Leveraging (50 points)

-    Applicant must document resources from other public and private sources have been firmly committed at time of application

-    VA pays up to 65% of renovation, acquisition and construction costs

-    Other federal funding and donated services are not match for grant

-    Cost-effectiveness (100 points)

-    Applicant must consider cost effectiveness of each bed

Per Diem Grant

-    Similar stipulations to those of Capital Grant application

-    Projects that are up and operational or can be operational very quickly (30, 60, 90 days at the latest); ready to be inspected by VA; meets Life Safety Code

-    VA pays per diem rate up to $33.01 per veteran per day

Per Diem Funding Priorities

Funding priority 1

-    Exclusively for women and women with dependent children

-    Funding for 150 beds

Funding priority 2

-    For projects located in Vermont, Nebraska, and Alaska

-    Funding for 100 beds

Funding priority 3

-    For Indian Tribal governments or nonprofit agencies that will provide transitional housing and services on Indian Tribal property

-    Funding for 100 beds

Funding priority 4

-    All other eligible entities

-    Funding for 650 beds

Per Diem Application

-    No cost-effectiveness or leveraging sections

-    No second submission

-    Applicant must receive at least 500 points out of possible 1,050

-    Same program design questions, not very different between Capital and Per Diem Only applications

Question and Answer Session

Closing

Melanie Lilliston, NCHV

-    Questions not addressed during call may be sent to nchv5@nchv.org or 
202-546-1969

-    Both NOFAs are posted on www.nchv.org