You must be logged in to apply.  New ZoomGrants™ Account
City of Columbia - Budget Office
Office of Community Development
2019-2020 HOPWA Program
CLOSED  Deadline  2/1/2019
View Open Programs  |  Hide Introduction and Available FundingHide Funding Priorities and Eligible Services Hide Funding Process/Evaluation Criteria and Award Process Contact Admin

Introduction and Available Funding  [hide this]
The City of Columbia Community Development Department is requesting proposals for Fiscal Year 2019-20 for funding from Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program for the Columbia Eligible Metropolitan Statistical Area (Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Richland, and Saluda counties). All projects must comply with applicable federal, state, and local statutory requirements including but not limited to those set forth in Code of Federal Regulations 24 (CFR), Parts 50 and 574, as well as applicable administrative and accounting standards as set forth in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars, CFR Part 200 and all City policies and procurement standards. HUD Website: http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/aidshousing/index.cfm
Housing Opportunity for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) funds are authorized by the AIDS Housing Opportunity Act and as amended by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992. The program is designed to provide states and local jurisdictions with resources to develop long-term, comprehensive strategies for meeting the housing needs and reduction of homelessness in low-income persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and their families.
The HOPWA Program provides grants for activities providing eligible housing and related supportive services to low- to moderate-income persons with HIV/AIDS and their families. Organizations interested in applying for participation as Project Sponsors under the HOPWA program must document their conformity with certain eligibility requirements. Organizations must be tax exempt under section 501 (c)(3) of the 1954 Internal Revenue Service Code and meet the statutory definition of a non-profit organization. Eligible organizations must have, among its purpose, significant activities related to providing services or housing to persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or related diseases. HUD interprets the use of “related diseases” in this definition to include HIV infection.
Eligible Beneficiaries: Eligible persons must have medical documentation of having HIV or AIDS and income that does not exceed 80 percent of the median income for the area, as determined by the Secretary of U.S. HUD.
All City of Columbia HOPWA Grant awards are made through a competitive Request For Proposal (RFP) process based on clients’ needs, gaps in services, and ability of agency to successfully implement the program.


Funding Priorities and Eligible Services   [hide this]

Funding Priorities
Funding priorities for fiscal year 2019-20 are listed below reflecting the City’s priority order of HOPWA Funding. Proposals to use HOPWA funds to provide services must give a full description of what is to be funded, and offer clear justification for the use of HOPWA funds.
Funding Priorities are:
Permanent Housing Programs
Permanent Housing Vouchers
Emergency Housing Assistance
Supportive Services
The City of Columbia would enter into a contract as the grantee with the prospective project sponsor to carry out housing assistance services designed to: (1) Provide permanent housing through long-term rental assistance, apartments, SRO dwellings, and community/group residence services, (2) Provide permanent housing vouchers through tenant-based rental assistance which is a subsidy that covers a portion of full rent based on adjusted or gross income, (3) Provide financial assistance to prevent homelessness through temporary or emergency shelter, short-term rent, mortgage, and utility payments, and (4) Provide quality supportive services (case management, to assist clients with achieving and maintaining housing stability that maximize a continuum of care approach for persons living with HIV.
Eligible Service Categories
Below is a comprehensive list of all services that are eligible for funding under HOPWA as described in HUD regulations 24 CFR 574.300 (eligible activities).
Housing Development to provide housing services
Acquisition
Rehabilitation
Conversion
Lease
Repairs (requires HUD prior authorization)
New Housing Construction
Single Room Occupancy
Community Residences
Housing Operating Costs (direct housing assistance)
Maintenance
Security
Operation
Insurance
Utilities
Furnishings
Equipment
Supplies
Other Incidental Costs (emergencies)

Rental Assistance, including shared housing arrangements (direct housing assistance)
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance including assistance for shared housing arrangements. Maximum monthly assistance for an eligible person may not exceed HUD approved subsidy standards. The rents shall be established by the Project Sponsor and shall not be more than the published Section 8 fair market rent rates (FMR) for this EMSA. Funds will be paid directly to the project sponsor, not the client.
Facility-Based Housing Assistance including master-leased units and project-based rental assistance; operating costs for housing including maintenance, security, operation insurance, utilities, furnishings, equipment, supplies, and other incidental costs; capital funds for the acquisition, rehabilitation, conversion, lease, and repair of facilities to provide housing and services; and capital funds for the new construction of single-room occupancy units or community residences.
Short-Term Housing Assistance
Short term temporary shelter, rent, mortgage, and utility payments to prevent homelessness of the tenant or mortgager of a dwelling. A short term supported housing facility may not provide residence to more than fifty (50) families or individuals at any single time or to any individual for more than sixty (60) days during a six (6) month period. Short-term rent, mortgage and emergency utility payments (STRMU) cannot be applied to cost accruing over a period of more than twenty-one (21) weeks in any fifty-two (52) week period. (Does not include security deposits, first-month rent, food, transportation vouchers, etc.)
Supportive Services
Health (alternative/complementary, HIV test counseling, dental, home health, hospice,
medications, partner counseling/referral, primary & specialty care, rehab)
Mental Health (Psychiatric, Other Counseling: Peer/Spiritual/Support group)
Assessment
Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment and Counseling
Day Care (respite care, foster care)
Personal (buddy/companion, child care, legal, transit, interpreter-translator, emergencies)
Nutritional Services (food bank)
Intensive Care
Government Benefits Access Assistance (job/vocational rehab, insurance/other benefits)
Permanent Housing Placement (direct housing assistance)
Application fees
Credit checks
Security deposits
1st Month rent
Housing Information Services to locate, acquires, finance and maintain housing (client advocacy)
Counseling (e.g., fair housing counseling for eligible persons who encounter discrimination on the basis of race, color religion, sex, age, national origin, familial status, LGBT or handicap.) (non-medical case management)
Information
Referral
(Does not include housing placement services such as security deposits, first-month rent, relocation costs, etc.)
Resource Identification to establish, coordinate and develop housing resources
Preliminary research
Feasibility study costs
Technical Assistance to establish and operate a community residence
Planning
Pre-Construction
Community Outreach
Community Education
Administrative Expenses: No more than 7% of funds awarded to sponsor.
General Management
Staff Training
Oversight
Coordination
Evaluation
Activity Reporting


Funding Process/Evaluation Criteria and Award Process   [hide this]

Funding allocations will be partially based on (1) the four priority service categories listed above (see page 3), (2) the unique needs of specific target populations (ex. rural areas), and (3) the availability of funds.
Available funding is an estimate based on the current funding level and carryover from previous funding years, and will not be finalized until the 2019-20 Annual Action Plan is submitted to HUD. All awards are contingent on availability of funds. Funding is for a one-year contract period and available only for the Columbia Eligible Metropolitan Statistical Area (Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Richland, and Saluda counties).
For the Fiscal Year 2019-20 the grant amount must be spent by June 30, 2020. Continuation funding is not to be assumed or implied. Decisions about funding are made based on the established priorities, needs assessment, quality assurance, program performance and available funding.
Below is the HOPWA funding process, please note the following:
The funding period covers July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020.
This grant is for eligible reimbursable expenses.
The City of Columbia reserves the right to determine, based on average monthly reimbursements, that if a project sponsor is not spending at a rate that indicates it will expend its full allocation within the contract period, the dollar amount awarded to the sub-recipient for any category of service may be reduced accordingly.
Sponsor administrative costs are not to exceed 7% of the HOPWA budget. Administrative cost includes any expense not directly related to service provision.
If your agency is applying for continued City HOPWA funding, the percentage of employee salaries for individual positions may not increase over FY 2018-19 funding level (although percentages may be less).
If your agency is applying for continued City HOPWA funding, your agency may not propose to serve fewer clients than the previous year, unless otherwise justified.
If your agency is applying for continued City HOPWA funding; only programs that demonstrate an expansion of services may request increased funding over FY 2018-19 levels.
Please note that the City is expecting the total FY 2019-2020 HOPWA allocation to be at or above the FY 2018-2019 entitlement amount.
The application process is competitive with awards made to agency’s demonstrating sufficient capacity to successfully administer funding and fulfill a priority service or housing need in the community.
NOTE: The City of Columbia reserves the right to increase or decrease funding based on a Project Sponsor’s rate of spending or lack thereof as delineated in their contract.
Deadline for proposal is Thursday, January 31, 2019. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Hand delivered or faxed proposals will not be accepted. Technical assistance questions should be directed to Dollie Bristow at (803) 545-3371, dollie.bristow@columbiasc.gov or Adrian Scott at (803) 545-4121, adrian.scott@columbiasc.gov prior to the submission deadline.
Corrections and modifications to submitted applications are only permitted prior to the application deadline.
City staff reserves the right to request clarification or additional information on any application, deny funding of any proposal submitted, and negotiate terms and amounts of the final budget.
The City reserves the right to disqualify incomplete applications. Proposals will not be returned.
Agencies will not be compensated for expenses related to the submission of the proposal.
City staff and a community-based review panel will review applications, with final recommendations being made by the Citizens Advisory Committee to Columbia City Council for submission to HUD.


Resource Documents   [hide this]


USD$ 0.00 requested
Application Status: Not Submitted

You must be logged in to begin.
Program Information Application Questions Budget Required Documents Activity Log

Program Information (answers are saved automatically when you move to another field)
Instructions Show/Hide

Application Title
Amount Requested
USD$

Applicant Information

First Name
Last Name
Telephone
Email
 
Organization Information
(changes to this data will be reflected on all other applications for this organization)

Create an Organization