HUD released a resource for tribal communities and organizations that are new to the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. The resource, “CoC Program Resources for Tribal Communities,” is intended to provide Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) with information about the CoC program, including information about the program’s purpose, eligible activities, and funding opportunities. The resource is meant for Tribes and TDHEs that became eligible to participate in the CoC program to combat homelessness and housing stability in their communities as part of the “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.”
In a welcome letter to Tribes and TDHEs included in the resource, HUD recognizes that while the “Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act” (NAHASDA) was designed to provide federal assistance for Tribes in a manner that recognized tribal sovereignty, the act also eliminated several housing assistance programs and replaced them with a single block grant program – the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) – that allocated funding directly to Tribes. In so doing, HUD removed “Indian Tribes” as eligible applicants for funds made available under the “McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act,” effectively leaving Tribes to rely solely on IHBG dollars to address homelessness among Native communities. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 included language allowing the participation of Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) in the CoC Program, which is one of two primary funding programs for addressing homelessness. Given that Tribes have not had access to this funding source, HUD acknowledged a need to provide information and offer guidance to Tribes and TDHEs about the CoC Program. The purpose of the new resource is to inform Tribes and TDHEs about the CoC Program so they may choose whether to participate in the program now or at some point in the future.
View the new resource at: https://bit.ly/3E0wrbA
Read HUD’s welcome letter at: https://bit.ly/3DXdrue