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Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program (HHAP)

2021 HHAP Funding Information:

HHAP-Round 2​

The HHAP Round 2 program is administered by the California Department of Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency (BCSH) with Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) and authorized by AB 83 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 15, Statutes of 2020) and was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on June 29, 2020.  Building on the regional coordination created through previous HCFC grant funding, this funding is intended to support local jurisdictions in their unified regional response to reduce and end homelessness.  HCFC strongly encourages applicants to prioritize the use of HHAP funds to assist people experiencing literal homelessness move into safe, stable housing, with a particular focus on rehousing individuals currently living in Project Roomkey (PRK) sites.  HHAP funding should be housing-focused – either funding permanent housing interventions directly or, if used for shelter or street outreach, have clear pathways to connect people to permanent housing options. ​

An application for HHAP Round 2 was submitted on January 23rd, 2021 and the Continuum of Care is currently awaiting the award letter from the State. ​

Eligible Uses ​

The HHAP Round 2 funding requires grantees to expend funds on evidence-based solutions that prevent, reduce and end homelessness.  As stated in Health and Safety Code Section 50220.5 (d), HHAP round 2 funds must be expended on one or more of the following eligible uses: ​

  1. Rapid rehousing, including rental subsidies and incentives to landlords, such as security deposits and holding fees​
  2. Operating subsidies in new and existing affordable or supportive housing units, emergency shelters, non-congregate shelters, interim or bridge housing, and navigation centers.  Operating Subsidies may include operating reserves. ​
  3. Street outreach to assist persons experiencing homelessness to access permanent housing and services.​
  4. Services coordination, which may include access to workforce, education, and training programs, or other services needed to promote housing stability in supportive housing. ​
  5. Systems support for activities necessary to create regional partnerships and maintain a homeless services and housing delivery system, particularly for vulnerable populations including families and homeless youth. ​
  6. Delivery of permanent housing and innovative solutions, such as hotel and motel conversions.​
  7. Prevention and shelter diversion including crisis resolution, mediation and conflict resolution, creative problem solving, connection to mainstream resources, and light-touch financial assistance that directly results in a housing solution.
  8. New navigation centers and emergency shelters, with clients obtaining housing as the primary goal, based on demonstrated need in consideration of the following: ​
    1. The number of available shelter beds in the city, county, or region served by a continuum of care;​
    2. The number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the homeless point-in-time count;​
    3. Shelter vacancy rate in the summer and winter months;​
    4. Percentage of exits from emergency shelters to permanent housing solutions, and​
    5. A plan to connect residents to permanent housing.​

Health and Safety Code Section 50218.5(f) requires that a program recipient use at least 8 percent of its allocation for services for homeless youth populations, which are defined as unaccompanied youth who are between 12 and 24 years old and experiencing homelessness. Health and Safety Code Section 50220.5(e)-(f) allows funds to be spent for the following additional purposes, and mandates that grantees comply with the following restrictions: ​

  1. No more than 5 percent of an applicant’s program allocation may be expended on a strategic homelessness plan  (as defined in Section 578.7(c) of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations) and/or infrastructure development to support coordinated entry systems and Homeless Management Information Systems; and​
  2. No more than 7 percent of an applicant’s Round 2 program allocation may be expended on administrative costs incurred by the city, county, or continuum of care to administer it’s program allocation.  “Administrative costs” does not include staff or other costs directly related to implementing activities funded by the program allocation.

2020 HHAP Funding Information:

HHAP-Round 1​

The HHAP program is administered by the California Department of Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) with Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) and serves to provide one-time flexible block grant funds to continuums of care, large cities (population of 300,000+) and counties to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address immediate homelessness challenges. ​

​An application for HHAP was submitted on February 15th, 2020 and on April 14th, 2020 the Continuum of Care (CoC) was awarded a HHAP grant in the amount of $3,311,372.74. ​

Eligible Uses ​

The HHAP program requires grantees to expend funds on evidence-based solutions that address and prevent homelessness among eligible populations. As stated in HSC § 50219(c)(1-8), funds shall be expended on any of the following: ​

  1. Rental Assistance Rapid Rehousing;​
  2. Operating Subsidies in new and existing affordable or supportive housing units, emergency shelters, and navigation centers.  Operating Subsidies may include operating reserves;​
  3. Landlord Incentives (including, but not limited to, security deposits and holding fees);​
  4. Outreach and Coordination (which may include access to job programs) to assist vulnerable populations in accessing permanent housing and to promote housing stability in supportive housing;​
  5. Systems support for activities necessary to create regional partnerships and maintain a homeless services and housing delivery system particularly for vulnerable populations including families and youth;​
  6. Delivery of permanent housing and innovative housing solutions (such as hotel and motel conversions);​
  7. Prevention and Shelter Diversion to permanent housing; and​
  8. New navigation centers and emergency shelters based on demonstrated need.  Demonstrated need for new navigation centers and emergency shelters shall be based on the following:​
    1. The number of available shelter beds in the jurisdiction;​
    2. The shelter vacancy rate in the summer and winter months;​
    3. The percentage of exits for emergency shelters to permanent housing solutions; and​
    4. A plan to connect residents to permanent housing.​

Additionally, HSC § 50218(b) mandates that grantees use at least 8 percent of their funds for services specific to the needs of homeless youth.  Applicants are also allowed to use their funds for the following: ​

  1. Up to 5 percent of an applicant’s program allocation may be expended on a strategic homelessness plan and/or infrastructure development to support Coordinated Entry Systems (CES) Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS).​
  2. Up to 7 percent of a program allocation may be used for a jurisdiction’s administrative costs incurred to administer the funds.  This does not include staff costs or other costs directly related to implementing or carrying out activities funded by the program allocation.​

In addition, grantees shall not use HHAP grant program funding to supplant existing local funds for homeless housing, assistance prevention. ​

HHAP Program page:​

https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/hcfc/hhap_program.html