FY 1998 SuperNOFA Guidebook

Homelessness Assistance

Continuum of Care�Supportive Housing Program. SHP helps homeless people live as independently as possible by facilitating the development of housing and related supportive services for people moving from homelessness to independent living. SHP funds States, local governments, other government agencies (such as PHAs), and nonprofit organizations providing housing and supportive services for the homeless. SHP supports five types of program designs:

• Transitional housing, which helps homeless people move to permanent housing.
• Permanent housing for homeless people with disabilities.
• Safe havens�24-hour supportive housing that serves hard-to-reach homeless people with severe mental illness.
• Supportive services for homeless people not living in supportive housing.
• Other types of innovative supportive housing for homeless people.

Supportive services include child care, employment assistance, outpatient health services, case management, assistance in locating and accessing permanent housing, help to get employment, nutritional counseling, security arrangements, and help to obtain other assistance. SHP funds may be used to:

• Acquire land for a homeless facility.
• Build, rehabilitate, or lease housing for homeless persons.
• Pay for new or increased supportive services for homeless people.
• Cover day-to-day operating expenses of supportive housing.
• Pay administrative expenses.

Continuum of Care�Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Program for Homeless Individuals. Section 8 SRO is designed to ensure an adequate supply of SRO units for the provision of housing for the homeless. This program provides funding to public housing agencies and private nonprofits for rental assistance for homeless individuals who rent rehabilitated SRO units. The rental assistance is paid to owners of the rehabilitated units in the form of monthly rental subsidies. A portion of the subsidy covers the normal rental assistance that would be paid on behalf of the person occupying the unit under the Section 8 SRO program. The rest of the subsidy can be used by the owner to help offset the monthly debt service on the rehabilitation financing. Occupants of the rehabilitated units must otherwise be eligible for Section 8 rental assistance.

Continuum of Care�Shelter Plus Care. S+C is designed to ensure supportive housing opportunities for homeless people with disabilities and their families. It accomplishes this by providing funding to States, local governments, and public housing agencies to be used to provide rental assistance for homeless people with disabilities and their families. Four types of rental assistance are available: (1) tenant-based, (2) project-based (contracted with a building owner), (3) sponsor-based (contracted with a nonprofit organization), and (4) single-room occupancy-based. Grantees must match the rental assistance with supportive services that are at least equal in value to the amount of HUD's rental assistance.

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