FY 2022 CoC Renewal Evaluations: Rating & Ranking Process for the 2021 Continuum of Care Competition

Published: April 04, 2022

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that local CoC’s prioritize all renewal and new projects submitted in our consolidated application. As in past years, project priorities will be generated by a scoring system, site visits and interviews by the CoC Competition Evaluation Committee, made up of impartial members of the Sonoma County Continuum of Care Board and community partners. The evaluation Committee will be considered a committee of the CoC, and all documents will be published and noticed publicly.

HUD has yet to release information on the opening of its application period but has indicated it would likely open the competition on a similar timeline as in previous years, likely in July or August. We will continue the process for rating and ranking slightly adjusted in 2021 in order to evaluate both renewal and new projects on a more equitable basis. Staff and CoC Competition Evaluation Committee members will begin monitoring renewal projects May of 2022 but will not finalize ranking of renewal projects until the Continuum of Care Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) period opens.

Final funding decisions, including decisions about Tier 1 & 2 funding, will be made by the CoC Board.

Please read the following instructions carefully:

In the 2022 Continuum of Care competition, 18 projects with contract end dates in 2023 will be up for renewal. A list of renewal projects is attached. Out of the 18 projects, 15 will be evaluated for the competition as the Homeless Management Information System contracts and the Coordinated Entry contracts are mandated projects. Project scoring will take place in three phases:

Collection and Preliminary Scoring of performance data, background documents, project and agency monitoring questionnaires.
Site Visits and Interviews will be scheduled for all CoC-funded agencies in 2022. In 2022, site visits will take place likely in person or a hybrid virtual/in person setting. As in years past, focus will be based on:
Concerns following review of documentation and scoring;
Concerns or corrective action plans in 2019-2021; or
Projects renewing for the first time.
Final Scoring of New Projects and Renewing Projects will likely take place during August or September 2022, depending on the release of Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Scoring will be recommended by the CoC Competition Evaluation Committee to be approved by the CoC Board.

Phase One: Collection and Preliminary Review of Renewal Evaluations May 2^nd – June 6^th

Please see the attached checklist of required documents to be submitted byMay 2^nd 2022.

Scoring for 2022 renewal projects is subject to revision by the CoC Competition Evaluation Committee in April 2022; the draft scoring schema is attached here and will also be utilized for new and renewal projects. Final scoring will not be completed until the Continuum of Care Competition opens. Projects are scored on:

Performance on outcomes we report to HUD (54 points)
Alignment with local priorities (10-Year Plan goals) (6 points)
Agency Capacity (40 points)

Scores will be derived from the project’s Annual Performance Report (APR), mid-year APRs where appropriate, review of HMIS and other compliance (including HUD monitoring or audits), and responses to monitoring questionnaires. New projects will be scored on proposed outcomes in the same areas. Agencies new to the Continuum of Care funding stream are highly encouraged to apply for new projects created through Bonus Projects or reallocation once the NOFO period opens. In 2022, there are updated questionnaires for Agency Monitoring and Project Monitoring, and disability access.

The CoC Competition Evaluation Committee will meet in April 2022 for a review of the CoC Evaluation Process and in May 2022 to review preliminary scoring for new projects and finalize the schedule of site visits. Final scoring will be compiled after the FY 2022 Continuum of Care NOFO is released; new project scoring will closely align with renewal project scoring and will be weighted equally.

Phase Two: Interviews and Site Visits to Selected Projects May 23^rd – June 3^rd

All agencies will receive site visits in 2022; site visits will likely take place in person with a virtual option as well.

You and your staff will be invited to an additional interview with the CoC Competition Evaluation Committee to discuss concerns that may have arisen through the review process and site visits. Both interviews and site visits will enable providers to discuss project and agency monitoring forms and address any questions that have arisen with committee members. Please have the following staff present at site visits as well as any follow-up interviews:

Program manager
Direct service staff
Staff in charge of financial and grants management

On June 22, 2022, the CoC Board will approve final scoring, receive an initial report on the renewal evaluation process and overall CoC NOFO process. The CoC Board will make final determinations at a meeting after the Continuum of Care NOFO has been released from HUD.

Conditional vs. Unconditional Renewal

Policies for conditional vs. unconditional renewal are as follows: once projects have been scored, a threshold for unconditional renewal will be established at 80% of the top score. Projects scoring below the threshold will be asked to develop a plan to address performance issues before the release of the 2022 Notice of Funding Opportunity, or to voluntarily give up award moneys to be reallocated to a new project. Determination of any conditions to renewal will be made during the week of June 6^th 2022. Any required Corrective Action Plans must be submitted for approval by June 13^th so that a final determination can be made as to whether the project goes forward for renewal, via the 2022 CoC Competition Evaluation Committee and CoC Coordinator’s recommendation to the CoC Board.

Phase Three: Final Scoring of New Projects and Renewing Projects August 25^th (TBD)

Looking Forward to the 2022 CoC Application Period

We anticipate the 2022 application period may open as early as June 2022 and that the evaluation process could potentially overlap into the application period. If the application is delayed 30 days or more following completion of the evaluation process, staff will distribute a Reallocation Questionnaire by which CoC-funded agencies must inform the CoC if they do not intend to submit a project for renewal, or if they expect to reduce their request. We will also release a local RFP for possible new projects after the 2022 application is released.

Final rating and ranking of all CoC projects in the FY2022 Competition will likely be evaluated in August and set for approval of the CoC Board on August 25th.

Checklist of REQUIRED Documents for Sonoma County Continuum of Care 2022 Renewal Project Evaluations

All documents must be received by 5:00 pm, May 2, 2022. Points will be deducted for late submissions. Please read carefully for changes from the 2021 Competition.

Annual Performance Report (grant year 2020-2021) with complete reported financials. If you are a new project and do not have an APR for this reporting period, please consult with CoC Coordinator.
1-page letter, signed by the agency’s CEO, giving HUD staff consent to discuss its Continuum of Care projects with the Sonoma County Continuum of Care Coordinator. Each project should be named with the contract reference number for the contract year.
Completed Agency Monitoring Questionnaire (1 for the entire agency) and Project Monitoring Questionnaire (1 for each project), enclosed with this memo.
Copies of any audit and monitoring communications received in the past 3 years from HUD, Department of Housing and Community Development, Cities, County, United Way, St. Joseph’s Community Benefit, or Community Foundation.
Most recent agency financial audit including auditor’s management letter. Any concerns or findings must be included.
Most recent Board of Directors packet (if your agency does not regularly copy the Continuum of Care Coordinator). Include agenda, minutes, and supplemental materials from the most recent Board meeting.
Organizational charts for each renewal project, and for the agency.
Completed Threshold Criteria Form, Housing First Questionnaire, Housing First Assessment Tool (electronic submission, please include notes on sections not in line with requirements), Cultural Competency Questionnaire, and relevant attachments listed in questionnaires.
Contact information for your agency’s 5 largest funders.

All documents must be received as individual electronic files. Individual documents may be scanned but must be submitted as individual files. If all documents are scanned together, they will be returned, with points deducted for late submission. The following are acceptable means of delivery:

By e-mail to Rivera@sonoma-county.org ; Karissa.White@sonoma-county.org (preferred); OR
A thumb drive, hand-delivered to Karissa White, Continuum of Care Coordinator, c/o Sonoma County Community Development Commission, 1440 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

Questions? You may contact Karissa White, the Continuum of Care Coordinator, for clarification of any item at Karissa.White@sonoma-county.org , and by phone at (707) 565-1884.

(Include following attachments as downloadable links after this text section. Please note, the Housing First Assessment Tool was created by HUD and we have to have it posted. I imagine it might be challenging to remediate, if it can be done at all, but there is no wiggle room here, we use the HUD tool and have to have it posted)