2023 Continuum of Care Competition

The Sonoma County Homeless Coalition reviews eligible renewal projects on an annual basis prior to the opening of the annual CoC Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Preliminary analysis is conducted during this process by the CoC Competition Evaluation Committee comprised of impartial Homeless Coalition Board members and community partners.  The CoC Competition Evaluation Committee then provides recommendations on rating and ranking to the Sonoma County Homeless Coalition Board for renewing projects, typically in May- June of each year. After the NOFO is released, the CoC Competition Evaluation Committee rates and ranks all renewal and new projects for the competition (including new projects from reallocated funding and/or new projects for bonus project funding). The Homeless Coalition Board makes final decisions on rating and ranking of all projects in Tier 1 and Tier 2 funding during the NOFO period. Homeless Coalition Board meetings are open to the public, and community feedback is welcomed.

FY 2023 Sonoma County Continuum of Care Final Competition Application Materials

Review the 2023 approved Priority Listings for new, renewal, and reallocation projects and Consolidated Application:

1. Sonoma County CA-504 CoC Priority Listing FY 2023 (PDF: 1.45 MB)
2. Sonoma County CA-504 CoC Consolidated Application FY 2023 (PDF: 8.27 MB)

2023 Continuum of Care Competition Final Priority Listing- Projects Accepted/Rejected/Ranked

The following projects for the FY 2023 CoC Local Competition for funding were approved for recommendation by the CoC Competition Evaluation Workgroup on August 29, 2023. The Sonoma County Continuum of Care Board approved the Final Priority Listing on September 6, 2023, which includes Renewal Projects and New Projects.

 Notes

Projects not Rated

• St Vincent de Paul Commons was not scored due to the project recently receiving its HUD contract. The agency is only now beginning to receive referrals from Coordinated Entry and did not have an Annual Performance Report to Score.
• County of Sonoma’s Coordinated Entry Expansion Project and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Expansion Project are mandated projects for the Sonoma County Continuum of Care.  Because these are mandated activities and evaluated outside the competition, these projects were not scored as part of the evaluation process. 

New Projects

• Project 12 is the only new project and was ranked above two existing renewal projects.

Tier 1 and Tier 2

• Project 11 has a total of $38,682 in funding in tier 2 and a total of $227,588 in tier 1.
• Projects 12, 13, and 14 are placed completely in tier 2.

Projects Not Ranked

• The CoC Planning Project Application FY 2023 grant is not a project required to be ranked in this competition for funding.

2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity CoC Program Competition and Sonoma County CoC Request for Proposals

On July 5^th, 2023, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued the Continuum of Care (CoC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2023 Continuum of Care Funds.

Notice is hereby given for the FY 2023 Continuum of Care Funds Sonoma County Request for Proposals (RFP), as a part of the FY 2023 Continuum of Care Competition. Please review the local RFP carefully for timeline and pertinent deadlines. Approximately $290,828 in competitive bonus funding is now available for one (1) or more new permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, joint transitional-rapid rehousing, HMIS, or Coordinated Entry projects. Approximately $234,975 competitive bonus funding is also available for one (1) or more bonus projects serving victims of domestic violence (see NOFO for more details). Finally, approximately $0 is available for reallocation for one or more permanent supportive housing projects (PSH), rapid rehousing projects (RRH), joint transitional housing-rapid rehousing projects (TH-RRH), HMIS projects (HMIS Lead only), or Coordinated Entry projects. Reallocation amounts could be subject to change based on addendums to the RFP.

The RFP outlines FY 2023 CoC Program local competition process, relevant deadlines, and potential funding available for new projects, including the funds available with reallocation, Domestic Violence Bonus, and CoC Bonus project funding. The local deadline for new and renewal projects is August 23. 2023 at 05:00 PM PST.

MANDATORY Bidder’s Conference for NEW Projects, August 9^th

10:30am-12:00pm, This meeting will be held virtually through Zoom. Login information can be accessed in the RFP, Attachment 1- Continuum of Care Application Detailed Timeline, and is also listed below:

Zoom Meeting Link: 
https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/98914021672?pwd=ODQ0dUorazE0dTJ3VVZTOGZGVDhWUT09
Meeting ID: 989 1402 1672
Passcode: 820251

Technical Assistance Session for Applicants August 16^th

Introduction to e-Snaps and Applications in e-Snaps review (in person, please bring your laptops if you would like assistance walking through opening your application)

10:00am-12:00pm
Location: Sonoma County Department of Health Services – Santa Rosa Room 1450 Neotomas Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95405

FY 2023 CoC Competition Open Office Hours (optional) August 21^st  

10:00am-11:30am, Virtual Zoom meeting, login information listed below Zoom Meeting Link:

https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/93701682556?pwd=NHE1Qis3QmJFbWtYTzZpV0ZsVDltUT09
Meeting ID: 937 0168 2556   
Passcode: 121421

Applicants new to the Continuum of Care funding stream are strongly encouraged to apply and should contact Continuum of Care Coordinator Karissa White directly at Karissa.White@sonoma-county.org or by telephone at (707) 565-4080 as soon as possible.

Please review the provisions of this local RFP in full, and note the local and final deadlines as follows:

• Bidder’s Conference for NEW Projects- August 9^th 
• Technical Assistance Session (e-snaps/project applications) August 16^th
• Office Hours August 21^st
• Local Submissions in E-Snaps and new project supplemental materials August 23^rd
• Final Submission by CoC September 25^th

2023 Local CoC Request for Proposals (PDF: 671 kB) »
2023 Local CoC Program Timeline (PDF: 223 kB) »
2023 New Project Scoring (PDF: 230 kB) »
2023 New Project Evaluation Application Questionnaire (PDF: 229 kB) »

FY 2023 CoC Renewal Evaluations: Rating & Ranking Process for the 2023 Continuum of Care Competition

Publish Date: April 3, 2023

Renewal Application materials are due by 5:00 pm on May 01, 2023

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 previous years, CoC staff will work on the evaluation of existing projects, also called “renewal” projects, prior to the release of HUD’s Continuum of Care Program Notice of Funding Availability.

Project priorities will be generated by a scoring system, site visits and interviews by the CoC Competition Evaluation Workgroup, made up of impartial members of the Sonoma County Continuum of Care Board, community partners, and those with lived experience of homelessness. The evaluation workgroup will be open to the public, all documents will be published and noticed publicly. Workgroup meetings will be posted on our website, which you can access here: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/development-services/community-development-commission/divisions/homeless-services/continuum-of-care/committees/coc-competition-evaluation-workgroup

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 2022 to evaluate both renewal and new projects on a more equitable basis.  Staff and CoC Competition Evaluation Workgroup members will begin monitoring renewal projects May of 2023 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 instructions carefully outlined within the Sonoma County 2023 Continuum of Care Renewal Project Instructions (linked below).      

In the 2023 Continuum of Care Competition, 16 projects with contract end dates in 2024 will be up for renewal. A list of renewal projects is included in the Renewal Project instructions below. Out of the 16 projects, 13 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:

1. Phase One: Collection and Preliminary Review of Renewal Evaluations May 2^nd – June 13^th
2. Phase Two: Interviews and Site Visits to Selected Projects May 22^nd  – June 5^th 
3. Phase Three: Final Scoring of New Projects and Renewing Projects (TBD depending on NOFO release date) 

Renewal Application materials are due by 5:00 pm on May 01, 2023.

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) 565-4080.  

Renewal Project Detailed Materials and Questionnaires

For more information on the 2023 Continuum of Care rating & ranking process, preliminary scoring of renewal projects, required submission documents, and calendar of events, please review the following documents:

1. Renewal Evaluations Schedule of Events 2023 (PDF: 128 kB)
2. 2023 Checklist of Required Documents (PDF: 177 kB)
3. Sonoma County 2023 Continuum of Care Renewal Project Instructions and Scoring (PDF: 264 kB)
4. 2023 Renewal Reallocation Questionnaire (PDF: 112 kB)
5. CoC Renewal Project Threshold Criteria Form 2023 (PDF: 167 kB)
6. 2023 Renewal Evaluation Application Questionnaire & HUD’s Housing First Assessment Tool (PDF: 200 kB)
7. CoC Renewal Project Scoring Tool Final (PDF: 193 kB)