SUMMARY:
During the National Emergency due to COVID–19, VA announces the availability of approximately $75 million in capital grants to increase safety and reduce the risk to Veterans in GPD transitional housing who otherwise would be experiencing homelessness.

Funding for grants awarded

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under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (P.L.

117-2).

This NOFO responds to the mounting need for equity in communities where evidence suggests that the existing supply of transitional housing is inadequate to meet the demand of unsheltered Veterans.

As shown in the 2020 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report released by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in January 2021, although the increase in the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness between 2019 and 2020 was small (i.e.

less than 1%), the increase was entirely among Veterans staying in unsheltered places.

The funding offered under this NOFO will allow current GPD grantees to improve the transitional housing they offer to Veterans, potentially making transitional housing more attractive than unsheltered places for Veterans who previously were difficult to outreach.

By increasing the availability of private accommodations, this funding will provide for the safety of Veterans experiencing homelessness and reduce or avoid the risk associated with shared or congregate accommodations.

This is the second batch of funding in a limited series of funding opportunities designed to continue relief efforts in response to COVID-1 9. While the first batch of funding, made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, 2020 (CARES Act) (P.L.

116-136), supported a remarkable 200% more grants than originally forecasted, the funding did not reach all of the communities in need.

Therefore, this second opportunity targets other communities in need, such as high-cost areas, by increasing the funding available, by continuing to focus on current GPD grantees and continuing to hold applicants to high standards.

VA continues to monitor current events as they impact the transitional housing needed in communities.

VA is committed to supporting community-based organizations as they transform programs and meet the challenge of providing high-quality transitional housing to Veterans experiencing homelessness.

DATES:
Applications for grants must be received by the GPD National Program Office no later than 4:00 p.m.

Eastern Time on December 6, 202 1. In the interest of fairness to all, this deadline is firm as to date and hour.

VA will treat any application received after the deadline as ineligible.

Applicants should take this practice into account and submit their materials early to avoid the risk of unanticipated delays, computer service outages or other submission-related problems that might result in ineligibility.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
The required documentation for applications is outlined under the Application Documentation Required sections of this NOFO.

For detailed GPD program information and requirements, see part 61 of title 38, Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) or 38 C.F.R.

part 6 1. APPLICATION SUBMISSION:
Applications must be submitted by following instructions at www.va.gov/homeless/gpd.asp.

Applications may not be submitted any other way.

Applications must be received by the GPD National Program Office no later than 4:00 p.m.

Eastern Time on the application deadline date.

Applications must be submitted as a complete package.

Materials arriving separately will not be included in the application package for consideration and may result in the application being rejected or not funded.

I.

Funding Opportunity Description A.

Purpose The funding offered under this NOFO will allow current GPD grantees to improve the transitional housing they offer to Veterans, potentially making transitional housing more attractive than unsheltered places for Veterans who previously were difficult to outreach.

By creating private rooms with private bathrooms, this funding will provide for the personal safety of Veterans experiencing homelessness and reduce or avoid the risk associated with close quarters living.

VA is committed to supporting GPD grantees as they continue to transform programs and meet the challenges of providing high-quality transitional housing to Veterans experiencing homelessness.

Funding is offered to current GPD grantees only.

For purposes of this NOFO, a current GPD grantee is an organization that has an active GPD grant under NOFO VA-GPD-PDO-FY2020, and that is eligible for an option year award starting October 1, 202 2. For purposes of this NOFO, a current GPD grantee includes Per Diem Only (PDO) transitional housing projects.

For purposes of this NOFO, a current GPD grantee does not include GPD grantees with only a PDO Service Center grant, Transition in Place (TIP) grant, Special Need grant or Case Management grant unless they also have an active PDO transitional housing grant.

The purpose of this NOFO is to provide capital grants to support acquisition, construction and/or rehabilitation of real property used for GPD transitional housing facilities.

Funds provided through this NOFO are not to support per diem costs, services costs, or the cost of operating transitional housing beds for Veterans.

Eligibility is summarized here and also discussed in the Eligibility section of this NOFO:
· Applicants, as defined by Employer Identification Number (EIN), are limited to one application per currently active GPD PDO grant per VA medical facility catchment area.

· Applications must be from the same organization with the same EIN as is associated with the currently active GPD PDO Federal Award Identifying Number (FAIN).

· Organizations who are not currently a GPD grantee with an active PDO grant are not eligible to apply.

· Each application must be for the improvement of some or all the GPD beds currently associated with the active GPD PDO grant.

Temporary sites (e.g., sites not under the applicant’s direct ownership or control such as motels being used as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 National Emergency) are not eligible for improvement under this NOFO.

See payment details under the Award Administration Information section of the NOFO for site control requirements.

· Beds that were selected for funding under GPD’s previous capital NOFO VA-GPD-CG-FY2021 are not eligible for funding under this NOFO even if the previous funding is declined by the applicant.

Only beds that were not part of an application submitted under capital NOFO VA-GPD-CG-FY2021 and not selected for funding under that NOFO are eligible under this NOFO.

· Each application may request no more than $75,000 total costs per GPD bed that, upon completion of the project, will be changed from a bed in a shared space to a bed in a private room with a private bathroom.

· Each applicant may request no more than $ 4. 5 million total costs per application.

· The number of beds proposed to be changed from a bed in a shared space to a bed in a private room with a private bathroom with funds from this capital grant may be less than, but must not exceed, the total number of beds authorized under the GPD PDO grant.

NOTE:
For grantees with GPD beds in spaces that flex over time, the maximum number of beds proposed to be changed under this capital grant must not exceed the average number of GPD beds documented over the three months prior to the NOFO publication month.

· An eligible activity may include adding only private bathrooms to bedrooms that already are single occupancy; however, the need for this activity might rank lower than the need for activity that creates both private bedrooms and private bathrooms.

· An activity is not eligible if it is related to capital improvements to a Service Center.

Applications that request funding for Service Centers are not eligible.

· Upon completion of the project, the GPD beds changed from a bed in a shared space to a bed in a private room with a private bathroom must continue to be in the same VA medical facility catchment area as the active GPD PDO grant.

A change in VA medical facility catchment areas is not allowed.

Applicants proposing sites that are within the VA medical facility catchment area, but are a significant distance from their current location, must describe in the Abstract section of the application how they will address relevant impacts (e.g., proximity to VA, employment, transportation).

Applicants are reminded that they must continue to provide the same level (or better) of staffing and services as described in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 PDO application, or as modified through an approved change of scope.

Applicants are encouraged to consider the responsibilities they assume if they are funded and to carefully request only the changes to beds and dollar amounts that correspond to the responsibility, they are willing to assume.

Specifically, successful applicants are subject to the recovery provisions of 38 C.F.R.

6 1. 6 7. VA will seek recovery for awarded capital grant funds on a prorated basis if at any time during the minimum operational period a grantee no longer has an active GPD PDO grant and/or if a grantee does not maintain bed numbers.

Grantees who do not maintain occupancy levels are subject to bed reduction.

Applicants should become familiar with the amount of time provided for completion of the PDO project under 38 C.F.R.

6 1. 67 in order to avoid capital grant repayments.

Operational time for these grants will begin on the activation date (i.e., not the award date, but the date GPD approves activation after project completion; see definition of “activation date” later in the NOFO).

For details, refer to the table at the end of this NOFO and the regulations.

D.

Housing Specifications NOTE:
This NOFO cannot predict all potential housing arrangements and related circumstances.

Applicants are expected to propose plans within the requirements and guidance of the NOFO.

When a specific situation is not explicitly addressed in the NOFO, applicants must use their judgment to propose plans that meet the intent of the NOFO and may explain how their choices align with the intent of the program.

All applications will be evaluated against the requirements and guidance of the NOFO.

1. Funding must only be used to create private rooms with private bathrooms.

Every GPD bed improved with this capital grant must result in a bed changing from being in a shared space to a bed in a private bedroom with a private bathroom for the GPD Veteran upon completion of the project.

2. The inspection standards outlined in title 38 C.F.R.

6 1. 80 must be met, including requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the current edition of the Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association as it relates to the specific facility.

Applicants should note that all facilities must be protected throughout by an approved automatic sprinkler system unless a facility is specifically exempt under the Life Safety Code.

Applicants must consider this when submitting their applications.

3. Upon completion of the project, the GPD beds improved under this capital grant must be in private rooms including the following characteristics:
· The minimum square footage for the private bedroom and private bathroom combined is 120 square feet.

The bedroom and bathroom do not need to be attached; in which case the walkway would not usually count toward the square footage calculation.

· The bathroom must include shower and/or tub, sink and toilet.

· Neither the bedroom nor the bathroom facilities may be shared (e.g., no shared sink area outside the toilet room).

· Rooms with partial walls are not acceptable.

Walls must go floor-to-ceiling.

Rooms must have a door and not involve unauthorized passage through another dwelling unit.

4. After the capital project is completed, if a space will no longer be used for GPD beds, the expectation is that GPD homeless Veterans would not be placed in beds in that space in the future indefinitely unless the space is later improved consistent with (or better than) the standards described in this NOFO.

5. Upon completion of the project, GPD beds in shared spaces must be reduced and GPD beds in private rooms must be increased.

Applicants must consider how they will measure these changes to show that spaces are safer and healthier for Veterans.