[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 15 (Monday, January 25, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3970-3972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1297]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Fund Availability Under the VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per
Diem Program
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the
availability of funds for applications for assistance under the ``Per
Diem-Only'' (PDO) component of VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per
Diem Program. This Notice contains information concerning the program,
funding priorities, application process, and amount of funding
available.
DATES: An original completed and collated grant application (plus three
completed collated copies) for assistance under the VA's Homeless
Providers Grant and Per Diem Program must be received in the Grant and
Per Diem Field Office, by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 31,
2010. Applications may not be sent by facsimile (FAX). In the interest
of fairness to all competing applicants, this deadline is firm as to
date and hour, and VA will treat as ineligible for consideration any
application that is received after the deadline. Applicants should take
this practice into account and make early submission of their material
to avoid the risk of loss of eligibility due to unanticipated delays or
other delivery-related problems.
For a Copy of the Application Package: Download directly from VA's
Grant and Per Diem Program Web page at: http://www.va.gov/homeless/ or
http://www.grants.gov/. Questions should be referred to the Grant and
Per Diem Program at (toll-free) 1-877-332-0334. For information
relating to the VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, see
the Final Rule published in the Federal Register on September 26, 2003.
Submission of Application: An original completed and collated grant
application (plus three copies) and a cover letter clearly stating
under which funding priority applicants (see funding priorities) wish
to be considered must be submitted to the following address: VA
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Field Office, 10770 N. 46th
Street, Suite C-200, Tampa, FL 33617. Applications must be received in
the Grant and Per Diem Field office by the application deadline. This
includes applications submitted through Grants.gov. Applications must
arrive 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Chelsea Watson, VA Homeless
Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, Department of Veterans Affairs,
10770 N. 46th Street, Suite C-200, Tampa, FL 33617; (toll-free) 1-877-
332-0334.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Notice announces the availability of
funds for assistance under VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem
Program for eligible programs that have not previously applied for or
received per diem in connection with a grant (see 38 CFR 61.1 through
61.82). Funding applied for under this Notice is authorized by Public
Law 109-461, Sec. 703, known as the Veterans Benefit, Health Care and
Information Technology Act of 2006, and by the ``Homeless Veterans
Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001,'' Public Law 107-95, Sec. 5,
codified as amended at 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 2013, 2061, 2064, and may
be used for aid for supportive housing. Service centers will not be
funded in this NOFA. Funding will be in the form of per diem payments
issued to eligible entities from the date of the award and will
continue subject to availability of funds and the recipients'
compliance with 38 CFR 61.1 through 61.82. For eligibility criteria,
please refer to Final Rule published in the Federal Register on
September 26, 2003, 38 CFR 61.30, 61.31, and 61.32.
VA expects that it will take no longer than 90 days from the date
of award for projects to be inspected and become operational. Failure
to meet the 90-day milestone may result in the per diem award being
terminated.
Capital grant recipients who received capital grant funding under
VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program in years 1994
through 2009 for acquisition, renovation or new construction should not
respond to this NOFA. Per diem payments for those portions of their
programs that were created with capital grant funds is requested in the
capital grant application and paid at the time of the capital grant
project completion and inspection.
Previous PDO recipients that renewed their PDO grants in 2005,
2007, or 2008 need not reapply to continue these projects.
[[Page 3971]]
VA is pleased to issue this NOFA for the Homeless Providers Grant
and Per Diem Program as a part of the effort to end chronic
homelessness among our Nation's veterans. The Department expects to
create approximately 1,200 beds under this NOFA.
Funding available under this NOFA is being offered to help offset
the operating expenses of existing State and local governments, Indian
Tribal Governments, faith-based, and community-based organizations that
are capable of providing supported housing and supportive services for
homeless veterans. The District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States, may be
considered eligible entities under the definition of ``State'' in the
38 CFR 61.1 Definitions. It should be noted that VA payment is limited
to the applicant's cost of care per eligible veteran minus other
sources of payments to the applicant for furnishing services to
homeless veterans up to the per-day rate VA pays for State Home
Domiciliary care. Awardees will be required to support their request
for per diem payment with adequate fiscal documentation as to program
income and expenses.
Interested organizations should know that the vast majority of
homeless veterans in this country suffer from mental illness or
substance abuse disorders or are dually diagnosed with both mental
illness and substance abuse disorders. In addition, many homeless
veterans have serious medical problems. The recent events associated
the Nation's returning Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi
Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans further emphasizes the need for
collaboration with VA medical centers, VA community-based outpatient
clinics or other health care providers as well as with VA and other
benefit providers as an important aspect of ensuring that homeless
veterans have access to appropriate health care services. VA considers
this program an important part of our effort to end chronic
homelessness among all veterans.
It is important to be aware that VA places great emphasis on
responsibility and accountability. VA has procedures in place to
monitor services provided to homeless veterans and outcomes associated
with the services provided in grant and per diem-funded programs. VA is
also implementing new procedures to further this effort. Applicants
should be aware of the following:
All awardees that are conditionally selected in response to this
NOFA must meet the Life Safety Code of the National Fire and Protection
Association as it relates to their specific facility. Applicants should
note that all facilities are to be equipped with sprinklers unless they
are specifically exempted under the Life Safety Code and make
consideration of this when submitting their grant applications as no
additional funds will be made available for capital improvements under
this per diem-only NOFA. VA will conduct an inspection prior to
awardees being able to submit request for payment to ensure this
requirement is met.
Each per diem-funded program will have a liaison appointed from a
nearby VA medical facility to provide oversight and monitor services
provided to homeless veterans in the per diem-funded program.
Monitoring will include at least an annual review of each per diem
program's progress toward meeting internal goals and objectives in
helping veterans attain housing stability, adequate income support, and
self-sufficiency as identified in each per diem program's original
application. Monitoring will also include a review of the agency's
income and expenses as they relate to this project to ensure per diem
payment is accurate.
Each per diem-funded program will participate in VA's national
program monitoring and evaluation system administered by VA's Northeast
Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC). It is the intention of VA to develop
specific performance targets with respect to housing for homeless
veterans. NEPEC's monitoring procedures will be used to determine
successful accomplishment of these housing outcomes for each per diem-
funded program.
Authority: Funding applied for under this Notice is authorized
by Public Law 109-461, Sec. 703, known as the Veterans Benefit,
Health Care and Information Technology Act of 2006 and by the
Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001, Public Law
107-95, Sec. 5, codified as amended at 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 2013,
2061, 2064. The program is implemented by the final rule codified at
38 CFR Part 61.0. The regulations can be found in their entirety in
38 CFR, Sec. 61.0 through 61.82. Funds made available under this
Notice are subject to the requirements of those regulations.
Allocation: Approximately $15 million annually is available for the
per diem-only award component of this program. This funding subject to
the availability of funds and will be available so long as recipients
meet the requirements of 38 CFR 61.0 through 61.82.
Funding Priorities: VA establishes the following funding priorities
in order to: (1) Implement the provisions of Public Law 107-95
regarding geographical dispersion and non-duplication of service; and
(2) bolster capacity in areas that are underserved by the Grant and Per
Diem Program. These areas may have high populations of homeless
veterans and limited services to address homeless veteran's needs.
These areas can include both urban and rural areas but may be
particularly prevalent outside the high population areas.
VA is offering eligible applicants funding priorities for
transitional housing and services to: (1) Serve women and women with
care of dependent children; (2) Indian Tribal Governments or non-profit
agencies that will provide transitional housing and services on Indian
Tribal Property. VA is encouraging interested State and local
governments, faith-based and community-based organizations to apply for
funding under this NOFA.
In this round of per diem-only grant funding, VA expects to award
eligibility for funding to create approximately 1,200 per diem-only
community-based supported housing beds.
Funding priority 1. VA is offering the opportunity for providers
who are willing to create new projects specifically for women and women
with care of dependent children only, which are 30 beds or less. Of
those eligible entities in the first funding priority, that are legally
fundable, the highest scoring applicants will be funded first until
approximately 200 beds are awarded. Applicants not funded in this
priority will be considered in the third funding priority. Should not
enough eligible projects be funded under the first funding priority,
beds not awarded in this priority will fall to the third funding
priority.
Funding priority 2. VA is offering the opportunity to Indian Tribal
Governments or non-profit agencies that will provide transitional
housing and services on Indian Tribal Property to apply for funding
under this NOFA to create transitional housing and services for
homeless veterans. Eligible entities such as Indian Tribal Governments
and non-profit agencies willing to provide transitional housing and
services on Indian Tribal Property will be considered in the second
funding priority as applicable. Of those eligible entities in the
second funding priority that are legally fundable; the highest scoring
applicants will be funded first until approximately 100 beds are
awarded. Applicants not funded in this priority will be placed in the
third funding priority. Should not enough eligible projects be funded
under the second funding priority, beds not
[[Page 3972]]
expended in this priority will fall to the third funding priority.
Note: Non-profit agencies who apply under this priority will be
required to provide a letter of assurance from the Indian Tribal
Government that if funded, the provision of service will occur on
Indian Tribal Property.
Funding priority 3. VA is encouraging interested State and local
governments, non-profit organizations and State and local governments
that have been selected to utilize buildings on VA Medical Center
grounds under the Secretary's Enhanced Use Lease Program initiative for
housing homeless veterans, faith-based, and community-based
organizations, as well as eligible entities located in the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or
possession of the United States, to apply for funding under this NOFA
to create transitional housing and services for all homeless veterans.
Eligible entities that are State and local governments, Indian Tribal
Governments, Enhanced Use Lease organizations, faith-based, and
community-based organizations, or any territory or possession of the
United States, will be considered in the third funding priority as
applicable. Of those eligible entities that are legally fundable, the
highest-ranked applications for which funding is available, will be
conditionally selected for eligibility to receive a per diem-only award
in accordance with their ranked order until funding is expended
(approximately 900 beds).
Methodology: VA will review all non-capital grant recipients in
response to this notice of funding availability. VA will then group the
applicants into the funding priorities categories. Applicants will then
be ranked within their respective funding category based on score and
any ranking criteria set forth in that funding category only if the
applicant scores at least 500 cumulative points from paragraphs (b),
(c), (d), (e), and (i) of 38 CFR Sec. 61.13.
The highest-ranked application for which funding is available,
within the highest funding category, will be conditionally selected for
eligibility to receive per diem payment in accordance with their ranked
order until VA reaches the projected bed totals for each category. If
funds are still available after selection of those applications in the
highest priority group, VA will continue to conditionally select
applicants in lower priority categories in accordance with the
selection method set forth in the final rule Sec. 61.32.
Application Requirements: Applicants must include a cover letter
clearly stating under which funding priority they wish to be
considered. Non-profit agencies who apply under funding priority two
are required to provide a letter of assurance from the Indian Tribal
Government that if funded, the provision of service will occur on
Indian Tribal Property. The grant application requirements will be
specified in the application package. Applicants should be careful to
complete the proper application package. Submission of the incorrect or
incomplete application package will result in the application being
rejected at threshold review. The packages include all required forms
and certifications. Selections will be made based on criteria described
in the application, Final Rule, and NOFA. Applicants who are
conditionally selected will be notified of any additional information
needed to confirm or clarify information provided in the application.
Applicants will then be notified of the deadline to submit such
information. If an applicant is unable to meet any conditions for grant
award within the specified timeframe, VA reserves the right to not
award funds and to use the funds available for other grant and per diem
applicants.
Dated: January 13, 2010.
John R. Gingrich,
Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2010-1297 Filed 1-22-10; 8:45 am]
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