Funding Opportunities

CLOSED: Due August 30, 2024

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) Office on Homelessness issued an addendum to the Unified Homelessness Grant for fiscal year 2024-2025. In response, Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas (HLA), the FL-502 Continuum of Care (CoC) Lead Agency, accepted proposals for a total of $600,000, available to supplement existing programs through June 2025. This grant would provide funds to assist with Prevention or Diversion services including rent, utility assistance, and case management.

DCF Challenge Grant applications were due on August 30, 2024 and are currently under review by the Pinellas Continuum of Care (CoC) Review and Rank Committee. Additional information will be provided following the scoring and award process.

OPEN: Due February 21, 2025

Click here for Public Notice║ Pinellas County Funding Applications

On January 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) awarded Pinellas County $512,336 in a special allocation of Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding to address the needs of homeless individuals or families or individuals or families at risk of homelessness in areas affected by a major disaster declared pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.). The ESG funds shall benefit people whose needs are not otherwise served or fully met by existing Federal disaster relief programs, including the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program under such Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b).

This allocation of “Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing” (RUSH) funding under the ESG Program is in response to the President’s major disaster declarations dated September 28, 2004, DR-4828-FL, for Hurricane Helene, October 11, 2024, DR-4834-FL, for Hurricane Milton, and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) determination that these disasters were sever enough to activate its TSA program.

For Pinellas County to receive ESG RUSH funds, the County must submit for HUD’s approval, a substantial amendment to the County’s FY 2024/2025 Annual Action Plan. This substantial amendment proposes to amend the 2024/25 Action Plan to include the County’s ESG RUSH funding and activities to enable the County to receive and administer ESG RUSH funds.

In collaboration with the Pinellas Continuum of Care, Pinellas County has identified the following proposed ESG RUSH activities:

• Proposed Activities and Funding Amounts:

  • Emergency Shelter: $237,000.00

  • Homelessness Prevention: $107,000.00

  • Rapid Rehousing: $107,000.00

  • HMIS: $22,910.80

  • Administration (7.5% max): $38,425.20

• Total ESG-RUSH: $512,336.00

To be eligible for assistance, an individual or family must:

1. Be “homeless” or “at-risk of homelessness” as those terms are defined at 24 CFR 576.2 or meet the new criteria in section 103(b) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;

2. Have been residing in a declared disaster area; and

3. Have needs that will not be served or fully met by the TSA Program (42 U.S.C. 5170b), NCS, or and other existing Federal disaster relief programs.

A household will not be required to requalify as homeless or at risk of homelessness for purposes of RUSH funds if the household was already determined to meet the definition of homeless or at risk of homelessness and was receiving ESG assistance when the disaster occurred.

Pinellas County will incorporate HUD’s prior approval of pre-award costs necessary for efficient and timely performance of eligible ESG RUSH activities. Covered pre-award costs are those incurred between and including the date of HUD’s ESG RUSH award notification letter (January 10, 2025) and the date immediately preceding the start date of the period of performance/budget for the grant that are in compliance with all conditions specified in Section V of the ESG RUSH Notice published July 18, 2024.

Other aspects of the 2024/25 Action Plan will remain unchanged.