New Guide Helps Cities Identify Resources and Funds Available to Reduce Homelessness

This document is intended to help local governments and Continuums of Care in California understand the range of immediately available resources to address homelessness during COVID-19 and plan strategic ways to use these resources to effectively prevent and reduce homelessness.

This guide lays out how the available resources can be used, separately and together, to support four different categories of programs and interventions: Interim Housing, Rental Assistance, Permanent Housing Plus Services, and Diversion and Homelessness Prevention.

The guide is made up of four tables:

• Table 1 provides information on nine key federal and state resources that communities can tap now for strategic approaches to reduce homelessness during COVID-19, including recommendations for priority uses.
• Table 2 is an easy reference format for the eligible and preferred uses for the nine key programs and a larger set of federal and state resources.
• Table 3 provides a Sample Investment Plan, showing how a community can prioritize, order, and invest the resources in four critical program areas based on local needs and opportunities.
• Table 4 is a template communities can use to complete a Local Investment Plan with priority

Noting the starkly disproportionate impacts that homelessness and COVID-19 have on people of color, HFCF encourages cities to use this guide to focus on the important priorities of addressing racial inequities and supporting people experiencing homelessness through access to safe shelter options and by connecting them to permanent housing.  

If a city would like to discuss the guide and how state programs and resources can best support your efforts, please email HCFC@bcsh.ca.gov.