On June 22, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a $365 million first-of-its-kind package of resources to address unsheltered homelessness and homeless encampments, including funds set aside specifically to address homelessness in rural communities.

Specifically, the package includes $322 million in Continuum of Care Program grants that counties are eligible to directly apply for. These grants can be used to fund homeless outreach, permanent housing, supportive services and other costs as part of a comprehensive community approach to solving unsheltered homelessness. Of the total $322 million, there is a $54.5 million set aside to support rural communities’ efforts to address homelessness. The grants will fund projects for three-years, after which they will be eligible for renewal through the annual Continuum of Care Program competition. The deadline to apply is October 20, 2022.

The package also includes $43 million to fund approximately 4,000 new incremental vouchers. The vouchers will be allocated in a notice to public housing authorities with a priority to those that are partners in comprehensive community approaches to solve homelessness.

These vouchers can serve individuals and households either experiencing or are at-risk of homelessness, including those that are:

• Fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking
• Veterans and families that include a veteran family member that meets one of the proceeding criteria.

HUD will be hosting two webinars for more information on this new funding opportunity to address unsheltered and rural homelessness:

• The first introductory HUD webinar for the Continuum of Care Program grants will be today, June 28 from 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EDT, and counties can register here.
• The second webinar for rural counties is on Wednesday, June 29 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EDT, and counties can register here.