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Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are:

  • States
  • local governments
  • other governmental entities, e.g., public housing authorities private nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status under the IRS Code; certified United Way agencies
  • organizations that have a voluntary board, a functioning accounting system, practice nondiscrimination in the provision of assistance, and the net earnings of which do not benefit anyone associated with the organization community mental health associations that are public nonprofit organizations

To be eligible to receive assistance from projects funded under the Supportive Housing Program, a person must be homeless. Projects that propose serving other populations will not be considered for funding. Homeless persons are those who:

  • are sleeping in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, and abandoned buildings
  • are sleeping in emergency shelters
  • are living in transitional or supportive housing for homeless persons but who originally came from streets or emergency shelters
  • ordinarily sleep in transitional or supportive housing for homeless persons but are spending a short time (30 consecutive days or less) in a hospital or other institution
  • are being evicted within the week from private dwelling units and no subsequent residences have been identified and they lack the resources and support networks needed to obtain access to housing
  • are being discharged within the week from institutions in which they have been residents for more than 30 consecutive days and no subsequent residences have been identified and they lack the resources and support networks needed to obtain access to housing

Not all persons being evicted from private dwelling units or all persons being discharged from institutions are homeless. Applicants who propose to serve these populations must make clear in their applications that they (a) understand that persons are eligible only if they have no subsequent residence identified and lack the resources and support networks needed to access housing and (b) propose to serve only eligible persons. Applicants that are selected for funding will be required to have documentation of how it was determined that such persons did not have the resources or support network needed to obtain housing.

In summary, persons are homeless if, without the SHP assistance, they would have to spend the night in a shelter or in a place not meant for human habitation. The intent of these policies are to help persons who lack shelter. The Department administers other programs to serve persons who are poorly housed or need supportive housing but are not homeless. These programs include: Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments, public housing, HOME, Community Development Block Grants, and Supportive Housing for Persons With Disabilities. Contact your HUD Field Office for more information about those programs.