Continuum of Care ESG Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a cap?
A cap is the maximum percentage of funds from each grant program that may be expended to a given activity type. Caps apply to ESG funds. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs also have mandated minimums. Minimum grant amount is $125,000. In addition, TDHCA has limited the number of projects that can be submitted to six (6).
What are the mandatory minimums and caps under the ESG program?
HUD requires that no more than 60 percent of the total ESG allocation be directed to Street Outreach or Emergency Shelter activities.
What components are eligible for funding in this RFP?
Eligible components for funding in this RFP include: street outreach, prevention, HMIS, Domestic Violence Rapid Re-Housing and emergency shelter. Non-domestic violence RRH application will be released by February 20, 2015 and will align with CoC and local ESG aligned financial assistance funding.
What is match?
Match is the value of funds and/or resources an organization commits to provide for a proposed project.
What is the difference between match funds and leveraged funds?
Match funds must be applied specifically for the proposed project. They can be in the form of cash, donated time, goods, services, etc. Leveraging is the use of credit or awarded funds to improve an organization’s budget capacity. They are attained after initial funding, serve as a supplement to the project budget, and are in addition to requested funds and matching fund amounts.
What is the required match for ESG?
HUD requires that participating jurisdictions provide 100 percent match for ESG funds. The Way Home CoC passes these match requirements on to its subrecipients.
What other sources can matching funds come from?
Match funds can come from a variety of sources, such as other service providers, in-kind contributions, special events, fundraisers, and non-federal grants, and even federal grants in the case of ESG.
When does my agency need to get documentation of shelter approval into a local government office for approval of my project?
If a complete application is submitted to The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County no later than Tuesday, February 24, 2015 the local governmental offices have agreed to process these requests. Applications not submitted will not be eligible for this expedited consideration.
Can you serve only one specific gender?
Section 578.93(b)(1) states that, in consideration of personal privacy, housing may only be limited to a single sex when such housing consists of a single structure with shared bedrooms or bathing facilities such that the considerations of personal privacy and the physical limitations of the configuration of the housing make it appropriate for the housing to be limited to one sex. In all other cases, both genders must be served or risk being in Fair Housing violation.
The DV Pilot Project was mentioned at the Pre-Bidder’s Conference, can you share more information as to what that project involves?
More information is available through contacting Barbie Brashear at the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.
Who will be reviewing submitted applications for presentation to The Way Home CoC Steering Committee?
The ESG Funders Workgroup will review and evaluate submitted applications for recommendation of approval to The Way Home CoC Steering Committee. This workgroup consists of all ESG funders in The Way Home jurisdiction and was formed as required by the HEARTH Act which mandates that ESG funders work with the CoC to make decisions regarding funding for ESG funds. The State of Texas has declined to be part of this workgroup and instead has relinquished their representation to the local CoC.
What is best way to demonstrate "Staff aligned and dedicated to Coordinated Access” when we are applying to Street Outreach?
In order to understand the expectations of Coordinated Access outreach staff, please contact the Coordinated Access Project Manager, Ana Rausch at You may also request a letter of recommendation from the Coordinated Access Team.