No Place Like Home Program

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Program Details

 

Background Information

On July 1, 2016, Governor Brown signed landmark legislation enacting the No Place Like Home program to dedicate up to $2 billion in bond proceeds to invest in the development of permanent supportive housing for persons who are in need of mental health services and are experiencing homelessness, chronic homelessness, or who are at risk of chronic homelessness. The bonds are repaid by funding from the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). In November 2018 voters approved Proposition 2, authorizing the sale of up to $2 billion of revenue bonds and the use of a portion of Proposition 63 taxes for the NPLH program.

Key features of the program include:

  • Counties will be eligible applicants (either solely or with a housing development sponsor).
  • Funding for permanent supportive housing must utilize low barrier tenant selection practices that prioritize vulnerable populations and offer flexible, voluntary, and individualized supportive services.
  • Counties must commit to provide mental health services and help coordinate access to other community-based supportive services.

Purpose

To acquire, design, construct, rehabilitate, or preserve permanent supportive housing for persons who are experiencing homelessness, chronic homelessness or who are at risk of chronic homelessness, and who are in need of mental health services.

Population to be Served

Adults with serious mental illness, or children with severe emotional disorders and their families and persons who require or are at risk of requiring acute psychiatric inpatient care, residential treatment, or outpatient crisis intervention because of a mental disorder with symptoms of psychosis, suicidality or violence and who are homeless, chronically homeless, or at risk of chronic homelessness.

At risk of chronic homelessness includes persons who are at high risk of long-term or intermittent homelessness, including persons with mental illness exiting institutionalized settings with a history of homelessness prior to institutionalization, and transition age youth experiencing homelessness or with significant barriers to housing stability.

Assistance Type

Loans to counties*, or their housing development sponsors.

Eligible Applicants

Counties*, either solely or with a housing development sponsor.

*Under the NPLH program, the definition of "counties" includes the City of Berkeley and the cities of Pomona, Claremont, and La Verne.

Validation Action

Anticipated Program Timeline*

Issue Second Round Competitive Allocation NOFA September 2019
Applications due under Second Round Competitive Allocation NOFA January 8, 2020
Issue Second Round Competitive Allocation Awards June 2020
Deadline for counties to submit project applications to HCD utilizing their Noncompetitive Allocation Rolling application deadline — no later than February 15, 2021

*The disbursement of funds under the Program is contingent on the sale of bonds by the California State Treasurer's Office, and the proceeds of any such bond sales being made available to HCD for disbursement pursuant to all Program requirements.

Funds Available

Noncompetitive Allocation ($190 million)

Distributed by formula allocation to each county based on their 2017 homeless Point-In-Time Count with a minimum allocation per county of $500,000.

Competitive Allocation (up to $1.8 billion for multiple funding rounds)

Second Round Funding: Anticipated minimum of $622 million.

Counties will compete for funding with counties of similar size:

  • Los Angeles County*
  • Large counties (population greater than 750,000)*
  • Medium counties (population between 200,000 to 750,000)
  • Small counties (population less than 200,000)

*Counties with five percent or more of the state's homeless population may be designated by HCD to receive and administer their own allocations of NPLH funds under their own HCD-approved method of distribution.

Program Forms

Program Guidelines  

Get Funding

Counties designated as Alternative Process Counties

Counties with five percent or more of the state's homeless population may be designated by HCD to receive and administer their own allocations of NPLH funds under their own HCD-approved method of distribution.

Current NOFAs

Competitive Allocation

Noncompetitive Allocation

Applications for projects of five or more units utilizing only Noncompetitive Allocation funds from NPLH administered by HCD may be submitted at any time using the NOFA and Applications below.

All project applications utilizing Noncompetitive Allocation Funds, whether alone or with Competitive Allocation Funds, shall be submitted no later than February 15, 2021. Alternate Process Counties and counties approved to administer their Noncompetitive Allocation funds for Shared Housing may establish and earlier application submission deadline.

2018 NPLH Noncompetitive Allocation Funds Memo (PDF)

Application due date: Rolling application deadline.

Fiscal Year 2018-2019 (Round 1)

Workshop Dates and Locations

Currently, there are no workshops scheduled.

 

+ Previous NOFAs

Fiscal Year 2016-2017 (T/A)

Technical Assistance NOFA (PDF) — 04/10/2017

Technical Assistance Guidelines (PDF) — Revised 10/17/2017

Advisory Committee

The role of the NPLH Advisory Committee is to assist and advise the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in the implementation of the NPLH Program, review and make recommendations on HCD’s guidelines, review HCD’s progress in distributing moneys, and provide advice and guidance more broadly on statewide homelessness issues.

Training and Technical Assistance