On February 19, HUD’s Office of Housing opened the application period for Calendar Year (CY) 2021 Service Coordination renewals in GrantSolutions. The renewal period is for the Service Coordinator in Multifamily Family Housing Program, as well as the Congregate Services Program, for CY21.

Renewal applications are due by March 22. Grantees with previous Service Coordination awards are eligible to renew without submitting a one year budget, and can instead receive an automatic Cost of Living Adjustment and amend budget line items later. The full renewal guidance is available here.

HUD Staff Give Overview, Answer Questions on LeadingAge Calls

HUD staff overseeing Service Coordinator grants at agency headquarters and throughout HUD Multifamily Housing’s Northeast Region joined calls with LeadingAge housing members in early March to give an overview of the renewal guidance and cover key dates for the rest of the calendar year. HUD staff also answered a series of questions related to Service Coordinator programs – both grant-funded and budget-driven – from LeadingAge members. A summary of the Q&A session with HUD staff is available here.

Renewal Delays and Compressed Application Periods

Because of the delayed application period, Grantees will have 31 days from February 19 to submit the required documentation in GrantSolutions (March 22).

HUD’s announcement states: “We appreciate and share your concerns regarding the delay renewing Service Coordinator and Congregate Housing grants…To address these concerns, we evaluated different approaches to help streamline the application process and expedite the amount of time it will take for grantees to receive funds.”

Projected Timeline of Key Dates

In the announcement, HUD outlined a timeline with projections for key dates and next steps required to process the CY 2021 grants and make funds available:

Because of the delayed disbursement, housing provider can request access to Reserve for Replacement funds to cover Service Coordinator expenses in the meantime. Reserve funds need to be fully reimbursed once grant funds become available.

Renewals Approach

All grantees with awards that were previously process in Grant Solutions are eligible to apply for renewals without submitting a budget (HUD-91186-A Form, Multifamily Housing Service Coordinator’s One Year Budget), if they chose to receive the amount of funding in their CY20 approved 12-month budget.

Grantees that choose this option will automatically receive the 1.3% Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA; upon award, grantees can then modify budget line items through the amendment process. However, grantees with new ownership during the last calendar year have to follow the full renewal process, described in the CY21 Annual Renewal Guidance.

Resources for Service Coordinator Programs

HUD has made the following resources available for housing providers regarding grant-funded and budget-driven Service Coordination program:

• MFH Service Coordinator Financial Management Toolkit
• Budgeting for the Service Coordinators in Multifamily Housing Program
• HUD Service Coordinator Guide
• HUD Handbook 4381.5 Chapter 8
• HUD Service Coordinator Program website

LeadingAge “Services and Service Coordination Workgroup”

LeadingAge members with Service Coordinator questions and ideas are encouraged to join the LeadingAge “Services and Service Coordination Workgroup,” which meets monthly to discuss best pratices for service-enriched housing. More information is available here.