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Project Rankings and Funding Amounts for the FY2026 HUD Continuum of Care Funds

Background:

The Lake County Coalition for the Homeless (LCCH) has adopted Funding Policies for the FY26 HUD Continuum of Care funds.  The policies are available at www.lakecountyhomeless.org and outline the roles and responsibilities of all committees and groups involved in the funding process.

The Allocation Plan, created by the Strategic Planning and System Performance (SPSP) Committee and available on the LCCH website, was approved by the Coalition Board on July 6th, 2026.  The Project Performance and Monitoring (PPM) Committee developed the local application forms and scoring tools. The SPSP and PPM Committees created the Funding Work Group (FWG) to fulfill the functions associated with completing the application for FY26 HUD Continuum of Care funds as outlined in Funding Policies.

HUD will allow the Lake County Continuum of Care to apply for up to $4,997,328.  The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) dictates $2,198,122 of project funding to be ranked in Tier 1 (capped at 60% ARD) and the remainder ranked in Tier 2. Projects in Tier 2 are at higher risk of not receiving funding as they will compete with projects across the country. HUD provided additional funds for CoC Bonus of up to $571,625 for new projects including TH and SSO and DV Bonus of up to $762,167 in this funding competition.

Using the application tools provided by the PPM Committee, the FWG met and reviewed each project application. The group used consensus scoring where all group members agreed on each question’s score. Each applicant will receive their score via email. The percentage of available points received is listed in the chart below.  Additionally, Lake County will apply for $190,542 in available funding for the planning grant. As this grant is sized by HUD through the NOFO and not ranked, the FWG did not consider the planning grant in the following recommendations.

Rankings:

The FWG scored each project with each member confirming each project score. Project rankings are based on the percentage of available points they scored, giving preference to renewal projects and transitioning projects over new projects. The FWG also placed the HMIS infrastructure project in Tier 1, consistent with the guidance in the Allocation Plan.

The following rankings include all renewal projects, three transitioning projects, three new CoC Bonus projects, and one new DV Bonus project. The order of these projects was decided based on guidance from the Allocation Plan to preserve as many renewal projects as possible, prioritize renewal grants that are transitioning from PH to TH, and the percentage of points scored.

LCCH received five applications for new projects. For CoC Bonus funding, applications were received from PADS Lake County for a Transitional Housing (TH) project and an SSO Street Outreach project, and from Allendale for a TH project. For DV Bonus funding, A Safe Place submitted applications for a TH project and an SSO project. A total of $571,625 was available in CoC Bonus funding and $762,167 was available in DV Bonus funding.

Based on guidance in the Allocation Plan to prioritize new TH projects over SSO projects, the Funding Work Group prioritized the TH applications for available Bonus funding. The SSO project submitted by A Safe Place was determined to be ineligible and was not considered for funding. All remaining eligible new projects were recommended for the full amount requested in their applications, and no funding reductions were necessary.

Projects in Tier 2 have a higher risk of not receiving funding as they will compete with projects across the country. FWG chose to prioritize renewals over new projects, which reduces the risk to existing housing units.  In addition to the score, the FWG also considered unspent funds when deciding which project would straddle into Tier 2.

Tier 1 Rankings

Tier 2 Rankings

Excluded Applications

Every applicant will receive their full scores via email. Agencies have the right to appeal the decisions of the Funding Work Group to the Appeals Work Group by submitting a letter outlining the basis for their appeal by email to mgembra@lakecountyil.gov by August 17th, 2026. As outlined in the Funding Policies, agency appeals are “limited to technical errors on application scoring.” The results of appeals will be communicated via email and posted on the website.

New and Renewal HUD FY2026
Continuum of Care Funding Applications

If you have submitted a letter of intent (LOI), you are now invited to apply for funding. Please ensure that your completed application, along with all necessary attachments, is submitted to JotForm CoC Application FY26 (jotform.com) by 5:00 PM on Friday, July 31, 2026.

FUNDING AMOUNTS
HUD has not released the Annual Renewal Demand and PPRN Report. However, the CoC can estimate the amount based on previous years funding and the Grant Inventory Worksheet. The Annual Renewal Demand (ARD) for Lake County CoC will be $3,663,536.

Applications are linked below.

Funding Recommendations will be announced on August 11th, and selected projects will be notified to complete their application in HUD's e-snaps database. 

Optional Local Q&A Session: Friday, July 17th from 2-3:30 PM, the CoC will be hosting a Q&A session for new project applicants for Transitional Housing and any Permanent Housing projects transitioning to Transitional Housing. Please register here. 

Renewal Applications:

1. HMIS Renewal

2. Coordinated Entry Renewal

3. Permanent Housing Renewal

4. Transitional Housing Renewal

5. Transitional Housing-Rapid-Rehousing Renewal

New Applications:

1. New Transitional Housing

2. New Supportive Services Only 

For any questions, feel free to contact either Malin Gembra at mgembra@lakecountyil.gov 

Letters of Interest for HUD Continuum of Care New and Renewal Funding

Background

The Lake County Coalition for the Homeless (LCCH) compiles an application for HUD Continuum of Care funding including funding for permanent and transitional housing, supportive services only, Coordinated Entry and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

In response to this opportunity, the Lake County Coalition for the Homeless (LCCH) is soliciting Letters of Interest for both New Projects that align with the strategic needs as outlined in the FY26 Allocation Plan and Renewal Projects.

Applications for new funding opportunities are open to any agency and require a LOI.

The 2026 HUD CoC NOFO was released on June 1, 2026, and includes several significant changes to the competition. Most notably, Tier 1 funding is limited to 60% of the CoC's Annual Renewal Demand (ARD), making Tier 2 substantially more competitive than in previous years. The NOFO also includes opportunities for bonus funding through CoC Bonus and Domestic Violence Bonus.

The Lake County Coalition for the Homeless (LCCH) will administer the competition in accordance with the FY2026 Allocation Plan approved by the LCCH Board of Directors on July 6, 2026. Due to the increased competition for Tier 2 funding, LCCH will continue to prioritize projects that demonstrate strong performance, alignment with HUD priorities, and the greatest impact on the local homeless response system. All projects selected for funding must comply with applicable HUD CoC regulations and NOFO requirements.

New Projects

Applications for new projects can come from currently funded agencies or new agencies. The Lake County Coalition for the Homeless is seeking applicants for the following project types:

1. New Projects for Domestic Violence Bonus (anticipated: $891,934)

• DV- Transitional Housing (TH)

• DV- Supportive Services Only (SSO)

1. New Projects for Bonus and Reallocated Funding

• Transitional Housing

• Supportive Services Only

Renewal Projects

LCCH is soliciting applications from all currently funded projects who wish to renew. Renewal projects will be accepted for the following project types at their current funding level:

1. Renewal Permanent Housing, including Permanent Supportive Housing and Rapid Rehousing

2. Renewal Projects that are transitioning to a new project type like TH or SSO

3. Renewal Transitional Housing

4. Renewal for HMIS and Coordinated Entry

Renewal projects are encouraged voluntarily reallocate funds or expand the capacity of existing housing projects.

Letter of Interest Submission – New and Renewal

Letters of Interest should be limited to one page and should include the following information:

• Project funding amount and type (new, renewal, DV bonus)

• Project description

• Scope of project and population to be served

• For renewal projects planning for expansion/reallocation, please provide information on the amount of reallocation or number of expanded units and an explanation of how this will not impact your projects sustainability.

The LOI is required to be completed for all organizations applying for CoC funding.

The LOI must be submitted by email to Malin Gembra at MGembra@lakecountyil.gov Friday July 10th by 5:00pm.