Author Archives: Emily McCarty

Western Virginia Continuum of Care Welcomes New Coordinator

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The Western Virginia Continuum of Care (CoC) is proud to announce and welcome Isaiah Mejah as the new CoC Coordinator.  Mejah will be responsible for providing administrative and project leadership in planning, developing, writing, and monitoring the CoC administrative plans, policy and procedures, grants, and Continuum lead initiatives to end homelessness in the region.

Mejah comes to the Western Virginia CoC from Pleasant View, Inc., where he served as Program Coordinator.  During to his tenure at Pleasant View, Mejah coordinated daily activities for two programs and collaborated with various community stakeholders in the health and advocacy field to ensure members of our community with disabilities meet their full potential.  In his role at Pleasant View, Mejah supervised 30 members of staff, conducted inter-organizational communications, and stayed updated on state and federal regulations related to programming at Pleasant View.  In addition to his role as Program Coordinator, Mejah also served as Green Committee Chair to support Pleasant View in meeting their financial needs and bolstering plans for the future.  Prior to his work at Pleasant View, Mejah worked at James Madison University (JMU).  Mejah received his Master of Arts in Communication and Advocacy from JMU and is fluent in four languages. 

Mejah stepped into the CoC Coordinator position on July 27.

FY2019 CoC Grant NOFA – Request for Project Applications

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The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has released the FY 2019 Continuum of Care (CoC) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) competition. The CoC Program is designed to promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; to provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, states, and local governments to quickly re-house homeless individuals, families, persons fleeing domestic violence, and youth while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused by homelessness; to promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and to optimize self-sufficiency among those experiencing homelessness.

Click here for CoC NOFA Timeline

This announcement serves as a formal solicitation for new and renewal project applications to be considered for funding.  A timeline guiding the grant application process for our CoC is available on this page. This timeline has a very swift turnaround due to HUD statutory regulations placed upon each CoC during the competition process, so please review with care. Embedded in the timeline document are links to the FY2019 NOFA document, as well as a user guide for e-snaps, the platform in which projects are submitted.  These documents are also attached below.  Not ALL guidance for the 2019 Competition has been released by HUD as of yet.  Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.

The types of new projects that are eligible for funding include: Permanent Housing (including rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing), Transitional Housing, Supportive Services Only (specifically for a centralized or coordinated assessment), HMIS projects that can only be carried out by the HMIS Lead, and projects for the Domestic Violence (DV) Bonus.  Further information can be found within the NOFA document (see enclosed).  Nonprofit organizations, local governments, and instrumentalities of state and local governments within the Western VA-513 jurisdiction, who have a project that fits the new project or DV Bonus criteria, are welcome and encouraged to apply. 

For interested agencies, HRHA will be hosting a CoC NOFA Information Session Conference Call for any interested participants on July 25 at 10 a.m.  To call in and participate, please use the following number and access code: 

  • Conference Call Number: 605-313-5147  |  Access Code: 539210.

All agencies who intend to apply for new or renewal funding are to send an email to me indicating your agency name, type of proposed project(s), and an appropriate contact person for the application process by COB July 26.

ALL PROJECT APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN E-SNAPS BY AUGUST 23, 2019. An exported PDF of the application must also be submitted by August 23, 2019, to the CoC Coordinator, Vine Adowei, at vadowei@harrisonburgrha.com.