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Bringing Federal Funds to Sacramento

The Continuum of Care Program Competition and Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project direct federal funding to local projects that support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.  

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Without Federal Funds, Critical Housing Programs Disappear

Communities across the country must compete for federal funds that keep housing and homelessness response programs alive. Sacramento is no exception. 

Our region depends on the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition—hosted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—to fund a wide variety of essential housing and supportive service projects. The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP), which focuses exclusively on youth and transition-age youth (TAY), is also part of this process. 

Without this funding: 

  • Supportive services and housing beds would be interrupted or lost. 
  • Fewer people would get connected to housing. 
  • Youth-specific programs would lose key support. 


Because these federal dollars are competitive, local projects must reapply during each competition round. However, HUD requires a single, consolidated application from our community representing all projects requesting funds.  

This is where Sacramento Steps Forward steps in, coordinating the local competition and submitting the application on behalf of our community.  

Collaboration protects local housing resources.

Every year (or in some competition cycles, every other year), HUD announces a funding competition through a CoC Program Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This opens a national competition for homelessness response funding.

As a result of this process, our community has built a system where funding decisions reflect real, local needs. Sacramento Steps Forward coordinates the local competition, but it’s our community that drives the process. Service providers, youth, people with lived experience, and public agencies come together to shape which projects get submitted to HUD.

This process determines whether existing programs retain funding, and whether new or reallocated funds—such as those from underperforming projects—can support new solutions.

The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP) is included in this process. While YHDP funds are exclusively for youth and Transitional Aged Youth (TAY)-focused programs, the decisions made during the CoC Competition determine how those funds are proposed, maintained, or shifted within the youth homelessness response system.

By facilitating a transparent, local process:

  • We ensure our strongest programs continue. 
  • We adapt to what’s working, and what’s not. 
  • We ensure that federal funds continue to support Sacramento. 
  • We hold projects accountable to real results. 


Together with local partners, we’ve brought tens of millions of dollars into our community every round, funding permanent supportive housing, youth-focused programs, innovative pilot efforts, necessary shelter beds, and much more.  

This money matters because it represents real help to real people. The more funding we can bring to our region, the more of our neighbors we can help. 

What this process makes possible in Sacramento:

Support for Local Programs

Dozens of local programs that support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness rely on this process to stay funded each year.

Dedicated Youth Resources

Through YHDP, youth-serving organizations can apply for and retain funds that are exclusive to youth and TAY-focused housing and services.

Flexibility to Reallocate and Improve

If a program loses funding, those dollars don’t disappear—they can be reallocated to strengthen new or existing community-based solutions.

This is how the funding process works:

Step 1:
HUD Releases the NOFO

During a competition year, a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be released by HUD, typically in the summer. This opens the competition and includes deadlines, federal priorities for the new round, eligible applicants, updated rules (if any), and more.

Step 2:
SSF and the CoC Organize the Local Competition

After the NOFO is released, SSF and the CoC will notify Sacramento-based providers and organize the local competition based on the NOFO details. We share updates throughout the competition period each year through a unique competition webpage, email updates, open office hours, and workshops. 

Step 3:
Providers Submit Projects for Funding

With guidance from the CoC, local providers complete project applications to be considered for federal funding.

Step 4:
Local Stakeholders Complete Review and Rank of Applications

Panels of local stakeholders—including, but not limited to, youth and partners with lived experience of homelessness—review and rank proposals to recommend to HUD based on current federal priorities and local needs. 

Step 5:
SSF Submits Ranked Applications to HUD

SSF submits applications with priority rankings as determined by third-party review and rank panels. Those with higher rankings are deemed as most likely to be funded by HUD. 

Step 6:
Funding Comes to Sacramento

HUD awards CoC Program and YHDP funds to our community, based on our ranked submissions.

Here are some additional resources.

View previous local application materials and funding decisions from 2021 to 2024. If you have a question about past CoC program competitions, please feel free to use the contact form below.

DOWNLOAD 2024 INFORMATION
DOWNLOAD 2023 INFORMATION
DOWNLOAD 2022 INFORMATION
DOWNLOAD 2021 INFORMATION

Learn more about HUD’s national CoC Program, funding priorities, and guidance for communities.

LEARN MORE

Learn about HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program and how it supports local efforts to serve youth and young adults.

LEARN MORE

Sacramento CoC Governance Charter

An outline of the composition, roles, and responsibilities of the Sacramento CoC.

Download charter

We get these questions a lot. Here are our best answers...

What Is the CoC Program Competition?

It’s an application process happening every or every other year through which communities like Sacramento apply for federal funding to support local homelessness programs.  

Every other year (previously every year), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) releases a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) inviting communities to apply for homelessness response funding through a process known as the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition. This funding supports permanent housing, transitional housing, supportive services, system-level planning, and more.  

In Sacramento, this is how more than 30 local ongoing projects are funded. These projects provide support to individuals, families, and youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The competition also allows new projects to apply for funding that reflects emerging needs and effective strategies. 

What Is the YHDP?

The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) is a HUD-funded initiative within the CoC competition, but funds are reserved only for programs serving youth and transition-age youth. It supports local efforts to prevent and end youth homelessness. In October 2022, Sacramento was selected as a YHDP community, opening the door to new investments and collaborative planning focused on youth-specific needs.  

Through YHDP, young people with lived experience help shape how funding is used and what programs are prioritized. The initiative supports a range of approaches, including rapid rehousing, supportive services, host homes, and the development of a youth service navigation app. 

What are the Roles of the CoC and SSF?

Sacramento Steps Forward serves as the Collaborative Applicant for the Sacramento Continuum of Care (CoC). This includes leading the annual CoC Program Competition process and coordinating the local YHDP planning and application efforts.

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