The intent of this funding opportunity is to assist school districts and communities to form partnerships that will assist homeless households with children to regain housing stability and greater self-sufficiency, as well as keep the children on track with their education.

Florida Housing provides Federal HOME funds for rental assistance to small counties and/or rural areas through a competitive Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process. Eligible respondents must be in a county with a population of up to 400,000 and the Respondent must serve the entire county. Florida Housing seeks to award agreements to at least one Respondent in a county with a population under 250,000. Services to be provided in connection with this Initiative include:

• Identification of families with homeless schoolchildren by the School District’s Homeless Education Program.
• Administration of Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) and security deposit for eligible households by the PHA. The PHA will receive an administrative fee to be used in accordance with the activities of the initiative. The PHA will enter into a separate agreement with Florida Housing to assist homeless households referred by the School District in the geographic area in accordance with the HOME Program regulations (24 CFR Part 92).
• Provision of support and case management for adult family members participating in the Initiative to increase income and provide housing stability.

• If you attended the February 4, 2025, webinar, please complete the Housing Stability Questionnaire
• Sample Copy of the Memorandum of Agreement
• February 4, 2025, Webinar Recording Video Recording of the 2-4-25 Workshop Regarding Rental Assistance for Homeless School Children
• Housing Stability for Homeless Schoolchildren Workshop 1 Presentation - 2025 Expansion

Because small and rural communities tend to have fewer housing resources or options than larger more populated communities, this RFA will target counties with a population at or below 400,000 persons. There will be a preference to select at least one eligible applicant from a county with a population at or below 250,000.

The Housing Stability for Homeless Schoolchildren Initiative expects to allocate Federal HOME TBRA to three eligible counties that best demonstrate a partnership of key local stakeholders that have the qualifications, resources, and capacity to provide coordinated, family-centered, comprehensive supportive services that meet the intent of this funding opportunity.

The RFA respondent must be the formal partnership between, at least, the following primary partners:

• The county school district and its McKinney-Vento Program;
• A public housing authority or agency (PHA) that serves the entire county;

• The Federal HOME TBRA will be administered by eligible PHAs through a contract with Florida Housing.

• A non-profit community-services provider that is qualified to provide case management and support services to homeless families in the PHA’s geographic area;

Partnerships will be asked to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). For a sample copy of the MOA, please click here: Sample Memorandum of Agreement