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 expects to select up to three respondents to allocate up to $500,000 in HOME TBRA (Tenant Based Rental Assistance) funds for rental assistance up to 24 months.

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;