Homelessness Partnering Strategy 2014 Call for Proposals (CFP) Designed Funding Stream Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Capital Project Applications

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1 Homelessness Partnering Strategy 2014 Call for Proposals (CFP) Designed Funding Stream Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Capital Project Applications The CE will be posting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) as they arise from information sessions, as well as from applicant inquiries. This is to ensure all applicants have the same information and to ensure a fair and transparent Call for Proposals process. FAQs will be sent out as required on Fridays until Aug 29 th, as an to the CE s CFP community network contacts and posted online at REMINDER: Submissions: all documents must be submitted in the exact format outlined in the forms & guides. Further to the submission information provided in the forms and guides: No Zip files No submissions from Hotmail or Gmail addresses Application Forms Form 2B.1 Capital Project Budget: Top Section Expected Duration in Months : Please enter n/a in this field. Capital Projects Information Session Questions 1. Are those who do not live in a place of their own and have no fixed address considered homeless? General Guide II explains the eligible population definitions. 2. Is the 2014 CFP for the specified funding period only? Yes. While HPS has been renewed until 2019, this Call for Proposals is for January 1, 2015 to September 30, Provided the program continues until 2019, the next HPS Call for Proposals is scheduled for 2016 to fund projects between October 2016 to March Is it possible to propose smaller capital assets of less than $1000 per item?

2 Under the capital category, no; capital assets of less than $1,000 per item are not eligible. Furthermore, proposals comprising of an accumulation of small assets over $1000 per item are also not eligible under the capital category of this Call for Proposals, as articulated in the guide, page 10 under Capital Assets. (Please see support service and Housing First Support Service category guides for criteria and eligibility for capital assets of less than $1000 per item) 4. What is a Real Property Report? What is the difference between a real property report and appraisal report? What requirement does a real property report serve? A Real Property Report provides a combination of legal details of the property or asset, including a legal description and municipal address of the property, dimensions and directions of property boundaries, roads, lanes, right of ways, easements, encroachments and the location of significant visible improvements relative to property boundaries. The Report may take the form of a plan or illustration of the various physical features of the property. The difference between an appraisal report and a real property report is that the appraisal does not always include all of the aspects of a real property report, as articulated above. The capital category guide details the supporting documents required for different project types. Not all supporting documents listed are applicable for each project. For example, if the applicant owns the property, the CE will require a current appraisal, legal description, and the proof of ownership which can be requested through the applicant s local municipality. If the applicant is leasing, a copy of the agreement or in the case of leasing from a Municipality a copy of the agreement along with a copy of the Council Minutes is required. If the applicant is purchasing an asset or facility, a copy of the MLS Listing, the Offer, along with the real property report, will be required. Questions specific to your project should be directed to HPSCapital_2014@vancity.com. 5. What information should be provided to BC Housing about the application when requesting a letter of provincial concurrence? Provide at minimum the contents of section 2.8 Project Logic as a starting point, and BC Housing will advise if further information is required. 6. Is the $ 50,000 minimum budget for capital projects for the total project or for the proposed HPS portion? $50,000 is the minimum ask from HPS on capital applications. 7. Declaration Form - Appendix A Matching Contribution / Partnership Declaration Letter- in the case of private donations made years prior which are earmarked for the proposed project, an applicant may not be able to gain signatures from the donors. Where a signature is not possible but necessary for fulfilling the matching contribution criteria, what does the CE advise? Where possible, applicants are advised to submit completed and signed Appendix A Matching Contribution / Partnership Declaration letters to fulfill or exceed the matching contribution requirement and partnership requirements for their proposals. The form is a fillable PDF form and is provided at the back of Guide 1, and as a separate document on

3 This document allows the CE and CAB to evaluate alignment with the following funding requirements and criteria: - matching contribution - project sustainability - viable project phases - stacking conditions - jurisdictional issues, and - risk assessment. In the case of large capital projects where numerous small private donors may form a small portion of matching contributions, the CE advises applicants to submit as many Appendix A forms as possible to satisfy the minimum 1:1 cost matching requirement, and higher if required to demonstrate sufficient funds to achieve the outcomes of the proposed project and complete the non-hps- funded phases. Recognizing that an applicant may anticipate receipt of matching funds, but is not able to get a signed Matching Contribution Declaration Letter by the application deadline, the CE advises that applicants submit as many signed Matching Contribution Declaration Letters for as many confirmed funding sources as possible, as explained in the Guides and Forms. Provision of this supporting document strengthens the application throughout the review process for a number of criteria as mentioned above, and forms the basis for calculation of the matching contribution amount. If an applicant is anticipating confirmation of matching funding for their project after the application deadline, and fulfills all other HPS and category criteria, they should not be discouraged from applying for HPS funds. In such cases of unconfirmed matching funds, the CE advises applicants to submit alternative or supplementary supporting documents that provide as much of the information in the Matching Funds Declaration Letter as possible. This might include previous funding contracts with explanatory statements from the applicant. Please highlight the relevant sections of these supporting documents and provide a contact name, number and/or to expedite review process. Please note that this type of supporting document is not as strong as a signed Appendix A Guide I Matching Funds Letter. Please note that all matching funds must be specific to the project proposed for HPS funds. 8. What if an applicant cannot get approval from their board for the HPS funding application before the application deadline? The application would not be legally binding and therefore ineligible for HPS funds. 9. What is the expectation of Contribution Agreement holders in serving the HPS-eligible clients in the case of Capital projects? The CE monitors all capital projects during implementation and for up to five years post-completion and upon occupancy. At that time, the CE will investigate the clients served and whether they meet the HPS requirements under which they were allocated funding. Should the CE find that HPS funded facilities are not serving the populations as per the HPS Contribution Agreement; the CE will

4 enact provisions in the HPS Contribution Agreement for repayment of HPS funds back to the federal government. In Form 2A, applicants are also required to demonstrate their strategy for prioritizing and serving the HPS-eligible populations once the facility becomes operational. Applicants who do not clearly indicate their strategy for ensuring HPS funds are invested in serving the HPS eligible populations would not meet the eligibility requirements. 10. Are HPS eligible population definitions consistent with those of other government departments or jurisdictions? HPS definitions are formed based on the priorities and terms and conditions of the HPS program. This may or may not overlap with priority populations of other government departments or jurisdictions. 11. Could a capital project be at risk if an applicant applies for and accept funding from both BC Housing and HPS? Please refer to the HPS Terms and Conditions Section 6.0, the HPS application guides, and consult with HPSCapital_2014@vancity.com for clarification about whether the matching contributions specific to your application might implicate issues of stacking limits, jurisdictional boundaries, or eligibility for HPS funds. In the case of matching funds or projects funded by the Investment in Affordable Housing Initiative (IAH) applicants are advised to contact their BC Housing representative and request clarification on whether their application and receipt of HPS funds may implicate stacking policies or other policies governing their funding. 12. Form 2A Section 2.12: Matching contribution as there are only 6 spaces to enter matching contribution sources, if an applicant has more than 6 sources of matching funding, does the applicant need to provide the same information for additional funding as well? Yes. Please append supporting documents with completed Appendix A Matching Contribution/Partnership Declaration Letter with any additional funding sources, and reference in both 2A and 2B.1. The total amounts listed in section 2.12 Form 2A must match with your total amounts listed in 2B Where funds are collected before the project timeline, where in the project timeline should these be specified in Form 2B.1? Enter the funds collected to date in the period where they will be spent on the project. If they have already been spent, and are clearly directly applicable to the proposed project, specify these funds under the first quarter of the project or January 2015 March Be sure to include detail to clarify the source of funding. Please be reminded that previously received HPS funds cannot be included as matching contributions for new HPS funding applications. 14. In the case of community support letters, how recent should letters of support be? Letters of support help to demonstrate the need for a project. The priorities, populations and activities eligible under HPS have undergone recent changes. Letters of community support should

5 be recent and applicable to the HPS eligible priorities, populations and activities for which your proposal is seeking funding. The CE will not accept letters of community support older than six months from the CFP submission deadline.