Housing Residents
Although the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development primarily funds the development and provision of housing, several of its programs provide for supportive services or wrap-around services to residents. A few HUD programs also allow the hiring of service coordinators. The supportive and coordinator services are designed to allow residents to become more economically stable such that they can transition from publicly funded housing.
Identifying the value of transportation
Begin with the mission of the CCAM-funded agency and ask, “How can transportation access contribute to the success of that mission?” For agencies serving housing residents, the importance of transportation may be tied to one or more of these value statements, which can serve as starting discussion points:
When residents of publicly subsidized housing have access to transportation
- They can pursue activities that lead to more economic sustainability for themselves and their families and eventually move out of subsidized housing.
- They have more reliable access to sources for healthy food, leading to improved nutrition and overall health.
- It can support residents’ mental well-being by allowing them to engage in activities that they choose and that are meaningful to them.
Program Listing
Direct Support
Funding for transportation on an individual basis. This includes things like transit passes or gas vouchers.
Direct Service
Program staff provide transportation services directly or can contract for services.
Local Match Eligible
Program’s funds can be used as federal match to FTA transportation grants or other federal programs.
Table of Contents
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development, Office of Public and Indian Housing
Program Description:
Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants support the development of comprehensive neighborhood Transformation Plans centered on the revitalization of a severely distressed public housing or HUD-assisted housing project. The Plan should integrate strategies to implement public and/or assisted housing revitalization, the coordination and design of supportive services, and neighborhood-level planning to improve a range of neighborhood assets. Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants provide funds to implement comprehensive plans for community revitalization centered on redeveloping severely distressed public housing and/or HUD-assisted housing.
Distribution of funds:
Public housing authorities, local governments, tribal entities, and nonprofits are eligible to apply. Refer to the annual NOFO for details.
Transportation Supports:
Transformation Plans should address the coordination and design of supportive services, which may include transportation.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs
Program Description:
To promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, states, and local governments to quickly house homeless individuals and families; promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Distribution of funds:
Provides project grants and direct payments for specified use in some cases. Applicants can be states, local governments, other governmental entities and nonprofit organizations. Information on funding is available in a Notice of Funding Opportunity in the Federal Register and at www.hudexchange.info/coc.
Transportation Supports:
Transportation support may be allowed under “supportive services to assist program participants obtain and maintain housing.”
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development, Office of Public and Indian Housing
Program Description:
To promote the development of local strategies to coordinate the use of assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing and Project-Based Rental Assistance programs with public and private resources to enable participating families to increase earned income and financial literacy, reduce or eliminate the need for welfare assistance, and make progress toward economic independence and self-sufficiency. The FSS program is administered by public housing agencies (PHAs) with the help of program coordinating committees (PCCs).
Distribution of funds:
Provides project grants to Public Housing Authorities (PHAs).
Transportation Supports:
FSS coordinators in each local program build partnerships with employers and service providers in the community to help participants obtain jobs and services. These services may include childcare, transportation, basic adult education, job training, employment counseling, substance/alcohol abuse treatment, financial empowerment coaching, asset-building strategies, household skill training, homeownership counseling, and more.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development
Program Description:
To address the housing needs of low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families. Funds may be used for a wide range of housing, supportive services, program planning, and development costs. Supplemental funds made available under the CARES Act are to be used similarly, but specifically to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. Supportive services include case management, mental health services, drug and alcohol abuse treatment and counseling, day care, nutritional services, transportation, employment training, benefits counseling, etc.
Distribution of funds:
A noncompetitive formula grant program that also provides discretionary grants. Formula Program: Eligible applicants include cities in metropolitan statistical areas with > 500,000 people and at least 2,000 HIV/AIDS cases and states with > 2,000 HIV/AIDS cases outside of eligible metropolitan statistical areas. Competitive Program: Eligible applicants include states, units of general local government, and nonprofit organizations.
Transportation Supports:
Transportation support may be allowable as a supportive service.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development, Office of Housing
Program Description:
The Service Coordinator Program provides funding for the employment of Service Coordinators in insured and assisted Multifamily Housing designed for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Service coordinators assess resident needs; identify and link residents to appropriate services, and monitor the delivery of services. Specifically they link residents to supportive services in the general community to prevent premature and unnecessary institutionalization; and assess individual service needs, determine eligibility for public services and make resource allocation decisions which enable residents to stay in the community longer.
Distribution of funds:
Project grants are provided to owners of Section 8 developments with project-based subsidy as well as Section 202 developments as defined under 24 CFR Sections 277 and 885, and 221(d)(3) below-market interest rate and 236 developments which are insured or assisted.
Transportation Supports:
The service coordinator is a social service staff person hired by the development owner/management company to arrange a broad spectrum of services for residents, including the provision of formal case management (i.e., the evaluation of health, psychological or social needs [which could include transportation]); educating residents and development management staff on issues related to aging-in-place and service coordination; monitoring the provision of services; and acting as an advocate for the resident in dealing with community service providers.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development, Office of Housing
Program Description:
The purpose of the ROSS Service Coordinator program is to provide funding to hire and maintain Service Coordinators who will assess the needs of residents of conventional Public Housing or Indian housing and coordinate available resources in the community to meet those needs. This program works to promote the development of local strategies to coordinate the use of assistance under the Public Housing program with public and private resources, for supportive services and resident empowerment activities. These services should enable participating families to increase earned income, reduce or eliminate the need for welfare assistance, make progress toward achieving economic independence and housing self-sufficiency, or, in the case of elderly or disabled residents, help improve living conditions and enable residents to age in place.
Distribution of funds:
ROSS grants may be made to four types of applicants: 1) public housing authorities; 2) tribes/tribally designated housing entities; 3) resident associations such as resident management corporations, resident councils, and intermediary resident with either 501(c)(3) nonprofit or locally incorporated nonprofit status; and 4) nonprofit organizations supported by residents and/or public housing authorities or tribal housing entities.
Transportation Supports:
The service coordinator is a social service staff person hired by the development owner/management company to arrange a broad spectrum of services for residents, including the provision of formal case management (i.e., the evaluation of health, psychological or social needs [which could include transportation]); educating residents and development management staff on issues related to aging-in-place and service coordination; monitoring the provision of services; and acting as an advocate for the resident in dealing with community service providers.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
Congressional Chartered and Funded
Program Description:
NeighborWorks supports nearly 250 strong, healthy and prepared network organizations in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. As a congressionally chartered and funded nonpartisan nonprofit, the organization supports entities that provide communities with affordable housing, financial counseling and coaching, training, and resident engagement and collaboration in the areas of health, employment, and education. Through its Community Building & Engagement (CB&E) program, NeighborWorks offers grant resources, peer-learning opportunities, and organizational mentoring to NeighborWorks organizations that are engaged in resident leadership development, community building, and support for resident-led groups and activities. NeighborWorks’ board of directors is determined by statute and consists of the head of the financial regulatory agencies and HUD, who are presidential appointees subject to Senate confirmation, or their statutorily designated representatives. The Secretary of HUD (or the Secretary’s designee) is a member of the NeighborWorks Board of Directors.
Distribution of funds:
In FY21, $101.2 million in grant funding was distributed from NeighborWorks’ annual core appropriation.
Transportation Supports:
Learning about and accessing transportation services may fit in with Neighborworks’ mission to support residents and community development.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development
Program Description:
The Youth Homeless Demonstration Program covers includes three areas of funding: 1) Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP): Congress appropriates these funds for communities to demonstrate how a comprehensive approach to serving homeless youth (age 24 and under) can dramatically reduce youth homelessness. 2) Youth Homeless System Improvement Grants: Congress appropriated $25 million in both FY 2023 and FY 2024 for grants to support communities in establishing and implementing a response system for youth homelessness or for improving their existing system. 3) Technical Assistance (TA): HUD awards approximately $10 million in TA funds, through a competitive process, to firms that assist communities on improving system responses to youth homelessness, and collection, analysis, use, and reporting of data and performance measures under the comprehensive approaches to serve homeless youth.
Distribution of funds:
Discretionary grants are provided to organizations that serve homeless unaccompanied youth (age 24 and younger) and homeless youth (age 24 and younger) with children.
Transportation Supports:
Eleven types of assistance may be provided through the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, including . . . (6) supportive services to assist program participants obtain and maintain housing.