On June 18, Senator Cory Booker and Representative Mikie Sherrill sent a letter to congressional leadership urging them to ease application requirements for key housing programs during the COVID-19 crisis. Here is a response from Family Promise’s West Regional Director, Stacy Pollard.
You can view the letter from Senator Booker and Representative Sherrill here.
Thank you to Sen. Booker and Rep. Sherrill for your support of streamlining the Continuum of Care (COC) application process for FY 20-21 in light of the current pandemic. We have heard feedback from our HUD-funded Affiliates that the temporary ability to simplify the grant renewal process due to COVID-19 will be incredibly helpful and impactful. Comprehensive grant applications can be cumbersome and time-consuming for administrative shelter staff.
In light of guidance on social distancing and safety precautions, shelter staff have had to divert much of their time to consistently modifying program models, redistributing resources, obtaining cleaning supplies/PPT, making facility modifications, etc. If Congress allowed for the automatic renewal of COC applications for one year, shelter staff will be free to center their complete focus on what is most important: the needs of the families they are serving.
Stacy Pollard
West Regional Director
Family Promise National
