HUD recently released its annual Continuum of Care (CoC) funding awards. In United Way of Weld County's first year applying for funding through a competitive process, the Northern Colorado CoC awarded two additional projects, bringing the total CoC Award to $1.45 million (previously at $1.18 million). The NoCO CoC is only two years old, so the significance cannot be overstated. Some CoCs have been applying for new projects every year and have never won an award. The NoCO CoC was awarded these funds because of how strong their overall application was.
Northern Colorado stakeholders took a "big bet," making the case to the community and HUD that our region needed to be our own CoC. We could draw more dollars into Northern Colorado directly to better address our needs and help us end homelessness.
That "big bet" has more than paid off. In the first year of being a CoC, we received $2.3 million in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) dollars and the annual CoC award of $1.18 million. In the second year, we were awarded two new projects through the Continuum of Care competition, bringing the total yearly CoC award to $1.45 million.
According to Kelli Pryor, Director of the Northern Colorado Continuum of Care, "None of this would have been possible without the UWWC board of directors saying yes to UWWC being the Collaborative Applicant."
Learn more about the NoCO Continuum of Care.