The Housing and Community Development  Department (HCD) recommends Council approval of an Ordinance authorizing a First Amendment to the Subrecipient Agreement between the City of Houston (City) and the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (the Coalition), providing an additional $87,330.00 of Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds and $66,005.00 in Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds for the continued operation and maintenance of the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which is used to track services received by individuals that are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. 

The HMIS is designed to record and store individual client data, including the types of services needed by Houston’s homeless community. It was developed in response to the U.S. Congress' request for information on how appropriated federal homeless funds are spent. Congress is not only interested in fiscal responsibility, but also who the homeless are as a group and the outcome from assistance programs. All agencies receiving federal funds for homeless services are required to participate in the HMIS. The City is funding the Coalition, as the designated Lead Agency of the local Continuum of Care, known locally as The Way Home, to comply with this data collection and reporting requirement. 

Participation in the HMIS enables HCD to track those receiving assistance through the ESG and HOPWA Programs, reduce duplication of client services, and minimize errors in data reporting. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) encourages ESG/HOPWA grantees and project sponsors to participate in the HMIS to improve coordination and to enhance beneficiary access to other homeless and community assistance programs.

This First Amendment will extend the current Agreement term by an additional 12 months. The extension period will be from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026. The Coalition began receiving funding for HMIS operations through the City in 2012. As of November 2024, the Coalition has operated and maintained the HMIS for The Way Home expending 62.58% of funding allocated. 

No Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) was performed as the agency is a sole-source provider being the designated Lead Agency for The Way Home. There were no findings on the most recent annual compliance monitoring. 

Fiscal Note: 

No Fiscal Note is required on grant items. 

This item was reviewed by the Quality of Life Committee on February 3, 2025.

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 Michael Nichols, Director