NEWS

The Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless recently completed a critical annual step in the community’s response to homelessness: the federal Continuum of Care funding competition.

On behalf of the Interagency Council on Homelessness, community volunteers reviewed and scored proposals from local service providers before assembling Savannah’s application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Although the process occurs largely behind the scenes, it determines how approximately $4.4 million in federal funding could support homelessness programs throughout Chatham County during the coming year.

Savannah’s Continuum of Care includes organizations with decades of experience serving the community, including Union Mission, the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless, the Housing Authority of Savannah, and the City of Savannah through its City 54 initiative.

Historically, federal funding has supported the infrastructure that allows the system to operate, including the Homeless Management Information System, Coordinated Entry, and Permanent Supportive Housing.

Permanent Supportive Housing combines deeply affordable housing with intensive services for individuals whose age, disabilities, medical conditions, or other circumstances make independent housing difficult. Participants often include medically fragile residents, older adults, veterans, and others with significant needs.

Local data demonstrates the value of these programs. Permanent Supportive Housing programs consistently maintain occupancy rates above 95 percent, helping ensure limited resources reach residents with the greatest needs.

This year’s funding competition, however, reflected significant changes in federal priorities.

New federal guidance has placed greater emphasis on Transitional Housing, which generally limits stays to two years and is designed to help participants move toward self-sufficiency. Communities across the country initially faced uncertainty about how much existing Permanent Supportive Housing funding would remain eligible.

Updated HUD guidance later allowed communities to preserve approximately 60 percent of the prior Permanent Supportive Housing funding as a presumed-protected amount.

For Savannah, approximately $2.5 million of the $4.4 million application appeared relatively protected, while nearly $2 million remained subject to changing priorities and new program requirements. The uncertainty placed additional pressure on a system that has spent years developing coordinated, data-driven strategies to reduce homelessness.

Local service providers responded by working collaboratively to redesign programs under the new framework. Organizations evaluated community needs, reviewed performance data, and developed a revised strategy intended to keep Savannah competitive while continuing to serve vulnerable residents.

Final awards and scoring decisions remain uncertain. However, communities with strong governance, measurable outcomes, and coordinated systems are expected to be best positioned for success.

Savannah has spent several years strengthening those areas. Through the Interagency Council on Homelessness, the community has expanded countywide coordination, adopted evidence-based policies, and improved data collection through the Homeless Management Information System.

Local initiatives, including the Urban Camping Ordinance, also reflect an increased emphasis on accountability, measurable outcomes, and pathways toward stable housing and self-sufficiency.

As federal policies continue to evolve, community partners remain focused on ensuring that every federal dollar awarded to Chatham County is used strategically and responsibly, producing measurable results for residents experiencing homelessness and the Savannah community.