HUD $315M Grants Help Unhoused Communities via Continuum of Care

An Historic Grant Round

In February 2023, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced $315 million in Continuum of Care (CoC) grants to address unsheltered and rural homelessness. HUD described the round as first-of-its-kind, targeting communities dealing with the hardest-to-serve populations: people living outside, in encampments, or scattered across rural counties with little infrastructure. The awards went to 46 Continuums of Care nationwide.

What the Grants Fund

CoC grants support a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, outreach, coordinated entry, and services that meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness. For this round, HUD emphasized evidence-based strategies proven to end unsheltered homelessness, including intensive street outreach, Housing First approaches, landlord engagement, and partnerships with local health and behavioral health systems. HUD also committed to pairing the $315 million with housing vouchers to speed the transition from street to stable housing.

Awards by Community

The grants were concentrated in places with the largest unsheltered populations. The Chicago CoC and the Los Angeles City and County CoCs each received up to $60 million awards, the largest in the round. Other large awards went to Seattle/King County, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, and New York City. Smaller but significant grants supported rural CoCs, including those covering parts of Alaska, the Dakotas, and Appalachia.

Partnerships With the Housing Voucher Program

A key feature of the $315 million round was HUD's commitment to allocate Housing Choice Vouchers to awarded communities. The combination of CoC grants and vouchers was designed to make sure that as new units and services came online, there were also rental subsidies to actually place people in housing. Awarded communities worked with local public housing authorities to connect the dots.

Why It Matters

For years, unsheltered homelessness has grown faster than the overall homeless count in many U.S. communities. Encampments, vehicle dwelling, and street homelessness have concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, and rural pockets in the Sun Belt and Mountain West. The $315 million round was designed to target those specific hotspots and use proven strategies.

Rural homelessness is often invisible because people double up with relatives, sleep in vehicles, or camp in woods and fields rather than in visible urban encampments. By including a dedicated rural track, HUD aimed to reach populations that mainstream homelessness programs often miss.

Context in the Larger HUD Budget

The $315 million was part of a much larger annual HUD CoC funding commitment. In the same broader cycle, HUD announced roughly $3.16 billion in total homelessness assistance grants to communities nationwide, reflecting both this targeted round and standard CoC renewal grants. CoCs are local planning bodies that coordinate housing and services for people experiencing homelessness, typically at the city, county, or multi-county level.

What Homeowners and Neighbors Should Know

While the Continuum of Care program does not serve existing homeowners, the grants indirectly benefit communities by reducing visible homelessness, funding neighborhood-based services, and helping to stabilize people who might otherwise cycle between homelessness and emergency rooms, jails, or shelters. Homeowners in communities receiving these grants may see new outreach teams, supportive housing developments, or partnerships between landlords and CoC providers.

Getting Help

People experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their housing can call 211 to be connected with local CoC resources, shelters, and rapid re-housing programs. HUD maintains a directory of Continuums of Care nationwide, and community-based nonprofits typically serve as front doors for both outreach and intake. For homeowners facing foreclosure, HUD-approved housing counselors remain a key resource to prevent displacement before it begins.