Advocate
Federal Advocacy
Current 2025 HUD Continuum of Care NOFO Application Update
FY 2025 Grant Renewals:
On January 26, 2026, HUD Issued a notice entitled, FY 2024-2025 CoC NOFO Notification Process For CoCs Not Submitting Project Applications Or a Priority Listing. The Notice provided instructions “to allow those applicants to voluntarily indicate to HUD their final decision that they will not reallocate, replace, or consolidate any FY 2024 awards for FY 2025, or submit any renewal applications that were not awarded in FY 2024 under the FY 2024-2025 CoC NOFO, and that they wish to rely solely on the 2024 application for the 2025 year.”
On January 29, 2026, Carolyn Gathright, the primary contact for the City of Des Moines, sent the following in an email to HUD: “As the Primary Contact for the Collaborative Applicant, City of Des Moines, I am notifying HUD that the IA-502, Des Moines/Polk County CoC does not have any new or renewal projects that meet the requirements outlined in Section IV.E.3.c of the FY 2024-2025 Continuum of Care Competition and Renewal or Replacement of Youth Homeless Demonstration Program Grants (FR-6800-N-25) (NOFO) for submitting renewal project applications via the CoC Priority Listing. Therefore, the IA-502, Des Moines/Polk County CoC will not be submitting any applications or a priority listing under the FY24-FY-25 NOFO.”
On February 3, 2026, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R. 7148), which contains relevant provisions governing the award of FY 2025 funds under the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. The Act requires HUD,
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“Prior to awarding any amounts through a notice of funding opportunity” (NOFO), to non-competitively renew for one year all CoC grants that are expiring or have expired in the first quarter of 2026 (i.e., between January 1, 2026 and March 31, 2026);
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To non-competitively renew grants that expire in the second quarter of 2026 (i.e., between April 1, 2026 and June 30, 2026) “if awards have not been made under a fiscal year 2025 notice of funding opportunity prior to April 1, 2026.”; and
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To non-competitively renew grants that expire in the remainder of 2026 “if awards have not been made under a fiscal year 2025 notice of funding opportunity prior to July 1, 2026.
FY 2025 NOFO:
On December 30, 2025, a briefing schedule was approved by the Court which stipulates the schedule for the Plaintiffs (i.e., National Alliance to End Homelessness, et al.) and the Defendants (i.e., HUD et al.) to file motions and responses to each other’s motions. The schedule culminates with HUD filing a final response to the Plaintiffs by February 6, 2026. The case will then be in the hands of District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy, District of Rhode Island, to render a final decision.
However, in a motion filed with the Court on February 5, 2026, updating the Court on the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R. 7148) and the contents of the Act that are pertinent to the litigation, Plaintiffs stated, “Plaintiffs intend to confer with the Defendants about how this development affects the scope and timing of the litigation and will update the Court as soon as possible.”
Homeward will post an update as soon as we obtain new information.
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To find out who your federal delegate is or their contact information, please visit U.S. Congressional website at: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
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*ACTION ALERTS*
Often times, legislative action occurs with little to no warning and requires mobilization of advocates to contact their respective legislators. Complete the form below to be added to the Action Alert newsletter.
Who are my state legislators?
Often times, it can be difficult to track who is your local State Senator and Representative. That information can be found at www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find
State Advocacy
Legislative Priority 1: Increase Housing First and Supportive Services (evidence-based practices) to Reduce Homelessness
On March 4, 2025, Senate Study Bill 1195 was introduced for consideration by the Senate Local Government committee. A companion bill, House Study Bill 286 was introduced in the House. This legislation goes against best practices and criminalizes homelessness, requiring city-created encampments, punishes any entity who assists those who are homeless, and mandates arduous reporting requirements. Cities could also be financially punished for not arresting individuals experiencing homelessness. This specific legislation is backed by the Cicero Institute. While this legislation did not advance through funnel, we remain vigilant to see if elements of it resurface in amendments tacked on to other pieces of legislation.
For talking points on how to respond to legislation criminalizing homelessness, please see the Housing not Handcuffs talking points HERE.
Additional local talking points can be found HERE.
Legislative Priority 2: Eviction Expungement
Homeward continues to advocate for eviction expungement . Currently, Iowa has no process to seal an eviction even if the eviction was resolved prior to going to court or if the eviction was made in error. Work still continues and HSB261 and SSB 1204 still remain after funnel. Amendments will be needed to each of these bills to effectively create eviction expungement.
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Eviction Expungement talking points can be found HERE.
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A fact sheet to understanding homelessness in Iowa can be found HERE.
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A fact sheet to understand how Iowa data compares to surrounding states, can be found HERE.
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A fact sheet published by Iowa Legal Aid related to 2023 and January 2024 eviction filings in Iowa can be found HERE.​​​​
For more on eviction record sealing and expungement, please see the National Low Income Housing Coalition's toolkit on Eviction Record Sealing and Expungement.
Iowa Homeless Coalition
Throughout 2024, several providers across the state came together to form the Iowa Homeless Coalition. This coalition of providers across the state is committed to addressing homelessness and housing issues. Our mission includes:
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Advocating for housing and homelessness policy at the state level.
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Raising public awareness about homelessness and housing instability.
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Enhancing communication among housing and homeless service providers.
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Offering relevant training for member agencies.
Current Board members include Ben Brustkern, Julie Eberbach, Angie Arthur, Heather Harney, Brandy Waller, J’nae Peterman, Crissy Canganelli, and Courtney Guntly.
If you would like to learn more about how your agency can join the Iowa Homeless Coalition, please contact Courtney Guntly or any of the board members listed above.
Advocates speak out against criminalizing homelessness. Over 430 public comments were logged against the 2025 bills. Social media posts were shared over 170 times and hundreds of individuals against criminalizing homelessness showed up at the virtual meeting while over others braved a blizzard to pack the rooms in person to testify against this harmful legislation. Thank you for showing up for our unsheltered neighbors!