GPD Capital Grant | VA GPD CG FY2022

Opportunity Information: Apply for VA GPD CG FY2022

The GPD Capital Grant (Funding Opportunity Number VA GPD CG FY2022, CFDA 64.024) is a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant opportunity aimed at upgrading existing Grant and Per Diem (GPD) transitional housing so it is safer and less risky for Veterans experiencing homelessness, especially during the COVID-19 national emergency. Backed by roughly $75 million from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the focus is on communities where the need is most acute and where the current transitional housing supply is not keeping up with demand from Veterans who are unsheltered. VA ties this need to national homelessness data showing that while overall Veteran homelessness changed only slightly, increases were concentrated among Veterans living in unsheltered locations. The underlying idea is that higher-quality, more private housing can make transitional programs more appealing and easier to engage for Veterans who have been difficult to reach or reluctant to enter congregate settings.

This funding is strictly for capital improvements to real property used for GPD transitional housing facilities, meaning it can support acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation work, but it cannot be used for per diem payments, services, or day-to-day operating costs of transitional housing beds. The central requirement is that funded projects must convert GPD beds currently located in shared or congregate spaces into beds located in private rooms with private bathrooms. By pushing programs toward single-occupancy units with private bathing facilities, VA is trying to reduce health and safety risks associated with close quarters living while improving dignity, privacy, and overall habitability.

Eligibility is narrow and intentionally limited to current GPD grantees with active Per Diem Only (PDO) transitional housing grants under NOFO VA-GPD-PDO-FY2020 who are eligible for an option year award starting October 1, 2022. Having only certain other GPD awards (such as a PDO Service Center grant, Transition in Place, Special Need, or Case Management) is not enough unless the organization also holds an active PDO transitional housing grant. Applications must come from the same organization and Employer Identification Number (EIN) tied to the existing PDO award (FAIN), and each EIN is limited to one application per currently active GPD PDO grant per VA medical facility catchment area. The work proposed also has to improve some or all of the beds associated with that active grant; temporary sites like motels used as an emergency measure during COVID-19 are not eligible.

The program sets clear funding limits and guardrails. An applicant may request up to $75,000 per GPD bed that will be converted from shared space to a private room with a private bathroom, and no more than $4.5 million total per application. The number of beds proposed for conversion cannot exceed the number of beds authorized under the existing PDO grant (and for programs where bed counts flex, the maximum cannot exceed the documented three-month average prior to the NOFO publication month). Beds that were already selected for funding under the earlier capital NOFO (VA-GPD-CG-FY2021) are not eligible under this round, even if that earlier funding is later declined, which is meant to spread resources rather than fund the same beds twice. Projects that involve capital improvements to a Service Center are not eligible; this opportunity is specifically about transitional housing bed spaces.

Housing specifications are detailed and non-negotiable in intent: every improved bed must end up in a private bedroom paired with a private bathroom for that Veteran. The bedroom and bathroom must be truly private, meaning no shared bathroom components (for example, a shared sink area outside the toilet room is not allowed), no partial walls, and no open dorm-style layouts. Walls must run floor-to-ceiling, each unit must have a door, and the layout cannot require passage through another dwelling unit. The combined bedroom and bathroom space must be at least 120 square feet, and the bathroom must include a shower and/or tub, a sink, and a toilet. While the primary emphasis is on creating both private bedrooms and private bathrooms, the NOFO notes that adding private bathrooms to already single-occupancy bedrooms can be eligible, although that type of project may be viewed as a lower priority compared with projects that create full private bed-and-bath configurations from shared space.

Compliance expectations are also significant. Facilities must meet VA inspection standards in 38 C.F.R. 61.80, including Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and the applicable Life Safety Code standards from the National Fire Protection Association. The NOFO highlights sprinkler requirements as a key consideration: facilities generally must have an approved automatic sprinkler system throughout unless specifically exempt under the Life Safety Code. Applicants are expected to plan for these code and safety requirements as part of their capital scope and budgeting.

Geography and continuity rules are designed to keep improved capacity aligned with the VA medical facility catchment area tied to the existing grant. After the project, the converted beds must remain within the same catchment area; moving to a different catchment area is not allowed. If a new or improved site is still within the catchment area but located far from the current program location, applicants must explain how they will manage practical impacts like access to VA care, jobs, and transportation. Importantly, grantees must continue providing the same level of staffing and services described in their FY 2020 PDO application (or as later modified through an approved change of scope), reinforcing that the capital upgrade is meant to strengthen an existing operational program rather than replace it with a reduced-service model.

The grant also carries ongoing obligations and potential repayment risk. VA references recovery provisions under 38 C.F.R. 61.67, meaning that if, during the required minimum operational period, the grantee no longer has an active PDO grant or fails to maintain bed numbers, VA can seek prorated recovery of capital funds. Occupancy shortfalls can also lead to bed reductions. A key administrative detail is that the operational period is tied to the project activation date, not the award date, with activation occurring after project completion and VA approval. In practice, that means organizations should only request what they can deliver and sustain, because the responsibility does not end when construction is finished.

Applications for this round were required to be submitted through VA instructions posted at www.va.gov/homeless/gpd.asp, with no alternate submission methods allowed. The deadline was firm: materials had to be received by the GPD National Program Office by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on December 6, 2021, and late applications were deemed ineligible. VA also emphasized complete-package submission, warning that separately arriving materials might not be included and could cause rejection or loss of funding consideration.

In short, the GPD Capital Grant is a targeted, COVID-era VA capital investment meant to modernize existing GPD transitional housing by converting shared accommodations into true private rooms with private bathrooms, improving safety and health conditions, and making transitional housing more attractive and accessible to unsheltered Veterans. It is intentionally limited to current PDO transitional housing grantees, tightly capped in per-bed and total request amounts, and paired with strict building, safety, accessibility, and long-term program compliance requirements to ensure the upgraded beds remain available and operational for Veterans over time.

• The Department of Veterans Affairs, Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program in the housing sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "GPD Capital Grant" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 64.024.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 03, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 06, 2021 No later than 400 p.m. Eastern Time on December 6, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for VA GPD CG FY2022

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