Continuum of Care (CoC) Funding

The Continuum of Care (CoC) program is a federally-funded initiative by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designed to:

• promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness;
• provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, States, Indian Tribes or Tribally Designated Housing Entities, and local governments to quicky rehouse individuals and families experiencing homelessness, persons experiencing trauma or a lack of safety related to fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and youth experiencing homelessness while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused by homelessness;
• promote access to, and effective utilization of, mainstream programs and programs funded with State or local resources; and
• optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Our local Continuum of Care is known as TN-502, and includes Knoxville and Knox County.

FY2026 CoC Funding Competition

Important Funding Competition Update

On August 7, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island vacated HUD's Fiscal Year 2026 Continuum of Care (CoC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), but as of September 17, 2026, a stay was granted upon appeal. This means the 2026 NOFO is active and all applicants need to submit their applications in Esnaps by September 23, 2026 if possible. This is a local deadline; if applicants need an additional day they should email Erin Read and Arielle Benson as soon as possible. More information is available on HUD's Continuum of Care competition page.

TN-502 Local Competition Status

Prior to the court's decisions, the Knoxville-Knox County Continuum of Care (TN-502) had already completed its local application and Rank & Review process in preparation for HUD's FY2026 competition. The prioritized project list can be found here.

TN-502 full CoC application

The new deadlines for submission are as follows:

Sept 23: local applicants should submit their applications in the Esnaps system

Sept 25 or 28: the CoC Board will approve the full collaborative application

Sept 29: final submission of collaborative application (ahead of HUD's Sept 30 deadline)

FY2026 Local Competition Materials

The materials below were used for TN-502's FY2026 local application and Rank & Review process and are being maintained here for reference and transparency.

Housing and Service Project Applications

2026 CoC Applicant Questionnaire TN-502

2026 CoC Applicant Scoring Guide TN-502

HMIS Project Applications

2026 CoC HMIS Project Applicant Questionnaire

2026 CoC HMIS Application Scoring and Rating Criteria

Completed materials should be emailed to Arielle.Benson@knoxtnhousing.org and erin.read@knoxtnhousing.org for submission

Agencies are encouraged to monitor this page and the CoC email distribution list for updates.

Resources for Existing CoC Programs

HUD has also released guidance to assist existing CoC-funded projects in preparing for renewal applications and ongoing grant management activities.

• Renewal Project Preparation Guide