Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator (HSPA) Application
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
2025 Cohort
Important! These FAQs will be updated as we receive new questions.
- Eligibility
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Which states are eligible to apply? Only states with an approved 1115 demonstration or section 1915(i) state plan amendment that includes the coverage of housing-related supports and services for individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness are eligible to apply.
Who is eligible to apply in these states? Any state government agency, office, or department. If the applicant is not the state Medicaid agency, then a letter of commitment from the State Medicaid Director is required.
Can a state submit more than one application? No. Only one application per state will be accepted.
What happens if there are two or more applications for a state? If there are two or more applications from a state, only the application with support from the state Medicaid agency will be considered.
Can states who participated in the 2024 HSPA apply? No. States who participated in the 2024 Housing & Services Partnership Accelerator are not eligible to apply.
- About the Accelerator
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When is the launch meeting? The launch meeting will occur in February 2025. The meeting date and time will be announced when states are notified of their selection.
When will the Accelerator end? The Accelerator will end in December 2025.
What do the selected states have to commit to? States will participate in a virtual kick-off meeting, a state needs assessment process, up to 8 peer-to-peer learning tracks each 90-minutes in length, a community of practice, and final close-out webinar on lessons learned and next steps. In addition, states will participate in an in-person meeting in the Washington, DC area, with ACL, CMS, SAMHSA, ASPE, HRSA, HUD, USDA, and subject matter experts (with travel expenses covered for HSPA state team members). Finally, states will be expected to participate in one-on-one state coaching support from housing and services subject matter experts throughout the 12 months.
What are the benefits of participating? By participating in this 12-month Accelerator, states will have the opportunity to expand their knowledgebase around delivering effective housing-related supports and services, increasing collaboration and coordination across state and local health and housing agencies, covering resource gaps, and advancing ways to deliver seamless services to individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. States will also be recognized by the Housing and Services Resource Center and will participate in an in-person meeting in the Washington, DC area, with ACL, CMS, SAMHSA, ASPE, HRSA, HUD, USDA, and subject matter experts (with travel expenses covered for HSPA state team members).
Is participation in all 8 learning tracks a requirement? Yes, all selected states must fully participate in the learning tracks.
Is participation in the in-person meeting a requirement? Yes. Representation from core team members is required at the in-person meeting.
How many sessions will each learning track have? States will participate in eight 90-minute peer-to-peer learning track sessions.
How long will each learning track session last? It is expected that each learning track session will be set for 90 minutes.
What will be covered at the in-person meeting? The in-person meeting will allow states to meet and discuss the state’s goals and objectives, progress to date, lessons learned, and real-time problem solving with peer states and federal partners including ACL, CMS, SAMHSA, ASPE, HRSA, HUD, USDA and subject matter experts.
Will there be homework between sessions? Yes, state teams should anticipate spending one to three hours of time on homework between sessions. Additionally, states may want to dedicate some time in between sessions to debrief on their learnings and share with others within their state.
How much time per month might our main Accelerator team members expect to spend on Accelerator activities and communications? At the beginning of the HSPA, state teams would participate in a needs assessment (estimated at two to four hours). During the learning track months, state teams may anticipate spending five to eight hours in the 8 learning track sessions and on related homework. During months in which there is not a learning track, the Accelerator team will encourage states to accomplish specific activities in order to make progress toward their state goals; the amount of time needed would vary depending on the complexity of the work that the state team elects to accomplish. Finally, state teams that request state-specific technical assistance would need to devote relevant time to those activities (unable to estimate).
How do we determine who the state team members will be? States may engage with a wide range of partners during the HSPA but only require a few core partners for the initial application. Each state’s application will identify a core team comprised of representatives from each of the following: State Agencies – 1) state Medicaid agency (Required participants must include staff working on the administration/implementation of the section 1115 demonstration or section 1915(i) state plan amendment. Participants may also include other staff from state Medicaid operating/sister agencies, Money Follows the Person Demonstration staff, state Medicaid agency finance/budget staff, among others); 2) state aging agency; 3) state disability agency; 4) state housing and homeless agency; 5) Single State Agency (SSA) for Substance Abuse Services and State Mental Health Agency (SMHA); 6) state no wrong door system; and Community/Local Partners: 1) homelessness assistance programs/homeless service providers; Continuum of Care (CoC) programs; public housing agencies (PHAs); Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs); 5) area agencies on aging (AAAs); centers for independent living (CILs). (Examples of included entities are available in the HSPA Overview document.) Priority will be given to states with the most robust partnerships across state and local agencies in the housing, disability, aging, and health sectors.
Who is included in the state’s core team? Required core team members: State Agencies – 1) state Medicaid agency (Required participants must include staff working on the administration/implementation of the section 1115 demonstration or section 1915(i) state plan amendment. Participants may also include other staff from state Medicaid operating/sister agencies, Money Follows the Person Demonstration staff, state Medicaid agency finance/budget staff, among others); 2) state aging agency; 3) state disability agency; 4) state housing and homeless agency; 5) Single State Agency (SSA) for Substance Abuse Services and State Mental Health Agency (SMHA); 6) state no wrong door system; and Community/Local Partners: 1) homelessness assistance programs/homeless service providers; Continuum of Care (CoC) programs; public housing agencies (PHAs); Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs); 5) area agencies on aging (AAAs); centers for independent living (CILs). (Examples of included entities are available in the HSPA Overview
Will the Accelerator states receive special recognition? Yes, the Housing and Services Resource Center will publicly recognize the selected states and their achievements.
What funding is available through the Accelerator? The Accelerator program is a 12-month technical assistance opportunity for qualified states in order to help them maximize all state and local resources in the delivery of housing related services and supports. There is no funding attached to this opportunity.
- Letter of Intent
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Is the letter of intent (LOI) required? The letter of intent is required for a complete application.
When is the LOI due? Letters of Intent will be accepted on a rolling basis, but must be submitted no later than the application deadline of December 20, 2024, 10:00 a.m. ET.
How do I submit the LOI? Submit your LOI no later than 10:00 a.m. ET on December 20, 2024 (earlier submissions appreciated), using our form at: HSPA 2025 Letter of Intent Survey.
- Application
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When are applications due? Applications are due December 20, 2024, by 10:00 am ET.
How do I access the application? Access the fillable form on the HSPA webpage. Email your completed application, a letter of commitment from the state Medicaid agency (if not the lead applicant) and the partnership assessment by 10:00 a.m. ET on December 20, 2024, via email to the HSRC inbox at hsrc@acl.hhs.gov with the subject line “HSPA 2025 Application - [STATE].”
Whom do I contact if I need an accommodation for completing the application? Please send all accommodation requests to hsrc@acl.hhs.gov, using the subject line “Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator.”
What documents make up a complete application package? The package includes completion of the online application form and a letter of commitment from the state Medicaid agency (if state Medicaid agency is not directly applying) and the completed partnership assessment. A letter of intent must have been submitted by the November 20, 2024 deadline for your application to be considered complete.
How do I submit the application package? Email your completed application, a letter of commitment from the state Medicaid agency (if not the lead applicant) and the partnership assessment by 10:00 a.m. ET via email to the HSRC inbox at hsrc@acl.hhs.gov with the subject line “HSPA 2025 Application - [STATE]”.
What if pieces of the application are incomplete? All applications must address each of the questions in the application completely. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Who are the required partners? Required core team members fall into two categories: State Agencies include: 1) state Medicaid Agency (required participants must include staff working on the administration/implementation of the section 1115 demonstration or section 1915(i) state plan amendment. Participants may also include other staff from state Medicaid operating/sister agencies, Money Follows the Person Demonstration staff, state Medicaid agency finance/budget staff, among others); 2) state aging agency; 3) state disability agency; 4) state housing and homeless agencies; 5) Single State Agency (SSA) for Substance Abuse Services and State Mental Health Agency (SMHA); and 6) state No Wrong Door System. Community and Local Partners include: 1) homelessness assistance programs/homeless service providers; 2) Continuum of Care (CoC) Programs; 3) Public Housing Agencies (PHAs); 4) Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs); 5) area agencies on aging (AAAs); 6) centers for independent living (CILs).
Do we have to have all of our team members identified at the time of application? States may add partners at any time throughout the course of the 12-month Accelerator but are required to have representation of required core team members at the time of application.
What should the letter of commitment from the state Medicaid director contain? The letter should be on the state Medicaid letterhead, indicate the agency’s commitment to fully participate in all Accelerator required activities, and be signed by the current state Medicaid director. We recommend that the letter not exceed one page.
Can we include supporting documents? Applicants that are not in the state Medicaid agency are required to upload a letter of commitment. In addition, states are required to submit the completed partnership assessment form and attach it to the email submission of the completed application. While other documents may be submitted in support of the application, only documents deemed necessary by the selection committee will be reviewed.
- Interview
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Will all applicants be interviewed? Only the highest rated applicants will be interviewed.
When will the interviews be scheduled? Representatives from the highest rated states will be contacted by the HSRC Accelerator team to set up a time for a state interview in order to discuss state goals and needs and to answer team questions about the opportunity. Please indicate on the completed application all of the dates and times your team is available from the list provided (select all that apply). Please hold these dates as states will be notified in January of the scheduled interview date and time.
Is the interview mandatory? Yes, the interview is a requirement of the selection process.
When will virtual interviews be held? The interviews will be conducted January 15-17, 2025.
Who should be included in the interview? Additional information will be provided when the Accelerator team contacts you to schedule the interview.
What will the interview be like? The Accelerator team will ask a set of standardized questions for all applicants. In addition, the team may have questions specific to your application. If time permits, the applicant will be able to ask questions.
- Selection and Announcement
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What are the selection criteria?
Using information gathered through these application processes, the following criteria will be used to select participating states:
- Evidence of well-established and currently active Medicaid, aging, disability, and housing partnerships that provide a foundation for implementing housing-related services and supports;
- Approved section 1115 demonstration or 1915 (i) state plan amendment covering housing-related services and supports for individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness;
- Clearly identified goals and detailed strategies to improve or expand housing and services for the state’s target population(s) of persons with disabilities, older adults, and persons at risk for or experiencing homelessness;
- Clear articulation of technical support needs and the specific outcomes the state wants to achieve with the HSPA technical support;
- Designation of a staff member from the Medicaid agency who will have the time and resources necessary to be responsible for the day-to-day activities;
- Identification of a core team that includes: a state Medicaid agency representative, a state housing agency representative, a state No Wrong Door System representative, a state aging agency representative, and a state disability agency representative, a Single State Agency (SSA) for Substance Abuse Services representative, a State Mental Health Agency (SMHA) representative, a homelessness assistance programs/homeless service provider, representative, a Continuum of Care representative, a Public Housing Agency representative, an Aging and Disability Resource Center representative, an area agency on aging representative, a center for independent living representative;
- Degree to which the team includes cross-sector representation from state and local agencies in housing, disability, aging, and health;
- Alignment of technical support goals with other relevant housing and service activities in the state (e.g., state plan for addressing developmental disabilities, state aging plan, state plan for independent living, relevant SAMHSA grant activities, State Opioid Response Task Forces, plans to end homelessness, etc.);
- Capacity and readiness to begin work immediately upon selection for HSPA;
- Acknowledgement from the State Medicaid Director or letter of commitment if lead agency/organization is not the state Medicaid agency;
- Assurance that team members will have sufficient time and resources for the duration of the track.
How will applications be scored? Using information gathered through the application process, scores will be awarded to applications that show careful consideration, planning and description of how the applicant state meets the scoring criteria considerations provided in the application overview document. For states advancing to interviews, individual scores on the standardized questions asked of all state applicants will be added to the application scores of each applicant state.
When and how will the selection be announced? Selected states will be notified no later than January 31, 2025. Further instructions will be provided at that time.
- Other
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For questions not addressed on this list, whom may I contact? Please direct questions to hsrc@acl.hhs.gov, using the subject line “Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator.”