Amarillo Homeless-Services Funding List Enters Appeal Window Ahead of Aug. 5 Deadline
A preliminary Amarillo ranking of six homeless-services projects has entered its appeal period, with applicants able to challenge their scores or rankings by 4:30 p.m. Central time Wednesday, Aug. 5.
The Amarillo Continuum of Care posted the initial priority listing July 31, one day after its Scoring and Ranking Committee reviewed applications for the fiscal year 2026 local competition. The list is a local funding recommendation, not a final award decision by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Six projects appear on the preliminary list
The city says the competition covers $1,105,003 in potential FY 2026 Continuum of Care funding. The preliminary allocation is divided into $272,397 for Tier 1 projects, which are expected to receive federal funding under the local policies, and $832,606 for Tier 2 projects that the community wants funded but that HUD may not fully support.
The official priority-listing image shows the following projects, applicants, rankings and requested budgets:
- FY2026 HMIS — ranked No. 1 in Tier 1; applicant: City of Amarillo, HMIS lead; budget: $183,408.
- FY2026 HMIS Expansion — ranked No. 2 in Tier 1; applicant: City of Amarillo, HMIS lead; budget: $88,989.
- Transitional Housing 2026 — ranked No. 3 in Tier 2; applicant: Another Chance House; budget: $200,000.
- Safe Steps: Transitional Housing (DV Bonus) — ranked No. 4 in Tier 2; applicants: Family Support Services and City of Amarillo; budget: $137,280.
- Coming Home: Gateway (Supportive Services Only—Coordinated Entry, SSO-CE) — ranked No. 5 in Tier 2; applicant: City of Amarillo; budget: $330,273.
- Martha’s Home Transitional Housing — ranked No. 6 in Tier 2; applicant: Martha’s Home; budget: $93,000.
The posted image does not display project scores. It also does not mark any application as reduced or rejected. The city’s schedule says applicants will be notified after the final local review whether projects are accepted and ranked, rejected or reduced.
Tier 1 and Tier 2 carry different levels of certainty
Under Amarillo’s FY 2026 policies, Tier 1 projects are expected to receive federal funding unless the government shuts down or HUD determines a project is legally ineligible. That language does not make the preliminary local placement a final federal award.
Tier 2 projects are projects the community would like to fund, but it is unclear whether HUD will allocate enough money to Amarillo’s Continuum of Care to support them. Projects near the top of Tier 2 are considered somewhat more likely to receive funding than projects at the bottom.
The policies describe the local list as part of the community’s funding recommendation to HUD. HUD’s national selection process will determine which projects ultimately receive federal support and at what level.
Appeals can change the list
An agency may appeal a ranking if it could leave a project unfunded in whole or in part, place the project in Tier 2, or reduce or eliminate a renewal project through reallocation. Appeals must address specific scoring factors and the points awarded from information submitted by the application deadline. The policies say new information and application omissions cannot be added through an appeal.
Formal appeals must be sent to CoC TX-611 at the Community Development office or by email to CoCTX611@amarillo.gov so they are received by 4:30 p.m. Central time Aug. 5. The appeal statement must be a short written explanation of no more than two pages, according to the local policies.
A three-member appeals panel is scheduled to meet Aug. 6 and notify appealing agencies of its decision by noon. The policies state that an appeal can result in an upward or downward change in a project’s ranking.
On Aug. 7, a CoC Executive Board representative is scheduled to review and approve the final scoring and ranking recommendation. The city’s timeline calls for the final ranking to be posted Aug. 10, HUD to be notified of each project’s status Aug. 11, the consolidated application to be posted Aug. 24 and the federal submission to be due Aug. 26.
What remains unsettled for Amarillo providers
The preliminary list places the City of Amarillo’s HMIS and HMIS Expansion projects in Tier 1. The four proposed transitional-housing and supportive-services projects remain in Tier 2, where their local ranking will be subject to appeals and their eventual federal support will depend on HUD’s later review.
The Amarillo Continuum of Care describes its role as strategic planning, resource coordination and funding work addressing homelessness in the city. The current competition could affect which local housing, data-system and supportive-services projects advance in the federal application.
No applicant responses to the preliminary rankings were available in the public materials reviewed for this article as of Aug. 3. The practical outcome for providers and residents will depend on any successful appeals, the final Amarillo recommendation and HUD’s eventual decision.
Sources
- City of Amarillo Continuum of Care public notices and competition schedule
- HUD Continuum of Care Program
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