News & Policy

Justice & Reentry Watch

Tracking the policy decisions, funding opportunities, partnerships, and program changes shaping criminal justice, reentry, housing, and nonprofit strategy—with Kentucky developments leading the way.

Last updated: September 28, 2026

National Housing Funding Policy

HUD Reopens $4.04 Billion Homelessness Competition

September 28, 2026

Following an appellate ruling allowing HUD to proceed while litigation continues, HUD reopened its FY2026 Continuum of Care competition with a new September 30 deadline. The competition contains approximately $4.04 billion, including a $1.3 billion set-aside prioritizing transitional housing and supportive-services-only projects. An emergency court filing seeking to halt or modify the competition remains pending.

Why It Matters

Kentucky Housing Corporation and local CoCs face an exceptionally compressed decision period. Existing permanent-housing providers face renewal risk, while service-focused organizations may gain openings.

Still Standing should not attempt to enter this competition independently. Its practical opportunity is to offer established applicants a defined reentry-support component: identification recovery, benefits navigation, employment preparation, family connection, mentoring, and referrals for people leaving incarceration without stable housing.

Read at HUD →

Latest Updates

National Policy Housing

HUD Seeks Comments on a Lasting Homelessness-Policy Shift

September 28, 2026

HUD is accepting public comments through October 13 on proposed incentives for transitional housing with employment and behavioral-health services, supportive-services-only projects, individualized service-participation agreements, sober or recovery-oriented housing, and coordination with law enforcement and first responders.

Leadership Impact

This is directly relevant to Still Standing’s survivor-centered and reentry missions. A strong comment should support funding for trauma-informed navigation and transitional services while opposing coercive requirements, blanket sobriety conditions, and law-enforcement involvement that discourages vulnerable people from seeking help.

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National Funding Partnerships

Correctional Crisis-Training Money Remains Available

September 28, 2026

BJA’s Crisis Response Training Program offers approximately $5.26 million, with eight anticipated awards of up to $650,000 and no match requirement. Government agencies, correctional facilities, probation and parole departments, and eligible educational institutions may apply. Grants.gov deadline: October 5; JustGrants deadline: October 13.

Leadership Impact

Still Standing’s most plausible role would be providing lived-experience consultation, trauma-informed curriculum review, or participant perspectives to a Kentucky correctional or university applicant. However, the solicitation also gives priority consideration to certain federal law-enforcement and immigration-enforcement partnerships, so any collaboration requires careful mission and values review.

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National Funding Policy

New DOJ Funding Underscores an Enforcement-Centered Direction

September 28, 2026

DOJ announced the $25 million ANGEL Grant Program on September 24. It is limited to state, local and tribal government or law-enforcement activities involving immigration enforcement, gangs, trafficking, detention and related operations. Grants.gov deadline: October 20; JustGrants deadline: October 27.

Leadership Impact

This is not a Still Standing funding opportunity. Its significance is strategic: substantial new justice funding is moving toward enforcement and detention while community nonprofits must compete for relatively smaller reentry resources. Still Standing should avoid reshaping its mission to chase incompatible federal money and instead strengthen relationships with foundations, fiscal sponsors and state or local partners.

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📈 Funding & Deadline Radar

Active grants, public-comment periods, application deadlines, and partnership opportunities.

HUD FY2026 Continuum of Care Competition

Closing Soon

Amount: ~$4.04 billion ($1.3B set-aside for transitional housing & SSO)

Deadline: September 30, 2026

Eligibility: CoC lead agencies, nonprofit project applicants

Still Standing Role: Offer reentry-navigation partnership to established applicants

Source →

HUD Public Comment — Homelessness Policy Shift

Open

Deadline: October 13, 2026

Topics: Transitional housing, service participation, recovery housing, law-enforcement coordination

Still Standing Role: Submit comment on survivors, trauma, reentry, and risks of coercive requirements

Source →

BJA Crisis Response Training Program

Closing Soon

Amount: ~$5.26M (up to $650K per award, 8 awards, no match)

Deadlines: Grants.gov Oct 5 • JustGrants Oct 13

Eligibility: Gov agencies, correctional facilities, probation/parole, educational institutions (nonprofits as subrecipients)

Still Standing Role: Lived-experience consultation or curriculum review for a Kentucky applicant

Source →

DOJ ANGEL Grant Program

Watching

Amount: $25 million

Deadlines: Grants.gov Oct 20 • JustGrants Oct 27

Eligibility: State/local/tribal government or law-enforcement only

Still Standing Role: Not a fit—enforcement-focused; monitor for strategic context only

Source →

🎯 What This Means for Still Standing

Practical actions based on this week’s developments.

  1. Contact Kentucky Housing Corporation immediately and ask whether any FY2026 CoC applicant needs a reentry-navigation or lived-experience partner.
  2. Submit a HUD public comment by October 13 centered on survivors, trauma, recovery, reentry and the risks of coercive service requirements.
  3. Approach one eligible Kentucky partner—such as a university, county, DOC unit or training organization—about contributing lived-experience and trauma-informed input to the crisis-training proposal.
  4. Create a one-page partnership module defining Still Standing’s services, deliverables, referral model and measurable outcomes so larger applicants can incorporate it quickly.
  5. Adopt a written funding screen covering mission alignment, participant safety, coercion, immigration enforcement, law-enforcement involvement and reputational risk before accepting government partnerships.

Justice & Reentry Watch provides public-policy and nonprofit-sector information for educational and advocacy purposes. Analysis reflects the perspective of Still Standing Initiative and does not constitute legal advice.