Let's look at the different aspects of project oversight in more detail. "Implementation of Project Activities."
This means monitoring the progress that a project sponsor makes in implementing a particular project or set of activities.
This aspect of oversight entails asking questions such as: Is a project sponsor providing the proposed housing
or supportive services to the intended target population? Are they experiencing any particular barriers to implementation,
say, for a TBRA project, not being able to identify suitable units in which participants can use a HOPWA voucher?
Is a facility-based housing project running significant vacancy rates? Are project sponsors connecting their services
and their participants to other care and resource networks in the community? Does the grantee itself experience delays
in implementation, such as managing procurement processes and awards in a timely manner?
"Compliance with Program Requirements and With Contracts." This is different from project implementation.
This means looking at the activities of a project sponsor and making sure that these activities are carried out in a manner
that is both compliant with federal and other applicable laws and regulations and consistent with the terms of their contract
with the grantee. This could mean asking questions such as: Does the sponsor accurately calculate tenant rent payments
in their facility-based housing? Are STRMU payments based on well-documented participant needs assessments?
Were all units approved for TBRA assistance inspected for habitability standards? "Performance and Outcomes" means
reviewing the performance data that is received from a project sponsor in the context of their planned outputs and outcomes.
Questions to ask include: Is a project sponsor serving the number of households proposed in their application for
funding and approved in their contract's scope of services? Are participants in HOPWA housing assistance achieving long-term
housing stability? And are they being connected to other care and support, especially case management and medical
assistance? And as a whole, is the grantee meeting the goals that it set out in its Consolidated Plan and related annual
Action Plans? If not, what actions are being taken to improve performance and participant outcomes? Project implementation,
compliance with requirements, and performance measurement will all be looked at in more detail in Module #2 of this series.
"Financial Management" involves ensuring that the project sponsor has sound and well-organized financial practices,
"Financial Management” involves ensuring that the project sponsor has sound and well-organized financial practices, policies and procedures in place. This aspect of project oversight asks: Do project sponsors submit well-organized
and thorough invoices in a timely manner? Were activities adequately planned and budgeted by the sponsor? Do they
have adequate internal controls and policies and procedures in place, to prevent fraud and mismanagement?
The monitoring and oversight of financial management will be looked at in more detail in Module #3.