On June 8, HUD released the launch of a new initiative focused on better assisting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) youth experiencing homelessness. The initiative concentrates on partnering with stakeholders to address barriers to housing and access to shelters. The Department will work to encourage communities to develop solutions in meeting the needs of LGBTQI+ youth populations.

Technical assistance and recurrent training will be provided by HUD to shelters and service providers discussing resources and methods for better supporting LGBTQI+ youth. Additionally, listening sessions will be held by HUD with LGBTQI+ youth across the country in the near future.

Stakeholders should expect the release of a HUD toolkit focused on best practices in supporting LGBTQI+ youth and a FAQ about complying with the Equal Access Rule and Fair Housing Act in the coming months.

For new actions announced by the Biden-Harris Administration to protect LGBTQI+ communities, please see here.

On June 5, HUD announced that they will make $43,439,000 in funding available for 3,379 Stability Vouchers. The vouchers are targeted to address homelessness among people in unsheltered settings and in rural communities.  The vouchers will be made available to 135 public housing authorities (PHAs) and partnering Continuum of Care (CoC) communities within 34 States.

Funding for the Stability Vouchers was made available through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which emphasizes the purpose of assisting families at risk of homelessness and those experiencing or attempting to flee domestic violence and sexual assault. A notice of interest (Notice PIH 2022-24) for the Stability Voucher Program, which explained procedures and requirements of the program, was published by HUD in August of 2022 and ended in October 2022.

All recipients of the awarded vouchers received at a minimum five vouchers. The range of vouchers received varied from five all the way to 377 vouchers to a single PHA.

For the full list of PHAs and partnering CoCs to receive funding please see here.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness (the Alliance) released their 2023 State of Homelessness report on May 16. It provides an overview of homelessness within the U.S. in 2022 and uses data from HUD’s 2022 Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR) to analyze different trends.

According to their analysis, the Alliance estimates that 18 out of every 10,000 people experienced homelessness across the U.S. in 2022 based on the data taken from HUD. The report highlights rates of homelessness that have shown to rise since 2017 with a modest increase between 2020 and 2022 of nearly 2,000 people.

Most significantly, the report includes various charts and graphs highlighting the number of people experiencing homelessness by type, race/ethnicity, and gender. It also includes charts that display different data revolved around unsheltered homeless populations and rates/trends of homelessness by state.

For the full report, please see here.

On April 7, HUD released Notice PIH 2023-08, which clarifies policies, statutes and regulations that apply to agency regionalization implemented under the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration program. Regionalization is an optional approach that agencies may take to more efficiently provide housing assistance and services for low-income families.

As authorized in the 2016 Appropriations Act, MTW agencies who are interested in regionalization may request to HUD, with one or more adjacent PHAs, designation as a regional agency. These agencies have the authority to administer Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and public housing assistance within their given region.

The notice lays out the various options and requirements of those options agencies would have to adhere to in pursuing regionalization.

There are two options in pursuing regionalization, which include:

1. Transfer/consolidation of programs, or;
2. Through a Management Agreement

All MTW agencies that apply for regionalization, no matter the option they choose, must submit responses to supplemental MTW regionalization questions listed in the notice. These questions range from “why is a Regional MTW agency is needed?” to “how would the proposed Regional MTW agency achieve the statutory objectives of the MTW Demonstration…?” There are also a number of other documents that must be submitted highlighted in the notice.

For more detail on the requirements of each option in pursuing regionalization, please see the next edition of the NAHRO Monitor on April 30, 2023.

To view the full notice on MTW Regionalization, please see here.

On April 17, HUD announced $171.2 million in funding for 115 new projects within 29 Continuum of Care (CoC) communities. Additionally, HUD will provide 3,362 Stability Vouchers to 139 PHAs who have partnered with CoC grantees totaling $43 million.

Allocated funds for CoCs will be used to address unsheltered and rural homelessness in 62 communities. The vouchers, which were by invitation only from HUD to certain PHAs, if accepted, would be for rental assistance for people experiencing or are at-risk of homelessness.

In total, HUD states they have now provided $486 million for CoC communities. The funding is in alignment with the goal of addressing unsheltered and rural homelessness, which has been a main focus of HUD and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).

For the full list of grant awards please see here.

On April 18, HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development published a notice of change that removes the Three-Year Requirement, which specified that 80 percent of a Community Development Block Grant CARES Act (CDBG–CV) grant must be expended within three years of the grant agreement execution date. The notice maintains the Period of Performance requirement, which still requires grantees to expend all CDBG-CV funds within six years.

In response to member concerns of the Three-Year Requirement, NAHRO submitted a letter to HUD in February 2023 requesting that the requirement be waived. The removal of the Three-Year Requirement provides grantees the ability to expend all of their CDBG-CV funds in a reasonable amount of time.

The requirement, which was written into the CDBG-CV program rules notice in August of 2020, did not account for supply chain issues, prolonged shutdowns, and other issues that prevented funds from being used. The notice of change acknowledges this as their reason for the removal of the requirement and provides further detail of their evaluation.

To view the notice, please see here.

For the NAHRO’s letter to HUD please see here.

On April 4, HUD released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for fiscal year 2023 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. The grants are meant to assist communities with severely distressed housing to develop transformation plans that may revitalize the area. Applications are due June 6, 2023.

The Department has allocated up to $10 million for Planning Grants in total with up to $500,000 available for each grantee. Planning Grants for the program last two years.

Eligibilty

Those who qualify as a public housing agency, local government, tribal entity, or 501(c)(3) nonprofit are eligible to apply. Applications from communities of all sizes are welcome, as there is no restriction or capacity limit on how large or small a community is. In addition, applicants must target an eligible housing project and be located in an eligible neighborhood (15 percent of residents estimated to be in poverty or have extremely low incomes based on U.S. Census Bureau data).

For more information on program requirements and eligible activities please see the next edition of the NAHRO Monitor April 17.

For the full NOFO please see here.

Allocation Plans for the HOME-American Rescue Plan (ARP) program are due March 31, 2023. The Plans are a requirement for participating jurisdictions who were appropriated funds under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to provide homelessness assistance and supportive services. Failure to submit an Allocation Plan by the deadline will result in the automatic loss of the HOME-ARP allocation.

Participating jurisdictions must show how they will use HOME-ARP funds and their Plan must include the following:

• A summary of the consultation process and results of upfront consultation;
• An assessment of gaps in housing and shelter inventory, homeless assistance and services, and homelessness prevention service delivery system;
• A summary of comments received through the public participation process and a summary of any comments or recommendations not accepted and the reasons why;
• A description of HOME-ARP qualifying populations within the jurisdiction;
• An assessment of unmet needs of each qualifying population;
• A summary of the planned use of HOME-ARP funds for eligible activities based on the unmet needs of the qualifying populations;
• An estimate of the number of housing units for qualifying populations the PJ will produce or preserve with its HOME-ARP allocation; and
• A description of any preferences for individuals and families in a particular qualifying population or a segment of a qualifying population.

For the full notice of Allocation Plan deadline requirements please see here.

On Thursday, March 16 at 2 p.m. ET, NAHRO will be hosting an eBrieifing on Cybersecurity titled “Protecting Your Agency From Cybersecurity Threats.” This free virtual webinar will feature speakers Brandon White from the Oakland Housing Authority and Ed Malaspina from HAI Group,  a member-owned insurance carrier founded by and dedicated to the public and affordable housing communities.

Presenters will bring advanced knowledge and experience in cybersecurity training for housing organizations. These experts will provide resources and tips for housing related agencies in protecting their data and resources from cyber threats.

To register, please see here.

In Feb. 2023, HUD released Notice CPD-23-01, which provides guidance on the submission process of Consolidated Plans and Action Plans for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Housing Trust Fund (HTF), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) formula grantees and participating jurisdictions (PJs). The latest submission deadline for each applicable Plan is Aug. 16, 2023.

The notice for FY 2023 Consolidated Plans and Action Plans includes instructions on:

• applications of waivers
• participation requirements
• costs incurred prior to execution of a grant agreement
• information of waivers for pre-award costs of Entitlement CDBG grantees and HOME PJs
• specific provisions

Consolidated Plans and Action Plans may have different submission deadlines and procedures depending on the program and start date–the notice outlines these differences.

CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA

Funding allocations, which were announced on Feb. 27 for CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA grantees, amount to nearly $5.6 billion in formula funds. As allocation letters are expected to be sent to grantees by HUD shortly, grantees must ensure that the actual FY 2023 allocation amounts are reflected in form SF-424 prior to submission.

Each jurisdiction should submit its Consolidated Plan at least 45 days before the start of its program year. Submissions may be delayed by grantees and PJs 60 days after the FY 2023 allocation announcement date for those whose normal Consolidated Plan/Action Plan submission deadline is no later than the 60 day timeline.

Submission deadlines cannot be waived under these programs as the requirement is established by statute.

HTF

For HTF grantees, allocations are expected to be announced in April 2023 at the earliest. These allocation dates differ from the other programs due to source of funding, which are mandatory set-aside amounts that come from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac instead of federal appropriations.

In cases where States would like to submit Plans before HTF allocations are released, they may submit their Plans for other Community Planning and Development (CPD) programs and then submit their HTF allocation plan as a substantial amendment to its annual Action Plan after HTF allocations are released.

While HTF formula grants are not subject to the same Aug. 16 deadline, grantees that receive CDBG funding are required to follow deadline requirements under the program for the submission of Action Plans.

For more information on the notice and the instructions provided, please see our next edition of the NAHRO Monitor on March 15.

For the original notice please see here.