Housing Voucher Program

 

The housing choice voucher program is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses and apartments.

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The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects.

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Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies (PHAs). The PHAs receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program.

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A family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family's choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program. This unit may include the family's present residence. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by the PHA.

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A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the PHA on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program. Under certain circumstances, if authorized by the PHA, a family may use its voucher to purchase a modest home.

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Housing For Homeless Program 

 

The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to promote communitywide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, and State and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effect utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

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The CoC Program interim rule provides that Continuum of Care Program funds may be used for projects under five program components: permanent housing, transitional housing, supportive services only, HMIS, and, in some cases, homelessness prevention. Administrative costs are eligible under all components. Where possible, the components set forth in the Continuum of Care Program are consistent with the components allowable under the Emergency Solutions Grants program. This eases the administrative burden on recipients of both programs and ensures that reporting requirements and data quality benchmarks are consistently established and applied to like projects. One significant distinction between the Emergency Solutions Grants Program and the CoC Program can be found in the eligible activities and administration requirements for assistance provided under the rapid re-housing component in this interim rule.

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The five program components that can be funded through the CoC Program are listed below. 

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Permanent Housing

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Permanent housing (PH) is defined as community-based housing without a designated length of stay in which formerly homeless individuals and families live as independently as possible. Under PH, a program participant must be the tenant on a lease (or sublease) for an initial term of at least one year that is renewable and is terminable only for cause. Further, leases (or subleases) must be renewable for a minimum term of one month. The CoC Program funds two types of permanent housing: permanent supportive housing (PSH) for persons with disabilities and rapid re-housing. Permanent supportive housing is permanent housing with indefinite leasing or rental assistance paired with supportive services to assist homeless persons with a disability or families with an adult or child member with a disability achieve housing stability. Rapid re-housing (RRH) emphasizes housing search and relocation services and short- and medium-term rental assistance to move homeless persons and families (with or without a disability) as rapidly as possible into permanent housing.

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Transitional Housing

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Transitional housing (TH) is designed to provide homeless individuals and families with the interim stability and support to sucessfully move to and maintain permanent housing. Transitional housing may be used to cover the costs of up to 24 months of housing with accompanying supportive services. Program participants must have a lease (or sublease) or occupancy agreement in place when residing in transitional housing. The provisions of the CoC Program’s TH program component have not changed significantly from the TH provisions under SHP.

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Supportive Services Only

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The supportive services only (SSO) program component allows recipients and subrecipients to provide services to homeless individuals and families not residing in housing operated by the recipient. SSO recipients and subrecipients may use the funds to conduct outreach to sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons and families, link clients with housing or other necessary services, and provide ongoing support. SSO projects may be offered in a structure or structures at one central site, or in multiple buildings at scattered sites where services are delivered. Projects may be operated independent of a building (e.g., street outreach) and in a variety of community-based settings, including in homeless programs operated by other agencies.

 

Homeless Management Information System

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Funds under this component may be used only by Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) leads for leasing a structure in which the HMIS operates, for operating the structure in which the HMIS is housed, and/or for covering other costs related to establishing, operating, and customizing a CoC’s HMIS. Other recipients and subrecipients may not apply for funds under the HMIS program component, but may include costs associated with contributing data to the CoC’s HMIS within their project under another program component (PH, TH, SSO, or HP).

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Homelessness Prevention

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Recipients and subrecipients located in HUD-designated High Performing Communities (HPCs) may use CoC Program funds for homelessness prevention assistance for individuals and families at risk of homelessness. The services under this component may include housing relocation and stabilization services as well as short- and medium-term rental assistance to prevent an individual or family from becoming homeless. Through this component, recipients and subrecipients may help individuals and families at-risk of homelessness to maintain their existing housing or transition to new permanent housing. Homelessness prevention must be administered in accordance with 24 CFR part 576.

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Safe Havens

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The Safe Haven program component is no longer eligible under the CoC Program. No new Safe Haven projects will be funded, but the CoC Program interim rule explicitly states that all projects eligible under the McKinney-Vento Act before passage of the HEARTH Act, including Safe Havens, may be renewed in to continue ongoing leasing, operations, supportive services, rental assistance, HMIS operation, and administrative functions beyond the initial funding period. The annual CoC Program NOFA will provide additional details.

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Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation SRO

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The Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation SRO Program component is no longer eligible under the CoC Program. No new SRO projects will be funded. Current SRO projects will continue to be renewed under the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997.