Last week, HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development (CDP) released two memos revising and extending statutory suspensions and regulatory waivers related to HOME Program Requirements and to facilitate the use of HOME-Assisted Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) for emergency and short-term assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. HUD initially released two memos in April 2020 that announced the availability of certain statutory suspensions and regulatory waivers for the HOME program. The first memo enabled HOME Participating Jurisdictions (PJs) affected by COVID-19 to use HOME funds to address immediate housing needs and to help prevent spread of the virus. The second memo focused on using HOME TBRA to facilitate housing assistance to communities and families experiencing financial hardship. HUD is extending the statutory suspensions and regulatory waivers outlined in the April 2020 memo through September 30, 2021.

The new memos make changes to certain waivers included in the April 2020 memos. The HOME Program Requirement memo includes changes to waivers focused on income determination for rental assistance, HQS inspections, and the use of HOME funds for operating reserve assistance for troubled HOME projects. The memo also includes a new statutory suspension and regulatory waiver of the maximum per unit subsidy limit and a new regulatory waiver for the income documentation requirement for owners of a HOME project in a sixth year of the period availability. Changes to waivers in the HOME TBRA April 2020 memo include eligible tenant-based rental costs and maximum TBRA subsidy, tenant protections, HQS, annual inspections, and income determinations.

HUD’s memo on HOME program requirement waivers can be found here. HUD’s memo on HOME TBRA waivers can be found here.

[mo-optin-form id="NIrLFwofHp"]