Background/Purpose of Request:
HUD PIH Notice PIH-2020-08 implements the funding provisions for Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Mainstream Programs in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) (Public Law 116-136), enacted on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act provides additional appropriations for housing assistance payments (HAP) and administrative fee funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.
The notice addresses HUD’s allocation methodology for the administrative fee portion of the appropriation and establishes new eligible activities to prevent, prepare for, or respond to coronavirus that may be funded with these supplemental administrative fee amounts.
The CARES Act provides funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including for public housing agencies to maintain normal operations and take other necessary actions during the period the program is impacted by coronavirus. The total supplemental appropriation for the HCV Program is $1.25 billion. Brunswick County received $100,971.00.
Under the CARES Act, the supplemental administrative fee funding may be used for only two purposes: (1) any currently eligible HCV (including Mainstream voucher) administrative costs during the period that the program is impacted by coronavirus; and (2) new coronavirus-related activities, including activities to support or maintain the health and safety of assisted individuals and families, and costs related to the retention and support of participating owners. Currently eligible HCV administrative costs under (1) include necessary upgrades to information technology or computer systems to enhance telework capacities and overtime pay for PHA staff to carry-out HCV Program responsibilities.
The CARES Act further provides that administrative fees appropriated under HUD’s FY 2020 Appropriations Act (P.L.116-94) for the regular HCV program may also be used for the new coronavirus-related activities.
The new eligible coronavirus-related activities are:
· Procuring cleaning supplies and/or services to maintain safe and sanitary HCV units, including common areas of PHA-owned Project Based Voucher (PBV) projects.
· Relocation of participating families to health units or other designated units for testing, hospitalization, or quarantine, or transportation to these locations to limit the exposure that could be caused by using mass transportation.
· Additional costs to supportive services vendors incurred due to coronavirus.
· Costs to retain or increase owner participation in the HCV Program, such as incentive costs (e.g., the PHA offers owner an incentive payment to participate in recognition of added difficulties of making units available for HCV families to rent while stay-at-home orders or social distancing practices are in effect.)
· Costs for providing childcare for the children of PHA staff that would not have otherwise been incurred (e.g., children are at home due to school closings, PHA staff are working outside of regular work schedules, etc.).
· Costs associated with the delivery of goods, including food and medical supplies that comply with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) requirements, to program participants.
· Public health-related security costs to enforce orders to shelter-in-place, stay-at-home orders, or visitor-restriction policies for PHA owned PBV projects.
· Administration costs associated with the implementation of coronavirus-related activities that are not eligible HCV administrative costs (e.g., paying overtime to staff to carry-out these coronavirus-related activities).
· Other costs either directly or indirectly related to coronavirus as determined eligible on a case-by-case basis at the Secretary’s discretion.
PHA Staff recommend using the remaining CARES fund to issue a one-time stipend to landlords who continued to participate and follow all guidelines throughout the COVID pandemic. See below for stipend methodology:
Remaining Cares Public Housing Cares Funding: $93,010.18
Total PHA rentals March 2020 – June 2021: 5,532
Per monthly incentive payment per tenant: $16.00
Example:
Landlord has 7 tenants. March 2020-June 2021 for all tenants, the Landlord received 68 payments. The Landlord would receive $1088.00 incentive payment.
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