- Laws, Regulations, and Federal Register Notices
Date Published: July 2012
The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program interim rule focuses on regulatory implementation of the CoC Program, including the CoC planning process. The CoC Program was created through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act As Amended by S.896 Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009.
The CoC Program interim rule was first published in the Federal Register on July 31, 2012 and became effective August 30, 2012. The public comment period closed on November 16, 2012. An updated version of the CoC Program interim rule was published in the Federal Register on April 1, 2017.
The updated version incorporates changes made in CoC Program Interim Rule Amendment to § 578.51(c): Increasing Mobility Options for Homeless Individuals and Families With Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, which was established in response to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. Prior to the publication of the updated interim rule, the Amendment was published and went into effect on July 14, 2016 and was open for comment until August 15, 2016 on the Federal Register page on the CoC Program Interim Rule.
The updated CoC Program interim rule revises section 578.51(c) to address the mobility of homeless individuals and families with tenant-based rental assistance; section 578.99(j) to provide protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking; and section 578.3 incorporating the final definition of chronically homeless.
Though not specifically reflected in the CoC Program interim rule, a notable change to the CoC Program has been implemented through the “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act,” signed December 4, 2015, under Section 79001. Authority to Administer Rental Assistance. The Act amends the HEARTH Act and allows nonprofits to administer rental assistance under the CoC Program.
Note that the final Homeless Definition and Chronically Homeless Definition are in effect for administration of the CoC Program interim rule.