CPD Memo: Revision and Extension of April 2020 Memo - Suspensions and Waivers to Facilitate Use of HOME-Assisted TBRA for Emergency and Short-term Assistance in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Description

Note: The HOME COVID-19 suspensions and waivers issued to facilitate the use of HOME-assisted TBRA for emergency and short-term assistance expires on September 30, 2021. All resources developed under the Emergency HOME TBRA Toolkit (sample templates and forms) are obsolete after September 30, 2021.

This memorandum revises and extends the memorandum, Suspensions and Waivers to Facilitate Use of HOME-Assisted Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) for Emergency and Short-term Assistance in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic, issued on April 10, 2020 (the "April 2020 TBRA Memo"). Both memoranda links are provided below.

The April 2020 TBRA Memo announced the availability of certain statutory suspensions and regulatory waivers to enable HOME Participating Jurisdictions (PJs) affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to use HOME Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) to facilitate urgent housing assistance to communities and families experiencing financial hardship.

This memorandum extends all statutory suspensions and regulatory waivers outlined in the April 2020 TBRA Memo through September 30, 2021 (the "extended waiver period"), and revises or clarifies the following waivers:

• Eligible Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Costs and Maximum TBRA Subsidy – 24 CFR 92.209(a) and (h) and 24 CFR 92.64(a) (Insular Areas)
• Tenant Protections – Lease - 24 CFR 92.209(g) and 24 CFR 92.64(a) (Insular Areas)
• Housing Quality Standards - 24 CFR 92.209(i) and 24 CFR 92.64(a) (Insular Areas)
• Annual Inspection of Units Occupied by Recipients of HOME TBRA - 24 CFR 92.504(d)(1)(iii), 24 CFR 92.209(i) and 24 CFR 92.64(a) (Insular Areas)
• Income Determination – 24 CFR 92.203(a)(2), and 24 CFR(a) (Insular Areas)

Community Planning and Development (CPD) Field Offices shall inform PJs of the availability of these suspensions and waivers, including the revisions and additions to the April 2020 TBRA Memo. A PJ that intends to implement one or more statutory suspensions or waivers must send written notification via e-mail to the CPD Division in its local HUD Field Office through the appropriate CPD Field Office mailbox and to the Office of Affordable Housing Programs (OAHP) at HOMECOVID19@hud.gov.

Resource Links

• CPD Memo: Revision and Extension of April 2020 Memo - Suspensions and Waivers to Facilitate Use of HOME-Assisted TBRA for Emergency and Short-term Assistance in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic (December 4, 2020) (PDF)
• CPD Memo: Suspensions and Waivers to Facilitate Use of HOME-Assisted TBRA for Emergency and Short-term Assistance in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic (April 10, 2020) (PDF)
• HOME after the COVID-19 Waivers Video Series (HTML)

---