THE WEEK IN HOUSING
RECENT NEWS & UPDATES FROM MINNESOTA NAHRO
Next COVID Update with Minnesota NAHRO
Friday, March 26 at 10am – Save the Date
Mark your calendar for our next COVID call which will provide an update on what’s happening at the state and federal level. This timely event will help you keep track of all the programs and resources that will be available in the coming months. Registration opens next week.
$1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan Signed Into Law
Excerpted from NAHRO News
This week Congress passed and President Biden signed into law more than $30 billion in additional housing and rent relief today as part of a $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP). The ARP includes the first major expansion of voucher availability in years, targeting $5 billion in one-time use vouchers to at-risk populations.
The ARP also includes $100 million for emergency assistance for rural housing through Sept. 20, 2022. The funds are available for grants in lieu of debt forgiveness or payments for eligible households for temporary adjustment of income losses for residents of housing financed or assisted under USDA Section 514, 515, or 516.
The ARP contains an additional $21.55 billion for emergency rental assistance that will be administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury. These funds expand the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) that was created in the fiscal year 2021 omnibus appropriations in December 2020. These funds will be distributed to states and local jurisdictions with at least 200,000 people. The grantee, tenant eligibility, and eligible uses remain very similar. A new eligibility group is established for high-need grantees.
Use this link to read NAHRO’s overview of the key housing elements.
Preparing Your Housing Authority for New Emergency Vouchers
NAHRO Webinar March 17 at 11am CST
Join the NAHRO team next week as we explore how PHAs will get access to these new American Rescue Plan emergency vouchers, which families will be eligible for them, and other important details. Bring your questions and the NAHRO team will provide the latest information so your PHA will be ready to administer these vouchers as soon as they are available! Free for members, $25 for non-members!
Marcia Fudge Confirmed as HUD Secretary
On March 10, the full Senate voted to confirm Marcia Fudge as the 18th Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The final vote was largely bipartisan, with 66 senators voting to approve her nomination. Vice President Kamala Harris will officially swear in Secretary Fudge through a virtual ceremony this afternoon. Fudge will be first woman to serve as HUD Secretary since Patricia R. Harris left the position in 1979.
Reminders
Scholarship nominations due March 19th
“What Home Means To Me” Poster Contest submissions due March 25th
