A recent Urban Institute blog post examines the flexibilities states, counties and cities will need from HUD to successfully and efficiently use the new $5 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding from the CARES Act for COVID-19 relief efforts. The CARES Act provides some of the flexibility agencies need to implement COVID-19 relief efforts, including removal of the cap on how much a grantee can spend on public services (which is how emergency rental or utility assistance is classified), removal of the requirement that agencies hold in-person public hearings and permission for grantees to be reimbursed for activities related to COVID-19 response, regardless of the date the costs were incurred. But several unanswered questions about HUD guidelines, regulations and implementation framework will still be critical in how quickly agencies can use the funding.