COVID-19

The Senate reconvened yesterday, September 8 and the House of Representatives will be back in session next week. Both chambers have only a few working days to accomplish a myriad of tasks before they are set to adjourn before the elections: The House will adjourn on October 2 and the Senate will adjourn on October 9.

HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing is encouraging owners to inform residents of the eviction protections under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order and the required declaration form. The National Housing Law Project (NHLP) is working with partners to translate the declaration form. The form is currently available in Spanish, Vietnamese and Arabic. A Virginia landlord filed a lawsuit on September 8 and requested a temporary restraining order against the CDC recent order.

The Florida Housing Finance Corporation released a draft Coronavirus Relief Fund – Rental Assistance Application and three CRF Subsidy Request Report – Recap of Tenant Income Certification Templates. Comments on the draft application should be sent to CRFRental@floridahousing.org and comments on the templates should be sent to IssuesCRFTemplate@floridahousing.org by September 10, 2020.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) signed Executive Order 2020-700, dedicating $15 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Funds for a Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund. The fund is a statewide effort to prevent Kentuckians from facing eviction and to allow landlords to realize substantial payments for back rent.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) announced that the place in service (PIS) deadline has been extended by six months, going from December 31, 2020, to June 30, 2021 for all 2018 nine percent LIHTC developments.

In response to President Trump’s Executive Order on evictions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an agency order immediately implementing an eviction moratorium.

Minnesota’s COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program provides housing assistance payments to help prevent eviction, prevent homelessness and maintain housing stability for eligible renters and homeowners.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) released a technical assistance document on Equity and Accessibility Requirements and Strategies for the Homekey Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).

HUD recently announced that Minnesota Housing was one of 12 housing finance agencies from around the country selected to receive a Section 811 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PRA) Program grant. Minnesota Housing is working with HUD to finalize the selection in the coming months. Eligible

Over the weekend, President Trump issued three COVID-19 related executive orders (EO) on “Deferring Payroll Tax Obligations,” “Providing Assistance to Renters and Homeowners” and “Other Needs Assistance Program.” The presidential action comes as Congressional and White House negotiations over the next COVID-19 aid package have stalled.

HUD announced that it will begin Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspections of HUD multifamily and public housing properties and units later this year. REAC will prioritize inspections in states and localities based on the latest COVID-19 data from Johns Hopkins University and health risk scoring methodology from the Harvard Global Health Institute.

The National Leased Housing Association (NLHA) has formulated a survey to collect data to further inform what impact the pandemic is having (both short-term and long-term) on housing providers and the rental market. A report will be produced to assess the negative impacts of COVID-19 on rental housing providers, which will be widely distributed. The deadline for completion is Tuesday, August 18.