HUD to Award Section 811 PRA Funds to 13 States

HUD and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the Section 811 Project Rental Assistance (PRA) demonstration awards on February 12. The PRA NOFA was released on May 15, 2012 (see Memo, 5/18/2012). Close to $98 million has been awarded to 13 state housing finance agencies to provide “rental assistance to extremely low income persons with disabilities, many of whom are transitioning out of institutional settings or are at high risk of homelessness.” The states awarded funding under the PRA demonstration are California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. The $97,849,801 in funding awarded will support 3,530 housing units for extremely low income people with disabilities.The Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2010 authorized a new project rental assistance authority, which provides funding for project-based rental operating assistance for extremely low income people instead of providing both operating and capital funds to successful Section 811 applicants, as has been the practice in the Section 811 program to date (see Memo, 12/23/2010).The announcement marks the first time that funds have been allocated for Section 811 based on changes made to the program in the Melville Act. The funds reinforce and support the implementation of the Supreme Court’s 1999 decision in Olmstead v. L.C. requiring that state and local governments support people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate for their needs. The awarded funds will also support the goals of Opening Doors, the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness (see Memo, 6/25/10).Click here for the list of awards.