HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) posted an updated “Revised List of Eligible Coronavirus-Related Activities” on April 9. The document lists eligible uses that public housing agencies (PHAs) may carry out with the $850 million Congress provided through the CARES Act for Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Administrative Fees (see Memo 5/4/20 and 8/10/20). HUD stated in Notice PIH 2020-08 it would update the list of eligible coronavirus-related activities not included in the list in the notice and not currently eligible as regular HCV administrative costs.
There is one new eligible use under the heading “New COVID-19 Eligible Expenses Not in PIH Notice 2020-08 or PIH Notice 2020-18”: costs to meet technological needs, including computers and tablets, lent to voucher households with school aged children being homeschooled as a result of the pandemic. The public housing authority, not the household, ultimately maintains possession of the devices.
A new category of eligible use is under the heading “Vaccination-related expenses – PHAs can use CARES Act Supplemental Fees (and Operating Public Housing funds) for: expenses already in the original list, transporting residents and staff to or from a site providing the vaccine, and overtime or bonus pay for PHA staff assisting with vaccination efforts.
A new category with the heading “Newly added Vaccination related costs” includes:
- Coordinating with health units to provide on-site vaccinations at a PHA or other mutually agreed upon site
- Covering costs to develop or distribute educational materials related to COVID-19 or the vaccine
- Hiring health service coordination staff, including resident community health workers, to assist residents locate and sign up for the vaccine and health insurance coverage
- Providing individual or shared computing devices, such as laptops or multifunction tablets with keyboards, to allow for online registration
(See related article in this Memo, “HUD’s PIH Posts Guidance on Using CARES Act Funds to Access Vaccinations.”)
“Revised List of Eligible Coronavirus-Related Activities” is at: https://bit.ly/31XCj1Q
More information about the Housing Choice Voucher program is on page 4-1 of NLIHC’s 2020 Advocates’ Guide.