HUD’s Office of Affordable Housing Programs (OAHP) sent a HUD Exchange email reminding stakeholders of the online version of Building Home, a 12-module training program about the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). The Building HOME online training is a guide providing the HOME program’s regulatory requirements and practical advice for implementing HOME activities at the state and local levels. The training presents real-world scenarios and includes challenge questions and exams. It is designed to help those new to the HOME Program or those who want to deepen their knowledge.
Module 9 about the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) option is particularly useful because OAHP issued waivers on April 10 in order to make it easier to use TBRA to meet urgent housing assistance needs for households experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic (see Memo, 4/20).
OAHP suggests taking the first three modules in order because they are core modules that cover program-wide basics. OAHP indicates the importance of completing these core modules before taking the remaining modules, but this is not required. Users can skip ahead to Module 9 TBRA if that is of immediate importance in order to meet coronavirus pandemic housing needs. See an article in this issue of Memo regarding a June 10 webinar on pandemic-related TBRA program waivers.
The 12 modules are: Overview, Program Requirements, Program Administration, Homeowner Rehab Programs, Homebuyer Programs, Rental Housing Activities, Rental Housing: Long-term Compliance, CHDOs (Community Housing Development Organizations), TBRA (tenant-based rental assistance), Match Requirements, Reporting and IDIS, and Other Federal Requirements.
The online version builds upon the very helpful 2008 PDF version of Building HOME, still on the HOME HUD Exchange website at: https://bit.ly/2Rl76Qs
Access to the Building HOME online training is at: https://bit.ly/2U7hc9T
More information about HOME is on page 5-3 of NLIHC’s 2020 Advocates’ Guide.