The U.S. Department of the Treasury on August 25 issued an updated frequently asked questions (FAQs) document to support state and local governments in expediting the distribution of emergency rental assistance (ERA) to households in need (see Memo, 8/30). The revised FAQ provides explicit permission for ERA grantees to rely on self-attestation to document each aspect of a household’s eligibility for ERA, including financial hardship, the risk of homelessness or housing instability, and income.
To speed assistance, the revised guidance allows state and local grantees to provide advance payments in two instances: 1) when providing a portion of estimated bulk payments to landlords and utility providers (see FAQ #38) and 2) when partnering with nonprofit organizations to deliver advance assistance to households at risk of eviction while their applications are being processed (see FAQ #42). Under both circumstances, grantees must receive all required application and eligibility documentation within six months.
The requirement that grantees satisfy all application and documentation requirements within six months only concerns instances in which grantees provide advance bulk payments based on estimated arrears and when grantees partner with nonprofits organizations to provide advance payments. Grantees relying on self-attestation to document an applicant’s eligibility in other cases are not required to obtain documentation within six months.
Read Treasury’s revised ERA FAQ at: https://bit.ly/3sOFu8w
Read Treasury’s press release on the new guidance at: https://bit.ly/3jlvdOe
Read NLIHC’s fact sheet to learn more about self-attestation at: https://bit.ly/3l39GcE