Beyond the City Limits: Ending Homelessness in Rural and
Tribal Areas
2012 National Conference on Ending Homelessness
Lisa Coffman
Special Needs Assistance Programs Specialist
HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs
HEARTH Overview
The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid
Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act):
• Consolidates three of the separate Homeless Assistance
Programs under McKinney Vento into a single CoC
program,
• Revises the Emergency Shelter Grants program and
renamed it Emergency Solutions Grants, and
• Creates the Rural Housing Stability Assistance Program
to replace the Rural Homelessness Grant program.
RHSP Purpose
The purpose of the Rural Housing Stability Assistance
Program (RHSP) is to:
• Re-house or improve the housing situations of persons
who are homeless or in the worst housing situation,
• Stabilize the housing of individuals and families who are
at risk of becoming homeless, and
• Improve the ability of the lowest-income residents of
the community to afford stable housing.
Rural Definition
In order to compete, organizations must serve a rural
area or community, which includes one of the
following:
– Areas that are not part of a metropolitan
statistical area (MSA)
– Areas that are within an MSA and within a
County where at least 75% of the population is
rural
Rural Definition (continued)
Any area or community located in a state that
has a population density of less than 30
persons per square mile, and of which at least
1.25 percent of the total acreage of such state
is under Federal jurisdiction, provided that no
metropolitan city in such state is the sole
beneficiary of the grant amounts awarded
under this section
Funding
The Secretary shall determine the total amount of
funding to meet the needs of any geographic area in
the nation that applies for funding under this section
Funding (continued)
For any fiscal year, in addition to funds awarded under
subtitle B, funds under this title to be used in a city or
county shall only be awarded under either subtitle C
or subtitle D. THIS MEANS THAT AN AREA THAT
APPLIES FOR FUNDING UNDER RHSP CANNOT ALSO
BE A PART OF A CONTINUUM OF CARE (COC).
THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING AVAILABLE WILL BE
PUBLISHED IN AN ANNUAL NOFA.
Grant Awards
Set-aside – NOT LESS THAN 50% of funds will be awarded to an
eligible organization serving a community with A TOTAL
POPULATION of less than 10,000
• There will be a priority for an eligible organization serving a
community with A TOTAL POPULATION of less than 5,000
Communities without Significant Federal Assistance – Priority
WILL be given to an eligible organization serving a community
not currently receiving significant Federal assistance UNDER THIS
CHAPTER.
State Limit – A single state cannot receive more than 10% of the
funds appropriated under this subtitle.
Eligibility Criteria
HUD will determine eligibility based on the following:
• Description of the target population and description of the
types of assistance you will provide
• Description of the existing assistance that is available and a
description of how your organization will coordinate with and
expand existing assistance
• An agreement that the organization will collect data on the
projects, including assistance provided, number and
characteristics of persons served, and causes of
homelessness for persons served
Eligible Organizations
(continued)
• A description of how the population you will be
serving will be involved with the organization
through employment and volunteer services
• A description of consultations within the
community to ascertain the most important uses
of funding
• A description of the extent of and nature of
homelessness and of the worst housing situations
in the community
Eligible Activities
FUNDS AWARDED UNDER RHSP MAY BE
USED FOR THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES:
– Rent, mortgage, and utility assistance
after 2 months of nonpayment
– Relocation assistance
– Short-term emergency lodging in motels
or shelters
Eligible Activities (continued)
Eligible activities also include:
– Construction of new transitional or
permanent housing
– Acquisition and rehabilitation of a
structure to provide supportive services
or transitional or permanent housing
– Leasing property to provide housing
and/or supportive services
Eligible Activities (continued)
Eligible activities also include:
– Development of support services that use
community networks of services; and
– Costs associated with making use of
Federal inventory property programs to
house homeless families
– Rental assistance to provide transitional
housing or permanent housing;
Eligible Activities (continued)
Eligible activities also include:
– Operating costs for housing units assisted
through this program;
– Rehabilitation and repairs that are
necessary to make housing habitable
– Up to 20% of the funds may be used for
capacity building activities.
Matching Funds
Match requirements include:
– Organizations must leverage a match at
least 25% of the awarded amount
– Match may be cash or in-kind with a
memorandum of understanding
– Leasing grants are not subject to match
requirements
Selection Criteria
Selection Criteria will include:
o Participation of potential beneficiaries in
assessing the need for the project;
o The degree to which the project
addresses the most harmful housing
situations present in the community;
Selection Criteria (continued)
o The degree of collaboration with others in
the community to meet the program goals;
o The performance of the organization in
improving housing situations, taking into
account severity of barriers of the
population served;
Selection Criteria (continued)
o For organizations that have previously
received funding, the extent to which they
improved homelessness and the worst
housing situations in the community
o The needs for such funds in your
community
o Any other relevant criteria as determined
by the Secretary
For More Information
For more information on the HEARTH statute,
please visit HUD’s Homelessness Resource
Exchange at www.hudhre.info
To sign-up for the RHSP LISTSERV, visit
http://portal.hud.gov/RHSPlistserv