Promoting long-term housing security: affordable housing and homelessness. Under the interim final rule, recipients may use SLFRF funds to provide a set of housing services to communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Specifically, the interim final rule provided that programs or services that address housing insecurity, lack of affordable housing, or homelessness, were responsive to the negative economic impacts of the pandemic when provided to disproportionately impacted households and communities. The enumerated uses included supportive housing or other programs or services to improve access to stable, affordable housing among individuals who are homeless and development of affordable housing to increase supply of affordable and high-quality living units. Many recipients have already announced plans to use SLFRF funds for affordable housing interventions in all of these categories. Treasury received many comments asking for additional clarity or flexibility in these uses. As detailed below, based on multiple public comments and questions and Treasury’s subsequent analysis, Treasury has determined that supportive housing or other programs or services to improve access to stable, affordable housing among individuals who are homeless, and the development of affordable housing to increase supply of affordable and high-quality living units are responsive to the needs of impacted populations, not only disproportionately impacted populations. This final rule reflects this clarification and builds on the objectives stated in the interim final rule to improve access to stable, affordable housing, including through interventions that increase the supply of affordable and high-quality living units, improve housing security, and support durable and sustainable homeownership. Finally, note that ‘‘emergency housing assistance,’’ or assistance for responses to the immediate negative economic impacts of the pandemic through services like financial assistance for rental arrears or mortgage payments, is also an eligible use category for assistance to households under the final rule; see the eligible use for ‘‘emergency housing assistance’’ above. The provision of housing vouchers and assistance relocating to neighborhoods with higher levels of economic opportunity remains an eligible use under assistance to disproportionately impacted households; for discussion, see the eligible use for ‘‘housing vouchers and assistance relocating’’ below.
