Sec. 201 Homeless assistance funding
Emergency homeless assistance—
Authorization of appropriations— There is authorized to be appropriated under the Emergency Solutions Grants program under subtitle B of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11371 et seq.) $11,500,000,000 for grants under such subtitle in accordance with this subsection to respond to needs arising from the public health emergency relating to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Of such amounts made available, $4,000,000,000 shall be allocated in accordance with sections 413 and 414 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11372, 11373).
Formula— Notwithstanding sections 413 and 414 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11372, 11373), the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (in this Act referred to as the “Secretary”) shall allocate any amounts remaining after amounts are allocated pursuant to paragraph (1) in accordance with a formula to be established by the Secretary that takes into consideration the following factors:
Risk of transmission of coronavirus in a jurisdiction.
Whether a jurisdiction has a high number or rate of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families.
Economic and housing market conditions in a jurisdiction.
Eligible activities— In addition to eligible activities under section 415(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11374(a), amounts made available pursuant to paragraph (1) may also be used for costs of the following activities:
Providing training on infectious disease prevention and mitigation.
Providing hazard pay, including for time worked before the effectiveness of this subparagraph, for staff working directly to prevent and mitigate the spread of coronavirus or COVID-19 among people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Reimbursement of costs for eligible activities (including activities described in this paragraph) relating to preventing, preparing for, or responding to the coronavirus or COVID-19 that were accrued before the date of the enactment of this Act.
Notwithstanding 24 CFR 576.102(a)(3), providing a hotel or motel voucher for a homeless individual or family.
Inapplicability of procurement standards— To the extent amounts made available pursuant to paragraph (1) are used to procure goods and services relating to activities to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the coronavirus or COVID-19, the standards and requirements regarding procurement that are otherwise applicable shall not apply.
Inapplicability of habitability and environmental review standards— Any Federal standards and requirements regarding habitability and environmental review shall not apply with respect to any emergency shelter that is assisted with amounts made available pursuant to paragraph (1) and has been determined by a State or local health official, in accordance with such requirements as the Secretary shall establish, to be necessary to prevent and mitigate the spread of coronavirus or COVID-19, such shelters.
Inapplicability of cap on emergency shelter activities— Subsection (b) of section 415 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act shall not apply to any amounts made available pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection.
Initial allocation of assistance— Section 417(b) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11376(b)) shall be applied with respect to amounts made available pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection by substituting “30-day” for “60-day”.
Waivers and alternative requirements—
Authority— In administering amounts made available pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary may waive, or specify alternative requirements for, any provision of any statute or regulation (except for any requirements related to fair housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, and the environment) that the Secretary administers in connection with the obligation or use by the recipient of such amounts, if the Secretary finds that good cause exists for the waiver or alternative requirement and such waiver or alternative requirement is consistent with the purposes described in this subsection.
Notification— The Secretary shall notify the public through the Federal Register or other appropriate means 5 days before the effective date of any such waiver or alternative requirement, and any such public notice may be provided on the Internet at the appropriate Government web site or through other electronic media, as determined by the Secretary.
Exemption— The use of amounts made available pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not be subject to the consultation, citizen participation, or match requirements that otherwise apply to the Emergency Solutions Grants program, except that a recipient shall publish how it has and will utilize its allocation at a minimum on the Internet at the appropriate Government web site or through other electronic media.
Inapplicability of matching requirement— Subsection (a) of section 416 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11375(a)) shall not apply to any amounts made available pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection.
Prohibition on prerequisites— None of the funds authorized under this subsection may be used to require people experiencing homelessness to receive treatment or perform any other prerequisite activities as a condition for receiving shelter, housing, or other services.
Continuum of Care program— Due to the emergency relating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for fiscal year 2020 for the Continuum of Care program under subtitle C of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11381 et seq.) shall have no force or effect and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall distribute amounts made available for such fiscal year for such program based on the results of the competition for amounts made available for such program for fiscal year 2019 (FR–6300–25), except that grant amounts may be adjusted to account for changes in fair market rents.