About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


1 1 (May 13, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedhv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: s Congressional SResearch Service Housing Funding in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Updated May 13, 2021 According to Census data from late February 2021, nearly 19% of renters and more than 10% of homeowners with a mortgage reported having fallen behind in their housing payments during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In response, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA; P.L. 117-2), enacted in mid-March 2021, included nearly $43 billion in mandatory funding for housing-related programs intended to assist people experiencing housing instability and homelessness. (In addition to funding housing programs, ARPAprovided cash to individuals [e.g., individual relief payments, refundable tax credits, and enhanced unemployment benefits] that may also help families pay their housing costs.) ARPA appropriated funding to multiple federal agencies to provide housing assistance: the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) at the Department of the Interior, and NeighborWorks America, a government-chartered nonprofit organization. Funded programs include those developed specifically to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., the Emergency Rental Assistance program and Homeowner Assistance Fund), as well as existing programs. In some cases, ARPAdirected that funding provided through existing programs be used in new ways to serve people experiencing homelessness (e.g., Emergency Housing Vouchers and HOME funds); in other cases, the funds are to be used to respond to the pandemic largely within existing program parameters (e.g., Native American and rural housing programs). This Insight includes a funding table followed by a list of each program funded and a brief description of how funds can be used. Table I. Funding for Federal Housing Programs inARPA Funding Agency Section of P.L. 117-2 ($ in billions) Treasury §3201 Emergency Rental Assistance 21.550 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11641 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Membersand Committeesof Congress