Emergency Assistance Now Available

Emergency funding is now available for rent and mortgage assistance to low-income families facing financial hardship due to economic disruption associated with COVID-19.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Colorado Division of Housing (DOH) awarded funding from Colorado’s Disaster Emergency Fund allocated through Governor Polis’ Executive Order D 2020 012 to 18 partner agencies. Two agencies will provide assistance to eligible Coloradans in all 64 counties: Salvation Army and Brothers Redevelopment. 

DOH established a new online mapping tool to help Coloradans identify the entity providing emergency funding in their location. We are also encouraging applicants to go through 211 as additional or alternative resources may be available.

In order to qualify for assistance, households must have earned below 50% of the Area Median Income for their county prior to March 11, 2020. Income guidelines are available here. 

COVID-19 & Homelessness 

A recent report from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California Los Angeles, and Boston University showed that persons experiencing homelessness infected with COVID-19 are twice as likely to be hospitalized, two to four times as likely to require critical care, and two to three times as likely to die from the illness as the general population.

The State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Homeless Task Force has launched a weekly Webinar held every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m, and Email Digest that collects guidance, resources, and strategies relevant to community efforts to address the needs of Coloradans experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The next webinar, scheduled for April 22, 2020 at 2:00 p.m., will provide updates on the CARES Act funds for the State of Colorado as well as State resources specific to supporting housing retention, preventing foreclosure, eviction, and addressing homelessness. All communications, guidance, and resources related to homelessness are available here.

Complete the sign-up form, available here, to receive these weekly updates from the State EOC Homelessness Task Force. Recent communications have included updates on Unsheltered Homelessness, Encampments, and Outreach, recommendations for Requesting Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance, and technical assistance regarding Public Assistance for Non-Congregate Shelters. 

CARES Act Updates

The world of COVID-19 shifts on a minute-by-minute basis. Many people are working on short-term responses and long-term recovery planning. The following information applies at the time this message was shared. 

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, provides more than $9 billion to state and local governments throughout the United States through three formula block grant programs: Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA). These supplemental formula block grant funds assist communities in their efforts to respond to and address the impacts of COVID-19. 

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) has not yet received contracts from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to allow the distribution of CARES Act funds. However, HUD has announced the following supplemental allocations for the State of Colorado once funding becomes available:
 

• ESG-CV
  • $7,363,152
    • Eligible Uses Under Consideration:
      • Rapid Rehousing 
      • Homeless prevention
      • Outreach and engagement
      • Shelter operations to expand uses of current operations to meet COVID-19 demands and extension of cold weather shelters;
      • Shelter improvements to meet best practices.
• CDBG-CV
  • $6,333,783
    • Eligible Uses Under Consideration:
      • Emergency shelter
        • Acquisition
        • Construction
        • Conversion
        • Rehabilitation
      • Subsistence payments 
        • One time or short term emergency payments
      • Short-term rental housing subsidies
      • Housing Security deposits 
      • Housing Counseling 
      • Housing information and referral services 
      • Infrastructure 
      • PPE and medical equipment
      • Business retention loans
• HOPWA-CV
  • $105,160
    • Eligible Uses Under Consideration:
      • Short-Term Rent, Mortgage and Utility assistance
      • Hotel/Motel stays
      • Transportation
      • Access to essential services and supplies
      • Nutrition services
      • Education on reducing risk
      • Infection control supplies

The State of Colorado has started discussions on the best use of these funds with the entities that are eligible for funding. Once these discussions are complete, the State of Colorado will publish proposals for these funds as draft amendments to the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan. 

Future emails and social media posts will detail the publication, public comment and virtual public hearing processes. The rough plan for these processes is described in the State of Colorado Pandemic Relief Citizen Participation Plan. These processes will be followed in this initial round of supplemental funding, as well as when HUD makes additional rounds of funding available. Submit comments regarding this citizen participation plan to Connor.Everson@state.co.us. 

Keeping Families Housed & Paying Landlords in a Timely Manner

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Housing's Office of Rental Assistance is proud to report that thanks to program modifications and accommodations adopted early-on, recently published statutory and regulatory waivers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as well as the commitment and flexibility of partner agencies, 
landlords have continued to receive payments in a timely manner and voucher program participants have continued to retain stable housing. 
 
Modifications and waivers of interest include, but are not limited to:

•  self-certifying "passed" HQS inspections so that participants can lease up in new units
• allowing self-certification for loss/decrease of income so that interim actions can be completed to lower participant rents
• pausing terminations so that participants can remain housed during the pandemic