HUD has received numerous questions in the Help Desk and through Field Offices about leasing and rental assistance.  Many situations described in these questions are complex and describe circumstances that do not fall neatly into either leasing or rental assistance. In our review of questions coming in to the Help Desk, it became clear to us that who holds the lease cannot be the sole test to determine whether a project should be leasing or rental assistance. 
 
Over the past week, HUD has prioritized creating more detailed guidance to help grantees determine whether their project should transition from requesting leasing to requesting rental assistance. This afternoon, HUD posted a series of FAQs on the HUD HRE that are intended to help recipients do exactly this. Questions that are answered in this series of FAQs include:

• In the FY 2012 CoC Program competition, can a nonprofit apply for rental assistance in a renewal project?

• I am an SHP grantee considering transitioning from leasing to rental assistance in the FY 2012 CoC Program Competition. What are the characteristics of rental assistance that I should consider when making this decision?

• I am an SHP grantee that currently has leasing and operating line items. All of my leasing dollars are used to lease scattered site units and the operating costs support those units. I am planning to transition from leasing to rental assistance in the FY 2012 CoC Program Competition. Can I still request operating costs in addition to the rental assistance costs?

It is important to note that HUD is not forcing grantees to move from leasing to rental assistance.  However, recipients should be aware that they must become compliant with the regulatory requirements for either leasing or rental assistance going forward. HUD does not anticipate that recipients and subrecipients of renewal projects will be immediately compliant with the CoC Program requirements, but recognizes that it will occur through attrition as the lease terms end for current participants.  
 
To find the answers to these questions, as well as many more, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page on the HUD HRE and select “2012 e-snaps CoC Registration” as your topic and "Completing the GIW" as your subtopic. 
 
After reviewing these questions and the related webinar, if you think you made a change on your project that you should not have, and want to withdraw the change, please contact your CoC and the CoC can work with you to accurately record the correct information.  If the CoC has already submitted the GIW to the local HUD Field Office, then the CoC should request that the GIW be returned to them for revision.
 
We appreciate your continued patience.  

If you have additional questions, submit policy questions about implementing the CoC Program to the CoC Program Virtual Help Desk. Technical questions about the CoC Competition in e-snaps should be submitted to the e-snaps CoC Competition Virtual Help Desk.

This same webinar will be rebroadcast.

CoC Program – Leasing vs. Rental Assistance: Determining How to Classify Your Project on the GIW
September 6, 2012
3:30 – 4:30 PM EDT
 
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These webinars are limited to 1,000 participants and do not have prerequisites.