We anticipate HUD will initiate another round of COVID-19 Supplemental Payments in the coming months. We recommend owners/agents begin collecting proof of expenditures, etc. now in preparation. Please do not submit any requests until the round is officially announced as the required submission forms may change. At that time RIHousing will again accept submissions via covidpayments@rihousing.com.
The HUD notice for this program can be found here.
CDC Eviction Moratorium Extension
On January 29, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an Order extending the eviction moratorium to March 31, 2021. The Order continues to ban evictions for certain renters under Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 264) and 42 CFR § 70.2. As described in the Order, tenants qualifying as a “Covered Person” cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent when a declaration under the penalty of perjury is provided to their landlord. Residents who previously submitted a declaration should not be asked to resubmit and should have continued protections until March 31, 2021. The Order does not relieve the tenants’ obligation to pay rent, and tenants must continue to comply with terms under the lease. Nothing in the updated Order precludes the landlords from charging or collecting fees, penalties, or interest as a result of the tenants’ inability to pay rent on a timely basis. Evictions unrelated to nonpayment of rent can still take place.
Wellness Housing Program
Housing is now available for those who are unable to safely quarantine away from a household member who tested positive for COVID-19. If a resident at your site has tested positive for COVID-19, other household members may be eligible to quarantine in Rhode Island’s COVID-19 Wellness Housing. They may qualify to stay in a hotel, free of charge, for up to 10 days if they are unable to stay away from a household member with COVID-19. This can mean the unit does not have space to stay six feet away from a household member with COVID-19 or they share rooms or a bathroom with a household member with COVID-19
Fliers for this program are below. Please share with your residents and encourage them to call 211 and press “option 6” for more information.
In November 2020, RIHousing dedicated a portion of CARES Act funding for emergency rental assistance, known as HousingHelpRI to work directly with income-restricted developments to address rental arrearage of low-income tenants. The process included the ability for RIHousing to make batch payments of rental assistance directly to Property Owners/Agents. We are happy to report that we have been able to assist 433 families and have made $739,240 in rental assistance payments. Please note: the HousingHelpRI program has now closed.
Make sure you are reporting each instance of COVID-19 at your site(s) to RIHousingusing this form.
We'd love to hear from you!
We hope you've found this edition of Property Matters to be helpful to you and your work. If you have thoughts or suggestions for this e-newsletter, please share with us atpbca_eblast@rihousing.com.
RIHousing, 44 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903
