May 2022

Affordable Connectivity Program

There is a new federal subsidy program that can help residents pay for internet service. The Affordable Connectivity Program, offered through many internet service providers, gives households $30 a month to cover the cost of internet service and a one-time subsidy of $100 for computer devices for eligible households. ACP is a $14.2 billion program made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

As recipients of housing assistance, public housing and Section 8 residents are eligible for ACP funding; the ACP subsidy is not considered income. To date, public housing residents are under-enrolled in the ACP program. We encourage you to make residents aware of this subsidy as it would increase their internet connectivity without added expense.

To assist with this, HUD has developed a Mini-Guide to the ACP to help staff conduct outreach and enrollment events. This guide covers:

• An overview of the program
• Tips and best practices from two PHAs that are actively enrolling residents in ACP
• Links to additional materials, including informational flyers in a variety of languages.

For more information, view the ACP Fact Sheet and read the Press Release.

Social Security Benefit Statements

Because of capacity limits due to COVID-19, the Social Security Administration office in Providence is encouraging that the public refrain from visiting field offices to obtain a proof of their income. The resident can obtain their proof of income online through MySSA. This is an efficient and secure way to get the information that they need. If your staff has the ability to access the EIV data exchange, please continue to use this to assist your residents in obtaining this information.

RentReliefRI Closing to New Applications on June 1, 2022

The federally-funded RentReliefRI program will close to new applications on June 1, 2022. Completed applications submitted by 11:59 pm on June 1, 2022, will continue to be processed and those that meet eligibility guidelines will be eligible to receive assistance after the closing date, which will be limited to past due rent and utilities, current month rent and 3 months forward-facing rent after which time there will be no further financial assistance available under the RentReliefRI program.

‣ Releases & Reminders

• HUD has withdrawn the "Valuation of Non-Shelter Services” Memo. See more here.

• Fiscal year 2022 Income Limits have been released and can be found here.

• Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Adjustment Factors for have been released and can be found here.
• Fiscal Year 2022 Utility Allowance Factors have been released and can be found here.

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 at pbca_eblast@rihousing.com.