chfa enews - section 8
April 15, 2021

hud announces third round of supplemental operating funds available for section 8, section 202, and section 811 properties

On Tuesday, April 13,2021, HUD's Office of Housing published Housing Notice, H-2021-01 Continued Availability of Funds for COVID-19 Supplemental Payments for Properties Receiving Project-Based Rental Assistance under Section 8, Section 202, or Section 811 Programs.

HUD is making a third round of CARES Act funds available to offset property expenditures to combat the effects of COVID-19. This notice establishes a third request window and updates the submission requirements. The guidance includes an April 26, 2021 filing deadline for owners of properties assisted under these programs to be considered for COVID-19 Supplemental Payments (CSP).

Per the notice:

"HUD recognizes that many owners are also incurring additional operational costs to maintain their properties in decent, safe, and sanitary condition when owners have reason to believe that COVID-19 is or may be present in the community.

To the extent that rent receipts and other project funds are inadequate to address these needs and meet other ongoing financial obligations, HUD is continuing to make available CARES Act funds for supplemental payments to offset recent property expenditures made in response to the effects of COVID-19."

what's covered?

The supplemental payments continue to cover expenses for additional cleaning and disinfecting, additional staff, face coverings, and other expenses to help keep properties safe for residents.

Specific eligible activities and purchases for which costs may be reimbursed through COVID-19 Supplemental Payments (CSP) requests include the following:
  1. Increased frequency of cleaning and disinfecting common areas and property management offices as a preventative measure.
  2. Intensive deep cleaning and sanitizing services in response to presence of COVID-19 cases at the property, which may include treatment in units being prepared for occupancy, in addition to common areas.
  3. Office technology and other equipment needs to facilitate social distancing.
  4. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as face masks and goggles, gloves, hand hygiene products for use by property management staff and for residents entering leasing offices or using common areas.
  5. Facility and equipment needs related to maintaining adequate social distancing, including but not limited to cough/sneeze barriers or modifying or limiting access to communal spaces.
  6. Site control measures to enforce orders to shelter-in-place, stay-at-home orders, or visitor-restriction policies within properties.
  7. Temporary staffing, contract services, and/or supply expenditures to maintain or enhance on-going service coordination in properties designated to serve the elderly or persons with disabilities (excludes service coordinator positions funded by a Multifamily Service Coordinator Grant).
  8. Temporary staffing increases to process higher-than-normal volumes of interim tenant recertifications requested by tenants due to loss of income (includes overtime and new positions; excludes “hazard pay” or other bonuses).
  9. Property operating costs associated with facilitating access to COVID-19 vaccination and testing services for residents that are administered by 3rd -party healthcare providers. Overtime for property management staff and existing service coordinators, additional cleaning, and PPE associated with conducting vaccination and testing events and temporary clinics at the property are among the eligible expenses.4 Also reimbursable are owner costs for transportation services, not to exceed the current IRS rate of $0.56 per mile, to provide residents access to nearby vaccination sites. Reimbursable expenses do NOT include the costs for provision of any medical care, such as the cost of individual tests, vaccinations, or clinical consultations.
Note: CSPs are only available to offset actual expenditures and may not fully reimburse all COVID-19 related costs. CSPs are not a means to receive funding for lower tenant rent contributions due to income reductions, extended vacancies, or unpaid tenant charges. To the extent allowable under current policies, these financial impacts can be addressed through Special Claim payment requests and through tenant recertifications with corresponding subsidy voucher adjustments as outlined in the HUD Handbook 4350.3 and the Multifamily Special Claims Guide.

expense timeline and request deadline

HUD will consider requests to reimburse eligible expenses incurred between the enactment of the CARES Act (March 27, 2020) and March 31, 2021.

This request period covers expenses incurred through March 31, 2021. Owners may prepare and submit one CSP Request, Form HUD-52671-E, for each of the following operating periods:
  1. March 27, 2020, through July 31, 2020
  2. August 1, 2020, through November 30, 2020
  3. December 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021
Note: Properties that received a CSP of any amount for the first or second operating period may not submit an additional request for the same time frame. Owners who were unable to meet the initial August and/or December 2020 due dates, or who submitted a request but were denied due to an incorrect signature or an incomplete data field on form HUD-52671- E, may submit for the prior operating period(s).

Requests are due to CHFA by April 26, 2021.

how to request funds

The form to request funds is available here. Tips and Explanations for completing the request form can be found here.

All requests must be sent directly to CHFA at this email address CSP@chfainfo.com no later than 11:59pm MT on April 26, 2021 using HUD Form 52671E (described above), including the accompanying certifications and signature page. Given current mandatory telework policies and limited access to standard mail, electronic submissions via email are required and may utilize digital signatures, consistent with Notice-H-20-04. CSP funding is not being provided on a first-come, first-served basis. All requests received by CHFA by 11:59pm MT on April 26 will be given equal consideration.

Requests received after this deadline may be evaluated only after all other eligible CSPs have been funded, and in no case will be considered if received after May 3, 2021. Owners may submit only one request form per property for each operating period.

Please contact Brian Miller or Chris Linton at CHFA using the contact information below if you have any questions during this process.

Chris Linton
Manager of Multifamily Program Compliance
303.297.7411

Brian Miller
Director, Asset Management Division
303.297.7489
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