HUD Interim Rule - CoC Program Interim Rule Amendment to §578.51(c): Increasing Mobility Options for Homeless Individuals and Families with Tenant-Based Rental Assistance

On July 31, 2012, HUD published an interim rule entitled “Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing: Continuum of Care Program.” The Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to address the critical problem of homelessness through a coordinated community-based process of identifying needs and building a system of housing and services to address those needs. In addition to allowing individuals and families to choose housing outside of the CoC's geographic area, this interim rule exempts recipients and subrecipients from compliance with all nonstatutory regulations when a program participant moves to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. This relaxation of conditions is consistent with the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, directing greater protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The amendment to the interim rule will go into effect on July 14, 2016 and is open for comment until August 15, 2016. Please visit the Federal Register page on the CoC Program Interim Rule to submit a formal comment.