COVID Policy & AdvocacyNote: This webpage provides information about Federal COVID-19 Relief. To learn more about state and local policy and advocacy, view NACEDA Members' Policy Platforms. Biden Executive Order Extends Eviction Moratoriums On January 20, his first day in office, President Biden signed an executive order directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to extend the federal eviction moratorium, which is set to expire on January 31, through at least March 31. He also directed HUD, Veterans Affair and USDA to extend their respective foreclosure moratoriums and continue applications for forbearance for federally guaranteed mortgages until at least March 31, 2021. The executive order also calls on federal housing agencies to extend the foreclosure and eviction moratorium for federally backed mortgages at least through March, and allow forbearance applications to continue for federally-backed mortgages. On January 5, Department of the Treasury introduced the $25 billion Emergency Rental Assistance Program that was created by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Access the web portal and FAQs. Of the total $25 billion Treasury will have access to, $23.875 billion will be dispersed to states and local governments. The minimum amount a state (including the District of Columbia) can receive is $200 million, and allocations to eligible local governments (those with populations of 200,000 or more) will come from that state’s share, capped at 45 percent of the total state allocation. In order to be eligible for assistance, recipients must be renter households earning less than 80 percent of area median income who are either at risk of homelessness or housing instability or have qualified for unemployment insurance, experienced a reduction in income, incurred significant costs, or experienced hardship due to the pandemic. At least 90 percent of allotted funds must be used for the payment of rent and utilities and rent and utility arrears, and the remaining ten percent may be used for housing stability services, including case management, administrative costs, and other services to maintain housing stability. Biden Proposes $1.9 Trillion Relief Package On January 14, 2021 President-elected Biden released his $1.9 trillion legislative proposal for a comprehensive COVID-19 relief package. It includes provisions delivering direct aid to American families, businesses and communities, including essential resources and protections for America’s lowest-income renters and people experiencing homelessness. President-elect Biden calls for:
On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed a relief package that combines a roughly $900 billion stimulus deal as well as a $1.4 trillion FY 2021 omnibus spending bill. The general consensus among advocates is that the bill does what is needed for now. But more work will be necessary early in 2021 to keep communities afloat. The package includes a number of priorities for community development and affordable housing advocates. The package includes:
House Passes HEROES Act — $3 Trillion Relief Package NACEDA strongly supports the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, which was passed by the House on May 15. The legislation includes almost $200 billion in additional funding for housing and homelessness programs to help communities respond to the coronavirus. It also includes nearly $1 trillion to state and local governments to avert layoffs and $200 billion in hazard pay for essential workers and $1,200 direct payments to individuals. The bill is facing significant opposition in the Senate. These provisions will be of particular interest to the community development sector:
View a one-page summary, a section-by-section summary, and a resource on state and local relief provisions from the House Committee on Appropriations. This NLIHC budget chart compares the HEROES ACT and CARES Act.
CARES Act Stimulus PackageThe initial $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. It included significant funding for the community development sector.
NACEDA and our members advocated for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide adequate funds to underserved small businesses and nonprofits. View the NACEDA letter on PPP to Members of Congress. |