Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program
The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) was authorized in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), providing a one-time appropriation of $1.5 billion. HPRP provides homelessness prevention assistance to households that would otherwise become homeless, and provides rapid re-housing assistance to persons who are homeless as defined by section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302).To date, HPRP has prevented more than 875,000 people from falling into homelessness or to rapidly re-house them if they do. For more detailed information on funded HPRP programs and their outcomes and successes, visit HPRP's page at HUD HRE.
Grantees may allocate funds to four different eligible activities:
- Financial Assistance. Under the Financial Assistance category, there are six eligible costs types: rental assistance/arrears, utility assistance/arrears, security deposits, utility deposits, moving cost assistance, and hotel/motel vouchers. Eligible participants may receive up to 18 months of rental assistance in order to obtain or remain in housing, including up to six months of arrears. Grantees have the discretion to determine how to structure the rental subsidy.
- Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services. Eligible program participants may receive up to 18 months of housing relocation and stabilization services. Eligible activities include case management, outreach and engagement, housing search and placement, legal services, and credit repair.
- Data Collection and Evaluation. HPRP funds may be used for appropriate and reasonable costs associated with data collection and reporting through the use of Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) or a comparable client-level database.
- Administrative Costs. Eligible administrative costs include those associated with accounting for the use of HPRP funds, preparing reports for submission to HUD, obtaining program audits, and other costs related to administering the grant, as well as grantee and subgrantee staff salaries associated with these administrative costs.
Eligible Applicants:
States, U.S. territories, metropolitan cities, or urban counties were eligible grantees for HPRP funding. Grantees were allowed to subgrant funds to local units of government, which may include metropolitan cities and urban counties that receive HPRP funds directly from HUD, and/or to private nonprofit organizations.
Eligible Beneficiaries:
There are three Federal eligibility criteria for receipt of HPRP assistance:
- The household must at least have an initial consultation with a case manager or other authorized representative who can determine the appropriate type of assistance to meet their needs.
- The household must be at or below 50 percent of Area Median Income (AMI).
- The household must be either homeless or at risk of losing its housing and meet both of the following circumstances: (a) no appropriate subsequent housing options have been identified; AND (b) the household lacks the financial resources and support networks needed to obtain immediate housing or remain in its existing housing.
Funding Mechanism:
HPRP was authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). A one-time appropriation of $1.5 billion was allocated to eligible grantees using same formula used under the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program. HPRP funds were allocated in spring 2009 with a three-year grant term. Grantees are required to expend 100 percent of their funds within three years of the date HUD signed the grant agreement.
