IHCDA continues to monitor the situation with COVID-19 in Indiana as circumstances change and additional information becomes available. To provide transparency and customer service, IHCDA will update Community Service contacts with any updates to policies or procedures.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a memo providing guidance on statutory suspensions and regulatory waivers meant to enable ESG/HOPWA recipients to use funds to assist those affected by the COVID-19. As part of this guidance, IHCDA is proposing amending the 2019 Annual Action Plan Method of Distribution under ESG/HOPWA as follows:

HOPWA

The supplemental funds provided under the CARES Act are to be used by current IHCDA HOPWA grantees as additional funding to maintain operations and for rental assistance, supportive services, and other necessary actions, in order to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. The supplemental award may be used to reimburse allowable costs incurred prior to the receipt of the award provided such costs were used to prevent, prepare for, or  respond to COVID-19. Activities for which grantees may use the supplemental grant funds include, for example:

• Assisting HOPWA eligible households in accessing essential services and supplies such as food, water, medications, medical care, and information
• Educating assisted households on ways to reduce the risk of getting sick or spreading infectious diseases such as COVID-19 to others
• Providing transportation services for eligible households, including costs for privately-owned vehicle transportation when needed, to access medical care, supplies, and food or to commute to places of employment
• Providing nutrition services for eligible households in the form of food banks, groceries, and meal deliveries
• Providing lodging at hotels, motels, or other locations to quarantine HOPWA-eligible persons or their household members
• Providing short-term rent, mortgage, and utility (STRMU) assistance payments to prevent homelessness of a tenant or mortgagor of a dwelling for a period of up to 24 months
• The Act increases the caps on administrative expenses for both grantees and project sponsors.
  • IHCDA may use up to 6% of CARES Act funding for administrative purposes
  • Subrecipients may use up to 10% of its CARES Act sub award for administrative purposes
  • These admin cost limits are only applicable to the supplemental grant funds provided under the Act. All other HOPWA awards limit admin expenses to 3% of the grant amount for ICHDA and 7% for subrecipients.

Proposed Distribution of Funds

ESG

COVID Response and Re-Housing Strategies: Summary

• Rapid Rehousing to encourage efforts to ensure those in NCS settings exit to stable rapid rehousing or permanent housing options
• Homelessness prevention measures for longer-term housing solutions to help families recover after the pandemic subsides through short-term diversion efforts or long-term housing solutions.
• Strategic infrastructure investments to increase alignment of IHCDA and Continuum of Care efforts to end chronic homelessness in the Indiana Balance of State and expand efforts

COVID Response and Re-Housing Strategy: Immediate Priority Areas

Rapid-Rehousing

• Encourage subrecipients to maintain a progressive engagement model
• Encourage varied data-driven program models to meet need
• Short-term diversion
• High-intensity service models for those who will need significant support to maintain housing
• Support efforts to
• Scale up landlord engagement activities
• Monitor data to ensure exits to housing are equitable and that returns to homelessness are not racially disproportionate
• Ensure people in housing are linked to appropriate services, including health care and employment services
• Ensure people are provided with adequate assistance, based on individualized needs
• Non-Congregate Shelter - Undertake planning efforts to ensure those in NCS settings exit to stable rapid rehousing or permanent housing options
• Street Outreach - Engage unsheltered individuals to connect them to Coordinated Entry, NCS, and rapid rehousing
• Shelter - Expand essential services funding for housing navigation to decrease length of stay in shelter

COVID Response and Re-Housing Strategy: Short- and Medium-Term Priority Areas

• Homelessness Prevention- Homelessness Prevention Measures and Rapid Rehousing for longer-term housing solutions to help families recover after the pandemic subsides
• Coordinate with other CARES Act resources
• Encourage prevention efforts are focused on most vulnerable households who would be homeless “but for” assistance
• Require use of evidence-based prevention screening criteria
• Educate subrecipients on CARES Act eviction moratorium info
• Encourage subrecipient connections to local legal aid services for people at risk of homelessness due to eviction
• Support at-risk diversion efforts

Proposed Funding Distribution:

• The Community Services division of IHCDA will continue to oversee the ESG-CV funds as they do annual with their ESG allocation.
• The division proposes a new intake process for the funds. All referrals will begin with IHCDA in a triage center. This will allow staff to determine for which program the individual is eligible. 
• Once qualified, the applicant will be sent to the next proper contact. For ESG-CV, that will be the pivot point contacts or HUBS.
• The goal is to ensure every county is covered and the most vulnerable are served first. If a current organization is not available to assist in this project, other new organizations may be brought in as sub-recipients of the funds.
• Once the client is sent to the CoC pivot point, they will be assessed on the Coordinated Entry vulnerability assessment tool and connected to the correct funding. As such, the Coordinated Entry process for the CoC may be updated to include additional flexibility and speed in place individuals affected by COVID-19 into the proper housing option.
• Once a client is sent on to one of the pivot agencies, funds will be linked to that individuals for the organization to use in assisting them.

Public Hearing

The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) will have the 2019 Action Plan available for public inspection online at: https://www.in.gov/ihcda/4048.htm between May 15 and May 22 2020.

A public hearing will be held to discuss the draft 2019 Action Plan amendment on May 20, 2020 at 10 a.m. EST. This hearing will be held virtually and can be accessed by computer here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2783459172530844428

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Information regarding the 2019 Action Plan can be obtained by emailing: Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority , c/o 2019 Substantial Amendment to Elspeth Hilton, Director of Community Services at elhilton@ihcda.in.gov.

Please see IHCDA’s COVID-19 actions webpage for additional information including public notices and program guidance.