DSHA Announcement Regarding Rental Assistance
DSHA Announcement Regarding COVID Rental Assistance Program
As DHSA work to redesign and relaunch our COVID rental assistance program, DSHA will be placing a hold on both the Delaware Housing Assistance Program (DE HAP) and the Delaware Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (DEMAP) after December 30, 2020, as previously planned. We have received more than 5,500 applications from Delawareans requesting more than $15 million in rental or mortgage assistance since the programs were launched earlier this year, and we are proud of the work we have been able to do to help Delaware families stay safe in their homes during the pandemic. We will continue accepting applications for DE HAP and DEMAP through Wednesday, December 30, 2020. Application information for both programs is available on our website at www.destatehousing.com/covid19.
DSHA is especially grateful to the members of our federal delegation for their leadership and support of the COVID relief bill passed this week. Once enacted, the bill will provide $25 billion in rental assistance. This funding will be instrumental in preventing evictions in Delaware and across the country. We know our state will receive a significant amount in rental assistance funding from the Treasury in the next few weeks, and we will need time to work out the details of how that funding will be allocated to renters in need in our state.
Previous funding for COVID rental assistance, provided through the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) was scheduled to expire December 30 but will be extended to December 31, 2021 upon enactment of the relief bill. Even with this extension, however, DSHA will still need time over the next few weeks to review the rental assistance funding guidelines included in the relief bill and any additional guidance that may be issued by the Treasury Department. There is specific guidance around this new funding allocation, including eligibility and reporting requirements, and DSHA will be reviewing these requirements in the next few weeks to determine the structure and potential needed changes to the process, documentation, and eligibility required by our current rental assistance program. We will be taking the lessons learned from administration of DE HAP over the last few months as we shift to a larger scale and longer-term version of a COVID rental assistance program.
We will share more details in the coming weeks as we work with our partners and other stakeholders to formalize plans for the rental assistance funding provided in the relief bill