24 CFR 576 - EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM: STEWART B. McKINNEY HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT

The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act), enacted into law on May 20, 2009, consolidates three of the separate homeless assistance programs administered by HUD under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act into a single grant program, and revises the Emergency Shelter Grants program and renames it as the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program. The HEARTH Act also codifies into law the Continuum of Care planning process, a longstanding part of HUD's application process to assist homeless persons by providing greater coordination in responding to their needs. This interim rule revises the regulations for the Emergency Shelter Grants program by establishing the regulations for the Emergency Solutions Grants program, which replaces the Emergency Shelter Grants program. The change in the program's name, from Emergency Shelter Grants to Emergency Solutions Grants, reflects the change in the program's focus from addressing the needs of homeless people in emergency or transitional shelters to assisting people to quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness.

This proposed rule provides for the establishment of regulations for Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS), which are the local information technology systems that HUD recipients and subrecipients use for homeless assistance programs authorized by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (the McKinney-Vento Act). The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act), enacted into law on May 20, 2009, in addition to consolidating and amending programs authorized by the McKinney-Vento Act, codifies in law the Continuum of Care planning process, as well as certain data collection requirements integral to HMIS. The HEARTH Act requires that HUD ensure operation of and consistent participation by recipients and subrecipients in HMIS. While Continuums of Care have been using HMIS for several years, this proposed rule would add a new part to the Code of Federal Regulations to regulate the administration of HMIS and collection of data using HMIS, as provided for by the HEARTH Act. In addition, this proposed rule would make corresponding changes to HUD's regulations for Consolidated Submissions for Community Planning and Development Programs, at 24 CFR part 91; the Emergency Solutions Grants program, at 24 CFR part 576; the Shelter Plus Care Program, at 24 CFR part 582; and the Supportive Housing Program, at 24 CFR part 583.