Learning from a Crisis: Strategies to Increase Flexibility in Housing Choice Voucher Implementation

Sarah Gallagher
Sophie Siebach-Glover
Alayna Calabro
Victoria Bourret
Andrew Aurand
National Low Income Housing Coalition

The U.S. Department of Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program was a national effort of unprecedented scale to help renters in crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. ERA allowed program flexibilities not typically found in federal housing assistance programs, including direct-to-tenant assistance, self-attestation for certain eligibility criteria, categorical eligibility, fact-specific proxy, and housing stability services. Treasury provided regular guidance on these flexibilities to help grantees ensure that funds reached households with the greatest needs in time to prevent evictions.