Treasury, HUD Celebrate American Rescue Plan Housing Program Achievements on Law’s First Anniversary

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which authorized the second infusion of resources into the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program (initially authorized and funded under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021) and established the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF), the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF), the HOME-ARP program for housing and services assistance to households experiencing and at risk of homelessness, and Emergency Housing Vouchers program. In celebration of the law’s anniversary, the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development released fact sheets on the impact the law has had.

Treasury’s fact sheet highlights ERA’s role in preventing what many predicted would be an eviction tsunami, siting data from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab finding that millions of renters avoided eviction last year due to ARPA programs, including ERA. Treasury maintains the law resulted in eviction filings remaining at roughly 60 percent of historical levels five months since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium expired, and notes ERA grantees have made more than five million payments to low-income households to help with rent and utilities since the program’s start. More than 80 percent of payments have been made to very low-income households. Approximately 40 percent of households benefitting from ERA identify as Black and 20 percent as Hispanic.

Treasury’s fact sheet also emphasizes the disbursement of funds to states under HAF to help homeowners keep their homes and underscores how the department has worked with states, territories, and tribal governments on establishing comprehensive foreclosure prevention programs with HAF.

Additionally, Treasury highlights that 351 states, localities, and tribal governments plan to devote $11.3 billion in SLFRF to affordable housing purposes, including as a supplement to ERA and HAF; for rapid rehousing, mental healthcare, and permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness; and to build more affordable housing.

HUD’s fact sheet describes the work the department has done over the last year with ARPA resources, including standing up the new $5 billion HOME-ARP program to expand the supply of housing and services to address homelessness. HOME-ARP is being administered by 651 HOME program Participating Jurisdictions (PJs), and HUD is already beginning to approve HOME-ARP plans the PJs are submitting.

HUD also highlights that it has awarded nearly 70,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs) to public housing authorities. As of early March, more than 25,000 EHV holders are looking for housing and more than 13,000 are housed using an EHV.

HUD also emphasizes its work to prevent evictions and foreclosures, address homelessness, deliver housing assistance and services to tribes and Native communities, fight discrimination, and improve access to affordable, accessible housing and supportive services through a partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services.