2009 Economic Stimulus Act: HPRP

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed into law on February 17, 2009, provided nearly $800 billion to stimulate the economy. The legislation included $1.5 billion for the Homelessness Prevetion and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) to provide assistance to homeless or at-risk individuals and families. The text of the legislative language regarding homelessness prevention can be found here (p. 107-108).
 
Please note the HPRP program was a time-limited, 3-year program. HPRP funds are no longer available.
 
  • short- or medium-term rental assistance,
  • housing relocation and stabilization services,
  • housing search assistance,
  • mediation or outreach to property owners,
  • credit repair,
  • security or utility deposits,
  • utility payments,
  • rental assistance for a final month at a location,
  • moving costs assistance,
  • case management, and
  • other appropriate activities for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing of persons who have become homeless

North Carolina was allocated a total of $29,078,387 in HPRP funds: 

  • North Carolina State Program: $22,157,468
  • Asheville: $509,460
  • Charlotte: $1,930,217
  • Durham: $789,101
  • Fayetteville: $589,648
  • Greensboro: $781,141
  • Raleigh: $991,091
  • Wake County: $582,164
  • Winston-Salem: $748,097

This funding was intended to assist individuals and families who need short-term assistance (3-18 months) in order to stay in their current housing or to move into new housing. The program was designed with new research and best practices in mind—the provision of flexible housing assistance AND services is proving to be cost-effective with exceptional outcomes for the individual or family. 

This approach allows us to shift our system so assistance is available to households who are at high risk of becoming homeless. A household will not have to enter the homeless shelter system in order to receive adequate assistance; instead, homeless providers will be able to use their skills and knowledge to assist individuals and families before they lose their housing. HPRP can help our shelter system by catching people before they fall into homelessness. For those who do have to go to shelter, this program offers a way to exit quickly back into permanent housing.

Grantees were required to use HMIS or a comparable database. 

Up to five percent of funds could be used for administrative costs. 

Grantees had to spend 60 percent of the funds within two years of obligation from HUD and 100 percent within three years. HUD was able to reallocate funds from grantees that did not meet the 2-year requirement to those that do. 

HUD issued guidelines for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program on March 19, 2009.