HUD: Comments on ESG interim rule due 2.3.12
Emergency Solutions Grants Program
and Homeless Definition Regulations
Published in the Federal Register
December 5th 2011
On December 5, 2011, the interim Emergency Solutions Grants program rule, with the corresponding amendments to the Consolidated Plan, was published in the Federal Register. Stakeholders will have until February 3, 2012 to submit comments on the provisions set forth in the interim rule. Comments may be submitted to HUD either by mail or electronic submission at http://www.regulations.gov/#!home. For more information about submitting a comment, see page 75954 of the ESG Interim rule.
Additionally, the final Definition of Homeless rule was published in the Federal Register. As this is a final rule, there is not a further comment period for the definition of homeless. The Definition of Homeless final rule will apply to ESG recipients, as well as SHP and S+C grantees that receive funding through the FY 2011 CoC Competition.
Both regulations will go into effect on January 4, 2012, 30 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register.
The regulations posted in the Federal Register vary slightly from the preliminary versions posted on HUD’s website on November 14, 2011. HUD has updated the Homeless Resource Exchange (HRE) to include the versions of the rules published on December 5, 2011. To be in compliance, recipients and subrecipients of HUD funds are required to use the versions posted in the Federal Register. To access the documents on the HRE, and other HEARTH related information, including archived training materials and a schedule of upcoming trainings, please see www.hudhre.info/hearth.
For questions on the requirements set forth in these regulations, please visit the Virtual Help Desk on the HUD HRE. HUD has taken great care to anticipate questions and include as much detail in the regulations as possible. Therefore, please make sure to read the regulation in its entirety, including the preamble, prior to submitting a question to the Help Desk, as this will reduce the duplicative questions and responses and increase the response time for questions that are not addressed in the regulation.
HUD is also preparing a comprehensive library of guidance documents to assist recipients and subrecipients in administering ESG and the new definition of homelessness. HUD appreciates your patience as these are being completed—many of your questions will be answered once these documents are published.
