NMHC to roll out supplemental rental assistance program

The Northern Marianas Housing Corp. will soon be launching a supplemental Emergency Housing Voucher Program where it will be handing out 132 emergency housing vouchers to help people in need of housing assistance.

This comes soon after the NMHC board of directors approved the Temporary Policy Supplement under the EHV program at its board meeting on Dec. 28, 2021.

The EHV program is part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that authorizes the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to allocate 70,000 EHVs to eligible Public Housing Authorities throughout the United States and its territories. As an eligible PHA, the NMHC was allocated a total 132 EHVs. The TPS will be used as a guide on how to administer the rental assistance program.

One of the program’s requirements is that NMHC must partner with a Continuum of Care organization. This resulted in NMHC entering into a memorandum of understanding with the CNMI Homeless Prevention Coalition, which is comprised of the Division of Youth Affairs, Micronesian Legal Services Corp., Karidat Social Services, and the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence.

The primary responsibility of the CHPC is to make direct referrals of qualifying individuals and families to NMHC. The CHPC will determine whether or not the individual or family qualifies under one of the four eligibility categories for EHVs.

In order to be eligible for an EHV, an individual or family must meet one of four eligibility criteria:

Homeless as defined in 24 CFR 578.3;

At risk of homelessness as defined in 24 CFR 578.3;

Fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking (as defined in Notice PIH 2021-15), or human trafficking (as defined in the 22 U.S.C. Section 7102); or

Recently homeless and for whom providing rental assistance will prevent the family’s homelessness or having high risk of housing instability as determined by the CoC or its designee in accordance with the definition in Notice PIH 2021-15.

The EHV Program will be officially launched on Jan. 10, 2022. For more information, you may contact NMHC at:

• Saipan: (670) 237-1017/1018 or (670) 664-2599 or (670) 285-1921

• Tinian: (670) 433-9272

• Rota: (670) 532-9393

Applications for appt. may be downloaded at dcca.gov.mp or dys.gov.mp and dropped-off at Kagman Community Center, Tanapag Youth Center, Tinian DYS office, or Sinapalo Youth Center. (PR)