1703.1 The Director of DCHA may use funding provided to the Tenant Assistance Program to assist eligible families under an emergency program for the following special purposes:

1. (a) To assist in reuniting eligible families with emergency housing needs due to family separation by court order or other government action because of inadequate housing;
2. (b) To assist households displaced by government action;
3. (c) To assist households faced with sudden unavoidable displacement from a dwelling unit for reasons such as a fire or other disaster that occurred through no fault of the applicant;
4. (d) To assist households with documented special health or disability problems which are exacerbated by their current housing conditions and which would be addressed by immediate improvement in adequate housing under this program;
5. (e) To assist households with emergency housing needs where the Director of DCHA determines that persons to be assisted are without housing, face a substantial risk of losing housing for reasons beyond their control, or reside in housing that fails substantially to meet standards of decent and sanitary living conditions; or
6. (f) To assist households referred to DCHA for emergency housing assistance by the Department of Human Services based on an assessment of the severity and immediacy of the emergency housing need.

1703.2 The Director of DCHA shall determine which families qualify for emergency assistance taking into account severity of need, immediacy of need, and the general public interest to be served. Applications may be received by DCHA at any time.

1703.3 Emergency applicants shall use the same pre-application used by other applicants. DCHA shall process these applications following the same procedures used in processing other family applications.

1703.4 Applicants approved as meeting the requirements of the Emergency Tenant Assistance Program may be given priority for assistance if they have identified a unit that meets program requirements and the housing provider is willing to participate in the program.

1703.5 Applicants shall be notified of approval or disapproval in writing.

1703.6 Once selected, an applicant shall be subject to the same eligibility and other program requirements as all other applicants, as described under this chapter.

1703.7 To the extent funds are available, DCHA may approve certificates in a manner which ensures the availability of assistance under the emergency program throughout the fiscal year.

SOURCE: Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 33 DCR 4396, 4397 (July 25, 1986); as amended by Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 36 DCR 4472, 4473 (June 23, 1989).