7901.1 Only one person who is twenty-one (21) years old or older at the time of application per household is eligible to enroll his or her household in the Program. This person shall be considered the head of household.

7901.2 A household is composed of individuals who live in the same physical housing unit as the applying head of household, and shall include:

1. (a) Persons related by blood or legal adoption with legal responsibility for minor children in the household;
2. (b) Persons related by marriage or domestic partnership (as defined by Section 2(4) of the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992, effective June 11, 1992 (D.C. Law 9-114; D.C. Official Code § 32-701(4)), including stepchildren and unmarried parents of a common child who live together;
3. (c) Persons with a legal responsibility for an unrelated minor child or an unrelated adult with a disability; and
4. (d) Any person not included by §§ 7901.2(a)-(c), regardless of blood relationship, age, or marriage, whose history and statements reasonably demonstrate that the individuals intend to remain together in the same household and whose income contributes to total household expenses.

7901.3 An otherwise eligible person temporarily away from the housing unit due to employment, school, hospitalization, incarceration, legal proceedings or vacation shall be considered to be living in the household. A minor child who is away at school is considered to be living in the household if he or she returns to the housing unit on occasional weekends, holidays, school breaks, or during summer vacations.

7901.4 To establish initial eligibility for the Program, a household must:

1. (a) Reside in the District of Columbia, as defined by Section 2(32) of the Homeless Services Reform Act of 2005, effective October 22, 2005 (D.C. Law 16-35; D.C. Official Code § 4-751.01(32)), at the time of application;
2. (b) Demonstrate risk of homelessness as evidenced by:
3. (1) Previous application for at least one emergency or temporary government-funded housing or rental assistance program administered by the District, including the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, the Homelessness Prevention Program, or the Family Re-Housing and Stabilization Program, within the last forty-eight (48)

months; and

(2) Having a total annual income less than or equal to 30 percent of the Median Family Income for the District, which is a periodic calculation provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; and

(c) Be headed by a person that is twenty-one (21) years old or older at the time of application, and who meets the following requirements:

(1) Has physical custody of one or more minor children;

(2) Is currently employed or has recent history of employment; and

(3) Is the lease holder for a rental unit.

7901.5 The applicant may be enrolled in a government-funded rental assistance program administered by the District at the time of application. However, if selected for the Program, no household member may be enrolled in both the Program and another District or federal government-funded rental assistance program at the same time. Enrollment in the Program shall not preclude receipt of shelter or rental assistance after participation in the Program has ended.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 67 DCR 3263 (March 20, 2020).