How You Can Help Fix Rental Assistance Regulation
Communications Admin • August 21, 2013
From the National Alliance to End Homelessness:
Last year’s Continuum of Care (CoC) regulations released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), included language stating that only government entities (including Housing Authorities) would be allowed to administer rental assistance. This would exclude nonprofits from participating in rental assistance activities, presenting a significant challenge to CoCs accross the country and adding an administrative burden to those trying to quickly re-house individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Thanks to advocates who have engaged their Members of Congress on this issue in the past months, the Senate’s fiscal year (FY) 2014 funding bill for the Departments of Transportation and HUD includes a language change that would allow nonprofits to administer rental assistance, essentially fixing the problem.
However, since the federal funding process could take a significant amount of time to finalize, and the bills may not pass, Representative Scott Peters (D-CA) has introduced legislation with similar language that would ensure that nonprofits may administer rental assistance. The legislation, H.R. 2790 – the Housing Assistance Efficiency Act, would allow nonprofits to administer rental assistance. If you are concerned about nonprofits in your CoC no longer being able to administer rental assistance, here is your chance to address that!
Here’s what you can do:
- Call your Members in the House of Representatives this August and ask to speak to the person who handles housing issues in the office. You can find the office’s number by calling the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121.
- Urge them to cosponsor Rep. Peters’ legislation, H.R. 2790 and explain to them the importance of nonprofits’ ability to administer rental assistance in your community, and the negative impact this regulation has on your efforts to prevent and end homelessness.
- Have the office contact Lumay Wang to cosponsor H.R. 2790.
- Email Kate Seif, Policy Outreach Coordinator with the National Alliance to End Homelessness and let her know who you called and what they said.
You can also keep up to date on this issue by following the Alliance’s blog.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness
is a leading voice on the issue of homelessness. The Alliance analyzes policy and develops pragmatic, cost effective policy solutions. The Alliance works collaboratively with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build state and local capacity, leading to stronger programs and policies that help communities acheive their goal of ending homelessness. They provide data and research to policymakers and elected officials to inform policy debates and educate the public and opinion leaders nationwide.
Houston, Texas (February 24, 2026) – This week, the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH) is leading the annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey (“PIT Count”) to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness across Houston and throughout Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. “We may see a slight uptick in the number this year, but we have a plan,” said Kelly Young, President & CEO of CFTH. “With the support of the City of Houston, Harris County, and private funders, we have been piloting new interventions to shorten the length of time people in our region experience homelessness. With adequate funding, we look forward to expanding those interventions to help people regain lives of self-determination.” CFTH coordinates the Houston region’s public-private homeless response system, The Way Home . Through this collaboration, The Way Home partners have successfully housed over 36,000 people since 2012. CFTH will release the results of Houston’s 2026 PIT Count in the summer, following independent verification by an epidemiologist. These findings will provide insight into how factors such as increases in the cost of living and the end of federal pandemic relief funding have impacted homelessness in our region. More information about the 2026 Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey The PIT Count offers a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in our region on a single night. This year, the “night of record” is Monday, Feb. 23. CFTH determines the number of people staying in shelters on that night by pulling records electronically from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) . The unsheltered count will be conducted on the following days, from Tuesday, Feb. 24 to Thursday, Feb. 26. More than 400 volunteers and staff of local nonprofit service provider partners will canvass the three-county region to survey people living unsheltered, using an app on their mobile devices. Results from the 2026 PIT Count will help gauge the progress of The Way Home’s ongoing collaborative efforts. It will also help CFTH and partner homeless outreach teams understand geographic shifts and target their outreach throughout the year. The PIT Count illuminates specific programmatic gaps and provides additional information needed to allocate resources most efficiently. The PIT Count is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the annual Continuum of Care (CoC) funding process. HUD furnishes the majority of funding for programs that provide housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness in the region. In 2024, HUD granted more than $71 million to the Houston area.
As lead agency to The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC), CFTH is working with local governmental entities to advocate on behalf of people experiencing homelessness to ensure their needs are being considered as winter weather affects our region. We will make frequent updates as we receive information. Please check back often for the latest information. Last updated 02/01/2026 at 12:00 p.m.
While our system has helped thousands of people move from homelessness to housing, this year’s results highlight the need to broaden our approach.
