SECTION 5.801. Project Access Initiative

(a) Purpose. The Project Access Program (PA Program) is a program that utilizes federal Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, Non Elderly Disabled Vouchers, and Mainstream Vouchers administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (the Department) to assist low-income persons with disabilities in transitioning from institutions into the community by providing access to affordable housing. This rule provides the parameters and eligibility standards for this program.

(b) Definitions.

(1) At-Risk Applicant--A household that has applied to the Department's Section 8 Project Access program, and exited an Institution prior to issuance of a Department Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher using an alternate short term rental assistance solution and is at risk of that short term rental assistance ending.

(2) HHSC--Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

(3) HUD--The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

(4) Institution--Congregate settings populated exclusively or primarily with individuals with disabilities; congregate settings characterized by regimentation in daily activities, lack of privacy or autonomy, policies limiting visitors, or limits on individuals' ability to engage freely in community activities and to manage their own activities of daily living; or settings that provide for daytime activities primarily with other individuals with disabilities. This definition includes but is not limited to a nursing facility, state psychiatric hospital, intermediate care facility, or board and care facility as defined by HUD. The definition for Institution is further limited for vouchers funded with NED as further provided for in subsection (e)(2)(C) of this section. This definition does not include a prison, jail, halfway house, or other setting that persons reside in as part of a criminal proceeding.

(5) Mainstream Vouchers (MVP) --HUD's Mainstream Voucher Program.

(6) Non-Elderly Disabled (NED)--HUD's Non-Elderly Disabled Program.

(7) Section 8--HUD's Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program administered by the Department.

(c) Regulations Governing Program. All Section 8 Program rules and regulations, including but not limited to, criterion at 24 CFR Part 982 apply to the program.

(d) Project Access in the Department's PHA Plan. Project Access households have a preference in the Department's Section 8 Program, as designated in the Department's Annual PHA Plan. The total number of Project Access Vouchers will be determined each year in the Department's PHA Plan.

(e) Eligibility for the Project Access Program.

(1) A household that participates in the Project Access Program must meet all Section 8 eligibility criteria, and one member of the household must meet the eligibility criteria in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph:

(A) Must have a disability as defined in 24 CFR §5.403; and

(B) Must meet one of the criteria in clauses (i) or (ii) of this subparagraph:

(i) be a resident of an Institution at the time of voucher issuance; or

(ii) be an At-Risk Applicant that meets one of the criteria of subclauses (I) through (IV) of this clause:

(I) A current recipient of Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) from a HOME Investment Partnership Program, whose assistance from that HOME source is within six months of expiration and is not eligible for extension or renewal, and was a previous resident of an Institution prior to receiving the TBRA assistance;

(II) A household with a household member who meets the criteria of an At-Risk Applicant and has lost their TBRA from a HOME Investment Partnership Program due to lack of available funding;

(III) A household that is a current recipient of rental assistance funded by HHSC, whose assistance from HHSC is within six months of expiration and is not eligible for extension or renewal, and was a previous resident of an Institution immediately prior to receiving the assistance; or

(IV) A household that is a current recipient of HHSC funded group home housing that was a previous resident of a state hospital immediately prior to receiving the group home assistance.

(2) NED and Mainstream Vouchers have additional eligibility criteria which are:

(A) The household member with the disability as defined in 24 CFR §5.403, must be 18 but under 62 years of age at the time of voucher issuance;

(B) For NED only, the head of household, spouse, co-head, or sole member, must be a person with a disability; and

(C) For NED only, the qualifying household member must not be an At-Risk Applicant as described in this subsection, must be residing in a nursing facility, Texas state psychiatric hospital, or intermediate care facility immediately prior to voucher issuance, and must also be referred by the applicable HHSC funded agency.

(f) Waiting List and Allocation of Vouchers.

(1) Unless no longer authorized as a set-aside by HUD, no more than 10 percent of the vouchers used in the Project Access Program will be reserved for households with a household member eligible for a pilot program in partnership with the HHSC for Texas state psychiatric hospitals who otherwise meets the criteria of the Project Access Program at the time of voucher issuance.

(2) The Department's Waiting List for PA vouchers will be kept "open" and the Department will accept an application for the PA Program at any time. An applicant for the PA Program is placed on a Waiting List until a voucher becomes available. An applicant who qualifies for the Project Access HHSC Pilot Program in subsection (f)(1) of this section is placed on a Waiting List for Project Access HHSC Pilot Program, and also for the general PA Program Waiting List.

(3) The Department will select applicants off the Waiting List for the Project Access HHSC Pilot Program, and for the general PA Program waitlist to ensure that the Department is utilizing all NED and Mainstream Vouchers before issuing other Section 8 Vouchers.

(4) Maintaining Status on the Project Access Waiting List. A household on the Project Access waiting list may maintain their order and eligibility for a Project Access voucher if the household:

(A) Applied for the PA Program and was placed on the waiting list prior to transition out of an Institution; and

(B) Received continuous rental assistance from one of the eligible sources identified under subsection (e)(1)(B)(ii) of this section or other Department funding for rental assistance from the time of exit from an Institution until the issuance of the Project Access voucher.

Source Note: The provisions of this §5.801 adopted to be effective January 2, 2022, 46 TexReg 9000