Jhe onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has dramatically changed the lives of average Americans across the country. Lockdown measures used to curb the spread of the virus have forced thousands of businesses to shut down, meaning several residents across the United States found themselves without a job resulting in an economic downturn.
The closures have also highlighted a bigger problem in the country, homelessness. The principle of the closures was to urge residents to stay at home, meaning the homeless were most vulnerable to the virus.
Homeless shelters, especially in big cities like New York, have become overcrowded, making social distancing even harder to practice.
With this in mind, following his election in 2020, the American President Joe Bidenconfigure it Emergency housing voucher (THT) program, which was a subsidiary of the larger American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
What is the EHV program?
The Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program is a federal grant initiated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The goal of the program is to reduce homelessness and provide families with safe and healthy housing conditions by subsidizing a portion of their rent based on their income.
Who is eligible for EHV?
Emergency accommodation vouchers are open to people at risk who meet one of the following criteria:
- Those who are homeless
- People at risk of homelessness
- Those fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking
- Anyone who has recently become homeless and for whom providing housing assistance will prevent family homelessness or having a high risk of housing instability
How to apply for EHV
A total of 70,000 vouchers are available. To apply, it is possible to access the EHV dashboard on the Urban Development website.