Background

The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act was signed into law on May 20^th 2009 as a reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. With this came changes to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, continue to read to learn the ways in which HEARTH affected the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

HEARTH Act Changes

The HEARTH Act made substantial changes to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, including:

• A consolidation of HUD's competitive grant programs;
• The creation of a Rural Housing Stability Assistance Program;
• A change in HUD's definition of homelessness and chronic homelessness;
• A simplified match requirement;
• An increase in prevention resources; and,
• An increase in emphasis on performance.

Why is the HEARTH Act important to homeless service providers?

The HEARTH Act identifies performance indicators for Continuum’s of Care (CoC) known as System Performance Measures, which help communities track their progress toward the goal of ending homelessness. CoC recipients and subrecipients should familiarize themselves with these measures by reading the Performance Measures of Homeless Systems.

For More Information About the HEARTH Act:

• Read the HEARTH Act in full (Bill S. 896, pg. 32)

• Or HUD’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as Amended by S.896 brief