Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§11386 Program requirements

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 119— - HOMELESS ASSISTANCE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - HOUSING ASSISTANCE › Part Part C— - Continuum of Care Program › § 11386

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must make sure applicants promise they will own or control a site for their project within 12 months after they are told they won a grant, unless the project is supportive housing under section 11383(a)(3) or housing that families will later own or control. An applicant may pick a different suitable site than the one in the application. If a grantee fails to secure a site in 12 months, the grant will be taken back and given to others. The collaborative applicant must agree to run the project under the program rules, watch and report the project’s progress, involve people who are or were homeless in building, running, and servicing the project as much as possible, and require project sponsors to protect the privacy of people getting family violence services and to keep shelter addresses secret unless the shelter operator agrees in writing. Sponsors must follow laws that protect homeless children’s education, name staff to help enroll children and connect them to services like Head Start and IDEA Part C, give required data and reports, and, if acting as a unified funding agency and getting certain admin funds, keep proper fiscal controls and accounting. The collaborative applicant must also report required matching funds, try to place families with children near their school of origin, and follow any other rules the Secretary sets. People in supportive housing may be charged an occupancy fee set by the project, but it cannot be higher than the amount in section 1437a(a). Those fees can be saved to help residents move into permanent housing. Flood protections must follow Executive Order 11988 (May 24, 1977). Each recipient or sponsor must include at least one homeless or formerly homeless person on its policy board, or agree to consult such people if a waiver is granted. Federal funds under this program cannot replace state or local funds already used for homeless assistance. If a program participant (other than someone in an emergency shelter) breaks program rules, the recipient may end their help only after a formal process that protects the person’s right to due process, which may include a hearing.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §11386

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall require that each application include reasonable assurances that the applicant will own or have control of a site for the proposed project not later than the expiration of the 12-month period beginning upon notification of an award for grant assistance, unless the application proposes providing supportive housing assistance under section 11383(a)(3) of this title or housing that will eventually be owned or controlled by the families and individuals served. An applicant may obtain ownership or control of a suitable site different from the site specified in the application. If any recipient or project sponsor fails to obtain ownership or control of the site within 12 months after notification of an award for grant assistance, the grant shall be recaptured and reallocated under this part.
(b)The Secretary may not provide assistance for a proposed project under this part unless the collaborative applicant involved agrees—
(1)to ensure the operation of the project in accordance with the provisions of this part;
(2)to monitor and report to the Secretary the progress of the project;
(3)to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that individuals and families experiencing homelessness are involved, through employment, provision of volunteer services, or otherwise, in constructing, rehabilitating, maintaining, and operating facilities for the project and in providing supportive services for the project;
(4)to require certification from all project sponsors that—
(A)they will maintain the confidentiality of records pertaining to any individual or family provided family violence prevention or treatment services through the project;
(B)that 11 So in original. The word “that” probably should not appear. the address or location of any family violence shelter project assisted under this part will not be made public, except with written authorization of the person responsible for the operation of such project;
(C)they will establish policies and practices that are consistent with, and do not restrict the exercise of rights provided by, part B of subchapter VI [42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.], and other laws relating to the provision of educational and related services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness;
(D)in the case of programs that provide housing or services to families, they will designate a staff person to be responsible for ensuring that children being served in the program are enrolled in school and connected to appropriate services in the community, including early childhood programs such as Head Start, part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.], and programs authorized under part B of subchapter VI of this chapter (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.); and
(E)they will provide data and reports as required by the Secretary pursuant to the Act; 22 See References in Text note below.
(5)if a collaborative applicant is a unified funding agency under section 11360a(g) of this title and receives funds under this part to carry out the payment of administrative costs described in section 11383(a)(11) of this title, to establish such fiscal control and fund accounting procedures as may be necessary to assure the proper disbursal of, and accounting for, such funds in order to ensure that all financial transactions carried out with such funds are conducted, and records maintained, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(6)to monitor and report to the Secretary the provision of matching funds as required by section 11386d of this title;
(7)to take the educational needs of children into account when families are placed in emergency or transitional shelter and will, to the maximum extent practicable, place families with children as close as possible to their school of origin so as not to disrupt such children’s education; and
(8)to comply with such other terms and conditions as the Secretary may establish to carry out this part in an effective and efficient manner.
(c)Each homeless individual or family residing in a project providing supportive housing may be required to pay an occupancy charge in an amount determined by the recipient or project sponsor providing the project, which may not exceed the amount determined under section 1437a(a) of this title. Occupancy charges paid may be reserved, in whole or in part, to assist residents in moving to permanent housing.
(d)Flood protection standards applicable to housing acquired, rehabilitated, constructed, or assisted under this part shall be no more restrictive than the standards applicable under Executive Order No. 11988 (May 24, 1977) to the other programs under this subchapter.
(e)The Secretary shall, by regulation, require each recipient or project sponsor to provide for the participation of not less than 1 homeless individual or former homeless individual on the board of directors or other equivalent policymaking entity of the recipient or project sponsor, to the extent that such entity considers and makes policies and decisions regarding any project, supportive services, or assistance provided under this part. The Secretary may grant waivers to applicants unable to meet the requirement under the preceding sentence if the applicant agrees to otherwise consult with homeless or formerly homeless individuals in considering and making such policies and decisions.
(f)No assistance received under this part (or any State or local government funds used to supplement such assistance) may be used to replace other State or local funds previously used, or designated for use, to assist homeless persons.
(g)If an individual or family who receives assistance under this part (not including residents of an emergency shelter) from a recipient violates program requirements, the recipient may terminate assistance in accordance with a formal process established by the recipient that recognizes the rights of individuals receiving such assistance to due process of law, which may include a hearing.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(4)(D), is title VI of Pub. L. 91–230, Apr. 13, 1970, 84 Stat. 175. Part C of the Act is classified generally to subchapter III (§ 1431 et seq.) of chapter 33 of Title 20, Education. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1400 of Title 20 and Tables. The Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(4)(E), probably means “this Act”, Pub. L. 100–77, July 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 482, known as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 11301 of this title and Tables. Executive Order No. 11988, referred to in subsec. (d), is set out as a note under section 4321 of this title.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 11386, Pub. L. 100–77, title IV, § 426, July 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 503, related to establishment of guidelines for purposes of a supportive housing demonstration program, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 102–550, title XIV, § 1403(a), Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4013.

Amendments

2009—Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1304(1), added subsecs. (a) and (b) and struck out former subsecs. (a) and (b) which related to applications and selection criteria, respectively. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1304(1)–(3), redesignated subsec. (d) as (c), substituted “recipient or project sponsor” for “recipient” in first sentence, and struck out former subsec. (c) which related to required agreements. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1304(5), redesignated subsec. (f) as (d). Former subsec. (d) redesignated (c). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1304(4)–(6), redesignated subsec. (g) as (e), substituted “recipient or project sponsor” for “recipient” in two places in first sentence, and struck out former subsec. (e). Text of subsec. (e) read as follows: “Each recipient shall be required to supplement the amount of assistance provided under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 11383(a) of this title with an equal amount of funds from sources other than this part.” Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1304(5), redesignated subsec. (h) as (f). Former subsec. (f) redesignated (d). Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1304(8), redesignated subsec. (j) as (g). Former subsec. (g) redesignated (e). Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1304(5), redesignated subsec. (h) as (f). Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1304(7), struck out subsec. (i). Text read as follows: “No recipient may use more than 5 percent of a grant received under this part for administrative purposes.” Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1304(8), redesignated subsec. (j) as (g).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2009 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–22 effective on the earlier of 18 months after May 20, 2009, or 3 months after publication of certain final

Regulations

by Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, see section 1503 of Pub. L. 111–22, set out as a note under section 11302 of this title. Definition For provisions relating to definition of “local government” as used in this section, see section 100261 of Pub. L. 112–141, set out as a HEARTH Act Technical Corrections note under section 11360 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 11386

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73