Rita Emergency letter

Ms. Rita Young
OMB Desk Office
Office of Management and Budget
New Executive Office Building
Washington, DC 20503
Dear Ms. Young:
HUD is seeking emergency review of an Information Collection Request (ICR) under the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) for waivers through HUD’s Office of Policy Development and
Research (PDR). The Notices of Paperwork Submission (copies enclosed), proposed for
immediate Federal Register publication with a 14-day notice period, explains the burden of the
collection requirements and invites public comment on them. This is a new information
collection.
Under the national impact of the coronavirus, and in compliance with the requirements of
5 CFR §1320.13, this letter requests that the information collection associated with the Notice of
Funding Opportunity for Eviction Protection undergo immediate processing. This action is
essential to HUD’s mission of ensuring safe, decent, and habitable housing for the Nation’s most
at risk population through assistance that will allow legal service providers to help low-income
tenants remain in their homes and reduce housing instability. This need is particularly pressing
as local, state, and federal moratoria on evictions expire while families continue to struggle
following the economic and physical tolls of the pandemic. Any delay in the collection of this
information will result in a delayed, and possibly unrecoverable, opportunity to provide this
needed assistance.
In connection with the COVID-19 emergency, the CARES Act was enacted on March 28,
2020. It placed a moratorium on eviction in all federally assisted housing and federally backed
mortgages through July 24, 2020. The expiration of that moratorium was followed by an Order
from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) temporarily halting evictions for
nonpayment of rent on September 4, 2020, which has since been extended until June 30, 2021.
As households continue to struggle with income loss and accumulating back rent, the
threat of evictions has grown considerably. The Household Pulse Survey Phase 2 found that the
week of April 14, 2021, over 6 million renter households were behind on their rent payments and
another 4.2 million were not confident they would be able to make their payment on time. 2.9
million renter households report eviction was likely or somewhat likely in the next two months.
Housing instability caused by formal and informal evictions has significant economic, physical
and mental consequences. Research has found eviction protection services, including services

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such as legal representation, housing navigators, education and outreach, and assistance
completing the legal forms to respond to an eviction notice, reduce evictions and increase
housing stability for low-income renters. The Eviction Protection Grant Program will provide
$20 million to support services in areas with high rates of eviction or probable eviction to lowincome tenants at risk of or subject to eviction.
In summary, the expedient approval of this emergency processing is necessary to ensure
the funds are quickly put to use to meet the need for which Congress appropriated them and
reduce the harm these tenants will face without access to eviction protection services.
Thank you for your consideration and assistance.
Sincerely,

TODD
RICHARDSON

Digitally signed by: TODD RICHARDSON
DN: CN = TODD RICHARDSON C = US O = U.S.
Government OU = Department of Housing and Urban
Development, Policy Development and Research
Date: 2021.06.01 08:37:25 -04'00'

Todd M. Richardson
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Policy Development and Research

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Rita Young letter to OMB

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