D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 29, r. 29-7901

Current through Register Vol. 71, No. 43, October 25, 2024

Rule 29-7901 - ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

7901.1

Only one person who is eighteen (18) years old or older at the time of application per household is eligible to enroll his or her household in the Program. This person shall be considered the head of household.

7901.2

A household may be a family household, comprising one or more adults with dependent children, or it may be an individual adult household, comprising one person who is eighteen (18) years old or older.

7901.3

To determine family household composition, the Department shall consider individuals who live in the same physical housing unit as the applying head of household, including:

(a) Persons related by blood or legal adoption with legal responsibility for minor children in the household;

(b) Persons related by marriage or domestic partnership (as defined by Section 2(4) of the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992, effective June 11, 1992 (D.C. Law 9-114; D.C. Official Code §§ 32-701(4)), including stepchildren and unmarried parents of a common child who live together;

(c) Persons with a legal responsibility for an unrelated minor child or an unrelated adult with a disability; and

(d) Any person not included by §§ 7901.3(a)-(c), regardless of blood relationship, age, or marriage, whose history and statements reasonably demonstrate that the individuals intend to remain together in the same household.

7901.4

An otherwise eligible person temporarily away from the housing unit due to employment, school, hospitalization, incarceration, legal proceedings or vacation shall be considered to be living in the household. A minor child who is away at school is considered to be living in the household if he or she returns to the housing unit on occasional weekends, holidays, school breaks, or during summer vacations.

7901.5

To establish initial eligibility for the Program, a household must:

(a) Reside in the District of Columbia, as defined by Section 2(32) of the Act (D.C. Official Code §§ 4-751.01(32)), at the time of application;

(b) Demonstrate risk of homelessness as evidenced by:

(1) Previous application for or participation in at least one government-funded emergency or temporary housing or rental assistance program administered by the District, including the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, the Homelessness Prevention Program, the Family Re-Housing and Stabilization Program, or other rapid re-housing program, within the last 48 months; and

(2) Having a total annual income less than or equal to forty percent (40 %) of the Median Family Income for the District, which is a periodic calculation provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; and

(c) Be headed by a person that is eighteen (18) years old or older at the time of application;

(d) Either:

(1) Have a current, valid lease agreement for a rental unit in the District, or

(2) For an individual participating in a work bed shelter program, commit to executing a valid lease agreement for a rental unit in the District within sixty (60) days of accepting the conditional offer described in §§ 7903.9; and

(e) For a family participant, have physical custody of one or more minor or dependent children.

7901.6

The applicant may be enrolled in a government-funded rental assistance program administered by the District at the time of application. However, if selected for the Program, no household member may be enrolled in both the Program and another on-going District or federal government-funded rental assistance program at the same time. Participation in the Program shall not preclude receipt of shelter or rental assistance after participation in the Program has ended.

D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 29, r. 29-7901

Final Rulemaking published at 65 DCR 14135 (12/28/2018); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 67 DCR 3264 (3/20/2020); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 71 DCR 9406 (7/26/2024)