24 CFR 91.305 – Housing and homeless needs assessment
(a) General. The consolidated plan must provide a concise summary of the state’s estimated housing needs projected for the ensuing five-year period. Housing data included in this portion of the plan shall be based on U.S. Census data, as provided by HUD, as updated by any properly conducted local study, or any other reliable source that the state clearly identifies and should reflect the consultation with social service agencies and other entities conducted in accordance with § 91.110 and the citizen participation process conducted in accordance with § 91.115. For a state seeking funding under the HOPWA program, the needs described for housing and supportive services must address the unmet needs of low-income persons with HIV/AIDS and their families in areas outside of eligible metropolitan statistical areas.
(b) Categories of persons affected. (1)(i) The plan shall estimate the number and type of families in need of housing assistance for:
(A) Extremely low-income, low-income, moderate-income, and middle-income families;
(B) Renters and owners;
(C) Elderly persons;
(D) Single persons;
(E) Large families;
(F) Public housing residents;
(G) Families on the public housing and Section 8 tenant-based waiting list;
(H) Persons with HIV/AIDS and their families;
(I) Victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking;
(J) Persons with disabilities; and
(K) Formerly homeless families and individuals who are receiving rapid re-housing assistance and are nearing the termination of that assistance.
(ii) The description of housing needs shall include a concise summary of the cost burden and severe cost burden, overcrowding (especially for large families), and substandard housing conditions being experienced by extremely low-income, low-income, moderate-income, and middle-income renters and owners compared to the state as a whole. (The state must define in its consolidated plan the terms “standard condition” and “substandard condition but suitable for rehabilitation.”)
(2) For any of the income categories enumerated in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, to the extent that any racial or ethnic group has disproportionately greater need in comparison to the needs of that category as a whole, assessment of that specific need shall be included. For this purpose, disproportionately greater need exists when the percentage of persons in a category of need who are members of a particular racial or ethnic group in a category of need is at least 10 percentage points higher than the percentage of persons in the category as a whole.
(c) Persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. (1) The plan must describe, in a form prescribed by HUD, the nature and extent of homelessness, including rural homelessness, within the state.
(i) The description must include, for each category of homeless persons specified by HUD (including chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth), the number of persons experiencing homelessness on a given night, the number of persons who experience homelessness each year, the number of persons who lose their housing and become homeless each year, the number of persons who exit homelessness each year, and the number of days that persons experience homelessness, and any other measures specified by HUD.
(ii) The plan also must contain a brief narrative description of the nature and extent of homelessness by racial and ethnic group, to the extent that information is available.
(2) The plan must include a narrative description of the characteristics and needs of low-income individuals and families with children (especially extremely low-income) who are currently housed but threatened with homelessness. This information may be evidenced by the characteristics and needs of individuals and families with children who are currently entering the homeless assistance system or appearing for the first time on the streets. The description must also include specific housing characteristics linked to instability and an increased risk of homelessness.
(d) Other special needs. (1) The State shall estimate, to the extent practicable, the number of persons who are not homeless but require supportive housing, including the elderly, frail elderly, persons with disabilities (mental, physical, developmental), persons with alcohol or other drug addiction, persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, and any other categories the State may specify, and describe their supportive housing needs.
(2) With respect to a State seeking assistance under the HOPWA program, the plan must identify the size and characteristics of the population with HIV/AIDS and their families within the area it will serve.
(e) Lead-based paint hazards. The plan must estimate the number of housing units within the State that are occupied by low-income families or moderate-income families that contain lead-based paint hazards, as defined in this part.