I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8674 
To establish a Housing Stabilization Fund to provide emergency housing 
assistance to extremely low-income renters and homeowners, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 23, 2020 
Mr. TED LIEU of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To establish a Housing Stabilization Fund to provide emer-
gency housing assistance to extremely low-income renters 
and homeowners, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Prevent Homelessness 
Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. HOUSING STABILIZATION FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development, acting through the Office of Spe-
cial Needs Assistance Programs of the Office of Commu-
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nity Planning and Development, shall establish and ad-
minister a fund to be known as the Housing Stabilization 
Fund. 
(b) GRANTS.—Amounts in the Fund shall be avail-
able, to the extent provided in advance in appropriations 
Acts, only for making annual grants under this section, 
in the amount determined pursuant to subsection (f), to 
continua of care to provide short-term assistance under 
emergency housing assistance programs that the Secretary 
determines, pursuant to applications under subsection (e), 
meet the requirements of subsection (c). 
(c) EMERGENCY HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 
REQUIREMENTS.—An emergency housing assistance pro-
gram shall be considered to meet the requirements of this 
subsection only if the program— 
(1) is carried out by a continuum of care or 
other agency, organization, or entity selected by a 
continuum of care; 
(2) operates within the geographical area served 
by the continuum of care; 
(3) provides financial assistance only on behalf 
of extremely low-income families who— 
(A) are unable to meet housing-related ob-
ligations (as described in subsection (d) of this 
section) due to a financial hardship, which shall 
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include the situations described in clause (i) of 
section 3(a)(3)(B) of the United States Hous-
ing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(a)(3)(B)(i)), 
a family or health crisis, unexpected expenses, 
unsafe or unhealthy living conditions, and such 
other situations as the Secretary may provide; 
and 
(B) provide evidence of such inability to 
meet housing related obligations, which may in-
clude past-due utilities or rent notices, eviction 
notices, and such other evidence as the Sec-
retary may provide, except that a continuum of 
care may, in consultation with the Secretary, 
provide for additional manners of identifying in-
ability to meet housing related obligations in 
situations in which such notices are not avail-
able; 
(4) provides for coordination with any local 
homeless prioritization criteria, including the Coordi-
nated Entry System or any other evidence-based 
analytic targeting tool, applicable within the area in 
which the program will be carried out, in accordance 
with such requirements as the Secretary shall pro-
vide; and 
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(5) meets such other requirements as the Sec-
retary may establish. 
(d) ELIGIBLE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—Amounts 
from grants under this section for an emergency housing 
assistance program shall be used to provide financial as-
sistance only to meet housing-related obligations, includ-
ing— 
(1) rent due, including amounts past due, ex-
cept that such assistance may not— 
(A) be provided for a family for more than 
8 months (whether consecutive or not) within 
the preceding 12 months; and 
(B) may not exceed on a monthly basis the 
amount that the Secretary determines is rea-
sonable in comparison with rents charged for 
comparable dwelling units located in the same 
area in the private, unassisted local market; 
(2) mortgage payments due, including amounts 
past due, except that such assistance may not be 
provided for a household for more than 8 months 
(whether consecutive or not) within the preceding 12 
months and may not exceed on a monthly basis such 
amount as the Secretary shall determine; 
(3) utility payments due, including amounts 
past due; 
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