HUD has let LeadingAge and housing providers know that annual Service Coordinator grants are experiencing additional delays for Calendar Year 2022. Originally expected to be delayed until May, Notices of Award for HUD-funded Resident Service Coordinator grants are now expected to go out to properties in August.

Once the Award Notices are accepted by the grantees, HUD will need to take additional steps to disburse the grant funds, adding to the funding delays. Properties with access to Reserve for Replacement accounts can continue to access reserves to cover the cost of the Service Coordinator programs until the grants are paid out. Earlier this year, LeadingAge worked with HUD Headquarters and field offices to make a streamlined approach available to access reserves while the grant payments were outstanding.

The delays mirror issues experienced by affordable senior housing providers in Calendar Year 2021, when the grant funds were not dispersed by HUD until September. While HUD is working to increase capacity in their grants department, the process has been too slow to bring relief to housing providers maintaining critical Service Coordination programs from other funds while waiting for HUD to fulfill their grant obligations.

Less than half of HUD Section 202 properties have a Service Coordination program at their communities. HUD is also delayed in releasing an opportunity for housing providers to apply for new Service Coordinator grants.

LeadingAge will continue to work with Congress to find a solution for HUD’s grant administration delays, and we urge providers to get HUD approval to work Service Coordinators into the budget where possible.

Reach out to jbilowich@leadingage.org for assistance adding an RSC to your budgets or accessing reserve funds to cover outstanding grant payments.