Bring It Home Rental Assistance Program

The information in this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is supplementary to the Bring It Home Program Guide and Grant Contract Agreements. In the event of any conflict between the information in this document and the Bring It Home Program Guide and/or Grant Contract Agreement, the information in the Bring It Home Program Guide and/or Grant Contract Agreement will govern and control.

Updates to this FAQ will be identified and dated accordingly.

Please review the Local Government Housing Programs webpage and Bring It Home Program Guide for additional details, including program eligibility requirements, eligible uses, definitions and related information.

Program Features and Policies

Guidance and Statutory Requirements

1. Can Program Administrators establish additional priority populations, and how does this align with the prioritization of households with children 18 and under and incomes up to 30% AMI? 
   Yes, the statute allows Program Administrators to establish additional priority populations based on local needs. Any additional priorities should have preference equal to or less than the statutory preference of households with children 18 and under and incomes up to 30% AMI. This applies to both tenant-based and project-based vouchers.
2. If we are a Tribal Program Administrator and we are planning to serve more than one geographic area that includes non-tribal lands, can we have a preference for Tribal members that are not living on tribal lands? 
   Program Administrators may not have preferences for protected classes under the Fair Housing Act or the Minnesota Human Rights Act, unless otherwise allowed by law (for example, on Tribal land.) Political classification is not a protected class under either the Fair Housing Act or the Minnesota Human Rights Act; therefore, if a Tribal Nation has a priority or a preference for a particular political classification, that would not be a violation of civil rights laws.
3. Can we serve households that have a Tribal member in it? 
   Yes, you can serve any household that has a Tribal member in it.
4. What do you see as the future of this funding? Has the legislature made a commitment to re-fund the program over a longer period of time? 
   This is a program with ongoing funding with a mix of sales tax and general fund resources. Funding for this program was added to Minnesota Housing’s base budget for future biennia. Future legislatures could change the funding levels or mechanisms, as with any program, but Minnesota Housing is operating this as a permanent program.

Start-Up Costs

5. Is Start-Up Costs funding separate from Administrative Fees? 
   Yes, Start-Up Costs funding is separate from Administrative Fees. Start-up costs cover the necessary expenses to establish program staff and infrastructure for operating the Bring It Home Rental Assistance Program. These costs may include developing program policies, hiring and training staff, marketing, setting up waitlists, and establishing program procedures during the first 12 months of the program. 
   
   Start-up costs will be provided through the initial grants for the first round of funding only and are in addition to the Bring It Home Rental Assistance Program grant proceeds used for Housing Assistance Payments and Administrative Fees.
6. What if we start administrating the program and determine that we cannot administer it? Will we have to repay our start-up cost funding to the state? 
   Yes, if a Program Administrator cannot fulfill their responsibilities, Minnesota Housing will require repayment of start-up cost funding as outlined in the Grant Contract Agreement.

Grant Contract Agreement

7. Is there an “out clause” in the grant contract agreement, in the case that we determine that operating the program is not feasible? 
   There is not an “out clause” in the grant contract agreement. If a Program Administrator has issued vouchers and has households receiving rental assistance, the Program Administrator must continue to provide that rental assistance until the 2-year grant period has expired. If the Program Administrator decides it cannot operate the program at that time, the award for that service area goes through the Unserved Geographic Area process detailed in 4.02 section of the Program Guide.
8. If there are changes at the federal level that require updates to the HCV Administrative Plan do Program Administrators need to submit new amendments to their BIH Workplan? 
   The HCV Administrative Plan that was in place at the time of contract execution is the version the Bring It Home workplan will be based on. Please keep a copy of that version of the HCV Administrative Plan in the Bring It Home contract file. 
   
   Program Administrators should not need to submit additional amendments related to changes in their HCV Administrative Plan after contract execution. However, Program Administrators can submit amendments for Minnesota Housing’s review at any time.
9. The grant contract section (Section 12. Publicity and Endorsement) on publicity states that all publicity must be approved by Minnesota Housing.  Does this mean that when there are landlord events or marketing to households, Minnesota Housing approval is required? 
   The publicity clause does not apply to how the program will be marketed to landlords or households. This clause is applicable to large kick off events or media requests on the BIH program which should be approved by Minnesota Housing.
10. If we choose Option 2 for this first grant cycle, are we able to convert to Option 1 or Option 3 with the next grant cycle? And are changes allowed during a two-year grant cycle? 
    If your organization submits an application for the next grant period, you may change your selection at that time. If a selected Program Administrator wishes to change which Option is being used during the two-year grant period, it must be approved at Minnesota Housing’s sole discretion and would require an amendment to the Grant Contract Agreement.

Program Implementation and Operations

Eligible Households

11. Do eligible households need to be below 50% AMI at both initial eligibility and annual recertification? 
    Eligible households must be below 50% AMI at initial eligibility. However, during annual recertifications, income is verified to determine subsidy amount but not eligibility.
12. Do applicants need to be a Minnesota resident? Is this something that we need to screen at time of applying to ensure that the applicant is a Minnesota resident? 
    Yes, applicants do need to be Minnesota residents. Program Administrators should refer to their existing HCV procedures as to how they define Minnesota residents and/or establish their own process to determine Minnesota residency such as looking at a driver’s license or utility bill. Program Administrators should decide on a procedure and apply it consistently.
13. Is the rental assistance only for existing renters? 
    No, rental assistance is not limited to existing renters. The Bring It Home Rental Assistance Program provides financial support to eligible households, regardless of the household’s housing situation at time of application. Eligibility criteria include being a Minnesota resident, having an annual income at or below 50% of the area median income (AMI), and paying more than 30% of household income on rent.
14. Does an applicant have to be “cost burdened” in order to apply? 
    Yes, applicants must be “cost burdened”. Minnesota Housing has interpreted the statute to include households that are experiencing homelessness as cost burdened. Program Administrators can use their existing procedures or another process to determine whether a household is cost burdened, as long as it is applied consistently.
15. If we have families in our community that are in short term emergency housing, can those families be eligible for Bring it Home? 
    Yes, as long as they are cost burdened and not receiving federal rental assistance.
16. If an applicant is currently on the Section 8 waitlist, can they move to the waitlist for Bring it Home? 
    Yes, as long as they are not currently receiving rental assistance. If there are separate waitlists for Section 8 and Bring It Home vouchers, an applicant can be on both lists.
17. If an applicant currently has an HCV or project-based voucher, can they give it up and get a tenant voucher through Bring it Home instead? 
    No. Under statute households currently receiving federal tenant-based or project-based rental assistance under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 are not eligible for tenant-based assistance through the Bring It Home Rental Assistance Program.
18. If a household is currently receiving short term rental assistance, such as FHPAP, can they be switched to a longer-term voucher under the Bring It Home program? 
    A Program Administrator may use a 6-month “look forward” period to evaluate applicants for the Bring It Home program. If an applicant is on short-term rental assistance, and that rental assistance will expire within the next 6 months, or the household will otherwise meet the requirement of paying more than 30% of their income toward rent, then they can be switched from the short-term rental assistance to a Bring It Home voucher.

Rental Assistance Calculations

19. Should we use gross or adjusted gross income for household income calculations? 
    Minnesota Housing is authorizing Program Administrators to use adjusted gross income in their income calculations to be consistent with existing HCV procedures.
20. What can be included in the rent payment? For example, if a tenant has to pay for renters insurance and that is in the lease agreement, can it be counted as rent? 
    In general, rent includes the actual rent payment plus all non-optional ongoing fees that are required to be paid as part of a total monthly payment and listed in the lease. Please refer to Minnesota Statute 504B.120 Subd 1.
21. Can we structure the program so that households can pay less than 30% of their income in rent? 
    You can, as long as the difference between what a household is paying for rent and the actual rent is the same amount or less than the difference between a household paying 30% of their income in rent and 120% of the payment standard.
22. Can the program cover back-owed rent?
    No.
23. Are we required to use Housing Choice Voucher rent and subsidy calculations for Bring It Home? 
    Program Administrators are required to use your current Housing Choice Voucher calculation processes if you are operating under Option 1. If operating under Option 2 or 3, Program Administrators can propose changes to those calculations, but it would require a grant amendment if not included in the original grant contract.
24. Is AMI based on household size? 
    Yes, AMI for Bring It Home is the same calculation as HUD.
25. Are utility reimbursements allowable under this program? 
    Program Administrators must provide utility allowances. Program Administrators are able to provide utility reimbursements if they choose. The amount of the reimbursement will be required to be capped at the amount of the utility allowance for that unit.
26. Is covering utility payments or deposits through Bring It Home HAP/Rental Assistance an option? 
    Utility payments, if included in rent, can be covered, as can utility reimbursements (see question 44). However, the statute does not allow for utility deposits or hookup fees.
    
    Program Administrators may create landlord incentives with administrative fees for deposits under option 2 or 3 requests.

Program Operations

27. If we are serving more than one county, what payment standard should we use? 
    If you are serving more than one county, you can choose to use the higher payment standard of those counties or an average of those payment standards or propose another method for determining the payment standard for that area. If an alternative method of determining the payment standard is used, it must be approved by Minnesota Housing.
28. Do we need to use HMIS to report on the program? 
    No.
29. How will new questions and issues be addressed? 
    The Bring It Home team holds monthly information sessions to answer questions and troubleshoot potential issues. Questions addressed and answered from these sessions will be added to this FAQ information.
30. Can we use our public housing waitlist along with our HCV waitlist? 
    If your waitlists include the statutory priority population and allow for households up to 50% AMI, selected Program Administrators can use both waitlists to serve households with Bring It Home vouchers.
31. Do Program Administrators need to provide supportive services to families receiving rental assistance? 
    No. Program Administrators are not required to provide supportive services under the Bring It Home program. Supportive services are not an eligible use of Bring It Home program funds.
32. Is there a requirement to use coordinated entry? 
    No. Bring it Home does not require Program Administrators to use coordinated entry.
33. For Program Administrators that currently have a Moving-To-Work HCV program where they allow developers to use a flat subsidy model, rather than having individual rent calculations, is there a threshold prohibition for a similar procedure under Bring It Home? 
    The program was designed to make housing affordable for households that are cost burdened. The statute states that a Program Administrator may provide tenant-based or project-based vouchers in amounts equal to the difference between 30% of household income and the rent charged. Therefore, Program Administrators should target tenant payment portions at 30% of a household’s income. Minnesota Housing understands that some Administrative Plans allow tenant portions to go higher under certain circumstances (as noted in the Program Guide). If a Program Administrator wishes to use a flat subsidy model, the Program Administrator would have to ensure that a tenant’s individual income is considered and that, unless necessary, does not cost burden the household.
34. When the Department of Housing of Urban Development (HUD) updates the income limits for 2026, will there be a grace period for Program Administrators to update the BIH income limits? 
    Minnesota Housing advises Program Administrators to follow the HCV Administrative Plan, NAHSADA Plan and/or Bring it Home workplans for when to update income limits. In general, Program Administrators should update the income limits for Bring it Home when they do for other programs such as HCV.
35. Do Program Administrators need to publicly advertise the program to households or is a targeted email enough? 
    Minnesota Housing advises Program Administrators to follow what is in their HCV Administrative Plan, NAHASDA Plan and/or Bring it Home workplans regarding waitlist advertising or marketing the program to households. If there isn’t guidance in that plan, then targeted emails would be an option. Minnesota Housing would recommend posting the waitlist opening to HousingLink and your organization website, but it is not required.

Program Forms

36. Can Program Administrators use their own application for Bring It Home? Is it okay if the online application does not look the same as the Minnesota Housing forms? 
    As long as the content of the application is the same but only the format is changed, that is acceptable.
37. Since the MN Government Data Practices Act Disclosure Statement hasn’t been updated but is a required form, which checkbox should be marked for attachment? 
    If using the MN Government Data Practices Act Disclosure from the MN Housing webpage, Box 1 is the most applicable to BIH. NAHRO has created an adaptation of this form for BIH that may also be used.
38. Will we need to change all forms from the federal forms? What forms does the program require? 
    Required forms can be found on the Participant File Checklist.

Inspections and Lease Ups

39. The BIH HAP contract speaks to accessibility of units, is the accessibility standard based on State regulations (ex: Type A), or Federal regulations (ex: Section 504)? 
    Our legal team recommends following all federal and state regulations. Program Administrators should consult with their attorney with questions regarding accessibility.
40. Can households use Bring it Home vouchers in 9% low income housing tax credit units and/or 4% tax credit units with bonds? 
    Yes, as long as the household meets the program eligibility requirements and the rental assistance amount is not more than the difference between 30% of the household income and 120% of the payment standard.

Project-Based Vouchers

41. If we are project-basing vouchers, do we need to keep issuing Request for Proposals (RFP) until we fill all the units with the statutory priority population?
    Program Administrators may establish additional priority populations for your project-based voucher RFP based on local need. If the RFP has additional priority populations, then you can select projects that provide units for households with children 18 and under AND income below 30% AMI or projects that serve the additional priority population.
42. Is an Agreement to Enter into a Housing Assistance Payments Contract (AHAP) Required for Project Based Vouchers? 
    Minnesota Housing does not require an AHAP for Bring it Home Project Based Vouchers and will not be providing a form of AHAP. However, Program Administrators may use an AHAP that they have created as long as it doesn’t conflict with the BIH HAP or grant contract agreement.
43. Are environmental reviews required for Project Based Voucher units? 
    No. BIH does not require environmental reviews.
44. Where can I locate guidance to Program Administrators that want to project base their vouchers? What specific obligations will need to be delineated in a Bring It Home version of a project-based HAP contract? 
    Program Administrators should refer to their existing procedures to determine how to project base vouchers and the Bring It Home Program Guide section 3.04 for guidance. Program Administrators must use the project-based HAP Contract provided for all project-based units in a building. You may have one copy of the HAP with all the tenant files for that building. Program Administrators may use their own form similar to the AHAP as desired.

Fund Disbursement

45. Can Program Administrators change start up costs after executing the grant? 
    Funds can only be moved from one line item to another within start up costs, but the total amount of start up costs cannot change. To move these funds, contact Program Staff to request the change.
46. Are there any requirements on the usage for administrative fees? 
    Administrative expenses covered by Administrative Fees are a fee for service on a per voucher per month basis and must be directly related to the Bring It Home Rental Assistance Program. A portion of a Program Administrator’s Administrative Fee may be used for Landlord Incentive Programs. Please see Section 2.30 of the Program Guide for additional information regarding administrative fees.
47. Because administrative fees are based on the number of vouchers issued, how does Minnesota Housing anticipate administrative fees to be distributed if there are more vouchers issued than vouchers allocated? 
    Minnesota Housing will cap the monthly administrative fees based on the number of vouchers that are allocated. If a selected Program Administrator proposed 100 vouchers and then issued 200 vouchers, the maximum monthly administrative fee amount that could be distributed is based on 100 vouchers.

File Monitoring and Compliance

48. Is the Bring It Home application only required during intake or should it be used at annual recertifications? 
    The Bring It Home application is required to be filled out yearly at the annual recertification.

Data Reporting

49. Do Program Administrators need to submit reports if there was no activity in the requested quarter? 
    Yes, Program Administrators are required to turn in all quarterly reports, regardless of how much activity took place.
50. What are the reporting requirements? What data is required and how often do we need to report? 
    Program Administrators are required to submit household data reporting quarterly. An excel workbook exported from the grantee’s program tracking software or the manually completed Minnesota Housing provided excel workbook showing all program actions and waiting list activities is required.