Boulder County rental aid for 24 households is funded through 2026
Staff now expect Emergency Housing Vouchers to transition to tenant-protection vouchers on Dec. 31, but funding for continued assistance remains uncertain.
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The Boulder County Housing Authority says rental assistance for 24 households using Emergency Housing Vouchers is funded through Dec. 31, but it does not yet know whether it can continue payments in 2027, staff told county commissioners Sept. 29.
At the Housing Authority’s Oct. 27 meeting, the executive director said the vouchers are expected to transition to tenant-protection vouchers on Dec. 31. Staff expect the process to be seamless for residents, with no waiting list, but described the transition as an expectation, not a completed or guaranteed action.
At the September meeting, staff said they were waiting for guidance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on whether tenant-protection vouchers could help cover the households after this year. HUD’s 2026 funding notice says those funds can help housing authorities cover Emergency Housing Voucher shortfalls during 2026 when they otherwise would have to end assistance. The notice does not establish a path for continuing assistance in 2027.
The uncertainty comes amid a projected funding shortfall. Staff said HUD recaptured just under $1.4 million after a 2025 reporting error. The authority projects a year-end shortfall of about $782,000, though staff said the estimate changes as payments are made.
HUD released $457,000 in reserves after the authority requested the funds, staff said. As of the Sept. 29 meeting, the authority had not received a response to a separate request for another $1.1 million in reserves. Staff also said they did not expect a decision on an application for HUD shortfall assistance until December, when the authority projected it would enter shortfall.
Staff said in September that the authority had planned to move households into its regular Housing Choice Voucher program, but HUD’s direction barred the transition while the authority was in shortfall. The authority had held off on issuing new vouchers and running lotteries to leave room for those households. If tenant-protection vouchers were unavailable, staff said they were working to reconcile the shortfall by December and resume that plan the following year.
The authority was also coordinating with Boulder Housing Partners on options for households connected to both agencies, including five authority voucher holders renting in Boulder Housing Partners-owned homes. As of the Sept. 29 meeting, staff said the process was still unclear and they were holding off on announcing details to voucher holders.