Congress has stepped in to support families who rely on housing aid from a program started during the COVID-19 crisis that was running short of funds this fall.

A short-term spending measure passed in September instructed housing agencies to move at-risk residents onto a replacement rental program and supplied money to cover the added households.

This approach preserves stable rents for nearly 400 residences throughout San Diego County, with the majority located inside the city itself.

“This is significant news because these are among some of the most vulnerable families we serve,” said Scott Marshall, a spokesperson for the San Diego Housing Commission. “They would be at high risk of returning to homelessness without voucher assistance.”

The Emergency Housing Voucher initiative began in 2021 under the American Rescue Plan, a large federal relief package. It issued 70,000 vouchers intended to last through 2030, yet higher housing costs caused the money to run out sooner across the country.

The approaching cutoff created concern for housing agencies in San Diego County, where Section 8 lists were already closed and providers lacked other options to help families stay housed.

Households still using emergency vouchers can now shift to tenant protection vouchers instead.

Fresh instructions issued September 30 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development let agencies maintain assistance at least through December, after which Congress must approve additional spending as it does for other rental programs.

“Ultimately, folks remain on assistance,” said Kim Johnson, senior policy director at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “It’s just under a different name.”

Johnson expressed cautious optimism that lawmakers would keep renewing the money even during a possible government shutdown.

Eligible families can keep tenant protection vouchers as long as they need the help. These subsidies preserve rental support when other HUD programs end or shift.

Marshall noted that tenant protection vouchers have usually stayed funded for the original household and then end, without being reassigned to new applicants.

The San Diego County Housing Commission has already moved 139 emergency voucher households into Section 8 or project-based options that tie residents to specific buildings. Those already placed in project-based units cannot switch to the portable tenant protection vouchers.

The remaining 40 households will complete the transition soon.

Gilberto Vera, director of housing justice collaborative, policy and training at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, called the development positive for the near term.

He urged families still holding emergency vouchers to contact their caseworkers to confirm active status, assuring landlords that payments will continue unchanged.

“Don’t preemptively start evicting someone,” he said.