HOPWA regulations make clear that no fees can be charged to residents in any type of facility-based housing, including community residences.
Residents in facility-based housing can only be required to pay a direct rent payment, calculated based on the participant's
annual household income. This also means that HOPWA grantees and sponsors cannot require residents to contribute to the costs
of amenities that may be provided by the grantee or sponsor, such as meals, cable television, or telephone service.
A grantee or sponsor can ask residents to contribute to such costs on a voluntary basis, but such payments and the use of related amenities
must be optional and not a pre-condition to ongoing residency. If residents are asked to pay for any utilities, including electricity and heat,
then such costs must be proportionally allocated to each resident using a consistent method and the average cost of such
utilities must be deducted from the resident's calculated rent payment. Please note that this could lead to a zero rent payment
or even a rent reimbursement to the household. The details of proper rent calculation are discussed on subsequent slides.
For monitoring purposes, review program policies, program agreements, and leases to ensure that no fees are required apart from
calculated rent. Review program income records for contributions other than rent. Verify that participant files
demonstrate proper rent calculations, as will be described in subsequent slides.