Tenants may meet one of the following definitions for their housing status.
Literally Homeless—household who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning:
- Living in a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport or camping ground; OR
- Living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, or hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state or local government programs); OR
- Exiting an institution where he or she resided for 90 calendar days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.
Unstably Housed—household who:
- Is at risk of losing their housing, and does not otherwise qualify as homeless under the above-listed definition, provided that:
- They have been notified to vacate their current residence or otherwise demonstrate high risk of losing current housing; AND
- Lack the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.
Rent Guarantee Operations Manual (eff 07/01/25)