(a) Continued assistance—(1) General. A mixed family may receive continued housing assistance if all of the following conditions are met (a mixed family assisted under a Housing covered program must be provided continued assistance if the family meets the following conditions):

(i) The family was receiving assistance under a Section 214 covered program on June 19, 1995;

(ii) The family's head of household or spouse has eligible immigration status as described in § 5.506; and

(iii) The family does not include any person (who does not have eligible immigration status) other than the head of household, any spouse of the head of household, any parents of the head of household, any parents of the spouse, or any children of the head of household or spouse.

(2) Proration of continued assistance. A family entitled to continued assistance before November 29, 1996 is entitled to continued assistance as described in paragraph (a) of this section. A family entitled to continued assistance after November 29, 1996 shall receive prorated assistance as described in § 5.520.

(b) Temporary deferral of termination of assistance—(1) Eligibility for this type of assistance. If a mixed family qualifies for prorated assistance (and does not qualify for continued assistance), but decides not to accept prorated assistance, or if a family has no members with eligible immigration status, the family may be eligible for temporary deferral of termination of assistance if necessary to permit the family additional time for the orderly transition of those family members with ineligible status, and any other family members involved, to other affordable housing. Other affordable housing is used in the context of transition of an ineligible family from a rent level that reflects HUD assistance to a rent level that is unassisted; the term refers to housing that is not substandard, that is of appropriate size for the family and that can be rented for an amount not exceeding the amount that the family pays for rent, including utilities, plus 25 percent.

(2) Housing covered programs: Conditions for granting temporary deferral of termination of assistance. The responsible entity shall grant a temporary deferral of termination of assistance to a mixed family if the family is assisted under a Housing covered program and one of the following conditions is met:

(i) The family demonstrates that reasonable efforts to find other affordable housing of appropriate size have been unsuccessful (for purposes of this section, reasonable efforts include seeking information from, and pursuing leads obtained from the State housing agency, the city government, local newspapers, rental agencies and the owner);

(ii) The vacancy rate for affordable housing of appropriate size is below five percent in the housing market for the area in which the project is located; or

(iii) The consolidated plan, as described in 24 CFR part 91 and if applicable to the covered program, indicates that the local jurisdiction's housing market lacks sufficient affordable housing opportunities for households having a size and income similar to the family seeking the deferral.

(3) Time limit on deferral period. If temporary deferral of termination of assistance is granted, the deferral period shall be for an initial period not to exceed six months. The initial period may be renewed for additional periods of six months, but the aggregate deferral period for deferrals provided after November 29, 1996 shall not exceed a period of eighteen months. The aggregate deferral period for deferrals granted prior to November 29, 1996 shall not exceed 3 years. These time periods do not apply to a family which includes a refugee under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act or an individual seeking asylum under section 208 of that Act.

(4) Notification requirements for beginning of each deferral period. At the beginning of each deferral period, the responsible entity must inform the family of its ineligibility for financial assistance and offer the family information concerning, and referrals to assist in finding, other affordable housing.

(5) Determination of availability of affordable housing at end of each deferral period. (i) Before the end of each deferral period, the responsible entity must satisfy the applicable requirements of either paragraph (b)(5)(i)(A) or (B) of this section. Specifically, the responsible entity must:

(A) For Housing covered programs: Make a determination that one of the two conditions specified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section continues to be met (note: affordable housing will be determined to be available if the vacancy rate is five percent or greater), the owner's knowledge and the tenant's evidence indicate that other affordable housing is available; or

(B) For Section 8 or Public Housing covered programs: Make a determination of the availability of affordable housing of appropriate size based on evidence of conditions which when taken together will demonstrate an inadequate supply of affordable housing for the area in which the project is located, the consolidated plan (if applicable, as described in 24 CFR part 91), the responsible entity's own knowledge of the availability of affordable housing, and on evidence of the tenant family's efforts to locate such housing.

(ii) The responsible entity must also:

(A) Notify the tenant family in writing, at least 60 days in advance of the expiration of the deferral period, that termination will be deferred again (provided that the granting of another deferral will not result in aggregate deferral periods that exceeds the maximum deferral period). This time period does not apply to a family which includes a refugee under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act or an individual seeking asylum under section 208 of that Act, and a determination was made that other affordable housing is not available; or

(B) Notify the tenant family in writing, at least 60 days in advance of the expiration of the deferral period, that termination of financial assistance will not be deferred because either granting another deferral will result in aggregate deferral periods that exceed the maximum deferral period (unless the family includes a refugee under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act or an individual seeking asylum under section 208 of that Act), or a determination has been made that other affordable housing is available.

(c) Option to select proration of assistance at end of deferral period. A family who is eligible for, and receives temporary deferral of termination of assistance, may request, and the responsible entity shall provide proration of assistance at the end of the deferral period if the family has made a good faith effort during the deferral period to locate other affordable housing.

(d) Notification of decision on family preservation assistance. A responsible entity shall notify the family of its decision concerning the family's qualification for family preservation assistance. If the family is ineligible for family preservation assistance, the notification shall state the reasons, which must be based on relevant factors. For tenant families, the notice also shall inform the family of any applicable appeal rights.