H.R. 6753 — Campus Housing Affordability Act

This section removes the prohibition on providing rental housing assistance—including under public housing, Section 8 tenant-based vouchers, and Section 8 project-based rental assistance—to individuals enrolled as students at institutions of higher education. (As background, the prohibition, enacted in the FY2006 THUD Appropriations Act, barred such assistance unless the student was a veteran, married, had dependent children, had been in foster care, or met other limited exceptions now redesignated as paragraphs (1) through (5).)

This section authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to waive any requirement under Section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (i.e., tenant-based rental assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher program) that would otherwise prohibit providing such assistance to an eligible student. An eligible student is one enrolled in an institution of higher education, as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)) including institutions described in section 102(a)(1) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1002(a)(1)), who resides in student housing maintained by the institution and otherwise qualifies for the assistance. (As background, Section 8(o) generally bars tenant-based assistance to students enrolled at least half-time in an institution of higher education, subject to specified exceptions.) Assistance provided under this waiver is not counted as income for determining eligibility for or amounts of federal or institutionally provided student financial aid, cooperative education program work income, National and Community Service Act living allowances, or child support obligations.