A third grant is for individuals making a 2-year commitment to occupy rental units
or owner-occupied housing in Zones 1 or 2 (“2-year commitment grant program”). These grants are available regardless of whether the grant recipient resided in
Zones 1 or 2 on September 11, 2001. In general, these grants equal 30 percent of monthly
rent or, for owner-occupied units, 30 percent of mortgage payments, maintenance and
real estate and related taxes. The maximum grant amount is $12,000 for Zone 1 units,
and $6,000 over 2 years for Zone 2 units. The minimum amount is $4,000 over 2 years
for units in Zone 1 and $2,000 over 2 years for units in Zone 2.
These payments are excludable from both income and resources to the extent that they
do not exceed the minimum of $4,000 per unit for individuals residing in zone 1 and
$2,000 for individuals residing in zone 2. The minimum grants are excludable as disaster
relief; however, any amount beyond the minimum grant amount more closely resembles
an incentive payment to remain in or relocate to lower Manhattan and cannot be readily
excluded. Please see the NOTE below.
NOTE: Any cases involving payments above the minimum levels for the 2-year grants must be
analyzed on a case-by-case basis to determine if there are other applicable exclusions.
These cases should be referred to the Program Operations Center, Region II.