Expanding Service Coordinators Act of 2025
Expanding Service Coordinators Act of 2025 is a comprehensive bill that broadens and funds the use of service coordinators across several federal housing programs. The core idea is to require fewer bureaucratic hurdles for housing projects that hire or retain service coordinators, while locking in new training, reporting, and grant support to help residents access supportive services, stay in housing, and age in place. The bill creates new grant programs and autorizes substantial annual funding through 2030 across multiple agencies (HUD, HHS, and USDA), and it expands public service loan forgiveness eligibility to include service coordinator work. In short, it aims to strengthen links between housing and supportive services for vulnerable residents, especially the elderly, disabled, and residents in underserved or rural areas. Key funding and programmatic changes include: a prohibition on additional requirements for federally assisted housing projects that hire service coordinators (barring only reasonable reporting/monitoring); mandatory training reserves for service coordinators; new grant programs for housing with service coordinators (including Section 202, Section 515 rural housing, and other covered programs); additional appropriations for these efforts; and a set of related reforms to PSLF eligibility and public housing service enhancements. The measure also prioritizes grants for projects serving elderly/disabled residents and those in persistent poverty or underserved rural areas.
Key Points
- 1Prohibition on additional requirements: If a covered federally assisted housing project receives funds to employ/retain a service coordinator, the federal Secretary may not impose extra requirements beyond reasonable reporting/monitoring for program administration.
- 2Training funding and reporting: Owners must reserve at least $2,500 annually for service coordinator training; service coordinators must annually report training completed; grants may be used for salaries, training, and related administrative costs.
- 3New and expanded service coordinator grant authorities:
- 4- Section 202C (Housing Act of 1959): A competitive grant program to employ/retain service coordinators for residents of Section 202 housing, with 3-year grant terms, priority for elderly/disabled or underserved rural/persistent poverty areas, and no requirement that residents must accept services.
- 5- Eligible uses: salaries, training, and related administrative costs; program guidance within 180 days of enactment.
- 6Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility: Adds “public service as a service coordinator” to eligible PSLF scenarios (increasing IBR/loan forgiveness opportunities for service coordinator work).
- 7Expanded funding for public and Indian housing residents: Authorization of $45 million per year (FY 2026–FY 2030) to support these efforts under the relevant housing act provisions.
- 8HRSA service coordinator grants: A new program to award 150 grants to eligible properties (under HRSA) to fund service coordinators for up to 3-year terms, with a $37 million authorization for FY 2026.
- 9Rural Housing Service Coordinator Grant Program: Adds Section 515A to the Rural Housing Act to fund service coordinators for Section 515 properties, with competitive grants, 3-year terms, priority for elderly/disabled or underserved rural areas, and $10 million authorized for FY 2026 onward (available until expended).