H.R. 5889 — Eviction Helpline Act

This section directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish, not later than one year after enactment, a hotline to provide assistance with eviction-related matters to tenants of covered federally assisted rental dwelling units. The section authorizes appropriations of such sums as necessary for FY2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.

This section defines three terms for purposes of the Act. (1) Assistance means any grant, loan, subsidy, contract, cooperative agreement, or other financial assistance, excluding insurance or guarantees of loans, mortgages, or pools thereof. (2) Covered federally assisted rental dwelling unit means a rental dwelling unit that receives assistance, or is part of a project receiving assistance, under specified HUD programs—including public housing (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.), Section 8 rental assistance (42 U.S.C. 1437f), Section 202 supportive housing for the elderly (12 U.S.C. 1701q), Section 811 supportive housing for persons with disabilities (42 U.S.C. 8013), and others—or that is on a property with a federally backed mortgage loan as defined in section 4024(a) of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9058(a)). (3) Secretary means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.