Day: August 16, 2016

NAHRO submits Small Area FMR Comments

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

NAHRO has submitted comments on HUD’s notice titled “Establishing a More Effective Fair Market Rent System; Using Small Area Fair Market Rents in Housing Choice Voucher Program Instead of the Current 50th Percentile FMRs.”

HUD’s proposed rule would mandatorily impose the use of Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) areas in 31 metropolitan areas, if it were implemented as currently written.

In NAHRO’s comments, we stated that PHAs should have the discretion to use either SAFMRs or FMRs depending on what made sense in a PHA’s rental housing market. NAHRO’s reasons to oppose the mandatory imposition of SAFMRs in certain areas can be divided into three broad categories: tenant welfare concerns; tenant choice concerns; and administrative burden concerns. NAHRO also noted that additional research needed to be done before mandatorily implementing SAFMRs and responded to specific solicitations about the rule from HUD.

Read NAHRO’s SAFMR comments here.

Read the proposed rule here.

Read NAHRO’s prior post on HUD’s SAFMR proposed rule here.

NAHRO meets with HUD PIH Leadership

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

Georgi John HUD 16-8-9

NAHRO’s Acting CEO, John Bohm, and the NAHRO Policy Team members; Georgi Banna, Eric Oberdorfer and Tushar Gurjal; along with PHADA and CLPHA met with HUD’s Public and Indian Housing Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS), Lourdes Castro-Ramierz, and many of the PIH department leadership.

Among the topics discussed were the priorities for implementing the Housing Opportunities Through Modernization Act (HOTMA/HR 3700); upcoming HUD rules such as Smoke-Free Housing, Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs), HCV Administrative Fee Formula; Moving to Work (MTW) Expansion; and Triennial Recertifications; and the current priorities of NAHRO, PHADA, CLPHA and HUD. NAHRO and CLPHA were also thanked for their current and continued work in affordable housing and education and the improvement of educational outcomes for the children our members serve.

NAHRO is committed to keeping open and productive lines of communication and will continue to share the thoughts and concerns of our members with HUD.