Day: August 25, 2016

FY 2017 FMRs Published

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

HUD has published its FY 2017 FMRs on its website. While we are still in the process of going through the notice announcing the publication of the FMRs, here are some of the main takeaways:

  • After the passage of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA), HUD is no longer required to publish FMRs in the Federal Register, but may now publish them on its website, while announcing the postings in the Federal Register.
  • After HOTMA, FMRs shall be effective no earlier than 30 days after the date of publication of the announcement notice in the Federal Register.
  • HOTMA requires that HUD publish proposed “material changes” to the methodology for comment. The notice asks for public comment on “defining the scope of material changes that will trigger notice and comment in future calculations of FMRs.”
  • The methodology for calculating the FY 2017 FMRs will remain the same as the methodology used to calculate the FY 2016 FMRs, except that updated data will be used.
  • There are no geography changes, but “several areas have been renamed to avoid confusion.”
  • The effective date of the FMRs will be October 1, 2016.
  • HUD has established a procedure “for PHAs and other interested parties to comment on such fair market rentals and to request, within a time specified by [HUD], reevaluation of the fair market rentals in a jurisdiction before such rentals become effective.”

Read the full pre-publication notice here.

[8/26/16 UPDATE: The Federal Register publication can be found here. Comments are due by September 26, 2016.]

The FY 2017 FMRs can be found here (scroll to FY 2017). The PDF tables can be found here.

NAHRO Submits Letter to HUD PIH Regarding Costs of Bed Bug Eradication in Public Housing Units

~ Eric Oberdorfer ~ Leave a comment

On August 25, NAHRO submitted a letter to HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramirez regarding the financial strains many PHAs face regarding bed bug infestation. In the letter, NAHRO noted the difference between standard pest extermination methods compared to the more-intensive methods of eradicating bed bugs. The letter continued, stating that in light of the additional effort required to eradicate bed bugs from housing units and properties, bed bug infestations place substantial financial burdens on PHAs, and that bed bugs affect more than just the tenants in an impacted unit.

NAHRO plans to continue working with HUD PIH  to ensure that PHAs can remain financially secure while also ensuring their tenants have access to safe, secure housing free of bed bugs.

Assessment of Fair Housing Tool for Local Governments with Proposed Changes Now Available

~ Jenny Hsu ~ Leave a comment

As NAHRO previously reported, on August 23, HUD published a 30-day Notice in the Federal Register seeking additional public feedback on the proposed changes to HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Local Government Assessment Tool (Local Government Tool). The Local Government Tool is the standardized tool that communities receiving HUD Community Planning and Development (CPD) formula grant dollars must use to conduct and submit their Assessments of Fair Housing (AFH).

The 30-day Notice proposes a number of additions to the Local Government Tool that would, ideally, help simplify the AFH process for Qualified Public Housing Authorities (QPHAs), defined as PHAs not designed as “troubled” with a combined unit total of 550 or less, and for local governments receiving small CPD formula grants. The tool would include two new sections for streamlined assessments for QPHAs and small local governments, called “inserts.”  QPHAs and local governments seeking to fulfill their Fair Housing requirements through these streamlined “inserts” must be involved in a joint or regional collaboration with a local government as the lead entity.

The proposed Local Government Tool with the new “inserts” is now available for public viewing on  HUD Exchange. The deadline to respond to the 30-day Notice and comment on the Local Government Tool is September 22, 2016.