Earlier today, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing published its update to its Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) document on COVID-19. This updated brings the document to version 4. NAHRO staff is still in the process of reading through the document.
The updated PIH FAQ for COVID-19 (version 4) may be found here.
Earlier today, HUD released a Q&A to address questions concerning the eviction moratorium established by the CARES Act. Section 4024 of the Act imposes a 120-day moratorium on evictions, ending July 24, 2020. The moratorium extends to units in projects receiving funding from Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Neighborhood Stabilization Programs (NSP) or Disaster Recovery.
The Q&A clarifies which units are covered by the eviction moratorium, and which fees landlords may charge tenants for accrued costs after the moratorium ends. The full Q&A can be found here. For additional guidance, please visit the CDBG COVID-19 Resources page.
NAHRO provides additional COVID-19 resources at www.NAHRO.org/coronavirus.
In a RADBlast! email earlier today, HUD noted that they have updated one of their COVID-19 FAQs with additional information on RAD conversions during the COVID-19 event. According to the email, this update includes “further guidance on completing environmental reports when professionals may not be able to access the interior or exterior of the site . . . [and] provides an option that would give PHAs more time to execute new Section 8 leases at the point of conversion.”
The updated FAQ may be found here.
[5/21/2020 – edited for clarity.]
The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) guidebook continues to be updated by HUD. Most recently, chapters on Utility Allowances and Special Housing Types have been added. Currently available chapters include the following:
The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials is excited that HUD is continuing to update its HCV guidebook. We enthusiastically await future chapters and the regular and timely updating of the guidebook.
The full guidebook may be accessed here.
Earlier today, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) sent an email announcing that it was posting a recording of its conference call with PHAs on May 15th. The call was titled “Navigating PIC and REAC PHAS Reporting and Operational Planning Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
Our overview of the call can be found here.
Slides from the call can be found here.
A recording of the call can be found here or below.
On Wednesday, May 27. 2020, NAHRO is hosting a complimentary webinar – Managing During COVID-19: Homelessness Resources.
Join Nan Roman, President and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and leaders from NAHRO member agencies for a discussion of available homelessness resources and best practices for their use. Bring your questions and comments and join your fellow PHAs for this interactive webinar!
Register for NAHRO’s Managing During COVID-19: Homelessness Resources Webinar here!
Earlier today, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) finalized their overhaul of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations. Although the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) released a proposed CRA rule together, the FDIC noted that they are not prepared to finalize a CRA proposal at this time, meaning the FDIC’s final rule may differ from the OCC’s. Moreover, the Federal Reserve, also responsible for governing the CRA, was not involved in the proposed rule.
The CRA is a critical tool that encourages banking and lending institutions to lend necessary funding to affordable housing and community development projects by receiving favorable CRA consideration for community development activities. These activities include investment in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects, New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) projects, and historic rehabilitation tax credit projects. Virtually no affordable rental housing development would occur without LIHTC, and the CRA is critical to ensuring banks remain motivated to invest in LIHTC.
On May 15, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) hosted a conference call providing updates on changes to PIC and REAC PHAS reporting requirements and operational planning strategies included in the CARES Act.
Form 50058 Reporting Requirements: HUD will continue to use IMS/PIC to calculate funding allocations and carry out program evaluations and oversight. HUD urges PHAs to submit required Form-50058 transactions in a timely manner to prevent backlog.
PHAS Scoring: Per PIH Notice 2020-05, REAC is waiving PHAS scoring requirements through the end of the year unless a PHA requests a new PHAS score release. HUD will begin re-scoring with fiscal years ending March 21, 2021, and will notify PHAs 30 days prior to resumption in accordance with local coronavirus restrictions and health protocols.
EIV Requirements: HUD is waiving Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) requirements through July 31, 2020 in favor of allowing tenants to electronically self-certify with their PHA. However, HUD urges PHAs to download EIV reports during the waiver period, as the data will be overwritten when EIV monitoring requirements resume. HUD reminds PHAs they remain responsible for protecting tenants’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and that privacy guidelines will not change in response to the pandemic.
Remote Video Inspections (RVI): RVIs are HQS inspections conducted via proxy and are intended to provide PHAs additional flexibility to fulfill inspection requirements during the pandemic. As this is a new method of conducting inspections, HUD will follow up with further guidance and a best practices document.
NAHRO provides additional COVID-19 information at www.nahro.org/coronavirus.
HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) is holding a series of webinars to help PHAs understand the repositioning process and identify strategies and resources to complete the repositioning process. All webinars will be held between 1 pm and 3 pm ET. Topics may be found below.
| Webinar Topics | Dates | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Developing a Repositioning Strategy | May 13, 2020 | |
| Options for Scattered-Site Units | June 3, 2020 | Register Now |
| Options for 50-and-Under PHAs | June 24, 2020 | Register Now |
| RAD and Section 18 Blends | July 22, 2020 | Register Now |
| Resident Considerations | August 12, 2020 | Register Now |
| Streamlined Voluntary Conversion | September 2, 2020 | Register Now |
| Options for Obsolete Units | September 30, 2020 | Register Now |
| Common PHA Board Questions | October 28, 2020 | Register Now |
| PHA Closeout | November 18, 2020 | Register Now |
Additional information may be found here.
UPDATE – The Managing During COVID-19” series: “PHA to PHA Best Practices webinar scheduled for Wednesday, May 20 from 2-3 pm eastern time has been postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience this postponement has caused. Best practices on CARES Act funding and waivers will be discussed in future webinars. Information on future webinars will be posted at www.nahroblog.org. Thanks again.
Tune in this coming Wednesday, May 20, from 2-3 p.m. eastern time for the latest installment of our complimentary Managing During COVID-19” series: “PHA to PHA Best Practices! Your fellow NAHRO members will discuss which waivers they’re using and what they’re spending their funding on. Learn from your peers, ask questions, and share your own ideas!
Click Here to Register for the complimentary webinar Managing During COVID-19: Sharing Best Practices: Waivers and Funding!
The NAHRO Blog: Legislative & Policy Updates from Washington, DC 