Month: May 2022

Voucher Funding Opportunities

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD sent a letter detailing future funding opportunities for PHAs with Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs. The letter states that voucher funding is currently high (including an approximately 92% administrative fee proration). It also provides a table clearly delineating future voucher funding opportunities. The full letter can be found here (due to technical difficulties, the letter cannot be currently published, but will be soon).

The following is a reproduction of the information in the table. Additional information can be found in Notice PIH 2022-14. (* indicates that there are two deadlines for the funding category.)

  • HAP Set-Aside and Admin. Special Fee category deadlines
    • No Deadline
      • HAP Set-Aside – Prevention of Terminations Due to Insufficient Funding (Shortfall) – Provides funding for PHAs that would be required to terminate participating families from the program due to insufficient funds despite taking reasonable cost savings measures.
    • June 15, 2022
      • HAP Set-Aside – Unforeseen Circumstances – Aids PHAs who have experienced an occurrence, within or after the re-benchmarking period, that could not have been anticipated and was out of the PHA’s control.
      • HAP Set-Aside – Portability – Helps PHAs that experienced a significant increase in renewal costs due to portability for tenant based rental assistance under Section 8(r) of the Act.
      • HAP Set-Aside – Project Based Vouchers – Reimburses PHAs for HCV renewal funds that were not included in the CY2021 re-benchmarking because the PHA intentionally held the funds for an upcoming PBV to enter into a Housing Assistance Payment (AHAP).
      • HAP Set-Aside – Moving to Work (MTW) New Cohorts – Provides funding for PHAs that received their MTW designation in CY 2021 where funds were obligated, but not expended in CY 2021.
      • HAP Set-Aside – HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH)* – Supports PHAs administering HUD-VASH that can demonstrate a need for adjustment funding due to at least one of the following situations: (1) PUC Increase (2) Leasing Cost Increase.
      • HAP Set-Aside – Lower-than-average Leasing – Aids PHAs that are leasing at a lower-than-average percentage of their authorized vouchers, and have low amounts of budget authority in HCV program reserves. A list of eligible PHAs can be found here.
      • HAP Set-Aside – Non-Life Threatening (NLT) Inspection Withheld HAP – Reimburses PHAs for cases where the PHA paid the owner HAP that were withheld during CY 2021 in accordance with the requirements of the NLT initial inspection option.
      • Blended Rate Administrative Fees – Increased Administrative Fees for PHAs serving multiple Administrative Fee areas.
      • Higher Administrative Fees – Increased Administrative Fees for PHAs that operate over a large geographic area, as defined as two or more counties.
    • July 8, 2022
      • Special Fees – HUD-VASH – Supports necessary additional administrative expenses incurred to increase lease-up success rates or decrease the time it takes for a veteran to locate and move into a unit. See Appendix C of the notice.
      • Special Fees – HUD-Family Unification Program (FUP) – Supports necessary additional administrative expenses incurred to achieve either of the following activities: 100% FUP/Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) voucher utilization; and Increase access to the program for FUP-eligible youth. See Appendix C of the notice.
    • September 30, 2022
      • HAP Set-Aside – Disaster* – Supports PHAs whose expenses have been impacted by disasters.
      • HAP Set-Aside – Unforeseen Circumstances* – Second and final deadline for additional funding for unforeseen circumstances.
      • HAP Set-Aside – HUD -VASH* – Second and final deadline for additional funding for HUD-VASH.
    • October 28, 2022
      • Special Fees – Disaster – In the event of a future allocation of disaster vouchers during CY 2022, PIH will provide eligibility and application guidance for disaster related vouchers’ special fees. See Appendix C of the notice.
      • Special Fees – Secretary’s Discretion – Provides additional administrative fee funding to cover administrative expenses incurred as the result of a situation outside of the specific categories described in PIH Notice 2022-14. See Appendix C of the notice.
    • December 30, 2022
      • HAP Set-Aside – Disaster* – Second and final deadline to request funding for Disaster assistance.
  • Other Voucher Funding Opportunities (Date is target publication date of notice; unless noted otherwise, these will be published as PIH notices at www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/publications/notices.)
    • June, FY 2022
      • Mainstream Vouchers ($40 million; 4,200 vouchers) – An opportunity for PHAs to receive new Mainstream vouchers and extraordinary administrative fees to help PHAs lease their Mainstream vouchers. See PIH Notice 2022-07.
      • Stability Vouchers ($43 million; 4,000 vouchers) – Supports families experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, those fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and veterans and family members that include a veteran family member that meets one of the preceding criteria. Implements the funds provided in the 2021 appropriation.
      • FYI – Competitive ($15.3 million; 1,500 vouchers) – Provides assistance for FUP-eligible youth under the FYI program. (To be published at www.hud.gov/grants.)
    • July, FY 2022
      • HUD-VASH ($79 million; 8,500 vouchers) – Pairs HCV rental assistance with VA case management and supportive services for homeless Veterans. Awards based on geographic need and performance.
      • FYI – Non-Competitive ($15 million) – Provides assistance for Family Unification Program (FUP)-eligible youth under the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program.
      • New HCV Incremental Vouchers ($200 million; Up to 25,000 vouchers) – Provides rental assistance to families to support affordable housing and provide greater access to areas of opportunity through noncompetitive formula awards.
    • August, FY 2022
      • FUP ($5 million; 380 vouchers) – Provides rental assistance to families whose lack of adequate housing is a primary cause of the separation or imminent separation, of a child or children from their families. (To be published at www.hud.gov/grants.)
    • March, FY 2023
      • Mobility Related Services ($25 million; no additional vouchers) – Provides funding for mobility related services that are modeled after services provided with the Community Choice Demonstration. Preference will be given to PHAs with a higher concentration of HCV families with children residing in high-poverty areas. (To be published at www.hud.gov/grants.)

Measuring Resident Agency

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ 1 Comment

The Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future have created a guide to help “outline measures and data gathering practices” that may “amplify resident voice and agency.” The guide is titled “Measuring Resident Agency and Voice in an Affordable Housing Setting: A Set of Guiding Questions to Move Forward.” The measures suggested by the guide fall into four categories. The categories were chosen based on how prevalent they were in current research, their relevance to the affordable housing industry, and their applicability to the affordable housing industry. In each category, the guide presents a few paragraphs on why the category is important, some suggested questions on how to think about the category for organizational staff, and some suggested questions to ask residents.

The categories covered by the guide are the following:

  • Resident Satisfaction – the guide notes that assessing resident satisfaction is a way to check if resident needs and safety are being met, which are needed, if additional and deeper resident engagement is to be had.
  • Social Cohesion – the guide defines this as “connectedness among residents” and notes that it can provide insight into a property’s culture, especially around “neighborliness and collaboration.”
  • Resident Power – the guide notes that this is important because it can help determine what a property remodel can look like or how operations and service delivery can be changed. It is the “ultimate outcome of exercising agency and voice.”
  • Civic Engagement – the guide gives examples of this as “volunteering, attending public hearings, and voting” and notes that these activities have served as indicators of community participation.

The full guide can be found here.

Webinar Opportunity: “Issuing Vouchers and Leasing Virtually”

~ Andrew Van Horn ~ Leave a comment

Tuesday, June 7 from 11:30am – 1:30pm ET

HUD will hold a webinar covering issuing vouchers and leasing units virtually. This training will discuss strategies to begin conducting these Housing Choice Voucher processes remotely, including examples from PHAs.

The link to register for the webinar can be found here.

SF-425 for CARES Act Supplementary Operating Funds due 05/31/2022

~ Eric Oberdorfer ~ Leave a comment

If your PHA submitted their SF-425 for each Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) supplemental Operating Funds grant please ignore the remainder of this message.

The SF-425 forms for CARES Act supplemental Operating Funds are due by Tuesday, May 31, 2022. PHAs that received CARES Act supplemental Operating Funds are required to submit an SF-425 for each grant in the Operating Fund (OpFund) Web Portal.

If you have questions about how to complete the SF-425 please contact your local Field Office. For technical issues with the OpFund Web Portal, please contact REAC – Technical Assistance Center (TAC) by calling 1-888-245-4860 Option #4 or send an email to REAC_TAC@hud.gov.

HUD Publishes FY 2022 Renewal Funding Inflation Factors (RFIFs)

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

On May 26, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the renewal funding inflation factors (RFIFs) for fiscal year (FY) 2022. The notice is titled “Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program-Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Inflation Factors for Public Housing Agency (PHA) Renewal Funding.” HUD uses the inflation factors to determine Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) renewal funding for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The notice states that HUD “applies the calculated individual area inflation factors to eligible renewal funding for each PHA based on VMS [Voucher Management System] leasing and cost data for the prior calendar year” (i.e., HUD applies an inflation factor to a PHA’s past year leasing data in HUD’s systems to calculate its current year’s formula eligibility). The national inflation factor is 4.68%, but individual PHAs will have inflation factors that differ based on their local contexts.

The full notice can be read here.

HUD Publishes FY 2022 HCV Implementation Notice

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

On May 19th, HUD published the 2022 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Implementation notice (PIH Notice 2022-14). Titled “Implementation of the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2022 Funding Provisions for the Housing Choice Voucher Program,” this notice details how HUD will allocate the money appropriated by Congress for the HCV program.

The notice notes how much money Congress has allocated for each voucher account for 2022; how the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) renewal formula is calculated; and discusses the administrative fee rate. It also notes how to apply for administrative fee special fees, HAP set-aside funds, and certain other fees. The notice also discusses each voucher account, and where applicable, notes if another notice will discuss it further. The notice states that the mobility-related services account of $25 million will have a Notice of Funding Opportunity at a later date and that the new $200 million in funding for vouchers will be allocated by a noncompetitive notice with an operational notice following soon afterwards.

Perhaps the biggest change in this notice from prior years is that eligibility for tenant protection vouchers (TPVs) is changed. HUD will no longer provide replacement TPVs for vacant units that were occupied by a family within the previous 24 months. At this time, HUD will only provide replacement TPVs for occupied units. If there are any additional TPV funds at the end of 2022, then HUD may decide to provide TPVs for the vacant units that were occupied within the last 24 months.

Interestingly, the notice hints that the eligible uses of administrative fees may be clarified. It states that “HUD intends to issue additional guidance on the use of administrative fees for other expenses of PHAs administering the HCV program in a forthcoming notice.” NAHRO applauds this forthcoming clarification of administrative fee uses as the current eligible uses are overly circumscribed and not required by any statutory language.

NAHRO members will receive additional information on this notice.

The full notice can be found here.

Senate Holds Hearing on Energy-Efficient and Resilient Housing

~ Jenna Hampton ~ Leave a comment

With the looming threat of climate change and frequent natural disasters, there are more options available for energy-efficient, resilient, and weatherized housing. The upfront costs of these investments are too expensive for many low- and moderate-income households, however. The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee held a May 18th hearing to explore options for climate change-resilient housing.

Chairman Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) opened the hearing by connecting the housing affordability crisis to the issue of resilient housing: “Nearly one third of families said they had difficulty paying energy bills in 2020… We can build more housing protected from fires and floods, we can renovate and upgrade the homes we already have.”

Three expert witnesses testified for the committee. Ruth Ann Norton from the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative spoke about the relationship between housing quality and health outcomes such as childhood asthma. Krista Egger from Enterprise Community Partners spoke about the long-term financial benefits of installing energy efficient appliances and green standards in government-funded affordable housing. A witness from the Heritage Foundation, Katie Tubb, argued that energy-efficient and resilient housing is desirable, but that it should not be mandated or funded by Congress.

Continue reading →

Administration Announces Housing Supply Action Plan

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ 1 Comment

On May 16, the administration announced a housing supply action plan that is intended to “ease the burden of housing costs over time, by boosting the supply of quality housing in every community.” The plan includes both legislative and administrative actions and is meant to align with other policies currently in effect (e.g., federal rental assistance) to create more affordable rents and make homeownership more affordable.

While the plan includes many specific actions, many of those actions can be grouped into the following categories.

  • Incentivizing jurisdictions to reform their zoning and land-use policies by giving higher scores to jurisdictions that do this in federal grant allocations.
  • Implementing new financing mechanisms to build and preserve housing, including manufactured housing; accessory dwelling units; two to four unit properties; and other multifamily buildings.
  • Improving existing federal financing for development and preservation, which includes making construction to permanent loans more available; promoting the use of COVID recovery funds for affordable housing; reforming the low-income housing tax credit and the HOME program.
  • Ensuring that more housing goes to owners that live in the units or non-profits that will rehabilitate them.
  • Addressing supply chain issues by working with the private sector.

The White House’s full announcement of their housing supply action plan can be found here.

HUD Proposes Final Rule to the FSS Program

~ Steven Molinari ~ Leave a comment

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released its final rule, which will amend regulations to implement changes to the Family
Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. After consideration of public comments made about the new regulations in Section 306 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, HUD has decided to further revise and incorporate the changes proposed in the previous amendments.

The final rule, which is targeted to improve the program for PHAs, multifamily property owners, and eligible families, will include several revisions. Some revisions include: allowing HCV and Section 8 families to be eligible for the FSS program; revising definitions; further revising the Contact of Participation (CoP); revising the lists of activities for which forfeited escrow funds may be used; and making changes to portability provisions.

The rule is set to go into effect 30 days after publication. Compliance of the proposed rule is required no later than 180 days after date of publication.

Further information on the FSS program can be found here.

The proposed rule from September 2020 can be found here.

Public Housing Residents and Section 8 Program Participants Eligible for Affordable Connectivity Program

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Public housing residents and Section 8 program participants are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The program provides a discount of up to $30 per month (and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying tribal lands) towards internet service for eligible households. Households can also receive up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute between $10 and $50 toward the purchase price.

To enroll in the program, a household has to do the following:

  1. Complete an online or mail-in application at ACPBenefit.org; and
  2. Contact a participating provider to select an internet plan and have the ACP discount applied.

There is a limit of one monthly service discount and one device per household.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has created a consumer outreach toolkit. The toolkit includes infographics, fact sheets, flyers, consumer handouts, audio public service announcements, videos, newsletter blurbs, press release text, and sample social media posts to help spread the word about the program. It also includes translations of some of the handouts, web resources, and a speaker request section.

Additional information on the Affordable Connectivity Program can be found here.

HUD’s guide to the program can be found here.

A program fact sheet can be found here.

The FCC’s ACP Consumer Outreach Toolkit can be found here.