Author: Tushar Gurjal

HUD to Host MTW Cohort #1 Webinar Tomorrow (March 28th) at 3pm ET

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

As previously mentioned on this blog, HUD will host a webinar on the Moving to Work (MTW) Expansion, Cohort #1 tomorrow at 3 pm ET. Listed below is additional information on the webinar that I received from a HUD official.

MTW Cohort 1

The Department has extended the application timeline for agencies to apply to the  Cohort #1 of Moving to Work Demonstration Program. Through this extension notice the Department will select thirty agencies to study MTW flexibility.

Cohort #1 will consist of high-performing agencies that administer 1,000 or fewer HCVs and public housing units combined. The deadline to submit the letter of interest package for Cohort #1 is May 13, 2019.

On Thursday, March 28th the MTW Office will host a webinar on Cohort #1. There is no registration required to join the webinar and the call-in information is below.

 

Step 1: Dial into the conference.

Dial-in: 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633

Access Code: 0604767##

Need an international dial-in number?

Step 2: Join the conference on your computer.

Entry Link: http://ems8.intellor.com/login/813201

HUD Updates Mainstream Voucher Program FAQ

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An email from the folks at the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) informed me that HUD has updated their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on the Mainstream Voucher Program. It was updated on March 22, 2019. This document is essential reading for all those who have Mainstream Vouchers.

The Mainstream Voucher FAQ can be found here.

HUD Sends Email Clarifying Admin. Fee Rates and Portability

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Earlier today, HUD’s Financial Management Division sent an email responding to questions received from PHAs regarding HUD’s calendar year (CY) 2019 administrative fee rates. The email notes that the CY 2019 administrative fee rates are effective retroactively to January 1st, 2019. The Department will also publish two additional documents:

  1. A document describing how the 2019 rates were calculated; and
  2. A document to serve as guidance on portability billing, which will include an estimated administrative fee proration that will be recommended for portability.

Until those documents are published, HUD recommends that program administrators use 80% as the estimated administrative fee proration and that they continue to consider using the CY 2018 Portability Administrative Fee Rate Description.

These documents can be found at HUD’s Office of Housing Choice Vouchers, which can be accessed here.

HUD Issues Letter Confirming New Micro- and Simplified Acquisition Thresholds

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Last week, HUD sent a letter to Executive Directors confirming that the micro-purchase threshold and the simplified acquisition threshold have been increased. The new thresholds are as follows:

  • the micro-purchase threshold is now $10,000 (previously, it was $3,500); and
  • the simplified acquisition threshold is now $250,000 (previously, it was $100,000).

There was initially uncertainty about the use of these thresholds since the summer of 2018, when the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a notice implementing increases to the thresholds for all grant recipients. This letter clarifies that the increased thresholds apply to PHAs.

OMB’s original notice can be found here.

HUD’s letter confirming the new thresholds can be found here.

HUD to Publish Revised FY 2019 FMRs

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(3/14/19 Edit – the official notice has been published in the Federal Register and can be found here.)

Tomorrow, HUD will publish in the Federal Register revised Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for certain jurisdictions, though a pre-publication copy is currently available. In addition to listing the new FMRs, the notice also responds to comments made to the initial Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 FMRs (See NAHRO’s comment letter here).

According to the notice, “[s]everal commenters suggested that HUD should provide additional funding to PHAs who undertake local area surveys.” (While Congress has the power to decide how to allocate money and how much to spend towards individual programs, HUD may request certain levels of funding for particular programs or tasks through its budget request.) The Department responded by stating that “HUD reminds PHAs that paying for local area rent surveys is an eligible expense to be paid from on-going administrative fees or their administrative fee reserve account.”

FMR by Number of Bedrooms in Unit
2019 Fair Market Rent Area

0 BR

1 BR

2 BR

3 BR

4 BR
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy,  MA-NH HMFA

$1,608

$1,801

$2,194

$2,749

$2,966
Burlington-South  Burlington,  VT  MSA

$992

$1,202

$1,544

$2,008

$2,087
Coos County,  OR.

$538

$684

$837

$1,210

$1,394
Curry  County,  OR

$629

$777

$979

$1,416

$1,574
Douglas  County,  OR.

$657

$773

$1,023

$1,479

$1,796
Oakland-Fremont,  CA HMFA

$1,409

$1,706

$2,126

$2,925

$3,587
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro,  OR-WA MSA

$1,131

$1,234

$1,441

$2,084

$2,531
San Diego-Carlsbad,  CA MSA

$1,422

$1,590

$2,068

$2,962

$3,632
San Francisco,  CA HMFA

$2,069

$2,561

$3,170

$4,153

$4,392
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa  Clara,  CA

$1,952

$2,316

$2,839

$3,829

$4,394

The pre-publication copy of the notice can be found here.

New Evidence Matters Focuses on Landlords and Vouchers

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The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Winter 2019 issue of Evidence Matters focuses on landlords and their role in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The issue has three articles which provide insight into different aspects of landlord behavior and landlord retention. The first article offers an overview of the HCV program; provides a description of the nation’s rental units and its landlords; provides a broad overview of recent research on landlords; provides an overview of research on the impacts of low landlord participation; and offers strategies to increase landlord participation. The second article, again, discusses research on landlords and voucher acceptance. The third article discusses strategies that two PHAs are using to incentivize landlord participation.

Continue reading →

HUD Requests Comments on RAD for PRAC Notice

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In an email sent to its RADBlast! email list earlier today, HUD is requesting comments to a new draft Section 4 to be added to the RAD Revised Notice. The new section would allow for the conversion of properties assisted by Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contracts. The draft section is posted on the Office of Multifamily Housing’s Drafting Table website. Comments are due by March 12, 2019.

Specifically, HUD is seeking comment on the following topic areas:

  • Is this document well organized?
  • Is the guidance set forth in this document clear? Are there sections that are unclear?
  • Are the proposed terms of the Use Agreement reasonable and adequate?
  • Are there unique features of 202 PRACs or the elderly population that the properties serve that HUD has not adequately accounted for in this Notice?
  • The draft Section describes an option to convert to Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) or to Project Based Vouchers (PBV) What is the degree of interest in PBV conversions? Please note that while HUD has developed the framework for a process for seamlessly funding a conversion from PRAC to PBRA, funding a conversion from PRAC to PBV is likely to be more complex.
  • Does HUD provide adequate avenues for stakeholders to provide feedback on the direction of the RAD program and, if not, what additional measures for public feedback should HUD consider?

Comments may be submitted to rad2@hud.gov.

The draft section of the notice can be found here.

HUD Publishes TPV Notice for Certain Low-Vacancy Areas

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Earlier today,[1] HUD published a notice titled “Funding Availability for Set-Aside Tenant Protection Vouchers [TPVs]” (PIH 2019-01). The notice supersedes the previous TPV Set-Aside notice (PIH 2018-02). The FY 2018 appropriations act set aside $5 million for tenant protection vouchers for certain at-risk households in low vacancy areas.

To be eligible for TPVs under this notice, the owner must meet the following requirements: be in a low-vacancy area; be subject to a triggering event[2]; have at-risk residents; and have resolved any outstanding civil rights matters.

There are several changes in this notice from the prior notice (PIH 2018-02). Most importantly, this notice will apply to future TPV set-asides from future appropriations (assuming that future appropriation language remains non-contradictory to the notice). Additionally, this notice makes the following other changes:

  • Clarifies that current applications for TPVs do not need to be resubmitted;
  • States that low-vacancy areas will be updated annually;
  • Addresses issues with timelines and applicable low-vacancy areas;
  • Addresses the turnover of units between the date the owner submits an application, but before a triggering event occurs (in the at-risk residents section);
  • States that the initial point of contact for Section 202 Direct Loans will be the Office of Recapitalization;
  • Clarifies how TPVs that are project-based under this notice interact with project-based voucher regulations (all regulations apply, except certain provisions listed in Attachment C of the notice);
  • Removes the requirement that a separate HAP contract be executed for non-TPV project-based vouchers that are added later at the development;
  • Clarifies that non-TPV project-based vouchers that are added later are subject to project-based voucher program caps; and
  • Clarifies the description of the application processing method.

The notice also describes the content of the application for these TPVs and the steps required to process the application.

The full notice can be found here.

[1] – Despite being published today, the notice is dated February 15, 2019.

[2] – A triggering event may be the maturity of a HUD-insured, HUD-held, or Section 202 loan that requires HUD approval for prepayment, which include: Section 202 direct loans; Section 236 or HUD-held mortgages; or Sections 221(d)(3)-(d)(5) Below Market Interest Rate (BMIR) insured or HUD-held mortgages. A triggering event may also be the expiration of affordability restrictions accompanying a mortgage or preservation program administered by the Secretary.

Deadline for Updating CY ’18 and CY ’17 VMS Data is Feb. 22

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Earlier this morning, HUD sent an email to Executive Directors following up on a message sent on Feb. 6, 2019. In this morning’s email, HUD reminds Executive Directors and Section 8 program managers that the deadline for revising CY 2018 and CY 2017 leasing and expense data–and reporting January 2019 leasing and expense data–is tomorrow, February 22, 2019.