Author: Tushar Gurjal

HUD Announces $43 Million Allocated for HUD-VASH Vouchers

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Earlier today, HUD published a press release announcing that it would be allocating $43 million to 325 PHAs to provide more than 5,200 veterans experiencing homelessness with homes. The HUD-VASH program combines a Housing Choice Voucher with management and clinical services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

This most recent award increases the number of PHAs that administer the program by 102. More than 87,000 vouchers have been awarded and approximately 144,000 homeless veterans have been served through the HUD-VASH program.

The full press release with a list of PHAs and partnering VA Medical Facilities can be found here.

PHA Applications for Vera Reentry Technical Assistance due by May 2

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The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) is soliciting applications from PHAs for 14 months of technical assistance to aid them in planning and implementing reentry programs or changes in their policies to safely increase access to housing for people with conviction histories. PHAs of all sizes are encouraged to apply. PHAs with voucher programs are also encouraged to apply. Multiple PHAs within the same geographic area may apply jointly.

The goals of this initiative are the following:

  1. Safely increase access to housing for people with conviction histories;
  2. Improve the safety of public housing and surrounding communities through the use of reentry housing strategies; and
  3. Promote collaboration between PHAs, law enforcement agencies, and other criminal justice stakeholders to effectively reduce crime and improve reentry outcomes for people leaving prisons and jails.

Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PST on Wednesday, May 2, 2018. Questions may be directed to Jessica Jensen at jessicajensen@vera.org.

Additional information about the initiative can be found on Vera’s website here. The full Request for Proposals for Technical Assistance can be read here.

HUD Publishes CY 2018 Administrative Fee Rates in Federal Register

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Earlier today, HUD published, in the Federal Register, a notice titled “Notice of Annual Factors for Determining Public Housing Agency Administrative Fees for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Mainstream, and Moderate Rehabilitation Programs.” According to the notice, administrative fees will continue to be earned on the basis of vouchers leased on the first of each month as taken from the Voucher Management System (VMS) at the close of each reporting cycle. Two rates are given: the first is for the first 7,200 voucher unit months, while the second applies to all remaining  voucher unit months in calendar year (CY) 2018.

The full notice can be found here.

[Note: HUD has previously published these rates on their website.]

HCV TPV Funding Awards for FY 2017 Posted

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Earlier today, HUD posted a pre-publication copy of a notice titled “Announcement of Tenant Protection Voucher Funding Awards for Fiscal Year 2017 for the Housing Choice Voucher Program” in the Federal Register. The notice notifies the public of Tenant Protection Voucher (TPV) funding awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program.

The recipients of these funds were awarded their vouchers on a as-needed, non-competitive basis. The awards published in the notice were provided to do the following:

  1. Assist families in HUD-owned properties that are being sold;
  2. Assist families affected by the expiration or termination of their Section 9 Project-based and Moderate Rehabilitation contracts;
  3. Assist families in properties where the owner has prepaid the HUD mortgage;
  4. Assist families in projects where the Rental Supplement and the Rental Assistance Payments contracts are expired (RAD – Second Component);
  5. Provide relocation housing assistance in connection with the demolition of public housing;
  6. Assist individuals affected by the expiration or termination of their Section 8 single room occupancy (SRO) contracts;
  7. Assist families in public housing developments that are scheduled for demolition in connection with a HUD-approved HOPE VI revitalization or demolition grant; and
  8. Assist families consistent with PIH Notice 2016-12 titled “Funding Availability for Tenant Protection Voucher for Certain At-Risk Households in Low Vacancy Areas-Fiscal Year 2016.”

HUD awarded 9,218 housing choice vouchers ($94,468,761 in new budget authority) in the above categories. A special administrative fee of $200 per occupied unit was provided to PHAs to compensate for any extraordinary HCV administrative costs associated with Multifamily Housing conversion actions.

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

HUD Releases Guidance on HCV Shortfall Funding and CY 2018 Administrative Fees

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Earlier today, HUD released Notice PIH 2018-05 titled “Guidance Related to (1) Eligiblity for Potential Shortfall Funding Under the Calendar Year (CY) 2018 Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Renewal Set-Aside for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program and (2) CY 2018 Administrative Fees.” Although released today, after the passage of the FY 2018 budget, it appears that this notice was written before the passage of the budget. Certain details may be changed by HUD to better reflect the FY 2018 budget. This notice offers guidance on shortfall funding; administrative fee set-aside funding; and blended rate administrative fees and higher administrative fee rates.

Click below to read a brief overview of the notice.

Continue reading →

HCV Two-Year Funding Tool Projections Revised

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We have received word from an official at HUD that the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program funding tool projected prorations have been revised based on the FY 2018 Omnibus that was recently passed. HUD has revised the projections to full funding for the HCV Housing Assistance Payments (i.e., a 100 percent proration) and a proration of 77 percent for the HCV administrative fee for calendar year 2018.

The HCV Two-Year Projection tool can be accessed on HUD’s HCV website here.

HUD Publishes Small Area FMR Guidebook and Additional Information on Small Area FMR Implementation

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HUD has recently published several additional sources of information on Small Area FMR implementation. Recently published sources of information include the following:

Additionally, links are provided to the previously published Small Area FMR guidance and Small Area FMR HUDUser page.

All of these links and additional information on each these sources can be found on the HUD Exchange page here.

Public Housing Reentry Technical Assistance

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The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) is accepting applications from PHAs for 14 months of technical assistance for those PHAs that are planning and implementing reentry programs or changing their policies to safely increase access to housing for people with conviction histories.

Vera encourages a diverse set of PHAs to apply–including those of all sizes and those with Housing Choice Vouchers. Multiple PHAs that are geographically close to each other may also submit a single joint application.

Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PST on Wednesday, May 2, 2018.

Questions should be directed to John Bae at jbae@vera.org. Additional information on the application can be found here.

2018 HCV Admin Fee Rates posted

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Yesterday, HUD’s Housing Voucher Financial Management Division sent an email stating that the CY 2018 Administrative Fee Rate Tables have been posted on HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program page.

The CY 2018 Administrative Fee Rates Description can be found here.

The CY 2018 Administrative Fee Rate Tables can be found here.

The Office of Housing Choice Vouchers website (where the tables are posted) can be found here.

HUD Permanently Sets Aside Small Area FMR Suspension

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In a stipulated judgment filed on February 16, HUD has permanently set aside the Small Area Fair Market Rent (FMR) suspension. Last summer, using authority in the Small Area FMR regulation, HUD suspended the mandatory implementation of Small Area FMRs for 23 of 24 designated areas. Recently, a federal court found that HUD did not appropriately use its regulatory authority to suspend the mandatory components of the rule. In this document, HUD agrees to permanently set aside the suspension and continue implementing the Small Area FMR program on an expedited basis.

The full stipulated judgment and order can be found here.