A pre-publication copy of a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Mobility Demonstration Supplementary Notice has been posted to the Federal Register’s public inspection desk. This notice expands on the original implementation notice to describe additional policies and flexibilities for PHAs that are participating in the HCV mobility demonstration (now called the “Community Choice Demonstration“). The notice touches on topics such as the pilot length; enrollment of existing voucher holders and new admissions; flexibility between the treatment groups and the control group; the memorandum of understanding and the performance standards requirements; and the eligible uses of funds.
Continue readingAuthor: Tushar Gurjal
2022 Administrative Fee Rates Posted
On March 30, HUD sent an email to Executive Directors of PHAs noting that calendar year (CY) 2022 administrative fee rates have been posted to HUD’s website. Administrative fees are used by agencies to cover the costs of operating the Housing Choice Voucher program. Advanced administrative fee prorations for the months of April through May 2022 were at 88% proration. Final national prorations will be provided via email.
The following files may be found on HUD’s website:
When Does a PHA Not Receive a SEMAP Score? Find Out Here!
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted many PHAs’ voucher operations. In recognition of this, HUD has afforded PHAs that meet certain criteria the opportunity to waive their Section 8 Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) scores in recognition of the pandemic environment. There are also certain other instances when PHAs may not receive a SEMAP score. This blog post illustrates three instances where a PHA may not receive a SEMAP score.
Instances Where a Prior SEMAP Score Is Carried Forward
PHAs with a fiscal year end (FYE) on Dec. 31, 2021 will have their most recent SEMAP score on record carried forward. See pages 39 and 40 of Notice PIH 2021-14 (HA). (Note: For these PHAs, they will not qualify for the expedited waiver described below for their FYE on Dec. 31, 2022.)
PHAs that Receive an Expedited SEMAP Waiver
PHAs with a FYE of 3/31/22, 6/30/22 or 9/30/22 may request to waive the application of SEMAP in its entirety, but only if the PHA has SEMAP indicators that were–directly or indirectly–affected because of a disruption to PHA operations caused by the PHA’s adoption of CARES Act waivers. See page 4 of Notice PIH 2021-34. Additional information on applying for the SEMAP waiver or other expedited waivers can be found in Notice PIH 2021-34. The deadline to apply for expedited waivers has been extended to April 1, 2022. After April 1, PHAs may still apply for a regulatory waiver, but the expedited waiver process will no longer be available. See Notice PIH 2022-04.
Certain Small PHAs (Fewer than 250 Assisted Units)
HUD’s regulations state that HUD will assess and score SEMAP for PHAs with fewer than 250 assisted units every other PHA fiscal year unless the PHA elects to have itself scored annually or the PHA is troubled. 24 CFR 982.105(a)(2). Clarifying HUD guidance states that non-troubled PHAs with fewer than than 250 assisted units and FYEs of 3/31/2022 or 6/30/2022 do not have to have submit a SEMAP certification. See chart and accompanying text on page 3 of the IMS-PIC SEMAP Sub Module PHA Certification and PHA Appeal Submission Instructions, March 2019.
PHAs that fall into one of these categories may not receive an SEMAP score from HUD.
Emergency Housing Vouchers: A How-To Guide for PHAs
HUD has published a guide for using Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs). The purpose of the guide is to provide an overview of EHVs, highlight program best practices, and reduce inequities. Topics covered by the guide include the following :
- Background and Purpose [of EHVs];
- Key Features of Emergency Housing Vouchers;
- Partnerships and Collaborative Planning;
- Emergency Housing Voucher Program Design;
- Use of the Service Fee;
- Coordinated Entry and Emergency Housing Voucher Referral Processes;
- EHV Waiver and Alternative Requirements Checklist;
- Sample Memorandum of Understanding;
- Example of a Homeless Provider’s Certification;
- Example of a Victim Service Provider’s Certification;
- EHV Referral Packet Template: Sample Forms; and
- EHV Portability Scenarios.
The full guide can be found here.
Voluntarily Returning EHV Awards
On March 5th, HUD released a notice describing how PHAs could voluntarily relinquish their Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs) back to HUD and the procedure by which HUD would reallocate those vouchers to other housing agencies. The notice is titled “Emergency Housing Vouchers – Reallocation of Awards” [Notice PIH 2022-06 (HA)].
Returning EHVs
The process to voluntarily return an EHV award may involve multiple steps. First, PHAs that wish to return their EHVs should inform HUD (email ehv@hud.gov). The PHA will then work with a financial analyst in the Financial Management Center (FMC) to identify all funds associated with EHVs which must also be returned to HUD. Emergency Housing Voucher Housing Assistance Payments (HAP), services fees, and administrative fees are restricted to EHV program activities. If the housing agency improperly used any EHV-associated funding, it must be repaid. Housing agencies will also be required to cooperate with the FMC and other HUD staff in determining which funds should be returned.
Reallocation of Voluntarily Returned EHV Awards
HUD’s reallocation formula is based off of the initial allocation formula in Notice PIH 2021-15. The reallocation formula also considers EHV utilization. The reallocation formula will look for high-capacity PHAs (i.e., those PHAs with a with a high homeless need or those PHAs with a high estimate of at-risk homelessness, while ensuring geographic diversity and adjusting for PHAs below the minimum threshold to receive a voucher) that have a history of high EHV utilization (95% or higher). Housing agencies that are selected by this method will be notified by HUD and given the opportunity to accept or decline the additional EHVs.
Fees Accompanying EHVs
Housing agencies that accept additional EHVs will be eligible for additional funds.
- Issuance Reporting Fees – PHAs will receive $100 for each new EHV that is leased if the PHA reported the issuance within 14 days of issuance.
- Ongoing Administrative Fee – PHAs will receive the full Column A administrative fee amount (per Notice PIH 2021-15, page 10).
- Service Fee – PHAs will receive $3,500 for each additional EHV they accept. The scope of allowable activities is determined by Notice PIH 2021-15.
Later this year, HUD will issue another notice that describes the process for revoking and reallocating EHVs for PHAs that do not utilize a high percentage of them. Although this notice will be published later in 2022, at this time, NAHRO does not anticipate HUD will involuntarily reallocate EHVs until 2023.
The full notice can be found here.
HUD Publishes Revised FY 2022 FMRs for Certain Areas
Today, HUD published revised fair market rents (FMRs) for public housing agencies that submitted survey data on their local rental prices. The new FMRs reflect the estimated 40th percentile rent levels trended to Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. The revised FMRs for these areas are below. The revised FMRs are applicable on April 11, 2022.
2022 Fair Market Rent Area
FMR by number of bedrooms in unit
| 0 BR | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | |
| Abilene, TX MSA | $688 | $732 | $945 | $1,288 | $1,598 |
| Asheville, NC HUD Metro FMR Area | 1,188 | 1,209 | 1,378 | 1,879 | 2,359 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area | 1,803 | 1,986 | 2,399 | 2,966 | 3,253 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA MSA | 1,174 | 1,368 | 1,765 | 2,435 | 2,909 |
| Iron County, UT | 615 | 757 | 926 | 1,268 | 1,585 |
| New York, NY HUD Metro FMR Area | 2,018 | 2,054 | 2,340 | 2,952 | 3,173 |
| Portland, ME HUD Metro FMR Area | 1,143 | 1,330 | 1,721 | 2,195 | 2,689 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA | 1,416 | 1,512 | 1,735 | 2,451 | 2,903 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA MSA | 1,573 | 1,739 | 2,232 | 3,099 | 3,795 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA | 1,875 | 2,157 | 2,516 | 3,316 | 3,790 |
| Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area | 1,674 | 1,739 | 2,044 | 2,796 | 3,285 |
| Transylvania County, NC | 706 | 711 | 935 | 1,156 | 1,364 |
The Department also replied to comments on the FY 2022 FMRs and their calculation-methodology submitted by various stakeholders, including NAHRO.
The full notice can be found here.
HUD Publishes CARES Act Waiver Reporting Tool Dashboard
HUD has published their CARES Act Waiver Reporting Tool (CAWRT; pronounced “cart”) dashboard. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This act gave HUD the authority to offer PHAs the option to waive certain statutory and regulatory requirements. In late 2021, HUD requested that all PHAs fill out a survey on which, if any, waivers they used. The Department took that information and created a publicly accessible dashboard on which PHAs used waivers and which waivers they used.
The CAWRT dashboard can be found here.
HUD Publishes Notice Officially Extending Deadline to April 1st for Submitting Expedited Waiver Requests
As previously reported by NAHRO, HUD has now officially extended the deadline to April 1st for submitting a request for an expedited waiver. The new notice, Notice PIH 2022-04, states the following:
“This notice amends PIH-2021-34 solely by extending the submission deadline in Section 5 of the notice from March 1, 2022 to April 1, 2022. No additional submission extensions will be issued.”
From NAHRO’s discussions with HUD staff, NAHRO was able to learn that even after the deadline, PHAs will be able to apply for these waivers, but post-deadline requests will not go through the expedited waiver process. In addition, the simplified payment standard waiver process in the expedited waiver notice will remain in place after the deadline. Additional details on that process remaining in place will be explained in a future notice.
The full notice extending the deadline to April 1st can be found here.
HUD to Update VMS
On Feb. 28th, HUD sent an email to PHA Executive Directors informing them that the Voucher Management System (VMS) will be revised on March 25th (though the updates should be visible to end users on April 4th). The envisioned changes include revising “existing fields, add[ing] new fields, and delet[ing] fields that are not necessary.” Some of the fields will not be used immediately, but will gain functionality in the future as the appropriate funding has been awarded.
The Department has updated the VMS Quick Reference Guide to reflect these changes. It can be found here.
Charts of the revisions, additions, and deletions of VMS fields can be found below.
Continue readingNew Guidance on “Designated Housing” and “Accessible Designation” Unit Categories in IMS/PIC
On Feb. 18, HUD issued a notice titled “Guidance on Unit Designation Categories and Accessible Designation Categories in IMS/PIC” (Notice PIH-2022-03 (HA)). This notice instructs PHAs to properly classify their units in IMS/PIC. In particular, units that may have been set aside as “Designated Housing,” for elderly families, disabled families, or units for both elderly and disabled families after approved by HUD through a Designated Housing Plan (DHP), should be properly classified. Additionally, units that are classified with an “Accessible Designation,” for people with a mobility or sensory impairment or to contain some accessible features, should also be properly classified. PHAs should review their portfolios and make changes within 30 days of the publication of this notice.
Designated Housing
The Sept. 2010 IMS/PIC system release implemented three significant changes to the unit designation categories. First, units titled “Family Unit, Elderly Unit, Family and Disabled, and Elderly and Disabled” were placed in the “General Occupancy” category. Second, “Mixed Elderly and Disabled Not HUD Officially Designated” was created as a new unit designation category. Third, “Merged Units” were reported in the unit designation detail.
Housing agencies must review their portfolios and make changes within 30 days of the publication of the notice. Any issues or corrections must be worked out by March 31, 2022. The Department will publish data highlighting discrepancies between counts of designated units in IMS/PIC and those approved in Designated Housing Plans. That information will be available here.
Accessible Designation
The Sept. 2010 IMS/PIC system release implemented the accessible designation categories. Housing agencies must ensure that units are properly categorized according to the definitions in the notice. The notice provides definitions for the following units: mobility impairment; hearing/visual impairment; partially accessible; and not accessible.
Housing agencies must review their portfolios and make changes within 30 days of the publication of the notice. Any issues or corrections must be worked out by March 31, 2022. Additionally, accessible designations require the PHA to obtain HUD user approval to a change in IMS/PIC. Finally, PHAs must continue to maintain the accuracy of accessible designation categories moving forward.
The notice provides instructions for making the necessary changes to both “Designated Housing” units and units with an “Accessible Designation” in IMS/PIC.
The full notice can be found here.
The NAHRO Blog: Legislative & Policy Updates from Washington, DC 