Affordable Housing

IMS-PIC down from March 13, 2020 to March 23, 2020

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD sent a letter to PHA Executive Directors in which HUD states that the Inventory Management System-Public Housing Information Center (IMS/PIC) will not process 50058 submissions from March 13, 2020 to March 23, 2020. During this time, the system will be upgraded to fix a security flaw. Housing agencies are asked to not use the system during this window.

This upgrade is being done to patch a security-related exploit in the system. Current web browsers will soon receive a patch that will make them unable to use the current system because of the exploit. The upgrade will also result in reduced functionality in certain system modules like PIC inventory removal and changes to existing building and unit information. The Department is developing a plan for additional support during this time.

The Department is encouraging PHAs with programs with fiscal years that end December 31 to complete submission of their SEMAP certification prior to the system entering the shutdown (i.e., testing) phase.

The system will resume operation on March 24, 2020. At that time, the Department will publish step by step instructions for PHAs and Field Offices to address potential problems.

Questions on concerns can be directed to REAC_TAC@hud.gov.

Further updates may be found here.

The full letter from HUD REAC can be found here.

Vera Technical Assistance Grant Application Due Friday, Feb 28th

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

As previously mentioned on this blog, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) is seeking applications for technical assistance from PHAs that would like to plan and implement reentry programs or change their policies toward people with conviction histories. Applications are due in one week on Friday, February 28, 2020.

The goals of the initiative include the following: increase housing for people with conviction histories while increasing public safety; improve the safety of public housing through the use of reentry strategies; and promote collaboration between PHAs, law enforcement, and other criminal justice stakeholders.

Housing authorities of all sizes (including those with housing choice vouchers) are encouraged to apply. Applicants must submit a letter of intent, an application narrative, and letters of support. Award announcements will be made in April.

Additional information may be found here.

IHBG Grants Released

~ Eric Oberdorfer ~ Leave a comment

HUD has released more than $655 million in Indian Housing Block Grants (IHBG) to Native American tribes in 38 states. The IHBG program is a formula grant enabled by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of  1996 (NAHASDA). The grant provides Federally recognized Indian tribes or their tribally designated housing entity (TDHE) and a limited number of state recognized tribes funds for a range of affordable housing activities on Indian reservations and Indian areas.

In HUD’s press release, HUD Secretary Ben Carson noted that “[t]hese grant funds will allow local leaders to build stronger and vibrant communities that drive more economic development.” Assistant Secretary for Public Housing R. Hunter Kurtz noted that “HUD is committed to helping Native Americans thrive and…build stable communities.”

HUD’s press release can be found here, and the final allocation summaries are posted on the Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) Codetalk website.

Housing Choice Voucher Dashboard Published

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD announced that it published a Housing Choice Voucher Dashboard. The dashboard provides information about vouchers at both the state and national levels. It includes budget and leasing utilization information, reserve balance information (it highlights PHAs that have high reserves as a percentage of their budget authority and in absolute terms), attrition, per unit cost trends, and leasing potential. There is also utilization data on special purpose vouchers (HUD-VASH, FUP, Mainstream, etc.). The data is mostly taken from the voucher management system.

A tutorial on the dashboard can be found above.

The dashboard data dictionary can be found here.

The dashboard itself can be found here.

2020 Capital Funds Released

~ Eric Oberdorfer ~ Leave a comment

HUD has released FY 2020 Capital Fund Processing Information. The 2020 Appropriations Act provided about $2.87 billion for the Capital Fund, $95 million more than FY 2019 funding. The process for retrieving the 2020 ACC amendments is the same the same as it was 2017. More information and the list of Capital Fund awards by PHA can be found on HUD’s website.

The president’s 2021 budget proposes the elimination of the Capital Fund. The president has proposed eliminating the Capital Fund in previous budgets, but Congress has decided to fund the program at increased funding levels for the past 3 years.

Looking Back, Looking Forward – Smoke-Free Public Housing Webinar

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

Clean Air for All logo 2019

Clean Air For All is presenting a complimentary Smoke-Free Public Housing webinar on Thursday, February 27, 2020 from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm eastern time.

As the Clean Air for All team wraps up a second year of smoke-free public housing support, we take a look back at lessons learned and success stories from public housing agencies across the country. Then we’ll look to the future of smoke-free housing by addressing the changing landscape of e-cigarette and marijuana regulations on clean indoor air laws, how RAD conversions impact smoke-free housing, and tips for maintaining a smoke-free policy for years to come. We are pleased to be joined by speakers from Live Smoke Free, NAHRO, the Public Health Law Center, and the Bayonne Housing Authority.

Click here to register for the Thursday, February 27, 2020 Smoke-Free Public Housing webinar.

Public Charge Rule Implementation Begins February 24, 2020

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

Except for in the State of Illinois, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin applying the Public Charge Final Rule to immigration applications and petitions postmarked or submitted electronically on or after February 24, 2020.

As a reminder the Public Charge Final Rule primarily applies to individuals that are applying for entry into the United States and to individuals that are temporarily in the United States and are applying for permanent residency in the United States. NAHRO has also issued an informational one-pager on the Public Charge Final Rule to provide PHAs an overview of the rule. 

USCIS as issued a press release, Question and Answer Legal Resource, and updated the USCIS Policy Manual to provide additional information on the implementation of the Public Charge Final Rule. USCIS will provide additional information on implementation in Illinois if the injunction is lifted.

HUD Posts First HCV Landlord Participation webinar

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier this week, HUD was supposed to livestream a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Landlord Participation webinar, but was unable to stream it because of technical difficulties. Despite the difficulties, the Department was able to record the webinar and has now made it publicly available. It can be found here.

Slides for the webinar can be found here.

Guidance on Assessing a Person’s Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Released

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Labradoodle_Assistance_Dogs

Yesterday, HUD released a notice (FHEO-2020-01) titled “Assessing a Person’s Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act.” The notice provides PHAs (and other housing providers) with a set of best practices to assess requests for reasonable accommodations to keep animals in housing while complying with the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

The notice states that FHA complaints involving requests for reasonable accommodations for assistance animals are on the rise. One of the purposes of this guidance is to help housing providers distinguish between a person with a non-obvious disability who has a legitimate need for an assistance animal and a person without a disability who wants to have a pet (or otherwise circumvent a rule applicable to a pet).

The guidance does several things. First, it provides a framework for identifying service animals. Second, it provides a framework to analyze reasonable accommodation requests under the Fair Housing Act for assistance animals other than service animals (There are two types of assistance animals–“service animals” and “support animals”; the latter are trained or untrained animals that do work, perform tasks, provide assistance, or emotional support for individuals with disabilities that do not fall under the service animals category). Third, the guidance provides criteria for assessing whether to grant a requested accommodation. Fourth, the guidance provides information on which types of animals (i.e., species of animals) are acceptable in which situations. Fifth, the guidance provides additional considerations that must be taken into account.

Additionally, there is a second section of the notice which provides a section on documenting an individual’s need for assistance animals in housing and provides a series of frequently-asked questions and accompanying answers.

The full guidance can be found here.

Supreme Court Allows Implementation of Public Charge Rule

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

The United States Supreme Court permitted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to make effective the administration’s public charge rule. The rule had been blocked from taking effect by a federal judge in New York. The Supreme Court allows it to be implemented in most of the country—except Illinois where it is still blocked. The rule states that any individual seeking a green card to become a lawful permanent resident (and individuals within the United States who hold non-immigrant visas and wish to extend their stay in the same non-immigrant classification or change their status to a different non-immigrant classification) is inadmissible if they are likely to become a public charge.

The rule defines a “public charge” based on the receipt of financial support from the general public through government funding, including federal rental assistance. The individual would need to receive one or more designated public benefits, including but not limited to federal rental assistance, for more than 12 months in the aggregate within any 36-month period to meet the threshold.

The Department of Homeland Security is not imposing any requirements on benefit-granting agencies through this final rule or a requirement that these agencies specifically verify information individuals submit to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This rule does not change any of the Public Housing, HCV, or PBRA program requirements. The Department of Homeland Security plans to enter into information-sharing agreements with specific agencies (e.g., the Department of Housing and Urban Development) to obtain verification of the information supplied by applicants. Any information sharing will depend on the ability of the relevant agencies to share such information with DHS.

The final rule can be found here.

The Supreme Court’s opinion can be found here.

NAHRO’s one-page guidance on the Public Charge rule can be found here.