coronavirus

HUD PIH to Hold Conference Call on COVID-19 Best Practices for PHAs on June 16th at 3 pm ET

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

In an email sent earlier today, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) stated that they will be holding a conference call on June 16, 2020 at 3 pm ET, which will feature 3 PHAs that will share PHA best practices during COVID-19. The Department invites PHAs to submit their own best practices and submit topics for future calls to PIH@hud.gov. Call in information is available below.

Step 1: Dial into the conference.
Dial-in: 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633
Access Code: 0576321##
If the automated recording indicates the conference is full, please use overflow information:
Dial In: 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633 Access Code: 0153620##
Step 2: Join the conference on your computer.
Entry Link: https://ems8.intellor.com/login/827974

A calendar invitation can be accessed by clicking here.

Congress Holds Hearings on Oversight and Rental Assistance

~ Chris Campbell - Jenna Hampton ~ Leave a comment

On June 9, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs held a committee hearing on the oversight of housing regulators. The two witnesses at the hearing were Secretary Ben Carson of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Director Mark Calabria of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).    

Secretary Carson shared that HUD is working to meet all statutory requirements related to the distribution of CARES Act funds. Of the $12.4 billion that HUD received from the CARES Act, $9.1 billion has already been allocated. The remaining CDBG funds will be allocated by October 1st and the remaining ESG fund allocations were announced on the same day as the hearing. Regarding rent payments, Secretary Carson urged HUD-assisted renters to recertify their incomes with their local PHAs if they need lower rent payments due to COVID-19.   

A few Senators expressed their opinion that Americans need expanded rental assistance and unemployment benefits. Secretary Carson did not comment on any plans for future housing-related COVID-19 funding, other than to express that HUD will closely monitor the situation.   

This hearing was followed by a June 10 hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance which featured four witnesses speaking about the impact COVID-19 will have on evictions and rental assistance.  

Cashuana Hill, the Executive Director of the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center, spoke of the role systemic racism plays in housing segregation, as well as the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on black and Latino workers. She called for rental assistance programs to consider equity concerns and reduce housing discrimination.  

Mike Kringsella, the Executive Director of Up for Growth, claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a pre-existing housing shortage of roughly 7.3 million units, and urged Congress to provide additional renter assistance.  

Ann Oliva, a Visiting Senior Fellow from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, linked housing availability to public health and spoke of the importance a stable housing situation can play in helping people protect themselves from COVID-19. 

Jennty Schuetz, a Fellow from the Brookings Institute, noted that the federal government plays a smaller role in rental housing regulation than in the mortgage market – rental housing oversight is instead left to states, resulting in a patchwork of regulations. She added that an eviction moratorium is not a long-term solution, as owed rent builds up over time and small-scale landlords forgo revenue.  

The Subcommittee’s questions centered around possible funding mechanisms to disburse rental assistance, how to best promote racial equity in the disaster response, and how to help small landlords navigate loss of income and maintenance demand during the pandemic. 

NAHRO continues to advocate for affordable housing funding and effective, community-based policy solutions. Learn about NAHRO’s 2020 Legislative and Regulatory Agenda and more about NAHRO advocacy at www.nahro.org/advocacy.  

June is National Healthy Homes Month; HUD Releases Digital Resource Toolkit

~ Chris Campbell ~ Leave a comment

June is National Healthy Homes Month, an awareness campaign designed to educate families about creating a healthy home and identify common health hazards such as lead, radon, pests and allergens. Keeping homes hazard-free has taken on a special importance during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many families are sheltering-in-place.  

The Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH) has created a 2020 NHHM Campaign Resource Toolkit to provide government agencies and other housing stakeholders with materials to help and encourage local implementation. The toolkit includes tips for public messaging, suggested outreach material and social media posts, and educational resources for the public.  

OLHCHH will also host a series of webinars for stakeholders on how to promote healthy homes. A full schedule and instructions for registration can be found on HUD’s website.  

HUD Extends Section 3 Reporting Deadline until July 31, 2020

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity sent an email to PHAs extending the deadline for submission of all Section 3 annual reports until July 31, 2020 because of the COVID-19 event. This does not impact reporting for agencies with deadlines due after the extension date. In the email, the Department also reminds PHAs that the SPEARS system transmits emails to agencies with reports due or overdue, and these emails should be ignored for those PHAs complying with this extension.

[6/10/2020 edit – typographical correction.]

Chairwoman Maxine Waters joins NAHRO’s Managing During COVID-19: Congressional Response webinar: Tomorrow at 12noon eastern

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 12noon eastern time NAHRO is hosting a webinar: Managing During COVID-19: Congressional Response.

Join us for a very special conversation with Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Cali.), Chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee. Congresswoman Waters has been a dedicated advocate for affordable housing throughout her entire career, a priority that has taken center stage during the COVID-19 crisis. For this reason, NAHRO leadership will honor her with our Legislator of the Year award.

Help NAHRO thank the Congresswoman for the CARES Act and for her commitment to affordable housing and community development programs!

Register for tomorrow’s webinar: Managing During COVID-19: Congressional Response!

HUD PIH Updates COVID-19 FAQ for PHAs (Version 4)

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing published its update to its Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) document on COVID-19. This updated brings the document to version 4. NAHRO staff is still in the process of reading through the document.

The updated PIH FAQ for COVID-19 (version 4) may be found here.

COVID-19 CDBG Eviction Moratorium Q&A Released

~ Chris Campbell ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD released a Q&A to address questions concerning the eviction moratorium established by the CARES Act. Section 4024 of the Act imposes a 120-day moratorium on evictions, ending July 24, 2020. The moratorium extends to units in projects receiving funding from Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Neighborhood Stabilization Programs (NSP) or Disaster Recovery.  

The Q&A clarifies which units are covered by the eviction moratorium, and which fees landlords may charge tenants for accrued costs after the moratorium ends. The full Q&A can be found here. For additional guidance, please visit the CDBG COVID-19 Resources page.  

NAHRO provides additional COVID-19 resources at www.NAHRO.org/coronavirus.

RAD COVID-19 FAQ Updated

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

In a RADBlast! email earlier today, HUD noted that they have updated one of their COVID-19 FAQs with additional information on RAD conversions during the COVID-19 event. According to the email, this update includes “further guidance on completing environmental reports when professionals may not be able to access the interior or exterior of the site . . . [and] provides an option that would give PHAs more time to execute new Section 8 leases at the point of conversion.”

The updated FAQ may be found here.

[5/21/2020 – edited for clarity.]

HUD PIH Posts May 15th Conference Call with PHAs

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) sent an email announcing that it was posting a recording of its conference call with PHAs on May 15th. The call was titled “Navigating PIC and REAC PHAS Reporting and Operational Planning Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Our overview of the call can be found here.

Slides from the call can be found here.

A recording of the call can be found here or below.

Managing During COVID-19: Homelessness Resources Webinar – Wed, May 27 at 2pm ET

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

On Wednesday, May 27. 2020, NAHRO is hosting a complimentary webinar – Managing During COVID-19: Homelessness Resources.

Join Nan Roman, President and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and leaders from NAHRO member agencies for a discussion of available homelessness resources and best practices for their use. Bring your questions and comments and join your fellow PHAs for this interactive webinar!

Register for NAHRO’s Managing During COVID-19: Homelessness Resources Webinar here!