HUD

HUD Briefing Gives New Details on American Jobs Plan

~ Claire Salant ~ Leave a comment

Secretary Fudge and HUD Senior Advisors led a briefing on Monday June 21st to update housing advocates on details of the American Jobs Plan (AJP), and urge continued support across advocacy networks. In the briefing, she called the AJP a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to address decades of disinvestment in moderate and low-income housing, and its $40 billion Capital Fund investment “the biggest down payment we will make,” while simultaneously acknowledging that the $40 billion did not go far enough. The HUD team emphasized the importance of redeveloping and preserving public housing units to the administration’s dual goals of racial equity and reducing the environmental footprint of public housing.

HUD Senior Advisor Peggy Bailey also gave a more detailed breakdown of the proposed $40 billion for the Capital Fund:  

$27 billion: Major Rehabilitation, Modernization, and Redevelopment

  • Leveraging capital through Capital Fund, mixed finance, and RAD
  • Build new units up to Faircloth
  • Includes RAD rent boost ($1 billion),  tenant-protection vouchers ($500 million), expanding the scale of Choice Neighborhoods ($2 billion)

$13 billion: Immediate Health/Safety Needs and Environmental Impact of Public Housing

  • $6 billion to Public Housing Authorities with public housing for immediate needs and renovations – capital grants by formula
  • $7 billion for health, safety, and climate needs – competitive grants
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Sec. Fudge Announces New Effort to Address Reentry Housing Needs

~ Claire Salant ~ Leave a comment

Secretary Fudge issued new guidance yesterday clarifying that citizens returning from jail and/or prison and at risk of homelessness are eligible for Emergency Housing Vouchers.

In a letter sent out to PHAs, Continuums of Care, and HUD grantees, Sec. Fudge wrote that “HUD strongly encourages PHAs to work with their Continuum of Care (CoC) partners to ensure that individuals who are at-risk of homelessness after leaving prisons or jails are considered for these vouchers.”

HUD has eliminated permissive prohibitions for drug-related criminal activity for EHVs, since drug addiction can be a root cause of homelessness. Following a Housing First approach, it now recommends considering drug-related prohibitions to be separate from prohibitions on criminal activity against a person. HUD also no longer requires a “one strike” rule for residents for criminal activity, and instead defers to discretion of landlords and PHAs. More detail on criminal records and eligibility for EHVs can be found here.

Beyond EHVs, more guidance on criminal records in accordance with the Fair Housing Act can be found here. PHAs and federally-assisted housing cannot use arrest records as the basis to deny admission, terminate assistance, or evict residents.

HUD plans to issue future guidance and tools for PHAs and private landlords on tenant screening and best practices on reentry housing. Later this month it will also issue guidance on using Community Development Block Grants on community violence intervention (CVI).

HUD Webinar on Eviction Prevention Best Practices for PHAs

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

On June 22 at 2 pm ET, HUD will host a webinar titled “Eviction Prevention Best Practices for PHAs.” The webinar will feature three PHAs that have implemented innovative eviction prevention strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Call in information for the webinar can be found below.

Step 1: Dial into the conference.

Dial-in: 888-251-2949 or 215-861-0694

Access Code: 1323293##

Need an international dial-in number?

Entry Link: https://ems8.intellor.com/login/839493

Step 2: Join the conference on your computer.

NAHRO and Industry Partners Release Joint Statement Supporting Universal Housing Vouchers

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

On June 17, 2021, NAHRO along with its industry partners—CLPHA, PHADA, and the MTW Collaborative—jointly issued a statement on universal housing vouchers. Only one in five low-income households that are eligible to receive housing assistance can be served by existing programs due to limited funding. The statement discusses the need for additional rental assistance to address housing instability and prevent homelessness. The statement also discusses the strengths of the voucher program in providing scalable assistance that is proven and effective.

The full statement is can be view here.

HUD Updates Emergency Housing Vouchers FAQ to Version 3

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

HUD has updated a document of frequently asked questions (FAQ) on HUD’s new Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV). Topics covered by the FAQ include eligibility, partnerships and collaborations, voucher administration, administrative and service fees, portability, reporting requirements, EHV voucher allocation, EHV voucher acceptance/rejection process, and Moving to Work (MTW).

The revised EHV FAQ can be found here.

HUD Webinar on Eviction Prevention and Stability Toolkit on June 10th at 2 pm ET

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

HUD will host a webinar on its Eviction Prevention and Stability Toolkit on June 10th at 2 pm ET. The webinar will focus on “how PHAs can use the components of the Eviction Prevention and Stability Toolkit to work with residents collaboratively.” Registration for the webinar is not required. The webinar can be joined by clicking the link below at the appropriate time.

Webex Link: https://ems8.intellor.com/login/839449 (no registration needed)

Dial-in: 888-251-2949 | Access Code: 2419011##

HUD Updates Eviction Prevention and Stability Toolkit

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

HUD has updated its eviction prevention and stability toolkit. The toolkit provides ten items that can help PHAs and Housing Choice Voucher landlords stabilize families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The toolkit provides the following documents:

The updated eviction prevention and stability toolkit can be found here.

New HCV Landlord Participation Webinar on Partnerships and Monetary Incentives

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

HUD is hosting a webinar on two new chapters of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Landlord Strategies Guidebook. The chapters are on establishing partnerships and monetary incentives. The webinar will be oriented towards current HCV landlords, landlords interested in the HCV program, PHAs, rental housing industry groups, and other interested stakeholders.

The one-hour webinar is on June 22, 2021 at 2 pm ET.

Registration for the webinar can be found here.

Emergency Housing Vouchers FAQ Updated to Version .2

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

HUD has updated the Emergency Housing Voucher frequently asked questions (FAQ) document to version .2. The FAQ can be found on HUD’s Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) website. The new updated FAQ answers questions related to eligibility, partnerships and collaborations, voucher administration, administrative and service fees, portability, reporting requirements, EHV allocation, EHV voucher acceptance/rejection process, and moving to work (MTW).

The FAQ can be found here.

President Kicks Off Holiday Weekend With Proposal to Increase HUD Funding

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

The President’s full FY 2022 budget proposal released May 28, provides additional details to the topline numbers outlined by the Administration in April. Overall, the President proposes to increase HUD funding by 15%, focusing increases core programs, climate change resiliency, disinvested communities, and HUD staff capacity.  

The Administration proposes full funding for Section 8 On-going Administrative Fees, which HUD estimates to be $2.79 billion. In addition to fully funding Admin Fees, the President calls for an additional $490.7 million in Admin Fee for PHAs to use for mobility-related social services. If funded, it would be the first time since FY 2003 the full cost of operating the voucher program has been met. NAHRO commends the Administration for the recognition of the work that PHAs are doing in communities and the resources needed to continue those vital services.

NAHRO is glad to see the Administration’s support for affordable housing and community development reflected in the FY 2022 proposed budget. This 15% increase in HUD funding includes a significant increase for the public housing capital fund to preserve existing affordable housing, $500 million more for the HOME Program, which will build more affordable housing, and an increase in resources to support the Housing Choice Voucher Program. These are all vital steps in helping to house our nation’s families, seniors and children.

NAHRO President Sunny Shaw, in response to the budget proposal
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