Policy

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

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

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.

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HCV Two-Year Funding Tool Projections Revised

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

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

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

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

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

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.

HUD Permanently Sets Aside Small Area FMR Suspension

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

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.

HUD Updates FY 2018 FMRs

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register titled “Fair Market Rents for the Housing Choice Voucher Program and Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy Program Fiscal Year 2018; Revised.” The notice updates the FY 2018 FMRs based on new survey data for the following eight areas:

  • Hawaii County, HI;
  • Hood River County, OR;
  • Jonesboro, AR HUD Metro FMR Area (HMFA);
  • Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA);
  • Santa Maria-Santa-Barbara, CA MSA;
  • Seattle-Bellevue, WA HMFA;
  • Urban Honolulu, HI MSA; and
  • Wasco County, OR.

These eight areas requested reevaluation and provided data to HUD to allow for a reevaluation. The notice also responds to comments previously submitted.

The full notice can be found here.

HUD Publishes Notice on FY 2017 Set-Aside Tenant-Protection Vouchers

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD published a notice titled “Funding Availability for Set-Aside Tenant-Protection Vouchers – Fiscal Year 2017 Funding” (PIH 2018-02; H 2018-01). In it, HUD makes 5 million dollars available from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Appropriations Act that the bill allocated for Tenant Protection-Vouchers (TPVs) for certain at-risk households in low-vacancy areas.

Major changes from the FY 2016 Funding Availability for Tenant-Protection Vouchers notice include the following:

  • Application submission has been revised in two ways:
    • Owners may submit an application for a triggering event that occurred within the past 5 years or will occur within 180 days;
    • applications will be received on a rolling basis until funding is exhausted or HUD issues a new notice for FY 2018;
  • Removes the “Rental Assistance Payments (RAP) contract expirations prior to” FY 2012 and “properties with Rent Supplement contract expirations prior to FY 2000” categories;
  • Requires owners specify between enhanced vouchers or Project-based Vouchers (PBVs) and whether the owner is willing to accept the other form of assistance where the Public and Indian Housing (PIH) Field Office is unable to find a PHA willing to administer the preferred assistance type;
  • Adopts Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and Small Area FMRs (in metropolitan areas) as a proxy for market rents;
  • Revises owner calculation of household income requirements;
  • Consolidates previous household list requirements;
  • Allows PHAs to rely on an owner’s determination of a rent burden for a household;
  • Allows owners and PHAs to use an owner’s most recent family income examination in certain circumstances;
  • Revises how low-vacancy areas are defined; and
  • Removes HUD internal standard operating procedures.

NAHRO is still in the process of reading through this notice and will supply additional details to its members.

The notice can be found here.

This Tuesday!! NAHRO e-Briefing – RAD: Program Updates and PHA Experiences

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

RAD: Program Updates and PHA Experiences
A NAHRO Professional Development e-Briefing
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
1:30 – 3:00 pm EST

Register Now Button

The Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) continues to be a critically important tool for housing authorities looking to pursue innovation while renovating and preserving their local affordable housing stock. As we begin 2018, join the NAHRO Policy Team for an in-depth review of the current status of RAD. Participants will also hear from PHAs that have gone through the RAD conversion process. These RAD agencies will discuss why RAD worked for them, explain how they chose between Project Based Vouchers (PBV) or Project Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), and share lessons learned and best practices. Whether your agency is a RAD veteran or exploring whether RAD is a viable option for the future, don’t miss this opportunity to have your questions addressed by industry experts during this interactive online training.

Only $95 for NAHRO members!

Registration closes Monday, February 12 at 11:59 ET pm. 

Register Now Button

Reminder: Whether you’re watching alone or with an audience of 100, only one registration per connected device is required, making NAHRO Professional Development’s e-Briefings an outstanding value! Can’t attend the session at the scheduled time? Register anyway, and we will email you a link to the archived recording as soon as it’s ready to be stream.

Harvard Webinar on Implementing Smoke-Free Public Housing

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

NAHRO has been asked to share the following webinar invitation:

Building Success: Adopting and implementing an effective smoke-free housing policy

Webinar offered on:

Wednesday, February 14, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (EST) Register Here

OR

Tuesday, February 20, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. (EST) Register Here

Please join the team from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Boston University School of Public Health for a webinar that will provide useful, practical guidance and support for the implementation of smoke-free policies, whether you are just starting the process or engaged in ongoing implementation. The webinar will summarize key findings from the experiences of more than 150 public housing authorities that have adopted and implemented smoke-free policies. We will offer this webinar on February 14 and again on February 20, 2018. Space is limited – register today!

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To register for the online event on Wednesday, February 14, 2018 2:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time (New York, GMT-05:00)
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1. Go to https://huit-uc.webex.com/huit-uc/onstage/g.php?MTID=e624490f2602de87357e4b5dd3bceeb8e
2. Click “Register”.
3. On the registration form, enter your information and then click “Submit”.

Once the host approves your registration, you will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event.

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To register for the online event on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 1:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time (New York, GMT-05:00)
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1. Go to https://huit-uc.webex.com/huit-uc/onstage/g.php?MTID=e9b46ec4054ca4b09dfc9b4a7ce584cbe
2. Click “Register”.
3. On the registration form, enter your information and then click “Submit”.

Once the host approves your registration, you will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event.
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For assistance
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You can contact Robyn Keske at:
rkeske@hsph.harvard.edu

https://www.webex.com

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This WebEx service includes a feature that allows audio and any documents and other materials exchanged or viewed during the session to be recorded. By joining this session, you automatically consent to such recordings. If you do not consent to the recording, discuss your concerns with the meeting host prior to the start of the recording or do not join the session. Please note that any such recordings may be subject to discovery in the event of litigation.

HUD’s Oversight and Evaluation Division Renamed the Inspection Standards & Data for Vouchers Division

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD sent an email stating that HUD’s Oversight and Evaluation Division (OED)–in the Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC)–would be renamed the Inspection Standards & Data for Vouchers (ISDV) Division. The ISDV Division is the group within HUD running the UPCS-V (the inspections protocol which will be the successor to the HQS protocol in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program) Demonstration. The email notes that the name change “serves to align the division’s name with [its] mission, culture, services and philosophy.” ISDV will strive to maintain a culture of transparency; streamline inspections, while maintaining accuracy; and increase owners’ and tenants’ ability to access information about their homes.

ISDV Division’s website can be found here.