HUD has posted a recording of the UPCS-V conference call with UPCS-V Demonstration participants that took place on October 31, 2016 on HUD’s Oversight and Evaluation Division (OED) web page.
The recording of the conference call can be found here.
Section 8
Technical Correction to HUD’s VAWA 2013 Implementation Final Rule
On December 6, HUD will issue a technical correction to the “Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013: Implementation in HUD Housing Programs” final rule. This correction updates the compliance date for completing an emergency transfer plan and providing emergency transfers, and associated recordkeeping and reporting requirements to June 14, 2017. After the rule’s publication last month, HUD discovered the compliance date was incorrectly listed in the preamble as May 15, 2017, while the regulatory text provided the correct date of June 14, 2017. The final rule’s effective date (separate from the emergency transfer compliance date) is still December 16, 2016.
NAHRO Provides Recommendations to the HUD 2017 Transition Team
Today NAHRO provided members of President-elect Trump’s HUD transition team with the NAHRO Transition 2017 recommendations. All recommendations and positions in this document have been previously approved by our standing committees and the NAHRO Board of Governors. We also intend to make ourselves available to the new transition team and supply them with any and all information and assistance they may require from us to make the transition at HUD under the Trump Administration as smooth as possible.
The transition recommendations can be used as you reach out to your local HUD officials, your elected officials who will be seated in the new Congress, the media and your own state and local officials in a united effort to move a responsible and responsive housing agenda forward at HUD and on Capitol Hill. In addition to this document, the association will also be producing the NAHRO 2017 Regulatory and Legislative Agenda, which will be drafted over the coming weeks with input from NAHRO membership and leadership and will be available at the NAHRO 2017 Washington Conference.
NAHRO’s Transition 2017 recommendations for HUD may be viewed here.
HUD Releases Small Area FMR Final Rule
HUD will release the Small Area Fair Market Rents in Housing Choice Voucher Program Values for Selection Criteria and Metropolitan Areas Subject to Small Area Fair Market Rents Final Rule in the Federal Register tomorrow (November 16). HUD will also release a Notice in the Federal Register that would set the selection values for Small Area FMRs (SAFMRs). Subsequent SAFRMs will be specified through the Federal Register notice providing the public the opportunity to comment as new SAFMR designations are made. More information on HUD’s proposed rule (released June 2), can be found here (members only), and NAHRO’s comments can be found here (members only). NAHRO will hold a webinar on the final rule on Monday, December 19. Save the date and stay tuned for additional information.
In additional to other changes, the final rule includes additional criteria by which SAFMRs will be set. The final rule adds the vacancy rate of an area as a criterion and excludes metropolitan areas with a certain ACS vacancy rate from being designated a SAFMR area. The final rule also adds a threshold for the voucher concentration ratio to better target communities where voucher concentration is most severe.
As a result of the additional criteria, 7 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) have been exempted from complying with the SAFMR final rule that were included in the proposed rule. These MSAs are:
- Nassau County-Suffolk County
- New York, NY
- Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- Tacoma-Lakewood, WA
- Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA
NAHRO will provide a detailed analysis of the final rule in the coming days. The final rule will go into effect 60 days after its publication date.
Senior Housing Focus: Aging in Place Webinar
NAHRO would like to share information on an upcoming webinar conducted by Community Catalyst on aging in place for low-income and chronically ill seniors. Below is the invitation from Community Catalyst for their webinar on Thursday, December 1, 2016, at 1pm to 2:30pm eastern time.
Aging in Place: Integrating Health and Housing for Low-Income and Chronically Ill Seniors
Thursday, December 1, 2016 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EDT
RSVP Here
This is the third webinar in a series Community Catalyst is hosting to engage with national, regional, state and local partners who are working or want to start working in the health and housing space.
This call will provide an overview of the issue from what is being discussed and worked on from the federal, state and local levels, featuring leaders in these areas.
Speakers will discuss the growing research and recognition that the aging population requires more effective integration of housing and health care systems and highlight impact that affordable housing has on older adults’ ability to live at home and in the community. There will be ample time for questions and answers between participants and speakers, allowing for dialogue and learning for those working in both the health and housing areas.
This webinar will feature:
- Robyn Stone, Senior VP of Research and Executive Director, LeadingAge Center for Applied Research
- Nancy Archibald, Senior Program/Communications Officer, Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS)
- Marty Lynch, Executive Director, CEO of Lifelong Medical Care and the Over 60 Health Center, Berkeley, CA
In response to the growing national and local discourse about the connections between housing and health outcomes, we at Community Catalyst see a clear interest in identifying the role health policy advocates can play in protecting and expanding access to quality, affordable and appropriate housing for vulnerable populations. In addition to the demonstrable connections between housing and health outcomes, housing is a fundamental human right that is under threat in many communities.
Please RSVP here to participate on December 1st.
We hope you will join us in this opportunity to connect stakeholders working on initiatives related to aging in place for low-income and chronically ill seniors with those from other sectors to address housing issues.
Carol Regan, Senior Advisor
Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation
This Community Catalyst Learning Community webinar is part of an ongoing effort to help advocates from across the country share best practices, explore new ideas and learn from each other’s experiences. The Learning Community connects advocates, giving them a needed forum to effectively collaborate with and learn from their peers.
HUD to Hold COCC Listening Session in Los Angeles
NAHRO encourages all PHAs, especially those on the West Coast, to attend the HUD COCC (Central Office Cost Center) listening session on December 7, 2016 in Los Angeles, CA. Previous COCC listening sessions have been held in Alabama, Michigan and the District of Columbia. NAHRO has participated in a HUD COCC listening session and HUD shared substantive information in addition to listening to the concerns and questions of PHAs. These listening session are not part of the formal rulemaking process and is an opportunity to have a discussion with HUD on the COCC and the fee system.
PHAs interested in attending the COCC listening session in Los Angeles on December 7, 2016 will need to register at the following website: http://www.hud.gov/emarc/index.cfm?fuseaction=emar.registerEvent&eventId=2944&update=N.
Below is the Los Angeles COCC Listening Session information and agenda that was received from HUD.
In consideration of those PHAs that are located on or closer to the West Coast, HUD has decided to offer an additional COCC Listening Session in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. Registration information for the Los Angeles, CA session is provided below.
Background: In response to an OIG audit report, HUD is considering changes to the amount and types of fees a PHA’s Central Office Cost Center (COCC) can charge and the eligible uses of these funds by the COCC. These changes could significantly impact the more than 600 PHAs that operate under asset management using the COCC model. To more fully understand the impact of such changes when developing possible new rules, procedures, and guidance on the COCC, HUD has chosen to hold listening sessions in several cities, including Los Angeles, CA.
We welcome your PHA’s participation.
Detailed information on the COCC listening session and registration information is provided below. Note: The listening session is in person only; there is no audio or video broadcasting of the sessions.
D.J. Lavoy,
Deputy Assistant Secretary
PIH-Real Estate Assessment Center
Who Should Attend? The target audience for this listening session is Executive Directors, Chief Financial Officers, and Public Housing Directors of PHAs that operate under asset management using a COCC. PHAs also are encouraged to share this information with their fee accountants and auditors. HUD will be sending a separate email to invite fee accountants, auditors, and financial consultants to the listening session.
Listening Session Registration. Registration is limited to no more than two (2) participants from the same PHA or organization. To register for the Los Angeles session, please click on the link below.
http://www.hud.gov/emarc/index.cfm?fuseaction=emar.registerEvent&eventId=2944&update=N
The event will be held at HUD’s Los Angeles, CA Field Office. Take the elevator directly to the 4th floor to Room 4054.
Los Angeles Federal Building
300 North Los Angeles Street, Suite 4054
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Note: Attendees will be asked to go through a metal detector and place their personal items through an x-ray machine. With this in mind, please give yourself an extra 15 to 20 minutes to go through security and consider what you bring with you.
COCC Listening Session Agenda. A draft agenda for the COCC listening session is provided below.
| COCC Listening Session – Draft Agenda | ||
| # | Topic | Time |
| 1 | Onsite Registration | 8:30 – 9:00 |
| 2 | Welcome and Background | 9:00 – 9:30 |
| 3 | Reasonableness of Fees and Fee Type | 9:30 – 10:15 |
| 4 | Re-federalization of Fees | 10:15 – 10:45 |
| 5 | Break | 10:45 – 11:00 |
| 6 | Eligible Uses of Fee Income | 11:00 – 12:00 |
| 7 | Lunch | 12:00 – 1:00 |
| 8 | Accounting and Reporting | 1:00 – 2:15 |
| 9 | Break | 2:15 – 2:30 |
| 10 | Transition Items | 2:30 – 3:30 |
| 11 | Next Steps / Closing | 3:45 – 4:00 |
Lodging/Parking Information. For attendees who may need overnight accommodations or parking, this information is provided at the link below. This hotel list is provided for your convenience. HUD does not endorse or recommend any hotel.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1BC9D4S6JWMcmEwYWhOYjd6eGM/view?usp=sharing
HUD Publishes Notice on the Modernization of the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Program
Last week, HUD published new guidance (notice CPD-16-17) for Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) grantees explaining the changes to the HOPWA program that resulted from the passing and signing of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) on July 29, 2016. The passage of HOTMA was a huge victory for NAHRO and its members because it provided housing authorities with the effective tools and mechanisms to improve the operation of their programs. The new law also provided long-awaited amendments to the HOPWA statue that modernizes the program’s allocation formula, and addresses administrative provisions and adds program definitions. HUD’s new notice describes how the HOTMA provisions will effect HOPWA formula allocations for FY 2017 and beyond. The notice also details the program changes that became effective on July 29, 2016 versus the program changes that must be implemented by HUD through future rulemaking.
Learn more about the modernization of the HOPWA program in next edition of the NAHRO Monitor – available November 15, 2016 (members only).
NAHRO Presents at HUD on the Lead Safe Housing Proposed Rule
On October 6, NAHRO participated in a HUD organized convening on the proposed Lead Safe Housing Rule. NAHRO’s Director of Policy and Program Development, Georgi Banna, along with the National Center for Healthy Housing’s Chief Scientist, Dr. David E. Jacobs and the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative’s Executive Director, Ruth Ann Norton were on a panel moderated by HUD-PIH’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramirez that discussed the need to combat lead poisoning in children and the role of housing in that battle.
A video of the Lead Safe Housing Rule Convening has been posted on HUD’s YouTube Channel. Clicking Georgi Banna will begin at NAHRO’s statement.
Comments on HUD’s proposed Lead Safe Housing Rule are due to HUD on Monday, October 31, 2016. NAHRO submitted its comments this week. More information on the HUD’s Lead Safe Housing Rule and NAHRO thoughts and comments on it can be found in the current edition of the NAHRO Monitor.
HUD Family Options Study: HCV Most Effective and Rapid Re-Housing Least Costly
On October 25, HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) released a report titled Family Options Study: Long-Term Impacts of Housing and Services Interventions for Homeless Families, which seeks to identify the most efficient and cost-effective way to house and serve homeless families with children.
The report presents the long-term (37 months) outcomes of HUD’s Family Options Study, which tracked how homeless families in emergency shelters across 12 U.S. communities responded to various homelessness interventions. Between September 2010 and January 2012, over 2,000 families were enrolled and randomly assigned to participate in one of four homelessness interventions: housing subsidy, community-based rapid re-housing, project-based transitional housing, and usual care (defined as any housing or services that a family accesses in the absence of immediate referral to the other interventions).
The study found long-term housing subsidies, typically Housing Choice Vouchers, had the greatest impact on reducing family homelessness and improving non-housing family outcomes (i.e., increased adult well-being, child well-being, food-security, and less economic stress). While not as effective as housing vouchers, rapid re-housing programs were significantly less expensive, with an average per-family monthly cost of approximately $800, compared to voucher at $1,172/month, transitional housing at $2,700/month and emergency shelter programs at $4,800/month.
Read more about HUD’s study and findings here.
HUD Finalizes Rule to Expand Housing Protections for Survivors of Violence
On October 24, HUD announced the impending publication of a final rule that will expand the housing protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (hereinafter known as “victim”) regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age. The final rule will fully codify the provisions of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013) into HUD’s regulations.
At its core, VAWA 2013 prohibits housing providers from denying or terminating housing assistance on the basis that an applicant or tenant is a victim. HUD’s final rule expands the universe of HUD rental assistance programs subject to the VAWA 2013 statute beyond Public Housing and Section 8 programs to also include:
- Housing Trust Fund (HTF) – a program originally not listed under VAWA 2013;
- HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program;
- Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program;
- HUD’s McKinney-Vento Homeless programs;
- Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities;
- Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly;
- Section 221(d)(3) Below Market Interest Rate (BMIR) Program
- Section 236 Rental Program
These programs, along with properties assisted through the USDA Rural Housing programs and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, are collectively referred to as “covered housing programs.”
Overall, HUD’s final rule:
- Codifies the core protections under VAWA 2013 across HUD’s covered programs by ensuring survivors are not denied assistance as an applicant, or evicted or have assistance terminated due to the individual’s victim status, or for being affiliated with a victim.
- Provides a model emergency transfer plan for housing providers and explains how housing providers must address their tenants’ requests for emergency transfers.
- Offers protections against the adverse effects of abuse that can often have negative economic and criminal consequences on a survivor. For example, a perpetrator may take out credit cards in a survivor’s name, ruining their credit history. Covered housing providers may not deny tenancy or occupancy rights based solely on adverse factors that are a direct result of being a survivor.
- Makes clear that under most circumstances, a survivor need only to self-certify in order to exercise their rights under VAWA, there by “ensuring third party documentation does not cause a barrier in a survivor expressing their rights and receiving the protections needed to keep themselves safe.”
HUD’s final rule is currently pending publication in the Federal Register. Once published, the rule’s regulations will become effective after 30 days.
An in-depth analysis of the final rule can be found in the October 30, 2016 edition of the NAHRO Monitor (members only).
The NAHRO Blog: Legislative & Policy Updates from Washington, DC 