MTW Expansion Committee Conference Call and Summary of Policies

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

As mentioned in a prior blog post, the Moving to Work (MTW) Expansion Committee Conference Call is occurring now [Edit: The call ended at 4 pm]. HUD has also posted a summary of the policy proposals it has received to be potentially studied in MTW cohorts. Here are the numbers to call in:

  • United States –  (800) 230-1766;
  • Outside the United States – (612) 288-0329; and
  • Persons with hearing impairments – (800) 977-8339 and providing the FRS operator with the conference call toll-free number: (800) 230-1766.

The call is until 4 pm today. The next call will be at the following time:

  • July 28, 2016 – Cost-Effectiveness and Incentives to Increase Self-Sufficiency for Families with Children (1 pm to 4 pm).

Read the summary of policy proposals here.

UPCS-V Update and Timeline

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, HUD REAC had a conference call with PHAs that volunteered to be a part of the UPCS-V Demonstration. In the conference call, HUD shared additional information on the Demonstration including a timeline moving forward. The Demonstration has 173 agencies from 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (31% of vouchers are represented in the Demonstration). HUD took NAHRO’s suggestion in its comment letter and has accepted small and very small agencies, but is still looking for additional agencies to apply.

If your agency is still interested in applying, please provide the following information to UPCSV@hud.gov:

  • Name of PHA;
  • PHA Address;
  • Name of Point of Contact (POC);
  • Phone Number of POC; and
  • Email Address of POC.

Here is the tentative timeline for the demonstration moving forward.

Currently

  • Prepare for PHAs starting August 1st;
  • Release the software;
  • Update the decision trees; and
  • Protocol Document release [should be in the next week or two].

August

  • OED to shadow HQS inspections [for first wave of 13 or 14 chosen PHAs; PHAs that are chosen for this wave should already be informed];
  • Start training PHAs on UPCS-V August 29th to September 31st;
  • PIH Listening Sessions for PHAs only, scheduled at various locations around the country; and
  • Public outreach presentation on UPCS-V.

September – December

  • Train PHAs [HUD will train PHA inspectors who will start performing inspections at this time];
  • Completion of online training tool;
  • PIH Listening Sessions; and
  • Other presentations on UPCS-V.

January – Summer 2017

  • Continue training PHAs.

Additional questions about the demonstration can be mailed to OED@hud.gov.

As noted in the timeline, a revised version of the UPCS-V protocol will be published in the next week or two at the REAC OED website. The slides from today’s call will also be made available on the OED website.

NAHRO is following the Demonstration very closely and will continue to bring you the latest updates.

 

HUD Seeks Comments on CoC Formula, Proposes Formula Alternatives

~ Georgi Banna

On July 25, the “Continuum of Care Program: Solicitation of Comment on Continuum of Care Formula” notice will be published by HUD in the Federal Register. The purpose of the notice to solicit comments on the current Continuum of Care (CoC) formula and a number of updated CoC Preliminary Pro Rata Need (PPRN formula) options. Comments will be due 60 days after the notice is issued – September 23, 2106, based on the anticipated Federal Register date of July 25.

The current PPRN formula was published by HUD as the interim rule on July 31, 2012, and is a combination of Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program grant funds and Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) funds awarding formulas. This notice proposes four alternative formulas that use various factors and factor weights.

HUD has made available two tools to explore potential updates to the PPRN formula. The first tool is the CoC PPRN Proposed Formula Impacts by CoC resource where users can learn more about the CoC-level PPRN funding impact of implementing each of the four proposed formulas in the Notice, as compared to the FY 15 PPRN amounts by CoC. The second tool, CoC PPRN Alternate Formula Testing Tool, tests the impact of potential factors for an alternate CoC PPRN formula.

Additional information will be available on NAHRO’s Community Development Resource Center and on HUD’s notice website.

Housing as a Basic Patient Need

~ Tushar Gurjal

The importance of housing is starting to permeate other professions, including medicine, as this post in the The New York Times Health and Wellness blog illustrates. Here’s a great quote:

Research also shows that providing housing for low-income and homeless people can substantially reduce medical costs. A housing initiative in Oregon, for example, decreased Medicaid spending by 55 percent for the newly housed; a study of a similar program in Los Angeles found that every $1 spent on housing led to $6 saved on medical costs.

Read the entire post here.

HUD Revises Schedule for PHA Operating Subsidy Revisions

~ Georgi Banna

On July 20, HUD released an updated PIH Notice 2016-10 REV.1 “Public Housing Operating Subsidy Eligibility Calculations for Calendar Year 2016” that contains the 2016 Revision Schedule for the HUD-52723 (Opfund Subsidy) and HUD 52722 (UEL). The revised notice contains the revised schedule for the submission of PHA revisions. The time period for PHA submission of revisions has been extended for PHAs.

2016 Revisions Schedule:

Items: Finish lines:
PHA revisions due to FOs. 8/15/2016, COB Mon., Aug 15th
FOs due to FMD 8/29/2016, COB Mon., Aug. 29th
FMD publishes Final Eligibility Report 9/28/2016, COB Wed., Sept. 28th
Final Obligations before Nov. 1st 11/1/2016, COB Mon. Oct. 31

The revised PIH notice is available on the NAHRO Public Housing Resource Center (Login Required) and the HUD website.

PAHRC Releases “Housing is a Foundation” 2016 Report

~ Tushar Gurjal

Today, July 20, PAHRC released its yearly research report for 2016 titled “Housing is a Foundation.” This year’s report focuses on the lack of available housing assistance, the people who receive housing assistance, and the beneficial impacts of housing assistance. The report supplies data to “foster a better understanding of the need for housing assistance and how this assistance helps meet the needs of low-income families and their communities.”

Here’s a great graphic on how helpful rental assistance is on all facets of a household.

https://www.housingcenter.com/sites/default/files/styles/panopoly_image_full/public/general/Summary.png?itok=lOA8Moub

The full report can be read here.

NAHRO Publishes New RAD Toolkit

~ Jenny Hsu

Last week, NAHRO published the “RAD Toolkit,” a new online resource that serves as a primer for PHAs interested in HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. This educative tool will provide PHAs with a background on RAD, a step-by-step outline of the conversion process and compliance, as well as links to additional resources important to understanding how to close a RAD transaction.

The RAD Toolkit was developed by the NAHRO Community Revitalization and Development (CR&D) Committee Redevelopment Task Force.

NAHRO members can access the toolkit here: www.nahro.org/RAD.

RADTOOLKIT2

MTW Research Advisory Committee – Conference Calls

~ Tushar Gurjal

The Moving to Work (MTW) Research Advisory Committee will be holding two public conference calls. The MTW Research Advisory Committee will advise HUD on how to move forward with the MTW expansion, especially with respect to specific policies to test in the expansion. The calls are open to the public, but members of the public must register to provide comment.

The calls are at the following dates and times [edit: the calls are until 4 pm; previously this post stated they were until 3 pm]:

July 26, 2016 – Increasing Housing Choice for Low-Income Families (1 pm to 4 pm); and

July 28, 2016 – Cost-Effectiveness and Incentives to Increase Self-Sufficiency for Families with Children (1 pm to 4 pm).

Use the following numbers to call-in:

  • United States –  (800) 230-1766;
  • Outside the United States – (612) 288-0329; and
  • Persons with hearing impairments – (800) 977-8339 and providing the FRS operator with the conference call toll-free number: (800) 230-1766.

To register, please click here.

Additional information on the call agendas can be found here.

Our prior blog post on these calls can be found here.

Importance of Grade Level Reading, NAHRO Signs MOU

~ Georgi Banna

On Friday July 15, NAHRO and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU.) NAHRO and CGLR are committed to ensuring that children living the communities that NAHRO members serve are set up for success in schools — by arriving ready to learn, maintaining consistent attendance and gaining access to enrichment over the summer so they don’t fall behind.

An important predictor of school success and high school graduation is grade-level reading by the end of third grade. Currently 80 percent of children from low-income families are missing a milestone that is a major predictor of high school graduation and success in life — reading proficiency by the end of third grade.

NAHRO believes that schools need a 24/7/365 partner and understands that Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and community development organizations are uniquely positioned to fill this role. Through our Housing and Education Task Force and our Housing America campaign, NAHRO raises national awareness of the need for and importance of safe, quality, affordable housing in addition to advocacy and ensuring that children receive the education they need and deserve. NAHRO shares the CGLR’s desire to help PHAs and community development organizations become learning enablers by ensuring that the young learners in affordable housing can read proficiently by the end of third grade and to promote grade-level reading as a step on the path to future success.

More information on the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is available on their website – www.GradeLevelReading.net. Updates on this new and exciting NAHRO – CGLR partnership will be posted on this blog and the NAHRO website – www.nahro.org – over the coming weeks and months.

Voucher Mobility Debate at the Furman Center

~ Tushar Gurjal

The Furman Center has published a discussion on their website about voucher mobility. The discussion centers around HUD’s proposed Small Area Fair Market Rents rule, which would require certain metropolitan areas to use zip code level fair market rents. There are four written pieces, each with a unique viewpoint:

Here’s a quote from Rachel Fee’s essay:

HUD’s proposal is made without a Section 8 budget increase, so housing “opportunity” for some low-income families will come at the expense of others.  Families who choose to stay in their current homes in high poverty areas or those who are unable to move, will literally pay the price of higher rents for families using their voucher in more expensive neighborhoods.

While NAHRO is still in the process of writing its comment letter on the proposed rule, NAHRO’s initial concerns about the Small Area FMR proposed rule include concerns about tenant welfare, limiting the choice of tenants, and administrative burdens. NAHRO also believes that additional research should be done before implementing HUD’s rule and that additional funding is required to properly implement it.