PBV

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

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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. 

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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.

HUD PIH Publishes Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 Guidance

~ Jenny Hsu ~ Leave a comment

On May 19, HUD Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) published a new notice (PIH-2017-08) that provides guidance to PHAs and owners on the requirements of the “Violence Against Women Act of 2013: Implementation in HUD Housing Programs Final Rule,” (VAWA Final Rule, published November 16, 2016) with respect to the Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs (including the Project-Based Voucher (PBV)), and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation (Mode Rehab).

Overall, the VAWA Final Rule provides expanded housing protections for survivors of violence and fully codifies 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 survivor of violence.

Notice PIH-2017-08 provides a summary of the major changes of the final rule’s impact on PIH programs and details who is eligible to receive VAWA protections and how eligibility is determined and certified.

Among its topics, the notice reviews policies for:

  • PHA Documentation Requirements
  • Notice of Occupancy Rights
  • Victim Confidentiality
  • Emergency Transfers (Emergency Transfer Plans must be in place by June 14, 2017)
  • Family Break-up
  • Record Keeping and Reporting Requirements
  • Developing Partnerships with Victim Service Providers
  • Lease Bifurcations
  • Establishing Waiting List Preferences
  • Landownership: Move with Continued Tenant-Based Assistance
  • Owners in the HCV Program
  • Assistance Under More Than One Covered Housing Program
  • Fair Housing and Nondiscrimination

Please note that this guidance does not encompass every aspect of the VAWA Final Rule and should be used in conjunction with the VAWA Final Rule. NAHRO will provide a deeper analysis of this PIH notice for members in a forthcoming edition of the NAHRO Monitor.

NAHRO Sends Letters to HUD on HOTMA and Triennial Certifications

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

In order to maintain the spotlight on issues important to our members, NAHRO sent two letters to HUD last week.

The first letter (member login required) was on the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA) and focused on the Project-Based Voucher (PBV) provisions that HUD is currently implementing through Federal Register notice. In addition to other provisions, this notice included two provisions very important to our members. The first allows PHAs to choose to calculate their general project-based cap based on either voucher funding or voucher allocation. The second allows PHAs to project-base up to 30 percent of their vouchers in units targeted to the homeless, veterans, elderly, people with disabilities or in areas where vouchers are difficult to use. HUD has been discussing reopening this Federal Register notice for additional public comment. NAHRO’s letter explained the importance of these provisions to PHA operational flexibility and local housing need, while noting that if the public comment period is reopened, the effective date in the original notice of April 18, 2017 should remain.

The second letter (member login required) was on the triennial recertification interim final rule required by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Language permitting triennial recertifications was a hard-earned and significant win for PHAs across that country that are currently facing historically low levels of federal funding. On January 19, 2017, HUD previewed an interim final rule that would implement the triennial recertification provision of the FAST Act, but it was never actually published in the Federal Register due to the regulatory freeze on the new administration, so the FAST Act triennial recertification provisions were not implemented. NAHRO’s letter asked for the FAST Act triennial recertification interim final rule to be published, since the 60-day regulatory freeze period is now over.