HUD

HUD created a resource for residents and families living in multifamily properties, which addresses steps residents can take in case of lost income during COVID-19, provides local contact information and explains the eviction moratorium in the CARES Act.

The National Housing Conference (NHC) will host a webinar with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner Brian Montgomery on continued steps HUD and FHA are taking to assist borrowers, renters, lenders and property owners throughout the pandemic on May 1 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm ET.

HUD updated its FAQ document to include some clarifications about the treatment of households stimulus payments, as well as the temporary enhancement of unemployment insurance, when calculating household income and program eligibility.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) created a searchable database and map of multifamily properties covered under the federal moratoriums to help renters know if they are protected.

On April 14, the HUD office of Multifamily Housing Programs updated its Q&A for COVID-19, which contains information about forbearance, Section 223(f)’s, and move-in and vacancies.

HUD also published two mortgagee letters on Section 223(f) Underwriting Mitigants for Multifamily Housing Projects due to Economic Impact of COVID-19 Emergency and Implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Forbearance.

HUD’s Office of Asset Management and Portfolio Oversight issued a memo explaining an alternative protocol to handle the processing of annual and interim recertifications as needed during the COVID-19 emergency. The new guidance is effective immediately and supersedes the earlier guidance that was published on March 16 and 24.

HUD released the median family incomes and income limits for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. Median incomes are used as the basis for income limits in several HUD programs, including the Public Housing, Section 8 Housing Choice and Project-Based Voucher, Section 202 housing for the elderly and Section 811 housing for persons with disabilities programs.

In response to COVID-19, HUD is providing a number of statutory and regulatory waivers to PHAs, Native American tribes and tribally designated housing entities. PIH 2020-05 temporarily suspends the issuance of new PHAS and SEMAP scores and details a number of available waivers on topics, including income verifications, housing inspections, amendments to the ACOP and Administrative Plan and other reporting requirements.

Florida Housing Finance Corporation posted its combined 2020 income limit and rent limit schedule.

The Office of Multifamily Housing at HUD posted a recording of its most recent COVID-19 response call. HUD will continue to post recordings on its SoundCloud page due to the overwhelming demand and technical issues on HUD’s conference line.

HUD has posted new training videos on Asset Repositioning that outline the HUD tools available to Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to transition their inventories to the Section 8 platform and illustrates through a fully developed case study how those tools can be used in combination.

The State of Minnesota issued a draft of its 2020 Action Plan. Comments on the plan are due by May 8. Minnesota will host a virtual public hearing on the draft 2020 Action Plan at 4:00 pm CST on May 5.