HUD

Evelyn Lim joined the HUD Region Eight team, which covers Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and North and South Dakota. Prior to her appointment at HUD, she served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

HUD announced it is reducing the advance notice it provides to public housing authorities (PHAs) and private owners of HUD-subsidized apartment developments before their housing is inspected to ensure it is decent, safe and healthy.  HUD’s new standard provides PHAs and private owners of HUD-assisted housing 14 calendar days’ notice before an inspection, a dramatic reduction from the current notice which can frequently extend up to four months.

The Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) announced the awards for the 2019 LIHTC application round. KHC received 30 applications requesting more than $21 million in LIHTC and was able to fund 19 projects with $13,747,583 of 2019 LIHTC in conjunction with $2,140,000 from the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and $1,500,000 from KHC’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF).

The Florida Housing Finance Corporation will hold a Rule Development Workshop on Feb. 27 at 2 pm ET to discuss proposed changes to Rule Chapters 67-21 and 67-48 of the Florida Administration Code. Chapter 67-21 governs non-competitive affordable multifamily rental housing programs including the Multifamily Mortgage Revenue Bonds Program and 4 percent LIHTC. Chapter 67-48 governs competitive affordable multifamily rental housing programs including the State Apartment Incentive Loan Program, the Elderly Housing Community Loan Program, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and 9 percent LIHTC.

On Feb. 1, HUD sent proposed changes to its disparate impact regulations to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OIRA now has up to 90 days to review the changes and send them back to HUD to publish in the Federal Register.

The Office of Multifamily Housing at HUD sent a message to owners with rental subsidy contracts that have expired or are due to expire in February notifying them that HUD is prioritizing their contract renewals.

Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and Sean Duffy (R-WI) reintroduced the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act of 2019, which encourages families receiving housing choice vouchers to move to lower-poverty areas, enabling more access to areas of greater opportunity.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) will hold an oversight hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. ET on HUD’s management of rental assistance contracts during the shutdown.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs issued two memos regarding the resumption of Multifamily production and asset management activities.

The General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing issued a letter that provides information on the status of Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program funding and the Public Housing Operating Fund under the Continuing Resolution that funds the government through Feb. 15.

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) released an outline for housing finance reform legislation. In a statement Chairman Crapo said, “we must expeditiously fix our flawed housing finance system. My priorities are to establish stronger levels of taxpayer protection, preserve the 30-year fixed rate mortgage, increase competition among mortgage guarantors, and promote access to affordable housing.” 

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released Opportunities to End Homelessness and Housing Poverty in the 116th Congress, a memo to incoming members of Congress on steps to address the lack of decent, accessible and affordable housing. The report calls on members of Congress to:

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the City of New York (City) and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced an agreement that will address the longstanding issues at the housing authority’s properties.