HUD

HUD’s 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress found that 552,830 persons experienced homelessness on a single night in 2018, an increase of 0.3 percent since last year. The report did note significant declines among veterans as well as families with children experiencing homelessness with a 5.4 percent and 2.7 percent nationwide decline over 2017, respectively.

HUD Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude announced she will be leaving HUD in the new year. FHA Commissioner Brian Montgomery has been named as Acting Deputy Secretary.

President Trump signed an executive order creating the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. The council, led by HUD Secretary Carson, spans 13 federal agencies with the intent of prioritizing opportunity zones in a variety of federal efforts, including grant funding, loan guarantees, infrastructure spending and crime prevention.

A new Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) notice from HUD amends the previous final notice by stating that “that execution of a Project Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) contract as a result of the conversion of Rent Supp, RAP, Mod Rehab, or Mod Rehab SRO contracts through RAD after the publication of this notice does not trigger Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements.”

HUD published the Utility Allowance Adjustment Factors (UAFs) for 2019 which will be effective on Feb. 11, 2019. Compared to 2018 UAFs, oil increased by 3.35 percent, natural gas increased by 12.62 percent, electric increased by 3.61 percent and water, trash and sewer increased by 0.09 percent nationwide.

Funding for the federal government was scheduled to run out on Friday, Dec. 7. On Thursday, Dec. 6 Congress passed a short term continuing resolution that funds the remaining seven appropriations subcommittee bills through Dec. 21. President Trump signed the bill on Friday, Dec. 7.

Neal Rackleff, who most recently served as assistant secretary for Community Planning and Development within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), working closely with HUD Secretary Ben Carson, will rejoin Locke Lord as a partner in the Firm’s Affordable Housing and Community Development Section based in the Austin and Houston offices.

On November 23, 2018 HUD released the 2019 operating cost adjustment factors (OCAFs) for project-based rental assistance with an anniversary date on or after February 11, 2019. The nationwide OCAF increased by 2.9 percent, ranging from 0.9 percent in Vermont to 3.5 percent in Alaska.  OCAFs are annual factors used to adjust Section 8 rents […]

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a new report titled, “Department of Housing and Urban Development: Better Guidance and Performance Measures Would Help Strengthen Enforcement Efforts.”  The GAO found that the three program offices of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that GAO examined have a process in place for […]

On October 10th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule that would make it more likely for certain immigrants to be denied admission to the U.S. or denied green cards because they receive or would receive lifeline benefits, including Public Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and Project-Based Section 8 housing subsidies.  The National […]

As part of HUD’s continuing effort to support “decent, safe and sanitary housing,” Secretary Carson is leading a wholesale re-examination of how the Department conducts inspections to ensure private owners are meeting this standard. As HUD continues its internal review of these inspection protocols, the Department is exploring immediate improvements and those refinements over the […]

The Family Self-Sufficiency program was re-authorized on May 24, 2018 as part of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act.