HUD

The Department of Housing and Urban Development released responses to frequently asked questions regarding the Section 8 Renewal Policy Guide.

California Governor Edmund Brown, Jr. appointed Ben Metcalf, former Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Multifamily Housing Programs, to direct the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

HUD announced Choice Neighborhoods Planning and Action Grants, designed to spur the redevelopment of severely distressed public and HUD-assisted housing and transform surrounding neighborhoods. PHAs that are considering applying for RAD for demolition and new construction, or major rehabilitation or reconstruction, are encouraged to apply for a Choice Neighborhoods Planning and Action Grant.

An aging 200-unit property, owned by an affiliate of The Community Builders, will be demolished and replaced by modular, prefabricated homes. MassHousing provided $53 million in financing for the transaction, which includes Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and a renewed 20-year Section 8 HAP contract.

HUD designated the Difficult to Develop Areas (DDA) and Qualified Census Tracts (QCT) that will be effective July 1, 2016. This is the first year Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs) were used to designate metropolitan DDAs instead of metropolitan-area Fair Market Rents (FMRs).

HUD answered frequently asked questions regarding the Section 811 project rental assistance program, including environmental review, fair housing, program administration, and requirements.

HUD proposed a rule that would implement a smoke-free policy in all public housing, other than dwelling units in mixed-finance buildings. Comments on this proposed rule are due by January 19.

The 2015 Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Workshop – Shreveport, LA is relevant to PHAs and other RAD stakeholders in HUD’s Region 4 and 6.

Enterprise will offer guidance on engaging members of Congress to restore funding to the HOME program through a series of statewide and national webinars. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s proposed cuts to HOME would essentially defund the program.

According to the report, states and communities have invested $26 billion in HOME funds–leveraging an additional $117 billion in public and private resources–to build or preserve nearly 1.2 million affordable homes and provide direct rental assistance to 270,000 families at risk of homelessness since 1992.

House Financial Service Committee Chair Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) is looking for ways to improve HUD programs and USDA rural housing programs. Feedback is due Nov 1.

HUD established operating cost adjustment factors (OCAFs) for certain project-based assistance contracts with an anniversary date on or after February 11, 2016.