Public Housing

HUD released an updated Section 8 Renewal Policy Guide and Summary of Changes on May 18, 2012 and has since issued a request for comments on the updated guide in the Federal Register. The Section 8 Renewal Policy Guide governs how expiring Section 8 project-based assistance contracts are renewed, an essential component to preserving low income rental housing affordability and availability. Comments on the updated guide are due to HUD by November 13, 2012

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on behalf of the White House recently released a report which details the potential effects sequestration, or across-the-board cuts to the budget, could have on both defense and non-defense programs. In August 2011, both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate voted for the threat of sequestration as a mechanism to force Congress to act on reducing the deficit by $1.2 trillion as required by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA).

NCHMA is pleased to present the conference materials including Power Point presentations relevant articles, reports, memos, etc. from our recent Annual Meeting held in Chicago, IL September 6-7 at the Conrad Hotel.

The Kentucky Housing Corporation is accepting applications for an allocation of Project-Based Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. The application deadline is Monday, October 8, 2012.

On June 29, the U.S. House of Representatives approved its fiscal year (FY) 2013 appropriations bill (HR. 5972) for the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, or T-HUD. The approved bill funds HUD programs at around $33.6 billion, which is about $1.36 billion (3.9 percent) below the Senate Appropriations Committee proposed FY 2013 amount, $1.75 billion (4.9 percent) below the President’s FY 2013 request, and $3.8 billion (10.2 percent) below the FY 2012 enacted level. The FY 2013 appropriations bill (HR. 5973) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture including rural housing programs administered by Rural Development is expected to be considered by the full House within the next week. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of both bills (S. 2322, S. 2375) in April but the full Senate has not yet scheduled floor consideration of the bill.

HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) recently published the final implementation notice, Notice PIH 2012-32, for its Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. RAD was authorized in the 2012 HUD appropriations bill, H.R. 2112.

HUD recently released its proposed fair market rents (FMRs) for FY 2013. FMRs are used to determine payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, to determine initial renewal rents for some expiring project-based Section 8 contracts, etc.

NH&RA is pleased to offer the Power Point presentations, relevant articles, reports, memos, etc. from our recent 2012 Summer Institute and New Markets Tax Credit Symposium, which was held July 25-28, 2012 at the Harbor View Hotel on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

At the end of the 2012 legislative session, the Minnesota legislature enacted several affordable housing-related bills, including one measure that approved $37.5 million in bonding authority to be used by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) for housing and homeless programs.

The White House recently issued a policy statement regarding HR 5972, the House of Representatives FY 2013 appropriations measure for the Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

A new GAO report examines public housing agencies and localities’ use of Recovery Act Public Housing Capital Funds, and reports on the progress that PHAs and housing finance agencies have made in spending grant funds.

PowerPoint presentations and conference materials from our 2012 Spring Developers Forum are available for download.