Regulations, Notices and NOFAs

Summary:  HUD’s notice outlines for Community Planning and Development (CPD) and Public and Indian Housing (PIH) grantees, including Public Housing Agencies (PHAs), suggested ways in which to forge partnerships with public and private agencies at the federal, state, and local levels to promote resident connections to health care, education, employment, and other social services in an effort to improve quality of life and provide a foundation for successful housing outcomes.  While the guidance delivered in this notice is not meant by HUD to be exhaustive, it does include a number of resources and tools for strengthening such partnerships.  

HUD’s notice makes no mention of significant reductions in PHAs’ funding sources available for operations including the coordination of services described in the notice.  Instead HUD’s notice states, “Many PHAs and grantees throughout the country are already engaged in such partnerships with health care, educational, and social service organizations to connect program participants with needed services. HUD encourages PHAs and grantees to develop and strengthen such collaborations where possible, and recognizes the value in these coordinated efforts and the impact they can have in helping assisted households receive needed services and move toward self-sufficiency. The benefits of collaboration are experienced by both PHAs and grantees and the households they serve. In a challenging economic climate, such collaboration can result in the more effective use of public resources, reduced duplication of efforts, and greater success of program participants. Collaborative approaches to supporting vulnerable populations can also increase understanding of the interrelationships among funding streams; advance appropriate place-based and systems-level responses; increase awareness of community needs; and involve key stakeholders in the development of relevant recommendations about service improvement. Ultimately, the linking of housing and supportive services results in more stable households and communities, less property damage, fewer evictions and turn-overs, and in cases where employment is possible, an increase in rent revenues.”

Date of Publication:  September 20, 2011

View the notice here.

Summary:  The primary uses of FMRs areto determine payment standards for theHousing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, to determine initial renewalrents for some  expiring project-basedSection 8 contracts, to determine initial rents for housing assistance paymentcontracts in the Moderate RehabilitationSingle Room Occupancy program, and to serve as rent ceilings in the HOME program. HUD’s notice proposed FY 2012 FMRs for all areasthat reflect the estimated 40th and 50thpercentile rent levels trended to April 1,2012. The FY 2012 FMRs are re-benchmarked using five-year, 2005–2009 data collected by the American Community Survey (ACS). These dataare updated using one-year ACS data inareas where statistically valid one-yearACS data is available. The ConsumerPrice Index (CPI) rent and utilityindexes are used to further update thedata from 2009 to the end of 2010.

The proposed FY 2012 FMR areas arebased on current Office of Managementand Budget (OMB) metropolitan areadefinitions and include HUDmodifications that were first used in thedetermination of FY 2006 FMR areas.Changes to the OMB metropolitan areadefinitions through December 2009 areincorporated. The bedroom ratiosdeveloped using 2000 Census datacontinue to be used and stateminimums, calculated each year fromthe estimated FMRs, continue to beapplied.

This notice also includes HUD’sresponses to comments received on theMarch 9, 2011, (76 FR 12985), Federal Register notice (‘‘Trend Notice’’)seeking public comment regarding themanner in which HUD calculates atrend factor, the time period the trendfactor is applied in the FMR estimationprocess and related issues.

HUD received four applications toparticipate in the Department’s Small Area FMRdemonstration. Theseapplications are being reviewed andinformation on the demonstrationprogram will be made available in anotice published at a later date. 

Finally, in an effort to serve HUD’sexternal clients who use HUD’sestimates of Area Median FamilyIncome (MFI) and their associatedIncome Limits (IL), HUD is requestingcomments on a proposal to establish acertain date for publishing these parameters.

Comments are due to HUD by September 19, 2011

Date of Publication:  August 19, 2011

View the notice here.

Summary:  HUD's PIH Notice 2011-46 combines current relevant policy of PIH Notices 2009-51 and 2010-18 concerning rent reasonableness requirements in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program and removes obsolete provisions of PIH Notice 2009-51 relative to the definition of assisted and unassisted housing.

Date of Publication:  August 17, 2011

View the notice here.

Summary:  HUD’s notice (PIH Notice 2011-44) provides guidance to public housing agencies (PHAs) and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) property owners and summarizes the regulations pertaining to lead-based paint under the Environmental Protection Agency’s ( EPA’s) Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule at 40 CFR Part 745, and HUD’s regulations at 24 CFR Part 35, commonly known as the Lead Safe Housing Rule (LSHR) and the Lead Disclosure Rule (LDR). It also includes a description of EPA enforcement and fines, and provides PHAs with examples of possible compliance issues that PHAs should work to avoid. Additionally, PHAs must incorporate ongoing lead-based paint maintenance and reevaluation activities into regular building operations.

Date of Publication:  July 29, 2011

View the notice here.