Press Room
Letter-to-the-Editor:
NAHRO Counters HUD Assertions on Section 8 Funding Study
Contact: Liz Hennessy, 202-289-3500 ext. 280 or lhennessy@nahro.org
To the editor:
The AP article ("Studies Dispute Funding of Voucher Program"
Oct. 12) about a recent National Association of Housing and Redevelopment
Officials (NAHRO) analysis of the Section 8 voucher program should be
clarified. Despite HUD's contrary assertions, the NAHRO study concluded
that administrative measures imposed by HUD for 2004 have resulted in
over-funding some local housing agencies, which will ultimately have
these unused funds recaptured by HUD, while under-funding others, which
have had to shrink their programs and turn away needy families unnecessarily.
Our estimate of the over-funded monies is $300 million, based on information
from local housing agencies.
HUD is correct that the surpluses resulting from this situation may
not have to be returned to the treasury until next year. However, this
does not change the essential finding of the study. NAHRO and some members
of both parties in Congress have urged HUD to fully disclose its financial
operations concerning the Section 8 voucher program. HUD has not yet
provided records requested by NAHRO in a Freedom of Information Act
requesting showing amounts that may need to be returned to the treasury
this year.
HUD's unfortunate characterization of our study as misleading (or worse)
seems to have been based on a misunderstanding of what it actually said,
and is, in any event, inappropriate in a context in which HUD has not
yet provided full financial disclosures. NAHRO will continue to work
with Congress to arrive at a sensible distributional formula that allows
agencies to serve as many families as possible.
Saul N. Ramirez, Jr.
Executive Director
National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials
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