COMMON-SENSE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STATUTES AND REGULATIONS

Housing agencies are facing serious challenges due to economic headwinds. Congress and HUD must do everything possible to streamline and reduce regulatory and statutory administrative burdens so that insufficient federal funding can be used where it is needed most – providing housing for low-income families in strong communities. As NAHRO members face a challenging housing market, increased regulations and burdensome compliance requirements divert scarce federal funding and resources away from housing families. Housing and community development statutes and regulations must be streamlined so that NAHRO members can focus on what matters most, serving their communities.

• Reduce administrative burden through the streamlining of housing and redevelopment statutes and regulations to meet existing funding challenges.
• Limit regulations that decrease the efficiencies of the public housing, Section 8, and redevelopment programs especially as demand is expanding.
• Exempt housing and community development programs from Build America, Buy America requirements, allowing agencies to move nimbly and efficiently.
• Allow Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) funding flexibility to help residents successfully lease up in tight rental markets with limited housing availability.
• Continue to require HUD to maintain or increase the current number of Performance Based Contract Administrators (PBCAs) through their procurement process.
• Suspend HUD’s efforts to revise the Annual Contributions Contract (ACC) so that the fundamental relationship between PHAs and HUD does not change.
• Remove the Community Service and Self-Sufficiency Requirement (CSSR), which remains an inequitable policy that has little benefit for residents.
• Streamline and make permanent the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to provide one-time, short-term emergency rental assistance to low-income households.
• Prohibit source of income discrimination.