We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
HUD recently published its “Notice of Certain Operating Cost Adjustment Factors for 2013” in the Federal Register.
The notice establishes operating cost adjustment factors (OCAFs) for project-based assistance contracts for eligible multifamily housing projects having an anniversary date on or after Feb. 11, 2014. OCAFs are annual factors used to adjust Section 8 rents renewed under Section 524 of the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 (MAHRA).
HUD recently issued Notice 2013-23 that revised the financial reporting requirements for small multifamily housing developments. Now, owners of small multifamily developments don’t have to submit audited financial statements if they receive less than $500,000 in combined federal financial assistance. The two sources of funding HUD is referring to are housing assistance payments and Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgages.
Under the federal Fair Housing Act and HUD guidelines, you must make every effort to provide “reasonable accommodations” at your site for residents with disabilities. For example, if a resident with limited mobility requests a ground-floor unit, HUD expects that you would try to accommodate the request. If a prospective resident needs a larger unit than your occupancy standards dictate in order to provide space for a live-in aide, HUD wants you to attempt to provide the extra space.
In a recent report made to Congress entitled "Worst Case Housing Needs 2011: Report to Congress," HUD reported dramatic increases in worst case housing needs during the 2009 to 2011 period that cut across demographic groups, household types, and regions. This rise in hardship among renters was due to substantial increases in rental housing demand and weakening incomes that increase competition for already scarce affordable units.
After giving Westchester County in New York one last chance to comply with its demands over a central element of a 2009 fair housing settlement, HUD has decided it would take $7.4 million in grants to help low-income areas away from the county and send them to other communities.
Employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development won’t have to take the last two scheduled furlough days. In March, HUD announced it would furlough all 9,000 of its employees for seven days between May and August to offset automatic budget cuts due to sequestration. Furlough dates were scheduled for May 10 and 24; June 14; July 5 and 22; and Aug. 16 and 30.
A former police officer of Newark, N.J., was recently sentenced to three months in prison, after he admitted conspiring to cheat taxpayers out of $60,000 in federal rent subsidies his wife received despite living with him rent-free in a house he owned.
HUD encourages and supports a range of environmentally friendly practices, such as the use of renewable energy sources and green construction and renovation techniques. Many sites are taking steps in the right direction, finding that when they use such practices, they can trim operational costs, reduce health risks, and improve comfort for residents.
Local governments and states that receive Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA), as well as public housing agencies (PHAs) are required to affirmatively further the purposes of the Fair Housing Act. To help with this obligation, HUD recently proposed an improved structure and process whereby HUD would provide these program participants with guidance, data, and an assessment template from which they would complete an assessment of fair housing (the AFH).
HUD's Final Rule that adds a requirement for smoke detectors/alarms to be included in its regulations for subsidized housing for the elderly and disabled went into effect on July 22 [24 CFR Part 891, Docket No. FR-5167-F-02]. This final rule amends HUD’s regulations governing the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program (Section 202) and the Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Program (Section 811).
RSS