On Monday, May 16, 2022, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it will publish a rule to implement changes to the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program.
The changes include permanently expanding the definition of an eligible family to include tenants of privately owned multifamily properties subsidized with Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA).
In addition to permanently expanding FSS to multifamily owners and allowing them to compete directly for services funding, the rule also expands eligibility for FSS enrollment to include any adult member of the household—rather than only the Head of Household—to be more inclusive of households where the Head of Household is unable to work or increase work activity due to issues such as health conditions, disabilities, or family care taking responsibilities.
The rule also expands the definition of “good cause” for a FSS client contract extension to include participants who are in active pursuit of a long-term goal that will help them get ahead, such as a college degree, as opposed to only reasons outside of the family’s control. Additionally, among other statutory and regulatory changes, the rule removes administratively burdensome requirements for enrollment and revises graduation requirements.
To read the official HUD press release on the upcoming rule, click HERE.
HUD Releases 2022 Income Limits
On April 18, 2022, HUD released the Fiscal Year 2022 Income Limits for Section 8 properties. The new income limits must be utilized when processing all Move In certifications effective April 18, 2022 and later. Please note that these limits do not affect the eligibility of households who are already receiving Section 8 assistance.
Please make sure you immediately update your TRACS software with the new limits. You can access the Income Limit documentation at:
Resident Displacement? Major Utility Disruption? Alert SHCC!
If your property is experiencing an event causing resident displacement or an interruption to major utilities, contact SHCC and HUD immediately. To find out more, click on the link below.
Upcoming Training Opportunities with Multifamily Housing
To learn about these free, upcoming trainings offered by HUD Multifamily, click on the link below:
HUD Issues More Than $20 Million in COVID-19 Supplemental Payments
As of March 8, 2022, HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing has issued COVID-19 Supplemental Payments (CSP) totaling more than $20 million to the owners/agents with Section 8 project based rental assistance and Section 202 contracts who applied for the fourth round of this CARES Act funding this past fall.
The COVID-19 Supplemental Payments Housing Notice made supplemental operating funds available to owners/agents of multifamily assisted properties for protecting residents and staff from COVID-19. This latest round gave owners increased flexibility when using these funds to combat COVID-19, including eligible expenses for limited types of capital investments, such as Broadband Wi-Fi infrastructure.
Click here to see how owners around the country used CSP funds to prevent and respond to COVID.
Status Updates
For the owners who have not yet received decision notification emails, please note that HUD anticipates queuing additional payments by the end of this week.
For owners who have not yet received an approval or denial notification, they can expect to receive an email communication from HUD within the next week.
- This may be a funding approval notification, notification of denial, or notification that the funding request is still being processed.
- The funding approval process for a limited number of CSP requests may extend into April.
Impact of Rising Utility Costs on Residents of Multifamily Housing Programs
On March 4, 2022, the Office of Multifamily Housing shared that “the U.S. Department of Energy forecasts a three-year high in 2022 for average residential utility costs across the U.S. that may affect families who pay for some or all of their household’s utility bills.”
For more information, including helpful resources, click on the link below:
COVID-19 Response Supplies Available to Order
On March 2, 2022, the Office of Multifamily Housing advised that Medicare-certified rural health clinics and health centers supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) can now order COVID-19 point-of-care testing supplies and N95 masks from the HRSA Health Center COVID-19 N95 Mask Program.Multifamily owners/management agents can now submit new orders for point-of-care testing supplies and N95 masks to their FQHC/community health center partners by 11:59 p.m. their local time on Monday, March 7.
For more information, click on the link below:
SHCC Training Series Continues this March
Section 8 Renewal Policy Renewal Options with Lonnie Winton will be presented on March 8, 2022 at 10AM. Click the link below for more details and to register for this FREE event.
Updated Management Fee Schedule for Owners and Agents
On Monday, December 20, 2021, HUD Multifamily Southwest issued a notice containing updated fee schedule for properties within its jurisdiction. For more information, click the link below.
2021 SHCC Customer Satisfaction Survey
This won’t take long — we promise! Please take a few minutes to complete SHCC’s Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey.
Click on the link below to get started: