NMA Blog

Registration for the annual Moving to Work (MTW) national conference in Washington, DC, is now open to all housing agencies! Whether you're an MTW agency or interested in becoming one, the 2018 MTW Conference will provide you with a greater understanding of the possibilities the MTW program provides, from serving special populations and increasing affordable housing opportunities to strategies to targeted self-sufficiency programs and addressing homelessness. View the full agenda online here

Topics at the 2018 MTW conference include:

• Serving Special Populations
• Creating Moves to Opportunity
• Increasing Affordable Housing Opportunities
• Targeted Self-Sufficiency Programs
• Rent Reform Policies
• How to MTW
• Addressing Homelessness
• MTW Agencies as Agents of Change
• University Studies Update
• Strategies to Mitigate Shortfalls
• Policy Considerations and Constraints for Designing MTW Activities
• Legislative update
• And more!

Due to upcoming program changes, and increased interest in applying for MTW status, this year's conference is once again open to all housing agencies on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited to 2 registrations per agency, and we encourage you to register immediately, as the event is quickly nearing capacity.

2018 MTW Conference

• May 1-2, 2018
• Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
• 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
• Space is limited to 2 registrations per agency on a first-come, first-served basis
• Open only to housing agencies

As manager of research and industry intelligence at HAI Group's Public and Affordable Housing and Research Center (PAHRC), Dr. Keely Stater leverages nearly fifteen years of social science research to oversee PAHRC’s research activities and data holdings. Prior to working at HAI Group, Keely was an assistant professor at University of Georgia and has also taught at Trinity College and the University of Connecticut. As a researcher, her work includes publications on affordable housing, public administration, and civic engagement. Keely holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Notre Dame.

Executive Leadership for Performance Excellence

Lessons from the Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration

Moderator:
Dr. Keely Stater, Manager of Research and Industry Intelligence, HAI Group’s Public and Affordable Housing Research Center

Panelists:
Jeff Davis, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, San Diego Housing Commission
Azucena Valladolid, Senior Vice President of Rental Assistance, San Diego Housing Commission

MTW agencies are able to create innovative solutions to local problems. This session will provide a brief overview of what we know about MTW agency innovations and their impact as well as real-life advice from an MTW agency. The session will also discuss best practices gleaned from MTW participation and how agencies can prepare to apply for the upcoming MTW expansion. Participants should come away from the session understanding the latest research findings and best practices for MTW agencies and what that might mean for their agency.

The Housing Conference, presented by NMA, will spotlight three tracks: an executive track, a regulatory track, and a best practices track. Go here to view a list of the session descriptions that have been published so far.

Today in the Federal Register, HUD published a notice reopening the comment period for the “Operations Notice for the Expansion of the Moving to Work Demonstration Program Solicitation of Comment.”

The operations notice was published on January 23, and HUD announced last month that the comment period would be reopened “in the coming days.” The new deadline date for comments is June 5.

The operations notice addresses implementation of the 2016 Moving to Work (MTW) expansion statute, and solicits public comments on the following topics:

• Purpose and applicability of the program
• Waivers, including general, conditional, and cohort-specific waivers
• The term of participation
• Funding, the MTW block grant, and financial reporting
• Program-wide and cohort-specific evaluation
• Program administration and oversight
• The Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program
• Applying MTW flexibilities to special purpose vouchers
• Regionalization
• The applicability of other federal, state, and local requirements
• Sanctions, terminations, and default

In addition to extending the comment period, today’s notice contains minor revisions to the tables of MTW waivers in the operations notice. Parameters of three potential waivers were changed to permit mandatory Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) participation, and to increase the maximum age limit for work requirements from 54 to 61 years.

If your agency is interested in applying under the MTW expansion, NMA can help. We have extensive experience working with MTW agencies, including as partners during the application process, and we can guide you through questions such as the kinds of things MTW agencies can do, how you intend to measure performance, guidance and insight into what HUD is looking for from newly sanctioned agencies, and more. For more information, call (800) 783-3100 or email sales@nanmckay.com.

Signups for Q&A sessions at The Housing Conference are now open!

We’re thrilled to be taking our fifth annual national housing conference to Boston this August. Included with every conference registration is the opportunity to reserve a free, one-hour Q&A session with one of our NMA experts, including Nan herself!

If you’re registered for the conference and want to sign up for a session, click here and reserve your time now. The Q&A sessions are limited to registered attendees and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The tentative agenda has just been updated, and when you register now you'll receive early bird pricing!

Join us August 21-22, 2017, for two fantastic days of networking, learning, and exploring the beautiful and historic city of Boston, Massachusetts. Industry experts will present sessions and panels on the latest topics in affordable housing, including:

• An update on UPCS-V, the proposed inspections protocol to replace HQS
• How to deal with generational differences in the workplace
• What you need to know if you're a new executive director
• Nan McKay's annual legislative update, including new rules and notices
• Best practices in PBV and RAD PBV
• Public/private partnerships and grant funds
• What you need to know before applying for MTW
• Understanding tax credits and RAD finance
• Best practices in managing FSS, plus how to start a new FSS program in PBRA
• What's new in capital fund finance
• Best practices in PBRA and RAD PBRA
• Effective waitlist management
• What's new in fair housing
• Best practices in SEMAP
• CDBG-DR and resilience
• Roundtable panel session with NMA Housing Awards winners
• And more!

Visit our website to register!

In an item dated April 7 and posted to the Moving to Work (MTW) website, HUD announced that it will reopen the comment period for the “Operations Notice for the Expansion of the Moving to Work Demonstration Program Solicitation of Comment.” The notice was published in the Federal Register on January 23 and comments were due by March 24.

The operations notice addresses implementation of the 2016 MTW expansion statute, and solicits public comments on the following topics:

• Purpose and applicability of the program
• Waivers, including general, conditional, and cohort-specific waivers
• The term of participation
• Funding, the MTW block grant, and financial reporting
• Program-wide and cohort-specific evaluation
• Program administration and oversight
• The Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program
• Applying MTW flexibilities to special purpose vouchers
• Regionalization
• The applicability of other federal, state, and local requirements
• Sanctions, terminations, and default

HUD will reopen the comment period for the operations notice in order to allow interested participants and stakeholders additional time to review the notice and provide feedback to HUD.

HUD also announced that it will be offering a series of four in-person listening sessions to discuss the operations notice. PHAs interested in applying for the MTW expansion are invited to attend; however, attendance is limited to two representatives per agency. Topics for the sessions include performance assessments, funding, regulatory waivers, and regionalization.

The all-day listening sessions are scheduled as follows (click one of the city links to register):

• Newark, NJ (April 26)
• Washington, DC (April 28)
• Denver, CO (May 2)
• Fort Worth, TX (May 4)

If your agency is interested in applying under the MTW expansion, NMA can help. We have extensive experience working with MTW agencies, including as partners during the application process, and we can guide you through questions such as the kinds of things MTW agencies can do, how you intend to measure performance, guidance and insight into what HUD is looking for from newly sanctioned agencies, and more. For more information, call (800) 783-3100 or email sales@nanmckay.com.