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.

Registration for the annual Moving to Work (MTW) national conference in Washington, DC, is now open to all housing authorities! View the agenda online here.

Topics at the 2017 MTW conference include:

• Strategies to Address Homelessness in Your Locality
• University Studies Update: Evaluating Work Requirements, Term-Limits, and Rent Reform
• Portfolio Management: What’s Next After Development?
• Leveraging External Partnerships
• Current Legislative Climate
• Expanding Opportunity and Choice: Mobility and Place-Based Strategies
• Rent Reform
• Interventions in a Tough Rental Market
• Administrative/Operational Streamlining in MTW PHAs
• Serving Specialized Populations
• Creating Local Non-Traditional Service Programs to Support Seniors
• Leveraging MTW Flexibility to Create Local Development Strategies
• And more!

In previous years, registration has been open only to MTW agencies, universities, and industry groups working with the MTW program. Due to upcoming program changes, and increased interest in applying for MTW status, this year's conference is open to all PHAs 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.

2017 MTW Conference

• April 19–21, 2017
• Marriott Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown
• 999 Ninth Street NW
• Space is limited to 2 registrations per agency on a first-come, first-served basis
• Open only to housing authorities

Visit our website to register!

The tentative agenda for our fifth annual national housing conference is now available, 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 (panel session)
• Best practices in managing FSS, plus how to start a new FSS program in PBRA (panel session)
• Best practices in PBRA and RAD PBRA (panel session)
• Best practices in PBV and RAD PBV
• Best practices in SEMAP (hands-on session)
• CDBG-DR and resilience
• Effective waitlist management
• How to deal with generational differences in the workplace
• Nan McKay's annual legislative update, including new rules and notices
• Public/private partnerships and grant funds (panel session)
• Quality control
• Rent reasonableness
• Roundtable panel session with NMA Housing Awards winners
• Succession planning
• Understanding tax credits and RAD finance
• What you need to know before applying for MTW
• What you need to know if you're a new executive director
• What's new in capital fund finance
• What's new in fair housing

Visit our website to register!

CBPP: Every state will likely lose housing vouchers, unless Congress boosts funding

CHA: 2017 Moving to Work annual plan approved by HUD

CityLab: Fair housing faces an uncertain fate

CityLab (via Planetizen): This start-up takes (some) of the hassle out of renting

Homelessness Law: Communities count people experiencing homelessness

Minnesota Star-Tribune: Renters become homeowners through public housing program

Next City: How tax promises could affect the LIHTC program

Next City: New York public housing steps up on climate change

NHC: Appropriations will be messy, again

NLIHC: Affordable housing and transportation programs threatened by severe cuts

NLIHC: New blog series on affordable housing as infrastructure

Rooflines: AFFH: Moving the debate from concept to practice

Registration for The Housing Conference is now open! All of us at Nan McKay & Associates are thrilled to be taking our fifth annual national housing conference to Boston, MA.

We have a fantastic schedule of sessions underway, including topics like how to manage your PBV and PBRA programs, streamlining your HCV program, multigenerational workplaces and succession planning, what's new in RAD, applying to be an MTW agency, CDBG-DR and resilience, best practices for wait lists, and much, much more. As in previous years, we'll also be announcing the winners of the 2017 NMA Housing Awards. Stay tuned for the agenda, which will be available very soon. 

The Housing Conference

• August 21–22, 2017
• Boston Marriott Copley Place
• 110 Huntington Avenue
• Register now and save $50 on each registration

Visit our website to register!

Yesterday on the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration webpage, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) announced that it will be soon be publishing two notices to implement the 2016 MTW expansion statute.

The first notice, to be published in the Federal Register on January 23, 2017, details the implementation and continued operations of MTW agencies selected through the expansion. It also requests comments on all areas of the notice, in addition to other particular areas of the notice where specified. The 91-page prepublication copy covers the following 12 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

The second notice, Notice PIH 2017-01, solicits applications for the first cohort of PHAs under the expansion and announces the selection criteria that will be used to admit eligible PHAs to the program. Although numbered as the first PIH notice of the year, note that the copy of the notice linked in the announcement does not yet contain a date and has not yet been posted to HUDClips. The 28-page notice provides:

• An overview of the MTW expansion
• The anticipated program structure
• The program terms and conditions
• A list of the eligibility requirements, including who is not eligible
• Requirements for submitting applications, including the application contents, organization, and detailed instructions
• An explanation of how PHAs will be evaluated, including application evaluation criteria and other information regarding the selection process
• Administrative and contact information

Notice PIH 2017-01 also contains three attachments: Attachment 1, Eligibility Checklist; Attachment 2, Commitment to Participate in First Cohort Policy Evaluation; and Attachment 3, Moving to Work Certifications of Compliance. For more information on both notices, you can visit the MTW expansion page at HUD’s website.

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.

Bloomberg: The difficulty of building new housing is getting to be a national crisis

FiveThirtyEight: Why so many poor Americans don't get help paying for housing

How Housing Matters: Momentum grows for housing as health care

The HUDdle: Putting a human face to homeless data

Los Angeles Review of Books: An opportunity to rethink housing policy

NLIHC: DOJ says landlords can't use overly broad generalizations when screening

Propublica: Is Facebook violating the federal Fair Housing Act?

Rooflines: Optimism and space: The Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference

Rooflines: Renters declare a national state of emergency

Urban Wire: Moving to Work expansion provides an opportunity to test new models

Urban Wire: Using cash transfers to expand housing choice

Washington Post: Challenging the cultural consensus on public housing

Boston Globe: Housing subsidies represent perhaps the country’s best shot at breaking intergenerational poverty

CityLab: The case for preservation instead of construction

CityLab: Most Americans are worried about losing their housing

Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies: How do U.S. renters fare compared to those around the world?

Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies: Older single women face greatest housing challenges

Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies: New data on incomes suggests growing demand for housing

Next City: What Texas ruling means for fair housing

Next City: Nashville affordable housing advocates score 2 victories

NLIHC: Congress debates stopgap funding to avoid government shutdown

NLIHC: U.S. ranks poorly in housing affordability among advanced countries

Rooflines: Why we need to invest greater resources into the role of residential property managers

San Francisco Chronicle (via Planetizen): Housing crisis linked to public health problems

Urban Wire: What new programs and policies should PHAs be testing?

Urban Wire: How MTW could teach us about the benefits and costs of car access

Urban Wire: How HUD and PHAs can support students

Urban Wire: To increase housing choice, try incentivizing landlords