NMA Blog

Late yesterday, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) published Notice PIH 2018-17, offering eligible PHAs the opportunity to apply for admission to the Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration under the first cohort of the recent expansion, and providing the two-step application process to do so. HUD republished in the Federal Register the operations notice on the MTW expansion yesterday. While the operations notice does cover the implementation and continued operations of MTW agencies selected through the expansion, it does not include the application instructions. Notice PIH 2018-17, however, lays out those instructions in detail:

• In the first step of the two-part application process, interested PHAs that meet the eligibility criteria in Section 4(b) of the notice will submit a letter of interest package and HUD will conduct an eligibility review. Regional lotteries will then be held to determine which PHAs will be invited to apply, which PHAs will be placed on a waitlist, and which PHAs will not receive an MTW designation or continue to the next step in the process.
• In the second step, regional lottery selectees will be invited to submit a full MTW plan and application requesting an MTW designation. Waitlisted PHAs may be invited to apply to replace a selected PHA that withdraws or does not sufficiently complete its application. After sufficient completion of the requirements, lottery selectees will then be offered an MTW designation in the first cohort of the expansion.

Notice PIH 2018-17 also covers important elements of the program structure and evaluative components of the expansion, the general framework and selection process, information on submitting a letter of interest package, and information on submitting an MTW plan and application. Applications for other cohorts of the MTW expansion will be requested through future selection notices.

On Friday in the Federal Register, HUD published an operations notice for the expansion of the Moving to Work (MTW) program. The 2016 MTW Expansion Statute allows HUD to increase the size of the program from 39 agencies to 139 agencies over a seven-year period. MTW agencies are given flexibility to develop alternative housing program policies aimed at reducing program costs, increasing self-sufficiency of assisted families, and increasing housing choice.

HUD published the first operations notice and request for comments on January 23, 2017. Today’s notice incorporates changes suggested in public comments and seeks further comments, which must be submitted no later than November 19, 2018.

The operations notice details the implementation and continued operations of MTW agencies selected through the expansion. It does not include application instructions, which will be issued in future PIH notices. The 16-page document covers the following 11 topics:

• Purpose and applicability of the program
• Waivers, including agency-specific and cohort-specific waivers
• The term of participation
• MTW funding flexibilities 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
• The applicability of other federal, state, and local requirements
• MTW agencies admitted prior to the 2016 MTW expansion statute
• Sanctions, terminations, and default

The notice provides the following information about the 100 agencies which will be selected for the MTW expansion:

• No less than 50 PHAs shall administer 1,000 or fewer aggregate housing voucher and public housing units
• No less than 47 PHAs shall administer 1,001–6,000 aggregate housing voucher and public housing units
• No more than 3 PHAs shall administer 6,001–27,000 aggregate housing voucher and public housing units
• No PHA shall be granted MTW designation if it administers more than 27,000 aggregate housing voucher and public housing units; and
• Five of the PHAs selected shall be agencies with a Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) portfolio award

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.