HUD updates VASH PBV funding notice

If you read our earlier blog post regarding HUD's announcement of available set-aside funding for project-basing vouchers under the HUD–Veterans Affairs (VA) supportive housing (HUD-VASH) program, you'll be interested to learn that HUD has posted an updated version of Notice PIH 2014-03.

Issued on February 4, the original notice provides guidance on applying for $7 million in set-aside funding expected to support about 1,000 units of project-based voucher (PBV) assistance.

The corrected notice revises the first sentence in Part 2 as follows:

• Original version: “A PHA may submit only one application for one project to be placed under one PBV housing assistance payments (HAP) contract and may request no more than 75 PBVs in its application, with the following exception.”
• Corrected version: “Any PHA that administers a Housing Choice Voucher program may submit only one application for one project to be placed under one PBV housing assistance payments (HAP) contract and may request no more than 75 PBVs in its application, with the following exception.”

In response to our inquiry, HUD staff stated that the correction is intended to clarify that a PHA must be administering a housing choice voucher (HCV) program in order to apply for the set-aside funding. PHAs that administer an HCV program but do not have an existing HUD-VASH program are eligible to apply.

An email sent to the HUD-VASH mailing list late yesterday provided the following additional clarifications:

• Only PHAs that currently administer a housing choice voucher (HCV) program are eligible to apply for the set-aside funding
• PHAs do not need to currently be operating the HUD-VASH program to apply for these vouchers. However, all applications must include a signed letter of support from the director of the VA Medical Center or Veterans Integrated Service Network, as detailed in the notice
• The application due date is May 5, 2014. The anticipated selection date for funding awards is August 4, 2014
• The email also contains estimated project readiness dates, which are subject to change based on project selection dates

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