2018 Guidance for HCV Shortfall Funding
HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) has issued Notice PIH 2018-05 to provide guidance on funding for the housing choice voucher (HCV) program for calendar year 2018. The notice discusses eligibility for potential shortfall funding as well as calculation of administrative fees.
Since the notice was prepared prior to the March 23 approval of a 2018 omnibus spending package, it states that HUD is currently operating under a continuing resolution (CR) which provides voucher funding at 2017 levels:Based on possible funding scenarios if a full-year CR is enacted, or if an appropriations act is enacted at either the House or Senate proposed levels, a deeper HAP proration than previously experienced may occur.
Below are a few highlights from the 5-page notice:
- PHAs identified by the shortfall prevention team as having a potential shortfall must cease issuing vouchers to applicants and rescind vouchers issued to applicants who have not yet leased a dwelling unit. Affected agencies must also stop absorbing portable vouchers and must not issue tenant-based vouchers to families who wish to move out of project-based voucher (PBV) units.
- At the time of the notice’s issuance, there was no full-year CR or full-year appropriation in place for HUD to provide shortfall funding to any agency. If shortfall funding is made available, a PHA’s eligibility for such funding will be contingent on the PHA having taken the actions described above.
- PIH intends to make available up to $10 million in administrative fee funding, subject to availability under appropriations, for homeownership fees, special fees for multifamily housing conversion actions, audit costs for HCV voluntary transfers, and special fees for receiving PHAs where portability vouchers are a significant portion of vouchers under lease.
- Applications for blended rate fees (by PHAs serving multiple administrative fee areas) must be submitted by Monday, April 16, 2018. Requests for higher administrative fee rates for PHAs serving large geographical areas are due by May 22, 2018.
Requests for blended rate fees and higher administrative fees may be submitted via email or regular mail, but PHAs may not submit requests using both methods.
To receive updates and analysis on the latest PIH news, subscribe to NMA’s PIH Alert and receive a daily email with breaking news and other important information for PHAs and housing professionals.