Dos & Don'ts, Q & A, Recent Court Rulings, HUD Audits, In the News

Mass. PHA Settles Discrimination Dispute Involving Resident with Disabilities

August 16, 2016    

HUD recently announced that the Springfield Housing Authority in Springfield, Mass., has entered into agreements settling allegations of housing discrimination based on disability. The allegations involved an 82-year-old deaf housing authority resident who allegedly did not receive the same...

Veteran Homelessness Declines by Nearly 50 Percent Since 2010

August 16, 2016    

HUD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) recently announced that the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States has been cut nearly in half since 2010. The data revealed a 17 percent decrease in veteran...

Indiana PHA Didn’t Always Comply with Housing Choice Voucher Requirements

August 16, 2016    

HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) audited the Housing Authority of the City of Anderson’s Housing Choice Voucher program. The audit found that the PHA didn’t always administer its program in accordance with HUD’s and its own requirements. Specifically, it didn...

Ohio PHA Didn't Manage Its Procurements and Contracts Properly

August 16, 2016    

HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) audited the Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority’s public housing program. The audit found that the PHA didn’t always comply with federal and its own procurement requirements and HUD’s requirements for the administration of its...

Owner Waited Too Long to Evict Resident for Son's Criminal Activity

August 16, 2016    

Facts: An owner served a Section 8 resident with a 30-day termination notice for various illegal activity, which constitutes a breach of the lease. According to the termination notice, on July 10, 2012, the resident’s son was arrested on charges of gang assault in the...

PHA Lawfully Denied Pre-Application Based on Applicant's Criminal Record

August 16, 2016    

Facts: An applicant claimed the local PHA unlawfully denied his application for housing and failed to conduct a hearing on his appeal of its administrative decision. He asked the court for an order directing that the PHA provide him with housing.

Household Members May Not Be Required to Relocate

August 16, 2016    

Facts: Since March 2005, a resident, his wife, and two children have lived in a Section 8 subsidized three-bedroom apartment. In December 2014, the local PHA notified the resident that his four-member family no longer qualified for its three-bedroom apartment, and that his...

Congress Passes Bipartisan Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015

July 26, 2016    

On July 14, 2016, the Senate passed H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015 (HOTMA) by unanimous consent. It streamlines and reforms several federal housing assistance programs. The Senate passage of the House-passed version expedites the lawmaking process, as now H....

Senate Bill Would Give Residents Opportunities to Identify Poor Conditions in Section 8 Housing

July 26, 2016    

Florida Senators Bill Nelson (D) and Marco Rubio (R) introduced the Housing Accountability Act of 2016 on July 14. The bill would require a survey of residents at private properties with Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contracts twice a year to determine the existence of persistent...

HUD and Comcast to Expand Broadband Access to Low-Income HUD Tenants

July 26, 2016    

HUD and Comcast recently announced an initiative to provide broadband access to families living in HUD-assisted housing in 40 states across the nation. The effort scales up ConnectHome, a demonstration program hosted by HUD and Comcast that provides children and families living in HUD-assisted...

City Not Liable for Discrimination Based on Decision to Condemn Buildings

July 26, 2016    

Facts: For more than a decade, a city had been attempting to condemn two buildings on an assisted site. In 2005, the city filed a condemnation action, and the owner argued that its buildings aren’t dilapidated and that the city’s suit should be rejected on that...

PHA May Be Liable for Discrimination, Defamation

July 26, 2016    

Facts: A Section 8 resident sued the local PHA for discrimination and defamation. In May 2015, the resident started a food truck business with a financial partner who agreed to finance the venture. Anticipating the start of his business, the resident inquired at his annual...