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

PHA Can Evict Resident for Guest's Criminal Behavior

August 11, 2022    

HUD says owners may terminate tenancy for any of the following types of criminal activity by a covered person (that is, a tenant, household member, guest, or other person under the tenant’s control):

1.       Any criminal activity that threatens the...

GAO Gives HUD Update on Open Recommendations

August 11, 2022    

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently reminded HUD of some ways it could improve its operations. In November 2021, GAO reported that 67 percent of its recommendations for HUD made four years prior were implemented. And HUD has implemented four of GAO’s 13 priority...

HUD Offers Additional $113M to Build Renter Resiliency

August 11, 2022    

HUD recently released an agenda for economic justice that describes actions the department will take to help low-income renters build assets, along with a Notice of Funding Opportunity for $113 million for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program to help HUD-assisted families increase earned...

Housing Report Highlights Affordability Challenges

July 14, 2022    

A surge in consumer prices has made the affordability challenge for renters even more severe, particularly for low-income households and households of color, according to The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (JCHS) annual report, “The State of the Nation’s...

House Appropriations Committee Advances Final Appropriations Bills

July 14, 2022    

The House Appropriations Committee recently approved a fiscal 2023 funding bill that covers the Department of Transportation and HUD. This was the last of 12 annual government funding bills to pass out of the committee this year and its passage capped off weeks of partisan battles over how the...

How to Treat Employer Contributions to ABLE Accounts

June 9, 2022    

Q An applicant has an ABLE account. He can provide proof that it is an ABLE account and documentation of its balance. Both the applicant and his employer put money into the account. ABLE accounts are not mentioned in the HUD Handbook. Do we...

PHA Didn't Send a Separate Notice to Vacate as Required by State Law

June 9, 2022    

In a recently decided case, a court found that a public housing agency (PHA) couldn’t evict a resident because the PHA didn’t strictly comply with the state’s notice-to-vacate requirements. Under Texas state law, for a tenant under a written lease, the owner must give the...

HUD Launches Affordable Housing Supply Initiative

June 9, 2022    

HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge recently announced “Our Way Home,” a new national initiative to increase and preserve affordable housing supply. As part of the initiative, HUD is seeking to learn from and elevate lessons from communities that are building and preserving affordable homes....

HUD Expands Asset-Building Support for HUD-Assisted Families

June 9, 2022    

HUD recently announced that it will publish a rule to implement changes to the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. The FSS program promotes increased earnings and savings among families receiving HUD-funded rental assistance. To achieve this, FSS utilizes case management and financial...

White House Announces Reduced Internet Costs for Low-Income Households

May 11, 2022    

The White House and HUD recently announced an expansion of the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the legislators created the ACP, which allows tens of millions of American households to reduce their internet service costs by up to $...

HUD Lacks Adequate Procedures to Ensure PHAs Properly Process Reasonable Accommodation Requests

April 14, 2022    

HUD's Office of Inspector General (OIG) audited HUD's oversight of its PHAs’ reasonable accommodation policies and procedures. A reasonable accommodation is a change, exception, or adjustment to a rule, policy, practice, or service that may be necessary for a person with...

President’s Budget Proposes Major Hikes in Housing Funding

April 14, 2022    

The Biden administration recently released its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2023. This signals the start of the appropriations process as Congress must now pass appropriations bills to provide money to carry out government programs for that year. The president’s budget proposal...