NAHMA meets with new leadership at HUD Office of Multifamily Housing
This week, NAHMA staff met with C. Lamar Seats, the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing Programs at HUD. Mr. Seats and his staff updated NAHMA on their vision for Multifamily Housing and explored areas for continued cooperation with NAHMA members. During the meeting, NAHMA and Multifamily staff discussed timely funding for HUD’s rental assistance programs and forthcoming guidance on MORs, HOTMA, and RAD for PRAC, as well as avenues for reducing regulatory burden. Mr. Seats joined the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs in May of this year; most recently, he served as Managing Director at M&T Reality Capital Corporation, where he was responsible for mortgage banking activities for commercial properties, including multifamily properties. Mr. Seats replaced Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Bob Iber, who remains at HUD in a different capacity.House passes voucher mobility legislation
This week, the House passed H.R. 5793, the “Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act of 2018.” Sponsored by Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), the bill authorizes the Secretary of HUD to carry out a housing choice voucher (HCV) mobility demonstration to encourage families receiving vouchers to move to lower-poverty areas and expand access to opportunity areas. “A major contributor to the generational cycle of poverty is the lack of employment opportunity, and this bipartisan legislation will help people relocate to areas with more opportunities and greater economic freedom,” said Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), the bill’s sponsor and the Chairman of the Financial Services Housing and Insurance Subcommittee, in a press release. Under the legislation, HUD would identify PHAs to participate in the mobility demonstration program through a competitive process, and some requirements could be waived or adjusted for the participating PHAs. The measure would require HUD to prioritize regional PHA collaborations that serve areas with a high concentration of HCV recipients in high-poverty and low-opportunity neighborhoods; have a sufficient supply of moderately-priced housing in high-opportunity areas; and other considerations, such as a high-performing Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program that would allow participating families to continue the program. Applicants would be required to submit a Regional Housing Mobility Plan that identifies criteria and actions for helping families move into high-opportunity areas. PHAs could use administrative fees and reserves, as well as private-sector funding to provide mobility-related services. In addition, PHAs could utilize Housing Assistance Payments (HAPs) for security deposits as necessary. PHAs in a selected region could create a consortium (or partial consortium) to implement the regional plan. Although there is no new funding authorized under the bill, the committee-approved fiscal year 2019 HUD funding bill would provide $50 million for the 5-year demonstration program to support new vouchers and mobility services, such as counseling and deposits. Following a positive hearing on the bill this spring, the House Financial Services Committee approved the bill in a unanimous vote in May; the bill passed this week on the House floor by a vote of 368-19 and will now be sent to the Senate for consideration.NAHMA hosts workshop to discuss property visits with lawmakers
This week, NAHMA hosted an “advocacy workshop” to discuss best practices for conducting in-district advocacy during the upcoming August Congressional Recess. The second of a two-part mini-series hosted in advance of the “AHMA Advocacy Challenge,” this week’s call focused on planning property visits with legislators to elevate the importance of affordable housing. Speakers during the workshop included David Joyner from the Caleb Group; Noel Gill from the Northwest Real Estate Capital Corporation; Joy Keel from Methodist Retirement Communities; Lee Reedy from Pennrose Management Company; Megan Kelly from National Church Residences; and Gianna Solari Richards from Solari Enterprises. NAHMA members have hosted successful property visits, which are essential to shifting lawmakers’ perception of affordable housing and establishing relationships with elected officials. Notes on best practices for planning a successful visit at your property are forthcoming; more information about the previous advocacy workshop (“How to Plan a Resident Engagement Activity”) and the upcoming “AHMA Advocacy Challenge” are available here.UP NEXT: What NAHMA is watching for next week
- NAHMA staff speak at LAHMA conference in New Orleans
- 7/16: AFFH comments due to NAHMA
- 7/17: NAHMA-AHMA call
- 7/17: NAHMA call with HUD leadership to discuss disaster recovery issues
- NAHMAnalysis on FY19 Appropriations (Comparison of House, Senate, and Administration’s proposed levels)