November 09, 2023

Updates & Reminders

Please Update your Contact Information Today!

Have you returned your Member Information form? Each year LeadingAge Indiana asks you to complete a member information form to update your contact and other logistical information. We use this information to update our membership database, the LeadingAge National database and to provide the information to our publisher for use in the annual membership directory. We also collect revenue totals to use when determining the annual membership dues. We have extended the deadline to submit your updates to Wednesday, November 15. You can access the fillable PDF here. Once complete, please save it to your files, then scan it or attached it to an email and send it to Tina Bowman at tbowman@leadingageindiana.org. Contact Tina, if you have questions. Thank you.

Join Us! Clarification of HUD Asset Limit Implementation

LeadingAge will not host a Housing call on Monday, November 13. Instead, they have coordinated a national call to help clarify confusion surrounding HUD’s implementation of the 2016 Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA), which will eventually impose new asset limits for some residents of some HUD housing. This confusion has led to some tenants erroneously receiving information that tenancy in their HUD-assisted home is imminently at risk. The call is co-hosted by LeadingAge, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the National Affordable Housing Management Association, the National Housing Law Project, the National Leased Housing Association, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and Stewards for Affordable Housing for the Future. Call speakers include Ethan Handelman, HUD, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Multifamily Housing, and Jen Larson, HUD, Director, Office of Asset Management and Portfolio Oversight, Office of Multifamily Housing. Register here for the November 13, 1 – 2 p.m. ET call.

News & Updates

Call to Action: Senate Passes HUD FY24 Funding Bill; House Bill Postponed

On November 1, the Senate passed the fiscal year 2024 HUD funding bill as part of a three-bill appropriations package. The bill would fully fund the renewal of HUD project-based rental assistance contracts that support affordable senior housing communities, provide $152 million to expand the supply of Section 202 homes, provide $6 million to support Rental Assistance Demonstration conversions by Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contracts, and provide renewal funding for existing HUD service coordinators. During consideration of the Senate bill, which passed with an 85 – 15 vote, the Senate rejected an amendment from Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) that would have cut HUD and USDA funding by $30 billion for FY24. House consideration of its FY24 HUD funding bill was delayed again on November 2. The latest delay is because the low funding levels for some of the bill’s programs might garner sufficient opposition to thwart passage. LeadingAge urges advocates to ask their House members to reject amendments to cut housing programs. See more about HUD FY24 senior housing funding here.

HUD Expands Metro Areas Required to Use Small Area FMRs

On October 25, HUD announced that public housing agencies (PHAs) in an additional 41 metro areas will now be required to apply Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs) when setting the maximum rent that Housing Choice Vouchers will cover, instead of setting rent maximums for the entire metropolitan area. Small Area FMRs reflect rents based on zip code, compared with regular Fair Market Rents, which calculate a single “fair” rent standard for a whole metro area. Because they are more granular, requiring the use of SAFMRs allows voucher payments that more accurately reflect the local market and enable voucher holders to choose from a wider range of neighborhoods, at no additional cost to them. The new requirements impact an additional 440,000 households for a total of 800,000 households, or 45% of families in the Housing Choice Voucher program. According to HUD’s press release, the change will ensure that a portion of units in every neighborhood are affordable to tenants renting with a voucher – even higher rent neighborhoods with high performing schools and other opportunities.  

Valuable Member Benefit: Upcoming Affordable Housing Policy Workgroups

LeadingAge members can join our workgroups for deeper discussions on specific topics related to affordable senior housing. These small group meetings are informal and collaborative and help LeadingAge develop constructive feedback for federal policy-makers. Any LeadingAge member is welcome to join our friendly groups. Our most active workgroups currently include:

  • HUD Oversight and Compliance (monthly) – Next Call: November 30 at 1pm ET
  • Housing + Services (monthly) – Next Call: November 9, 1pm ET
  • Internet Access in Affordable Housing (quarterly) – Next Call: December 7, 1pm ET – featuring special guests from HUD!
  • Insurance Rates in Affordable Housing (quarterly) – Next Call: TBA

Members can access registration info for the workgroups here (must be logged in with your LeadingAge account to access). If you have questions, or need login assistance, Linda at lcouch@leadingage.org or Juliana jbilowich@leadingage.org.