On May 6, USDA Rural Development issued a Frequently Asked Questions document for residents in rural Multi-Family Housing properties. The FAQs are designed for tenants in Section 514 and Section 515 housing; the document covers the following topics:
Older adults are uniquely at-risk for COVID-19, and current CDC data have also shown a disproportionate effect on minority racial and ethnic group health.
For both providers and residents, COVID-19 upended many aspects of daily life at affordable housing communities. As some providers shift from crisis-management to recovery, HUD has encouraged the use of capacity building tools to help shift operations and learn from the crisis.
As relief funds from Congress are allocated to various affordable housing programs, HUD’s Office of Inspector General issued a COVID-19 oversight framework to guide program audits and evaluations. Issued on April 28th, the framework will align audits, evaluations, investigative initiatives, and other reviews of timely and effective relief efforts undertaken by HUD.
As the health emergency continues, affordable senior housing providers have questions about how best to serve residents and continue operations. Keeping in mind that COVID-19 guidance is updated frequented by HUD, here is a summary of existing federal guidance available in response to common questions from mid-April:
What do isolation, critical services, and affordable senior housing have in common? They all rely on limited technology. LeadingAge is asking Congress to help bridge the connectivity gap for low-income older adults.
Combatting Isolation with Connectivity
With grant-funded service coordinators still awaiting their Calendar Year 2020 awards, HUD has said as of April 13, 2020 that the awards will be processed by HUD Headquarters by the end of April. According to the agency, the funding is currently being processed and HUD plans to notify grantees of the awards at the end of the month.
In an updated statement issued on April 8, USDA-Rural Development implemented several new relief measures for rural housing providers and protections for residents. The announcement discusses CARES Act relief for both single family and multifamily housing, as well as for the Rural Development Guaranteed Loan Programs and the Rural Utility Service.
As of March 18, HUD has restarted routine processing and approval of Section 202 PRAC rent adjustments to increase Reserve for Replacement deposits. Budget-Based Rent Increase (BBRI) requests were temporarily suspended by HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing in July of 2019 following escalating subsidy requirements that strained the program’s annual budget.
On March 13, HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing announced a national call to answer questions from housing providers struggling to navigate COVID-19 in HUD-assisted housing. Lamar Seats, the MFH Deputy Assistant Secretary, will host the call.
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