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
Life is very different now than it was two months ago. Housing providers continue to support older adults in their communities by adapting services and coordinating community supports. Here is highlight of key federal resources for affordable housing residents dealing with the health and economic crisis:
On April 16, both HUD and the IRS announced new guidance related to the stimulus checks of $1,200 received by individuals.
HUD clarifies handling of stimulus checks for income calculations
HUD updated their COVID-19 FAQs for Multifamily Housing providers to state that the stimulus checks, and the enhanced unemployment insurance assistance, should not be counted toward income. LeadingAge had urged the agency to issue guidance for affordable housing providers who calculate rent amounts and housing program eligibility based on a resident’s income.
On April 17, HUD issued a recording of Multifamily Housing's latest program updates. HUD FHA Commissioner and Acting Deputy Secretary, Brian Montgomery, opened the recording to talk about the various agency efforts to support providers and residents across the portfolio.
Also providing updates on the recording was Toby Halliday, HUD Multifamily’s Director of Asset Management and Portfolio Oversight, who spoke live to over one thousand LeadingAge members just the day before:
On April 16, HUD’s Director of Asset Management and Portfolio Oversight (OAMPO) within the Office of Multifamily Housing provided updates to LeadingAge members. Halliday joined the LeadingAge daily COVID-19 update call at 3:30 EST to provide updates on agency activities and respond to questions collected in advance.To view the recording, please click here.
Effective April 1, 2020 HUD issued FY2020 income limits to determine eligibility for assisted housing programs including the Public Housing, Section 8 project-based, Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Section 202 housing for the elderly, and Section 811 housing for persons with disabilities programs.
In their April 14 updates, the HUD Office of Multifamily Housing added eight pages of guidance for affordable housing providers coming to terms with the spread of the virus at their properties.
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.
On April 9, the National Fair Housing Alliance released a resource on COVID19 and the Fair Housing Act.
The resource states that people who currently have COVID-19, those who have a history of having the virus, and those who are perceived as having the virus may be protected against housing discrimination under long-standing interpretations of the Fair Housing Act and other civil rights laws.
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