Public housing disaster response guidance

HUDCLIPS and HUD's Katrina-related "Program Guidance, Waivers and Notices" page have posted advance versions of two major HUD housing announcements that are apparently soon to be published in the Federal Register. The items are an announcement of federal Public and Indian Housing waivers (also here) and a "checklist" form (also here) that public housing authorities (PHAs) are invited to use to announce local suspensions of regulations per HUD authorization and/or to make form-letter requests to HUD (email is permitted) for waivers of regulations.

Eligibility for these suspensions and waivers varies by location: some are for declared disaster areas, others for officials receiving disaster victims elsewhere in the United States. The announcement in part formalizes what had been informal delays in deadlines for non-emergency reports and other submissions by PHAs and tribal housing officials in the disaster areas themselves.

Specific waivable requirements and extendable deadlines include a very large number of deadlines for PHAs to submit financial reports and certain other data and planning information, including Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plans. Among the other requirements and deadlines on the list are these:
- Deadlines for obligating and spending capital funds.
- The ICDBG rule that limits downpayment assistance for homebuyers to 50% of each total downpayment.
- Deadlines for verifying Social Security Numbers, Employer Identification Numbers, and immigration status of applicants.
- Rules limiting Capital Fund "replacement housing funds" to new public housing; waivers are possible to let this money go to "modernization" or to "homeownership for public housing families."
- Maximum project cost caps.
- PHAs' duties to publish notices when they reopen their public housing waiting lists.
- Living space minimums determined according to family size.