There were so many choices for affordable housing providers at the LeadingAge Annual Conference in Dallas. Unfortunately, noone could be everywhere at once. Here are some highlights and details on how to access session recordings and/or materials.
Out of all these sessions, following are a few take-aways from fellow members and highlights from the presentation by Ben Metcalf, Deputy Assistant Secretary
for HUD multifamily housing programs, who made it his priority to travel out to be with us in Dallas.
Highlights from the HUD Management Update
Ben Metcalf, who was named deputy assistant secretary for multifamily housing programs on July 25, 2013, is no stranger to LeadingAge members and issues.
He previously was special assistant to the Federal Housing Commissioner, and worked closely with LeadingAge on implementing Section 202 reform legislation and exploring potential program reform and demonstration issues. Despite a very busy schedule and numerous other conferences going on in Washington, DC, that week, he made it a priority to join us in Dallas.
Speaking "from a position of extreme budgetary uncertainty," Metcalf addressed:
- Subsidy payments and renewals -- no gaps in payment expected, but funding allocations of less than 12 months will be common.
- Extension of RAD - happy to announce that authority to convert of Rent Supplement and RAP to Section 8 vouchers continues through the current CR period (Jan 15,
2014) and progress of public housing conversions (close to 60,000 units converted to project-based Section 8).
- Priorities for enhanced energy efficiency for older housing stock -- see better building challenge.
- Emphasized that funding is still in the administration's proposal for FY14 for housing with service model/Section 202 reform demo -- 202 wrapped in evaluator
piece. Issue is political will and need to make the case through research and evidence.
- Despite potential portfolio of 200 older Section 202s eligible, the SPRAC announcement got only 28 applications. Announcement of awards are due out shortly.
Office of Multifamily Housing Transformation
Metcalf also made the business case and provided insights into the HUD multifamily transformation, and progress made already toward HUD consolidating offices and changing old business models.
He stated that it is not all about saving money, but that HUD is truly focused on ensuring greater efficiency and more consistency, as staff are assign and/or trained as resource specialists to handle complicated issues on a regional or national level. He indicated positive experiences with the workload sharing demo which has begun already on a national level for production.
Margaret Salazar has been named director of the Office of Recapitalization, recently launched as a transactional office focused on complicated preservation finance issues.
The Office of Asset Management is also consolidating its processes. Instead of questions regarding Section 8 policy having to go through 4 different offices, work will be consolidated and streamlined.
As HUD makes the changes, regional offices will be taken "offline" for 2 weeks to a month for retraining and retooling. Metcalf indicated that this will be handled in waves, with 1/5 of the country impacted at a time, as in-process issues are reallocated to other regions with supplemental support during the transition.
Members in attendance commented frequently and very positively on the quality and depth of topics he covered.
Insights into the New TRACS 202D
Jenny DeSilva, director of housing assistance payments for Southwest Housing Compliance Corporation (a subsidiary of The Housing Authority City of Austin, and PBCA for the state of Texas) gave a wonderfully detailed presentation by on the coming changes to as part of TRACS 202D.
The first major reworking of the TRACS system since 2009 is expected to be implemented early next year, beginning to accept submissions in the new format as early as March 2014, with full transition completed by August.
Particular elements of the presentation included:
- The range of expanded move-out and termination codes.
- Owner ability to do gross rent changes the actual month they are effective (instead of having to do retroactive adjustments the month after).
- New capacity for tracking of repayment agreements.
- The creation of a 5-year baseline of data.
- Major reworking of error codes - including removing ones requiring no action and transmitting in plain language anything that does require action.
Housing Policy Forum focuses on Housing with Services
The Housing Policy Forum featured Jennifer Ho, senior assistant to the secretary advising on housing and service linkages, and Nan Roman, executive director for the National Coalition to End Homeless, speaking in her capacity as a commissioner for the BiPartisan Policy Center.
Ms. Ho articulate the commitment of the HUD Secretary to pursing the critical linkage between housing and health care. And, Ms. Roman provided highlights and insights into the recent report from the Bipartisan Policy Center Housing
Commission and its housing policy recommendations that also emphasized the need and value of linking housing with services.
Read more on the BiPartisan Policy Center recommendations and recent statements from former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros about housing with services.
Sessions on Preservation and REAC Physical Inspections
Doug Williams, administrator at Westmoreland's Union Manor, expressed satisfaction with the sessions dealing with preservation, found particular value in the relocation details shared, and shared that the REAC session both outstanding and entertaining.
In his words, "The big take-away for everyone at the REAC session was this, 'No, the scoring system has not changed, what has changed is the inspector's are doing their jobs better and they taking their time inspecting the buildings by the book.' My take-aways from the relocation session were that 'the key to mitigating resident issues was communication, communication, communication' and to do everything I can to try and complete the project without relocating residents to other properties."
Access Annual Meeting 2013 Session Recordings and Materials
For those that attended in person, you can download session materials. The materials will be accessible for FREE until Nov. 21.
Those who could not make it may order audio recordings of the full conference, specific tracks or just individual sessions using this order form.