TO: Chair and Housing Authority Commissioners
THROUGH: Krishna Namburi, Interim Executive Director
FROM: Nicole Utz, Director of Housing
SUBJECT:
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Revised Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Administrative Plan
Ward(s): All Wards
Commissioners(s): Commissioners
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Welcome and Livable Neighborhood
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SUMMARY:
summary
Revisions to the Section 8 Administrative Plan. The proposed revisions would be effective August 1, 2025.
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ISSUE:
Shall the Commission Adopt Resolution No. 2318, approving the Revised Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Administrative Plan, effective August 1, 2025?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Adopt Resolution No. 2318, approving the Revised Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Administrative Plan including updates to waiting list preferences, program transfers, and updates to clarify requirements under the Housing Opportunities through Modernization Act (HOTMA) once it is effective.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
This update to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program implements changes to several HCV elements of oversight and administration in compliance with HOTMA, including the following:
Chapter 3: Eligibility
• Updates to the following sections to comply with current and future implementation of the Housing Opportunities through Modernization Act (HOTMA) to clarify requirements that are not effective until the HOTMA implementation date: Family Consent to Release Information and Restriction on Assistance Based on Assets.
Chapter 4: Local Preferences
• Added Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) as a program that is eligible for a Program Transfer preference due to termination of program funding.
• Increased the number of potential Vouchers that can be provided to families whose residence is inside the UGB of Salem or within Keizer whose residence is destroyed by natural disaster or declared uninhabitable, from ten (10) to twenty (20) in a calendar year.
Chapter 6A and 6B: Income and Subsidy Determination
• To accommodate the unknown implementation date of HOTMA, two chapters are provided: Chapter 6A (currently effective) and Chapter 6B (effective upon HOTMA compliance date).
Chapter 7A and 7B: Verifications
• To accommodate the unknown implementation date of HOTMA, two chapters are provided: Chapter 7A (currently effective) and Chapter 7B (effective upon HOTMA compliance date).
Chapter 8:
• To accommodate the delay of implementation of the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) until at least October 1, 2025, two chapters are provided:
o Chapter 8A: Housing Quality Standards and Rent Reasonableness Determinations (effective now), and
o Chapter 8B: National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate and Rent Reasonableness Determinations (effective October 1, 2025, or a subsequent date should NSPIRE implementation be further delayed by HUD)
• Added “Relocation due to HQS Deficiencies” section to both chapters relating to housing inspections that permits SHA to provide:
o Selection preference to families for available Public Housing units, or, if no such unit is available
o Up to two (2) months of withheld/abated payments for costs associated with relocation, to include security deposits and/or utility deposits. The family will not be required to remit any refund to SHA.
Chapter 12: Terminations
• Updates to the following sections to comply with current and future implementation of the Housing Opportunities through Modernization Act (HOTMA) to clarify requirements that are not effective until the HOTMA implementation date: Mandatory Termination of Assistance and Mandatory Policies and Other Authorized Terminations.
Chapter 16: Program Administration
• Removed down payment requirement for repayment agreements.
• Removed minimum monthly payment calculation thresholds and replaced it with language indicating the minimum monthly payment will be set at the difference between the family share of rent and 40% of the family’s adjusted monthly income. If the family share of rent is in excess of 40% of their adjusted monthly income, the minimum monthly payment will be set at $10 until family income increases.
HOTMA 102/104 Appendix to the Administrative Plan
• Added appendix that lists the specific areas of the Administrative Plan that are subject to changes upon the HOTMA compliance date.
This revision includes no other changes or updates.
BACKGROUND:
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Administrative Plan delineates the criteria for family eligibility to receive a Housing Choice Voucher. It articulates the Salem Housing Authority's (SHA) written policies where regulatory discretion exists, facilitating the effective operation of the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Recent delays in implementing the Housing Opportunities through Modernization Act (HOTMA), initially expected to take effect on October 1, 2024, necessitate clarification. This updated plan will enable SHA to continue operating under existing administrative policies while incorporating the requirements for HOTMA implementation once the compliance date is confirmed, thereby eliminating the need for a new administrative plan.
The plan encompasses policies related to waitlist management, the issuance and denial of vouchers, special purpose vouchers, occupancy standards, property owner recruitment, subsidy and payment standards, grievance and hearing processes, recertifications, housing inspections, the application of Fair Market Rents, and more. Federal regulations mandate that the Administrative Plan be adopted by the Board and serve as a guiding framework for the operations of the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Nicole Utz
Director of Housing
Attachments:
1. Resolution No. 2318
2. Exhibit 1: Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan, effective August 1, 2025.