The House Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation and Housing and Urban Development held a hearing on April 25 to discuss FY19 funding for HUD’s Office of Housing and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Dana Wade, general deputy assistant secretary for housing, answered questions regarding the president’s budget request as well as the recently released HUD proposals to raise rents and impose work requirements.
Ranking Member David Price (D-NC) and Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA) both expressed concerns about HUD’s proposals to increase rents on those receiving HUD housing assistance, pressing Ms. Wade to explain the reasons behind the changes. Ms. Wade stated the reforms were due to federal fiscal concerns and were designed to streamline the current process and remove work disincentives.
She stressed that HUD is not proposing to raise rents for seniors and people with disabilities currently residing in HUD-funded housing. These residents would not be held harmless under HUD’s proposal, however, as they would see rent increases phased in over a six-year period. Ranking Member Price also reminded Ms. Wade that future residents who are seniors or who have disabilities would be subjected to increased rental rates immediately.
Ms. Wade provided few specifics on how her office plans to use funds allocated in the FY18 omnibus, which increased the agency’s funding by almost 10%.
Learn more about the hearing at: https://bit.ly/2qNOrzi