HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) sent a letter on October 22 informing public housing agencies that PIH will now provide tenant protection vouchers (TPVs) for unoccupied units if those units were occupied within the previous 24-month period prior to a “conversion action” that would cause residents to lose their homes or make their homes unaffordable. This policy change is effective as of October 1 for both Multifamily Housing and Public Housing, but the change does not apply retroactively.
Previous to the change, PIH would provide TPVs only for units that were occupied on the date a TPV application was submitted to PIH (for Multifamily Housing) or to the Special Applications Center (for Public Housing). PIH applied this limit through Notice PIH 2018-09 to ensure sufficient TPVs were available, given the limited funding provided by Congress. Now that enough funds appear to be available, PIH is altering its policy.
Tenant protection vouchers (TPVs) may be provided to low income residents of HUD-assisted housing when there is a change in the status of their assisted housing that would cause residents to lose their homes (for example, public housing demolition) or render their homes unaffordable (for example, an owner “opting out” of a Section 8 contract). HUD calls such changes “housing conversion actions” or “eligibility events.” There are two types of TPVs, regular tenant-based Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) and tenant-based Enhanced Vouchers (EVs). Both are administered by local public housing agencies (PHAs). The amount of funding available for TVPs is determined by HUD’s estimates of need in the upcoming year and by congressional appropriations.
The October 22 letter is at: https://bit.ly/2ONV6Zf
Notice PIH 2018-09 is at: https://bit.ly/2JjpPrh
More information about tenant protection vouchers is on page 4-52 of NLIHC’s 2018 Advocates’ Guide.