HUD Rescinds Flexibilities for Housing Choice Voucher, Project-Based Voucher, Public Housing, Emergency Housing Vouchers, and Stability Voucher Programs
Apr 27, 2026
By Alayna Calabro, NLIHC Senior Policy Analyst
HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) issued Notice PIH 2026-04 and Notice PIH 2026-05 on March 5. The notices rescind flexibilities that HUD had provided public housing agencies (PHAs) in administering the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Project-Based Voucher (PBV), Public Housing, Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV), and Stability Voucher (SV) programs.
Notice PIH 2026-04
Notice PIH 2026-04 rescinds Notice PIH 2024-17, which provided a streamlined review process for regulatory waivers to expedite admission to the HCV, PBV, and Public Housing programs for people experiencing homelessness (see Memo, 5/20/24). Eliminating these waivers will make it more difficult for PHAs to serve people experiencing homelessness in their communities.
Notice PIH 2024-17, which HUD rescinded in its entirety, provided a streamlined submission and review process for two regulatory waivers for verification requirements at admission to the HCV, PBV, or Public Housing programs: (1) third-party verification of date of birth and a person’s disability status, and (2) third-party verification of income and assets. Notice PIH 2026-24 states that waivers that were already approved or granted using the streamlined process will remain valid until their expiration dates.
People experiencing homelessness may not have the documents typically required to establish their eligibility for housing assistance programs readily available. Because missing documents can significantly delay assistance and access to housing, the waivers allow PHAs to house families experiencing homelessness more quickly by allowing self-certification of income, disability status, and date of birth.
Eliminating the streamlined waiver process will make it more difficult for PHAs to quickly and effectively serve people experiencing homelessness through the HCV, PBV, and public housing programs. HUD’s decision also disregards important lessons learned from pandemic-era initiatives, including the EHV program, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and waivers authorized under the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.”
Notice PIH 2026-05
Notice PIH 2026-05 rescinds flexibilities in the EHV and SV programs that allowed PHAs to delay collecting social security documentation and citizenship documentation within 180 days of admission. Now, PHAs must follow standard eligibility verification procedures for Social Security numbers and citizenship or eligible immigration status for EHV and SV applicants.
Read Notice PIH 2026-04 here.
Read Notice PIH 2024-17 here.
Read NLIHC’s Memo about Notice PIH 2024-17 here.
Read Notice PIH 2025-05 here.