HUD Issues

One of the PHA's Agency Goals is to "Continue active leadership in national and state housing organizations to improve national housing policy and funding." To further that goal, PHA staff frequently send letters and e-mail messages to HUD, members of Congress and industry groups, to make recommendations on policy and funding issues. Sometimes PHA staff work with other housing authorities' staff and with elected officials to communicate important issues. Some of those communications are available below.

Public Housing Operating Subsidy - Comments on Proposed Rules

• Click here to view the written comments the St. Paul PHA sent to HUD on 11/6/2006 about HUD's "Guidance on Implementation of Asset Management" in the Public Housing Operating Fund Program, as published in the Federal Register on September 6, 2006 (page 52710).

  The PHA and the housing industry groups are calling on HUD to relax its too-tight timetables and too-rigid requirements dictating when and how housing agencies should make the difficult transition to HUD's "asset management" model.

• Click here to view the written comments the St. Paul PHA sent to HUD on 6/7/2005 about HUD's proposed changes in the way operating subsidies are calculated and distributed to housing agencies.

  As a result of comments from housing authorities and industry groups, HUD made significant improvements in the Final Rule published September 19, 2005. However, the final rule still falls short of the commitments HUD agreed to in the negotiated rule. The PHA will continue to work with the housing industry groups to help HUD craft workable, flexible guidance on the new Operating Fund rule.

Community Service Requirement

Since 2003 many adult residents of public housing have had to perform 8 hours of volunteer community service each month, to remain eligible to live in public housing. These documents explain the requirement and how the PHA is implementing it.

• Resident Notice - This notice is given to all residents.
• HD811 - This form is completed during residents' annual eligibility review. It identifies which adult household members are required to do community service, and which are exempt.
• HD811b - Community service notice of noncompliance.
• HD811c - Agreement to complete community service.
• HD809 - This form is used to verify hours of community service performed.
• Volunteer Opportunities - This flyer on "How to find volunteer opportunities" is given to all adult residents who are not exempt from the community service requirement.