Public Notice: COVID-19 HUD Waivers Update

This Public Notice is to inform all interested persons that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has established a series waivers and administrative flexibilities for numerous statutory and regulatory requirements to provide relief to Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

HUD first established waivers and administrative flexibilities for PHAs under the CARES Act in Notice PIH 2020-05, published on April 10, 2020. HUD subsequently published Notices PIH 2020-13 and 2020-33, which restated all previously established waivers and alternative requirements from preceding notices, provided additional waivers and alternative requirements, extended the periods of availability for previously established waivers and alternative requirements, and issued technical amendments to several of the previously established waivers and alternative requirements. Additionally, HUD published Notices PIH 2020-20 and PIH 2020-22, which provided waivers and alternative requirements specific to the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation (Mod Rehab) Program and Mainstream vouchers, respectively, and which were incorporated into Notice PIH 2020-33.

Lucas Metropolitan Housing (LMH) has adopted many of these waivers and alternative requirements. The waivers LMH has adopted can be found in the News section of this website in releases dated May 11, 2020, August 11, 2020, and March 4, 2021.

On May 4, 2021, HUD issued Notice PIH 2021-14 (HA). This notice restates and/or revises the waivers and alternative requirements included previously in Notice PIH 2020-33, carries forward information on previously specified HUD actions, adds new waivers and alternative requirements, and extends the period of availability of most waivers until December 31, 2021. Pursuant to this new notice, LMH maintained all previously adopted waivers, implemented all deadline extensions, and incorporated them by reference into this public notice.

Effective May 4, 2021, after a thorough analysis, LMH has adopted additional waivers and alternative requirements from Notice PIH 2021-14 (HA) that directly impact public housing (PH) residents and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs and participation.

Adopted effective May 4, 2021

PH and HCV-8: Eligibility Determination: Income Verification waives the third-party income verification requirements for applicants and, alternatively, will allow PHAs to consider self-certification as the highest form of income verification at admission.

12.e.: Community Service and Self-Sufficiency Requirement (CSSR) Suspension waives the requirement that each non-exempt adult resident of public housing contribute 8 hours per month of community service and/or participation in an economic self-sufficiency program. This non-discretionary waiver also suspends enforcement of the requirement by all PHAs operating a public housing program. This waiver supersedes PH-5, which LMH adopted on April 10, 2020.

Please note all waivers are subject to change based on LMH and HUD policies and procedures during this pandemic.