on January 24, HUD notified NAHMA that it had provided its Hub and Program Center Directors with instructions for issuing extensions of up to 12 months for Rent Supp and RAP contracts expiring in FY 2012 and beyond-subject to the availability of appropriations.  Funding for extensions was authorized by the recent appropriations bill P.L. 112-55 (H.R. 2112), the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2012.

HUD encourages O/As with RAP and Rent Supp properties nearing their expiration dates to work with their local HUD offices to discuss contract extension options.  HUD staff will walk property O/As through the process and requirements.

Please note, these instructions were issued via an internal memorandum at HUD rather than as a Housing Notice in order to expedite the process.  According to HUD, issuing the guidance as a publically available Housing Notice would have required additional months of review and clearance prior to publication.  Although HUD Headquarters has not released a copy of the internal memo, NAHMA is working to gather additional information.

On January 24 USDA-RD posted the "Notice of Funding Availability: Rural Development Voucher Program" in the Federal Register.  Funding is now available for the RD Voucher program.  The notice also sets forth the general policies and procedures for use of these vouchers for FY 2012.  RD Vouchers are only available to low income tenants of Rural Development-financed multifamily properties where the Section 515 loan has been prepaid, either through prepayment or a foreclosure action, prior to the loan's maturity date and after September 30, 2005.

A copy of the notice may be found here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-24/pdf/2012-1270.pdf

On January 23, 2012 HUD Multifamily DAS Marie Head sent a letter to HUD's affordable housing industry partners regarding the status of the PBCA NOFA in the 42 contested states. 

The PBCA NOFA is still in clearance, meaning the document is still being reviewed.  The document must be approved by several different departments within HUD before it is released.  Multifamily DAS Head expects the clearance process to take a few more weeks before the NOFA can be published and PBCA's can submit applications.

Multifamily DAS Head also used the letter to address the expiration date of current contracts.  She said project-based Section 8 HAP contracts expire and renew at different times, based on individual contracts.  The current PBCA ACC contracts with 11 states that began on October 1, 2011 will expire September 30, 2013, since the contracts were for two-year terms.

A copy of the letter may be found here: http://www.nahma.org/member/New%20HUD%20Docs/PBCA_HUD_nofa_letter%20to%20industry012312.pdf

The National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Industry and AHMA Awards. The list includes both individuals and organizations that have worked in innovative ways to develop and improve affordable housing in their communities and to continually raise the standards of the affordable housing industry.

AHMA of the Year

Regardless of size, these organizations excel in membership recruitment and retention, education and training, financial stability and growth and other criteria. 

SAHMA (Large) - Always innovative, SAHMA in 2011 created a Housing Authority Membership, maintained an 88.7 percent membership retention rate, and continued its expansion of training and education to include 23 events that trained more than 900 students. 

JAHMA (Medium) - In 2011, JAHMA achieved a 10.9 percent increase in membership, an 89-93 percent retention rate in affiliate and vendor members, respectively,  and an increase in both course attendance and course offerings. 

PennDel AHMA (Small) - PennDel AHMA boosted its membership with an attractive incentive program, income from its education and training events resulted in a significant improvement over previous years, and it expanded its focus on credentialing and COQ recognition.

AHMA Membership Recruitment Award

This award is presented to an AHMA that consistently achieves outstanding member recruitment levels in relation to its size and history.

MAHMA (Large) - MAHMA aggressively identified potential member companies and markets through its educational programs, through its numerous partnerships, and at conferences, including the first Midwest Affordable Housing Summit in Chicago, which it hosted and which was attended by more than 400 people.  MAHMA also uses social marketing as an outreach tool.