Overview
Introducing the first Public Housing Occupancy
Guidebook in over twenty years! The guidebook is designed to serve as a reference
tool to assist public housing staff and HUD with a range of issues related to
public housing occupancy, from application and rent calculations through ongoing
occupancy to lease termination. Highlighted changes contained in the guidebook
include a new method for determining imputed income from assets and earned income
disallowance (see Chapter 10 for both changes). Consistent with the Multi-family
Housing program, PHAs will now use a national passbook saving rate of two percent.
Regarding the earned income disallowance requirement, an earned income disallowance
calculator has been developed and will be available on the new Rental Housing
Integrity Improvement Project (RHIIP) web site coming soon. This calculator will
serve to complement the new methodology for calculating the disallowance amount
and also create records of data that can track the earned income disallowance
activity for each participant.
Important Note:
- Community Service Requirement
Conforming changes have been made
in the Public Housing Occupancy Guidebook to be consistent with PIH
Notice 2003-17. PIH Notice 2003-17 encourages PHAs to consider 30 hours of
work as the threshold for exempting residents from the community service requirement. - Public
Housing Passbook Savings Rate
Another conforming change is related to
the passbook savings rate. The Public Housing Occupancy Guidebook suggests that
PHAs use a new rate of 2% to be consistent with Multi-Family Housing's passbook
savings rate policy. However, as the Office of Housing is updating the passbook
savings rate, therefore, PHAs should continue to implement PIH's current policy
regarding the passbook savings rate until further notice.
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