Agenda Item   

AGENDA STAFF REPORT

 

                                                                                                                        ASR Control  23-001060

 

MEETING DATE:

01/23/24

legal entity taking action:

Orange County Housing Authority

board of supervisors district(s):

All Districts

SUBMITTING Agency/Department:

OC Community Resources   (Approved)

Department contact person(s):

Dylan Wright (714) 480-2788 

 

 

Julia Bidwell (714) 480-2991

 

 

Subject:  Orange County Housing Authority Administrative Plan

 

      ceo CONCUR

County Counsel Review

Clerk of the Board

          Concur

No Legal Objection

Discussion

 

 

3 Votes Board Majority

 

 

 

    Budgeted: N/A

Current Year Cost:   N/A

Annual Cost: N/A

 

 

 

    Staffing Impact:

No

# of Positions:            

Sole Source:   N/A

    Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A

   Funding Source:     N/A

County Audit in last 3 years: No

   Levine Act Review Completed: N/A

 

    Prior Board Action:         12/20/2022 #19, 4/26/2022 #32

 

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

 

Adopt the updated Orange County Housing Authority Administrative Plan and authorize the Executive Director of the Orange County Housing Authority or designee to finalize and transmit the Administrative Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in compliance with federal regulations.

 

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

Adopting the updated Orange County Housing Authority Administrative Plan will comply with federal requirements to describe statutory, regulatory and local discretionary policies used to administer the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

 

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

 

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program is the Federal Government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly and the disabled to afford decent, safe and sanitary housing in the private market. HCVs are administered locally by public housing agencies (PHAs). The PHAs receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the HCV Program. In accordance with Chapter 24 Section 982.54 of the Code of Federal Regulations, PHAs must adopt a written Administrative Plan that establishes local policies for administration of the HCV Program. The Administrative Plan states PHA policy on matters for which the PHA has discretion, including but not limited to:

 

-

Selection and admission of applicants from the PHA waiting list, including any PHA admission preferences, procedures for removing applicant names from the waiting list and procedures for closing and reopening the PHA waiting list;

-

Issuing or denying vouchers, including PHA policy governing the voucher term and any extensions of the voucher term;

-

Any special rules for use of available funds when HUD provides funding to the PHA for a special purpose, including funding for specified families or a specified category of families;

-

Special policies concerning special housing types in the program; and

-

Procedural guidelines and performance standards for conducting required Housing Quality Standards inspections.

 

The Orange County Housing Authority (OCHA), a PHA, has revised its Administrative Plan to comply with federal regulations and to update local discretionary policies for administration of the HCV Program.

 

On April 26, 2022, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved updates to OCHA's Administrative Plan. The Administrative Plan does not require annual review but returns to the Board for approval when there are changes in HUD regulations and/or when OCHA updates local discretionary policies.

 

The Administrative Plan is designed to provide clear and comprehensive information for the public, and a summary of changes are available on OCHA's website (www.ochousing.org/docs). Substantial revisions include:

 

OCHA may issue 50% of HCV turnover vouchers, up to the cap allowable by HUD and as recommended by the OC Board of Supervisor’s approved Housing Funding Strategy, for homeless persons and families and/or other persons with special needs, who require supportive services that will be assisted in units designated for Project-Based Vouchers (PBV). Issuance is dependent upon available funding and the number of annual turnover HCVs. OCHA will annually evaluate the number of vouchers available to commit to PBV each calendar year.

 

This recommended change in the Administrative Plan will increase the portion allocated to PBVs from available HCVs and is consistent with the Housing Funding Strategy, approved by the Board on December 20, 2022, to maximize resources available to develop permanent supportive housing.

 

Adoption of the updated OCHA Administrative Plan will support compliance with federal requirements and implementation of local discretionary policies used to administer the HCV Program.

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

 

N/A

 

 

STAFFING IMPACT:

 

N/A

 

 

ATTACHMENT(S):

 

Attachment A - Orange County Housing Authority Administrative Plan – Redline Version
Attachment B - Orange County Housing Authority Administrative Plan - Final version
Attachment C - Summary of Administrative Plan Revisions
Attachment D - Chapter 24 Section 982.54 of the Code of Federal Regulations