[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 219 (Monday, November 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79514-79515]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27348]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR-5630-N-08]
Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Notice Regarding Fair
Housing and Civil Rights Requirements and Relocation Requirements
Applicable to RAD First Component--Public Housing Conversions:
Solicitation of Comment
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing, HUD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: HUD has posted, on its RAD Web page, a notice providing
guidance regarding fair housing, civil rights, and relocation
requirements applicable to the first component of RAD, which were
previously addressed by HUD in a notice issued on June 15, 2015. The
first component of RAD pertains only to the conversion of public
housing units. The purpose of the Civil Rights and Relocations
Requirements notice is to provide greater guidance for the application
of these important requirements governing RAD. While the updated
requirements are available and became effective upon posting, HUD
solicits comment on today's notice, with respect primarily to the
clarity and comprehensibility of the requirements.
DATES: Comment Due Date: December 14, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding
this notice. Communications must refer to the above docket number and
title. There are two methods for submitting public comments.
1. Submission of Comments by Mail. Comments may be submitted by
mail to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Department
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 10276,
Washington, DC 20410-0500.
2. Electronic Submission of Comments. Interested persons may submit
comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
www.regulations.gov. HUD strongly encourages commenters to submit
comments electronically. Electronic submission of comments allows the
commenter maximum time to prepare and submit a comment, ensures timely
receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to make them immediately available to
the public. Comments submitted electronically through the
www.regulations.gov Web site can be viewed by other commenters and
interested members of the public. Commenters should follow the
instructions provided on that site to submit comments electronically.
No Facsimile Comments. Facsimile (FAX) comments are not acceptable.
Public Inspection of Public Comments. All properly submitted
comments and communications submitted to HUD will be available for
public inspection and copying between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays at the
above address. Due to security measures at the HUD Headquarters
building, an advance appointment to review the public comments must be
scheduled by calling the Regulations Division at 202-708-3055 (this is
not a toll-free number). Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing
and individuals with speech impairments may access this number via TTY
by calling the Federal Relay Service toll-free at 800-877-8339. Copies
of all comments submitted are also available for inspection and
downloading at www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Claude Dickson, Office of
Recapitalization, Office of Multifamily Housing, Office of Housing,
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Room 6230, email
[email protected], telephone 202-708-0001 (this is not a toll-free number).
For information about this rule, persons with hearing- or speech-
impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the Federal
Relay Service toll-free at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
RAD was created in order to give public housing agencies (PHAs) a
tool to preserve and improve assisted housing and address the multi-
billion dollar nationwide backlog of deferred maintenance. RAD allows
public housing agencies to leverage public and private debt and equity
in order to reinvest in the public housing stock. In RAD, units move
from the public housing program to a Section 8 platform with a long-
term contract that, by law, must be renewed. This ensures that the
units remain permanently affordable to low-income households. Once
transferred to the Section 8 platform, residents continue to pay 30
percent of their income towards the rent and they maintain the same
basic rights as they would possess in the public housing program.
On June 15, 2015, HUD issued a comprehensive notice that provided
program instructions for RAD, including addressing eligibility and
selection criteria. (See http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/
huddoc?id=PIHNotice_2012-32_
[[Page 79515]]
062015.pdf.) The June 15, 2015 notice itself was an update of prior RAD
program notices issued on July 26, 2012, July 2, 2013, and February 6,
2014. The June 15, 2015 notice covered both of the RAD program's two
components. (Component 1 applies only to public housing units that may
convert to RAD. Component 2 applies to Section 8 Moderate
Rehabilitation, Rent Supplement, and Rental Assistance Payment
properties that may convert to RAD.) The June 15, 2015 notice addressed
fair housing, civil rights, and relocation requirements among the other
program instructions. However, given the importance of these
requirements, especially as they apply to the types of transactions
common in public housing conversions, HUD determined that a notice
dedicated solely to fair housing, civil rights, and relocation
requirements was appropriate.
Today's relocation notice only addresses RAD Component 1. The
notice explains the situations in which HUD is requiring front-end fair
housing and civil rights reviews, and provides information regarding
the types of information that must be submitted to facilitate HUD's
review of certain fair housing and civil rights requirements in
connection with public housing conversions under RAD Component 1. The
notice also includes guidance regarding relocation requirements under
RAD and reiterates key civil rights- and relocation-related statutory
and regulatory requirements.
II. Solicitation of Comment
As noted in the Summary of this notice, today's notice is posted
and effective but HUD welcomes comments on the notice. The purpose of
the notice is to provide greater guidance on compliance with fair
housing, civil rights, and relocation requirements. HUD specifically
solicits comment on the clarity of the information provided in the
notice. In the event HUD makes any changes in response to public
comment, HUD will revise the notice and advise the public of any
changes made.
Dated: November 8, 2016.
Edward L. Golding,
Principal Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Housing.
[FR Doc. 2016-27348 Filed 11-10-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P