HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection regarding PHAs’ applicable jurisdictions, also known as service areas, in which they are authorized to operate under state and local law.

HUD proposes to provide an interactive geospatial tool for PHAs to access online. Through this online tool, HUD will present PHAs with estimates of their service area boundaries based on the locations of the PHA’s public housing units and Housing Choice Vouchers in relation to Units of General Local Government. PHAs will be given an opportunity to revise HUD’s initial estimates using the online tool. The online, interactive tool will provide PHAs with the ability to designate boundaries that more accurately reflect their actual service areas under state and local law. PHAs will be able to do so by identifying Units of General Local Government boundaries that more closely reflect their actual service areas.

Once presented with estimates of their current service boundary areas, PHAs will then have an opportunity to confirm or adjust the boundaries to reflect their actual jurisdictions under state and local law.

The information proposed to be collected will be used for fair housing assessments, Housing Choice Voucher policy decisions, and fair market rents, as well as being useful for the general public.

The notice can be found by clicking here. Comments are due by Dec. 11.