Twelve people (including 11 residents and one site owner) were charged with defrauding HUD and the Miami-Dade Housing Agency (MDHA) of more than $300,000 in rental assistance funds. They have been indicted on charges that include public assistance fraud, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, identity theft, and conspiracy.Known as “Operation Double-Dip,” this aggressive fraud and abuse investigation was conducted by the Office of the Inspector General's special agents in cooperation with state agencies.
In late March, the IRS released an updated version of its Guide for Completing Form 8823: Low-Income Housing Credit Agencies Report of Noncompliance or Building Disposition. State housing agencies use Form 8823 to notify the IRS of a site's noncompliance with tax credit requirements. Your state housing agency must also use this form to inform the IRS if you correct noncompliance by the agency's deadline.
Each May, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) kicks off its efforts to promote Asthma Awareness Month. Asthma is a serious, potentially life-threatening respiratory disease that affects the quality of life for 23 million Americans, including 7 million children. EPA's goal is to reduce exposure to indoor asthma triggers and improve the quality of life for 6.5 million people by 2012.
HUD recently unveiled its fiscal year 2012 budget proposal. Titled “Creating Strong, Sustainable, Inclusive Communities and Quality Affordable Homes,” the budget aims to lead the country out of the economic crisis, in part, by helping responsible families at risk of losing their homes and meeting the need for quality affordable housing.
A recently released report by HUD has found dramatic increases in worst-case housing needs across demographic groups, household types, and regions. HUD defines “worst-case needs” as very low-income families who do not receive housing assistance and who pay more than half of their monthly income for rent, or live in severely substandard housing.
The severity of the bedbug epidemic has lawmakers in Arizona considering a bill that proposes shared responsibilities for property owners and residents in the prevention and management of bedbugs in multifamily housing. Under the proposed bill, property owners will be responsible for:
Reiterating President Obama’s focus on lowering the national debt by “tightening” the nation’s fiscal belt, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan unveiled the department’s fiscal year 2012 budget proposal, Creating Strong, Sustainable, Inclusive Communities and Quality Affordable Homes. The projected budget specifically targets the low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) program with two new proposals. The first, Basic […]
HUD has proposed new regulations to ensure that its housing programs are open to all eligible persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Recent studies suggest that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and families do not have equal access to housing. For example, a 2007 report by Michigan's Fair Housing Centers found that nearly 30 percent of same-sex couples were treated differently when attempting to buy or rent a home.
HUD recently launched a Web site that consolidates a wide variety of economic and housing market data at the regional, state, metropolitan area, and county levels. The Web site draws on data from the Census Bureau, Labor Department, state and local governments, housing industry sources, as well as HUD's field economists, to populate interactive maps that allow site managers and staff to access a variety of reports—from a region-wide look at employment and housing activity to individual county-level figures on population trends, rental activity, and vacancy rates.
Residents who receive temporary employment payments by the U.S. Census Bureau will be allowed to exclude that income through Sept. 30, 2011, according to HUD Notice PIH-2010-38 (HA). The notice applies to residents of public housing, Section 8 moderate rehabilitation, Housing Choice Voucher, and Section 8 project-based voucher and certificate programs.
