HUD Establishes New Program Administration Office (PAO)

In early March, the Office of Multifamily Housing released a memorandum from Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) Ben Metcalf, announcing the establishment of a new Program Administration Office (PAO) - a team designed to provide policy support to the DAS and make Multifamily programs and services "more responsive to stakeholder feedback and to approach policy development in a more strategic and transparent manner." 

The seven-page memo details DAS Metcalf's five overarching goals and 25 policy priorities, as well as providing a list of PAO staff and subject matter experts.

According to the memo, the DAS's highest priorities for policy development during calendar year 2014 are:

• Producing and preserving affordable housing for those most in need and in locations where it's most needed;
• Preserving affordable housing by improving risk management practices and expanding or enhancing preservation programs;
• Strategically controlling program costs by taking innovative approaches to managing our portfolio;
• Making the business case for increased investments in our programs to provide the tools we need to do our work; and
• Continuing to provide quality customer service while transforming the way we work to 21^st century best practices.

To achieve these goals, HUD has identified 25 policy priorities which focus largely on:

• Underwriting and financing using tax credits, preservation;
• Improved risk management practices (and underlying asset management programs);
• Encouraging energy efficiencies;
• Strategically controlling program costs (specifically addresses revisiting policies on budget-based and PRAC rents, and ensuring accuracy in rent comparability studies); and
• Transforming the way HUD/MF works.  

As part of the HUD transformation process HUD will promote an outcomes-oriented approach to the service coordinator position including tracking outcomes on the semi-annual report and promoting the use of service coordination in certain PRAC properties.

Contact: Ken Harris, kharris@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8835