HUD Notice Requires Carbon Monoxide Alarms in
Assisted Housing by December 27,2022

HUD’s Offices of Public and Indian Housing, Multifamily Housing Programs, and Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes posted a joint notice on January 31, 2022, requiring carbon monoxide alarms or detectors to be installed in their HUD-assisted housing programs.

The notice reminds owners and operators of Public Housing (PH), Project Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV), Project Based Vouchers (PBV), Supportive Housing for the Elderly (Section 202) and Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities (Section 811) properties of carbon monoxide poisoning risks in housing, identifies resources for preventing and detecting exposure, and provides notice of the requirement for alarms or detectors to be installed in certain HUD-assisted housing by December 27, 2022.

Click here to read the full notice. 

Additional Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests Now  Available 

Residential households in the U.S. can now order 4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here's what households need to know about ordering:

• Limit of one order per residential address
• Each order includes 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests (Note: more details about at-home tests can be found at COVID.gov/tests)
• Orders will ship free starting the week of December 19, 2022

Click this link to order tests.

RI Launches Website to Help Residents Pay Energy Bills

The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER) and Department of Human Services (DHS) have launched EnergySupport.RI.gov to provide a one-stop resource for helping state residents pay their energy bills.

The new website lists state, federal and nonprofit energy assistance resources for Rhode Islanders who need assistance paying for heating and electric bills.

Listed resources include:

• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Good Neighbor Energy Fund
• Keep the Heat On
• Free Home Energy Assessment Program
• Weatherization Assistance Program
• Heating System Repair and Replacement Program

The Program Guide can be found here.

Notice of Funding Opportunity:

Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for its Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program. These are the first of several grant opportunities that Public Housing Authorities and tribes are eligible to apply for.

The FCC is providing funding for two outreach grants: the National Competitive Outreach Program ($60 million) and the Tribal Competitive Outreach Program ($10 million). Application are due on January 9, 2023.

Eligible applicants include federal agencies and their partners; state, local, and Tribal housing agencies; tenant associations; and non-profit and community-based entities that provide ACP-related or other support for federal housing assistance recipients. Pilot activities may include the development of new promotional materials, hands-on application assistance, and site-based outreach.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity can be accessed here and FAQs and other materials can be accessed here.

If you have questions please contact: ACPgrants@fcc.gov.

Reminder: Security Deposits

Both RIGL § 34-18-19 and RIHousing’s Management Agreement document state that the security deposit cannot exceed one month’s tenant portion rent or $50, whichever is greater. Overcharging on security deposits may be a finding during a file review.

Please also be aware that for sites with utility allowances, the security deposits should equal the total tenant payment prior to the allowance being applied.

Read more about the law here.

Releases & Reminders

• Fiscal Year 2023 Utility Allowance Factors can be found here.

• Fiscal year 2023 Fair Market Rents have been released and can be found here.

• 2023 Social Security COLA has been released and can be found here.
• OCAF Factor 5.3% - can be found here.
• HUD has released an updated 9250 form for reserve requests, that can be found here.
• RI Housing has several open positions – learn more here.

We'd love to hear from you!

We hope you've found this edition of Property Matters to be helpful to you and your work. If you have thoughts or suggestions for this e-newsletter, please share with us at pbca_eblast@rihousing.com.