U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department officials were in Atlanta Tuesday to reveal policy changes to two subsidy programs as part of the Biden administration’s push to increase the supply of affordable housing.
Richard J. Monocchio, the principal deputy assistant secretary for HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing, introduced a new rules for the Housing Choice Voucher and the Project Based Voucher subsidy programs for low-income families, published Tuesday on the Federal Register.
Speaking at the senior community of Ashford Parkside Apartments in the City of Brookhaven, Monocchio said the agency had tweaked the programs to ease the burdens on housing authorities and tenants, and help build more communities like Ashford.
“We’ve simplified [the Project Based Voucher] program,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re going to make it easier for housing authorities to get the financing they need to build more units, and allow people to get on a site-based list so they can pick the community they want to live in.”
According to HUD officials, the rule changes will increase the supply of affordable housing — a key policy concern for President Joe Biden as he campaigns for a second term.
Most of the changes will be effective June 6.
HUD says public housing authorities can pair Project Based Voucher assistance with manufactured housing, which some experts argue could ease the housing crisis.
Officials say the new policies will boost affordable housing by allowing project-specific wait lists to help families more quickly move into homes; help people find housing by giving public housing authorities greater flexibility to adjust voucher rents in line with fair local market rates; and bolster tenant protections.
Monocchio said the changes build on Biden’s budget for fiscal year 2025, which includes an investment of $258 billion in affordable housing to build or preserve two million new units.
He said officials chose Atlanta and Ashford Parkside Apartments to make the announcement because “you couldn’t find a better backdrop” for how the subsidy programs work.
The apartments for seniors aged 62 and over are on the site of the former public housing community, Johnson Ferry East, and part of a mixed-income development called Brookleigh. Ashford Parkside includes 151 independent senior units in a mid-rise apartment complex.
Monocchio said that while Greater Atlanta is thriving, a rapidly growing population is a challenge for housing officials.
“The one thing we have to make sure is people of average means still have a chance to live in these communities. That’s where these programs come in,” he said.
About the Author
