Housing Choice Vouchers

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program is the nation’s largest low-income rental assistance program. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered locally by public housing authorities (PHAs), Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers serve approximately 2.2 million households, including over 700,000 that are served by CLPHA member PHAs.

The HCV program supports the lowest-income families who struggle to secure safe, affordable housing in the private market. At least 75 percent of new voucher holders must have incomes that are below 30% of their area’s median income.

Latest News

12.18.25

HUD Notifies PHAs of Required Conversion (Section 33) Compliance Requirements; Deadline Set for January 30, 2026

CLPHA to Advocate for Deadline Extension, Verifying Applicability, and Streamlined Reviews

CLPHA recently shared during its monthly membership call that HUD is moving forward with a notification reminding PHAs of the Required Conversion (Section 33) compliance requirements and has identified certain PHAs with 250+ public housing units that HUD asserts may have developments subject to required conversion from public housing to Section 8 vouchers. PHAs receiving this notification via email are asked to confirm completion of required assessments by January 30, 2026 to ensure continued eligibility for competitive funding.

Under Section 33, PHAs conduct an annual review of their public housing inventory to determine if any developments meet the criteria for required conversion. The specific criteria and process are detailed in 24 CFR 972 Subpart A and PIH Notice 2019-10.

If a PHA has properties that meet these criteria, the PHA is required to either: (1) reposition those units and provide Section 8 tenant-based assistance, OR (2) demonstrate specific cost analyses that it can make reasonable investments to keep the property viable as public housing for 20-30 years AND that doing so would be less expensive than providing Section 8 assistance. Maintaining compliance with these reviews is essential for PHAs to remain eligible for certain HUD funding competitions.

Additionally, CLPHA will be advocating to HUD to ensure that the requirements are being applied to public housing developments appropriately and to streamline these provisions where applicable. Specifically, we are calling for HUD to take into consideration similar reviews already completed as part of other asset repositioning projects, such as RAD and Section 18 Demolition/Disposition, to reduce the administrative burden on housing authorities.

Under the HUD guidance, PHAs must exclude certain units when calculating vacancy rates, including units approved for Section 18 demolition/disposition, units with casualty damage, units used for resident services, and other specific categories. For the complete list of exclusions and calculation methodology, see 24 CFR 972.124 and PIH Notice 2019-10.

If your agency has received this notice from HUD, then please advise CLPHA. CLPHA also recommends the following actions:

Verify whether the developments identified by HUD meet the Section 33 criteria for required conversion and promptly inform HUD if that is not the case.
Conduct the required annual assessment for ANY development with 250+ units or contiguous projects totaling 250+ units (even if not specifically listed by HUD).
Respond to HUD by January 30, 2026, confirming completion of the assessments.

CLPHA recognizes that the January 30, 2026 compliance deadline presents a very short timeframe of less than six weeks for PHAs to conduct complex portfolio analyses, complete cost calculations, consult with residents, and prepare documentation. Further, the required analysis can be very complex and we urge PHAs to make certain that any information they submit to HUD is accurate, complete, and does not inadvertently result in a required conversion conclusion that is not appropriate or consistent with PHA and resident goals. While CLPHA will continue advocating to HUD regarding the extension of this timeframe and for streamlined reviews, we suggest that affected PHAs begin the review process to ensure there is no disruption to funding eligibility.

View the letter to PHA Executive Directors
PIH Notice 2019-10
4 CFR Part 972 Subpart A

12.11.25

PHAs Running Out of Viable Options to Keep EHV Families Housed as Program’s Ending Strains Relationships with Property Owners, New Terner Center Report Finds

CLPHA EHV Advocacy Cited in Report

The ending of the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program is creating a ripple effect of consequences, including dwindling options to keep EHV families housed, creating uncertainty for EHV families, and straining PHAs’ relationship with property owners. These are the findings of a new report from Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley that underscores both the successes of the EHV program and the significant funding cliff now threatening stability for the roughly 53,000 families who remain leased under the program. The report also cites CLPHA’s June 2025 brief on the solutions needed to mitigate the devastating effects of the program’s end.

A central finding of the report is that PHAs are running out of viable options to keep these families housed. Many agencies lack the budget authority needed to absorb EHV households into their regular Section 8 programs, and 70% of EHVs are administered by PHAs that already reached 100% or more budget utilization in 2024, leaving little room for transition.

Furthermore, while the wind-down of the EHV program causes severe uncertainty for these families, it also causes significant burden on PHA operations and strains their relationships with landlord partners, making it more difficult to serve the families in their regular programs. Many landlords participate in the voucher program due to the certainty of timely rent payments from the federal government, facing the sudden end of the program causes property owners to lose trust in federal rental assistance and disincentivizes their participation in the program.

In conclusion, the report emphasizes the need for strategic investments such as expanding service fees and reallocating resources, to improve program efficiency and help more households remain housed at relatively low cost. The Terner Center estimates that a 3.3% increase in the HCV housing assistance payment (HAP) budget would allow PHAs to successfully transition all remaining EHV families. To complement federal efforts to ease this transition, the report also stresses how PHAs should look to strengthen state and local partnerships in order to allocate resources that are tailored to local market conditions and specific household needs.

To learn more about what CLPHA is doing to advocate for additional support at the federal level for EHV families, click here.

Read the Report

12.10.25

HUD Announces Section 8 HAP Annual Adjustment Factors for Fiscal Year 2026