Glossary of Typical Public Housing Terms

When it comes to public and subsidized housing, there are many technical terms. The glossary that follows will give any resident a good start in understanding terms that are consistently used.

Area Median Income: Each year, HUD determines the average income in every U.S. metropolitan area and some counties. These figures are used to determine who is eligible for federally funded housing programs. To find the median income in your area, go to HUD’s website.

Affirmatively Further Fair Housing: Housing authorities have a special duty under civil rights and fair housing laws to make sure their policies do not discriminate against people because of their race, color, sex, national origin, familial status or disability.

Audit: Like all business organizations, a housing authority must keep accurate records of all business transactions. The audit is a review of these transactions and verifies the reliability of the organization’s financial statements.

Capital Expenses: Expenses for repairs or replacement of buildings or grounds (for example, a new heating system).

Capital Funds: Funds that HUD gives housing authorities to use for development, modernization, code compliance, demolition, relocation, homeownership programs and vacancy rate reduction.

Capital Improvements: Major repairs to facilities or replacement of systems.

Ceiling Rents: The maximum rent that can be charged for residents whose incomes are increasing. Benefits higher income residents. Ceiling rents are optional.

Consolidated Plan (ConPlan): A document that a state, town, city or group of cities and towns submits to HUD in order to receive a variety of federal funds (such as Community Development Block Grants, Emergency Shelter Grants and HOME funds). The ConPlan must describe the jurisdiction and its estimated housing needs and include a strategic plan for addressing housing and homeless needs.

Deconcentration: Under the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998, housing authorities are required to design policies that will deconcentrate poverty by bringing higher-income residents into lower-income buildings and by bringing lower-income residents into higher-income developments.

Discretionary: Discretionary policies are policies that housing authorities have the option to develop (or not to develop), as opposed to mandatory policies created by HUD and Congress which housing authorities must follow.

Disabled Family: A family whose head, spouse or sole member is a person with disabilities, or two or more persons with disabilities living together, or one or more persons with disabilities living with one or more live-in aides.

Duly Elected: A duly elected resident council is one that has been democratically elected by residents according to minimum standards in HUD’s rules (24 C.F.R. 964). (see SMHA-RA By Laws)

Economic Development and Supportive Services Program: This program provides grants to public housing authorities to create and operate programs that increase resident self-sufficiency and provide supportive services. Activities include: economic and business development; establishing micro-loan funds; employment training; and supportive services such as child care, health care, tuition assistance, youth mentoring and transportation. For elders and disabled residents, assistance includes meals, housekeeping and help responding to personal emergencies. This program can also hire residents to be outreach workers.

Elderly Family (federal definition): A family whose head or spouse (or sole member) is an person who is at least 62, or two or more persons who are at least 62 living together, or one or more persons who are at least 62 living with one or more live-in aides.

Extremely Low-Income: Those families with income at or below 30% of area median income.

Facilitator: A person who manages a group process so that people work together effectively. A facilitator can help build work groups, help groups solve problems, and guide groups to resolve conflicts and reach agreements.

Fair Housing: The Fair Housing Act (also called Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) forbids almost all housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability. In addition, federally-funded housing agencies have a duty under this law to affirmatively further fair housing, which means to anticipate and avoid any discriminatory results of their housing policies.

Fair Market Rent: The amount of rent (including utilities) determined by HUD to be a fair rent for a particular area, usually set at 40% of the overall rent levels for the area. This is what housing authorities then use to determine the payment standard, which is the maximum amount that a housing agency can pay for an apartment under the Section 8 voucher program.

Family Self-Sufficiency Program: A voluntary HUD program intended to help families in public and Section 8 housing get and keep work.

Final Rules: Rules that HUD has made final after receiving public comments.

Fiscal Year: The 12-month period for which an organization or government accounts and budgets for. It does not have to be a calendar year. For the federal government, the fiscal year begins October 1.

Five Year Plan: Starting in Fiscal Year 2000, HUD requires all housing authorities to articulate their housing mission every five years and submit it to HUD. (see Public Housing Plans)

Flat Rents: Rents set at a certain amount based on the operating costs of a unit. The purpose is to benefit higher income residents. Under the new law, residents choose whether to pay a flat or an income-based rent.

High Performing: A high performing housing authority is one that receives a high score based on its evaluations. Under the new Public Housing Assessment Program (PHAS), high performers, which must receive an overall score of 90% or greater, will be under less HUD scrutiny.

HUD: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the federal agency that develops, funds, administers and regulates public and subsidized housing programs.

Income-Based Rent: Rent based on either 30% of a household’s adjusted income or 10% of gross income, whichever is less. It is often referred to as the "Brooke rent."

Income Targeting: The new law requires that a certain percentage of public and Section 8 housing be targeted to extremely low-income people with incomes of 30% or less than the area median income.

Interim Rules: Rules that are not final.

Low-Income Families: People with incomes between 51% and 80% of area median income.

Mandatory: Required. For example, mandatory policies are policies that housing authorities must follow.

Memorandum of Understanding: A document, usually between the housing authority and a resident council, which spells out the terms of an agreement. (see 2004 Accomplishments)

Modernization: The public housing modernization program funds housing authorities to improve the physical condition and to upgrade the management and operation of existing public housing.

Obsolete: Obsolete in the context of demolition means "obsolete as to physical condition, location, or other factors, making it unusable for housing purposes and no reasonable program of modification is feasible to return the project or portion of the project to useful life...." Section 18 of the U.S. Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §1437p

One Year Plan: Starting in Fiscal Year 2000, HUD requires all housing authorities to articulate their operations, programs, and services every year and submit it to HUD. (see Public Housing Plans)

Operating Funds: Funds which a housing authority uses to operate, including funds for staff, maintenance and all other routine expenses.

Project-Based Assistance: A subsidy that is attached to a dwelling unit. Both state and federal agencies administer project-based subsidized housing units, such as a project-based Section 8 development.

Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS): HUD’s new system for evaluating public housing authorities. The PHAS (pronounced "faaz") replaces the old Public Housing Management Assessment Program (PHMAP).

Public Housing Authority (PHA): A generic term which applies to a local government housing provider. A PHA may administer both state and federal public housing programs and the tenant-based Section 8 program, and a Section 8 moderate rehabilitation (mod rehab) program.

Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998: The law passed in October 1998, which authorizes, among other things, the drafting of the 1-Year and Five Year Plans. This law also repealed federal preferences, established income targeting and phased out the Section 8 certificate program.

Reasonable Accommodation: A reasonable accommodation is a change in a policy, procedure or program that gives people with disabilities a reasonable opportunity to participate. An accommodation is reasonable if it does not change the basic nature of a program or it does not impose an undue administrative or financial burden on a program. What is reasonable depends on individual circumstances and is open to creative interpretation.

Section 3: A federal program that requires housing authorities to create job training opportunities and jobs "to the greatest extent feasible" for public housing residents and low-income people.

Section 8: A federal program for subsidizing housing that can be either tenant- or project-based. Tenant-based Section 8s may be administered by PHAs or regional non-profits. Starting in October 1999, all Section 8 tenant-based subsidies will be issued in the form of vouchers (the certificate program is phased out). Project-based Section 8 subsidies are attached to units in federal and state developments.

Streamlined Plan: Certain housing authorities are allowed to submit streamlined plans, which are 1-year plans that do not have to contain all 18 required elements.

Tenant-Based Assistance: A subsidy that belongs to the resident, who can move with it. An example of this type of subsidy is a Section 8 voucher issued to an applicant.

Tenant Participation Rules: The tenant participation rules are HUD’s rules that establish requirements for resident participation in the operation of public housing. They are often referred to as the "964 rules" for short because their legal cite is 24. C.F.R. 964.

Troubled: A troubled housing authority is one that receives a low score on its evaluation. Under the new Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS), the consequences for housing authorities that are deemed troubled will be intensive technical assistance, deadlines for improvement and possibly punitive action.

Very Low Income: People with incomes between 31% and 50% of area median income.