FY 2022 Metro Supportive Service Tax Collections Hit $110M in Month of April; Before Distribution to Counties Metro Takes $19.8 M Haircut for Tax Collection and Their Admin Costs.

Metro has posted a meeting package for their May 23th Supportive Housing Services Regional Oversight Committee meeting with several items of interest.. (The Oversight Committee landing page is HERE) 

120% FMR For Supportive Service Rental Assistance is Seen as Plus in Expanding Choice But May Pose Problem. 

Minutes from prior meeting say

"Marc added that the Fair Market Rent (FMR)1 levels are at 120%, [meaning that the RLRA vouchers can be used to pay rent that is up to 120% of the HUD-calculated FMR. FMRs represent the cost to rent a moderately-priced dwelling unit in a local housing market. This is a higher, more flexible standard than other housing vouchers.] They’re using RLRA to pay for more creative housing types like shared housing."

[My Comment: Some Portland metro zip codes have HUD voucher payment standards BELOW FMR. Use of 120% of FMR for Metro supportive services vouchers sets up a situation where these rents could be more than 20% higher than those allowed for the HUD voucher program. 

IF the Metro supportive services voucher is tenant based it appears to be possible that an apartment project could have tenants in both the HUD voucher program and the Metro supportive services program. These tenants could have the same unit size but Metro supportive services rents [not including additional costs for supportive services] could be substantially higher than the those for the HUD voucher tenant]. 

This should not impact tenant paid rent but does mean that fewer households could be served with the same funding, one of the frequently cited reasons housing authorities have used to not adopt higher payment standards for the HUD voucher program in more affluent neighborhoods. 

Metro budget hearing before the Multnomah County Tax Supervising Coordinating Committee is Thursday May 26th, 

Metro Budget Hearing – Thursday, May 26 at 12:30 pm

Please join meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone: https://zoom.us/j/615079992

Meeting ID: 615 079 992

You can also dial in using your phone: 929-205-6099 or 888-475-4499 (toll-free)

Metro tax collections in the month of April were $110 million and total collections hit $152.9 million. Metro's haircut for tax collection and their admin costs to date is $19.8 M. I assume this does NOT include admin cost of counties or service partners. 

Tracking of Spending for Category A and Category B Not Yet in Place; Plan is for A "Future" Reporting Tool to Capture this Data

75% of funding is supposed to go to high priority population Category A which includes an income restriction below 30% MFI. Category B has no income restriction. 

Tracking and reporting practices are still coming into alignment. The future quarterly and annual reporting tools being developed by Metro and county partners will require that all population data is disaggregated by race and ethnicity, as well as by Populations A and B.

Written Testimony Due by this Friday

"Submit written testimony by emailing housingservices@oregonmetro.gov. Testimony received by 5 p.m. the Friday before the meeting will be shared with the committee in advance. All written testimony received will be added to the meeting record. Written testimony received after the 5 p.m. deadline will be shared with the committee after the meeting."

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.