Item HA 03 - Update to the Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan

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Administrative Plan 7/1/2025 Page 18-36 PART III: MAINSTREAM VOUCHER PROGRAM 18-III.A. PROGRAM OVERVIEW [Notice PIH 2020-01 and Notice PIH 2024-30] Mainstream vouchers assist non-elderly persons with disabilities and their families (particularly those transitioning out of institutions or at serious risk of institutionalization) in the form of either project-based or tenant-based voucher assistance. The Mainstream voucher program, (previously referred to as the Mainstream 5-Year program or the Section 811 voucher program) was originally authorized under the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990. Mainstream vouchers operated separately from the regular HCV program until the passage of the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2010. Funding for Mainstream voucher renewals and administrative fees was first made available in 2012. In 2017 and 2019, incremental vouchers were made available for the first time since the Melville Act (in addition to renewals and administrative fees), and PHAs were invited to apply for a competitive award of Mainstream vouchers under the FY17 and FY19 NOFAs. In 2020, Notice PIH 2020-22 provided an opportunity for any PHA administering an HCV program to apply for Mainstream vouchers noncompetitively, while Notice PIH 2020-09 authorized an increase in Mainstream voucher units and budget authority for those PHAs already awarded Mainstream vouchers under the FY17 and FY19 NOFAs. Funding and reporting for Mainstream vouchers is separate from the HCV program. Funds for Mainstream vouchers may be recaptured and reallocated if the PHA does not comply with all program requirements or fails to maintain a utilization rate of 80 percent for the PHA’s Mainstream vouchers. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-42) authorized HUD to establish waivers and alternative requirements for Mainstream Vouchers related to the administration of waiting lists, local preferences, and the initial term and extensions of tenant-based vouchers. HUD is not permitted to waive requirements related to tenant rights and protections, rent setting, fair housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, and the environment. Prior to this, Mainstream vouchers follow the same program requirements as standard vouchers. EXHIBIT 1