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Longview housing office updates 5‑year plan, proposes occupancy, notification and fraud changes
Summary
The city’s housing office presented a HUD-required five‑year plan and proposed administrative changes including rolling foster‑youth vouchers into the regular HCV program at program end, adopting two‑persons‑per‑room occupancy guidance and changing landlord notification rules for rent increases.
Shetiva Marshall, who presented the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) five‑year plan to the council on Thursday, said the plan covers the City of Longview service area — Longview, Kilgore, Henderson, Beckville and Carthage — and governs administration of just over 1,200 vouchers.
Marshall told council the five‑year plan is HUD‑required and aims to expand affordable housing supply, promote economic mobility and strengthen operations and customer service. She outlined several discretionary administrative updates staff will implement if the council approves the resolution.
Key proposed changes in the administrative plan include rolling Foster Youth Initiative (FYI) participants into the regular HCV program at the end of FYI eligibility so their rental assistance continues; changing how rent increases are handled so landlords must give the housing office 60 days’ notice and the office will notify participants (rather than requiring certified mail to tenants by landlords); tightening occupancy standards toward HUD’s baseline guidance of roughly two people per room to better match available housing stock; and making a mandatory workforce‑referral process for families reporting zero income who are able to work.
Marshall also said the housing office will prioritize elderly, disabled, domestic‑violence survivors, homeless and local applicants on its wait list and will not include foster youth or veterans on the general wait list because separate programs (for example, VASH for veterans) provide quicker placement. She told council that the wait list opened in August 2023 and attracted about 911 applicants in four hours and that the office has since reduced the active wait list to under 50.
On fraud recovery, Marshall said households that owe more than $5,000 in unreported or misreported subsidy would be required to repay within 18 months, and debts above that threshold would be referred to HUD OIG for prosecution. She said unit inspections occur every other year, with more frequent inspections for units that have repeated deficiencies.
Council approved the HCV resolution on the consent agenda without recorded opposition. Marshall said the changes are intended to increase transparency, reduce landlord/tenant disputes about notice of rent increases and improve program financial sustainability.
