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Council presses HPD on Housing Connect reforms and Section 8 rent-increase backlog
Summary
Council members pressed HPD about technical problems and paperwork burdens in Housing Connect and a backlog of Section 8 rent-increase submissions. HPD said it has cut paperwork requirements, added temporary staff, and reduced a rent-increase backlog from two years to roughly six months but warned demand spikes keep the queue fluctuating.
Council members raised persistent complaints from landlords, voucher holders and prospective applicants about delays in Housing Connect, the city’s affordable-housing lottery and application portal, and about long waits for Section 8 rent-increase approvals.
HPD told the council it has been overhauling Housing Connect’s marketing handbook and reducing documentation burdens — for example, lowering required pay-stub documentation and easing notarization requirements — to speed review and reduce confusion for applicants on federal benefits and applicants with disabilities. HPD staff said the platform is hosted on hardware servers and that a migration to cloud hosting and better integration with modern marketing-agent tools may reduce interruptions and slowdowns.
On Section 8 and rent increases, HPD said a spike in owner requests (including use of a state amendment called Section 610 that allows owners to seek a regulatory adjustment) created a backlog that at its height reached roughly two years; HPD said it has reduced the backlog to about six months through temporary staffing and process improvements. HPD said it has added temporary reviewers (about 10 temporary hires) and rebuilt the Office of Housing Access and Stability’s permanent staff, but cautioned that surges in requests have continued to cause new backlogs. Agencies and stakeholders are working on education materials and a guide HPD developed to explain the rent‑increase and regulatory processes and to reduce rejected submissions.
Council members also pressed HPD about marketing-agent practices that slow applicants and about the need for improved landlord outreach and clearer kickback communications when packages are returned for missing information. HPD committed to continuing outreach sessions and to share the updated marketing guidelines and a timetable for Housing Connect technology updates.
Why it matters: Housing Connect and voucher-processing delays affect whether low- and moderate-income households can apply for or move into affordable units, and delays in rent-increase processing affect voucher holders’ ability to secure units and landlords’ willingness to participate in the city’s rental-assistance programs.
Next steps: HPD will provide the council with its implementation timeline for Housing Connect changes and ongoing data on the rent-increase queue and staffing levels.
