COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) RESPONSES & UPDATES
With COVID-19 reaching pandemic status, the DETCOG Regional Housing Authority's top priority is maintaining the safety and well-being of our clients, partners, staff and community.
We are following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help minimize the spread of infection.
As a precautionary measure, in an effort to limit in-person contact as recommended, we are asking our tenants, landlords, community partners and the public to contact us by phone, email, or fax rather than visit our office.
At this time, annual recertifications are processed via USMail, you will receive an appointment notice when in-person appointments are resumed; Waiting list eligibility and briefing appointments are being made on a case-by-case basis. No walk-ins will be accepted.
COVID-19 Statutory and Regulatory Waivers and Alternative Requirements Adopted
TDHCA Texas Rent Relief Program Learn more and apply online at
TexasRentRelief.com or by calling
833-9TX-RENT (833-989-7368)
Information Flyer
Required for tenants seeking protection from eviction under the CDC's Moratorium on Evictions
UPDATE ON THE CDC MORATORIUM ON EVICTIONS
From The Office of the Assistant HUD Secretary
On Marchy 29, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an Order extending the eviction moratorium to March 31, 2021. The Order continues to ban evictions for certain renters under Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 264) and 42 CFR § 70.2. As described in the Order, tenants qualifying as a “Covered Person” cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent when a declaration under the penalty of perjury is provided to their landlord. Residents who previously submitted a declaration should not be asked to resubmit and should have continued protections until June 30, 2021.
RECERTIFICATIONS
For clients currently going through the recertification process, staff will mail recertification packets to you, please mail the completed packet and requested documents to our office: 1405 Kurth Drive, Lufkin TX 75904-1929 or email them to housing@detcog.gov. It is important to note that in order to be recertified, you MUST provide all requested documents. We are simply asking you to mail them or email them instead of bringing them in person, but you must still provide them. You will receive an appointment notice when in-person appointments resume.
For all other activities, staff will communicate with you when it is determined that appointments will resume or may request documents by mail or email as necessary.
Updates to our temporary operating procedures will be communicated here on our webpage as they are available, and on DETCOG's official Facebook Page and/or Twitter Account.
HOUSING QUALITY STANDARDS (HQS)
DETCOG Regional Housing Authority recognizes the unprecedented challenge the COVID-19 pandemic poses in carrying out the most essential of our HCV program administrative responsibilities – ensuring that assisted families are living in decent, safe, and sanitary housing. HQS inspections protect the health and safety of HCV families. However, conducting physical inspections of units in many communities during this national emergency poses its own health risks for families, participating owners, and PHA personnel, and may run counter to public health orders, directives, or recommendations such as shelter-in-place or other social distancing practices designed to contain and reduce exposure to COVID-19.
Initial and Move-in Inspections
In place of a physical inspection, DETCOG Regional Housing Authority (DETCOG) is permitting owners to self-certify to having no reasonable basis to have knowledge that life threatening conditions exist in the unit or units in question instead of conducting an initial inspection. This certification applies to initial or move-in inspections only, and a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract will not be executed until the Owner Certification of HQS Compliance is received in our office.
DETCOG will conduct a follow-up inspection to ensure all housing quality standards have been met not later than one year from the date of the Owner Certification. Owner/Agent must certify that owner/agent has no reasonable basis to have knowledge that life threatening conditions exist in the unit or units in question. The tenant must acknowledge the Owner Certification process. These documents are part of the move-in inspection, the tenant will not be allowed to move into the unit until we have received the required forms from both the landlord and tenant. DETCOG Regional Housing Authority reserves a right to conduct a follow-up inspection at any time.
Certification may be submitted by email to housing@detcog.gov; by mail to DETCOG Regional Housing Authority, 1405 Kurth Dr, Lufkin TX 75904; or by fax to (936) 632-5916.
Annual/Biennial Inspections
Annual/Biennial Inspections are suspended until 6/30/2021 but may be conducted prior to this date on a case-by-case basis. Suspended annual/biennial inspections will be completed by 12/31/2021. DETCOG reserves the right to conduct such inspections as deemed necessary in the interim.
Interim Inspections
Non-life threatening repairs resulting from any inspection conducted or tenant-reported deficiencies must be corrected within 30 days of written notice. Life threatening repairs must be corrected within 24 hours. Failure to correct deficiencies within the specified time frame will result in abatement. Deficiencies found to exist at the time of this certification may result in recoupment of payments made and/or termination of the HAP contract.
WAITING LIST & APPLICANTS
DETCOG Regional Housing Authority is determining eligibility for applicants as their their name reaches the top of the waiting list, staff will email notifications, letters, or information as needed to you, please forward any requested information to our office by email to: housing@detcog.gov, or mail them to: 1405 Kurth Drive, Lufkin TX 75904-1929.
The PHA will conduct virtual briefings but may conduct in-person appointments on a case-by-case basis. Alternatively, when a virtual briefing is not possible or accessible, DETCOG may offer expanded briefing packets. Appointment notices will be emailed to the email address on file with our office. Signatures are required for many of the briefing documents. Once the briefing has ended, you will be given an appointment to come into our office to sign your briefing documents and voucher. If you do not attend the virtual briefing through it's entirety, it will be counted as a missed appointment. If you miss two scheduled appointments without good cause, your assistance will be denied. This process is subject to change without notice; any revisions to this process will be posted here.
PORTABILITY
Port-in requests will be processed and DETCOG's temporary operating processes will apply for appointments, leasing and inspections.
Port-out requests will be processed but are subject to the Receiving PHA's port-in requirements. Applicants who live or work in the DETCOG jurisdiction at the time they applied for assistance are eligible to port to any location in the United States as long as the PHA in the location selected administers a tenant-based housing assistance program. 24 CFR Part 982.353(b)
Applicants who are non-residents at the time applied for assistance must lease in the DETCOG jurisdiction for 12 months. DETCOG will consider an exception to this policy for reasonable accommodations and victims of domestic violence. 24 CFR Part 982.353(c)(4), 24 CFR Part 5, Subpart L).
ALL OTHER ACTIVITIES
For all other activities, staff will communicate with you when it is determined that appointments will resume or may request documents by mail or email as necessary.
Updates to our temporary operating procedures will be communicated here on our webpage as they are available.