You are invited!
The Helena Housing Authority (HHA) Board of Commissioners invites public comment regarding the adoption of new 2023 public housing program flat rents, and public housing utility allowances. We welcome your comments and participation in this public process.
Detailed information is provided below.
The proposed changes will be discussed with the HHA Resident Management Council during their December 5, 2022 meeting at 6:00 p.m. on ZOOM.
Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87066036358?pwd=VDZWQ04yZlZLSC94cjJEcFExQmR4UT09
Meeting ID: 870 6603 6358 Passcode: 930666
Or Phone +1 669 444 9171 or +1 669 900 9128 US
The proposed changes will be discussed at a public meeting of the HHA Board of Commissioners meeting to be held on Tuesday December 13 at 4:15 p.m. on ZOOM to review and take final action regarding these changes.
Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89321669084?pwd=eFp1aXpHSnNkcUEvbVNzaFhIU0l2QT09
Meeting ID: 893 2166 9084 Passcode: 030698
Or Phone: +1 669 900 9128 or +1 719 359 4580 US
Public comment on the proposed changes will be welcome at all these public meetings. Written comments on the proposed changes will be received through December 9, 2022 at 12:00 PM. Please submit written comments using the Drop Box located at the HHA Administrative Office at 812 Abbey Street, Helena or by email to: moneil@hhamt.org.
If you have questions, or you are a person with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to participate in this process, please contact Michael O’Neil, Executive Director at HHA at (406) 442-7970 (TTY: (800) 253-4091 or 711) or email: moneil@hhamt.org.
The proposed changes are listed below:
1. Proposed HHA Public Housing FY 2023 Flat Rents (effective January 1, 2023)
HUD regulations at 24 CFR 960.253(a) require PHAs to annually give families the option to choose between paying the flat rent or the income-based rent, and stipulate that PHAs may not give families the option more than once per year, except in the case that the family has chosen the flat rent and experiences a financial hardship. Most HHA households choose to pay the income-based rent and will not be impacted by the proposed required changes in flat rents. Only a very small percentage of HHA households choose the flat rent option since the income-based rent is much more affordable for most households.
HHA is required to establish Flat Rents consistent with HUD Notice PIH-2017-23 (HA) within 90 days of the release of new HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR). HUD published new FMR’s on October 1, 2022.
After reviewing rent reasonable comparisons in the Helena community, HHA is proposing the adoption of new flat rents consistently across all applicable bedroom sizes for HHA’s low-rent public housing units.
1 Bedroom $712.00
2 Bedroom $903.00
3 Bedroom $1163.00
4 Bedroom $1349.00
5 Bedroom $1551.00
For those households in units that pay their own utilities, the applicable utility allowance for utilities paid will be deducted from the flat rent amount for the unit size as an adjustment for the actual rent paid. For those households in units that HHA pays all utilities, the flat rent amount for the unit size will be the actual rent paid.
ME Anderson residents’ who choose flat rent, actual rent paid amount would be the flat rent for the applicable bedroom size since HHA pays utilities for those units. All other public housing unit households’ flat rent option, actual rent paid amount would be the flat rent minus the applicable utility allowance (based on unit size, unit type, and utility source) for that unit. Please contact your property manager to ask specific questions on how the new flat rents might impact your rent choice.
The proposed flat rents if approved will be implemented as of January 1, 2023. The updated flat rent amounts will be offered at the next annual rent option for families that are current public housing residents and permit the family to choose between the flat rent amount and the income-based rent. Again, most current HHA households select the income-based rent and will not be effected by the flat rent increase.
2. Proposed 2023 Utility Allowances (effective January 1, 2023): HHA Public Housing: Stewart Homes and Scattered Sites
The utility allowance is used in calculating the rent paid for public housing households who pay their own utilities. Households living at Stewart Homes and HHA Scattered Site properties rent paid will be impacted by utility allowances adjustments. HHA pays all utilities for residents at the ME Anderson building.
Under the terms of its HUD Energy Performance Contract, HHA is required to use utility allowances based upon the pre and post energy consumption analysis completed at the time of HHA’s adoption of its Energy Performance Contract (EPC). The EPC provided many significant energy conservation measures which reduces energy consumption and energy costs overall for residents. The consumption data for each unit type is multiplied against the average utility rate to provide the utility allowance for each unit type.
Please note your cooking type (gas or electric), location (Stewart Homes or Scattered Sites), and bedroom unit size to see the impact of the proposed utility allowance changes for your unit.
| 2023 - Annual Allowance Posting - Gas Cooking | ||||
| Name of Development | AMP-1 | Electric Allowance | Natural Gas Allowance | Total |
| Stewart Homes | 1 bedroom | $38.00 | $52.00 | $90.00 |
| 2 bedroom | $49.00 | $64.00 | $113.00 | |
| 3 bedroom | $58.00 | $80.00 | $138.00 | |
| 4 bedroom | $68.00 | $109.00 | $177.00 | |
| 2023 - Annual Allowance Posting - Elec Cooking | ||||
| Name of Development | AMP-1 | Electric Allowance | Natural Gas Allowance | Total |
| Stewart Homes | 1 bedroom | $45.00 | $48.00 | $93.00 |
| 2 bedroom | $59.00 | $59.00 | $118.00 | |
| 3 bedroom | $71.00 | $74.00 | $145.00 | |
| 4 bedroom | $68.00 | $102.00 | $170.00 | |
| Name of Development | AMP-1 | Electric Allowance | Natural Gas Allowance | Total |
| Scattered Sites | 1 bedroom | $58.00 | $48.00 | $106.00 |
| 2 bedroom | $73.00 | $58.00 | $131.00 | |
| 3 bedroom | $88.00 | $75.00 | $163.00 | |
| 4 bedroom | $88.00 | $95.00 | $183.00 | |
| 5 bedroom | $99.00 | $105.00 | $204.00 | |