Resident Board Members

24 C.F.R. Part ..., Subpart E
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01

24 C.F.R. § 964.400 Purpose.

The purpose of this subpart is to implement section 2(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437).

24 C.F.R. § 964.405 Applicability.

(a) General. Except as described in paragraph (b) of this section, this subpart applies to any public housing agency that has a public housing annual contributions contract with HUD or administers tenant-based rental assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f). (b) Exceptions. The requirements of this subpart do not apply to a public housing agency that is: (1) Located in a State that requires the members of a governing board to be salaried and to serve on a full-time basis; or (2) Not governed by a governing board.

24 C.F.R. § 964.410 Additional definitions.

The following additional definitions apply to this subpart only: Directly assisted. Directly assisted means a public housing resident or a recipient of housing assistance in the tenant-based section 8 program. Direct assistance does not include any State financed housing assistance or Section 8 project-based assistance. Eligible resident. An eligible resident is a person: (1) Who is directly assisted by a public housing agency; (2) Whose name appears on the lease; and (3) Is eighteen years of age or older. Governing board. Governing board means the board of directors or similar governing body of a public housing agency. Resident board member. A resident board member is a member of the governing board who is directly assisted by that public housing agency.

24 C.F.R. § 964.415 Resident board members.

(a) General. Except as provided in §§ 964.405(b) and 964.425, the membership of the governing board of each public housing agency must contain not less than one eligible resident board member. (b) Resident board member no longer directly assisted. (1) A resident board member who ceases to be directly assisted by the public housing agency is no longer an “eligible resident” as defined in § 964.410. (2) Such a board member may be removed from the PHA board for that cause, where such action is permitted under State or local law. (3) Alternatively, the board member may be allowed to complete his/her current term as a member of the governing board. However, the board member may not be re-appointed (or re-elected) to the governing board for purposes of serving as the statutorily required resident board member. (c) Minimum qualifications for board membership. Any generally applicable qualifications for board membership also apply to residents, unless the application of the requirements would result in the governing board not containing at least one eligible resident as a member. Further, PHAs and localities may not establish eligibility requirements for board membership that are solely applicable to residents.

24 C.F.R. § 964.420 Resident board member may be elected.

(a) General. Residents directly assisted by a public housing agency may elect a resident board member if provided for in the public housing agency plan, adopted in accordance with 24 CFR part 903. (b) Notice to residents. The public housing agency must provide residents with at least 30 days advance notice for nominations and elections. The notice should include a description of the election procedures, eligibility requirements, and dates of nominations and elections. Any election procedures devised by the public housing agency must facilitate fair elections.

24 C.F.R. § 964.425 Small public housing agencies.

(a) General. The requirements of this subpart do not apply to any public housing agency that: (1) Has less than 300 public housing units (or has no public housing units): (2) Has provided reasonable notice to the resident advisory board of the opportunity for residents to serve on the governing board; (3) Has not been notified of the intention of any resident to participate on the governing board within a reasonable time (which shall not be less than 30 days) of the resident advisory board receiving the notice described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section; and (4) Repeats the requirements of paragraphs (a)(2) and (a)(3) of this section at least once every year. (b) Public housing agencies that only administer Section 8 assistance. A public housing agency that has no public housing units, but administers Section 8 tenant-based assistance, is eligible for the exception described in paragraph (a) of this section, regardless of the number of Section 8 vouchers it administers. (c) Failure to meet requirements for exception. A public housing agency that is otherwise eligible for the exception described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, but does not meet the three conditions described in paragraphs (a)(2) through (a)(4) of this section, must comply with the requirements of this subpart.

24 C.F.R. § 964.430 Nondiscrimination.

(a) Membership status—(1) General. A resident board member is a full member of the governing board. (2) Resident participation must include matters regarding Federal public housing and Section 8 tenant-based assistance. A resident board member must be allowed to take part in decisions related to the administration, operation, and management of Federal public housing programs and Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance programs. This rule does not extend to matters that: (i) Exclusively relate to other types of housing assistance (such as State financed housing assistance); or (ii) Do not involve housing assistance (as may occur where the city or county governing body also serves as the PHA board). (3) Public housing agency may expand scope of resident participation. A public housing agency may choose to expand the scope of resident member involvement to matters not required under paragraph (a)(2) of this section. (b) Residence status. A governing board may not prohibit any person from serving on the governing board because that person is a resident of a public housing project or is assisted under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f). (c) Conflict of interest. A governing board may not exclude any resident board member from participating in any matter before the governing board on the grounds that the resident board member's lease with the public housing agency, or the resident board member's status as a public housing resident or recipient of Section 8 tenant-based assistance, either results or may result in a conflict of interest, unless the matter is clearly applicable to the resident board member only in a personal capacity and applies uniquely to that member and not generally to residents or to a subcategory of residents.

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