On June 17, HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) launched a new on-line, self-paced training curriculum, “Understanding Section 3.” The full notice from FHEO is available online.
The new training curriculum is structured around fundamentals of the law, current regulations, and reporting requirements. It is a straightforward presentation of a complex topic. It focuses on high-level rules and guidelines and practical use of the SPEARS reporting system. It does not, however, attempt to address detailed implementation issues. This is appropriate, as those must be worked through at the agency level in context of state law and local training and contracting structures and conventions.
This curriculum is written for the current regulation. The proposed new rule, on which PHADA had substantial comments, has not been finalized and HUD has provided no timeline regarding if or when a final rule will be issued. PHADA has provided previous coverage of the proposed rule in the Advocate, produced a fact sheet on the proposed rule, and submitted formal comments to HUD on the proposed rule and on the proposed benchmarks.
HUD FHEO’s online training curriculum “Understanding Section 3” may be a useful educational resource regarding the current law and rule, and should be easily adaptable should the proposed new rule be finalized and implemented. Each of the eight modules can be completed in a few minutes. Members with questions about Section 3, or anything contained in the “Understanding Section 3” training curriculum, can contact: PHADA at info@phada.org.