Hoboken Housing Authority releases new rules for public housing and Section 8 tenants for comment, with Dec. 2 hearing

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Hoboken Housing Authority residents and voucher holders will get 45 days to weigh in on rewritten versions of the two rulebooks that govern their housing, after the authority’s board voted Thursday night to release the drafts for public comment.

The board approved resolutions introducing a new Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy, known as the ACOP, which covers public housing, and a new Section 8 Administrative Plan, which covers Housing Choice Vouchers and Section 8 properties, including RAD buildings such as Fox Hill Gardens.

What it means for residents

These documents set the rules for who gets into HHA housing and how families stay there. One commissioner called them “the housing authority’s bible.”

Tonight’s votes do not make the rules final. “In many ways, this really is a draft,” Executive Director Marc Recko said. Here is the timeline officials described:

• Comment period: 45 days. Residents can send comments in writing to the executive director at the authority’s main office, 400 Harrison St.
• Copies: Hard copies will be available at HHA offices and on request, and the drafts will be posted on the authority’s website. A public notice with a link is expected as early as next Tuesday, officials said.
• Public hearing: A special board meeting is proposed for Dec. 2. Officials said it will focus only on these two policies, and no other business or votes will be taken.
• Final approval: The board plans a final vote in December, after considering the comments.

“If there’s good comments, we can change it,” Recko said. He said he will review the drafts at resident meet-and-greets at every site.

Why now

Recko said HUD changed its requirements several times before setting a firm deadline. “These are the changes you have to have in place by January 1 of 2027,” he said, so the authority has to finish the process in December.

Fox Hill Gardens residents should read the Administrative Plan, not the ACOP, officials stressed, because the building is under the Section 8 RAD program.

Other actions Thursday

• Personnel manual: The board adopted an updated personnel policy and procedures manual. Recko said an earlier version had been held up after the employee union objected to changing how vacation time is credited, and a compromise was reached.
• Health insurance: The board voted to join the Metropolitan Health Insurance Fund for employee coverage and to appoint a fund commissioner.
• Write-offs: The board approved writing off, for accounting purposes, unpaid balances of tenants who moved out between April 1 and June 30. Staff said this does not stop the authority from pursuing those debts.
• Tabled: At staff’s request, the board tabled contracts for ADA roll-in showers and for patio improvements at 220 Adams St. until next month. A trash-enclosure change order was also tabled after a long debate.

Watch the full meeting on the Hoboken Housing Authority’s Facebook page.

Image: Hoboken Housing Authority meeting video on Facebook.