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Non-Appropriated State Agencies

<h3>Scope Description:</h3><p>Examine the operational framework for the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, including its governance and accountability, total programs administered by the agency, sources of revenue, and expenditure areas.</p><h3>Evaluation Objectives:</h3><p>This evaluation will be guided by three key objectives within the scope set forth by the Legislative Oversight Committee:&nbsp;</p><ol><li>Identify the operational framework, governance, authority structure, and sources of funding for the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency.</li><li>Determine the Legislature's authority to direct the Agency's policies and program objectives to accomplish State priorities.</li><li>Assess the agency's role in developing affordable housing.</li><li>Examine OHFA's measures of success for agency programs and expenditures and assess its effectiveness in addressing affordable housing.</li></ol>

Scoping & Objectives

Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency

Executive Summary

Report & Resources

Report and Resources 

<p><span style="color: rgb(10, 62, 99);">Summary of Policy Considerations</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(10, 62, 99);">&nbsp;</span></p><p>The Legislature may consider the following policy changes:</p><ul><li>Requiring OHFA to capture and report annual income assessment data that will assist in developing Key Performance Indicators to assess the long-term effectiveness of housing assistance, including:</li></ul><ol><li class="ql-align-justify ql-indent-1">A family's earned income and unearned income at time of application and upon departing OHFA's assistance.</li><li class="ql-align-justify ql-indent-1">The length of time families stay on housing assistance. </li><li class="ql-align-justify ql-indent-1">The number of families actively enrolled and graduate from the Family Self Sufficiency program.</li></ol><ul><li>Requiring OHFA to report monthly on its public facing website:</li></ul><ol><li class="ql-indent-1">The total number of individuals receiving housing assistance, the duration of the housing assistance, and the conditions that led to the recipient moving off of housing assistance.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Average housing voucher placement rate, as reported to HUD through the OHFA Monthly HCV Utilization Report.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">The current capacity of the Family Self Sufficiency Program and available slots.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">A list of current grant opportunities from HUD and the status of applications</li></ol><ul><li>Providing OHFA guidance on prioritization of the waiting list for housing vouchers.</li><li>Requiring OHFA to adopt rules for Housing Stability Program to ensure affordability of homes developed.</li><li>Align incentives of the Oklahoma Housing Stability Program to dedicate a portion of new housing to areas where the State has existing investments in “shovel-ready” industrial sites.</li><li>Create a process for the State’s lead economic development agency to have input in determining housing development needs that align with workforce needs.</li><li>Define “affordable” housing for the purpose of the Oklahoma Housing Stability Program to ensure that the workforce population is encompassed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Reduce the weights of the price per square foot in the Homebuilder Subsidy for Homeownership Program scoring to avoid incentivizing only the lowest quality builds.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency should:</p><ul><li>Measure and report outcomes of the Family Self Sufficiency Program, including capacity of program and current participation level.</li><li>Increase the visibility of the Family Self Sufficiency Program on its website and promote greater awareness of the program to clients.</li><li>Dedicate an employee to reviewing HUD grant opportunities to identify and apply for grants that OHFA is eligible for.</li><li>Consider using Low Income Housing Tax Credits for housing developments that have mixed income levels to decentralize poverty.</li><li>Consider revising the current QAP credit per unit to incentivize unit sizes and quality that are better suited to families.</li><li>Craft rules for the Housing Stability Program that allow for developers to use emerging housing construction technologies.</li></ul>

Recommendations

Supplemental Documents

August 2023

Evaluations In Progress

Education

Report: 24-265-02
Review federal grants used to support public education.

Oklahoma State Department of Education Federal Funds

Report: 24-265-02
Examine administrative rules related to testing.

Oklahoma State Department of Education Testing Rules

State Finances

Report: 23-000-02
Assist the Pew Charitable Trusts in conducting an assessment of Oklahoma’s ability to manage its budget under various economic conditions.

Budget Stress Test

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Scope Description:

Evaluation Objectives:

More Reports & Evaluations

Oklahoma State Department of Education Federal Funds

Oklahoma State Department of Education Testing Rules

Budget Stress Test