HUD Handbook 7465.1 § 3-5

a.   POLICY

            (1)   Single persons who do not constitute an elderly
                  family can qualify as a family if they are:

                  (a)   displaced;
                        or
                  (b)   the remaining member of a tenant family;
                        or
                  (c)   other single persons, under limited
                        circumstances ("Single Persons').

            (2)   PHAs may not admit single persons who are not
                  elderly, displaced, or the remaining member of a
                  tenant family without HUD authorization. PHAs may
                  request authorization to:

                  (a)   Avoid displacing Single Persons from projects
                        which the PHA is acquiring;

                  (b)   Allow admission of Single Persons to projects
                        the PHA is acquiring in cases where the
                        project is unsuitable for occupancy by the
                        elderly; or

                  (c)   Fill long-standing vacancies.

            (3)   PHAs may not establish a minimum age (like 50 or
                  55) for the admission of displaced persons or
                  single persons to projects for the elderly.

       b.   DISCUSSION

            (1)   Definitions

                  (a)   A displaced person is someone displaced by
                        government action or whose dwelling was
                        extensively damaged or destroyed due to a
                        disaster declared or formally recognized by
                        the Federal government. This includes
                        persons who lose their homes through urban
                        renewal or because of a flood, hurricane,
                        etc., where a Federal disaster was declared
                        for their area.

                  (b)   A remaining member is a member of the family
                        listed on the lease who continues to live in
                        the public housing dwelling after all other
                        family members have left.

(c) A Single Person is someone living alone or
                      intending to live alone who does not qualify as
                      an elderly family, a displaced person, or the
                      remaining member of a tenant family.

            (2)   Displaced persons include those who must leave
                  their home when any level of government--Federal.
                  state, or local--requires them to move. For
                  example, a single person could be displaced as a
                  result of urban renewal or because the local
                  health department condemned the building where the
                  single person was living.

            (3)   If the remaining member is a signatory to the
                  lease, the person could continue in the program
                  under that lease. If the person is named on the
                  lease but did not sign it, the PHA would have to
                  determine whether it would be willing to enter
                  into a lease with the person. In making this
                  determination, the PHA should consider such
                  factors as the person's suitability for tenancy
                  and his or her ability to uphold a lease (See
                  Chapter 4).

            (4)   The PHA would have to adhere to its space
                  standards (see paragraph 5-1) in dealing with a
                  remaining member. This would often involve the
                  PHA transferring the remaining member to a more
                  suitable size or type of unit or type of project,
                  according to the PHA's transfer policies.

            (5)   Housing Single Persons is a useful device for PHAs
                  with vacancies in small units. It should only be
                  considered when a PHA believes it has exhausted
                  the demand for a particular project from other
                  eligible families.

            (6)   It is important for a PHA to maintain the
                  same high standards for the selection of Single Persons
                  as it does for its other applicants.

            (7)   Although Single Person occupancy is usually
                  thought of as a device for filling efficiency or
                  one-bedroom units, a PHA may fill larger units
                  with Single Persons on a shared housing basis.

       c.   PHA PROCEDURES

            To request authorization to admit Single Persons, the
            PHA writes to the local HUD office and:

            (1)   Identifies the project(s) and the number of units
                  involved;

(2)   Explains why the authorization is being requested;

            (3)   Where the reason is sustained vacancies, describes
                  the efforts the PHA has made to attract other
                  eligible applicants to the projects involved; and

            (4)   Describes any changes the PHA proposes to make in
                  its admission policies to allow admission of
                  Single Persons.

       d.   HUD RESPONSIBILITIES

            (1)   The HUD office establishes controls to make sure
                  that the number of Single Persons that it
                  authorizes to be housed within the jurisdiction of
                  any PHA does not exceed 15 percent of the units in
                  the public housing, Section 8 New Construction,
                  Substantial Rehabilitation ' and Moderate
                  Rehabilitation programs within that jurisdiction.

            (2)   The above limits apply PHA by PHA and do not
                  impose any limit on the number of Single Person
                  admissions that can be authorized for any
                  particular project or program.

            (3)   The HUD office is responsible for reviewing and
                  taking final action on PHA requests for authority
                  to admit Single Persons.

       e.   MONITORING

            Admission of Single Persons is monitored by the public
            housing occupancy audit and a review of Form HUD-50058.

       f.   REFERENCES

            U.S. Housing Act of 1937, Section 3(b)3

            24 CFR 912.2 and 912.3