The Marin County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the annual certification required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Housing Choice Voucher program, the authority’s executive director said, and the board approved the resolution by voice vote.

The action certifies the authority’s internal review of the Section 8 program across HUD’s SEMAP indicators, a process the program manager described as a routine, annual verification of sample files and program operations.

Why it matters: SEMAP is HUD’s evaluation framework for voucher administration. A positive certification documents that required controls and quality reviews are in place; findings usually prompt internal corrective actions.

At the same meeting Suzanne Joyce, program manager for Housing Choice Vouchers, gave the quarterly update: the program is 90% occupied, most annual and interim recertifications were processed in-house as of October and staff recently added a bilingual eligibility worker. Joyce said the authority remains in a funding shortfall and is not issuing new Housing Choice Vouchers except under limited HUD-allowed circumstances (for example, existing project-based voucher commitments and certain referrals for victims of domestic violence). Joyce said staff completed tenant intakes and moves at the Pruitt Place property in Novato and that two eligibility-worker positions remain open.

Commissioners pressed for clearer context on numbers in future reports — for example, how quarterly inspection counts relate to total obligations and how many units are project-based commitments. Commissioners also voiced concerns about procedural issues: repeated or confusing recertification notices to participants and the need for better ledger transparency, especially where tenants or nonprofit payers supply documentation.

Public commenters raised concerns about the oversight and occupancy rates for Pruitt Place (Novato) and asked about Homeward Bound’s responsibilities and invoices; board members invited follow-up meetings to resolve data and oversight questions.

Board actions at a glance:
- Approval of minutes: motion to approve moved by Commissioner Lukin and seconded by Commissioner Sackett; motion carried by voice vote.
- Adoption of SEMAP certification resolution: motion moved by Commissioner Kanson, seconded by Commissioner Colbert; resolution adopted unanimously. The resolution number was not specified on the record.

Next steps: staff will provide more contextual metrics in future quarterly reports, present a status update on special program file processing at the next meeting, and follow up with public requesters about Pruitt Place occupancy and contract oversight.