National Housing Law Project Housing Law Bulletin

Despite the uncertainty in Washington, we know you are in the process of preparing next year’s budgets. While planning for next year, we urge you to take affirmative steps now, to plan for the support needs of your housing staff and to include in your budgets appropriate costs to cover those needs.

As you know, cuts in federal funding for Legal Services field programs will require you to maximize and use your limited resources even more efficiently. Because of this, the need for effective support services will be greater than ever. While our fees and prices will be subject to change, the current fee schedule will assist you in deciding budget and other planning decisions for the next calendar year.

Cost Estimate Per Advocate

The cost therefore will vary depending on whether a program decides to purchase more or less services in any one of the basic areas, the number of housing advocates for which services are purchased, and the extent to which publications are shared.

The Following Services and Materials Will Be Offered

Publications

• Housing Law Bulletin — NHLP will continue to provide advocates with the latest information on current legal and policy developments. Programs are urged to purchase subscriptions before December 31, 1995, to avoid a break in service.

PRICE: $150.00 for an annual subscription, beginning with the January 1996 issue.
• HUD Housing Programs: Tenants’ Rights (2d ed. 1994) — This is a comprehensive, issue-oriented manual to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s rental housing programs.

PRICE: $165.00
• 1996 Supplement to HUD Housing Programs: Tenants’ Rights — NHLP will make available in early 1996 an annual manual supplement to the manual containing selected significant legal developments.

PRICE: $95.00 for 1996 annual supplement.
• Combined HUD Manual and 1996 Supplement — NHLP is offering both the HUD manual and the 1996 Supplement at a savings of $60.00.

PRICE: $ 200.00
• RHCDS (FmHA) Housing Programs: Tenants’ and Purchasers’ Rights (2d ed. 1995) — This is a comprehensive, issue-oriented manual to the nation’s federal rural housing programs.

PRICE: $95.00
• Resource Materials — NHLP will continue to develop and make available packets of materials on selected topics to assist advocates addressing clients’ issues.

PRICE: Will depend on size of packet and will minimally include cost of reproduction and mailing.
• Other Publications — NHLP has a number of publications available to assist advocates in effectively representing clients on a broad range of issues affecting federal housing programs.

Training

1. Training Events Sponsored by Others: Subject to availability, NHLP will provide trainers in response to a specific training request, organized and sponsored by others, such as statewide taskforces, state support centers or collaborative efforts by a group of programs. These trainers will be available to train in the following subject areas:

• Public Housing, Assisted Housing and Section 8
• Fair Housing (selected topics)
• Preservation

EXAMPLE: Assuming a one-day training, sponsored by five legal services programs, with 25 participants and a location that is central for the participants. NHLP sends one trainer to provide training on a number of issues relating to HUD-assisted housing programs. Below is an estimate of the cost:
 

Activity	Estimated Time	Cost
Preparation of Presentation and Materials	12 hours	12 x 130 per hour = $1,560
Presentation	6 hours	6 x 130 = $780
Out-of-Pocket expenses (airfares, estimated hotel, meals, taxis)		$600
		Total: $2,940

Cost of the trainer per program: $588.
Cost per advocate: $118.

2. Project-Sponsored Training Events: NHLP is exploring the feasibility of developing a "Training Calendar" that will set forth dates and sites of NHLP-sponsored periodic national or regional training events. Whether such trainings will be offered in 1996 will depend on the extent to which they can be held in conjunction with trainings offered by other national support centers. By coordinating with other support centers, NHLP hopes to achieve administrative and logistical savings that can be passed on to registrants.

PRICE: NHLP will set a registration fee in the range of $200-300 per participant, depending on the costs incurred in sponsoring the training event. In addition to the registration fee, training participants would cover their own travel expenses, including transportation, lodging and meals.

3. Training Materials: Training materials for a particular event will be available for purchase by persons unable to attend. Requests for reproduction of Project training materials for use at trainings where Project staff are not trainers will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Technical Assistance and Consultation

NHLP will continue to operate a Service Hotline. Field advocates will be able to place a service request through the hotline. Due to limited resources, staff will not be able to provide consultation to every call placed to the hotline. NHLP staff will screen and return calls which in the judgment of staff can be adequately and competently handled, taking into account such factors as the nature of the issue, the number of people affected, the staff time available to devote to the call, the available remedy and likelihood of rendering useful information. Requests for information about legislative matters should go to our Washington office (Tel. (202) 783-5140, FAX (202) 347-6765). All other service requests should be directed to our Oakland office (Tel. (510) 251-9400, FAX (510) 251-0600). Requests should include program name and telephone and fax numbers. Where the Project is unable to provide assistance, requesters will be so informed by a fax or phone call.

2. Extended Consultation: Where NHLP determines that the service request requires more than a brief consultation (e.g., 20-30 minutes), a program may contract for additional consulting services at the rate of $130.00 an hour, or $32.50 per 15-minute increment. Fractions of an hour will be rounded off to the nearest quarter hour.

Where a field program anticipates needing consultation services prior to contacting the Project, or if during the course of the initial consultation it becomes clear that an extended amount of staff time will be required, the Project and field program will execute a service contract. A deposit of $500.00 will be required at the time the contract is executed, against which consultation time will be billed.

The hourly rate of $130.00 covers actual telephone and research time necessary to deliver the information requested.

EXAMPLE: A field program calls the Service Hotline about the threatened demolition of a public housing project. After applying its selection criteria, Project staff provides basic information about the legal framework and available strategies in a 30-minute initial response. If the field program seeks more in-depth consultation or further advice about the matter as it unfolds, an agreement for extended consultation at the rate of $130.00 per hour will be required.

3. Co-Counseling and Of-Counsel: The Project will address on a case-by-case basis requests to participate as co-counsel or of-counsel on litigation, legislation and administrative representation of clients. Fee arrangements in such cases are negotiable on a case-by-case basis.

4. Expert Consultant: In cases where the Project is not formally on the pleadings, staff will be available to consult as legal experts at the rate of $130.00 per hour.

5. Methods of Payment: The Project will offer programs the option of paying for consultation services on a monthly billing basis (i.e., opening a service account with an initial $500 deposit) or by the use of a credit card at the conclusion of the consultation.

If you have any questions regarding the schedule of fees and services, please contact Manuel A. Romero or David Bryson at (510) 251-9400.