Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO): Governance and Programs

The Housing Authority of New Orleans, universally abbreviated as HANO, is a public housing authority operating under both federal oversight from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and local accountability structures rooted in Louisiana state law. This page covers HANO's governance framework, its principal housing assistance programs, the scenarios in which residents and applicants interact with the authority, and the decision thresholds that determine eligibility and program placement. Understanding HANO's structure is essential for anyone navigating subsidized housing, landlord participation agreements, or redevelopment processes in Orleans Parish.

Definition and scope

HANO is a political subdivision of the State of Louisiana, established under the Louisiana Housing Authorities Law (La. R.S. 40:384 et seq.) and chartered to develop, own, and administer affordable housing within the boundaries of Orleans Parish. Its governing body is a Board of Commissioners appointed by the Mayor of New Orleans, subject to confirmation by the New Orleans City Council. The Board sets policy, approves budgets, and authorizes major contracts, while an executive director manages day-to-day operations.

HANO's primary federal relationship is with HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH), which provides the bulk of HANO's operating funding through Annual Contributions Contracts (ACCs). HUD also exercises regulatory authority over HANO's Capital Fund Program grants, which finance physical improvements to public housing stock.

Scope and coverage limitations: HANO's jurisdiction is confined to Orleans Parish. Housing programs administered by Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard Parish, or St. Tammany Parish fall under separate, independent housing authorities and are not covered here. Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) programs — including state-level Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) allocations — operate in parallel but are governed by LHC, not HANO. Private market rentals, owner-occupied housing assistance, and federal programs administered directly by HUD without HANO involvement also fall outside HANO's operational scope. For broader New Orleans governance context, the New Orleans Metro Authority index provides a full map of local agencies and jurisdictions.

How it works

HANO administers three principal program categories, each with a distinct operational mechanism:

  1. Public Housing (Conventional) — HANO owns and manages residential units directly. Residents pay rent calculated at 30 percent of adjusted household income, per HUD regulations at 24 C.F.R. Part 5. Maintenance, lease enforcement, and community services are administered by HANO staff or contracted property managers.

  2. Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8) — HANO issues portable rental subsidies to eligible households. Voucher holders locate private-market units that pass HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspections. HANO pays the difference between 30 percent of the household's adjusted income and the applicable Payment Standard, which HANO sets in relation to HUD's published Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for the New Orleans-Metairie Metropolitan Statistical Area (HUD FMR data).

  3. Project-Based Voucher (PBV) Program — Subsidies are attached to specific units in privately owned developments rather than to individual households. HANO contracts with private landlords under Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) agreements. If a PBV tenant leaves the unit, the subsidy stays with the property rather than moving with the family.

HANO also administers Moving to Work (MTW) authority, granted by HUD to a limited cohort of housing authorities nationwide. MTW status allows HANO to blend certain federal funds, design local work requirement policies, and test alternative rent structures that deviate from standard HUD formulas (HUD Moving to Work Program).

Common scenarios

Applicant on the waiting list: HANO's HCV waiting list operates on a lottery or ranked-preference system. Preferences typically apply to households displaced by disasters, veterans, and residents of Orleans Parish. Wait times vary significantly depending on funding levels and voucher turnover. Applicants must report changes in income, household composition, and address to maintain active status.

Landlord seeking to participate: A private landlord wishing to accept HCV tenants submits a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) once a voucher holder selects their unit. HANO inspects the unit against HQS before approving the HAP contract. If the unit fails inspection, the landlord must complete repairs within a defined timeframe — typically 30 days for non-life-threatening deficiencies — before HANO executes the contract.

Resident facing lease termination: HANO must follow the Tenant Lease Termination procedures governed by 24 C.F.R. Part 966 for public housing or 24 C.F.R. Part 982 for HCV participants. Residents retain the right to an informal hearing before termination of assistance. Legal aid organizations operating in Orleans Parish, such as Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS), frequently represent tenants at these proceedings.

Redevelopment and HOPE VI / Choice Neighborhoods: Post-Hurricane Katrina, HANO demolished and redeveloped all 7 of its major traditional public housing developments under a combination of HOPE VI grants and Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grants from HUD. Sites including B.W. Cooper, C.J. Peete, Lafitte, and St. Bernard were replaced with mixed-income developments. Current residents of successor developments interact with HANO primarily through private management companies operating under HANO oversight.

Decision boundaries

HANO applies eligibility thresholds that determine program placement, and these thresholds create meaningful distinctions in how applicants are served.

Income limits vs. program type:

Program Income Limit Threshold
Public Housing Up to 80% of Area Median Income (AMI); most admissions prioritized at 30% AMI
Housing Choice Voucher Up to 50% AMI at admission (extremely low income priority required for 75% of new admissions per 24 C.F.R. §982.201)
Project-Based Voucher Same income standards as HCV; unit-specific occupancy standards also apply

Criminal background screening: HANO applies admissions screening criteria that distinguish between mandatory denials (certain drug-related and violent convictions under federal law, per 42 U.S.C. §13661) and discretionary denials based on individualized assessment. Lifetime registration on a state sex offender registry constitutes a mandatory bar.

Portability: HCV holders who have maintained housing for 12 consecutive months may port their voucher to another HANO jurisdiction or to a different public housing authority's jurisdiction. HANO may either absorb the voucher or bill the receiving housing authority, a distinction that affects funding flows and administrative responsibility.

Reasonable accommodation: Households with documented disabilities may request reasonable accommodations in unit assignment, inspection scheduling, or documentation requirements under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Fair Housing Act. HANO's 504 Coordinator processes these requests separately from standard eligibility determinations.

For additional context on how HANO interacts with city-level housing and zoning policy, see New Orleans Zoning and Land Use and the New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits.

References

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