Hi everyone, welcome to this week's Tuesday tip. I'm Mary Celone and today we're going to review HUD's requirements surrounding collecting race and ethnicity data, specifically the HUD Form 27061-H.

The first important piece of information here is understanding why HUD has regulations surrounding gathering this data in the first place. HUD uses the race and ethnicity data that OAs track to identify any potential issues of discrimination, especially in comparison to the makeup of the surrounding area of a property. The intention is obviously to avoid any issues of discrimination.


But that can be tricky when you're requesting that someone disclose very personal information to you, right? So it's very important to ensure that you are requesting the information consistently for everyone and with explanation as to why. And that's why, for these purposes, HUD has the form 27061-H, the Race and Ethnic Data Reporting Forum.

This is a self-certification form that OAs are required to provide either in the application process or at least signing. So each household should have this form on file, and it is for every member of the household. Parents or guardians would complete the form for any children under the age of 18.


And here are two things to remember right off the bat. First, this is a self-certification form. You need to ensure this information is self-reported by the applicants or tenants, meaning OAs should never be making guesses for this data and completing the forms themselves.

And second, this form must be provided, but it is optional for the applicants or tenants to actually complete it. OAs must provide and explain the form, but there is no penalty if the applicant or tenant chooses not to complete it. If they choose not to, OAs still must have something on record to show that they provided the form.

but that the applicant or tenant chose not to disclose the information. Reviewers will look for this in the tenant files at MORs.


And again, remember, if there are multiple members of the household, you want to ensure that all of the forms for each member of the household are kept together in the tenant file. The form 27061-H is a one-time form, unless if there's a change in the head of household or a change in household composition, you need to provide the form for a new household member.


If you have any other questions about the collection of this information or about the reporting forum itself, please don't hesitate to contact us. We want to thank Tony for this tip suggestion today. It's a great topic. If you have a suggestion for a topic that you'd like us to cover or a question you'd like us to review, please let us know. Our information is right here. Hope you all have a wonderful week. We'll see you next time.