News
Jennifer Emerling / There Is More Work To Be Done
Jennifer Emerling / There Is More Work To Be Done
HAC News: October 16, 2025
TOP STORIES
As shutdown continues, judge puts administration layoffs on hold
On October 10, the administration began eliminating federal jobs through reductions in force. (RIFs are unlike furloughs, which are temporary.) Unions representing federal employees sued the administration, charging the RIFs violate the law. After an October 15 hearing, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, finding the layoffs are probably illegal.
The layoffs included the entire remaining staff at the CDFI Fund, effective December 13, according to news media including American Banker and Tribal Business News. An Office of Management and Budget court filing indicated that a total of over 4,100 employees at seven departments, including HUD and Treasury but not USDA, were laid off, and that other agencies were also considering RIFs. The OMB court filing showed that 442 HUD staff were RIF’d and Bloomberg reported that over 100 of them were fair housing staff in field offices.
RIFs could be “revised” after the shutdown ends, according to administration instructions to agencies.
HAC supporting rural housing during shutdown
HAC is spearheading an effort by several stakeholders asking USDA RD to communicate with multifamily owners and managers about navigating the shutdown. We are also participating with other partners to support the reversal of agency staff RIFs, especially at the CDFI Fund. Additional actions are being developed.
Senate passes major housing legislation
The Senate approved the ROAD to Housing Act and several provisions related to Community Development Financial Institutions on October 9 as amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act. The ROAD to Housing Act includes the RHS Reform Act, which HAC has endorsed, and several other pieces of housing legislation. The CDFI provisions include one permanently authorizing the Native CDFI Relending Program in USDA’s Section 502 program. The House passed its version of the NDAA on September 10 without these amendments. A House-Senate conference committee will decide whether to include these provisions in the final NDAA.
RuralSTAT
Residents of counties outside metropolitan areas have lower average housing expenses than those in other geographies and the lowest housing cost burden rates (40.9%). But with relatively low incomes, these counties have the highest rates of residual income cost burdens – that is, residents’ income does not cover housing and all other expenses – at 73.4%, a full 14.6 percentage points higher than urban counties in large metro areas. Source: The Rent Eats More: Residual Income Housing Cost Burdens from 2019-2023, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University.
Missing Census data during the shutdown? Visit Rural Data Central. We have data for suburban and urban communities too!
REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES
Comptroller proposes reducing burden on small banks and eliminating some fair lending data
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which oversees national banks, has announced several modifications intended to reduce the regulatory burden for community banks. The changes include two proposed rule revisions. One would eliminate the Fair Housing Home Loan Data System. OCC states that the data collection duplicates and is inconsistent with other efforts. Comments will be due 30 days after the proposed rule change is published in the Federal Register. Another would simplify licensing requirements for banks and savings institutions with under $30 million in assets. Comments on those changes will be due 60 days after publication.
EVENTS
Plan your experience at the National Rural Housing Conference, November 4-7!
The full agenda for the 2025 National Rural Housing Conference is online, allowing you to plan your schedule ahead of time. Log in as a participant here (or register if you haven’t yet!) and select your agenda items when prompted. Your registration includes access to three days of plenaries, networking, and more than 40 workshops on topics covering homeownership, rental preservation, disaster recovery, infrastructure, and policy updates.
You may also wish to attend the pre-conference sessions or one of the two free symposia on November 4. The Heirs’ Property Symposium will bring together practitioners, researchers, funders, and advocates to explore the complexities of heirs’ property and residential land tenure across rural America. The Summit on Rural Homelessness will offer a day of presentations, panels, and discussions – a unique opportunity to focus on homelessness in a rural context.
Virtual summit on rural creative placemaking scheduled
The Activate Rural Summit, a free three-day virtual gathering on October 21-23, will feature artists, organizers, and community leaders who are reimagining what’s possible in rural places through creativity and collaboration. Each day of the summit will explore a different theme at the intersection of arts, community, and transformation including community engagement, the impact of creative spaces, and navigating the road ahead.
PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA
USDA and HUD tenants’ rights during shutdown explained
The National Housing Law Project has published materials for tenants and for legal advocates explaining the rights of USDA and HUD tenants during the government shutdown. The tenant flyer includes both English and Spanish versions in a single document.
Updating building energy codes did not impact new construction, analysis finds
Noting that homebuilders claim updating requirements for energy efficiency will reduce the number of new homes built, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy analyzed new single-family and multifamily construction permits in five states before and after new building codes were adopted. It found no apparent effect on construction.
Energy co-op offers land for housing development
A Minnesota Public Radio story, Why a Rural Energy Co-op is Getting Involved in Housing, reports that People’s Energy Cooperative is seeking a housing developer for a five-acre plot it owns near the growing Mayo Clinic where affordable housing is in short supply. The town of Oronoco needs affordable starter homes for working families, a local official says. This development would also benefit the co-op because it would mean more residential customers.
Article explores local approaches to reducing homelessness
Reducing Homelessness in the US: A Solutions-Focused, Research-Based Explainer explores policy and approaches to increasing housing stability. The article examines the impacts of reductions in federal funding and approaches including housing first frameworks, zoning, tiny homes, and resources of specific vulnerable populations, though it does not address rural homelessness separately. It is published by the Journalist’s Resource at Harvard, a site that works to “bridge the gap between academia and journalism, informing the news by empowering journalists to use evidence-based research.”
Survey identifies government disruptions’ impacts on nonprofits
The Urban Institute’s recent National Survey of Nonprofit Trends and Impacts, which includes entities across a range of service areas, found that a third of nonprofits reported experiencing federal, state, or local government funding disruptions in the first four to six months of 2025. These organizations were more likely to report reductions to staff, programming, and future hiring. Even nonprofits that do not receive government funding reported that these disruptions have altered the philanthropic funding landscape, presenting fundraising challenges. Furthermore, two-thirds of nonprofits anticipated that demand for their programs will increase in the next 12 months.
MacArthur Foundation recognizes rural California photographer
Matt Black, a photographer from the Central Valley of California, was recently awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for “chronicling the impacts of inequality and hardship on people and places.”
HAC
HAC is hiring
HAC job listings and application links are available on our website.
Need capital for your affordable housing project?
HAC’s loan fund provides low interest rate loans to support single- and multifamily affordable housing projects for low-income rural residents throughout the U.S. and territories. Capital is available for all types of affordable and mixed-income housing projects, including preservation, new development, farmworker, senior and veteran housing. HAC loan funds can be used for pre-development, site acquisition, site development, construction/rehabilitation and permanent financing. Contact HAC’s loan fund staff at hacloanfund@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600.
Please note: HAC is not able to offer loans to individuals or families. Borrowers must be nonprofit or for-profit organizations or government entities (including Tribes).
Want to reprint a HAC News item?
Please credit the HAC News and provide a link to HAC’s website. Thank you!
