TOP STORIES
FY26 funding set for HUD and many others
After a partial government shutdown over the weekend, on February 3 the House passed a Senate-approved fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill covering several federal agencies, including HUD, and the president signed the measure into law. Many HUD programs remain at the dollar levels they received in FY24 and FY25, while a few receive increases. Details are posted on HAC’s site. FY26 funding for USDA, along with some other agencies, was finalized in November.
The bill also protects Continuum of Care operations while litigation continues regarding program changes HUD proposed. It directs HUD to provide one-year non-competitive renewals of CoC grants that expire in the first quarter of calendar year 2026 and then to continue the same process for each quarter in which it does not make new funding awards.
HAC launches Heirs’ Property Central site
HAC has developed a new website to act as a central clearinghouse for many professionals to access common resources related to heirs’ property. The site, Heirs’ Property Central, is a multidisciplinary hub for cross-sector collaboration, designed to facilitate new connections and discussions around past, present, and future heirs’ property work. Heirs’ Property Central highlights new research, events like trainings, webinars, and conferences, and organizations currently working in the heirs’ property space.
February is Black History Month
The 2026 theme is A Century of Black History Commemorations. President Trump’s proclamation is posted here.
RuralSTAT
The American Bar Association estimates that 40% of all U.S. counties and county-equivalents are legal deserts, areas with fewer than one attorney per 1,000 residents. Attorneys are needed for property owners to manage their assets, perform estate planning, and probate the estates of family members. In rural areas, lack of access to the legal system for estate planning can lead to the creation of heirs’ properties. Source: American Bar Association, Profile of the Legal Profession 2020.
To learn more about heirs’ property and title resolution for your community, visit Heirs’ Property Central.
OPPORTUNITIES
USDA to apply Strategic Economic and Community Development priority for some programs
A new notice from USDA Rural Development explains applications for the Strategic Economic and Community Development priority, which applies to Community Facilities Loans, Grants, and Guaranteed Loans; Water and Waste Disposal Program Guaranteed Loans, Loans, and Grants; Rural Business Development Grants; and Community Connect Grants. These programs will reserve FY26 funds for projects that support multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral strategic community investment plans, making them eligible for the SECD priority. An applicant will submit its SECD forms when it applies for funding under one of these programs.
ROSS Rapid Response Program grants offered
HUD’s ROSS Rapid Response Program uses a simplified application process to help address urgent social needs caused by unanticipated emergencies such as natural disasters, public health crises, or economic disruptions. RRP provides one-time cost-reimbursable grants for service coordination and limited direct services for residents of HUD-assisted housing. Nonprofits, PHAs, Tribes and their housing entities, resident associations, and owners of multifamily properties are eligible. Apply by January 25, 2027.
YouthBuild applications open
Nonprofits, state and local governments, and Tribes are eligible for YouthBuild grants from the Labor Department. YouthBuild programs must offer participants construction training and hands-on experiences building affordable housing for their community. Programs may also include a Construction Plus component, providing vocational training in additional high-demand industries. A recorded webinar for potential applicants will be posted online. Apply by March 2.
REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES
Green and Resilient Retrofit Program gets new guidelines
In 2024 and earlier, HUD announced award recipients in at least four rounds of its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program. The program was included in a lawsuit filed in March 2025 against several federal agencies for withholding funds appropriated by Congress. In April the judge issued a preliminary injunction ordering the agencies to proceed with the programs while the litigation continues. Responding to that order, HUD recently published a notice revising the terms of the awards previously announced. The differences include making awards that have not yet closed as loans rather than grants, eliminating solar energy as an allowable use of funds, establishing new timelines, and more. The notice also refers to “the former Green and Resilient Retrofit Program” and calls it simply “GRRP.”
HUD orders review of assisted tenants’ immigration status
HUD and the Department of Homeland Security announced they audited all tenants in HUD-funded housing nationwide, discovering that nearly 200,000 tenants require eligibility verification, nearly 25,000 were deceased, and nearly 6,000 are “ineligible non-American tenants.” Public housing authorities and owners have 30 days to verify the status of the tenants identified by the audit and initiate corrective action where it is needed.
FHFA deletes fair housing and equitable finance plans regulation
The Federal Housing Finance Agency finalized a proposal to delete its regulations requiring Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks to develop Fair Housing, Fair Lending, and Equitable Housing Finance plans every three years. FHFA argues that the statutorily required housing goals, Duty to Serve goals, and support for the Housing Trust Fund and Capital Magnet Fund meet the system’s public purpose to support access to credit in underserved markets.
FEMA Review Council extended
President Trump has issued an executive order extending the term of the FEMA Review Council, originally scheduled to end January 24. The council will now remain effective until March 25. After the cancellation of a December meeting at which council members had been expected to approve a final report recommending changes to the agency, the new EO in effect creates a deadline for council action.
VA audit finds gaps in follow-ups with homeless veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs requires screening to identify veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and need assistance. Medical facilities must complete screenings for veterans under their care, have a process for positive screenings, and ensure staff respond to requests for services within seven business days. Follow-up action must occur within 30 days. VA conducted an audit and found weaknesses in the referral and follow-up processes that put veterans at risk of not receiving assistance after they indicated they were experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
HUD sets Operating Cost Adjustment Factors
New Operating Cost Adjustment Factors will be used to adjust project-based rental assistance for eligible multifamily housing projects having an anniversary date on or after February 11, 2026. HUD also requests comments by April 6 on the methodology and data sources used to determine the OCAFs.
Energy efficiency deadlines delayed again
In April 2024, HUD and USDA adopted updated energy efficiency requirements for new construction under some of their programs. These standards have gone into effect for HUD’s HOME and Housing Trust Fund programs, but both HUD and USDA delayed the effective dates for other programs. HUD has now announced a further delay. December 31, 2026 is the new compliance date for Federal Housing Administration-Insured Multifamily and Single Family loans, the Public Housing Capital Fund, and Section 8 Project Based Vouchers. The deadlines for Choice Neighborhoods, Section 202, and Section 811 are extended until their funding availability announcements for FY26 are published. HAC has supported adoption and implementation of these standards.
EVENTS
Learn how arts and civic engagement come together in rural places
The Department of Public Transformation is hosting an online Engage Rural Intro Session introducing its new arts-based civic engagement program for rural community leaders and artists. The session will highlight creative strategies that strengthen civic participation and trust within communities of 20,000 people or fewer, and explain how the revamped Engage Rural offerings can support local engagement work. Register for the February 25 session here.
PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA
It’s cold out there! HAC publishes a research brief on home heating (and the lack of) in rural America
Home heating is a basic necessity with profound implications for health, finances, safety, and quality of life. Home heating dynamics and conditions, however, are not uniform across the country. Some rural communities and households face home heating challenges due to geography, infrastructure, and economic conditions. Read HAC’s new Rural Research Brief here.
Study reviews “State of the Dream 2026”
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies published State of the Dream 2026: From Regression to Signs of a Black Recession, which looks at the impacts on Black Americans of 2025’s housing policy, employment trends, tax policy, financial system, and more. It says the expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, the permanent extension of the New Market Tax Credit, and the adoption of the HOME program’s final rule will help expand financing for affordable housing developments. It also notes that fair housing enforcement and affirmatively furthering fair housing efforts were rolled back, and Black homeownership remains at 45% compared to 74% for white households.
Maps of potential Opportunity Zones updated
American Community Survey five-year estimated data for 2020-2024, released by the Census Bureau in late January, will be used by the Treasury Department in determining what census tracts will be eligible for designation in the upcoming second round of the Opportunity Zones program. The Economic Innovation Group has updated its map of potentially eligible zones and Novogradac will update its map. Neither of these maps is official, but they illustrate possibilities. Governors will begin designating new OZs on July 1.
HAC
HAC issues statement about housing actions
In a January 26 statement, HAC applauds President Trump’s executive order barring institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes and supports the final appropriations bills passed in Congress to fund HUD and the CDFI Fund. While welcoming this progress, HAC also notes that “funds for several critical programs have yet to be distributed to applicants who are working daily to help low-income rural renters and homeowners. HAC looks forward to working with the Administration and the dedicated career employees at HUD, Treasury, and USDA, to ensure that this backlog, as well as newly appropriated fiscal 2026 funds, are brought to bear urgently on the housing challenges faced by rural Americans.”
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!
HAC News: March 5, 2026
/in HAC News, NewsTOP STORIES
Revised housing bill moves forward in Senate
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, introduced on March 2 by Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), combines provisions from the ROAD to Housing Act approved by the Senate Banking Committee in July, the Housing for the 21st Century Act passed by the House in February, and the White House’s desire to limit institutional investor ownership of housing. The White House supports this bill. It includes most of the provisions of the Rural Housing Service Reform Act, supported by HAC. The full Senate is likely to consider the bill soon and may adopt amendments such as a package of provisions on CDFIs, including making USDA’s Native CDFI pilot program permanent. After passage of a Senate bill, the House and Senate could negotiate a revised bill acceptable to both, or the House could vote on the Senate’s measure.
HUD proposes allowing work requirements and time limits
A proposed rule would allow – but not require – public housing agencies and rental property owners to impose work requirements and set time limits for residents in public housing or with Housing Choice Vouchers, Project-Based Vouchers, or Project-Based Rental Assistance. Up to 40 hours of work per week could be required for tenants meeting certain criteria. Term limits could be two years or longer. Comments are due May 1.
Opportunity Zone recommendations released, webinar set for March 12
Activating Rural Investments in the Next Round of Opportunity Zones: Recommendations for States, a guide just released by HAC, Partners for Rural Transformation, and Hope Policy Institute, offers concrete recommendations states can act on now to ensure the upcoming round of Opportunity Zone designations delivers transformative rural investment. On March 12, a webinar titled Opportunity Zones 2.0: A Guide for Activating Rural Investments will cover all things rural OZs: what has changed, what’s at stake, and where state leadership matters most.
HAC reports on title resolution for heirs’ property
HAC’s latest research report, Understanding Ownership, Unlocking Investment: Clarifying the Legal Process for Title Resolution and Opportunities for Financial Funding for Heirs’ Property, is now available on Heirs’ Property Central. The report explains the various forms of shared land tenure, the legal process of title resolution, obstacles faced by collective landowners with tangled titles, and how funding can be designed for successful outcomes in heirs’ property work.
March is National Women’s History Month
The National Women’s History Alliance explains the 2026 theme, Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.
RuralSTAT
Recent annual shipments of new manufactured homes in the United States remained relatively unchanged from the previous year. In 2025, an estimated 102,700 manufactured homes were shipped from factories – down slightly from 103,300 shipments in 2024. Source: Housing Assistance Council tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey data.
OPPORTUNITIES
Apply for HAC’s OneRural technical assistance
HAC is now accepting applications for OneRural Technical Assistance Services, offering customized support to rural nonprofits, Tribal housing entities, and Tribes. This program helps organizations strengthen their housing and community development efforts through expert guidance and capacity building. Applications received by March 31 will receive priority consideration. If space remains after the priority review, additional applications will be considered through April 15. Learn more and apply here.
CAPITOL HILL
House Agriculture Committee marks up Farm Bill
The House Agriculture Committee approved H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, on March 5. The bill includes very few rural development provisions. The Senate has not yet released the text of its version of the bill.
REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES
HUD and USDA end some 30-day notices before evictions
HUD and USDA have issued separate regulations ending requirements for 30-day notices before property owners evict assisted tenants for nonpayment of rent. A suit has been filed challenging HUD’s rule.
USDA’s provision is a final rule that was effective immediately on February 25, the day it was published. It applies to properties with Section 515 or Section 514 loans. It rescinds a 2024 rule that implemented a 30-day notice requirement enacted by Congress in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. USDA explains that the regulatory provision was unnecessary because compliance with the CARES Act 30-day notice requirement “is generally captured” in its project management requirements. USDA also rescinded a requirement for borrowers to provide information to tenants when federal emergency funding is available, explaining that the agency will notify tenants.
HUD’s provision is different in several ways. It is an interim final rule, effective on March 30, with comments due on April 27. It rescinds a rule that was not based on the CARES Act, but required a 30-day notice before eviction for nonpayment. The National Housing Law Project explains that, without that protection, in some places renters can be evicted for being as little as one dollar short or one day late on rent. This rule change does not impact the CARES Act’s notice requirement. NHLP and others filed suit, charging that HUD should have published a proposed rule and considered public comments before finalizing it.
Input requested on USDA data and research
Comments are due April 9 on a USDA request for information on opportunities, challenges, and emerging areas in statistical data, analysis, and research produced by three of its agencies: the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the Office of the Chief Economist’s World Agricultural Outlook Board.
Nominations for USDA Tribal Advisory Committee reopened
Nominations for USDA’s Tribal Advisory Committee can be submitted by representatives of Tribes, Tribal organizations, or national or regional organizations with relevant expertise such as national or regional Tribal serving organizations, land-grant institutions, and Native CDFIs. The deadline is March 31.
USDA announces “disposal” of two DC-area buildings
On February 25 Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and other administration officials announced “the imminent disposal” of USDA’s South Building in Washington, DC. It is not clear whether the building will be sold or when and where its occupants will move. Food and Nutrition Service offices in suburban Virginia will be moved to other DC-area locations and the lease on their building will be terminated.
Some Community Facilities applications must now have multiple high-level reviews
New guidance from USDA Rural Development instructs field staff to obtain National Office review at three points in the application process for some Community Facilities direct loans and grants.
PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA
U.S. has only 35 homes for every 100 extremely low-income renters, report shows
The lowest-income renters in the U.S. face a shortage of 7.2 million affordable and available rental homes, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual report, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes. Nationwide, only 35 affordable and available homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income renter households. No state has an adequate supply of affordable and available homes for extremely low-income renters.
Basic data principles and sources explained
Analyzing Demographics Within Rural Populations, an article from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can guide researchers on ways to avoid treating rural communities as monoliths. The piece provides insight into when it is advisable to disaggregate data by demographic or economic characteristics, the challenges that can arise when doing so, and the best ways to make comparisons. Those seeking housing data might also refer to The Evolution of Housing Data in the United States, Part 2: The Rise of Modern Housing Data, a brief article from HUD that summarizes many of the currently available data sets on the subject. HAC has combined many of these data sets in one place at Rural Data Central.
Policy brief and video explain CDFIs
Community Lending: Leveraging Private Capital for Public Good examines how Community Development Financial Institutions function within the broader financial system. Using real-world examples – including HAC – and market data, this brief and an accompanying video from the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders are designed to inform policymakers, financial institutions, and stakeholders seeking to understand how community lending delivers outcomes for housing, small businesses, and local economies.
Resource supports tenants facing loss of housing aid
The National Housing Law Project’s Toolkit for Defending Tenants Against Homelessness Prevention Cuts offers strategies, scenario examples, sample templates, and fair housing information to help advocates defend renters facing potential loss of vital federal housing supports. This guide is designed to support legal defense against evictions and program reductions that could push families into homelessness.
HAC
HAC testifies before U.S. Virgin Islands Legislature on heirs’ property
On January 29, HAC Research Director Lance George testified on heirs’ property before the Committee on Disaster Recovery, Infrastructure, and Planning of the Legislature of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Included in HAC’s testimony was a presentation of Heirs’ Property: Elevating the Story, a video presenting the complex, nuanced, and diverse experiences of heirs’ property owners, community members, and the organizations that support them in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This feature is one in a series of videos highlighting the voices of community members, leaders, and practitioners that can now be viewed on HAC’s new interactive clearinghouse, Heirs’ Property Central.
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!
PRT, HAC, HOPE Release Opportunity Zone 2.0 Recommendations
/in News, Policy, Rural News High Need Regions, Housing Affordability, Opportunity ZonesThe Housing Assistance Council (HAC) in collaboration with Partners for Rural Transformation (PRT) and Hope Credit Union/Hope Enterprise Corporation/Hope Policy Institute (HOPE) Wednesday released recommendations for the Opportunity Zone 2.0 designations to drive investments into rural communities facing persistent poverty.
PRT President Farah Ahmad said: “Opportunity Zones hold tremendous potential to drive investment into rural communities facing persistent poverty across the country – if they are done correctly. This guide offers a framework for state policymakers and local practitioners to ensure that this once-in-a-decade opportunity is not missed in the rural communities millions of people call home.”
HAC President and CEO David Lipsetz said: “Investment in persistently poor rural places is an essential step to address our nation’s affordable housing crisis. State officials have an important opening this year to identify the right places for this investment. This guide explains what’s at stake and how they can take action.”
HOPE Senior Advisor for Policy and Advocacy Diane Standaert said: “With this upcoming round of Opportunity Zone selections, states have a once-in-decade chance to get it right for rural places. HOPE’s experience demonstrates how it’s possible to align community-driven solutions, private investors, and public policy to drive transformative change in rural communities, including those experiencing persistent poverty. With advance planning as recommended in this guide, states can ensure they do not overlook solutions for economic opportunity in the rural areas that need it most.”
Created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones spur economic growth and job creation in low-income communities while providing tax benefits to investors. The first round of Opportunity Zones generated $120 billion in new investments across the country. However, only a fraction of that, about $6 billion, flowed into rural communities by 2022, and even less reached areas experiencing persistent poverty.
The program was amended in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and added new incentives for rural communities, including a 30% step-up in basis points for investments and a 50% threshold for showing substantial improvement to rehabilitation projects. However, an overly broad definition of “rural” risks funding being diverted away from targeted rural and Native communities. For example, Atlantic City meets the definition of a “rural Opportunity Zone” under the OBBBA.
Activating Rural Investments in the Next Round of Opportunity Zones: Recommendations for States can be found here. The recommendations follow four guidelines:
PRT, HAC, and HOPE hosted a webinar on the guide for state policymakers, regional development hubs, and local non-profits on March 12. The recording is available here.
Rural Voices: You Can Do This Because You Are Small
/in Information Products, Time to Build Homeowner Housing, Housing Affordability, Rental Housing, Rental Housing Development and Preservationby Seth Leanord
Finding capital for affordable rural housing. Read the entire Rural Voices edition.
HAC News: February 19, 2026
/in HAC News, NewsTOP STORIES
USDA significantly changes 502 direct program
The Rural Housing Service issued revisions to its Section 502 direct mortgage program on February 10, effective immediately, by changing provisions of its Handbook HB-1-3550. The changes include limiting loans to 60% (rather than the previous 80%) of HUD Section 203(b) loan limits, capping the packaging fee at $750 (rather than the previous $1,750-$2,000), requiring USDA RD state directors to approve each loan at two different points, excluding SNAP benefits from repayment calculations, and more. The agency’s handbooks do not have the legal effect of regulations, and handbook changes do not require public notice and an opportunity to comment. HAC and others are attempting to communicate with RHS about the changes and the process.
Housing bill passes House, Senate action expected soon
On February 9 the House approved the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644) by a vote of 390 to 9. The White House expressed disappointment that the bill does not include a ban on institutional investors purchasing single-family homes. The Senate may take up its ROAD to Housing Act (S. 2651) during the week of February 23. HAC has endorsed both the House and Senate bills. The House bill includes some provisions regarding USDA’s rural housing programs and the Senate bill includes the full Rural Housing Service Reform Act. Supports for Community Development Financial Institutions, including expanding USDA’s Native CDFI lending program, may be added to the Senate bill. Comparisons of the two bills are available from several sources including Novogradac, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the National Council of State Housing Agencies.
HUD proposes ending prorated assistance for mixed-status households
A proposed rule would end HUD’s current practice of prorating assistance based on the number of people in a household with U.S. citizenship or eligible legal status. Housing providers would be required to verify the status of every household member, including seniors. Those without legal status would not be permitted to live in HUD-assisted housing. Comments are due April 21.
RuralSTAT
The homeownership rate for Black households in rural areas is 53%, eight percentage points higher than the rate for Black households nationally. At the same time, the rural Black homeownership rate is 20 percentage points lower than the 74% overall rate of homeownership in rural America. Source: HAC tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey.To learn more about heirs’ property and title resolution for your community, visit Heirs’ Property Central.
To learn more about homeownership in your community, visit Rural Data Central.
OPPORTUNITIES
HAC offers technical assistance for service coordination at Section 515 properties
With support from the AARP Foundation, HAC is offering free technical assistance to Section 515 property owners and managers. HAC will help a cohort of eight to ten owners and managers to build service coordination programs in elderly-designated 515 properties by utilizing the normal RD budget process. More information is posted on HAC’s website here and here. Apply by March 15. Anyone interested in attending an informational session in the coming weeks should contact Angela Shuckahosee, HAC, angela@ruralhome.org, 216-815-0114. For questions about the program, contact Seth Leonard, seth@ruralhome.org.
CAPITOL HILL
Farm Bill proposal released in House
On February 13 Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Chair of the House Agriculture Committee, released the text of a proposed 2026 Farm Bill. The committee will begin considering the bill on February 23. Like most farm bills, this one does not cover USDA’s housing programs (they do not fall under the Agriculture Committee’s jurisdiction), but it does include some rural development provisions, including one directing USDA to “provide technical assistance and strengthen local capacity to improve access to rural development programs administered by [USDA] for local partners (including local governments, cooperatives, businesses, and community anchor institutions) in geographically underserved and distressed areas.” The bill does not authorize any funding for this capacity building, however. The Senate Agriculture Committee has not yet released its Farm Bill draft.
Hill hearings consider housing issues
The House Financial Services Committee and two of its subcommittees held hearings on housing topics on February 10 and 11: Priced Out of the American Dream: Understanding the Policies Behind Rising Costs of Housing and Borrowing; Homeownership and the Role of the Secondary Mortgage Market; and Building a Solid Foundation: Restoring Trust and Transparency in Public Housing Agencies. Recordings of all three events are available online.
REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES
HUD offers toolkit to help share NAHASDA stories
In recognition of the 30th anniversary of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996, HUD has posted a communications toolkit and graphics that Tribes and others can use to publicize the impact NAHASDA has had in Tribal communities.
EVENTS
Webinar will cover activating rural investments in Opportunity Zones 2.0
Opportunity Zones 2.0: A Guide for Activating Rural Investments, presented by HAC, Partners for Rural Transformation, and Hope Policy Institute, will introduce a new guide titled Activating Rural Investments in the Next Round of Opportunity Zones: Recommendations for States. This presentation will equip governors, state policymakers, regional development hubs, and local nonprofit leaders with actionable steps to maximize rural investment through Opportunity Zones 2.0. Speakers will cover all things rural OZs: what has changed, what’s at stake, and where state leadership matters most. Grounded in lessons from OZ 1.0 and real rural case studies, it will offer concrete recommendations states can act on now to ensure OZ 2.0 delivers transformative rural investment.
Rural housing needs assessments webinar set
The Minnesota Housing Partnership will present a webinar titled From Data to Decisions: A Practical Guide to Community-Driven Housing Needs Assessments on February 24. The session will introduce a guide to conducting housing needs assessments that are grounded in local context and designed to inform real decisions, focusing on rural and small communities and Native Nations. The framework is intended to help communities adapt the process to their capacity, data availability, and goals, without relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA
Report offers insurance strategies for multifamily affordable housing
Curbing the Insurance Spiral: Policy and Practitioner Strategies to Help Stabilize Multifamily Affordable Housing, published by Enterprise Community Partners, explores the growing insurance challenges for housing providers. The report includes practical guidance for practitioners and policymakers.
HAC
HAC opposes eliminating fair housing disparate impact rules
HAC submitted written comments responding to HUD’s proposal to eliminate its fair housing rules addressing on disparate impact – the legal concept that conduct is discriminatory if it has inequitable effects, even if there was no intent to discriminate. HAC’s comments strongly urge HUD to retain and enforce its current rule. HAC argues that disparate impact helps connect housing affordability and fair housing, rural residents need protection against differing impacts of facially equal treatment, HUD erred in interpreting court decision on disparate impact liability, and HUD has an explicit statutory responsibility to ensure equal opportunity and freedom from discrimination. HAC also joined a comment letter submitted by the National Housing Conference and several other organizations.
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!
HAC Opposes HUD Proposal to Eliminate Disparate Impact Fair Housing Rules
/in Advocacy, Federal Register Comments, News, PolicyThe Department of Housing and Urban Development has proposed to change its Fair Housing Act regulations. The revisions would eliminate HUD’s rules on disparate impact — the legal concept that conduct is discriminatory if it has inequitable effects, even if there was no intent to discriminate. HAC does not support the proposed change and strongly urges HUD to retain and enforce its current rule. HAC argues that:
HAC launches Heirs’ Property Central Site
/in Research and Information Rural Data, Rural Policy
HAC has developed a new website to act as a central clearinghouse for many professionals to access common resources related to heirs’ property. The site, Heirs’ Property Central, is a multidisciplinary hub for cross-sector collaboration, designed to facilitate new connections and discussions around past, present, and future heirs’ property work. Heirs’ Property Central highlights new research, events like trainings, webinars, and conferences, and organizations currently working in the heirs’ property space.
Visit Heirs’ Property Central.
Rural Voices: Going To Scale
/in Information Products, Time to Build Homeowner Housing, Housing Affordability, Rental Housing, Rental Housing Development and Preservationby Tom Collishaw
Insights from a rural housing organization and how it multiplied its production. Read the entire Rural Voices edition.
HAC News: February 5, 2026
/in HAC News, NewsTOP STORIES
FY26 funding set for HUD and many others
After a partial government shutdown over the weekend, on February 3 the House passed a Senate-approved fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill covering several federal agencies, including HUD, and the president signed the measure into law. Many HUD programs remain at the dollar levels they received in FY24 and FY25, while a few receive increases. Details are posted on HAC’s site. FY26 funding for USDA, along with some other agencies, was finalized in November.
The bill also protects Continuum of Care operations while litigation continues regarding program changes HUD proposed. It directs HUD to provide one-year non-competitive renewals of CoC grants that expire in the first quarter of calendar year 2026 and then to continue the same process for each quarter in which it does not make new funding awards.
HAC launches Heirs’ Property Central site
HAC has developed a new website to act as a central clearinghouse for many professionals to access common resources related to heirs’ property. The site, Heirs’ Property Central, is a multidisciplinary hub for cross-sector collaboration, designed to facilitate new connections and discussions around past, present, and future heirs’ property work. Heirs’ Property Central highlights new research, events like trainings, webinars, and conferences, and organizations currently working in the heirs’ property space.
February is Black History Month
The 2026 theme is A Century of Black History Commemorations. President Trump’s proclamation is posted here.
RuralSTAT
The American Bar Association estimates that 40% of all U.S. counties and county-equivalents are legal deserts, areas with fewer than one attorney per 1,000 residents. Attorneys are needed for property owners to manage their assets, perform estate planning, and probate the estates of family members. In rural areas, lack of access to the legal system for estate planning can lead to the creation of heirs’ properties. Source: American Bar Association, Profile of the Legal Profession 2020.
To learn more about heirs’ property and title resolution for your community, visit Heirs’ Property Central.
OPPORTUNITIES
USDA to apply Strategic Economic and Community Development priority for some programs
A new notice from USDA Rural Development explains applications for the Strategic Economic and Community Development priority, which applies to Community Facilities Loans, Grants, and Guaranteed Loans; Water and Waste Disposal Program Guaranteed Loans, Loans, and Grants; Rural Business Development Grants; and Community Connect Grants. These programs will reserve FY26 funds for projects that support multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral strategic community investment plans, making them eligible for the SECD priority. An applicant will submit its SECD forms when it applies for funding under one of these programs.
ROSS Rapid Response Program grants offered
HUD’s ROSS Rapid Response Program uses a simplified application process to help address urgent social needs caused by unanticipated emergencies such as natural disasters, public health crises, or economic disruptions. RRP provides one-time cost-reimbursable grants for service coordination and limited direct services for residents of HUD-assisted housing. Nonprofits, PHAs, Tribes and their housing entities, resident associations, and owners of multifamily properties are eligible. Apply by January 25, 2027.
YouthBuild applications open
Nonprofits, state and local governments, and Tribes are eligible for YouthBuild grants from the Labor Department. YouthBuild programs must offer participants construction training and hands-on experiences building affordable housing for their community. Programs may also include a Construction Plus component, providing vocational training in additional high-demand industries. A recorded webinar for potential applicants will be posted online. Apply by March 2.
REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES
Green and Resilient Retrofit Program gets new guidelines
In 2024 and earlier, HUD announced award recipients in at least four rounds of its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program. The program was included in a lawsuit filed in March 2025 against several federal agencies for withholding funds appropriated by Congress. In April the judge issued a preliminary injunction ordering the agencies to proceed with the programs while the litigation continues. Responding to that order, HUD recently published a notice revising the terms of the awards previously announced. The differences include making awards that have not yet closed as loans rather than grants, eliminating solar energy as an allowable use of funds, establishing new timelines, and more. The notice also refers to “the former Green and Resilient Retrofit Program” and calls it simply “GRRP.”
HUD orders review of assisted tenants’ immigration status
HUD and the Department of Homeland Security announced they audited all tenants in HUD-funded housing nationwide, discovering that nearly 200,000 tenants require eligibility verification, nearly 25,000 were deceased, and nearly 6,000 are “ineligible non-American tenants.” Public housing authorities and owners have 30 days to verify the status of the tenants identified by the audit and initiate corrective action where it is needed.
FHFA deletes fair housing and equitable finance plans regulation
The Federal Housing Finance Agency finalized a proposal to delete its regulations requiring Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks to develop Fair Housing, Fair Lending, and Equitable Housing Finance plans every three years. FHFA argues that the statutorily required housing goals, Duty to Serve goals, and support for the Housing Trust Fund and Capital Magnet Fund meet the system’s public purpose to support access to credit in underserved markets.
FEMA Review Council extended
President Trump has issued an executive order extending the term of the FEMA Review Council, originally scheduled to end January 24. The council will now remain effective until March 25. After the cancellation of a December meeting at which council members had been expected to approve a final report recommending changes to the agency, the new EO in effect creates a deadline for council action.
VA audit finds gaps in follow-ups with homeless veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs requires screening to identify veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and need assistance. Medical facilities must complete screenings for veterans under their care, have a process for positive screenings, and ensure staff respond to requests for services within seven business days. Follow-up action must occur within 30 days. VA conducted an audit and found weaknesses in the referral and follow-up processes that put veterans at risk of not receiving assistance after they indicated they were experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
HUD sets Operating Cost Adjustment Factors
New Operating Cost Adjustment Factors will be used to adjust project-based rental assistance for eligible multifamily housing projects having an anniversary date on or after February 11, 2026. HUD also requests comments by April 6 on the methodology and data sources used to determine the OCAFs.
Energy efficiency deadlines delayed again
In April 2024, HUD and USDA adopted updated energy efficiency requirements for new construction under some of their programs. These standards have gone into effect for HUD’s HOME and Housing Trust Fund programs, but both HUD and USDA delayed the effective dates for other programs. HUD has now announced a further delay. December 31, 2026 is the new compliance date for Federal Housing Administration-Insured Multifamily and Single Family loans, the Public Housing Capital Fund, and Section 8 Project Based Vouchers. The deadlines for Choice Neighborhoods, Section 202, and Section 811 are extended until their funding availability announcements for FY26 are published. HAC has supported adoption and implementation of these standards.
EVENTS
Learn how arts and civic engagement come together in rural places
The Department of Public Transformation is hosting an online Engage Rural Intro Session introducing its new arts-based civic engagement program for rural community leaders and artists. The session will highlight creative strategies that strengthen civic participation and trust within communities of 20,000 people or fewer, and explain how the revamped Engage Rural offerings can support local engagement work. Register for the February 25 session here.
PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA
It’s cold out there! HAC publishes a research brief on home heating (and the lack of) in rural America
Home heating is a basic necessity with profound implications for health, finances, safety, and quality of life. Home heating dynamics and conditions, however, are not uniform across the country. Some rural communities and households face home heating challenges due to geography, infrastructure, and economic conditions. Read HAC’s new Rural Research Brief here.
Study reviews “State of the Dream 2026”
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies published State of the Dream 2026: From Regression to Signs of a Black Recession, which looks at the impacts on Black Americans of 2025’s housing policy, employment trends, tax policy, financial system, and more. It says the expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, the permanent extension of the New Market Tax Credit, and the adoption of the HOME program’s final rule will help expand financing for affordable housing developments. It also notes that fair housing enforcement and affirmatively furthering fair housing efforts were rolled back, and Black homeownership remains at 45% compared to 74% for white households.
Maps of potential Opportunity Zones updated
American Community Survey five-year estimated data for 2020-2024, released by the Census Bureau in late January, will be used by the Treasury Department in determining what census tracts will be eligible for designation in the upcoming second round of the Opportunity Zones program. The Economic Innovation Group has updated its map of potentially eligible zones and Novogradac will update its map. Neither of these maps is official, but they illustrate possibilities. Governors will begin designating new OZs on July 1.
HAC
HAC issues statement about housing actions
In a January 26 statement, HAC applauds President Trump’s executive order barring institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes and supports the final appropriations bills passed in Congress to fund HUD and the CDFI Fund. While welcoming this progress, HAC also notes that “funds for several critical programs have yet to be distributed to applicants who are working daily to help low-income rural renters and homeowners. HAC looks forward to working with the Administration and the dedicated career employees at HUD, Treasury, and USDA, to ensure that this backlog, as well as newly appropriated fiscal 2026 funds, are brought to bear urgently on the housing challenges faced by rural Americans.”
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).
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HUD Funding Finally Set for FY26
/in News, Policy Federal Funding, Homeowner Housing, Rental Housing, Rural Policy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentUPDATE, February 4, 2026 – After a brief partial government shutdown over the weekend, on February 3 the House passed the Senate-approved fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill covering several federal agencies, including HUD, and the president signed the measure into law.
UPDATE, January 23, 2026 – On January 22 the House passed the fiscal year 2026 funding bill that covers HUD. The Senate is expected to approve it during the week of January 26. The White House has said President Trump will sign it.
January 22, 2026 – Text has been released for final funding bills that cover most of the agencies operating under a continuing resolution through January 30, including HUD. House and Senate appropriators agreed to keep many HUD programs at the dollar levels they received in FY24 and FY25. Details are shown in the table below. Homeless assistance grants, Section 202 elderly housing, Section 811 housing for persons with disabilities, and housing for persons with AIDS all receive increases. The measure includes enough funding to renew Emergency Housing Vouchers created during the Covid pandemic. In addition, the bill extends the National Flood Insurance Program through September 30, 2026.
— Information about FY26 funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural housing programs is available here. —
HOME, Community Development Block Grants, Native American housing, fair housing, and housing counseling are funded at the same levels as in FY25.
The Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) remains at its recent $12 million level. The Rural Capacity Building program increases from $6 million in FY25 to $7 million this year.
The bill protects Continuum of Care operations while litigation continues regarding program changes HUD proposed. It directs HUD to provide one-year non-competitive renewals of CoC grants that expire in the first quarter of calendar year 2026 and then to continue the same process for each quarter in which it does not make new funding awards.
The bill’s provisions also instruct HUD to change some of its 2025 processes. For example, it requires 60-day comment periods for regulatory proposals.
The House is expected to pass the bill on January 22. The Senate should approve it during the week of January 26. The White House has said President Trump will sign it.
Table: HUD Funding Levels
NA: Not Available
HUD Funding Bills Approved by Committees in House and Senate
August 1, 2025: The Appropriations Committees in both houses of Congress have passed fiscal year 2026 funding bills for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (combined with funding for the Department of Transportation). The full House and Senate have not yet considered these bills. If they do not resolve differences between their proposals for HUD and other parts of the government before FY26 begins on October 1, they will need to adopt a continuing resolution to keep the government open with funding continuing at this year’s levels.
Details of the funding levels in both bills are shown in the table above.
The House Appropriations Committee passed its bill, H.R. 4552, on July 17, with deep cuts in some HUD programs. It does not adopt the administration’s proposal to combine numerous programs into a block grant to states, but does include some of the significant cuts proposed in the administration’s budget: it would provide no funding for HOME or housing counseling, would reduce SHOP from $12 million this year to $9 million, and would drop fair housing from $86.4 million to $29.5 million. It would hold CDBG and Native American programs at current levels. It would also decrease HUD staffing by 26%.
The Senate Appropriations Committee passed its bill, S. 2465, on July 24. In contrast to the House bill, the Senate would provide $1.25 billion for the HOME program. The Senate bill would also increase funding above this year’s levels for housing vouchers, project-based rental assistance, homeless assistance grants, Section 202 elderly housing, and Section 811 housing for people with disabilities. SHOP would be set at $13 million, up from $12 million in FY25, and the Rural Capacity Building program would receive $8 million. The bill would provide $3.1 billion for CDBG compared to this year’s $3.3 billion.
Neither the House nor the Senate would renew expiring Emergency Housing Program vouchers. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities provides state-by-state and demographic estimates of the loss of Housing Choice Vouchers under the House and Senate Transportation-HUD proposals.
More Details Released on Administration’s Proposed HUD Funding
On May 30, 2025, the White House released more details on its fiscal year 2026 budget request. Adding to the information in the “skinny budget” from May 2, this version provides numbers for individual programs. Fiscal year 2026 begins on October 1, 2025.
Reductions to HUD Programs
HUD’s HOME and Community Development Block Grant programs would be zeroed out, along with the competitive programs that serve Native Americans, the Native Hawaiian Block Grant program, HUD’s self-sufficiency programs, and the Pathways to Removing Obstacles (PRO) Housing program. The Fair Housing Initiatives Program, which funds work by nonprofit fair housing organizations, would be defunded as well, though the Fair Housing Assistance Program would continue to support work by state and local governments.
Several other HUD programs – Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, Project-Based Rental Assistance, Public Housing, Section 202 elderly housing, and Section 811 housing for people with disabilities – would be combined into a block grant to states with reduced funding. Rental assistance would be limited to two years for able-bodied adults and a majority of it would be required to go to elders and people with disabilities.
The skinny budget indicated that “short- and medium-term housing assistance … to homeless and at-risk individuals” would also be capped at two years.
The Continuum of Care, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, Emergency Solutions Grants, and other homeless assistance programs would be merged into an “expanded” Emergency Solutions Grant program, which would fund state and local governments.
The budget proposes to defund HUD’s Rural Capacity Building program.
HUD’s Section 4 capacity building program, which serves both rural and urban places, would support only Habitat for Humanity under the budget. For years, Section 4 has also enabled Enterprise Community Partners and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to assist community organizations.
HUD’s Congressional Justifications document, which explains the budget request to members of Congress, reports that FY25 appropriations can support 8,597 full-time HUD staff, while the proposed FY26 levels would provide 6,340 full-time staff, a 26 percent reduction. It is not clear whether the stated FY25 staffing levels take into account some or all of the layoffs that have been attempted in calendar year 2025.
A New CDFI Program for Rural Communities
The budget proposes a new $100 million Rural Financial Assistance Program at the Treasury Department. Community Development Financial Institutions receiving these funds would be required to use 60 percent of their awards for rural areas, with a priority to investments and loans in places with poverty rates of at least 20 percent. At least 10 percent of total program funds would be targeted to persistent poverty counties, where poverty rates have been at or above 20 percent for 30 years or more.
Although rural-serving CDFIs would benefit from the new program, the budget would eliminate funding for the existing CDFI assistance programs, including the Native CDFI programs. The skinny budget stated that “the CDFI industry has matured beyond the need for ‘seed’ money and should at this point be financially self-sustaining.” The CDFI Fund recently indicated that only Congress could eliminate any of its programs: in a response to an executive order, the Fund stated that all of its programs are required by statute.
Disaster relief through FEMA, the Small Business Administration, and USDA would be reduced. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant would terminate.
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness would be eliminated, as would NeighborWorks USA (referenced by its official name, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation). The Appalachian Regional Commission would continue, with lower funding, but other regional commissions would end.
Next Steps
This budget represents the first step in a lengthier process to set appropriations for FY26. Both the House and the Senate will develop their own appropriations bills, which may or may not resemble the President’s proposal. The House and Senate should resolve any differences between their bills and send final versions to the President for signature by September 30. If they do not meet that deadline, a continuing resolution would be needed to keep the government running.
The House Appropriations Committee has scheduled its subcommittee markup of the HUD appropriations bill for July 14, with full committee consideration on July 17. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not released a schedule as of June 3.
The budget reconciliation bill to set future spending and tax levels is a separate process, though it could have an impact on FY26 appropriations if Congress agrees on a bill.
For ongoing news on both appropriations and reconciliation, subscribe to HAC emails, which include the free biweekly HAC News.
RURAL RESEARCH BRIEF: It’s Cold Out There! Home Heating (and the lack of) in Rural America
/in Rural Research Briefs Housing Affordability, Housing ProblemsHome heating is a basic necessity with profound implications for health, finances, safety, and quality of life. Home heating dynamics and conditions, however, are not uniform across the country. Some rural communities and households face home heating challenges due to geography, infrastructure, and economic conditions. Rural homes are located over large geographics areas, have lower housing density, and may lack access to centralized energy infrastructure. These factors, combined with generally lower incomes and an older housing stock, make rural home heating costs and adequacy a concern and policy issue.
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