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HAC News... information on rural low-income housing issues

September 28 , 2011

Vol. 40, No. 20

SEPTEMBER 15-OCTOBER 15 IS NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. President Obama’s declaration is posted at http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/proclamations.

HOUSE TO CONSIDER CONTINUING RESOLUTION OPTIONS ON SEPT 29. The House will choose between two bills passed by the Senate to provide federal funding for the beginning of FY12. H.R. 2017 would fund the government through October 4 and H.R. 2608 through November 18. Both would fund USDA and HUD housing programs at FY11 levels with a 1.5% across the board cut. The bills are at http://thomas.loc.gov (search by bill number).

SENATE COMMITTEE ACTS ON HUD SPENDING. On September 21 the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a FY12 Transportation-HUD spending bill with substantial differences from the House subcommittee bill (see HAC News, 9/14/11). The Senate funded and the House did not fund housing counseling, Sustainable Communities, and Choice Neighborhoods. The Senate provided less funding for CDBG, HOME, Section 202, Section 811, fair housing, and HOPWA – but more for rental assistance vouchers, public housing capital and operating funds, and SHOP. The Rural Innovation Fund did not receive any funding in either bill. Further action on this and other appropriations bills is unclear. An omnibus package combining most of the bills is a likely possibility, with no further action taken on individual measures. The Senate report on S. 1596 is at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=112_cong_bills&docid=f:s1596pcs.txt.pdf.

HUD Program

(dollars in millions)

FY10 Approp.

FY11

Approp.b

FY12

Admin. Bdgt.

FY12

House Bill

FY12

Senate Bill

Cmty. Devel. Block Grants

   Sustainable Commun. Initiative

   Rural Innovation Fund

$4,450

(150)

(25)

3,508

(100)

0

3,781

150

(25)

3,500

0

0

3,001

(90)

0

HOME

1,825

1,610

1,650

1,200

1,000

Tenant-Based Rental Asstnce.

   Vets. Affairs Spptve Hsg. Vchrs

18,184

(75)

18,408

(50)

19,223

(75)

18,467.9

(75)

18,872.4

(75)

Project-Based Rental Asstnce.

8,551.5

8,882

9,429

9,028.7

9,018.7

Transforming Rental Asstnce.

a

-

0

200

0

0

Public Hsg. Capital Fund

2,500

2,044

2,405

1,532.1

1,875

Public Hsg. Operating Fund

4,775

4,626

3,962

3,861.9

3,961.9

Public Hsg. Revtlztn. (HOPE VI)

135

100

0

0

0

Choice Neighbrhd. Initiative

65

0

250

0

120

Housing Trust Fund

-

0

1,000

0

0

Native Amer. Hsg. Block Grant

700

650

700

648.7

650

Homeless Assistance Grants

1,865

1,905

2,372

1,901.2

1,901.2

Hsg. Opps. for Persons w/ AIDS

335

335

335

334.3

330

202 Hsg. for Elderly

825

400

757

600

369.7

811 Hsg. for Disabled

300

150

196

196

150

Fair Housing

72

72

72

71.9

64.3

Healthy Homes & Lead Haz. Cntl.

140

120

140

119.8

120

Self-Help Homeownshp. (SHOP)

27

27

0

15.9

17

Housing Counseling

87.5

0

88

0

60

a. New program proposed by the Administration.

b. Figures shown do not include 0.2% across the board reduction.

BUDGET CONTROL ACT’S IMPACT ON HUD PREDICTED. Materials from a September 27 webinar by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities show future funding reductions for discretionary federal programs, including HUD housing, likely to occur under the recent deficit reduction legislation; visit http://www.cbpp.org/research/index.cfm?fa=topic&id=143. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (“Super Committee”; see HAC News, 8/18/11) now has a website at http://deficitreduction.senate.gov.

HUD POSTS GENERAL SECTION FOR FY12 NOFAS. NOFAs for individual funding programs will be published later. The general section applies to all. Visit http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/fundsavail.cfm or http://www.grants.gov. Contact HUD’s grants management office, 202-708-0667.

HUD OFFERS MULTIFAMILY ENERGY INNOVATION FUNDS. Applications are due October 20 for Multifamily Energy Pilot grants from an FY10 Energy Innovation Fund, intended to stimulate innovative, replicable approaches for increasing the energy efficiency of existing multifamily properties. Both categories – financing and applied research – require matching funds. Eligible applicants include nonprofits and for-profits with portfolios over 1,000 units, special purpose financing entities like housing trust funds, and CDFIs. Visit http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/nofa10/grpeif.cfm. Contact Theodore Toon, HUD, 202-708-0001.

HUD SEEKS FEEDBACK ON HEALTHY HOMES DESIGNATION. Comments are due October 14 on a proposal to designate communities as Safe and Healthy Homes Investment Partnerships providing multiple housing-based interventions and leveraging non-federal resources. These places would not receive direct funding, but might receive bonus points in future HUD NOFAs. See Federal Register, 9/14/11 or http://www.regulations.gov. Contact Jon L. Gant, HUD, 202-708-0310.

HOUSING GSE REGULATIONS UNDER REVIEW. The Federal Housing Finance Agency requests comments by November 22 on its plan to review regulations promulgated by its predecessors (HUD's Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, HUD's GSE oversight team, and the Federal Housing Finance Board). Individual regulations will be published for comment as well. Visit http://www.fhfa.gov or http://www.regulations.gov. Contact Alfred M. Pollard, FHFA, alfred.pollard@fhfa.gov, 202-414-3788.

INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON SECTION 502 GUARANTEE PROGRAM FEES. New fees for the program begin October 1. Visit http://www.rdlist.sc.egov.usda.gov to sign up for emails and https://usdalinc.sc.egov.usda.gov/USDALincTrainingResourceLib.do to access documents, including frequently asked questions. Contact the national office guarantee division, 202-720-1452.

500 PLACES MAY LOSE ELIGIBILITY FOR USDA HOUSING PROGRAMS, HAC ESTIMATES. Analyzing recently released 2010 Census data, HAC calculated that 500 cities, towns, and villages could be reclassified as ineligible because their populations have grown. Future research will identify places that have lost population and could become newly eligible. Over 9 million people live in the potentially ineligible places (the report notes that not all would be eligible for housing aid, based on income or other program requirements). After the 1990 and 2000 censuses, legislation “grandfathered in” such places so they remained eligible; it is not known whether Congress will pass such a measure this year. The report, titled Estimating Potential Changes to USDA-RD’s Eligible Area Designations, lists of places, and an archived webinar presentation are available at http://www.ruralhome.org. Contact Lance George, HAC, lance@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600.

REGISTER FOR HAC’S SENIOR HOUSING SYMPOSIUM, NOV. 9-10, SEATTLE. Housing Seniors in Rural America: Aging in Place in a Shifting Landscape will feature discussions on aging in place; resources for repairing, developing, and preserving rental and homeownership units; and examples of successful practices in the field of affordable senior rural housing. Register online at http://www.ruralhome.org or contact Dan Stern, HAC, registration@ruralhome.org.

Housing Assistance Council

1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 606, Washington DC 20005

(202) 842-8600 | hac@ruralhome.org | www.ruralhome.org