HAC News Formats. pdf

December 16, 2015
Vol. 44, No. 25

• FY16 funding bill increases Rental Assistance and HOME • Tax extenders bill would make 9% LIHTC and EITC permanent • Highway law includes HUD housing provisions • House committee approves housing bill • FHFA proposes new duty to serve rule for Fannie and Freddie • HUD final rule defines chronic homelessness • FY16 Fair Market Rents set • Comments on manufactured home code requested • Rental housing study finds growing demand • KEEP YOUR HAC NEWS COMING – BY EMAIL!

HAC News Formats. pdf

December 16, 2015
Vol. 44, No. 25

FY16 funding bill increases Rental Assistance and HOME. The omnibus appropriations bill, which is expected to become law, raises some of USDA’s rental housing programs above the levels previously considered by House and Senate committees. Increases were possible because the 2015 Bipartisan Budget Act raised the spending cap for FY16 (see HAC News, 10/28/15); caps will be lower for FY17. Section 521 Rental Assistance, which did not have enough funding in FY15 (see HAC News 11/11/15), gets almost $1.39 billion, $75 million of which is set aside for renewing RA contracts that use up their funds before the end of their 12-month contract periods. USDA is required to provide quarterly reports on Rental Assistance use. Section 542 vouchers – for tenants in properties whose Section 515 loans have been prepaid – are allocated $15 million. The MPR rental preservation program receives $22 million. [tdborder][/tdborder]

Despite previously proposed cuts in the House and Senate funding bills, the omnibus raises HOME program funding above its FY15 level to $950 million. CDBG remains at $3 billion, and SHOP continues at $10 million.

Tax extenders bill would make 9% LIHTC and EITC permanent. Congressional leaders negotiated a tax bill that would make the 9% minimum Low Income Housing Tax Credit floor permanent and retroactive to January 1, 2015. It would extend the New Markets Tax Credit for five years at $3.5 million per year. It also makes permanent the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. The House may vote on December 17, and the Senate after that.

Highway law includes HUD housing provisions. The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (H.R. 22), signed into law on December 4, included four housing measures that passed the House earlier in 2015. One lets public and assisted housing administrators verify income once every three years instead of annually for tenants with fixed incomes. One allows private nonprofits to administer permanent housing rental assistance provided through the Continuum of Care Program. Another permits owners (including nonprofits) of HUD multifamily housing to use property income. The fourth authorizes a HUD demonstration program for energy- and water-saving agreements.

House committee approves housing bill. On December 10, the House Committee on Financial Services approved H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity through Modernization Act of 2015. The bill makes some changes in HUD rental programs, including altering tenants’ income calculations.

FHFA proposes new duty to serve rule for Fannie and Freddie. The Federal Housing Finance Agency regulation will implement a statutory requirement for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to serve the rural, manufactured housing, and affordable housing preservation markets. An FHFA webinar on December 22 will explain the rule and address questions submitted in advance. Comments will be due 90 days after publication in the Federal Register. Contact Jim Gray, FHFA, 202-649-3124. HAC will hold a webinar focusing on the rural component of the rule, probably in January, and will post its comments at ruralhome.org before the deadline. Contact Lance George, HAC, 202-842-8600.

HUD final rule defines chronic homelessness. The definition will be used in HUD’s Continuum of Care Program and in jurisdictions’ ConPlans. Contact Norm Suchar, HUD, 202-708-4300.

FY16 Fair Market Rents set. HUD’s final FMRs took effect Dec. 11. Contact a local HUD program office.

Comments on manufactured home code requested. HUD invites the public to propose changes to update and revise its Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. Comments are due March 31 and will be submitted to the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee for review and consideration. Contact Pamela Beck Danner, HUD, 202-708-6423.

Rental housing study finds growing demand. America’s Rental Housing:Expanding Options for Diverse and Growing Demand, by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, documents increases in households renting their homes, resulting in increased cost burden rates at all income levels from 2001 to 2014. The lowest-income households far outnumber the rental units affordable to them.

KEEP YOUR HAC NEWS COMING – BY EMAIL! Beginning in 2016, the print version of the HAC News will no longer be available. The News will still be published every two weeks, will still provide the same concise updates on issues important to rural housers, and will still be free. Back issues will continue to be available online at https://ruralhome.org. Sign up now to receive the News by email: https://oi.vresp.com/?fid=d6efb14510.