TOP STORIES

21^st Century ROAD to Housing becomes law

The bipartisan bill passed by both houses of Congress in June became law on July 11 without the president’s signature. HAC will post a summary of the measure’s rural housing provisions. Information is also available from many other housing organizations, including ROADmap: An Implementation Guide to the 21^st Century ROAD to Housing Act from the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders and the Center for Affordable Housing Lending, and 21^st Century ROAD to Housing Act Impacts on Low-Income Households from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

More USDA RD reorganization details available

On July 1, a group of unions, local governments, and others asked to add USDA-related claims to an existing lawsuit challenging the administration’s reorganizations and staff reductions at numerous federal agencies. Two 2025 documents comprising USDA’s Agency Reduction in Force and Reorganization Plan (ARRP) were made part of the public record in the case, providing more details than were previously released regarding the department or its Rural Development mission area. The ARRP is Exhibit A, pages 7-34, of this court filing. Pointing out that some of USDA’s proposals require congressional approval, it indicates that the department’s total staff will be reduced by 23% and RD’s staff by 47%. It says:

Rural Development will:

·         Consolidate the Rural Development subagencies into a single agency

·         Eliminate the State Office structure. As needed, State Office staff will be relocated to one of the five USDA Service Centers.

·         Rural Development plans to transform its Single-Family Housing program from a direct origination loan program to a guaranteed loan program. This can result in a decrease of 852 employees. In addition, Rural Development seeks to have delegated underwriting for all guaranteed loan programs, which will further reduce the number of employees required to deliver RD’s mission. However, Congressional authorization is required for this change.

·         USDA is also exploring transferring Rural Development loan programs to the Small Business Administration and/or the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

At some unspecified point in the future, the ARRP indicates, USDA hopes to consolidate the Farm Production and Conservation mission area with RD to create a single Farming and Rural Development Agency. It is not clear how that plan would fit with possibly transferring RD’s loan programs out of USDA entirely. The ARRP also does not mention that the 2018 Farm Bill requires USDA to have a Senate-confirmed Under Secretary for Rural Development. It does not provide estimates on the costs or consequences of any of the proposed actions. It does provide a timeline showing staff relocations complete in 2025 and congressional actions allowing completion of other changes in 2026, but to date neither the relocations nor the legislative changes have followed that schedule.

USDA rescinds notice on capacity building funds

USDA has rescinded the July 8, 2025 notice of funding opportunity for the FY25 Rural Community Development Initiative. The department will revise the NOFO “to ensure it reflects existing guidance as well as new policy and program priorities that have emerged since the original publication.” Applicants will be required to submit a new application when a new NOFO is issued.

RuralSTAT

Each Federal Home Loan Bank administers an annual competition for the majority of its Affordable Housing Program funds. In 2024, most of the $608 million awarded through these competitions provided gap financing to support the construction and rehabilitation of 26,863 housing units, 86.7% of them in urban or suburban places. Rental units accounted for 90.5% of the total and 94.8% in rural areas. Source: Urban Institute, The Value of the FHLBank System’s Housing and Community Mission-Oriented Programs.

OPPORTUNITIES

Native CDFI relending funds available

USDA’s Section 502 Native relending demonstration program makes loans to certified Native CDFIs which then lend the funds to homebuyers on eligible Native lands. Apply by August 14.

Native American home loan guarantee program expanded

In response to requests from Tribes, HUD has expanded the Section 184 guarantee program. A total of 356 counties and cities across six states are now eligible lending areas, including the entire states of Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, New York, and Virginia. Eligible places and loan limits are listed in Dear Lender Letter 2026-04.

Free technical assistance available to advance energy efficiency and electrification

Small and mid-sized communities (municipalities with populations under 250,000) are eligible for no-cost technical assistance from the Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity initiative to advance equitable residential energy efficiency and electrification initiatives. R2E2, led by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, is intended for local governments and community-based organizations that are actively planning or implementing efficiency programs that incorporate electrification, resilience, housing affordability, workforce development, or community engagement. Apply by July 24.

HUD offers fair housing funds

Four funding notices for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program have been posted, with significant changes from past eligible activities and other criteria:

·         Fair Housing Organizations Initiative, deadline August 6;

·         Administrative Enforcement Initiative, deadline August 6;

·         Private Enforcement Initiative, deadline November 2; and

·         Education and Outreach Initiative, deadline November 2.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Proposed change would allow subsequent loans for acquiring USDA rental properties

USDA proposes to amend its Section 515 regulations to allow subsequent loans to be used for acquisition of properties. This would allow owners of multifamily housing initially financed by USDA to help finance acquisition in preservation transactions. Comments are due August 31.

Treasury begins accepting Opportunity Zones nominations

Between July 1 and September 30 the Treasury Department is accepting governors’ nominations for OZ designations. For links to state websites with more details, visit the Economic Innovation Group’s State OZ 2.0 Resources map. Recommendations for making the OZ designations in a way that will drive investments into rural communities facing persistent poverty are provided in a guide and webinar produced by HAC in conjunction with Partners for Rural Transformation and HOPE Enterprise Corporation.

USDA guaranteed mortgage demonstration to expire

The two-year Payment Supplement Account demonstration program, which began on July 24, 2024, was intended to assist borrowers with Section 502 guaranteed mortgages who experienced hardship and could not make monthly payments. USDA is allowing the program to expire on July 24 this year.

Plaintiffs succeed in one Continuum of Care suit and begin another

On June 29, a federal judge cancelled HUD’s “arbitrary and capricious” funding opportunity notices for the FY25 Continuum of Care program. She did not rule on HUD’s authority to issue similar notices in future years. She also declined to rule on an effort to add the FY26 funding notice to this litigation, but noted that it could be challenged separately. On July 2 a similar group of nonprofits and local governments filed a complaint against HUD regarding the FY 2026 notice, launching a new suit.

HUD proposes to roll back floodplain regulations

Comments are due September 8 on a proposed rule that would rescind and replace most of a 2024 final rule on floodplain management. HUD explains that the change generally would return to the regulations in place before the 2024 rule, although it would maintain some newer flexibilities.

Fair housing guidance withdrawn

HUD has withdrawn several guidance documents related to fair housing enforcement. The documents were issued by its Office of General Counsel between 1990 and 2024.

CRA list of distressed or underserved nonmetro areas posted

The federal bank regulators have released their 2026 list of “distressed or underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geographies” where banks’ revitalization or stabilization activities are eligible for Community Reinvestment Act credit.

Regulators discourage lending to people without work authorization

Interagency Guidance on Lending to Individuals Not Legally Authorized to Work in the United States, issued by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, National Credit Union Administration, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, cautions lenders regarding the potentially elevated credit risk posed by borrowers who do not have work authorization. The statement refers to a similar warning published in June by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

EVENTS

Free virtual training offered for heirs’ property programs

Results for America and Local Initiatives Support Corporation invite local and state governments and community-based organizations to apply for Saving Homes Before They’re Lost: Preventing Heirs’ Property Loss and Resolving Tangled Titles – a free seven-session virtual learning opportunity (called a “Solutions Sprint”) to launch or expand the implementation of heirs’ property prevention and resolution in their jurisdictions. Apply by August 3. Sessions will begin September 16. Find out more about the program and applications on Heirs’ Property Central.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Nonprofits invited to answer survey on possible new insurance program

The Housing Partnership Network is working to develop a new insurance program aimed at helping nonprofit affordable housing owners respond to rising insurance costs, strengthen property operations, and preserve affordable housing in rural and underserved communities. This sector-level effort builds on the success of HPIEx, HPN’s member-based insurance model. HPN is seeks input from leaders across the field to assess whether a broader insurance solution supporting nonprofit organizations beyond HPN’s membership could deliver meaningful value to the sector. Learn more and participate in the survey here.

Guide provides resources for supporting homeowners who may be detained or deported

Housing Advocates Handbook: Working with Homeowners Facing Possible Detention or Deportation, developed by UnidosUS and the National Housing Law Project, is intended to equip housing counselors, attorneys, and advocates with legal and practical guidance, key resources, and action steps to help homeowners and their families prepare for and respond to detention or deportation while protecting housing stability.

Better USDA/EPA coordination recommended to help improve rural water infrastructure

A new Government Accountability Office report, Rural Water Infrastructure: Better Agency Coordination Could Help Unserved Communities Address Their Needs, notes that rural places without drinking water or wastewater utilities face difficulties accessing USDA and Environmental Protection Agency programs that offer financial and technical assistance. GAO recommends ways that USDA, EPA, and states could help rural communities access financial resources for water infrastructure.

HAC

HAC is hiring

HAC job listings and application links are available on our website.

·         Loan Officer

·         Communications Specialist

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!

TOP STORIES

Bipartisan housing bill passes Congress, HAC says further action needed to address rural housing affordability crisis

A revised version of the 21^st Century Road to Housing Act passed the Senate and House by wide margins on June 22 and 23. On June 24 President Trump announced he will not sign it until Congress also passes the unrelated SAVE America Act. After months of bipartisan negotiations over its provisions, the measure includes most provisions of the Rural Housing Service Reform Act as well as revisions to the HOME and CDBG programs, authorization of the PRICE manufactured home program, changes to the definition of manufactured housing, and more. HAC President and CEO David Lipsetz welcomed the bill’s passage while noting that a number of proposals to improve the availability of decent, affordable rural housing remain to be enacted.

Some information released on USDA Rural Development reorganization

USDA has provided the first details on its reorganization plans for Rural Development, after previously announcing plans for some of its other agencies. A June 17 press release and web page state that “select” Rural Housing Service positions will be relocated from the Washington, DC area to St. Louis, while others from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service and Rural Utilities Service will move to Dallas-Fort Worth. At the state and regional office levels, “program delivery employees” will not be relocated. Stakeholders are invited to attend online sessions with agency leaders on June 25 and June 29, and can submit questions here.

Serious housing challenges examined in new report

The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies has released the 2026 State of the Nation’s Housing Report, which describes the interactions between factors including the housing affordability crisis, reductions in both housing demand and construction, increased weather disasters, and ongoing discrimination, coupled with lower federal support and changes in policy emphases. The report notes that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit will be somewhat helpful, but not sufficient to counteract cuts to other programs and the inability of state and local governments to provide aid at the necessary scale.

Status report on Section 515 preservation provided in HAC research brief

The supply of rental homes assisted by USDA’s Section 515 multifamily housing direct loan program continues to shrink, according to a new HAC analysis. Rural Research Brief: USDA’s Section 515 Multifamily Housing Portfolio Continues to Shrink reports on the loss of affordable homes in the Agency’s rental housing program. The departed properties were concentrated in the Midwest and Upper Great Plains. Those owned by nonprofits were far less likely to leave the program before loan maturity than those with other types of owners, the brief notes. Preservation efforts are ongoing, but HAC concludes that more production is needed, as well as more data on why properties leave and whether they remain affordable after they do.

RuralSTAT

Between June 2021 and March 2026, 621 properties containing 14,928 affordable rental apartments left USDA’s Section 515 rural rental housing portfolio. Source: HAC tabulations of USDA data.  

 

OPPORTUNITIES

HUD opens Continuum of Care Builds competition

CoC Builds funds the construction, acquisition, or rehabilitation of new units of permanent supportive housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness where one member of the household has a disability. Eligible applicants are nonprofits; state, local and Tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and Tribal organizations. Applications are due July 23.

Funds offered for development in Mississippi Delta and Black Belt

The Delta Regional Authority’s States’ Economic Development Assistance Program supports basic public infrastructure and transportation infrastructure, in addition to workforce and business development needs, for communities in DRA’s 255 counties and parishes across eight states. Eligible applicants are nonprofits, local governments, regional and economic development organizations, workforce boards, labor unions, colleges, trade schools, minority-serving institutions, and Tribes. Apply by July 31.

Tribal broadband grants available

The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration will make grants under its Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program to Tribal governments, Tribal colleges and universities, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Tribal organizations, and Alaska Native Corporations. Funds can be used for either the deployment and adoption of broadband service on Tribal land or for promoting the use of broadband to access remote learning, telework, or telehealth resources. The deadline is September 17.

CAPITOL HILL

Senate farm bill released

Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released a discussion draft of “Farm Bill 2.0.” The draft does not contain provisions related to the rural housing programs. The House passed its version of the bill in April.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Significant changes proposed for Duty to Serve regulations

The Federal Housing Finance Agency proposes to rewrite its regulations on Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Duty to Serve Underserved Markets. The duty to serve applies to financing affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families in three markets: rural housing, manufactured housing, and affordable housing preservation. The changes would include eliminating specific prescribed activities, focusing on rural regions rather than populations (farmworkers and Native Americans), removing evaluation guidance, and expanding DTS credit for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit investments to cover all three underserved markets, not only rural places. The proposal would not change the definition of colonias that FHFA adopted in 2023. Comments are due July 24.

HUD seeks information on building components made in America

To help implement the Build America, Buy America Act, HUD requests information on the availability of domestically manufactured items necessary for the HUD-funded construction, alteration, maintenance, and repair of housing and infrastructure. It asks for data on individual components, especially from product manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors. Comments are due July 20.

Policy revised for minority depository institutions

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency updated its policy statement on minority depository institutions to remove presumptions that minorities and women are socially or economically disadvantaged. Banks with MDI designations as of June 15, 2026 may maintain their status, although a bank’s OCC examiners may reassess the MDI designation if facts change.

New Continuum of Care provisions challenged in court

A group of local governments and nonprofits have filed a new request in an already pending lawsuit challenging the administration’s attempts to change the program’s emphasis and criteria for grants. They hope to add to the existing suit their objections to the recently issued FY26 Continuum of Care funding notice and their concerns about the pace at which HUD is finalizing renewal funding from FY25.

HUD sets income limits for Native block grant programs

Guidance on FY26 income limits under the Indian Housing Block Grant and Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant programs is posted online.

USDA and FEMA remove disparate impact from civil rights regulations

Both USDA and FEMA have removed regulatory language that allowed disparate impact liability under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs based on race, color, or national origin. Both agencies issued final regulations, effective immediately, saying they fall under exceptions to the usual requirements for prior notice, public comment, and delayed implementation for final regulations.

USDA Rural Development staff changes announced

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on June 23 that Neal Robbins will become Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Rural Engagement. Joe Gilson will serve as Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development. The Regional Operations Manager for Rural Development will be Monica Mason. Robert Hosford has been named Director of State Operations for Rural Development.

EVENTS

HAC offers Section 502 direct loan packaging course in Albany

HAC will hold a USDA Section 502 Direct Certified Loan Packaging Training in Albany, NY on July 21-23. This three-day advanced course prepares participants to become certified Section 502 loan packagers. It is designed for those experienced in using Section 502. A laptop is required for the class for each participant. Following the course, participants are encouraged to take the online certification exam. The registration fee is $825. For more information, contact HAC, registration@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Study shows federal agency workforce changes

A Government Accountability Office publication, Federal Agency Workforce Changes: Update for July 2025 to January 2026, reports that almost 378,000 employees separated during that period and about 127,000 were hired. Most agencies had workforce declines greater than 10%, and multiple agencies had declines exceeding 30%. GAO notes that the Federal Workforce Data website launched by the Office of Personnel Management in 2026 now provides monthly updates of agency workforce data and offers users a tool to create customized reports.

Housing tax credit production varies widely among states

An Urban Institute article titled LIHTC at 40: How Much Affordable Housing Has Been Built in Your State? investigates production through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit for 1986-2022 and 2018-2022 in states and metropolitan areas. The number of LIHTC units per 10,000 people varies with policy choices, financing structures, and local market conditions. The writers find that the “states with the most LIHTC units tend to fall into two groups: those with strong policy and financing ecosystems that support large-scale development (like New York and Washington), and those where lower construction costs allow each tax credit dollar to produce more units (like Mississippi).”

New report highlights persistent public investment gaps in rural communities

The Center on Rural Innovation’s new report, Uneven Ground: Local Public Funding Gaps Between Rural and Nonrural America, highlights structural disparities in public investment that limit rural communities’ ability to drive long-term economic growth. The study finds that rural areas generate and control less local public revenue, constraining investments in infrastructure, workforce development, and entrepreneurship. The report also emphasizes that while federal safety-net programs help stabilize households, they do not build the local capacity needed for durable economic opportunity. The authors call for more place-based, flexible funding approaches to close these gaps and support stronger, more resilient rural communities.

HAC

Assisted by HAC, The Home Depot Foundation improves veterans’ housing

Veterans and their families in 17 rural communities will have better lives, thanks to The Home Depot Foundation and HAC. The Foundation is awarding grants totaling $453,850 to 17 local nonprofit housing agencies around the country to preserve housing for veterans across rural America. The grants are part of the Foundation’s mission to provide affordable and accessible housing solutions to U.S. veterans and invest $750 million in veteran causes by 2030. As part of its Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans Initiative, HAC works with the Foundation to administer grants that bolster and support the work of rural nonprofit housing agencies to deliver critical housing support to veterans. The grantee organizations provide a range of programs.

Next HAC News issue to be out on July 16

There will be three weeks between this issue of the HAC News and the next one, rather than the usual two weeks. The next will be published on July 16, and then the schedule will continue every two weeks after that.

HAC is hiring

HAC job listings and application links are available on our website.

·       Communications Specialist

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!

TOP STORIES

White House budget would support most rural housing programs, cut HUD 

The administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2027, released on April 3, proposes to hold most of USDA’s rural housing programs at or near their FY26 funding levels, while eliminating or revising many HUD programs. More details are posted on HAC’s website, along with a recording of a HAC webinar about the budget. HAC President and CEO David Lipsetz expressed grave concern about the housing programs that would be underfunded or eliminated by the budget and called on Congress to support these resources, as well as to add specific language to appropriations bills requiring the administration to spend appropriated funding.  

The budget process now moves to the House and Senate, which will develop funding bills that may or may not resemble the administration’s requests. In the House, the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee will consider a USDA bill on April 23, followed by a full committee markup on April 28. The Transportation-HUD bill will come before its subcommittee on May 21 and the full committee on June 4. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet released its schedule. 

Simple Transfer Pilot Program extended for USDA-financed rentals 

USDA has extended its Simple Transfer Pilot Program until December 31, 2027. This initiative streamlines ownership transfers for some Section 515 rural rental housing and 514 farm labor housing properties.  

Opportunity Zones designation information published 

The Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance for governors (and equivalent CEOs of territories and D.C.) to nominate census tracts for designation as Opportunity Zones. The document’s appendix identifies the 25,332 census tracts that are eligible for OZ designation based on income levels. Of the eligible tracts, 8,334 are considered to be entirely rural. Between July 1 and September 28, governors will nominate tracts. The IRS and Treasury Department will designate final selections by January 1, 2027. See the Economic Innovation Group’s State OZ 2.0 Resources map for links to state websites with information about public involvement in the nomination process. Recommendations for making the OZ designations in a way that will drive investments into rural communities facing persistent poverty are provided in a guide and webinar recently produced by HAC in conjunction with Partners for Rural Transformation and HOPE Enterprise Corporation.

RuralSTAT

Consistent with national trends, population gain in counties outside metropolitan areas has moderated from past levels. According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, the population outside metropolitan areas increased by 76,234 or 0.2% between 2024 and 2025. Nationally the U.S. population increased by 0.5% between the two years. Population change dynamics in rural areas were evenly split with half of outside metro counties gaining population (972 counties) and the other half (986 counties) losing between 2024 and 2025. Source: HAC tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025. 

OPPORTUNITIES

CDFI Fund FY25 monies closer to being used, rule changes coming, budget proposes revamp for FY27 

On April 9 the Office of Management and Budget “apportioned“ $289 million to the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, representing part of the agency’s FY25 appropriation. Amounts for the FY25 Capital Magnet Fund and Emergency Capital Investment Program were not included. OMB apportionment is one step towards allowing the funds to be used; next, the CDFI Fund must announce awards and obligate the money before it expires on September 30.  

On the same day, Treasury announced the CDFI Fund will issue new proposed regulations relating to CDFIs’ compliance with the law prohibiting support for undocumented persons and with anti-discrimination laws. It did not indicate when the proposal might be released for public comment.  

The administration’s budget for FY27 asks Congress to defund the existing CDFI programs and provide $100 million for a Rural Financial Assistance Program. The White House made the same request for FY26 but Congress did not enact it. HAC’s response to the FY27 proposal commended the focus on rural-serving CDFIs, but did not condone the suggested elimination of other CDFI programs.  

USDA rescinds Rural Energy for America Program funding notice 

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service has rescinded its Notice of Funding Opportunity for grants, guaranteed loans, and combined grants and guaranteed loans under the Rural Energy for America Program. The NOFO was published in October 2024 and covered fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027. RBCS plans to change the REAP regulations and will announce available funding after those changes are published. Applicants who previously submitted applications will be required to submit new applications and must comply with the new regulations.  

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Income and asset changes for USDA tenants take effect 

USDA finalized its changes to the calculation of income and net family assets for Section 515 and 514/516 residents, aligning them with HUD’s regulations under the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA). The changes are effective immediately.  

HUD seeks comment on HOME program’s per-unit subsidy limits 

Comments are due May 11 on HUD’s methodology for determining maximum per-unit subsidy limits for the HOME program. The notice explaining the methodology also establishes the limits that apply to projects for which HOME funds are committed on or after May 11.  

Some fair housing guidance withdrawn 

HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity has withdrawn guidance documents related to source of income, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation, criminal records, advertising, animals as reasonable accommodations, source of income testing, and special purpose credit programs. The withdrawals are effective September 25, 2025, although HUD’s announcement was published April 6, 2026.  

Compliance date set for HOME and Housing Trust Fund property inspection standards 

A new HUD notice sets April 14, 2027 as the compliance date for National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) standards for the HOME and Housing Trust Fund programs. It also provides guidance to HOME participating jurisdictions and HTF grantees on how to develop HOME and HTF written property standards and inspect assisted projects.  

EVENTS

Workshop to explore strategies for sustaining creative spaces in rural communities 

The Department of Public Transformation will host an Activate Rural Public Workshop on May 6, offering a virtual space for artists, community leaders, and rural practitioners to explore strategies for sustaining creative community spaces. The session will focus on practical tools, shared experiences, and approaches to maintaining and strengthening rural creative places as hubs for connection and local development.  

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Paper published on progress in the heirs’ property field

A recent paper examines changes in the heirs’ property field and developments in research, policy, and legal work over the last several decades. The report summarizes major developments and recognizes milestones in research, including HAC’s 2023 national estimate of heirs’ property in the United States. It also offers guidelines for future research to keep moving the heirs’ property field forward.

HAC research highlighted on Heirs’ Property Central 

HAC’s newest website, Heirs’ Property Central, https://heirscentral.org/, now houses all of HAC’s research focused on heirs’ property. Visit the site’s HAC research page to access the publications, including our latest report on the legal process of clearing tangled titles, Understanding Ownership, Unlocking Investment.  

Evictions and climate-related events seem to be largest drivers of homelessness, research concludes 

An academic article titled Factors Associated with Rising Homelessness within US States, 2019 to 2024 reports on an analysis of state-level factors correlated with rising homelessness. Eviction moratoriums were found to be associated with lower increases in homelessness, and homes lost to climate-related events were associated with higher increases. Average rents, unemployment, emergency rental assistance, and substance use were not correlated with year-over-year changes in homelessness.  

News story describes delays and cost increases due to Buy America requirements 

A Build America, Buy America Law is Causing Construction Delays amid the US Housing Crisis, an AP article, says HUD has been taking at least six months to approve many waivers that would allow specific affordable housing developments to use non-American construction materials when they cannot find cost-effective sources for American products, as required by the Build America, Buy America statute. The article quotes Scott McReynolds, Executive Director of the Housing Development Alliance in Hazard, KY, whose difficulties with sourcing materials have led to plans to build small developments that are not subject to BABA.

HAC

HAC is hiring

HAC job listings and application links are available on our website.

• Program Manager, Center for Rural Multifamily Housing Preservation

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!