https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/proclamations or in the Federal Register, 9/15/10.

FISCAL YEAR 2011 BEGINS WITH CONTINUING RESOLUTION. At press time, Congress is expected to pass a continuing resolution funding the federal government through December 3. Most programs will remain at FY10 levels. Check here for an update.

USDA COMMITTING SECTION 502 DIRECT LOANS WITHOUT APPRAISALS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30. Appraisals must be performed before loan closing. USDA RD’s Unnumbered Letter dated September 13 is available at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/ulseptember10.pdf or from RD offices.

RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE FUNDS AVAILABLE. RCDI funds intermediary organizations to provide financial and technical capacity building assistance to local groups. This year’s program includes a “Great Regions” initiative encouraging substantive economic growth, including job creation, in regions with fewer prospects and the greatest need for improved economic opportunity. Deadline is December 22. Visit https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/rcdi/index.htm or https://www.grants.gov. Contact an RD State Office.

HUD OFFERS FUNDS FOR CONTINUUM OF CARE, HOUSING COUNSELING TRAINING. Both NOFAs are posted at https://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/program_offices/administration/grants/fundsavail and www.grants.gov. The Continuum of Care deadline is November 18; contact a HUD field office. The counseling training deadline is October 29; contact Gerard P. Donahoe, Jr., Gerard.P.Donahoe@hud.gov, 202-402-3951.

LEAD HAZARD REDUCTION DEMO GRANT NOFA CORRECTED, DEADLINE EXTENDED. The new deadline is November 4 for some and October 22 for others. The Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program deadline remains October 15. See https://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/nofa10/grpleadcombo.cfm or https://www.grants.gov. Contact Michelle Miller, HUD, Michelle.M.Miller@hud.gov, 202-402-5769.

HUD ASKS CHOICE NEIGHBORHOODS GRANT APPLICANTS FOR ADVANCE NOTICE. Entities expecting to request either planning or implementation grants are asked – but not required – to notify HUD by October 7. See Federal Register, 9/24/10, or https://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/nofa10/grpchoice.cfm. Contact Caroline Clayton, HUD, Caroline.C.Clayton@hud.gov, 202-402-5461.

FINAL FAIR MARKET RENTS SET FOR FY11. On October 4 the final FMRs for Section 8 and other programs will be published in the Federal Register and at https://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Until then, the notice is posted at https://www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx.

REVISED DDA NOTICE PUBLISHED. HUD’s September 9, 2010 notice omitted the tables listing Difficult Development Areas for 2011. A corrected notice is available at https://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/qct.html or in the Federal Register, 9/21/10.

RURAL POVERTY INCREASED IN 2009. The Census Bureau reports in Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009 that the 2009 nonmetro poverty rate of 16.6% was higher than the national level and increased from 15.1% in 2008. Visit https://ruralhome.org for a HAC research note and a link to the Census report. • Separately, the Census Bureau released 2009 American Community Survey data, including poverty and housing figures, for places over 65,000 population. Data for smaller places will be released in December and January. Visit https://www.census.gov/acs/www/. A Census Bureau online tutorial that describes the ACS and how to find ACS data is available at https://www.census.gov/acs/www/guidance_for_data_users/e_tutorial/. • The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Center has been updated to include the 2009 ACS poverty data, and for the first time breaks down child poverty rates by congressional district. Visit https://datacenter.kidscount.org.

DATA ON NONMETRO JOB LOSS AND MIGRATION ANALYZED. USDA Economic Research Service’s Rural America at a Glance 2010, focusing on these topics, is at https://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/eib68/. The rural news website The Daily Yonder reports on ERS’s data and more at https://www.dailyyonder.com/rural-america-2010-%E2%80%94-jobs-and-migration/2010/09/18/2942 and https://www.dailyyonder.com/job-loss/2010/09/13/2935.

HAC News, 8/18/10). RD is first processing conditional commitments issued since May. The notice is available at https://ruralhome.org. For more information, contact an RD office.

BRYAN HOOPER BECOMES RD DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FOR MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING. Hooper directed the Small Business Administration’s Office of Credit Risk Management from 2006 until August 2010, and previously spent 16 years at the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae).

HUD DESIGNATES DIFFICULT DEVELOPMENT AREAS FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT. October 2009 designations of Qualified Census Tracts remain in effect. Visit www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/qct.html. Contact Michael K. Hollar, HUD, 202-402-5878, michael.k.hollar@hud.gov.

RD NOTICE ADDRESSES LEAD-BASED PAINT REGS COMPLIANCE. Administrative Notice 4537 provides guidance for all USDA housing and community development programs regarding HUD’s and EPA’s regulations on leadbased paint. Obtain AN 4537 at www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/an4537.pdf or from an RD office.

GUIDANCE OFFERED ON SECTION 502 DIRECT LOAN INTEREST RATES. An Unnumbered Letter dated September 8, 2010 says some active loans have rates either higher or lower than the authorized rate. Obtain the letter at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/ulseptember10.pdf or from an RD office. Contact Migdaliz Bernier, RD, 202-690-3833, migdaliz.bernier@wdc.usda.gov.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING GOALS FINALIZED FOR FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC. The goals refer to single-family and multifamily affordable housing. Rural housing, along with manufactured housing and rental housing preservation, will be covered in separate “duty to serve” regulations (see HAC News, 3/5/10 and 6/9/10). See Federal Register, 9/14/10, or https://www.fhfa.gov. Contact Nelson Hernandez, FHFA, 202-408-2819.

NEW MANUAL COVERS RIGHTS OF RD HOMEOWNERS AND APPLICANTS. RD Homeownership Programs: Owners’ and Purchasers’ Rights is a detailed guide to the Section 502 direct and guaranteed programs and the Section 504 loan and grant programs. Intended for advocates helping RD clients, it addresses foreclosure avoidance mechanisms, available subsidies, the RD appeals process, and more. Electronic or hard copies are available for $39 from the National Housing Law Project, https://www.nhlp.org.

HOUSING FOR REENTERING PRISONERS DESCRIBED. Reentry Housing Options: The Policymaker’s Guide, published by the Council of State Governments, offers an overview of options and provides three case studies. Visit https://reentrypolicy.org/jc_publications/reentry-housing-options.

REPORT EXAMINES TRENDS IN DATA ON ELDERLY. New Realities of an Older America: Challenges, Changes and Questions from the Stanford Center on Longevity notes, among other findings, that “In 1970, the numbers of older households in central cities, suburbs and non-metropolitan areas were roughly equal . . . Today, there are over 10 million older households in suburbs, compared to 6.5 million in non-metropolitan areas and 6 million in central cities” (page 33). The report is available at https://longevity.stanford.edu/node/1020.

STATES USE ARRA FUNDS TO RETROFIT MULTIFAMILY HOUSING. A fact sheet from the National Housing Trust and Enterprise describes how some states are using the Department of Energy’s State Energy Program for energy efficiency upgrades in multifamily housing. Visit https://www.nhtinc.org.

FORECLOSURES IMPACT HEALTH. Data from urban Alameda County, Calif. show that individual and community health can be affected. Rebuilding Neighborhoods, Restoring Health, by the Alameda County Public Health Department and Causa Justa :: Just Cause, is available at https://www.acphd.org.

WEBSITE OFFERS HMDA DATA HELP. New York Law School’s Economic Justice Project has released an online tool for analyzing data on lending in metro areas made public under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. The site does not generate data itself; it provides instructions for finding, extracting, and using data from other sources. Visit https://hmdanalysis.nyls.edu. Contact EJP, 212-431-2180, rmarsico@nyls.edu.

GET THE HAC NEWS SOONER – GET IT BY EMAIL. To subscribe, visit https://lists.ruralhome.org/lists/info/hac_news. To be removed from the postal mailing list, send a request to lawrence@ruralhome.org.

https://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app10.html.

OMB ISSUES 2010 CIRCULAR A-133 COMPLIANCE SUPPLEMENT. This publication applies to audits of nonprofits and state and local governments for fiscal years beginning after June 30, 2009. Comments are due October 31. The supplement is free at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_circulars or $95 from the Government Printing Office (number 041-001-00677-0), https://www.gpo.gov or 866-512-1800. Contact federal funding agencies.

DAVIS-BACON GUIDANCE FOR SECTION 502 REISSUED. Administrative Notice 4526 (July 28, 2010) is a reissue of AN 4449 (June 15, 2009), explaining how Davis-Bacon wage requirements apply to properties receiving Section 502 direct or guaranteed loans under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Copies are available at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/an4526.pdf or from RD offices. Contact Bill Downs, 202-720-1499, william.downs@wdc.usda.gov.

GUIDANCE PROVIDED ON PROCESSING SECTION 514/516 AND 533 APPLICATIONS. An Unnumbered Letter dated July 9, 2010 applies to Section 514/516 and is at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/RD_UnnumberedList .html. Contact Henry Searcy Jr., RD, 202-720-1753. For Section 533, AN 4521 is at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd-an_list.html. Contact Bonnie Edwards-Jackson, RD, 202-690-0759 or an RD office.

RD CHANGES GUIDANCE FOR SECTION 515 OR 514 DESIGN/BUILD OR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT. RD approval is required for these methods. Administrative Notice 4524 (July 22, 2010) replaces AN 4492, issued in January 2010 (see HAC News, 2/17/10). Copies are available from RD offices or at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/an4524.pdf. Contact Sherry Engel, RD, 715-345-7677.

INFORMATION RELEASED ON SECTION 502 GUARANTEED REO. AN 4522 (July 12, 2010) is intended to guide RD staff dealing with real estate owned by Section 502 guaranteed lenders/servicers. Copies are available at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/an4522.pdf or from RD offices. Contact Michelle Corridon, RD, 202-720-1452, michelle.corridon@wdc.usda.gov.

RD’S INCOME LIMITS MAY DIFFER FROM HUD’S. An Unnumbered Letter dated July 16, 2010 confirms that RD’s income limits, published in a June 2, 2010 Special Procedure Notice, continue to use a hold-harmless policy now discontinued for HUD’s Section 8 program (see HAC News, 5/12/10). Obtain the UL and SPN from RD offices or at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/RegulationsAndGuidance.html. Contact Stephanie White, 202-720-1615.

FHFA CONSIDERS CREATING OMBUDSMAN. Comment by September 7 on a Federal Housing Finance Agency proposed rule that would establish an office to consider complaints about FHFA’s oversight of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. See Federal Register, 8/6/10 or https://www.fhfa.gov. Contact Sandy Comenetz, FHFA, 202-414-3771.

PUTTING SMART GROWTH TO WORK IN RURAL COMMUNITIESreport issued. A new publication from the International City/County Management Association, showing how smart growth principles can be applied in rural places, is free at https://icma.org/en/icma/knowledge_network/documents/kn/Document/301483/ Putting_Smart_Growth_to_Work_in_Rural_Communities.

GAO REPORTS ON RURAL HOMELESSNESS. As mandated by the 2009 HEARTH Act, GAO studied the characteristics of rural homelessness, available assistance, and barriers. Rural Homelessness: Better Collaboration by HHS and HUD Could Improve Delivery of Services in Rural Areas (GAO-10-724) is available free at https://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-10-724 or at cost from GAO, 866-801-7077.

ANNUAL DATA SHOW PROGRESS ON CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING STALLED. Some indicators have improved and others, including child poverty rates, have worsened, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2010 Kids Count Data Book. Figures for states, counties, cities, and school districts are available at www.kidscount.org.

HAC SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR RURAL HOUSING AWARDS. Nominations are due September 15 for the Cochran/Collings Award for national rural housing service, the Skip Jason Community Service Award, and the Henry B. Gonzalez Award for local or tribal elected officials. The honors will be presented at the National Rural Housing Conference in December. For details, visit https://ruralhome.org or contact Lilla Sutton, HAC, 202-842-8600, lilla@ruralhome.org.

Access a pdf version of this HAC News. • Senate Committee supports USDA rural housing programs for 2011 • HUD FY 2011 funding bills move forward • Banking reform act becomes law with housing provisions • HUD issues guidelines for state and local agencies’ subsidy layering reviews • Revisions proposed to HUD Code for manufactured housing • Unnumbered Letters give USDA multifamily housing guidance

July 21, 2010
Vol. 39, No. 15

SENATE COMMITTEE SUPPORTS USDA RURAL HOUSING PROGRAMS FOR 2011. On July 15 the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a USDA funding bill for FY 2011, boosting Section 502 single-family loans and holding most other rural housing programs level. The Committee rejected the Obama Administration’s proposed elimination of USDA’s MPR rural rental preservation demonstration program and also kept Section 515 rental housing at $69 million. The loan level for Section 502 guaranteed loans would double to $24 billion; 3.5% origination fees and 0.5% annual servicing fees would make the program self-supporting. Section 502 direct loans received a modest increase to $1.2 billion. House appropriators passed a 2011 USDA spending bill on June 30, but its details are not yet available. The full Senate bill (S. 3606) and the Senate Committee’s report, are available at thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app11.html.

a. Includes Recovery Act funds.

HUD FY 2011 FUNDING BILLS MOVE FORWARD. The House Appropriations Committee approved the Transportation-HUD bill on July 20, making no changes in the funding levels reported in the HAC News, 7/7/10. The Senate’s T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee passed a bill on July 21 and the full Committee is expected to mark it up July 22. Details have not been made public yet but will be posted at www.ruralhome.org when available.

BANKING REFORM ACT BECOMES LAW WITH HOUSING PROVISIONS. The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act adds $1 billion to the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, extends the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act, and authorizes new foreclosure-related efforts. Find H.R. 4173 at https://thomas.loc.gov.

HUD ISSUES GUIDELINES FOR STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES’ SUBSIDY LAYERING REVIEWS. No additional HUD reviews would be needed for project-based Section 8 properties. See Federal Register, 7/9/10, https://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-16827.pdf. Contact Michael Dennis, HUD, 202-402-3882.

REVISIONS PROPOSED TO HUD CODE FOR MANUFACTURED HOUSING. Comments are due September 13 on revisions recommended by the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee. See Federal Register, 7/13/10 or https://www.regulations.gov. Contact HUD’s Office of Regulatory Affairs and Manufactured Housing, 202-708-6401.

UNNUMBERED LETTERS GIVE USDA MULTIFAMILY HOUSING GUIDANCE. A UL dated May 20 clarifies the closing responsibilities for Multi-Family Housing Revitalization Demonstration Program transactions. Contact multifamily@stl.usda.gov with “MPR” in the subject line. A UL dated May 19 addresses completion and proper submission of multi-family housing payment documents. Both are available at www.rurdev.usda.gov/RD_unnumberedList.html or from RD offices. Contact Diane Larson, RD, 712-243-2915.