TOP STORIES

Continuing resolution funds government through September 30

The continuing resolution signed into law on March 15 provides federal funding through September 30, the end of fiscal year 2025. Final funding levels for most USDA housing programs and HUD programs will not be known until late April because the CR gives agencies 45 days to submit plans to Congress showing how they will divide their appropriated funds among programs. It provides flexibility for USDA to move funds among Rural Development programs to make their funding levels as near as possible to the levels in FY24, and specifically instructs the department to transfer $34 million from other RD programs to Section 521 Rental Assistance. Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee calculated that the CR’s reductions or small increases in HUD funding could lead to evictions of 32,000 tenants as well as lower levels of aid for new construction and for people experiencing homelessness. The CR does not include any of the congressionally directed spending (earmarks) listed in the bills developed last year in the House and Senate.

Executive Order cuts several agencies, including CDFI Fund and homelessness council

A March 14 Executive Order requires that several agencies, including the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, eliminate their non-statutory functions. The EO gives agency heads one week to report to OMB what parts of their agencies are required by statutes. Both the CDFI Fund and USICH have funding for FY25 under the continuing resolution. Among the many immediate reactions supporting the CDFI Fund was one from within the administration. A credit union news site reported that the Defense Credit Union Council wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressing concern and explaining the CDFI Fund programs’ importance in serving military base communities and veterans. Bessent’s response recognized the important role of the CDFI Fund and CDFIs, calling them “a key component of President Trump’s commitment to supporting Main Street America in the pursuit of job growth, wealth creation, and prosperity.” He also noted that the CDFI Fund’s programs were statutorily created. The co-chairs of the Senate’s CDFI Caucus, Mark Warner (D-VA) and Mike Crapo (R-ID), issued a statement “reaffirm[ing] our bipartisan commitment to support the CDFI Fund’s mission.”

HAC CEO David Lipsetz issued a statement describing the CDFI Fund’s positive impacts for rural housing and its historical bipartisan support. “The path forward must strengthen, not undermine, our ability to serve hardworking rural families,” Lipsetz concluded. “They deserve nothing less.”

Two judges order rehiring of federal workers

Federal judges hearing two separate cases on March 13 ordered the Trump administration to reverse its layoffs of thousands of government employees, at least temporarily while litigation continues. Judge William Alsup required the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs to rehire probationary employees. The Justice Department has appealed the decision. A similar order from Judge James Bredar covered some of the same departments, as well as Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Labor, State, Transportation, CFPB, EPA, and other agencies. The government has appealed this decision also.

RuralSTAT

A 60-year-old man living in a rural area can be expected to live an average of two fewer years than an urban man. For women, the rural-urban gap is six months. Source: Jack M. Chapel, Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, Bryan Tysinger, The Urban-Rural Gap in Older Americans’ Healthy Life Expectancy, Journal of Rural Health.

OPPORTUNITIES

Apply Now: OneRural 2025 Technical Assistance

HAC is now accepting applications for OneRural Technical Assistance Services, offering customized support to rural nonprofits, Tribal housing entities, and local governments. This program helps organizations strengthen their housing and community development efforts through expert guidance and capacity building. Applications are open through April 15. Learn more and apply at OneRural 2025 – Housing Assistance Council.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Judge freezes EPA termination of greenhouse gas reduction awards

On March 18 a federal judge blocked EPA’s attempt to terminate three of its Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund awards. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act provided $20 billion for the GGRF’s National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator. EPA announced eight awards in April 2024, then on March 11 this year said all eight were terminated. The three NCIF awardees sued EPA, resulting in the judge’s temporary restraining order. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has also asked EPA’s Inspector General to review the GGRF program for financial mismanagement and other irregularities. In addition, the Justice Department and the FBI are investigating the program. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has requested more information from Justice and the FBI.

Fair housing groups challenge HUD termination of funding

Fair housing organizations, represented by law firm Relman Colfax, have filed suit against HUD and DOGE for terminating their Fair Housing Initiatives Program grants. FHIP funds nonprofits to investigate housing discrimination complaints, assist individuals facing discrimination, and collaborate with local governments to expand fair and affordable housing opportunities.

HUD nominees announced

President Trump has nominated Andrew Hughes to be deputy secretary of HUD. Hughes is currently HUD Secretary Scott Turner’s chief of staff and held the same position under Secretary Ben Carson during the first Trump administration. David Woll, who was principal deputy assistant secretary for community planning and development under Carson, has been nominated to be HUD’s general counsel. Both positions require Senate confirmation.

HUD delays energy efficiency requirements

On April 26, 2024, HUD and USDA published a notice adopting energy efficiency standards for some housing programs and providing compliance dates for covered programs. A new notice from HUD delays compliance dates by six months for FHA-Insured Multifamily, FHA-Insured Single Family, Public Housing Capital Fund, Choice Neighborhoods, Section 202, and Section 811 properties. The compliance date for Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers is delayed until April 1, 2026. For HOME, the Housing Trust Fund, and RAD, the compliance dates have already passed and the requirements are already in effect. If a HOME or HTF project receives funding from any of the programs with a later compliance date, the later date applies. USDA has not delayed compliance dates for its programs.

Federal Housing Finance Agency increases control over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

On March 14, William J. Pulte was sworn in as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. On March 17, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac filed documents removing several members of their boards of directors, naming new board members, and installing Pulte as chair of both. On March 18, one of the new appointees resigned from Fannie Mae’s board.

Non-citizens no longer eligible for USDA guaranteed mortgages

USDA  terminated a waiver that allowed non-citizens with valid social security numbers and work authorizations to apply for Section 502 guaranteed mortgages. The waiver, first announced on April 22, 2022, was ended effective March 18.

USDA single-family loan limits posted

FY25 area loan limits for the Section 502 direct mortgage program and Section 504 home repair loans are now available online.

HUD and Interior create joint task force to use federal lands for affordable housing

HUD Secretary Scott Turner and Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum recently announced a Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing that will “identify underutilized federal lands suitable for residential development, streamline land transfer processes and promote policies that increase the availability of affordable housing.” The secretaries wrote that “overlooked rural and tribal communities will be a focus of this joint agreement.”

EVENTS

HAC offers Section 502 direct loan packaging course in Atlanta

HAC will hold a USDA Section 502 Direct Certified Loan Packaging Training in Atlanta, GA on April 22-24. 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

Lowest income renters face shortage of 7.1 million affordable homes 

The Gap 2025: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, published by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, shows there are only 35 affordable and available homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households in the U.S. NLIHC presents data for states and for the 50 largest metro areas. North Dakota, which has the least severe shortage, has only 62 rental homes affordable and available for every 100 ELI renters.

Pennsylvania hopes to address factors limiting rural growth

A story from National Public Radio in Pittsburgh, Reviving Rural Pa. Should Start with Shoring up Local Governments, Says State Commission, describes recent proposals by the state’s Rural Population Revitalization Commission to improve growth and development. Many rural communities face challenges in accessing government funds, such as limited capacity to apply for and administer these resources. The commission is exploring ways the state government may be able to lower burdensome requirements and promote local communities working together to overcome resource limits. It may also consider merit- or needs-based requirements for programs, to ensure rural communities are not left out.

Study connects poor quality housing and poor health

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health developed the Housing Quality Metric, which integrates data on structural deficiencies, housing cost burden rates, and neighborhood perception to identify high-risk census tracts. In a new study, researchers report that communities with poorer housing conditions have higher proportions of adults reporting fair or poor health.

New research focuses on women farmworkers

A recent publication titled Experiences of Women Farmworkers in Michigan: Perspectives from the Michigan Farmworker Project explores the unique challenges that women farmworkers face. Both social and occupational hazards are highlighted including sexual harassment, reproductive health concerns, and work-life balance challenges. The findings show a need for policies that address common barriers for single female farmworkers.

HAC

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

HAC responds to USDA RD and HUD cuts

HAC has issued a statement in response to recent reports that at least 550 USDA Rural Development staff (subscription required) have been let go, leaving state office staffing levels at “half or less than half” of normal, and that 50% of HUD’s staff will be discharged. A group of senators has written to HUD Secretary Turner requesting more information by February 21. No details are available on the number of staff at either department who accepted a now-closed buyout offer extended to most federal workers. An executive order requires federal agencies to hire not more than one employee for every four employees that depart. That order does not apply to public safety, immigration enforcement, or law enforcement, and a freeze on IRS hiring remains in place. HAC’s statement concludes that “the affordable housing crisis in rural America requires more capacity and attention, not less.”

Administration begins announcing canceled spending

As the Trump administration reduces spending across federal agencies, DOGE is listing some of the canceled contracts and leases on its website. HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced on February 13 that HUD has “already identified over $260 million in savings and we have more to accomplish.” USDA reported on February 14 that it had “terminated 78 contracts, which totaled more than $132 million” and was reviewing more than 1,000 others. Additional details should be available eventually under a February 18 presidential memo telling agency heads to make public “the complete details of every terminated program, cancelled contract, terminated grant, or any other discontinued obligation of Federal funds” while complying with laws, regulations, and the terms of the contract or award.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s future awaits court action

On February 8 Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, told CFPB employees to stop work. The National Treasury Employees Union and others filed suit on February 13 to keep the agency operating. A federal judge ordered the administration to keep the agency’s staff and funding in place while the lawsuit proceeds. She set a hearing for March 3. As of February 19, most parts of the agency’s website were online, although the home page was not. President Trump has nominated Jonathan McKernan to be CFPB director but he has not yet been confirmed by the Senate.

President tells agencies to review funding to nonprofits

A memo from President Trump says “many” nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are actively undermining the national interest. He instructs the heads of all federal departments and agencies to review funding to NGOs and “align future funding decisions with the interests of the United States and with the goals and priorities of my Administration.” Nonprofit organizations involved in international work are often called NGOs, but the term can refer to those working domestically as well, and this memo applies to agencies that fund both domestic and international activities.

Federal spending freeze still blocked

Temporary restraining orders imposed by federal courts in D.C. and Rhode Island, both of which require the administration to keep spending funds as appropriated by Congress, remain in place while the suits continue. Responding to complaints that funds were still being withheld, the Rhode Island judge added another order to enforce the first. A federal appellate court denied the administration’s appeal of that order.

RuralSTAT

Manufactured home shipments increased by 15.8% in 2024 from 2023 levels. In 2024 manufacturers shipped more than 103,000 new manufactured homes to dealers, up from 89,000 shipments in 2023. Source: HAC tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufactured Home Survey. Shipments data not seasonally adjusted.

OPPORTUNITIES

HAC offers aid for resident service coordination in Section 515 properties

HAC has opened the application process for the first cohort of the Service Coordination Technical Assistance Program. Thanks to a generous grant from the AARP Foundation, HAC will provide technical assistance to an initial group of eight to ten owners of USDA Section 515 rental properties to build resident service coordination programs. Applications will be accepted through March 15. For more information, contact Seth Leonard, HAC.

Grants to be made for local data

The Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Local Data for Equitable Communities grant program is accepting proposals from nonprofits seeking to collect, analyze, and use data to improve conditions of a place, focusing on activities such as housing, healthy food access, transportation, and others. Applications are open through March 18.

Funds offered for housing counseling agencies

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition’s Field Empowerment Fund will make grants to HUD-approved housing counseling agencies that are also NCRC members located in eligible geographies. Funds can be used to support housing counseling for first-time homebuyers and building agency knowledge on heirs’ property challenges. The deadline is March 14.

Support available for distressed farmers

The Distressed Borrowers and Financially Distressed Farmers Assistance Network of the 1980 Universities Foundation offers funding to community-based nonprofits, some institutions of higher education, and state or county governments that will provide tailored, one-on-one support and technical assistance to tackle the unique financial challenges of distressed borrowers, financially distressed farmers, and underserved farmers, ranchers, and foresters. DBAN aims to stabilize farmers financially and enhance their access to farm loan programs, USDA programs, and other services and resources. Apply by March 6.

CAPITOL HILL

Federal funding set to end March 14

The continuing resolution that currently funds the federal government runs through March 14. It is not yet clear whether Congress will adopt another short-term CR, a CR to cover the rest of FY25, or an omnibus appropriations bill, or will allow the government to shut down. Meanwhile, for future funding the House and Senate are developing separate versions of bills that would include program dollars as well as tax provisions and would be adopted through a “reconciliation” process that makes a bill easier to pass. The texts of the bills are not yet available from either house, but it is clear that both will propose cutting safety net programs, increasing funding for the military and border control, and extending tax cuts. Budget resolutions – essentially frameworks for bills – have passed the House and Senate Budget Committees. The Senate resolution covers spending and a second bill is expected to address tax provisions. The House resolution includes both spending and taxation.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

For HOME, SHOP, homeless programs, and more, Buy America requirements apply only to projects with five or more units

Notice CPD-2025-01, issued by HUD’s Community Planning and Development office, provides a straightforward way to determine when the Build America, Buy America Act applies to housing financed under CPD programs. Projects with one to four units are considered to be private and are not subject to BABA. Those with five or more units are deemed “public infrastructure” and BABA applies. The notice also includes information on several other BABA topics. It encourages grantees to contact their assigned local field offices to discuss issues and concerns.

HUD moves to change Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule

HUD has developed an interim final rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing to replace the 2023 proposed rule that was withdrawn in January 2025. The new rule has been submitted to OMB for review. Its text is not yet publicly available.

HUD to revise rule on gender identity

On February 7, HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced HUD would stop enforcing its 2016 rule requiring providers to treat individuals according to their gender identity and would instead require services to be based on sex at birth. On February 12, HUD submitted a proposed rule change for OMB review. The proposal itself is not yet publicly available.

Two USDA RD state directors named

Most USDA Rural Development state offices are being run by acting state directors, but the process of appointing new state directors is underway. Jesus Ortega has been named director for Illinois and Alida Ceballos has taken the position for Nevada.

Effective date delayed for changes to Section 502 guarantee program

In August 2024 USDA RD published a final rule for the Section 502 single-family mortgage guarantee program, making changes to the use of special servicing options for non-performing loans and adjusting the Mortgage Recovery Advance process. The rule was scheduled to take effect on February 11, 2025, but that date has been deferred to April 14, 2025.

EVENTS

Save the dates! HAC’s National Rural Housing Conference planned for November 3-7

HAC is excited to announce that the 2025 National Rural Housing Conference will take place November 4-7 in Washington, DC, with pre-conference activities on November 3. This biennial event is an unparalleled opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate with fellow leaders in rural development. Whether you’re a long-time participant or joining us for the first time, you’ll find a welcoming space where challenges and solutions in rural housing come to the forefront. Sponsorship information is posted here. To receive more details as they become available, watch the HAC News or sign up for conference emails.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

New toolkit outlines strategies to improve LIHTC housing impacts

The Alliance for Housing Justice partnered with the Poverty & Race Research Action Council on a recent publication titled Moving LIHTC Towards Social Housing: A Toolkit. This guide is intended to help tenants, advocates, nonprofits, and state officials reform how Low-Income Housing Tax Credit dollars are used, ensuring permanent and deeper affordability, better tenant protections, and more community control.

Community Facilities program helps keep rural hospitals open

A report from USDA’s Economic Research Service, Federal Assistance and Rural Hospital Closings: The Impact of the USDA Community Facilities Program, notes that the CF program is one of the major federal resources providing financial assistance to rural hospitals. Severe financial stress is the primary cause of rural hospital closures, and ERS found that rural hospitals with CF program funding were less likely to close than those without such support.

Federal worker data compiled

There were just over 3 million federal government employees in November, or 1.87% of the civilian workforce, the Pew Research Center reports. Pew’s analysis of 2024 figures examines workers’ distribution across agencies and states, their salaries, their jobs, and more.

HAC

Online disaster guide supports survivors of Appalachian floods

To assist our rural partners and communities affected by the recent flooding in central Appalachia, HAC offers an online resource guide with information for individuals and families in the disaster area. Other disaster resources from HAC include Rural Resilience in the Face of Disaster and a Disaster Response for Rural Communities Guide.

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

Save the dates! HAC’s National Rural Housing Conference planned for November 3-7

HAC is excited to announce that the 2025 National Rural Housing Conference will take place November 4-7 in Washington, DC, with pre-conference activities on November 3. This biennial event is an unparalleled opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate with fellow leaders in rural development. Whether you’re a long-time participant or joining us for the first time, you’ll find a welcoming space where challenges and solutions in rural housing come to the forefront. Sponsorship information is posted here. To receive more details as they become available, watch the HAC News or sign up for conference emails.

Lawsuits on federal spending freeze continue

On January 27, the Office of Management and Budget issued Memorandum M-25-13, instructing federal agencies to temporarily stop obligating or disbursing funds – except for payments directly to individuals – while they analyzed their programs for compliance with the executive orders President Trump issued during his first week in office. The next day, two lawsuits were filed in federal courts challenging OMB’s directive, one in the District of Columbia by the National Council of Nonprofits and others, and the second in Rhode Island by 22 states and D.C., led by New York State. On January 29, OMB issued Memorandum M-25-14, which rescinded M-25-13, but both suits are still being litigated. Both judges have issued temporary restraining orders (available here and here) putting the spending freeze on hold while court proceedings continue.

Turner confirmed as HUD Secretary

The Senate confirmed Scott Turner as Secretary of HUD on February 5. The Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously supported Brooke Rollins’s nomination as USDA Secretary on February 3, but the full Senate has not yet voted to confirm her.

February is Black History Month

A proclamation by President Trump recognizes February as National Black History Month. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History explains this year’s theme, African Americans and Labor.

RuralSTAT

Between 2000 and 2022, the mean wages of U.S. workers grew by 15%. Wage growth was not distributed evenly, however. The top 10% of earners’ wages grew by 26%, while the wages of the bottom 50% grew by only 8% during the same time period. Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Trends and Patterns of Job Quality in the United States.

OPPORTUNITIES

HUD offers awards for excellence in Tribal communities

The new Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Tribal Communities acknowledges innovative approaches, best practices, policies, and community engagement that make significant contributions to serving HUD-assisted Tribal residents. Awards will be considered under four priority areas: community development, new housing construction, supporting Native youth, and honoring and serving Native veterans. Nominations are due February 28 and may be made by Tribes, Tribal leaders, TDHE staff, Tribal partners, and other individuals and organizations working in the Tribal space. There is no fee to submit a nomination.

Small grants available to address rural issues in Western states

The Western Rural Development Center at the University of Idaho is accepting proposals for grants of up to $35,000 to address critical challenges and opportunities in rural Western communities. Multistate projects must involve at least two Western land-grant institutions and include both research and extension activities. Fellow projects are for Western faculty from land-grant institutions. The graduate assistance program is available to Ph.D. students. Apply by March 7.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Remove 10 regulations for every new one, Trump orders

An Executive Order requires repeal of at least 10 existing rules, regulations, or guidance documents for every new one promulgated. It also states that for FY25, the total incremental cost of all new regulations must be “significantly less than zero.” For FY26 and later years, OMB will set a cap on each federal agency’s total incremental cost of new regulations. Agency actions related to defense, foreign relations, and immigration are exempt from this EO’s provisions and OMB is given authority to exempt other categories as well.

New HOME regulation effective date delayed

Pointing out that its action is consistent with President Trump’s January 20 memorandum titled Regulatory Freeze Pending Review, HUD has delayed the effective date of the final rule for the HOME program that was published January 6. The rule will take effect on April 20 rather than February 5. Note that the compliance dates for some portions of the rule are not the same as the effective date.

USDA rental programs’ credit report rule delayed

USDA’s recently published a final rule to update its regulation on obtaining credit reports for developers using its multifamily housing programs, scheduled to take effect on January 30. USDA has changed the effective date to March 31.

President-appointed council to review FEMA

The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense will head a new Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council with up to 18 other members, all appointed by the President. A report evaluating the agency will be due in mid-August.

Rural Partners Network website down

USDA and other agencies launched the Rural Partners Network in 2022 to help “rural people build economic development through job creation, infrastructure development, and community improvement,” as described on an archived version of its website. The website is currently “temporarily unavailable while we perform updates and improvements.” Since June 2024, funding applications from RPN communities have been receiving priority points from USDA Rural Development.

Consumer Finance Protection Bureau director removed

After President Trump removed Rohit Chopra from his position, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is now serving as acting director of the CFPB.

EVENTS

Webinar series to address administration’s impacts on Indian Country

The Native CDFI Network will host a series of Thursday webinars on Navigating the Executive Orders of the New Administration and Impacts They Could Have on Indian Country. Recordings and materials, including those from the first session on February 6, will be available online for NCN members. NCN plans to provide updates on federal funding and policy, risks to key programs, and strategies to navigate funding uncertainties and drive economic progress in Indian Country.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Old mine sites become homes for flood survivors in Kentucky

Kentucky’s Mountaintop Mines are Turned into Neighborhoods, a New York Times article, describes a state effort to build 665 homes for survivors of the 2022 eastern Kentucky floods on reclaimed strip mine land, well above the floodplain. It features two long-time HAC partners, HOMES, Inc., and the Housing Development Alliance.

Study reviews rural evictions, 2000-2018

An academic article titled Eviction and the Rental Housing Crisis in Rural America, by Carl Gershenson and Matthew Desmond, examines evictions filed in counties outside metropolitan areas from 2000 to 2018. The authors found about 220,000 evictions filed in these counties each year, an average rate of around 4.3% while the metro area filing rate was about 9.7%. Eviction filing rates outside metro areas were highest in heavily Black counties in the rural Southeast, in counties with higher rent burdens, and in those where more households included children. While eviction filing rates in metro counties fell from 2000 to 2018, rural rates remained flat.

Homebuilders seek exemption from proposed tariffs

The National Association of Home Builders has written to President Trump, urging him to exempt building materials from his proposed tariffs against Canada and Mexico. Noting that almost 25% of imported building materials come from those two countries, NAHB states that tariffs will raise materials costs and increase home prices, contrary to the president’s goals of increasing the housing supply and improving affordability.

Black-owned farms uplift local economies and highlight climate-smart farming practices

A Civil Eats op-ed titled Black Producers Have Farmed Sustainably in Kansas for Generations. Let’s Not Erase Our Progress tells the story of Nicodemus, Kansas and the resilience of Black-owned farms that have supported the rural community since the 1870s. JohnElla Holmes, president and CEO of the Kansas Black Farmers Association, writes that as other Black-owned farms around the country are slowly disappearing, Nicodemus offers a story of hope because Black farmers’ land ownership is on the rise in that area. Holmes emphasizes the need for programming that supports and preserves Black-owned farms.

Guide focuses on rural healthy housing

The National Environmental Health Association and the National Center for Healthy Housing released a new guide, Opportunities to Address Healthy Housing Needs in Rural and Frontier Communities, highlighting best practices for public health professionals to address environmental and housing health hazards for rural communities.

HAC

HAC is hiring

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

• Financial Controller

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!