HAC would like to congratulate John Henneberger of Texas Low Income Housing Information Service on his selection as a 2014 MacArthur Fellow. John received the honor in in recognition of his innovation with regard to post-disaster recovery.
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While there are now fewer homeless veterans than in the past, there are growing number of homeless veterans with families, including many women. NPR examines the unique needs of these populations.
The HAC loan fund is hosting two upcoming webinars that will provide an overview of its products and help organizations in rural areas better understand how to access and creative utilize capital from HAC.
Understanding HAC Loan Products: An Overview on Uses, Eligibility Requirements and Restrictions
The HAC loan fund lends only to organizations that develop housing in rural areas and does not offer programs accesible for individuals looking for housing. If you are looking for housing for yourself, visit our “Looking for Housing” page.
On August 7, 2014, HAC wrote a letter to Tony Hernandez, USDA’s rural housing programs administrator, to express concern about tenants in properties that will lose USDA Section 521 Rental Assistance when their USDA mortgages mature. Over 8,000 properties with Section 515 or Section 514 mortgages are expected to make their last payments to USDA by the year 2020. Because many of the tenants rely on USDA Section 521 Rental Assistance, which is available only when a USDA mortgage is in place, thousands of tenants in those 8,000 properties risk losing their aid when these mortgages mature.
HAC’s letter to Hernandez encourages USDA to follow HUD’s practice and ask property owners to notify tenants at least nine months before their Rental Assistance ends. The letter also asks for a dialogue between HAC, USDA, and other interested parties to identify approaches to keeping the housing affordable.
A new GAO report on manufactured housing addresses Efforts Needed to Enhance Program Effectiveness and Ensure Funding Stability. The report includes several recommendations for federal agencies to improve their use of manufactured housing.
The Department of Agriculture is partnering with the private sector to launch a new investment fund stocked with $10 billion to go toward rural infrastructure development.
On the evening of December 4, 2014, the Housing Assistance Council will present rural housing awards as part of the Rural Housing Awards Banquet at the National Rural Housing Conference. An individual or individuals providing outstanding and enduring service on the national level will be honored with the Cochran/Collings Award for Distinguished Service in Housing for the Rural Poor. A local leader or leaders in rural housing development will receive the Skip Jason Community Service Award.
The Cochran/Collings Award for Distinguished Service in Housing for the Rural Poor honors individuals who have provided outstanding and enduring service, with national impact, for the betterment of housing conditions for the rural poor, with emphasis on the poorest of the poor in the most rural areas.
The award is named after Clay Cochran and Arthur M. Collings, Jr. Dr. Cochran was a mentor and pioneer in the rural housing movement whose work in low-income rural housing dates back to the 1930s and 1940s. Mr. Collings’ dedication to improving housing conditions for low-income rural Americans was unmatched. His feistiness and humor, added to his extensive knowledge of USDA’s rural housing programs, made him unique and well-loved around the country. Dr. Cochran passed away in 1982. Art Collings passed away in March 2010.
Previous winners of this award include Clay Cochran, Obediah Baker, Thomas Carew, Peter Carey, Gordon Cavanaugh, Arthur M. Collings, Jr., Cushing Dolbeare, Eileen Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Herring, Robert Rapoza, Shirley Sherrod, William Simpson, Arnold Sternberg, and four members of Congress: Eva Clayton, Rubén Hinojosa, Stan Lundine, Bennie Thompson and Ed Pastor.
Significant achievements and/or contributions in any or all of the following areas:
The Skip Jason Community Service Award recognizes people whose efforts have improved the housing conditions of the rural poor in their communities. The award acknowledges people who work “in the trenches” and usually go unrecognized outside their communities.
The award is named after Robert “Skip” Jason, a long-time housing activist with considerable community experience, who died in 1982 while employed as HAC’s Government Services Director.
Prior recipients of this award include David Arizmendi, Clanton Beamon, Lorna Bourg, Guillermo Castaneda, Emma Clifford, John P. David, Paul Douglas, Cora Esquibel, Rose Garcia, Owyne Gardner, Manuel Gauna, Alfred Gold, Arturo C. Gonzales, Patty Griffiths, Dana M. Jones, Stan Keasling, Lewis Kellom, Steve Kirk, Barbara Lamphere, Jerome Little, Sabino Lopez, Griffin Lotson, Lynn Luallen, Steve Mainster, Selvin McGahee, Rito Medina, Madeline Miller, Polly Nichol, John “Jack” Rivel, Jr., Linda Smith, Ted Smith, Lauretta Brice Stephens, Bessie Swan, Mario Villanueva, Sharon Walden, Jim Wilcox, Dwayne Yost, and John Zippert.
Significant achievements and/or contributions in any or all of the following areas:
~For information, contact Lilla Sutton, HAC, 202-842-8600, lilla@ruralhome.org.
Citigroup has agreed to pay $7 billion to settle claims that it committed fraud in the years leading up to the financial crisis. Two and a half million will go to mortgage relief for struggling homeowners.
July 14, 2014 – USDA’s Rural Housing Service has temporarily authorized three steps to speed processing of Section 502 direct loans, hoping to use all FY14 funding for these mortgages before the fiscal year ends on September 30. USDA Rural Development field staff are authorized to:
The authorizations are explained in an Unnumbered Letter dated July 7, 2014. For further information, contact a USDA Rural Development office.