Applications Due soon! HAC Seeks Proposals for Its Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans (AHRV) Initiative

HAC’s Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans initiative supports local nonprofit housing development organizations that meet or help meet the affordable housing needs of veterans in rural places. Grants typically range up to $30,000 per organization and must support bricks-and-mortar projects that assist low-income, elderly and/or disabled veterans with home repair and rehab needs, support homeless veterans, help veterans become homeowners, and/or secure affordable rental housing.

This initiative is funded through the generous support of The Home Depot Foundation.

Applications are due by 5:00PM (EST) on or before November 15, 2019.

Download the Application Package: Application | Application Guidelines

For more information, contact HAC staff, ahrv@ruralhome.org. No phone calls please.

People and Places 2019

The Housing Assistance Council is a co-host of People & Places 2019 on April 15–17 in Arlington, Virginia (minutes from Washington, DC). Eighteen national nonprofits have joined forces to present this national community development event. We’re raising up local solutions that advance prosperity in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. HAC will be presenting a session on April 15th from 4:15 to 5:45 entitled “Rural Arts & Design: a Proven Strategy Toward Equity, Affordable Homes and Stronger Local Economies.”

Explore the agenda an speakers for this dynamic, peer-learning event. Learn what’s working to promote equitable development, strengthen the flow of capital, remediate blight, make places healthier, and much more. Together, our networks will go to Congress to raise our voices on behalf low-income people and disinvested places.

People and Places 2019 Event Banner

Materials Posted – Looking at 2020: The Administration’s Rural Housing Budget

Materials Posted

Power Point Presentation | Webinar Recording

The Trump Administration’s budget for fiscal year 2020 proposes to eliminate many housing programs. Caps on federal spending are due to come back into force for FY20. The House and Senate are now controlled by different parties. What can we anticipate as the funding process moves forward?

Join HAC’s rural housing experts for a review of the current situation and an explanation of the next steps.

Register Now: Section 502 Packaging Training in Kansas City, MO

Join HAC on in Kansas City, MO on May 7 – 9 2019 for the Section 502 Packaging Training for Nonprofit Housing Developers.

Register-Now-Button

This three-day advanced course covers USDA Rural Development’s Section 502 Direct Loan Program and provides invaluable insight as to how this homeownership financing resource can be utilized. Learn how to assist potential borrowers and work in partnership with RD staff, as well as other nonprofit organizations and regional intermediaries to deliver successful Section 502 loan packages.

This course is intended for and specifically framed for those experienced in utilizing Section 502 and/or other affordable housing mortgage products. Participants will learn regulations and practical applications of the loan program, while developing a strong understanding of 502 direct underwriting and packaging standards. Following the course, participants are encouraged to take the online certification exam.

Following the course, participants are encouraged to take the online certification exam.

The registration fee for this event is $750.

HAC now accepting applications for rural veterans housing grants

vets fin resourcesHAC’s Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans initiative supports local nonprofit housing development organizations that meet or help meet the affordable housing needs of veterans in rural areas. Grants may be up to $30,000 and must support bricks-and-mortar projects that assist low-income, elderly and/or disabled veterans with home repair and rehab needs, support homeless veterans, help veterans become homeowners, and/or secure affordable rental housing. This initiative is funded through the generous support of The Home Depot Foundation. Applications are due March 11.

Download the Application package: Application | Application Guidelines

For more information, contact HAC staff, ahrv@ruralhome.org.

Materials Posted: Proposed Changes to CRA – What Does It Mean for Rural America?

Materials Posted

PowerPoint Presentation | Webinar Recording | HAC Reports on CRA in Rural America

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently issued a call for input on its regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act, which requires banks to help meet the credit needs of the communities they serve. OCC’s notice says it is building a new framework to transform and modernize its CRA rules.

Please Join the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) for an overview of the proposed changes and a discussion on how rural communities can weigh in on the proposal.

Materials Posted – Part 1 – Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH): An Overview

Materials Posted

PowerPoint Presentation | Webinar Recording

Permanent supportive housing has been identified in both the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness and the Ending Veteran Homelessness Initiative as a critical resource for ending homelessness. Within VA, HUD-VASH is the primary service that provides permanent supportive housing. Through collaboration with HUD, HUD-VASH provides Housing Choice Vouchers designated to participating Public Housing Authorities (PHA) to assist with rent payment. VA provides clinical case management and services to assist Veterans obtain and sustain permanent housing while also assisting Veterans with access to treatment and other supportive services that promote their quality of life and full reintegration back into their communities.

HUD-VASH operates on the Housing First principles and is intended to target and care for the chronic and most vulnerable homeless Veterans. Housing First is an evidence-based approach based on the premise that housing is a basic human right and does not have prerequisites such as sobriety or clean time. It prioritizes housing, then assists individuals with access to health care and other supports that promote stable housing and improved quality of life.

The primary goal of HUD-VASH is to move Veterans and their families out of homelessness into permanent supportive housing while promoting maximum Veteran recovery and independence in the community. A key component of the program is VA’s case management services. These services are designed to assist Veterans in obtaining and sustaining permanent housing and engage in needed treatment and other supportive services that improve the Veteran’s quality of life and end their homelessness. Because Veterans experience homelessness for a variety of reasons, case management is individually tailored to meet the needs of each HUD-VASH Veteran.

This webinar, the first in a two part series that will provide information to community providers on housing services available to Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The webinar will provide an overview of the HUD-VASH program including who is eligible for services and how to make a referral for a Veteran to be assessed for admission. There will also be information on how HUD-VASH vouchers are allocated and the difference between tenant-based and project-based HUD-VASH vouchers.

There's Still Time to Nominate Someone for a Rural Housing Award

HAC is still accepting nominations for its 2018 Cochran/Collings National Service and Skip Jason Community Service Leadership Awards. Nominations are now due Friday, September 14, 2018. The awards will be presented at the 2018 Rural Housing Conference in December. Complete the online nomination form.

Questions? Contact HAC’s Lilla Sutton at (202) 842-8600 or lilla@ruralhome.org.

Sec. 533 Housing Preservation Grants available

USDA’s Rural Housing Service offers grants under its Section 533 Housing Preservation Grant program. Nonprofit, local government agencies, and tribes are eligible. Funds can be used for repair and rehabilitation of owner-occupied or rental homes in rural places. Applications are due August 9, 2018.

Pre-applications for USDA Farmworker Housing Funds Due August 27

USDA’s Rural Housing Service is now accepting pre-applications for Section 514 Farm Labor Housing loans and Section 516 grants. The funds can be used to construct new housing and related facilities, or to purchase and substantially rehabilitate property that will become housing for farm laborers. Pre-applications are due to USDA Rural Development State Offices on August 27, 2018.