Vol. 50, No. 16

TOP STORIES

Eviction moratorium for renters expires, new limited moratorium issued.

The federal moratorium on eviction of tenants facing pandemic-related economic issues, which had been in place since the Centers for Disease Control imposed it in September 2020, expired on July 31. On August 3, CDC issued a new moratorium that applies through October 3 in “U.S. counties experiencing substantial and high levels of community transmission” of the coronavirus, currently a large portion of the country. While this version is in effect, individual counties’ eligibility will change based on data tracked by the CDC, which categorizes the transmission rate in each county as high, substantial, moderate, or low. Resources for renters needing assistance to pay rent or utilities are compiled in many places online, including on HAC’s website.

Eviction moratoriums for defaulting homeowners extended to September 30.

Homeowners who have defaulted on federally backed mortgages are protected against evictions by moratoriums extended through September 30 by USDA for Section 502 direct borrowers and Section 502 guaranteed borrowers, VA, the Federal Housing Administration, and the Federal Housing Finance Administration (which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac). These agencies did not, however, extend their moratoriums on foreclosure: those expired on July 31. The extended eviction moratoriums are intended to give foreclosed homeowners enough time to find financial assistance or to move. Information about mortgage forbearance (delayed payments) and other options for homeowners is available from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and each agency offers aid to its homeowners.

Save the date! 2021 National Rural Housing Conference scheduled.

The Housing Assistance Council is pleased to announce plans to convene its 2021 National Rural Housing Conference and Training! The conference provides an excellent opportunity to network and improve connections to federal agencies, national intermediary organizations, and other vested stakeholders. The HAC News will announce when registration opens.

Senate committee approves USDA funding bill, House passes USDA and HUD bills.

On August 4 the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2022 funding bill for USDA. Details are posted on HAC’s site. Like the House bill, the Senate version would provide modest increases for some rural housing programs. It would take a different approach to rental housing preservation, increasing the Section 515 program from $40 million in FY21 to $92 million in FY22, while setting the Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization program at the $32 million figure requested in the administration’s budget. The House would keep Section 515 at $40 million and increase MPR to $60 million. The next step in the process will be full Senate consideration of the committee’s bill. The House passed H.R. 4502, a “minibus” package of seven appropriations bills, including USDA’s and HUD’s, on July 27.

Infrastructure deal moves forward without housing.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill under consideration in the Senate, H.R. 3684, does not provide any housing funding. It does include $2 billion for USDA’s rural broadband programs.

Confirmation hearing held for Torres Small.

The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing July 29 on the nominations of Xochitl Torres Small to be Under Secretary for Rural Development at USDA and Robert Bonnie to be Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. The committee has not yet voted whether to send either nomination to the full Senate for consideration.

RuralSTAT

Between July 1 and July 31, communities outside of metropolitan areas reported 178,000 new cases of COVID-19 – a 171% increase over the previous 30-day period. Source: HAC tabulations of public health data from the New York Times. A Rural Research Brief updating the COVID-19 situation in rural America is available on HAC’s site.  

OPPORTUNITIES

USDA farm labor housing loans and grants available.

From September 1 to November 1, USDA will accept pre-applications for Section 514 loans and Section 516 grants for off-farm farmworker housing. The funding notice published on February 2 provides details. For more information, contact Abby Boggs, USDA, 615-490-1371.

HUD offers Healthy Homes Production grants.

Nonprofits and state, local, and tribal governments can apply by October 19 for the Healthy Homes Production Grant Program, which addresses housing-related hazards in a coordinated fashion, rather than a single hazard at a time. For more information, contact Yolanda Brown, HUD, 202-903-9576.

VA two-year rental assistance funds can be used nationwide.

The Supportive Services for Veteran Families program offers several kinds of aid, including rental assistance for low-income veterans who might otherwise be homeless. In a few high-cost counties (listed here, with additions listed here), grantees have been permitted to provide rental assistance for up to two years before recertification. Describing the lack of affordable housing as “a national crisis,” VA is now extending this two-year provision to all counties and county equivalents throughout the U.S. and territories, effective immediately. For more information, contact John Kuhn, VA, 202-632-8596.

Economic development funding offered.

The Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration has opened several competitions, including one for Indigenous communities and one for coal communities, intended to assist economic recovery in previously underserved places impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Application deadlines vary, with the earliest on October 19.

Green building webinar scheduled by HAC.

“Build Smart” Webinar Series Part 1: Green Building Case Studies, scheduled for August 12, will showcase several projects that are successfully implementing Green Building practices in their affordable housing developments and share their best practices for green building on a budget and constructing net zero energy homes for low-income buyers.

Investing in rural infrastructure webinar announced.

Investing in Infrastructure: Rural Strategies for Building and Maintaining Healthy Local Economies, scheduled for August 16, will explore why new federal funding presents a momentous opportunity to invest in rural physical infrastructure and how communities can effectively take advantage of this funding to build thriving rural places. This is the latest in the Rural Opportunity and Development (ROAD) Sessions, virtual exchanges co-designed and hosted by the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, HAC, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Rural LISC, and the Federal Reserve Board.

Broadband improvement campaign needs consumer input.

Let’s Broadband Together, a project of Consumer Reports and a coalition of other groups, invites people with internet access to contribute information for a campaign aimed at improving access quality and cost. The process, which CR estimates takes seven minutes, includes an online test of the consumer’s internet speed, sharing an internet bill, and answering a few questions.

HAC job openings: Portfolio Management Associate and Community Facilities Housing Specialist.

For details, visit HAC’s website.

• The Portfolio Management Associate is an entry-level position and will assist in managing HAC’s portfolio of loans made to entities engaged in affordable housing activities in rural communities throughout the United States. This individual will assist in a range of lending activities – including closing, disbursement, monitoring, and servicing single- and multifamily housing development loans – in the Loan Fund Division.
• The Community Facilities Housing Specialist identifies and engages community stakeholders and provides direct technical assistance to rural organizations that are developing facilities such as parks, community centers, public libraries and childcare centers. This includes helping them identify, utilize and apply for financial resources such as USDA Community Facilities grants and loans. This is a two-year position and is eligible for telecommuting.

CORONAVIRUS

COVID-19 infection rates have resurged in rural America.

COVID-19’s impact on rural America continues to evolve. After declining case rates and signs of optimism, infection rates have begun to increase again in rural communities with certain areas and regions experiencing distressing levels of new COVID-19 cases. HAC’s latest Rural Research Brief, COVID-19 in Rural America, July 31, 2021, examines the health, employment, and housing impacts over the entire course of the pandemic.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Heirs’ Property Relending Program nears launch.

USDA expects to open a two-month signup window in late August for Community Development Financial Institutions to apply for funds they will relend to agricultural producers and landowners facing heirs’ land ownership and succession issues. Heirs who inherited family land without a will or legal documentation of ownership may use the loans to resolve title issues by financing the purchase or consolidation of property interests and financing costs associated with a succession plan. Comments on the program’s final rule are due October 8. For more information, contact Md Mutaleb, Farm Service Agency, 202-720-3168.

HUD to release FY22 Fair Market Rents.

Fair Market Rents that take effect on October 1 will be available on August 6. Comments are due September 30.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Rural U.S. economies will benefit from expanded Child Tax Credit, study concludes.

The effect of the one-year Child Tax Credit expansion will be proportionally greatest in places outside metropolitan areas, according to Measuring the Child Tax Credit’s Economic and Community Impact, a new report from the Niskanen Center. Researchers calculated the total dollar amounts the CTC expansion will generate and their impacts on household spending, state and local sales tax revenue, and jobs. Estimates are reported by state and congressional district.

Annual fair housing report shows increased harassment in 2020.

The National Fair Housing Alliance’s 2021 Fair Housing Trends Report provides an analysis of housing discrimination complaints filed last year at the local, state, and national levels. While the overall number of housing discrimination claims remained consistent in 2020, more than 1,000 harassment claims were reported, compared to 761 in 2019. Asian American and Pacific Islander communities reported a rise in harassment, and claims of sexual harassment also rose among tenants who were unable to pay their rent due to job loss or unemployment.

Lost rent means small landlords defer maintenance.

An Urban Institute analysis of May 2021 data found that 28% of “mom-and-pop” landlords deferred maintenance during the pandemic. Finances were the reason most commonly cited, and 41% of landlords who lost rental income deferred maintenance compared with 18% of those who did not lose rental income.

COVID-19 impact on farmers, farmworkers, and productivity estimated.

Researchers from Purdue University estimated the number of cases and deaths among farmers and farmworkers from March 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 and concluded the pandemic reduced U.S. agricultural output by about $309 million over that period. Purdue’s Food and Agriculture Vulnerability Index Dashboard provides cumulative estimates, updated daily, for workers across every state and several commodities.

Data on Native American labor market available.

The Center for Indian Country Development at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank has created a Native American Labor Market Dashboard to provide data on labor force participation, employment, and unemployment. The site allows users to compare American Indians and Alaska Natives to the entire U.S. population, and to compare residents of metropolitan areas with those outside metro areas.

Primer aims to help build healthy rural places.

The Build Healthy Places Network has published A Primer for Multi-Sector Health Partnerships in Rural Areas and Small Cities to provide guidance on cross-sector collaboration between the community development, finance, public health, and healthcare sectors.

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).

Vol. 50, No. 15

TOP STORIES

FY22 housing funding to be considered in House before end of July.

The House of Representatives has rolled several appropriations bills, including the USDA and HUD bills, into a “minibus” for consideration during the week of July 26. The measures, as approved by the House Appropriations Committee, would increase some USDA rural housing programs and most HUD programs above their FY21 funding levels. The committee’s draft report on the USDA bill urges attention to farmworkers’ needs, while the draft report on HUD funding encourages support for Central Appalachian communities impacted by the downturn in the coal industry and gives HUD some specific instructions on its FY22 funding competition for Native American housing grants.

OCC will propose rescinding 2020 Community Reinvestment Act rule.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu announced on July 20 that his office will propose reversing the CRA regulation it issued in June 2020, which has not yet gone into effect. He pledged to work with the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which did not join the OCC’s 2020 rule, to develop a new proposal based on a Fed notice published in October 2020. HAC’s comments on the Fed’s notice and on an earlier draft of the OCC’s 2020 rule are posted online.

Bills outline House Democrats’ housing infrastructure priorities.

Three bills introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), chair of the House Financial Services Committee, would provide new support for housing programs, including rural housing. Although the administration included housing funds in its American Jobs Plan infrastructure proposal, housing is not covered in the Senate’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and it is not yet clear what housing provisions will be in the Senate Democrats’ $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, which will also address healthcare, climate change, and more. The three Waters bills are intended to mark the Chairwoman’s housing priorities for the reconciliation package, with negotiations not expected to begin in earnest until this fall after the bipartisan package is completed.

Waters’s Housing is Infrastructure Act would invest over $600 billion in housing infrastructure, including vouchers, public housing capital needs, the National Housing Trust Fund, HOME, and other HUD programs. Many of the HUD provisions include a 10% setaside for areas of persistent poverty. Additionally, the bill would provide $5 billion to fully address the capital needs backlog of the Section 515 and 514 rural housing programs, $500 million for Section 504 homeowner repair grants (not restricted to elderly owners, as the grant program usually is), $2 billion for Native American and Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grants, and setasides of $2 billion and $250 million in CDBG funds to address the housing and community infrastructure needs of colonias and resident-owned manufactured housing communities, respectively. A $10 billion program for neighborhood revitalization would include $250 million for SHOP and a $500 million setaside for communities outside metropolitan areas.

The Ending Homelessness Act would transform the Housing Choice Voucher program into a federal entitlement and the Downpayment Toward Equity Act would provide $100 billion to help first-generation homebuyers.

Housing costs remain out of reach throughout the country.

There is no state, county, or metropolitan area in the U.S. where a full-time minimum-wage worker can afford a modest two-bedroom rental home, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing 2021 report. Data is available by county, zip code, state, and metro area on NLIHC’s site.

OMB will not raise population threshold for metro areas.

On January 19, 2021, OMB published a proposal to change its definition of metropolitan statistical areas so that an area would need a population of at least 100,000 rather than 50,000 to be considered metropolitan. After receiving more than 800 comments, the vast majority of them – including HAC’s – opposing the change, OMB has decided to keep the metro area threshold at 50,000 and to conduct further research on the subject. Delineations of areas based on the 2020 standards and 2020 Census data will be published in 2023. For more information, contact Bob Sivinski, OMB, 202-395-1205.

House committee advances rural broadband bill.

On July 14 the House Agriculture Committee approved H.R. 4374, the Broadband Internet Connections for Rural America Act, which would revise USDA’s broadband programs and increase available funding.

OPPORTUNITIES

Self-Sufficiency Service Coordinator funds available.

Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency Service Coordinator funding enables nonprofits, PHAs, TDHEs, tribes, and resident associations to assess HUD-assisted residents’ needs and link them to training and services. Applications are due September 17. For more information, contact HUD staff, ROSS-PIH@hud.gov.

Pandemic-related fair housing enforcement opportunity opens.

The Fair Housing Initiatives Program – Private Enforcement Initiative American Rescue Plan will fund experienced fair housing enforcement organizations to conduct new projects relating to discrimination arising in connection with the pandemic or to sustain core fair housing enforcement and education activities. Apply by August 18. For more information, contact Kimberly Harley, HUD, 202-402-4753.

HAC seeks Community Facilities Housing Specialist.

The Community Facilities Housing Specialist identifies and engages community stakeholders and provides direct technical assistance to rural organizations that are developing facilities such as parks, community centers, public libraries and childcare centers. This includes helping them identify, utilize, and apply for financial resources such as USDA Community Facilities grants and loans. This is a two-year position and is eligible for telecommuting.

RuralSTAT – UPDATE AND RETRACTION.

HAC has received several questions and comments regarding the RuralSTAT on ‘USDA Exited Properties’ published in the July 22 edition of the HAC News. While we believe the analysis is substantively accurate, there have been some concerns and discrepancies identified with the underlying data used for that RuralSTAT analysis. Therefore, HAC is retracting this item and we will work to provide an updated analysis as soon as possible.  We greatly thank the robust body of experts and practitioners who alerted HAC to these issues. HAC strives to provide the most accurate data and information, and we thank you for assisting us in this effort. If you have questions or need any assistance, please contact Lance George at lance@ruralhome.org.

CORONAVIRUS

Rent aid to tenants increased in June, researchers suggest ways to improve distribution.

As the July 31 end of the federal eviction moratorium approaches, the Treasury Department reports that over $1.5 billion in federal assistance was delivered to 290,000 households in June, about 85% more households than in May. Census Bureau data shows that in late June and early July 3.6 million households believed they were “somewhat likely” or “very likely” to be evicted in the next two months. Resources discussing ways to improve distribution of these funds and prevent evictions include:

• Alliance Resource Series: Using COVID-19 Federal Funding to End Homelessness, National Alliance to End Homelessness;
• Designing for Housing Stability: Best Practices for Court-Based and Court-Adjacent Eviction Prevention and/or Diversion Programs, American Bar Association & the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program;
• Direct-to-Tenant Payment Implementation: Increasing Flexibility and Equity in Emergency Rental Assistance Programs, National Low Income Housing Coalition;
• Eviction Diversion Diagnostic Tool, National Center for State Courts;
• Eviction Prevention and Stability Toolkit (for PHAs and Housing Choice Voucher landlords), HUD Office of Public and Indian Housing;
• Three Ways States and Localities Can Get Rental Assistance to People Faster, Urban Institute.

GAO reports on effectiveness of pandemic protections for homeowners.

A new Government Accountability Office report, COVID-19 Housing Protections: Mortgage Forbearance and Other Federal Efforts Have Reduced Default and Foreclosure Risks, details the impact of pandemic housing protections on federally backed mortgages. The report, accompanying podcast, and summary blog post highlight that foreclosures declined significantly during the pandemic because of federal moratoriums.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

USDA extends comment period on advancing racial justice and equity.

Responses are now due August 14 to USDA’s request for comments to help identify barriers that people of color and underserved communities and individuals may face in accessing, enrolling in, and participating in any of USDA’s programs and services, and engaging with USDA staff. USDA has also scheduled online listening sessions on July 28 and 29. For more information, contact Liz Archuleta, USDA, 202-720-7095. HAC has submitted comments addressing actions needed to build capacity, improve access to capital, increase flexibility, and engage with stakeholders.

HAC supports fair housing regulation.

HAC recently submitted comments strongly supporting HUD’s proposal to restore part of a previous affirmatively furthering fair housing regulation.

Timeline set for Section 538 final inspections.

Effective immediately, USDA Rural Development requires lenders using the Section 538 rental housing guarantee program to notify RD staff at least 30 days before the final inspection date. Contact information and details are included in RD’s notice.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Farmworker wage gap persisted in 2020.

Although farmworkers were deemed essential to sustain food supply chains during the pandemic, their average hourly wage in 2020 was only $14.62, the Economic Policy Institute reports. That is just under 60% of what comparable non-agricultural workers made, a wage gap that was virtually unchanged since the previous year. The average nationwide wage for farmworkers with H-2A visas was $13.68 per hour. In Florida and Georgia, where a quarter of all H-2A jobs were located in 2020, they were paid $11.71 per hour.

Lack of clear title to heirs property leads to disaster aid denials.

A Washington Post story, ‘The Real Damage’: Why FEMA is Denying Disaster Aid to Black Families That Have Lived for Generations in the Deep South, reports that FEMA has rejected up to one-quarter of applicants for disaster aid in rural counties in the deep South because survivors cannot prove they own their land. Their ownership passes informally from one generation to another without deeds or wills.

Wealth gap and other structural inequities addressed in State of Black America report.

The 2021 edition of the National Urban League’s State of Black America report looks at “three pandemics”: economic collapse, health inequities, and structural racism. Increasing homeownership to build wealth is one of many strategies proposed in the report, titled “The New Normal: Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive.”

Hispanic homeownership rate rose in 2020.

Latinos are the only demographic in the U.S. to increase their rate of homeownership for each of the past six years, according to the 2020 State of Hispanic Homeownership Report, just released by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and the Hispanic Wealth Project. Latino homeownership rates vary widely from state to state and are lower in places with higher home prices. Almost 70% of Latino homebuyers have an annual household income below $100,000. Financing designed to serve first-time homebuyers and low wealth borrowers is important for this population, the report notes.

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).