News Archives

Second round of Promise Zone Competition announced

September 22, 2014/in Announcements Persistent Poverty

The Obama Administration invites a new round of eligible applicants to apply for a Promise Zone designation. HUD will designate six urban communities and USDA at least one rural and one tribal community as Promise Zones. This initiative targets high-poverty communities for job creation, economic development, and additional special assistance in an effort to drastically improve conditions for communities suffering persistent poverty. Applications are due November 21, 2014 by 5:00 PM EST.

Audience Focused Webcasts

To assist communities with the application process, HUD and USDA are hosting three Promise Zone Initiative Webcasts:

Tribal Webcast
September 29, 2014, Monday
1:00-2:00p.m. EST (please adjust for your local time)

Rural Webcast
September 29, 2014, Monday
3:00-4:00 p.m. EST (please adjust for your local time)

Urban Webcast
October 1, 2014, Wednesday
3:00-4:00 p.m. EST (please adjust for your local time)

More information

John Henneberger named a 2014 MacArthur Fellow

September 17, 2014/in Announcements

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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NPR explores homeless veteran populations

September 17, 2014/in Announcements

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.

Preserving rural rental housing – Elkton MD Case Study

August 20, 2014/in Announcements

A partnership between two owners or adjacent rental properties serving seniors, persons with disabilities and families in Elkton, Maryland (pop. 15,718) showcases creative approaches to preserving and rehabilitation of affordable rural housing.

Learn more about the HAC loan fund

August 13, 2014/in Announcements

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

Register Now!

Making it Work: Creative Ways to Utilize HAC Loan Products in Your Affordable Housing Development

Register Now!

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.

HAC Recommends Notifying Tenants about Maturing Mortgages

August 8, 2014/in Announcements

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.

Is the Housing Crisis Over in Rural America?

August 8, 2014/in Blog Posts

by Lance George

In 2008 the U.S. economy fell off a cliff. Depending on your perspective it either slipped or was pushed from that precipice by the housing markets. In 2009 and 2010, when the crisis was arguably at its worst, the Housing Assistance Council began receiving frequent inquiries from the press and others asking, “How is the housing crisis affecting rural America?” We simply had no answer. Mortgage and foreclosure data were virtually nonexistent for most rural areas.

After six years and some hindsight, we are asking some questions ourselves. Is the crisis over? And what are the lingering effects? These seemingly basic inquiries still prove challenging, particularly from the rural perspective. So we sought assistance from four affordable housing experts to help answer these questions.

Read the complete blog post at Rooflines.

GAO reports on manufactured housing

August 4, 2014/in Announcements

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.

From Cargo Shipping to Home Sweet Home?

August 1, 2014/in Blog Posts

Livable buildings can be created from shipping containers, the big rectangular corrugated metal things stacked at docks by giant cranes. There are large and impressive shipping container homes in numerous countries. Containers can be used for affordable housing too; for example, in Washington, DC an apartment building for students is being constructed from containers. And single containers can make affordable single-family homes. Kentucky Habitat for Humanity is constructing a prototype in Upton, a town of 680 an hour south of Louisville.

What does a container house look like? Most photos online show corrugated, painted exteriors. The interiors vary widely depending on the size of the container(s) used and how many containers are combined.

Read the complete blog post at Rooflines.

A fund to invest more in rural infrastructure

July 28, 2014/in Announcements

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.