The Housing Assistance Council is an independent, non-partisan and regularly responds to Congressional committees, Member offices, federal agencies, and policy advocacy coalitions with the research and information needed to make informed policy decisions. Our research work, Rural Data Portal, and Veterans Data Central all provide valuable, educational context to frame the rural policy conversation. If you want to know how a new program or policy could impact America’s small towns and rural places, please don’t hesitate to contact us at policy@ruralhome.org.

HAC Comments on Proposal to Outsource USDA Single-Family Loan Servicing

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USDA is collecting comments from stakeholders and potential vendors to take over a portion of the single-family loan servicing functions currently handled by the Servicing Office in St. Louis. The Servicing Office was established in 1996 in St. Louis, Missouri as part of USDA Rural Development’s national restructuring effort to centralize loan servicing functions. Over the last three decades, the office has become the core operational center for the single-family programs, managing more than 185,000 active loans and approximately $14.5 billion in outstanding debt. Comments and vendor proposals were due on July 16. HAC submitted comments opposing this privatization of single-family loan servicing. Our comments highlighted that:
  • Servicing for this portfolio is unique due both to the structure of the loan products and the needs of the borrowers served. Any external vendor would have a steep and costly learning curve.
  • Given these unique and complex servicing needs, cost savings of privatization are highly unlikely. Any anticipated cost savings need to be made public before this process moves forward.
  • A better solution lies in adequately staffing the Servicing Office and upgrading its servicing technology.
HAC’s full comment can be viewed here:
Policy News from the Administration

Housing Assistance Council Statement on Reconciliation Legislation

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On July 4, President Trump signed into law a sweeping reconciliation package that includes several important tax and housing provisions—some that mark long-sought progress for affordable housing in rural communities, and others that fail to address persistent gaps in federal support.

“The most positive provisions of this broad and complex bill are the tax incentives that aid community development and housing, including several that recognize the unique housing market dynamics and capital needs of rural communities,” said David Lipsetz, President & CEO of the Housing Assistance Council (HAC). “Unfortunately, these are coupled with measures that will dramatically increase the cost of food and doctor visits for poor, small town families while giving tax cuts to wealthy people living in high income areas and corporations headquartered in far off cities. That hardly seems like a good deal for people living in rural and Tribal areas.”

The reconciliation act’s improvements to the rural housing and community development landscape include:

  • Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Improvements: The package makes permanent the 12 percent allocation increase for 9 percent LIHTC credits and lowers the private activity bond threshold from 50 percent to 25 percent. These are major wins for housing developers, helping to unlock more financing and expand project feasibility in high-cost or low-income regions, including in rural and Native communities.
  • Targeted Opportunity Zones (OZ) Reform: The bill revises the Opportunity Zones program by increasing basis percentages and reducing the substantial improvement test requirements to 50 percent. It also adds a marginal incentive to invest in small cities, exurban areas, and places with fewer than 50,000 people. Presumably this is to address the failure of the original OZ program to generate activity in rural communities.
  • Permanent Extension of New Market Tax Credit (NMTC): The bill makes the New Markets Tax Credit permanent, providing long-term certainty for lenders and investors in underserved rural areas. NMTCs have played an essential role in bringing grocery stores, health centers, and community facilities to areas where traditional financing does not reach.

 

The affordable housing and community development sector hoped several other broadly supported, bipartisan proposals would be adopted in the bill, but they were left out of the final version. These remaining gaps and challenges include:

  • No Rural Difficult Development Areas (DDAs) Provision: Although contained in the initial House-passed reconciliation bill, the final legislation failed to include a longstanding provision of the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act that would designate rural and Native communities as Difficult Development Areas for LIHTC purposes. This denied a 30 percent basis boost that would have helped projects in these communities overcome historically lower credit pricing and tighter capital margins. This omission is significant and jeopardizes growth in rural areas.
  • Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA) Excluded: The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, which would have supported rehab and construction of owner-occupied homes in distressed rural neighborhoods, was not incorporated into the final reconciliation act. This omission is a particularly painful loss for communities with aging housing stock and no clear source of gap financing.
  • Misaligned OZ and LIHTC Standards: While the Opportunity Zones reforms for rural areas are a step forward, the continued disconnect between the OZ and LIHTC substantial improvement tests leaves many rural revitalization efforts out of reach.
  • Food and Healthcare Made More Scarce and Expensive: Provisions in the bill restrict eligibility for SNAP and Medicaid while reducing resources to veterans and decimating access to rural These cuts will hurt rural families who earn less than is needed to buy food and go to the doctor while still paying their mortgage or rent. Some of these cuts are set to phase in over the course of several years.

“We are grateful to the Members of Congress who championed the housing and community development tax incentives in this massive, fast-moving legislation,” said David Lipsetz. “Hopefully Congress finishes the job on a bipartisan basis later this session, leveling the playing field for all Americans by identifying rural areas as DDAs, adopting NHIA, and aligning OZs with LIHTC.”

Read a more detailed HAC analysis of the final reconciliation act.

Policy News town

Reconciliation Law Supports Some Tax Provisions for Affordable Housing, But Broadly Damages the Safety Net

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The budget reconciliation bill, formerly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, became law on July 4 with President Trump’s signature after a lengthy voting process in Congress. HAC’s review below focuses primarily on the bill’s positives for affordable housing and community development and offers some recommendations for improving them further in future legislation.

Major Non-Housing Provisions Will Impact Affordable Housing

Estimates indicate the law will have significant impacts on federal taxes, deficits, and spending. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office calculated that it will add $3.4 trillion to the federal debt over the next ten years. Analyses by the Penn Wharton Business Model, CNN, the Tax Policy Center, the Economic Policy Institute, and others show that the law will provide significant tax cuts for the highest income Americans, fewer benefits for middle-income households, and some negative impacts for those with the lowest incomes. Revisions to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act mean millions will lose health insurance. Changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will remove food support for millions.

The law increases funding for immigration enforcement. It reduces funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) but does not go as far as an earlier version of the bill passed by the House, which would have eliminated the CFPB entirely. It does not require that public lands be sold to create space for development of new housing, another provision that was in the House bill.

The law also repeals the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and rescinds unobligated funds remaining for the program. It cancels funding for a number of other energy-related programs created in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, including HUD’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, and cancels a number of energy-efficiency tax credits. Last-minute changes temporarily reduced, but did not eliminate, some of the law’s negative impacts on wind and solar projects. Taken as a whole, these provisions are likely to increase energy costs, with a disproportionately high impact on the lowest-income families because they pay the largest proportion of their incomes for energy.

Some of the law’s negative impacts will be especially significant for rural Americans. For example, while it increases funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program from $25 billion to $50 billion, that will not replace the $87 billion cut from rural hospital funding under the law’s other provisions. Rural communities already face unique health challenges including limited access to care, and closing hospitals can only add to their difficulties.

While HUD and USDA housing assistance programs are not directly affected by the law, the people they serve will feel its effects. States were authorized to use Medicaid for health-related needs, including housing (although the current administration may be rethinking that flexibility). When the proportion of income needed for food and medical care rises, the amount remaining for housing is reduced. People who need Medicaid and SNAP assistance may also qualify for housing aid, so any reduction in support will increase the number of low-income people juggling insufficient dollars to cover basic expenses.

Research has also found that high proportions of people experiencing homelessness rely on Medicaid, that use of Medicaid to provide supportive housing helps people leave homelessness, and that a large-scale loss of Medicaid in Tennessee led to a 24.5 percent increase in completed evictions. Homelessness in rural places has already been growing, with HUD data showing a 12 percent increase in total rural homelessness and a 36 percent increase in unsheltered rural family homelessness from 2023 to 2024.

Low Income Housing Tax Credit Permanently Expanded

The positive news for housing begins with an expansion of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which incentivizes private investment in affordable rental housing. The reconciliation law increases the annual allocation for 9 percent tax credits by 12 percent. And it permanently reduces the financed-by test, which requires tax exempt private activity bonds to finance a certain portion of a project in order for that property to be fully eligible to generate 4 percent tax credits. The project proportion, formerly 50 percent, will now be 25 percent. Together, these provisions will expand the impact of the limited 9 percent credits and allow states to support more affordable housing developments within their maximum cap of Private Activity Bonds.

Unfortunately, the final law does not include a provision passed by the House that would have designated rural and Native American areas as Difficult Development Areas, providing projects there with a 30 percent basis boost from 2026 through 2029. HAC strongly supports adoption of this provision in future legislation.

Opportunity Zones are Permanent, With Mixed Results for Rural Places and Absence of Benefits that Target Affordable Housing

While the LIHTC program applies to financing for affordable housing developments, the Opportunity Zone (OZ) incentive is based on geography, offering support for both businesses and housing in underdeveloped census tracts. The OZ program has been successful in producing rental housing, but the units have not necessarily been affordable for low-income residents. OZs have also been used far more widely in urban and suburban areas than in rural places.

The law turns the program from a temporary investment incentive to a permanent one, with OZs to be redesignated every ten years. It establishes revised criteria for tracts to be eligible for designation. It takes steps to increase OZ financing in rural areas, including by providing investments in those tracts with a 30 percent step-up in basis after five years, but does not provide added incentives to support affordable housing. Unlike the Rural Opportunity Zone and Investment Act, a bill proposed in 2023, the reconciliation law does not incorporate persistent poverty measurements into the definition of rural OZs.

The program requires properties being rehabilitated with OZ investments to be “substantially improved.” That has been defined to require the improved value of the property to be 100 percent greater than its pre-rehab value. The reconciliation law drops the threshold to 50 percent. Notably, this is one of the few OZ provisions that is effective immediately.

Further improvements to the OZ program can be made through legislation in Congress next year. HAC recommends that such a bill should:

  • Add enhanced benefits for investments in rural affordable housing developments. While the new OZ legislation provides an enhanced benefit for all rural projects, further enhancements to basis, deferral, and timing benefits should be extended to projects that meet affordability levels similar to those required by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.
  • Require that one-third of the OZs designated in each new round be rural. The first version of the law passed by the House would have included this provision.
  • Reduce the amount of added value in a rehabilitated property that is needed to qualify for OZ investments. While the reduction from 100 percent substantial improvement to 50 percent is significant, the LIHTC program’s requirement is only 20 percent. Rural areas would be well served by making the LIHTC and OZ programs consistent on this point so they could be used together for affordable rental housing preservation. A lower threshold in rural places could also help attract investments there.
  • Adopt a more precise definition of rural OZs than the one provided in the bill. The law’s definition of rural areas includes places with populations up to 50,000, does not take population density into account, and relies partly on a definition of “urbanized area” that is no longer used by the U.S. Census Bureau. HAC recommends use of the rural definition adopted in the Duty to Serve regulations of the Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA). FHFA’s rural definition is well suited to the OZ context for several reasons. Like the OZ program, FHFA’s definition is based on census tracts. It was crafted specifically to include rural residents living in outlying counties of metropolitan areas, to remain stable over time, and to be easy to implement and operationalize. Also, it has been adopted by other financing programs such as the Capital Magnet Fund administered by the Treasury Department’s CDFI Fund.
  • Create a State and Community Dynamism Fund to build the “last rural mile” of OZ delivery infrastructure. Recognizing the insufficient OZ activity in rural areas, states have leveraged federal programs, such as those from USDA and HUD, to attract and stimulate investments. These preexisting community development programs are already oversubscribed, however, and likely to be even more stressed if their funding is cut in fiscal year 2026 and beyond. To fill the gap, the bipartisan, bicameral Opportunity Zones Transparency, Extension, and Improvement Act proposes a new and specific $1 billion “Dynamism Fund” to promote OZ funds and projects in lower-income and rural communities. Funding would be distributed by formula to states to support technical and capacity-building assistance, outreach to investors, and other field building activities.
  • Make mission-driven intermediaries as well as state governments eligible for Dynamism Fund grants. The New Markets Tax Credit, which utilizes Community Development Entities (CDEs) to access the program, could provide a model. The Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund could certify community-based OZ investment intermediaries through a process similar to CDE/CDFI certification. These efforts would strengthen the ecosystem for rural Opportunity Zone investments, ensuring more effective deployment in areas that need it the most.
  • Allow for investments through CDFI and similar mission-driven intermediaries as qualified investments, and remove barriers that would allow those entities to aggregate multi-project investments. Allowing for the placement of investment in CDFIs and CDEs would open the door for mission-focused funds to be developed. These funds could meet the needs of rural projects while offsetting the limiting characteristics of rural projects: scattered, smaller projects, with desperate timelines.

New Markets Tax Credit Gets Permanent Extension

The bill makes the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) permanent, providing long-term certainty for lenders and investors in underserved rural areas. NMTCs have played an essential role in bringing grocery stores, health centers, and community facilities to areas that traditional financing does not reach.

Neighborhood Homes Investment Act is Not Included

The final law did not include provisions from the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA), which would create a federal tax credit to build and rehabilitate affordable homes. NHIA was introduced earlier in 2025 in both the House and Senate. HAC supports its enactment as a stand-alone bill.

Policy News from Congress

HAC CEO Responds to Tax Proposals

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HAC CEO David Lipsetz supports proposed rural improvements in the House Ways and Means Committee’s proposed budget reconciliation bill.


Earlier this week, the House Ways and Means Committee released and marked up an expansive tax reform package, which includes several significant rural housing priorities. 

“While this tax reform effort is extensive and covers an enormous number of complex issues, we were thrilled to see some long-supported rural improvements to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) included in the proposal,” said David Lipsetz, President & CEO of the Housing Assistance Council. “We were also glad to see the focus on improving outcomes in rural communities in the renewal of the Opportunity Zones tax incentive. We look forward to working with the Senate to refine those Opportunity Zone provisions as this process moves forward.” 

For LIHTC, the House tax bill would make the following critical improvements (which had been previously introduced as part of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act): 

  • Designating rural and Native communities as Difficult Development Areas, which would allow them a 30 percent basis boost for buildings placed in service after December 31, 2025 and before January 1, 2030. Rural LIHTC credit pricing is often lower and projects are working within tighter capital constraints due to low tenant incomes and other geographic factors. LIHTC developments in rural and Native areas would be more financially feasible with the introduction of this targeted basis boost. 
  • Extending the 12.5 percent allocation increase for 2026-2029. Congress has not permanently increased 9 Percent Housing Credit authority since 2000. However, Congress provided a modest temporary 12.5 percent cap increase in 2018, which subsequently expired in 2021. This bill would restore into baseline the 12.5 percent cap increase. 
  • Lowering the 50 percent private-activity bond threshold test to 25 percent for obligations made after December 31, 2025, and before January 1, 2030. In order for a multifamily Housing Bond financed development to receive the full amount of 4 Percent Housing Credits it is eligible to receive, at least 50 percent of development costs must be initially financed with tax-exempt multifamily bond authority from the state’s Private Activity Bond (PAB) volume cap. The 50 percent requirement is an arbitrary threshold and lowering that threshold to 25 percent would allow states to produce and preserve more bond-financed developments. 

Together, these LIHTC changes would help improve LIHTC’s impact in rural areas and HAC strongly supports their inclusion in this bill.  

“As this tax reform effort moves over to the Senate, we also hope to see the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA) included in the package,” said Lipsetz. “The ‘value gap’ can often be a barrier to home repair in rural places, which have a disproportionately high rate of aging and substandard housing. NHIA would bring private investment to the table to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes through a new and innovative tax credit.” 

Policy News from the Administration

HAC CEO Responds to FY 2026 Budget Cuts

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HAC CEO David Lipsetz warns that proposed federal housing program cuts could worsen the rural housing affordability crisis and undermine economic growth in small-town America.


The White House has released an initial “skinny” version of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Discretionary Budget Request. A full version of the budget request is expected later this month. It is clear from the summary document that the Administration recognizes the unique and urgent needs of our nation’s rural communities. That said, the budget looks to wind down the federal government’s historic role in addressing those needs by dramatically reducing or eliminating most of the housing and community development programs currently in place. Once freed of these public programs, the Administration expects private sector investment and new programs at the state and local levels to drive rural prosperity.

“I am confident the Administration sees and appreciates America’s small towns and rural places. I am also confident that cutting rural housing programs in the middle of a housing shortage is going to drive rents and home prices higher,” said David Lipsetz, President & CEO of the Housing Assistance Council. “The landlords and developers we work with are already seeing prices spike on lumber, appliances and other goods. They can’t afford to lose the federal government as an investor and partner.”

“HAC was excited to see President Trump on his very first day in office direct federal agencies to find ways to reduce housing costs for American families. It is difficult to understand how eliminating the HOME program and reducing Native American housing support, dramatically cutting HUD’s tenant-based and project-based rental assistance, and eliminating USDA’s homeownership program can achieve the goal of cutting housing costs. Rural America is worthy of investment, and the investments made in housing today will return to us tenfold in the future as we spur vibrant rural economies.”

HAC is ready to work with the Administration to invest in rural communities and make good on the promises to build thriving rural economies with plenty of housing at a price rural families can afford.

Read HAC’s full analysis of the Administration’s FY 26 Budget.

Preventing and Eliminating Rural Homelessness in Illinois

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Homelessness and housing related issues manifest differently in rural environments. Highly effective urban solutions aimed at homelessness too often falter in rural America, where service provision is different and those who are homeless are often less conspicuous, but no less in need of assistance.

Recognizing the importance and unique nature of rural homelessness, the State of Illinois is committing resources to help end homelessness in rural Illinois. As part of that effort, the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) partnered with the Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA) and the Illinois Department of Human Services to undertake a data and information collection effort that will help inform strategies, solutions, and policies with the goal of preventing and eliminating homelessness in rural Illinois.

Download the document.

Policy News from the Administration

HAC CEO Responds to Executive Order Impacting Rural CDFIs

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I’ve worked in enough small towns across America to know this: rural communities prosper when they have financial partners ready to invest in homeownership dreams and small business start-ups. A recent Executive Order targeting Community Development Financial Institutions has me concerned that rural America could lose access to the $6 billion in business CDFIs generate in their local economies.

For years, rural areas faced dwindling access to financial services. The number of rural headquartered banks fell by over 3,600 since 1995, an astounding 57% decline. Thankfully over that same 30-year period over 500 rural CDFIs have been created, filling gaps in the banking landscape of every State. And they do it effectively, leveraging $8 in private investment for every $1 in federal support. This has been especially helpful for local organizations with projects that are too small or specialized for the remaining banks or distant commercial lenders to finance.

HAC is one of those rural-serving CDFIs. Our work is supported by the resources the recent Executive Order is trying to undermine. We want to continue delivering real results for real people.

  • In Clearfield County, PA, where 45% of grandparents are raising grandchildren due to the opioid epidemic, HAC’s financing helped build the Village of Hope, a multigenerational affordable housing development designed for seniors and youth to live together.
  • In Pahokee, FL, our loan helped Diverse Housing Services breathe new life into Amaryllis Gardens, 44-units of workforce housing for employees of the surrounding farms.
  • In Visalia, CA, HAC’s $12 million in financing to Self-Help Enterprises has enabled over 300 low-income families to help construct their own homes as “sweat equity” downpayments.

The good news here is that the Executive Order is to be “implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.” The CDFI Fund is not a discretionary policy—it’s embedded in federal statutes such as the Riegle Act, the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, and the Small Business Jobs Act. And funds for CDFI’s were included in this year’s appropriations and continuing resolutions.

It also helps that the CDFI Fund programs were created and supported by bipartisan consensus. Leaders across political lines and branches of government understand that rural America’s need for economic opportunity and stable housing is a shared national priority. We are encouraged by Treasury Secretary Bessent’s recent statement recognizing “the important role that the CDFI Fund and CDFIs play in expanding access to capital” and affirming that “CDFIs are a key component of President Trump’s commitment to supporting Main Street America.” For over 50 years, HAC has worked directly with rural policy-makers — Republican, Democrat, and Independent alike — to make affordable housing a reality. We hope that under the current Administration, the CDFI Fund will continue to be staffed and funded as Congress has legislated.

HAC stands ready to continue serving the millions of Americans who depend on the stability and opportunity CDFIs’ investments create. The path forward must strengthen, not undermine, our ability to serve hardworking rural families. They deserve nothing less.

Policy News town

HAC CEO issues statement on cuts to housing programs and professionals

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In response to reports of extensive cuts in federal programs and staff that serve rural and small town interests at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Housing Assistance Council CEO David Lipsetz made the following statement.

After this fall’s election, I observed that urban and rural voters had come closer together, as their shared frustration with the economy put a new Administration in the White House.  It seemed this would lead to a rebalancing of public and private investment in housing—one where small towns finally get their fair shot at prosperity. One-quarter of all rural families—5.6 million rural households—are paying more than they can afford for housing. Rural communities are experiencing unprecedented levels of homelessness, with rents outpacing household income, and a housing market that puts the American Dream of homeownership out of reach for many young working families. I expressed hope that the outcome of the election would finally bring national attention to the severe housing crisis facing rural communities.

However, this glimmer of hope is now fading. The public frustration that I thought would drive positive changes to an imperfect system is instead fueling an indiscriminate effort to dismantle the very programs and professionals we need. Recent cuts at USDA and HUD are setting small towns back.

Millions of rural Americans can rent decent apartments and buy good homes in places that banks and builders do not serve because we the people believe everyone deserves a chance. Hundreds of thousands of rural families—many elderly and disabled—live in HUD’s publicly supported housing or rely on HUD and USDA rental programs to find a place they can call home. These public programs sustain rural communities as they cycle through tough times.

When the market doesn’t generate enough good housing in small towns, mortgages from USDA and rent vouchers from HUD fill the gap. Yet, these are not simple programs to run. For these programs to ensure that good housing is built and maintained, we need experienced professionals in the administration. Plans to terminate half of HUD’s workforce and dismiss employees at USDA threaten to severely disrupt these vital investments in rural housing. A bank would never tell its shareholders it plans to fire half its underwriters and still expects to make good quality loans.

We cannot afford this kind of disruption to programs that rural communities depend on. Congress has appropriated funding for these programs, rural families need them, and they cannot operate effectively without adequate, experienced staff to administer them.

HAC has been in small towns for 54 years and plans to be here for 54 more. We stand ready to work with the President and everyone else who wants to build up rural communities. We look forward to partnering with new leaders at HUD and USDA to make sure they have the resources to address rural America’s pressing housing challenges.  But one thing is clear: the affordable housing crisis in rural America requires more capacity and attention, not less.

Resilience Related Federal Register Items – January 13, 2025

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Rural communities are often on the front lines of disaster recovery, requiring clear guidance and timely access to resources.

To support these efforts, we’re sharing two important updates: HUD’s “CDBG-DR Universal Notice” and FEMA’s updated Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide. These resources provide vital information to help rural governments, nonprofits, and communities navigate the complexities of disaster recovery and build resilience.

This “CDBG-DR Universal Notice: Waivers and Alternative Requirements” describes the processes, procedures, timelines, waivers, and alternative requirements that HUD intends to implement with each allocation of CDBG-DR. When CDBG-DR funds are appropriated, HUD will publish an Allocation Announcement Notice in the Federal Register that incorporates the waivers and alternative requirements provided in the Universal Notice, as appropriate, along with any other new requirements imposed by the specific appropriation. The Universal Notice is intended to provide grantees and the public with increased transparency, consistency, and more timely access to CDBG-DR funds. The Universal Notice, which serves essentially the same function as program regulations, incorporates public feedback from a 2022 request for information and is intended to improve the program in a variety of ways.

FEMA has updated its Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide. The PA program assists governments and nonprofits.

HAC’s 2025 Rural Housing Policy Priorities

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For over 50 years, the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) has been the voice for the poorest of the poor in the most rural places. Our deeply rooted work in communities across the country informs our research and drives our policy positions. Our independent and non-partisan work with members of Congress, federal agencies, affordable housing and community development organizations, and other stakeholders ensures the most vulnerable rural populations – especially those in high-needs regions like the Mississippi Delta, rural Appalachia, farmworker communities, the Southwest border colonias, and Indian Country – have improved access to safe and affordable housing opportunities.

Rural America is home to about 20 percent of the U.S. population and covers more than 90 percent of the U.S. landmass. Its small towns and rural regions are demographically and economically varied and face a wide array of local challenges and opportunities for developing their communities and housing. While each place is unique, HAC has documented several themes. Persistent poverty is a predominantly rural condition. Habitable rural housing is in severely short supply. The adequate housing that does exist is often unaffordable because rural incomes are low and run well below the national median. Rural housing lacks adequate plumbing and kitchen facilities at a rate above the national average. Overcrowding is not uncommon in some rural regions. Decades of stagnant rural house prices have denied owners the wealth and mobility so often associated with buying a home. Complicating these challenges, a lack of reliable rural data obscures rural realities.

In addressing these issues, HAC’s policy priorities include:

  1. Building the capacity of local affordable housing and community development organizations deeply rooted in rural places;
  2. Expanding access to credit and safe, affordable lending in underserved rural communities;
  3. Preserving the critical stock of USDA multifamily homes amid the growing maturing mortgage crisis;
  4. Improving the overall quality, availability and affordability of housing to buy and rent in small towns and rural places; and
  5. Preserving, increasing and tailoring resources for federal affordable housing programs serving rural populations.

We invite you to view our 2025 Policy Priorities and explore the various policy issues facing rural communities. You can also access an Executive Summary of the Policy Priorities.

 

HAC’s Policy Priorities for 2025

 

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