HAC News: April 11, 2024

TOP STORIES

Supreme Court to hear homelessness case

On April 22 the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Grants Pass v. Johnson, a case that considers whether it is cruel and unusual punishment to fine or arrest people for “camping” on public property. A National Homelessness Law Center website, https://johnsonvgrantspass.com/, explains and tracks the case. Several national advocacy organizations created a toolkit for participation in a National Week of Action, starting on April 22, to support long-term housing solutions rather than the criminalization of homelessness. Numerous state and local governments have supported the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, which has also posted information on its perspective. The Court’s decision will probably be announced in June.

HUD has new online system for Build America waiver requests

HUD established a new online system for grantees to request project-specific waivers from Buy America Build America requirements. A launch announcement offers instructions and links to resources and training.

HAC participates in heirs’ property conversations at national convenings

As a part of its multifaceted and collaborative initiative on heirs’ property, HAC engaged audiences and stakeholders at three recent national convenings. HAC’s research was featured at the Boston College of Law’s Initiative on Land, Housing, and Property Rights‘ second annual Heirs’ Property and the Racial Wealth Gap conference, Fannie Mae’s National Convening on Heirs’ Property: Past and Future, and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition’s 2024 Just Economy conference. To learn more about heirs’ property and its prevalence in your community, access HAC’s new report, A Methodological Approach to Estimate Residential Heirs’ Property in the United States, and a new Federal Housing Finance Agency blog post, Sustaining Family Wealth through Heirs’ Property Resolutions. FHFA highlights national research including HAC’s research in collaboration with Fannie Mae and efforts from the Federal Home Loan Banks to address heirs’ property issues.

RuralSTAT

HAC estimates the prevalence of heirs’ properties in persistent poverty counties is conservatively 1.2% of residential parcels – twice the estimated national rate at 0.6%. Source: Housing Assistance Council, A Methodological Approach to Estimate Residential Heirs’ Property in the United States

OPPORTUNITIES

Distribution of greenhouse gas reduction money begins

EPA has announced the intermediaries and consortia that will receive $20 billion from two of the three programs under the new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. These awardees will distribute the funds to other organizations around the country to create a national financing network for clean energy and climate solutions across sectors. EPA’s site provides details, including links to the awardees’ websites. Grantees for the third GGRF program, Solar for All, will be announced later this spring.

Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants available

HUD’s Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants support development of local plans to revitalize communities of all sizes with severely distressed public or HUD-assisted housing. There is a separate competition for implementation grants. Apply by June 10. For more information, email ChoiceNeighborhoods@hud.gov.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Guidance for federal awards revised

The Office of Management and Budget has modified the OMB Guidance for Grants and Agreements, now renamed the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance. OMB says it is updating and improving the guidance to incorporate recent policy priorities and statutory requirements, reduce burden, add clarifications, use plain language, and more. OMB Memorandum M-24-11 to federal agencies explains the changes and describes other steps agencies should take. The guidance is effective for all federal awards issued on or after October 1, 2024, though agencies may choose to use it sooner. For more information, contact OMB at mbx.omb.grants@omb.eop.gov.

Nominations sought for HUD’s tribal advisory committee

Nominations for membership on HUD’s Tribal Intergovernmental Advisory Committee are due June 7. For more information, contact Heidi J. Frechette, HUD, 202-402-7598.

Rent increases capped for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit developments as income limits set for HUD-assisted properties

HUD announced 2024 income limits for tenants in HUD-assisted properties and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties. Developments with LIHTC or housing bond financing are now subject to the 10% cap on rent increases HUD proposed in January. HUD explains its analysis of the cap’s impact here.

HUD sets rent adjustment factors

HUD’s FY24 Annual Adjustment Factors are effective April 1 for adjustment of some Section 8 properties/units’ contract rents. Contacts for more information vary by program.

HUD proposes to change treatment of tenants with criminal records

Comments are due June 10 on a proposal to amend the regulations for the public housing and Section 8 assisted housing programs, as well as the Section 221(d)(3) below market interest rate program, Section 202 elderly housing, Section 811 housing for persons with disabilities, and the Section 236 interest reduction payment program. In both admissions and evictions, PHAs and owners would be required to consider criminal records only when relevant to endangering health and safety and would also have to consider mitigating factors and circumstances.

Fair housing testers with felony convictions now permitted

HUD has changed its regulations to allow Fair Housing Initiatives Program grantees and Fair Housing Assistance Program agencies to use fair housing testers with prior felony convictions or convictions of crimes involving fraud or perjury. For more information, contact Aztec Jacobs, HUD, 202-402-7861.

EVENTS

HAC offers USDA packaging training in Chicago

The three-day USDA Section 502 Direct Certified Loan Application Packaging Training, designed for those experienced in using Section 502, will provide participants with a strong understanding of Section 502 direct underwriting and packaging standards, which will ensure that submitted loan dockets are complete and accessible for processing. The course will be held in Chicago on May 21-23 (rescheduled from April 23-25). Registration is $750. For more information, contact HAC staff, registration@ruralhome.org, 202-516-6271.

White House rural partners call to address housing costs

The White House holds regular calls to brief rural partners, with the next scheduled for Tuesday, April 16 at 3:00 pm Eastern. Administration officials will provide an overview of President Biden’s plan to lower housing costs, as well as an overview of funding available to provide career training services for workers in the Appalachian, Lower Mississippi Delta, and Northern Border regions. The call is off-the-record and closed to press. Register for the call here and sign up for White House rural news here.

Senate subcommittee sets housing preservation hearing

A hearing titled Challenges in Preserving the U.S. Housing Stock has been scheduled for April 16 by the Senate Banking Committee’s Housing Subcommittee. It will be webcast live and a recording will be available online afterwards.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Study points to upward mobility factors for rural teens

An article titled Why do Kids Outperform their Parents in This Rural California Town? A Sociologist Looks for Answers describes an ongoing study of Dixon, California, where social mobility is high and successful outcomes are common for young people. The Opportunity Index identified Dixon as the only place in the country that is rural and multiracial and has high historical and predicted rates of upward mobility. Researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara want to identify what makes this community so successful, hoping the information can then be used by others. Factors identified so far include strong mentors, supportive and involved family members, school and extracurricular activities that keep students busy, and the availability of jobs students can do when they are in school.

New online platform collects housing policy resources

A collection of information from a wide range of sources, the National Housing Conference’s new Housing Resource Center is intended to meet the information and data needs of policymakers, journalists, lenders, home builders, civil rights groups, affordable housing advocates, real estate professionals, and more.

Guide offers help for designing home energy rebate programs

As states and territories prepare plans for Home Energy Rebate Programs with Inflation Reduction Act funding, the National Consumer Law Center and the National Housing Law Project have created IRA Home Energy Rebates State Program Design Recommendations to serve as a resource for advocates. It is intended to help promote state plans that prioritize low-income homeowners and tenants and work intentionally with existing state and federal programs to reduce consumers’ costs and increase consumer protections.

HAC

HAC is hiring

HAC job listings, each with application instructions, are available on our website.

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).

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