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Party platforms pledge to reduce housing costs

The Democratic and Republican party platforms both recognize the issues of housing affordability and homelessness, but address them differently. (This summary does not cover proposals from Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 2025, produced by Project 2025. The book has received media attention as indicative of policies a second Trump administration would endorse, but it is not an official party document.)

The Republican platform’s statement on housing affordability focuses on homeowners: “To help new home buyers, Republicans will reduce mortgage rates by slashing Inflation, open limited portions of Federal Lands to allow for new home construction, promote homeownership through Tax Incentives and support for first-time buyers, and cut unnecessary Regulations that raise housing costs.” The document also supports “Policies that help Seniors remain in their homes,” pledges to “compassionately address homelessness to restore order to our streets,” and asserts that “Republicans will end luxury housing and Taxpayer benefits for Illegal Immigrants and use those savings to shelter and treat homeless Veterans.” The document provides no further details on any of these topics. It makes no specific references to rural or Tribal concerns.

The Democratic platform offers more details, with sections on topics such as housing, poverty, Tribal Nations, racial equity, the climate crisis, and environmental justice. It refers repeatedly to rural and Tribal needs, including the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts in “tackling persistent poverty and building economic prosperity in rural communities.” There is one specific mention of housing and rural together: “We’ll keep working to expand other programs that reduce home heating, cooling, and water bills as well, especially in rural areas.” Specific housing pledges reflect the administration’s previously announced housing plan, including expanding rental assistance, providing tax credits and down payment assistance for homebuyers, expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, creating a homeownership tax credit, using the housing first model to address homelessness, and eliminating landlord junk fees, fair housing violations, and biased home appraisals. The platform mentions housing needs for people leaving the criminal justice system, domestic abuse survivors, Native Americans, residents of U.S. territories, migrants, veterans, and LGBTQI+ people. Many of its pledges are repeated in a Harris-Walz economic plan that calls for the construction of three million new housing units.

New rule for H-2A farmworkers halted in some states

New protections for farmworkers with H-2A visas, provided in a Department of Labor rule published in April, have been blocked by a preliminary injunction issued in a lawsuit that claims the rule illegally provided collective bargaining rights to these workers. The injunction applies only in the 17 states that joined with growers to file the suit. Court proceedings in the case will continue.

September is National Preparedness Month

FEMA explains that the observance is to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. HAC’s Rural Resilience website offers tools for readiness, response, and recovery, including HAC’s detailed guide, Prepare Your Organization to Respond and Recover from Natural and Man-Made Disasters.

September is National Recovery Month

This annual national observation is meant to highlight the resources needed to make recovery from substance use possible. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a range of resources and events for the month.

RuralSTAT

Approximately 20% of rural households do not have broadband internet connections, compared to 11% in suburbs and 13% in cities: Source: HAC tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Buy America expands to more HUD activities, new resources posted

HUD has added two new Build America, Buy America Act online resources for recipients of Community Planning and Development (CPD) funding such as HOME and CDBG. An optional Buy America Preference (BAP) checklist is intended to help determine whether the preference applies to a specific project. An optional BAP certification can be used by grantees to assist with subrecipient recordkeeping for procurement of BABA-compliant materials. HUD’s notice also reminds recipients that as of August 23, for FY24 CDBG and Recovery Housing Program grants, BAP will apply to specifically listed construction materials, in addition to iron and steel. For projects with other FY24 CPD funds, BAP will apply to iron and steel, construction materials, and manufactured products.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announce tenant protections

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have jointly released a policy framework and FAQs for their implementation of new protections for tenants in properties with mortgages they back. As the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced in July, tenants will be entitled to 30-day notices before rent increases, 30-day notices on lease expirations, and five-day grace periods before imposing late fees on rental payments. The provisions will take effect for new loans signed after February 28, 2025.

Housing goals proposed for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has proposed housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for 2025 through 2027. The goals and subgoals cover a number of categories, including separate categories for single-family and multifamily mortgages on housing affordable to low-income and very low-income families. FHFA is also proposing new criteria for requiring a housing plan if Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac does not meet a goal. Comments are due October 28.

USDA explains upcoming changes to tenant calculations

USDA Rural Development has released an overview of tenant income and asset calculation changes due to the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act as well as a schedule for updates. This information adds to previous USDA guidance on the subject.

HUD adds flexibilities to vouchers for people with disabilities

Guidance from HUD creates new alternative requirements and waivers for Mainstream Vouchers, which provide housing assistance to people with disabilities between 18 and 62 years old who are transitioning out of institutional or other isolated settings, at serious risk of institutionalization, homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless. Changes include lengthening the initial search term, prohibiting residency preferences for these vouchers, and allowing PHAs to create separate waiting lists.

Quality control standards required for automated appraisals

A final rule will implement quality control standards for the use of automated valuation models (AVMs) by lenders, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac in appraising the values of homes that secure mortgage loans. The regulation was issued jointly by several agencies involved in regulating housing finance and will take effect on October 1, 2025. It requires adoption of policies, practices, procedures, and control systems to ensure that AVMs used to determine the value of mortgage collateral adhere to quality control standards designed to ensure a high level of confidence in the estimates produced by AVMs, protect against the manipulation of data, seek to avoid conflicts of interest, require random sample testing and reviews, and comply with applicable nondiscrimination laws.

USDA has new deputy for single-family housing

Cathy Glover, the long-time Deputy Administrator for Single-Family Housing at the Rural Housing Service, retired on July 31. Christine Mechtley now holds the position.

EVENTS

Multifamily housing transfer listening session set

USDA Rural Development will hold a September 5 online listening session on the multifamily housing transfer process. Stakeholders are invited to share their experiences with the transfer process, including the simple transfer pilot. Preregistration is required.

Discussion to explore rural migration and displacement

A virtual discussion on Exploring Migration and Displacement in Rural Communities is scheduled for September 10. Hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group, the conversation will consider what it will take for rural communities to balance new residents, retain longtime residents and cultural traditions, and develop more equitable local economies. It will also examine the mechanisms and trends driving migration and displacement in rural communities.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Property insurance changes and alternatives examined

In a report titled Climate Change, Disaster Risk, and Homeowner’s Insurance, the Congressional Budget Office analyzes recent changes in property insurance markets along with possible solutions. Suggestions include alternative insurance products as well as policy approaches to increase the availability and affordability of insurance for homeowners and renters. First Street will offer a webinar about this report on September 5.

Reports cover broadband’s importance and innovations in rural and Native communities

Expanding America’s Bandwidth: Gaps in Rural and Underserved Communities, a brief paper from the Federal Reserve Board, summarizes research on the importance of broadband and how the lack of access disproportionately impacts rural and low-income communities. Practitioners’ expertise is offered in a recent publication from the Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group, Making Broadband Work for Rural Communities and Native Nations, which covers lessons learned, gaps in resources, and innovative approaches. A set of case studies from Cornell University, Innovative State Strategies for Rural Broadband: Case Studies from Colorado, Minnesota and Maine, is summarized in a blog post by the Pew Charitable Trusts, which supported the research.

HAC

HAC supports rural provisions in Capital Magnet Fund interim rule

HAC submitted comments on an interim rule for the CDFI Fund’s CMF program, broadly supporting the rule and focusing on several rural elements. We support adding a national Rural Service Area, which will make it easier to use CMF in rural areas; aligning CMF income targeting with other federal programs and prioritizing applications that propose deeper income targeting; and using the Duty to Serve definition for rural areas.

HAC is hiring

HAC job listings and application links are available on our website.

• Training Implementation Specialist
• Accountant
• Program Manager, Center for Rural Multifamily Housing Preservation

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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