Access a pdf version of this HAC News. • Bill to provide 502 guarantee funds introduced in Senate • House passes manufactured housing replacement bill • Administration to hold rural summit on June 3 • Funds available for Section 514/516 farmworker housing • RD offers Section 538 continuous guarantee demo • EPA amends lead paint rule • USDA studies guaranteed and direct lending • Developing in rural towns mitigates transportation cost impacts • Websites warn homeowners about loan scams • Delinquency and foreclosure lower in community land trusts • NLIHC publishes 2010 Advocates’ Guide • USDA RD updates website

May 12, 2010
Vol. 39, No. 10

May 26, 2010
Vol. 39, No. 11

Many housing provisions pending in supplemental appropriations and jobs bills. H.R. 4899, the Disaster Relief and Summer Jobs Act of 2010, would add FY 2010

funds to the Section 502 guarantee program, with a 5% fee. It is available at >

href=”https://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app10.htmlhttps://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app10.html”>https://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app10.html>. H.R. 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act,

includes $1.065 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund, extends the Low Income Housing Tax Credit exchange program and New Markets Tax Credit for one year, and

provides settlement funds for the Cobell class action lawsuit regarding American Indians’ trust accounts and the Pigford suit concerning USDA discrimination against

African-American farmers. Its text is posted at >

href=”https://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_hr4213_txt.pdfhttps://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_hr4213_txt.pdf”>https://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_hr4213_txt.pdf>. The current versions of both bills have

not yet been approved by either the House or the Senate.

House panel hears pros and cons on HUD rental changes. Opinions varied at a May 25 House Financial Services Committee hearing on the Preservation,

Enhancement and Transformation of Rental Assistance Act, submitted to Congress by HUD. Written testimony and an archived webcast are posted at >

href=”https://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hrfc_051910.shtmlhttps://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hrfc_051910.shtml”>https://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hrfc_051910.shtml>. HUD’s

proposed bill is at >

href=”https://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/fy2011budget/signature_initiatives/transforming_rental_assistance.

Comments”>https://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/fy2011budget/signature_initiatives/transforming_rental_assistance”>https://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/fy20 due June 14 on next Farm Bill. The House Agriculture Committee invites comments through a web form at >

11budget/signature_initiatives/transforming_rental_assistance.

Comments

href=”https://agriculture.house.govhttps://agriculture.house.gov”>https://agriculture.house.gov> as it begins to develop the 2012 Farm Bill. The committee is also holding field hearings around

the country; testimony to date, posted at https://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/statements.htmlhttps://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/statements.html”>https://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/statements.html>,

has focused on agriculture issues rather than rural development.

In 2007, 1.05 million nonmetro renters had worst case housing needs. The recession’s full economic impact is not included in a new HUD report to Congress on

renters who pay more than half their income for rent, live in severely substandard housing, or both, and do not receive housing aid. Worst Case Housing Needs 2007:

A Report to Congress is free at >

href=”https://www2.huduser.org/portal/publications/affhsg/wc_HsgNeeds07.html.

Congressional”>https://www2.huduser.org/portal/publications/affhsg/wc_HsgNeeds07.html”>https://www2.huduser.org/portal/publications/affhsg/wc_HsgNeeds07.html.

Caucus on Homelessness launched. Co-founded and co-chaired by Reps. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Judy Biggert (R-IL), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-

Congressional

TX), and Geoff Davis (R-KY), the caucus hopes to coordinate work on the issue. The members’ press releases can be accessed through >

href=”https://www.house.gov.

National”>https://www.house.gov”>https://www.house.gov.

Housing Trust and Enterprise offer green preservation mini-loans. Nonprofit owners and developers can borrow up to $50,000 for up to 30 months at

National

below-market rates to pay for predevelopment activities in connection with green retrofits of older affordable rental communities. Visit >

href=”https://www.nhtinc.orghttps://www.nhtinc.org”>https://www.nhtinc.org> for a summary. Contact Keiva Dennis, NHT, 202-333-8931 ext. 126, >

href=”kdennis@nhtinc.org.

Section”>mailto:kdennis@nhtinc.org”>kdennis@nhtinc.org

.

533 HPG notice corrected. RD added the Rural Economic Area Partnership Zones set-aside to the NOFA published April 27 and corrected some state office

Section

information. See Federal Register, 5/21/10 or https://www.regulations.govhttps://www.regulations.gov”>https://www.regulations.gov>. Contact Bonnie Edwards-Jackson, 202-690-0759,

bonnie.edwards@wdc.usda.gov.

“Pre-notice”>mailto:bonnie.edwards@wdc.usda.gov”>bonnie.edwards@wdc.usda.gov.

” for Choice Neighborhoods funding issued. The document describes this new HOPE VI replacement program and tells applicants to register for

“Pre-notice

grants.gov. The NOFA will be issued this summer. Visit https://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/ph/cn/.

USDA”>https://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/ph/cn/”>https://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/ph/cn/.

RD considers changes to Section 502 guarantee program. Comments are due July 19 on a proposed rule that would use Fannie Mae’s interest rate to

USDA

calculate interest on all program loans and would allow USDA to recoup funds it paid on a claim if the lender did not follow program rules. See Federal

Register, 5/19/10, or https://www.regulations.govhttps://www.regulations.gov”>https://www.regulations.gov>. Contact Joaquin Tremols, RD, 202-720-1465, >

href=”joaquin.tremols@wdc.usda.gov.

Census”>mailto:joaquin.tremols@wdc.usda.gov”>joaquin.tremols@wdc.usda.gov

.

requests comments on new poverty measure. The new calculation would supplement, not replace, the official poverty measurement. (See HAC News,

Census

3/5/10.) Deadline is June 25. Visit https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty.htmlhttps://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty.html”>https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty.html>. Contact

David Johnson, Census, 301-763-6443, spm@census.gov.

HUD”>mailto:spm@census.gov”>spm@census.gov.

reduces use of Section 8 income limits hold-harmless policy. Income limits for Section 8 tenants will be allowed to decrease if HUD’s formula indicates

HUD

they should. HUD will continue to publish a second set of income limits that apply the hold-harmless provisions, to be used by some HUD programs and by USDA rural

housing programs. Visit https://www2.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il.htmlhttps://www2.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il.html”>https://www2.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il.html>. Contact HUD USER, 800-245-

2691.

Black-white wealth gap quadruples from 1984 to 2007, researchers report. Brandeis University’s Institute on Assets and Social Policy found a large increase

in white households’ real wealth over the time period studied, while African Americans’ wealth rose only slightly. “The Racial Wealth Gap Increases Fourfold” is posted

at https://iasp.brandeis.edu/pdfs/Racial-Wealth-Gap-Brief.pdf.https://iasp.brandeis.edu/pdfs/Racial-Wealth-Gap-Brief.pdf”>https://iasp.brandeis.edu/pdfs/Racial-Wealth-Gap-Brief.pdf.>