May 27, 2009
Vol. 38, No. 11

TAMMYE TREVIÑO NAMED RURAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATOR. Treviño – CEO of FUTURO Communities, an Empowerment Zone in parts of Dimmit, LaSalle, Maverick, Uvalde, and Zavala counties in Texas’s Middle Rio Grande area – will begin work June 8 as the administrator of USDA RD’s Housing and Community Development Programs.

FORECLOSURE LAW SIGNED, INCLUDES PROVISIONS FOR TENANTS AND SEC. 502 GUARANTEED BORROWERS, AS WELL AS MCKINNEY-VENTO CHANGES. (See HAC News, 5/13/09.) A summary, including full text of the Section 502 guarantee provision, is posted at https://ruralhome.org/infoAnnouncements_2008HousingCrisis.php. New protections for renters in foreclosure take effect immediately. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s summary of those provisions is at https://www.nlihc.org/template/page.cfm?id=159.

SENATE VOTES FOR SUPPLEMENTAL DISASTER HOUSING FUNDS. On May 21 the Senate passed a supplemental appropriations act for FY 2009 that would provide $30 million, not included in the House version of the bill, for vouchers for Hurricane Katrina/Rita survivors whose disaster housing aid has ended. A conference committee will resolve differences. For bill text, visit https://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app09.html.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON HUD BUDGET RELEASED. HUD’s “Congressional Justifications for 2010 Estimates” are posted at https://www.hud.gov/offices/cfo/reports/2010/main_toc.cfm.

HUD OFFERS RECOVERY ACT NAHASDA AND ICDBG FUNDS. Deadline is July 13 for NAHASDA-eligible tribes and organizations to apply for funds to develop new housing, improve existing units, and build infrastructure. Tribes and organizations that received ICDBG grants in FY 2008 can apply by July 7 for funds to encourage economic development. Visit https://www.hud.gov/recovery and click Programs.

SECTION 514/516 OFF-FARM FARM LABOR HOUSING FUNDS AVAILABLE. Pre-applications for Section 514 loans and Section 516 grants for the construction of new off-farm units for farmworkers are due July 20. See Federal Register, 5/21/09 or https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/nofas/index.html. Contact an RD state office or Henry Searcy, RD, 202-720-1753, Henry.Searcy@wdc.usda.gov.

RD ADDS PROCESSING WORKERS TO “DOMESTIC FARM LABORERS” DEFINITION. The 2008 Farm Bill made workers who process agricultural or aquacultural commodities eligible for Section 514/516 housing. A new Attachment 12-A to Handbook-1-3560, explaining how this change should be implemented, is available at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/regs/hblist.html or from USDA RD offices.

COMMENTS REQUESTED ON IMPLEMENTING KENNEDY SERVE AMERICA ACT. The Corporation for National and Community Service seeks input on implementation of the new law, which expands existing service programs and adds new ones. Visit https://www.nationalservice.gov/serveact to submit comments in writing or register for a conference call in early June. Contact Amy Borgstrom, CNCS, 202-606-6930.

USDA PLANS TO COLLECT STANDARDIZED DATA ON RACE, OTHER CHARACTERISTICS. Comments are due July 13 on a proposal for USDA agencies that serve agricultural producers and landowners to consolidate data on race, ethnicity, sex, national origin, disability, and age of farmers or ranchers. See Federal Register, 5/13/09. Contact Rhonda Davis, USDA, 202-720-1010, rhonda.davis@usda.gov.

HUD ENCOURAGES IKE/GUSTAV SURVIVORS TO REGISTER FOR DISASTER HOUSING VOUCHERS. Aid ends on May 31 for those eligible for the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP-Ike/Gustav) who have not yet enrolled. Call a local housing authority or HUD’s Referral Call Center, 1-866-785-3239.

ONLINE ARRA CLEARINGHOUSE COLLECTS RECOVERY ACT INFORMATION. The portal at https://www.nlihc.org, created by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, provides materials and links regarding the housing and development programs affected by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (see HAC News, 2/18/09).

RURAL PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES COVERED IN RURAL VOICES MAGAZINE. The current issue of HAC’s quarterly magazine explores ways rural PHAs have become partners in local housing and development. It also includes an article written by Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.), the first in a series reflecting on the 60th anniversary of the Housing Act of 1949. Rural Voices is free online at https://ruralhome.org/infoRural.php. For one free print subscription per organization, contact Lawrence Adams, HAC, 202-842-8600, lawrence@ruralhome.org. To sign up for email notices announcing new issues, visit https://lists.ruralhome.org/lists/info/rural_voices.

CORRECTED LINK FOR DETAILS ABOUT HUD’S GREEN RETROFIT PROGRAM (see HAC News of 5/13/09). Go to https://www.hud.gov/recovery, click on Programs, then select Green Retrofit Program. Documents including the application are listed in the lower right column on HUD’s program page.