June 24, 2009
Vol. 38, No. 13

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE PASSES FY 2010 USDA FUNDING BILL. Most rural housing programs would remain at FY 2009 levels, with increases for Section 523 self-help, Section 515 rental, Section 514/516 farm labor housing, and the MPR rental preservation program. Like the FY 2009 appropriations act, H.R. 2997 would eliminate interest subsidies for Section 538 guaranteed loans. The bill, which will be considered by the full House in July at the earliest, is available at https://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app10.html.

* A total of $45.5 million would be provided for Section 504 grants, Section 533 HPG, supervisory and technical assistance, and compensation for construction defects.

RENTAL PRESERVATION BILL RE-INTRODUCED. On June 15, Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.) and 17 cosponsors introduced the Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2009. H.R. 2876, identical to H.R. 4002 in the last Congress, would create a preservation program similar to the existing Multi-Family Housing Revitalization Demonstration (MPR), and a preservation voucher program. Rents in revitalized properties would be capped at 30% of tenant income. Search by bill number at https://thomas.loc.gov.

VETERANS’ HOUSING BILL PASSES HOUSE. H.R. 403, sponsored by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) and passed on June 16, directs HUD to provide assistance to nonprofits and consumer coops to expand the supply of supportive housing for very low-income veteran families, makes vouchers available to all homeless vets regardless of medical condition, includes vets in public housing planning, and excludes vets’ benefits from income for purposes of HUD-assisted rental determinations. Find the bill at https://thomas.loc.gov.

CONGRESS CHANGES DAVIS-BACON FOR SOME HUD ARRA PROGRAMS. The 2009 supplemental appropriations act, now awaiting President Obama’s signature, exempts CDBG (including the Neighborhood Stabilization Program), Native American block grants, and public housing capital funds from provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that imposed Davis-Bacon wage requirements on all ARRA-funded units. Pre-ARRA Davis-Bacon provisions apply. Other ARRA-funded programs are not exempt. Find H.R. 2346 at https://thomas.loc.gov.

HOUSE APPROVES FULL FUNDING FOR 2010 CENSUS. H.R. 2847, the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill, passed on June 18 and is available at https://thomas.loc.gov.

RD OFFERS DISASTER FUNDS. Funding from a variety of programs is available for areas with major disasters in 2008 or affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. The notice will be published in the Federal Register on 6/25/09. Contact an RD state office.

HUD FUNDs AVAILABLE FOR HOUSING COUNSELING, TRAINING, AND FSS. Local counseling agencies, intermediaries, state agencies, and multi-state organizations can apply by July 17 for housing counseling funds; public and private nonprofits by July 17 for housing counseling training funds; and PHAs and TDHEs by August 11 for public housing Family Self-Sufficiency funds. Visit https://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/fundsavail.cfm. Contact HUD’s NOFA Information Center, 1-800-HUD-8929.

HOMELESS PREVENTION PROGRAM NOTICE CORRECTED. Under HUD’s new Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, funds will be allocated to states, metro city governments, and urban counties, which will pass them to local governments and nonprofits. Visit https://www.hudhre.info/HPRP/.

HUD REVISES LEAD CONTROL AND REDUCTION NOFA (see HAC News, 6/10/09). The deadline remains July 21. See Federal Register, 6/9/09 and 6/25/09, or https://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/09NOFA/leadcombo.cfm. Contact Bill Nellis, HUD, 202-402-7686, William.C.Nellis@hud.gov.

CAPITAL FUND RECOVERY GRANTS NOFA CORRECTED. PHAs can apply by August 18 for these Recovery Act funds. This NOFA supersedes one published on May 7. Other capital funds were distributed to PHAs by formula. See Federal Register, 6/9/09, or https://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/ph/capfund/ocir.cfm.

NSP2 NOFA CORRECTED, BRIDGE NOTICE PUBLISHED. The “bridge notice” implements the Recovery Act’s changes to the NSP1 program. See Federal Register, 6/17/09 (NOFA correction) and 6/19/09 (bridge notice) or https://www.hud.gov/nsp. Contact Stanley Gimont, HUD, 202-708-3587.

USDA NARROWS DATA COLLECTION ON RACE AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS. USDA is proposing to collect standardized data on farmers’ and ranchers’ race, ethnicity, and gender only, not including national origin, age, or disability (see HAC News, 5/27/09.) See Federal Register, 6/19/09. Contact Winona Scott, USDA, 202-401-3648.

PROTECTIONS FOR TENANTS IN FORECLOSURE EXPLAINED. Anyone acquiring foreclosed residential property is subject to the recent Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (see HAC News, 5/27/09), whether or not federal funding is involved. Materials from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and National Housing Law Project are posted at https://www.nlihc.org. An explanation by HUD is in the Federal Register, 5/24/09, https://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr.

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS PREPAYMENT RULING. On June 22 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that an owner of a Section 515 development may not avoid statutory prepayment restrictions by offering to prepay the loan and seeking to quiet title to the property. The opinion in Schroeder v. United States is available at https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2009/06/22/07-36073.pdf.

HARVARD’S JOINT CENTER REVIEWS IMPACT OF HOUSING CRISIS ON AFFORDABILITY. The State of the Nation’s Housing 2009, sponsored by HAC and others, is free at https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/publications/markets/son2009/index.htm or $15 from the Joint Center on Housing Studies, 617-495-7908.

HAC OFFERSSUMMER CHDO TRAININGS. “Single-Family Housing Development” and “Advanced Financial Management” will be held July 29-30 in Burlington, Vermont and August 5-6 in Boise. “Building HOME for CHDOs and Nonprofits” and “Fitting the Pieces Together” (combining HOME and private financing for homeownership) are set for July 15-16 in Orlando and August 12-13 in Milwaukee. “Single-Family Housing Development” is offered August 12-13 in McAllen, Texas. Limited travel scholarships are available. For details and to register online, visit https://ruralhome.org/servicesTraining.php. Contact Dan Stern, registration@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600.