By Leslie Strauss
July 17, 2012
Rural housing professionals complain about USDA’s Rural Development/Rural Housing Service all the time. We also tout the advantages of using HUD programs, such as HOME, in rural areas. But we hate the idea of moving USDA’s housing programs to HUD. That is not the cure for rural housing’s problems.
HUD’s Supportive Housing for the Elderly program was authorized by Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959, as amended by Section 801 of the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 (NAHA). The program is often referred to as Section 202. Prior to the 1990 legislation, Section 202 funding was available to developers of housing for both elderly and disabled low-income households. Low-income disabled households are now served through the Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities (Section 811) program.