native american housing Archives

HAC Submits Comments on Proposed Duty to Serve Modifications

December 6, 2022/in Advocacy, Federal Register Comments, News, Policy CDFI, Duty to Serve, Native American Lands

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) requested comments on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (the Enterprises) proposed modifications to their Duty to Serve 2022 Underserved Markets Plans. If implemented robustly, Duty to Serve has the potential to improve the lives of people living in the most underserved communities. HAC’s comments highlighted two proposed modifications:

Key Takeaways

USDA Section 515 preservation is critical to the Duty to Serve mission. Freddie Mac’s proposal to remove the Section 515 purchases from their Plan should be rejected.
Equity investments in CDFIs are the single most impactful action that the FHFA could currently take to improve Duty to Serve outcomes. Fannie Mae’s proposal to add equity investments in Native CDFIs to their plan is a step in the direction of better serving Indian Country. For more suggestions on how the Enterprises could better serve Indian Country, see HAC’s comments from the July 2022 Native American Housing Listening Session.

Read HAC’s full comments.

HAC Duty to Serve Plan Modification Comments

HAC also signed on to a letter from the Underserved Mortgage Markets Coalition with a longer set of comments on the proposed modifications.

All the comments received by the FHFA can be viewed here.

Rural Voices: Meeting Native American Housing Needs

October 26, 2017/in Rural Voices High Need Regions, Native American, Native American Lands, Vulnerable Populations

This issue of Rural Voices focuses on the progress being made in improving the housing conditions of Native Americans. Considerable challenges, including substandard conditions, overcrowding, insufficient funding, and persistent poverty, face Indian Country, but tribes and their housing organizations are equally persistent in working to overcome them. Rural Voices authors share what readers need to know when working with tribes, highlight innovative projects, discuss funding opportunities, and further describe challenges for a varied population of Native American tribes across the country. The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation has provided generous support for this issue of Rural Voices, and for HAC’s other work on Native American housing needs and solutions.

VIEW FROM WASHINGTON

Building a Stronger Indian Country: The BUILD Act and Indian Housing
by Senator John Hoeven

The BUILD Act aims to improve the development of tribal housing projects and reauthorize critical Indian housing programs.

FEATURES

Creating Sustainable Homelands through Homeownership on Trust Lands
by Patrice H. Kunesh

A multifaceted approach can help leverage resources to improve housing and economic development in Indian Country.

Partnering with Tribes to Address Housing Needs
by Deana Around Him and Yvette Roubideaux

Open communication, cultural humility, and respect go a long way when working together with tribes.

Important Considerations for Working with Tribes
by Twila Martin Kekahbah

Understanding tribal governance,sovereignty, and the barriers to tribal development is critical to doing business with American Indian tribes.

Housing Solutions that Work for Native Americans
by Anthony Walters

The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act is an important tool in meeting tribal housing needs.

Helping Native Americans Become Homeowners through Section 184
by Jeff Bowman and Tanya Krueger

This Native-owned bank has what it takes to successfully use HUD’s Section 184 program to meet tribal members’ housing needs.

Native Community Finance Serves Native Americans in New Mexico
by Marvin Ginn

Native CDFIs provide funds and services to improve Native American housing conditions.

Housing for Holistic Rez Living
by James “JC” Crawford

Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate has had major success in integrating housing and community needs.

INFOGRAPHIC

American and Alaska Native (AIAN) Communities at a Glance

Rural Voices would like to hear what you have to say about one, or all, of these issues. Please feel free to comment on this story by sending a tweet to #RuralVoicesMag, discuss on the Rural Affordable Housing Group on LinkedIn, or on our Facebook page.

HAC News: April 28, 2017

April 28, 2017/in HAC News

HAC News Formats. pdf

April 28, 2017
Vol. 46, No. 9

FY17 continuing resolution extended for one week • Sonny Perdue sworn in at USDA • Trump order requires reducing federal regulations • Trump creates Agriculture and Rural Task Force • Patenaude and Rackleff nominated for HUD • HUD postpones Small Building Risk Sharing Initiative • FY17 income limits released • GAO issues report on federal programs • Annual NLIHC Advocates’ Guide published • Affordable housing manual offers tools • HAC supports Native American housing • NHLP webinar will cover rural rental housing preservation

HAC News Formats. pdf

April 28, 2017
Vol. 46, No. 9

FY17 continuing resolution extended for one week. H.J.Res 99 keeps program funding at FY16 levels through May 5, providing time for further negotiations regarding the fiscal year that ends September 30.

Sonny Perdue sworn in at USDA. Confirmed by the Senate on April 24, former Georgia governor Perdue took office as Secretary of Agriculture on April 25. A USDA statement says he will be guided by four principles. “First, he will maximize the ability of the men and women of America’s agriculture and agribusiness sector to create jobs, to produce and sell the foods and fiber that feed and clothe the world, and to reap the earned reward of their labor. . . . Second, he will prioritize customer service every day for American taxpayers and consumers. . . . Third, as Americans expect a safe and secure food supply, USDA will continue to serve in the critical role of ensuring the food we put on the table to feed our families meets the strict safety standards we’ve established. . . . And fourth, Perdue will always remember that America’s agricultural bounty comes directly from the land . . . and our responsibility is to leave it better than we found it.”

Trump creates Agriculture and Rural Task Force. An Executive Order titled “Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America” establishes the task force, comprised of representatives from 21 agencies and headed by USDA Secretary Perdue. At a briefing a reporter asked an administration representative whether the order covered rural development, housing, and broadband. He answered: “Those things are absolutely included. I would say on the messaging point there that we do believe that in these rural communities, the best thing we can do to make them grow quickly and economically is to focus on agriculture because it is the number-one driver in most of these rural communities. But we certainly understand that’s not the only silver bullet. And so one of the things the task force is charged with doing is looking at those rural communities and also making recommendations with regard to what we can do to promote their economic stability as well.” In response, the Daily Yonder analyzed the role of agriculture in the rural economy.

Patenaude and Rackleff nominated for HUD. Pamela Hughes Patenaude, selected as HUD Deputy Secretary, is President of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for America’s Families and previously Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center Housing Commission. Neal J. Rackleff has been named HUD Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development. He is an attorney and the former director of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department. Both nominees will need to be confirmed by the Senate.

HUD postpones Small Building Risk Sharing Initiative. Through the initiative, launched in 2015 (see HAC News, 7/22/15), HUD would have shared 50% of the risk for financing small multifamily properties. HUD did not implement the program. A notice announcing its “indefinite deferral” says it may not be needed “under current economic conditions.” For more information, contact Donald Billingsley, HUD, 202-402-7125.

FY17 income limits released. The median family incomes and income limits are used by HUD, USDA, and other agencies.

GAO issues report on federal programs. 2017 Annual Report: Additional Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Other Financial Benefits (GAO-17-491SP) does not add any new items on housing or homelessness. Regarding a past suggestion that Congress consider requiring HUD and USDA to examine the costs and benefits of merging similar housing programs, GAO’s online tracker states that, “According to the Office of Management and Budget, the current administration may reevaluate ongoing collaborative efforts across the different agencies, which could have implications for housing program consolidation.” A 2015 recommendation has also been added to the tracker for the first time in April 2017: “The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in consultation with the Rental Policy Working Group, should work with states and localities to develop an approach for compiling and reporting on the collective performance of federal, state, and local rental assistance programs. Such an effort may begin with one or more pilot programs to test approaches before they are considered for wider application.”

Annual NLIHC Advocates’ Guide published. Advocates’ Guide 2017: A Primer on Federal Affordable Housing & Community Development Programs can be downloaded free, or purchased for $33 (NLIHC members) or $47 (non-members). To order more than one copy, contact Josephine Clarke, 202-662-1530 ext. 226.

Affordable housing manual offers tools. Intended for advocates, grassroots organizers, and community members, Housing for All: Western Center on Law & Poverty’s Affordable Housing Manual addresses local and HUD-mandated planning, accessing government documents, and some HUD programs. California housing planning requirements are covered as well. Some chapters, including one on fair housing assessments, will be added.

HAC supports Native American housing. An opinion piece by HAC Executive Director Moises Loza, posted April 20 by The Hill, is titled “It’s time for Congress to reauthorize, fully fund Native American housing.”

NHLP webinar will cover rural rental housing preservation. “Prepayments and Loan Maturities: Protecting Residents and Preserving RD Rental Housing” is scheduled for Tuesday, May 30 at 2:00 Eastern. It will explain how to find out whether a development is maturing or is being prepaid. It will review RD regulations, Administrative Notices, and other policies intended to preserve these developments and protect residents against displacement. It will also discuss what nonprofit and public entities can do to preserve the housing. Register here for this free 90-minute session, presented by the National Housing Law Project.

HAC News: June 29, 2016

June 30, 2016/in HAC News

HAC News Formats. pdf

June 29, 2016
Vol. 45, No. 12

• Non-priority low-income Section 502 funds are fully committed • Housing bill introduced in Senate • Senate hearing reviews USDA RD aid to Native Americans • HUD adopts tribal consultation policy, considers creating advisory committee • USDA RD sets this year’s voucher policies and procedures • Continuum of Care NOFA published • Housing market recovery yields to affordability challenges, says State of the Nation’s Housing 2016 • Poll shows Americans agree affordable housing needs more attention • List of nonmetro areas to receive CRA community development credit released • Data on kids shows improvements in health and education but not poverty • Webinars set to cover RD’s Limited English Proficiency guidance • HAC offers webinar on VA grant program

HAC News Formats. pdf

June 29, 2016
Vol. 45, No. 12

Non-priority low-income Section 502 funds are fully committed. RD staff tell HAC that FY16 funds for direct Section 502 loans to low-income borrowers are being pooled on June 30 and will be used on a case-by-case basis for low-income applicants purchasing program REO properties or working with Section 523 self-help grantees or intermediary packagers. Direct Section 502 funds for very low-income borrowers will be re-distributed to states, as will Section 504 repair grants. Section 504 repair loans are available to obligate in all states/territories without restrictions. All unobligated funds will be repooled August 15. RD expects to use the Section 502 direct funds for very low-income borrowers (40% of the total) by late August or early September.

Housing bill introduced in Senate. S. 3083, filed last week by a bipartisan group of Senators, is a companion to H.R. 3700, which passed the House on Feb. 2 (see HAC News, 2/3/16). Both are named “the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act” or HOTMA.

Senate hearing reviews USDA RD aid to Native Americans. On June 22 the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an oversight hearing on “Accessing USDA Rural Development Programs in Native Communities.” A witness who focused on housing praised RD’s past and current efforts, but identified tribal capacity and the amount of required documentation as barriers to better tribal use of the housing programs.

HUD adopts tribal consultation policy, considers creating advisory committee. The department is adopting without change the proposed Tribal Government-to-Government Consultation Policy published in 2015 (see HAC News, 4/29/15), outlining principles and procedures for HUD employees with regard to federally recognized Indian or Alaska Native tribes. HUD requests comments by July 25 on establishing a Tribal Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, consisting of tribal representatives, to help HUD further develop and maintain its Indian housing programs. Contact Heidi J. Frechette, HUD, 202-401-7914.

USDA RD sets this year’s voucher policies and procedures. The provisions of this notice govern the program in FY16. Section 542 vouchers are available to tenants when a property owner either prepays a Section 515 loan or USDA action results in a foreclosure after September 30, 2005. Contact Stephanie B.M. White, USDA, 202-720-1615.

Continuum of Care NOFA published. Applications for FY16 CoC funds are due September 14. Contact a local HUD CPD office.

Housing market recovery yields to affordability challenges, says State of the Nation’s Housing 2016. The Joint Center for Housing Studies’ annual study includes an interactive mapping utility and analyzes demographic drivers, rental and owner-occupied housing, and housing challenges for communities across the U.S. It examines how the strengthening market has led to affordability challenges that outstrip the availability of federal housing assistance. There are a record high 11.4 million severely cost-burdened renter households. The report also details ongoing challenges facing nonmetro and tribal areas.

Poll shows Americans agree affordable housing needs more attention. Nearly two-thirds of adults (63%) believe actions can be taken to solve problems of housing affordability. Poll respondents across political parties – 74% of Democrats, 66% of Independents, and 49% of Republicans – believe the issue has not received enough attention from the 2016 presidential candidates. The 2016 How Housing Matters Survey is the fourth annual national survey of housing attitudes commissioned by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, this year with additional support from the Kresge Foundation and the Melville Charitable Trust.

List of nonmetro areas to receive CRA community development credit released. The federal bank regulatory agencies’ 2016 list of distressed or underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geographies, where revitalization or stabilization activities will receive Community Reinvestment Act consideration as community development, is based on local economic conditions, including unemployment, poverty, and population changes.

Data on kids shows improvements in health and education but not poverty. The 2016 Kids Count Data Book reports that nationwide, despite rising employment numbers, 22% of children lived in poverty in both 2013 and 2014, and almost one in three children live in families where no member of the household has full-time, year-round employment. In 2006-2010, 11% of children lived in high-poverty areas and now that figure is 14%. The Annie E. Casey Foundation publication offers data for every state.

Webinars set to cover RD’s Limited English Proficiency guidance. USDA RD’s Office of Civil Rights will host webinars on July 7 and 14 (each with the same content). They are open to all, and the agency particularly encourages attendance by those involved in the certified loan application packaging process and/or the self-help program. To register, email Darren.kaihlanen@wdc.usda.gov.

HAC offers webinar on VA grant program. “VA Housing Resources for Heroes Part II: An Overview on the VA Specially Adapted Housing Grant Program” will be on July 13 at 2:00 Eastern. The webinar is free but registration is required. Contact Shonterria Charleston, HAC, 404-892-4824.

The Trail of Hope for Indian Housing

March 27, 2013/in Announcements

The Housing Assistance Council has received the following information from the Trail of Hope for Indian Housing and would like to offer its support for decent, safe affordable housing and increased housing development resources on Native American Lands.

When: April 17, 2013
Where: Union Square, Washington, DC
Details: The Reservation house facade will be erected and displayed for the public from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The event will include a rally which is tentatively scheduled for midday.

The Trail of Hope House (actually two facades) will be placed at Union Square (3rd St. NW) near the Capitol and the site is open to the public from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. We need everyone to come out to help us show Congress the extreme housing conditions on Northern Plains reservations. Let’s show Congress what “overcrowded Indian housing” looks like on their front doorstep!

A Step Toward Addressing Native American Homelessness

January 22, 2013/in Blog Posts

A Step Toward Addressing Native American Homelessness

by Eric Oberdorfer and Leslie Strauss

Homes in Indian Country are three times more likely to be crowded than those in the United States as a whole, according to the 2010 Census. Many of the people sleeping on sofas or floors in these crowded dwellings are homeless – not living outdoors or in a car, but not living in permanent homes of their own, either. Strong kinship networks often enable people to find a place to stay and there are few shelters and service providers in places with small, spread-out populations.

Read More…

Winter 1996/7 issue of Rural Voices Magazine - Cover

Rural Voices: Home Loan Bank Financing for Rural Housing

February 1, 1997/in Rural Voices

The Winter 1996-97 issue of Rural Voices highlights two important topics: how the Federal Home Loan Bank System can help in the development of affordable rural housing, and local and national efforts to address housing needs in Indian Country.

Our cover stoty explains the basics of the FHLBanks’ Affordable Housing Program and Community Investment Program, with examples of how both have been used in rural areas. Both can provide long-tmm financing for housing development at below-market rates. An interview with Bruce Morrison examines the AHP and CIP from a slightly different angle. Morrison, the Chairman of the Federal Housing Finance Board, which oversees the FHLBank System, discusses his perspective on the future of the System and of the banking industry overall.

Native American housing issues are addressed in two pieces as well. First, the director of the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority in Alaska describes how her agency modified an existing housing program to better meet the needs of Native Alaskans. Changes expected nationwide as a result of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Detetmination Act of I996 are summarized in our “View from Washington” department.

This issue also explores a successful housing development effort in a small town in Iowa. In addition, we have included a summmy of HAC’s National Rural Housing Conforence, held in December 1996, and providing, among many other things, an opportunity to celebrate HAC’s 25th anniversary.

HAC Submits Comments on Proposed Duty to Serve Modifications

December 6, 2022/in Advocacy, Federal Register Comments, News, Policy CDFI, Duty to Serve, Native American Lands

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) requested comments on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (the Enterprises) proposed modifications to their Duty to Serve 2022 Underserved Markets Plans. If implemented robustly, Duty to Serve has the potential to improve the lives of people living in the most underserved communities. HAC’s comments highlighted two proposed modifications: