Vol. 51, No. 8

TOP STORIES

Nominations open for Rural Community Economic Development Subcommittee, other advisory bodies.

• USDA Equity Commission: The commission requests nominations by May 6 for its new Rural Community Economic Development Subcommittee, which will be charged with providing recommendations to the department on issues and concerns related to rural development, persistent poverty, and underserved communities. For more information, contact Cecilia Hernandez, USDA, 202-913-5907.
• Treasury Department: The Treasury Advisory Committee on Racial Equity will provide information, advice and recommendations relating to the advancement of racial equity. Nominations are due April 25. For more information, contact Janis Bowdler, Treasury, 202-622-3002.
• Government Accountability Office: Nominations are due May 20 for GAO’s first standing Tribal Advisory Council, which will advise GAO on issues affecting tribes and Indigenous peoples relevant to the agency’s work evaluating federal programs serving tribes and related topics. For more information, contact Paige Gilbreath, GAO, 214-777-5724.

Majority of persistently poor counties are rural and have had high poverty for many decades.

The Persistence of Poverty in Rural America, a new Rural Research Brief from HAC, estimates that in 2020 there were 377 U.S. counties and county equivalents where poverty rates remained at 20% or more for three consecutive decades. For the first time, HAC also calculated persistent poverty status for Puerto Rico; including that territory, there are a total of 455 Persistent Poverty Counties. Approximately 78% of Persistent Poverty Counties in 2020 have been in this status consistently since 1980.

RuralSTAT

All 78 of Puerto Rico’s municipios (county equivalents) were classified as having persistent poverty status in 2020. Source: HAC tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016-2020 American Community Survey, the 2006-2010 American Community Survey, and the 2000 Decennial Census of Population and Housing.

 

OPPORTUNITIES

HAC offers rental preservation financing.

USDA recently issued a Notice of Solicitation of Applications regarding its “no cost debt deferral” through the Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization program for Section 515 and 514 properties that have an obligation date after 10/1/1991. USDA will defer loan payments for 20 years to free up property funds for rehabilitation and improvements. Lower debt service payments will allow properties to leverage new financing or accumulate additional reserves for larger improvements. HAC has flexible, low-cost financing available for properties seeking debt deferrals through this program. Please reach out to Kristin Blum or Alison Duncan if you need financing for your Section 515 or 514 property or have questions on preservation of these properties.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Departments issue equity action plans.

On April 13 the White House announced that more than 90 federal agencies were releasing equity action plans. The plans generally acknowledge the particular barriers faced by rural places and tribal entities. USDA’s plan asserts the department’s intentions to “establish a place-based model to deliver federal rural development resources” and to prioritize RD projects that assist in recovering from the pandemic, ensure equitable access, and reduce climate impacts and increase resilience. One section of the plan specifically addresses tribal access to USDA programs. HUD’s plan focuses on four topics: widening the entities it funds, fair housing, homeownership, and homelessness. The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness developed its own plan as well. The Treasury Department’s document summarizes actions taken and plans for the future in its various pandemic relief programs, which include Emergency Rental Assistance, the Homeowner Assistance Fund, and the Child Tax Credit. The Department of Commerce expects to work towards closing the digital divide, particularly for rural and tribal communities.

Rural infrastructure information released.

The White House released a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook and launched a tour for administration officials, including Cabinet secretaries, “to engage rural communities throughout the country.” The playbook describes efforts funded by the law – which focused on traditional infrastructure and did not include housing – and provides links to government sites for more information. An accompanying USDA factsheet emphasizes broadband and climate resilience.

Some foreclosures suspended while homeowners seek aid.

Companies that service mortgages owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be required to suspend foreclosure activities for up to 60 days if the servicer has been notified that a borrower has applied for assistance under the Homeowner Assistance Fund, which is run through state, local, and tribal governments. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offer online lookup tools to determine whether one of them owns the mortgage on a property. For more information, contact the bank or company where mortgage payments are made. For information on USDA direct Section 502 loans, which are not owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, contact USDA’s Customer Servicing Center, 1-800-414-1226.

Treasury to reallocate more Emergency Rental Assistance funds.

The Treasury Department has issued its reallocation guidance for the second Emergency Rental Assistance program (ERA2), along with updated ERA1 guidelines and data on aid distributed through the end of February. Because Treasury expects relatively few ERA2 funds will be available for reallocation, it encourages state, local, and tribal governments to use other sources, including their State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, to assist more renters.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Rural housing voucher use fell, homeowner repair grants not fully used in FY21.

HAC’s Fiscal Year 2021 USDA Rural Development Housing Activity Report shows that in FY21 USDA obligated about $1.0 billion for 5,355 Section 502 direct loans, with just over 36% of the obligated funds going to very low-income borrowers. The Section 502 guaranteed loan program covered 137,970 mortgages. Section 504 repair loans for homeowners were underutilized, as is usually the case, but Section 504 grants, fully used in most years, left more than $5 million unobligated in FY21. Multifamily housing financing included 96 Section 538 loan guarantees totaling nearly $230.0 million, 47 Section 515 direct rental housing loans totaling $38.3 million to repair or rehabilitate 1,343 units, and two loans and one grant from the Section 514/516 farm labor housing program. Section 521 Rental Assistance funded 284,194 units totaling $1.5 billion. For the first time, the number of Section 542 housing vouchers fell, dropping from 7,489 in FY20 to 7,261 in FY21.

Tribal housing aid finder launched online.

The Tribal Housing Assistance Resource Hub, created by the National American Indian Housing Council, is intended to enable American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian homeowners, individuals, and families, to find mortgage, utilities, and rental assistance services. It covers two federal programs administered by state and tribal governments – the Homeowner Assistance Fund and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program – as well as services offered by tribal housing programs, such as home loan assistance, homebuyer education, elder and veteran housing, and others.

Redlining Toolkit addresses fair and equitable access to credit.

A new publication from the National Fair Housing Alliance is intended to help understand the public data relating to redlining risk in order to take action and promote racial equity. It includes information about the history and legal framework for redlining, provides tools to identify specific lenders with high redlining risk, and offers guidance for taking action when a lender shows high redlining risk in a community of color.

Report looks at lessons learned for designing rent aid.

Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) During the Pandemic: Implications for the Design of Permanent ERA Programs, released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Housing Initiative at Penn, discusses the findings from a survey of 100 administrators of the Emergency Rental Assistance program during the pandemic. Lessons in the report include the need for permanent emergency rental assistance programs and flexibility in requirements for applications.

Water contaminants mapped at county level.

A Drinking Water Dashboard compiled by Columbia University offers an interactive map and links to datasets showing contaminant exposure estimates in community water systems across the U.S. It accompanies a study titled Sociodemographic Inequalities in Uranium and Other Metals in Community Water Systems Across the USA, 2006-11: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Child Tax Credit payments used for essentials, including housing.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Center analyzed data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey and found that from July through December 2021 the most common reported uses of monthly Child Tax Credit payments were for basic needs, including food (65%), utilities and telecommunications (40%), rent and mortgage (39%) and clothing (34%). The Pulse Survey does not break down data by geography below the state level, but previous analyses found that families living outside metro areas were more likely than those in metro areas to benefit from the tax credit.

Rural leaders talk policy for 2071.

A new post on HAC’s Vision 2071 site reports on eight experts’ visions for how federal housing policy could solve the toughest challenges facing rural America. In Policy 2071: How Do We Help Rural America Thrive?, they put forward approaches that incorporate strategy, funding, and flexibility that deepen local capacity, lift up the natural advantages found in rural places, and result in a coordinated set of federal policies designed purposefully for small towns and rural regions.

HAC

Need capital for your affordable housing project?

HAC’s loan fund provides low interest rate loans to support single- and multifamily affordable housing projects for low-income rural residents throughout the U.S. and territories. Capital is available for all types of affordable and mixed-income housing projects, including preservation, new development, farmworker, senior and veteran housing. HAC loan funds can be used for pre-development, site acquisition, site development, construction/rehabilitation and permanent financing. Contact HAC’s loan fund staff at hacloanfund@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600.

Please note: HAC is not able to offer loans to individuals or families. Borrowers must be nonprofit or for-profit organizations or government entities (including tribes).

Vol. 51, No. 6

TOP STORIES

Final appropriations set for FY22.

An omnibus appropriations act establishes federal funding levels for fiscal year 2022, which ends on September 30, 2022.

• Several USDA rural housing programs receive modest funding increases rather than the significant boosts for rental housing that were included in House and/or Senate versions. The bill expands eligibility for Section 542 vouchers, allows rental property owners to request 20-year Rental Assistance contracts, and continues to require that at least 10% of most USDA Rural Development programs, including most housing programs, be set aside for persistent poverty counties where the poverty rate has been at least 20% for 30 years. For more details, see HAC’s site.
• Many HUD programs will receive more funding in fiscal year 2022 than in 2021, although the final figures generally fall below the highest increases proposed by the Biden administration, the House, or the Senate. The SHOP program was increased from $10 million in FY21 to $12.5 million – the first increase in the program since FY15. The spending agreement also encourages HUD to consider increasing SHOP’s current $15,000 per-unit cap. The measure includes funds for 25,000 new rental vouchers. For more details, see HAC’s site.

Census continues trends of undercounting some populations.

While there was not a statistically significant overcount or undercount for the total U.S. population, the Census Bureau recently announced that an analysis of the 2020 decennial census estimated national undercounts for renters and Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, some other race, and Hispanic or Latino populations. A second study identified undercounts of young children under age 5 and working age men. Additional estimates of coverage will be released later this year, including estimates on housing units as well as for race and Hispanic origin.

RuralSTAT

There are approximately 15 million ‘Baby Boomers’ in rural America making them one of the largest age groups in many rural communities. But rural America is not a monolith and there are important dynamics in all rural age strata. For more information on Age and Aging in Rural America visit HAC’s website. Source: HAC tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2014-2018 American Community Survey.

OPPORTUNITIES

USDA offers loan deferrals for rental preservation.

Owners or purchasers of rental properties with USDA Section 515 or 514 loans can apply by May 16 for 20-year payment deferrals, with the cash flow to be used for revitalization and preservation of the properties. This notice does not offer other forms of preservation assistance and no additional Section 521 Rental Assistance is available. Preregister here for an April 5 USDA workshop on this opportunity. For more information, contact Fallan Faulkner, USDA, 615-812-0050.

USDA-financed farmworker housing eligible for repair funding.

Section 514 loans and Section 516 grants are available for repair of off-farm labor housing with current Section 514/516 funding. Funds can be used either for substantial rehabilitation or for limited improvements, repairs, or modifications such as accessibility compliance and health and safety issues. USDA will hold a workshop for potential applicants on April 13. Pre-applications are due April 25. For more information, contact Jonathan Bell, USDA, 254-742-9764.

HAC schedules webinar on healthy homes innovations.

Building Smart and Building Healthy, to be held March 23, is the third in a series designed to share innovative solutions for affordable housing developers dealing with escalating prices and implementing additional regulations. This session will explore innovations in building/repairing healthy homes and their impact on inhabitants and their communities. For more information, contact HAC staff.

Placemaking resources to be launched.

Under a new cooperative agreement with USDA, the University of Kentucky will offer a digital toolkit to connect local leaders with technical assistance providers, funding organizations, planning guides, and other placemaking resources. USDA’s announcement describes placemaking as a collaborative planning and technical assistance process that helps rural community leaders develop plans to create quality places where people will want to live, work, visit, learn and explore. A virtual workshop is planned for May 23 and 24. For more information, sign up to receive updates from USDA. The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design, a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with HAC, offers additional rural placemaking and rural design resources.

FY23 budget to be released this month.

The Biden administration is expected to publish its funding request for fiscal year 2023 before the end of March. HAC will post an analysis of the budget and will hold a webinar, to be scheduled when the budget is released.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Violence Against Women Act expanded.

The FY22 omnibus appropriations bill includes provisions reauthorizing and expanding the Violence Against Women Act. The law, which – among numerous other provisions – protects tenants in federally subsidized rentals, previously applied to rental properties with direct or guaranteed financing from USDA, Low Income Housing Tax Credit developments, and most HUD-financed rentals. The new provisions make it applicable also to USDA’s Section 542 voucher program, the Housing Trust Fund, and housing programs for homeless veterans.

CFPB initiative to consider rural financial issues.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has launched a new initiative on financial issues facing rural America, focusing initially on rural banking deserts, discriminatory and predatory agricultural credit, and manufactured housing. Rural residents are invited to share their stories on these and other issues through a link in CFPB’s blog post.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Racial wealth gap solutions examined.

A recent series of articles published by Shelterforce attempts to “widen the lens on the racial wealth gap and what needs to be done about it.” The series, titled The Racial Wealth Gap – Moving to Systemic Solutions, argues that homeownership, business ownership, and higher education are all important, but “we must go beyond simply promoting more of each.” Articles include Wealth Building Won’t Work While Wealth Extraction Continues, Increased Homeownership Won’t Close the Racial Wealth Gap, Blaming Redlining Is Too Easy, Credit Where Credit Is Due: Expanding Access to Capital for BIPOC Developers, and more.

Both policy and technology can help address appraisal bias.

Reducing Bias in Home Appraisals: The Roles for Policy and Technology, a blog post from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, explores appraisal bias’s impact on wealth creation in communities of color and how certain changes could reduce bias. The authors conclude that long-term change requires a combination of private sector technology innovations and policy changes related to identification of comparable properties, standardized approaches, and division of the appraisal process among individuals.

Local investments yield big changes.

Residents of Albion, a small Nebraska town, have come together to raise funds for a child care center, agriculture and education center, nursing home improvements, and more. Raising such funds is a significant challenge for many rural communities, but it has become easier over time in Albion because the town has many visible successes. An article in the Flatwater Free Press titled Albion, Investing in Itself, Shows How Small Towns Can Thrive notes that the area’s shortage of affordable housing remains on the list of issues to be addressed.

Newsletter for tenants focuses on Emergency Rental Assistance.

A new issue of Tenant Talk, subtitled Emergency Rental Assistance at All Angles, centers on the Emergency Rental Assistance program’s impact for tenants navigating the economic challenges of the pandemic. This National Low Income Housing Coalition newsletter is free online or by mail.

HAC

Need capital for your affordable housing project?

HAC’s loan fund provides low interest rate loans to support single- and multifamily affordable housing projects for low-income rural residents throughout the U.S. and territories. Capital is available for all types of affordable and mixed-income housing projects, including preservation, new development, farmworker, senior and veteran housing. HAC loan funds can be used for pre-development, site acquisition, site development, construction/rehabilitation and permanent financing. Contact HAC’s loan fund staff at hacloanfund@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600.

Please note: HAC is not able to offer loans to individuals or families. Borrowers must be nonprofit or for-profit organizations or government entities (including tribes).

Vol. 51, No. 4

TOP STORY

House passes funding extension, Senate action pending.

On February 8 the House adopted another continuing resolution to extend federal funding at fiscal year 2021 levels through March 11. The Senate is expected to approve the measure before the current CR expires at midnight on February 18. Congress hopes to use the added time to negotiate final appropriations for FY22, which began on October 1, 2021.

RuralSTAT

From 2020 to 2021, the number of sheltered people experiencing homelessness declined by 8% nationwide and by 6.5% in rural places. Source: HUD, 2021 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, Part I.

OPPORTUNITIES

Financial and technical assistance offered for CDFIs and Native CDFIs.

The CDFI Fund’s CDFI Program will make financial assistance and technical assistance awards to Community Development Financial Institutions. The Native Initiatives Program will make financial assistance or technical assistance awards to Native CDFIs. The deadline for all applications is April 12. For more information, contact the CDFI Fund Helpdesk, 202-653-0421, option 1.

Small grants available for community projects focused on age 50+.

The AARP Community Challenge provides small grants to nonprofits and government entities to fund quick-action projects that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages. This year, applications will be accepted for projects to improve housing, public spaces, transportation, and civic engagement; support diversity, equity, and inclusion; build engagement for programs under new federal laws; and pursue innovative ideas that support people age 50 or older. The deadline is March 22. For more information, contact AARP.

Community Innovations for Racial Equity to support health partnerships.

• The Community Innovations for Racial Equity Initiative of the Build Healthy Places Network invites applications by March 18 from community development corporations that are led by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color and are motivated to engage healthcare partners to advance racial equity. Selected organizations will receive funding, in-kind technical support, and facilitated connections to a national network of peer support. For more information, contact Colleen Flynn, BHPN.
• BHPN is also surveying BIPOC-led community development corporations about how they are engaging with the health sector to better support partnerships that advance racial equity. It hopes to identify needs relative to challenges and impacts emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic among these partnerships. The survey results will inform tools and capacity building resources for the field. The survey closes February 28.

Call on rural prosperity set for February 22.

HUD’s Rural Gateway will hold a Peer-to-Peer Web Conference Call on February 22 based on Investing in Rural Prosperity, a book recently published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Topics will include investing in climate resilience, supporting local entrepreneurship and small businesses, and advancing racial equity through rural development investments. For more information, call 1-877-RURAL-26 (1-877-787-2526).

Deadline for ReConnect broadband applications extended.

USDA will now accept applications through March 9 for the Rural eConnectivity (ReConnect) broadband deployment program. The agency may also increase the amount of funds available. For more information, contact Laurel Leverrier, USDA, 202-720-9554.

Corrections issued for RISE job accelerator program.

USDA has made corrections in its funding availability notice for the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy grant program. Applications are due April 19. For more information, contact Will Dodson, USDA, 202-720-1400.

Broadband assistance available, comments requested.

The 2021 infrastructure law created the Affordable Connectivity Program to help make broadband services and devices available to low-income households. ACP is based on the short-term Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and will replace EBB on March 1. For more information on transitioning from EBB to ACP, visit the FCC’s site or contact ACPinfo@fcc.gov. The Federal Communications Commission requests public comment by March 16 on the final rule it has adopted for the ACP and on proposals for increasing public participation as well as providing an enhanced benefit for consumers in high-cost areas. For more information on the regulations, contact Eric Wu, FCC, 202-418-7400.

Website helps claim Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit.

Low-income families may be eligible to receive funds through the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit by filing a 2021 income tax return even if they would not otherwise have to file. Information and assistance on both credits is available at ChildTaxCredit.gov.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Rules for rural single-family housing programs revised.

• A final regulation for the Section 502 direct loan program and the Section 504 loan and grant programs adopts most of the changes proposed on November 25, 2019, with some modifications based on public comments. The changes include the use of loan refinancing to help borrowers who have difficulty keeping their accounts current (for example, after a payment moratorium). USDA will also have more flexibility in the future to revise the loan and grant caps for Section 504. For more information, contact Andrea Birmingham, USDA, 202-720-1489.
• Another final rule mandates use of the Guaranteed Underwriting System and the Lender Loan Closing System by approved lenders using the Section 502 guarantee program, effective May 9. For more information, contact Ticia Weare, USDA, 702-407-1400 x 6001.

USDA launches equity commission.

The members of USDA’s new Equity Commission and its Agriculture Subcommittee were announced on February 10. The body will provide recommendations on policies, programs, and actions to address equity issues within the Department and its programs. Its first virtual meeting, scheduled for February 28, will be open to the public. USDA’s press release states, “There are future plans to launch an additional Subcommittee focused on rural community and economic development.” For more information, email EquityCommission@usda.gov.

Civil rights office scrutinized.

USDA’s Inspector General reported recently that in 2017-2019 the department’s civil rights office continued to experience problems identified in past reviews. In 2019, the office averaged 799 days to process program complaints although its goal is to do so within 180 days. Complaints that may raise Fair Housing Act violations are referred to HUD but, in the three years covered by the study, HUD took an average of over 600 days to process complaints from USDA. At a February 15 House subcommittee hearing about the report, the IG said increased staffing and improved technology could help resolve the problems.

Wiggins nominated to head Delta Regional Authority.

Corey Wiggins has been nominated to serve as Federal Co-Chair of the Delta Regional Authority. The Delta Grassroots Caucus reports that Wiggins, currently the Executive Director of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP, is the first African American presidentially named to the DRA. The Senate has not yet begun to consider his nomination.

Housing regulator requests input on strategic plan.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Bank System, invites public comments by March 11 on its strategic plan for fiscal years 2022-2026.

Fannie Mae expands protections for rented sites in manufactured housing communities.

Fannie Mae has expanded its previous policy of encouraging Tenant Site Lease Protections for residents of manufactured housing communities. These protections are now required on all site leases, both owner-occupied and tenant-occupied, in communities with loans backed by Fannie Mae.

OneRD guaranteed loan platform regulation corrected.

USDA has issued a correction addressing omissions and errors in the December 10, 2021 final rule for the oneRD Guaranteed Loan Platform being used by several loan guarantee programs. For more information, contact Lauren Cusick, USDA, 202-720-1414.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Annual report shows drop in sheltered homelessness, but data is incomplete.

HUD has released its Annual Homeless Assessment Report, presenting data collected in January 2021. The number of sheltered people experiencing homelessness declined by 8% nationwide from 2020 to 2021. The report suggests there may have been fewer shelter beds available because of pandemic guidelines, some people may have stayed out of shelters because of fears of illness, and policies like eviction moratoriums may have helped some people avoid homelessness. The report does not conclude whether overall or unsheltered homelessness numbers rose or fell because the pandemic prevented many communities from counting unsheltered people experiencing homelessness in 2021. Among the sheltered population, “largely rural” places accounted for 16.3% of total people experiencing homelessness, 16.6% of individuals, 15.9% of families, 20.7% of unaccompanied youth, and 17.6% of veterans.

FEMA program underserves rural counties, study finds.

Researchers from Texas A&M University examined how well the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program served urban and rural counties from 1989 to 2018. Their article, Naturally Resilient to Natural Hazards? Urban-Rural Disparities in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Assistance, published in Housing Policy Debate, identifies “vast inequities in the distribution and duration of HMGP assistance” and concludes that “the current structure of the HMGP leaves rural counties in the dust.”

New index shows where rural capacity is limited.

Headwaters Economics has created a Rural Capacity Index based on 10 variables intended to function as proxies for community capacity. The variables incorporate metrics related to local government staffing, community education and engagement, and socioeconomic trends. An interactive map presents results at the county, county subdivision, and community levels. Headwaters suggests the index can be used by communities to advocate for resources and by federal and state agencies to target investments.

Experts say better capacity building and more funding needed for Indian Country housing.

A recent article on HAC’s website, Self-Determination in Tribal Housing: Reflections on NAHASDA’s Impact, reports the views of four experts on housing in Indian Country regarding the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act. One of HAC’s 2022 Rural Housing Policy Priorities is the reauthorization of NAHASDA with targeted improvements to build on its 25 years of achievements.

Disaster planning ensures community resilience and vitality.

The Conversation reports that vulnerable residents, who live in lower quality affordable housing located in less desirable locations, are most affected by disasters and least able to recover from them, slowing down recovery for the community as a whole. Disasters Can Wipe Out Affordable Housing for Years Unless Communities Plan Ahead – The Loss Hurts the Entire Local Economy points out that in some rural areas, replacement values are not enough to rebuild equivalent housing, so homes go unbuilt. Community land trusts, relaxed rental rules, and monitoring recovery funds offer relief.

Total value of U.S. homes hits record high in 2021.

Redfin reports that from 2020 to 2021, the total value of U.S. homes increased 18.6%, approximately $6 trillion, for a record high of $38.6 trillion in December 2021. The total value of rural homes increased by 19.5%, resulting in a total of $4.2 trillion. Benefits of increasing home values were seen in rural places and metropolitan areas. The wealth increase for homeowners widened the gap between renters and homeowners across the U.S., however.

3G shutdowns problematic in rural places.

Rural America May Experience Service Blackouts as Providers Sunset 3G Service, a Daily Yonder article, looks at the impact of mobile carriers shutting down older 3G service to make room for newer technology. Some advocates for survivors of domestic violence expressed concerns whether there has been sufficient coverage about the potential loss of service for those with older phones, especially “people in rural areas, those living on reservations, people who are low-income, and people of color.”

HAC

NEW! HAC seeks Policy Director, Community Development Specialist, Loan Processor Associate, and Housing Specialist.

• The Director of Policy is a newly created position based in HAC’s Washington DC headquarters, reporting directly to the CEO and serving on HAC’s Executive Leadership Team. This individual will be expected to maintain HAC’s position as the leading authority on current rural housing and community development policy; grow HAC’s role as a non-partisan, evidence-driven authority trusted by policymakers and practitioners; and represent HAC in a wide range of forums, demonstrating issue mastery and thought leadership when communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the affordable housing and community development industry, the media, and the general public. Some travel is required.
• The Community Development Specialist works with nonprofits and local governments on all facets of developing community resources such as parks, community centers, public libraries, childcare centers, health care facilities, or other public spaces. Requirements include four years of relevant work experience. This position is eligible for telecommuting.
• The Loan Processor Associate is an entry-level position and will assist in managing HAC’s portfolio of loans made to entities engaged in affordable housing activities throughout the rural U.S.
• The Housing Specialist is primarily based in either the Southwest or Western states and works with local partner organizations to support the preservation and development of affordable housing and community and economic development strategies.

Need capital for your affordable housing project?

HAC’s loan fund provides low interest rate loans to support single- and multifamily affordable housing projects for low-income rural residents throughout the U.S. and territories. Capital is available for all types of affordable and mixed-income housing projects, including preservation, new development, farmworker, senior and veteran housing. HAC loan funds can be used for pre-development, site acquisition, site development, construction/rehabilitation and permanent financing. Contact HAC’s loan fund staff at hacloanfund@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600.

Please note: HAC is not able to offer loans to individuals or families. Borrowers must be nonprofit or for-profit organizations or government entities (including tribes).