Vol. 50, No. 18

TOP STORIES

Supreme Court invalidates eviction moratorium.

The Centers for Disease Control did not have sufficient authority to issue its August 3 eviction moratorium, the Supreme Court ruled on August 26. The court held that the administration cannot impose another moratorium on tenant evictions unless Congress specifically authorizes it. HAC expressed concern about the decision’s impact on rural residents, given that the pandemic and the unprecedented job loss it caused have exacerbated longstanding rural housing challenges. Some state and local eviction limitations remain in place. Resources for tenants, landlords, and homeowners are collected on HAC’s site.

Agencies take steps to assist renters.

Federal agencies have instituted new flexibilities and issued reminders to help tenants who have fallen behind on rent and utilities payments.

• USDA will work with its multifamily property owners to mitigate evictions. USDA also announced permission for owners to access reserves for operating shortfalls while waiting to receive Emergency Rental Assistance, financial incentives to property management agents that tap ERA to clear arrearages, and increased support from USDA field staff.
• The Treasury Department issued revised FAQs and an announcement about policy changes intended to help state and local governments and their partners to distribute Emergency Rental Assistance funds.
• “Shallow Subsidy” rental assistance funds for veteran households are now available nationwide from VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families program.
• HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Attorney General Merrick Garland encouraged states and localities to act, including imposing eviction moratoriums and connecting eviction proceedings to rent aid applications.

Administration efforts to provide more affordable housing announced.

On September 1, the Biden administration announced a series of actions it intends to take to increase the supply of affordable homes for renters and owners. The provisions include raising the caps on Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit investments and requiring a larger portion of those LIHTC investments be targeted to rural places; increasing financing for CDFIs; emphasizing sale of foreclosed single-family homes to families and nonprofits; and increasing state housing finance agencies’ ability to finance affordable rental housing by restarting the Federal Financing Bank’s support of FHA’s Risk-Sharing Program. The administration also asked state and local governments to remove regulatory barriers.

Budget resolution and infrastructure bill move in House.

The House passed the $3.5 trillion budget resolution on August 24. Next, committees in both the House and the Senate will draft legislative language, including specific amounts for specific programs. The House also moved forward on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, scheduling a vote for September 27. Annual appropriations bills for FY22, which begins on October 1, 2021, have not advanced; Congress will need to adopt a continuing resolution to keep the government functioning beyond September.

Save the date! 2021 National Rural Housing Conference scheduled.

HAC is pleased to announce plans to convene its 2021 National Rural Housing Conference and Training! The conference provides an excellent opportunity to network and improve connections to federal agencies, national intermediary organizations, and other stakeholders. The HAC News will announce when registration opens.

Nominate individuals or organizations for rural housing awards.

As part of the 2021 National Rural Housing Conference, HAC will recognize individuals and/or organizations that have, through their continued work and or newly established initiatives, made a positive and lasting impact in rural America. HAC invites nominations by September 17 of those who have made outstanding and enduring contribution to affordable housing in rural America. This year, HAC will consider each nomination on its own merits, relative to the specified contributions. More details and a list of potential categories are posted on HAC’s site. For more information, contact Miguel Guevara, HAC.

RuralSTAT

Between August 1 and August 31, communities outside of metropolitan areas reported nearly 700,000 new cases of COVID-19 – a 291% increase over the previous 30-day period. Source: HAC tabulations of public health data from the New York Times. A Rural Research Note updating the COVID-19 situation in rural America is available on HAC’s site.

 

OPPORTUNITIES

HUD offers funds for Native American housing.

• The Indian Housing Block Grant competitive program helps tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities maintain, develop, and operate affordable housing. The deadline is December 1. For more information, contact HUD staff.
• The Indian Community Development Block Grant program will finance tribes to develop community facilities, carry out public works projects, and provide economic development assistance. Apply by October 25. For more information, contact HUD staff.
• HUD will accept applications for ICDBG funds appropriated by the American Rescue Plan Act in accordance with HUD Notice PIH-2021-22. For more information, contact HUD staff.

Webinar planned on rural community engagement.

CIRD: Models and Practices for Meaningful Community Engagement, scheduled for September 15, will ask what meaningful community engagement work looks like for rural communities. The webinar, sponsored by the Citizens’ Institute for Rural Design, will give participants a chance to share engagement strategies and learn new ways to strengthen community engaged design work. It will also cover engagement in the context of COVID-19 and building greater inclusivity with community members whose identities differ from our own.

HAC seeks Community Facilities Housing Specialist.

The Community Facilities Housing Specialist identifies and engages community stakeholders and provides direct technical assistance to rural organizations that are developing facilities such as parks, community centers, public libraries and childcare centers. This includes helping them identify, utilize, and apply for financial resources such as USDA Community Facilities grants and loans. This is a two-year position and is eligible for telecommuting.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

“Public charge” comments sought.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is revising the regulation that bars immigrants considered likely to become “public charges” because of their use of government assistance. Comments are due October 22. USCIS will hold virtual listening sessions on September 14 (for the general public) and October 5 (for state, local, and tribal governments and nonprofits). For more information, contact Andrew Parker, USCIS, 240-721-3000.

Reimbursement for non-congregate shelters extended.

FEMA will provide 100% reimbursement for some emergency measures taken through December 31, 2021 by state, local, and tribal governments and nonprofits to protect against immediate threats to life, public health, or property. During the coronavirus disaster, this category includes non-congregate sheltering of people experiencing homelessness.

Input requested on federal homelessness plan.

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness seeks public comments as it creates a new Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. USICH invites feedback from anyone, particularly people who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness; people who serve the LGBT, BIPOC, or veteran communities; and people whose work involves the justice system.

HAC agrees with HUD fair housing rule.

HAC has submitted a comment letter supporting HUD’s proposed cancellation of a fair housing regulation issued by the Trump administration in September 2020. This rule governs fair housing violation claims based on policies or actions with “disparate impacts” on categories of people protected by the Fair Housing Act.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

HAC offers information for survivors of Hurricane Ida and TN floods.

Disaster guides for areas hit by Hurricane Ida and for places in middle Tennessee that flooded on August 21 are posted on HAC’s website.

CDBG-CV Rural Economic Development Quick Guide published.

A new guide from HUD is intended to help states and rural places use Community Development Block Grant CARES Act (CDBG-CV) funding to support the local economic development infrastructure needed for pandemic recovery. The guide covers the economic development needs of rural communities, best practices, and duplication of benefits.

Housing helps Navajo Nation deal with pandemic.

For Navajo, Crowded Homes Have Always Been a Lifeline. The Pandemic Threatens That, an interactive video published by the Washington Post, illustrates both pre-pandemic housing inadequacies on the Navajo Nation and the cultural importance of multi-generational living. About 300 tiny homes have been built near existing residences to allow family members to isolate as necessary.

As federal pandemic relief ends, rural food insecurity is expected to rise.

The Daily Yonder reports in Experts: Food Insecurity in Rural Areas Likely to Increase in Months to Come that as federal benefits such as unemployment assistance expire in September, food insecurity will probably increase. Previous studies have indicated that rural areas have higher rates of food insecurity than the rest of the country.

Rural news providers try to bridge the information divide.

Nieman Reports provides an overview of six rural-based news outlets, including the Daily Yonder, Southerly, the News Reporter, High Country News, Ohio Valley ReSource, and Mountain State Spotlight. These outlets aim to provide culturally competent news that is important to local audiences.

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. 50, No. 16

TOP STORIES

Eviction moratorium for renters expires, new limited moratorium issued.

The federal moratorium on eviction of tenants facing pandemic-related economic issues, which had been in place since the Centers for Disease Control imposed it in September 2020, expired on July 31. On August 3, CDC issued a new moratorium that applies through October 3 in “U.S. counties experiencing substantial and high levels of community transmission” of the coronavirus, currently a large portion of the country. While this version is in effect, individual counties’ eligibility will change based on data tracked by the CDC, which categorizes the transmission rate in each county as high, substantial, moderate, or low. Resources for renters needing assistance to pay rent or utilities are compiled in many places online, including on HAC’s website.

Eviction moratoriums for defaulting homeowners extended to September 30.

Homeowners who have defaulted on federally backed mortgages are protected against evictions by moratoriums extended through September 30 by USDA for Section 502 direct borrowers and Section 502 guaranteed borrowers, VA, the Federal Housing Administration, and the Federal Housing Finance Administration (which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac). These agencies did not, however, extend their moratoriums on foreclosure: those expired on July 31. The extended eviction moratoriums are intended to give foreclosed homeowners enough time to find financial assistance or to move. Information about mortgage forbearance (delayed payments) and other options for homeowners is available from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and each agency offers aid to its homeowners.

Save the date! 2021 National Rural Housing Conference scheduled.

The Housing Assistance Council is pleased to announce plans to convene its 2021 National Rural Housing Conference and Training! The conference provides an excellent opportunity to network and improve connections to federal agencies, national intermediary organizations, and other vested stakeholders. The HAC News will announce when registration opens.

Senate committee approves USDA funding bill, House passes USDA and HUD bills.

On August 4 the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2022 funding bill for USDA. Details are posted on HAC’s site. Like the House bill, the Senate version would provide modest increases for some rural housing programs. It would take a different approach to rental housing preservation, increasing the Section 515 program from $40 million in FY21 to $92 million in FY22, while setting the Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization program at the $32 million figure requested in the administration’s budget. The House would keep Section 515 at $40 million and increase MPR to $60 million. The next step in the process will be full Senate consideration of the committee’s bill. The House passed H.R. 4502, a “minibus” package of seven appropriations bills, including USDA’s and HUD’s, on July 27.

Infrastructure deal moves forward without housing.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill under consideration in the Senate, H.R. 3684, does not provide any housing funding. It does include $2 billion for USDA’s rural broadband programs.

Confirmation hearing held for Torres Small.

The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing July 29 on the nominations of Xochitl Torres Small to be Under Secretary for Rural Development at USDA and Robert Bonnie to be Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. The committee has not yet voted whether to send either nomination to the full Senate for consideration.

RuralSTAT

Between July 1 and July 31, communities outside of metropolitan areas reported 178,000 new cases of COVID-19 – a 171% increase over the previous 30-day period. Source: HAC tabulations of public health data from the New York Times. A Rural Research Brief updating the COVID-19 situation in rural America is available on HAC’s site.  

OPPORTUNITIES

USDA farm labor housing loans and grants available.

From September 1 to November 1, USDA will accept pre-applications for Section 514 loans and Section 516 grants for off-farm farmworker housing. The funding notice published on February 2 provides details. For more information, contact Abby Boggs, USDA, 615-490-1371.

HUD offers Healthy Homes Production grants.

Nonprofits and state, local, and tribal governments can apply by October 19 for the Healthy Homes Production Grant Program, which addresses housing-related hazards in a coordinated fashion, rather than a single hazard at a time. For more information, contact Yolanda Brown, HUD, 202-903-9576.

VA two-year rental assistance funds can be used nationwide.

The Supportive Services for Veteran Families program offers several kinds of aid, including rental assistance for low-income veterans who might otherwise be homeless. In a few high-cost counties (listed here, with additions listed here), grantees have been permitted to provide rental assistance for up to two years before recertification. Describing the lack of affordable housing as “a national crisis,” VA is now extending this two-year provision to all counties and county equivalents throughout the U.S. and territories, effective immediately. For more information, contact John Kuhn, VA, 202-632-8596.

Economic development funding offered.

The Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration has opened several competitions, including one for Indigenous communities and one for coal communities, intended to assist economic recovery in previously underserved places impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Application deadlines vary, with the earliest on October 19.

Green building webinar scheduled by HAC.

“Build Smart” Webinar Series Part 1: Green Building Case Studies, scheduled for August 12, will showcase several projects that are successfully implementing Green Building practices in their affordable housing developments and share their best practices for green building on a budget and constructing net zero energy homes for low-income buyers.

Investing in rural infrastructure webinar announced.

Investing in Infrastructure: Rural Strategies for Building and Maintaining Healthy Local Economies, scheduled for August 16, will explore why new federal funding presents a momentous opportunity to invest in rural physical infrastructure and how communities can effectively take advantage of this funding to build thriving rural places. This is the latest in the Rural Opportunity and Development (ROAD) Sessions, virtual exchanges co-designed and hosted by the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, HAC, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Rural LISC, and the Federal Reserve Board.

Broadband improvement campaign needs consumer input.

Let’s Broadband Together, a project of Consumer Reports and a coalition of other groups, invites people with internet access to contribute information for a campaign aimed at improving access quality and cost. The process, which CR estimates takes seven minutes, includes an online test of the consumer’s internet speed, sharing an internet bill, and answering a few questions.

HAC job openings: Portfolio Management Associate and Community Facilities Housing Specialist.

For details, visit HAC’s website.

• The Portfolio Management Associate is an entry-level position and will assist in managing HAC’s portfolio of loans made to entities engaged in affordable housing activities in rural communities throughout the United States. This individual will assist in a range of lending activities – including closing, disbursement, monitoring, and servicing single- and multifamily housing development loans – in the Loan Fund Division.
• The Community Facilities Housing Specialist identifies and engages community stakeholders and provides direct technical assistance to rural organizations that are developing facilities such as parks, community centers, public libraries and childcare centers. This includes helping them identify, utilize and apply for financial resources such as USDA Community Facilities grants and loans. This is a two-year position and is eligible for telecommuting.

CORONAVIRUS

COVID-19 infection rates have resurged in rural America.

COVID-19’s impact on rural America continues to evolve. After declining case rates and signs of optimism, infection rates have begun to increase again in rural communities with certain areas and regions experiencing distressing levels of new COVID-19 cases. HAC’s latest Rural Research Brief, COVID-19 in Rural America, July 31, 2021, examines the health, employment, and housing impacts over the entire course of the pandemic.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Heirs’ Property Relending Program nears launch.

USDA expects to open a two-month signup window in late August for Community Development Financial Institutions to apply for funds they will relend to agricultural producers and landowners facing heirs’ land ownership and succession issues. Heirs who inherited family land without a will or legal documentation of ownership may use the loans to resolve title issues by financing the purchase or consolidation of property interests and financing costs associated with a succession plan. Comments on the program’s final rule are due October 8. For more information, contact Md Mutaleb, Farm Service Agency, 202-720-3168.

HUD to release FY22 Fair Market Rents.

Fair Market Rents that take effect on October 1 will be available on August 6. Comments are due September 30.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Rural U.S. economies will benefit from expanded Child Tax Credit, study concludes.

The effect of the one-year Child Tax Credit expansion will be proportionally greatest in places outside metropolitan areas, according to Measuring the Child Tax Credit’s Economic and Community Impact, a new report from the Niskanen Center. Researchers calculated the total dollar amounts the CTC expansion will generate and their impacts on household spending, state and local sales tax revenue, and jobs. Estimates are reported by state and congressional district.

Annual fair housing report shows increased harassment in 2020.

The National Fair Housing Alliance’s 2021 Fair Housing Trends Report provides an analysis of housing discrimination complaints filed last year at the local, state, and national levels. While the overall number of housing discrimination claims remained consistent in 2020, more than 1,000 harassment claims were reported, compared to 761 in 2019. Asian American and Pacific Islander communities reported a rise in harassment, and claims of sexual harassment also rose among tenants who were unable to pay their rent due to job loss or unemployment.

Lost rent means small landlords defer maintenance.

An Urban Institute analysis of May 2021 data found that 28% of “mom-and-pop” landlords deferred maintenance during the pandemic. Finances were the reason most commonly cited, and 41% of landlords who lost rental income deferred maintenance compared with 18% of those who did not lose rental income.

COVID-19 impact on farmers, farmworkers, and productivity estimated.

Researchers from Purdue University estimated the number of cases and deaths among farmers and farmworkers from March 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 and concluded the pandemic reduced U.S. agricultural output by about $309 million over that period. Purdue’s Food and Agriculture Vulnerability Index Dashboard provides cumulative estimates, updated daily, for workers across every state and several commodities.

Data on Native American labor market available.

The Center for Indian Country Development at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank has created a Native American Labor Market Dashboard to provide data on labor force participation, employment, and unemployment. The site allows users to compare American Indians and Alaska Natives to the entire U.S. population, and to compare residents of metropolitan areas with those outside metro areas.

Primer aims to help build healthy rural places.

The Build Healthy Places Network has published A Primer for Multi-Sector Health Partnerships in Rural Areas and Small Cities to provide guidance on cross-sector collaboration between the community development, finance, public health, and healthcare sectors.

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. 50, No. 14

TOP STORIES

Federal agencies extend many housing protections to July 31.

The Centers for Disease Control eviction moratorium for renters was extended through July 31. USDA, VA, FHA, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have extended their foreclosure moratoriums for homeowners through July 31. Homeowners with loans made, insured, or guaranteed by those agencies can also request forbearance (a delay in making mortgage payments) at least through July 31 and in some cases after that. The administration has stated that it does not expect to issue further extensions.

State, local, and tribal agencies have funds available to cover rent and other housing needs from two rounds of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, as well as other federal relief. The Treasury Department updated its ERA guidance on June 24.

Information is available from many sources, including these:

• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers information online in several languages for homeowners, renters, and landlords.
• Free help by phone, online, or in person is available from HUD-certified housing counseling agencies. To locate a housing counselor, visit HUD’s site or call 1-800-569-4287.

Supreme Court leaves eviction moratorium in effect.

On June 29 the Supreme Court issued an opinion keeping the CDC moratorium operational while a federal appeals court considers a challenge to its constitutionality.

House committee approves USDA FY22 appropriations bill.

On June 30 the House Appropriations Committee approved its USDA funding bill, making no changes to the rural housing figures supported by a subcommittee on June 25. The bill proposes to increase funding levels above FY21 levels, and in some cases above the amounts proposed in the administration’s budget, for Section 502 direct and guaranteed mortgage loans, Rental Assistance, self-help housing, the Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization program, and others. Details are posted on HAC’s website, along with language from the committee’s draft report urging USDA to pay particular attention to the needs of farmworkers.

RuralSTAT

In counties outside metropolitan areas, the unemployment rate continued a declining trend to 4.7%. Source: HAC Tabulations of May 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics LAUS data.

OPPORTUNITIES

Arts organizations from rural areas and Indian Country encouraged to apply for NEA grants.

The National Endowment for the Arts is actively seeking first-time applicants that work in rural America and Indian Country to apply for American Rescue Plan grants to cover salaries, stipends, and general operating costs. Nonprofit arts and culture organizations, local governments, federally recognized tribal communities or tribes, and local arts agencies are eligible, regardless of whether they have received NEA funding in the past. The NEA offers a webinar on July 8 for rural and Indian Country applicants. The deadline for most applicants is August 12. The deadline for arts agencies that will make subgrants is July 22.

Online training will cover energy efficient, affordable housing.

Strategies for Achieving Energy Efficient, Affordable Housing, a HAC webinar scheduled for July 14, will provide insight into energy efficient construction practices, including how to maximize energy efficiency while keeping costs in check. Learn the role of Home Energy Raters in the design and construction process and see the specifications for homes that are achieving varying levels of energy efficiency. Finally, you will see what it takes to achieve a net-zero home – one that produces as much energy as it uses on an annual basis.

Webinar to highlight rural climate-smart solutions.

On July 16, Pathfinders: Climate-Smart Solutions from Rural America and Native Nations will address innovations, including ways rural organizations build and retrofit more energy-efficient homes and offer new community energy options intentionally designed to build more financial stability for low-wealth people. This is the latest in the Rural Opportunity and Development (ROAD) Sessions, virtual exchanges co-designed and hosted by the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, HAC, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Rural LISC, and the Federal Reserve Board.

HAC seeks Community Facilities Housing Specialist.

The Community Facilities Housing Specialist identifies and engages community stakeholders and provides direct technical assistance to rural organizations that are developing facilities such as parks, community centers, public libraries and childcare centers. This includes helping them identify, utilize, and apply for financial resources such as USDA Community Facilities grants and loans. This is a two-year position and is eligible for telecommuting.

REGULATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

Comments requested on fair lending policy statement.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency seeks input on a policy statement that is intended to guide the entities it regulates – Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks – on their compliance with fair lending laws and regulations. Comments are due September 7. For more information, contact Annalyce Shufelt, FHFA, 202-649-3416.

Administration pledges to address housing for people returning from prisons and jails.

HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge recently clarified that people who are at risk of homelessness after leaving incarceration are eligible for temporary Emergency Housing Vouchers. She noted that recent incarceration and homelessness are often connected and that, because of the racial disparities in the criminal justice system, addressing reentry housing needs helps advance equity. HUD also plans to review regulations, develop new tools, and publish best practices on reentry housing. These actions are part of an administration strategy to address gun crime and ensure public safety.

USDA and others to coordinate broadband funds.

USDA, the Federal Communications Commission, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration have signed an interagency agreement to share information and coordinate the distribution of broadband deployment funds.

HAC recommends federal actions for rural equity.

HAC recently submitted comments in response to an Office of Management and Budget request for input on whether federal agency policies and actions equitably serve all eligible individuals and communities, including rural residents. Noting that rural and persistently poor places have historically been and continue to be underserved by federal programs, HAC recommended a focus on capacity building, access to capital, and proactive and deliberate tailoring of federal programs to produce lasting rural equity.

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

Guide covers affordable housing providers’ role in addressing natural disasters.

Affordable Housing and Natural Disasters: A Practitioner’s Guidebook, published by the California Coalition for Rural Housing, is intended as a primer on the current state of disaster issues for affordable housing practitioners and a means of familiarizing disaster planners with innovations from the affordable housing sector. It covers the four major phases of the disaster cycle – mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery – and includes case studies from rural California.

Researchers skeptical about remote work’s economic impact on heartland.

Secondary tech centers and metropolitan areas away from the coasts, rather than distressed smaller places, seem to be benefitting from recent corporate relocations out of major cities, Brookings Institution researchers suggest in an article titled Remote Work Won’t Save the Heartland. Their analysis of data on individual moves shows also that only a fraction of people who moved out of the largest metro areas in 2020 moved to Heartland or Mountain West states.

Hot housing market changes rural community.

The Daily Yonder reports on the positive and negative impacts of the booming demand for market-rate housing in Short-Term Rentals and High-End Buyers Wipe Out Affordable Housing in Joshua Tree, Say Residents.

Need-tested benefits cut child poverty in half, research concludes.

To examine the likely situation after temporary pandemic-related supports end, the Congressional Research Service used data from 2017, a year of economic growth, to estimate the impact of assistance such as housing and food aid that are provided to recipients based on their incomes. Need-Tested Benefits: Impact of Assistance on Poverty Experienced by Low-Income Families and Individuals reports that this aid improves family economic wellbeing by reducing both the prevalence and degree of poverty, particularly for families with children.

Survey finds homeownership disparities largely unchanged over the past year.

NeighborWorks America’s 2021 Housing and Financial Capability Survey, conducted in April, found more Americans said they need guidance on building credit and reducing debt than one year earlier, and more were interested in financial planning classes. Among those who were financially challenged by the coronavirus pandemic, 73% said it would take six months or more to recover, and 46% said it would take a year or more. Socioeconomic disparities in homeownership rates were unchanged over the year, as were obstacles to homeownership.

32% of federally assisted housing at high risk from natural hazards.

In a new report, the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation and the National Low Income Housing Coalition examine the risk of harm to project-based federally assisted properties from climate-related events. A larger proportion of these households than of those without housing aid are at high risk of the negative impacts of these hazards and are less likely to have the supplies and resources to evacuate or prepare. The danger is greatest for households of color in assisted housing.

Low-income disaster survivors get less help from FEMA.

Why FEMA Aid is Unavailable to Many Who Need it the Most, a story from National Public Radio, covers FEMA’s failure to equitably serve marginalized racial groups and low-income people after disasters. An internal FEMA analysis of aid requests between 2014 and 2018 found that the poorest renters were 23% less likely than higher-income renters to get housing help. The poorest homeowners received about half as much as higher-income homeowners to rebuild their homes, a disparity greater than the difference in repair costs.

Lack of affordable housing leaves Latinx residents vulnerable to wildfires.

The shortage of affordable housing forces a disproportionate number of Latinx residents in the western U.S. to live in places seriously threatened by wildfire, according to a data analysis summarized by Politico in Wildfires Threaten All of the West – And One Group More Than Others. Latinx people are about 18% of the U.S. population but 37% of those who live in the areas identified as facing the most extreme wildfire risks.

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).