USDA funding Archives

Final FY24 Spending Bill Cuts Most Rural Housing Programs

March 4, 2024/in News, Policy Federal Funding, U.S. Department of Agriculture

All but three of USDA’s rural housing programs receive funding cuts in the final minibus appropriations bill released by congressional leaders on March 3. The bill is expected to pass before funding for several agencies, including USDA, runs out on March 8. Section 521 Rental Assistance, Section 542 vouchers, and Section 538 rental housing guarantees are the only rural housing programs that are not reduced.

— HAC’s analysis of FY24 appropriations for HUD is available here. —

The bill does include a new rental preservation effort supported by HAC and many others. It establishes a pilot program to decouple up to 1,000 Section 521 Rental Assistance units from Section 515 or 514 mortgages. Currently, when one of these mortgages is fully paid off, the tenants lose their Rental Assistance. The bill limits decoupling to situations where USDA determines that a maturing loan “cannot reasonably be restructured with another loan or modification.” Congress’s explanatory statement on the bill “directs the Department to have strong stakeholder engagement and to provide the [House and Senate Appropriations] Committees with monthly updates on the implementation of this policy.”

Other rental housing preservation efforts are reduced, with Section 515 falling from $70 million in FY23 to $60 million this year and Multi-Family Rental Preservation and Revitalization (MPR) cut back from $36 million to $34 million. The Rental Preservation Technical Assistance program receives $1 million, half as much as in FY23, although it was not included at all in the Administration’s budget or the House or Senate bills.

USDA’s flagship Section 502 direct mortgage program, which enables low- and very low-income families to buy their first homes, is cut from $1.25 billion in FY23 to $880 million in FY24. Even Section 502 guarantees, which serve slightly higher income households than Section 502 direct and cost the government very little, are reduced from $30 billion to $25 billion. The self-help housing program, which enables local nonprofit organizations to help families build their own homes, is also cut, from $32 million to $25 million.

This agreement on funding for FY24 – which started on October 1, 2023 – comes just one week before the President’s budget for FY25 will be released, kicking off the process of determining funding for next year.

USDA Rural Dev. Prog. (dollars in millions)	FY23 Final Approp.	FY24 Admin. Budget	FY24 House Committee Bill H.R. 4368	FY24 Senate Bill H.R. 4366	FY24 Final
502 Single Fam. Direct	$1,250	$1,500	$881	$850	$880
Nat. Amer. SF Demo.	7.5	12	5	7.5	5
502 Single Family Guar.	30,000	30,000	30,000	30,000	25,000
504 VLI Repair Loans	28	50	25	28	25
504 VLI Repair Grants	32	40	25	32	25
515 Rental Hsg. Direct Lns.	70	200	60	60	60
514 Farm Labor Hsg. Lns.	20	50	13	25	15
516 Farm Labor Hsg. Grts.	10	18	5	10	7.5
521 Rental Assistance	1,488	1,650	1,607	1,608	1,608
523 Self-Help TA	32	40	25	32	25
533 Hsg. Prsrv. Grants	16	30	10	16	10
538 Rental Hsg. Guar.	400	400	400	400	400
Rental Prsrv. Demo. (MPR)	36	75	34	35	34
542 Rural Hsg. Vouchers	48	38	48	48	48
Rental Prsrv. TA	2	–	–	–	1
Rural Cmnty. Dev’t Init.	6	–	5	6	5
Community Facil. Loans	2,800	2,800	2,800	2,800	2,800
Community Facil. Grants	325.5*	87	317*	32	5
Tribal Colleges CF Grts	10	?	6	10	8
Community Facil. Guarantees	650	650	650	650	650

* These Community Facilities grant amounts include funds earmarked by members of Congress for specific projects (called “Congressionally Directed Spending” or “Community Project Funding”).

Senate Minibus Includes HUD and USDA

On November 1, 2024, the Senate passed a “minibus,“ H.R. 4366, that includes funding for USDA, Transportation-HUD, and Military Construction-VA. On September 28, the House voted against its USDA appropriations bill.

Senate and House Committees Adopt Different Figures for FY24 USDA Spending

On June 22, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its version of USDA’s funding bill for fiscal year 2024. Senate appropriators are using the spending limits set in the Fiscal Responsibility Act — the debt ceiling compromise — while the House is developing spending bills to fit lower caps. As a result, the Senate bill proposes higher amounts than the House for most rural housing and community facilities programs. It would keep most of them at FY23 levels.

Funding Levels

While keeping most programs at FY23 spending levels, the Senate bill would reduce funding for the flagship Section 502 direct mortgage program. It proposes $850 million rather than this year’s $1.25 billion. It would also increase the lowest possible subsidized interest rate for Section 502 direct loans to 2% from the current 1%.

Rescissions

The bill would cancel some funds appropriated in prior years but not yet spent: $3 million in the rural voucher account and $30 million intended for Section 504 grants.

Rental Preservation

The Senate bill, unlike the House’s version, adopts the administration’s proposal for decoupling Section 521 Rental Assistance from Section 515 and 514 mortgages in limited circumstances. When a USDA mortgage is paid off, an owner could continue to receive RA if the property has RA already and there is no other way to preserve the property as affordable housing. Decoupled RA could be provided for a maximum of 15,000 units in FY24.

Other Provisions

The report that accompanies the Senate bill “encourages” USDA to increase maximum grants for the Rural Community Development Initiative from $250,000 to $500,000 and “to allow an advance of 25 percent of grant funds prior to a match being supplied.”

The final section of the bill (Title VII) is separate from the main provisions relating to housing and CF programs but contains several housing-related provisions, including the Section 502 interest rate change (Sections 771 and 774) and rescissions (Sections 732 and 744). It would also extend the terms of Section 523 self-help land development loans and Section 524 site development loans to five years instead of the current two (Sections 761 and 762). It would raise the statutory cap on the number of rural housing vouchers, which has been raised for one year at a time in past appropriations bills, from 5,000 to 10,000.

House Committee Passes FY24 USDA Appropriations

The full House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2024 funding bill for USDA on June 14, 2023. The committee made some changes in the bill passed by the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee on May 18, but none were related to housing and community facilities. The measure retains the housing and CF program cuts adopted by the subcommittee.

New Details on Proposed Cuts

The full House committee released report language to accompany the bill, which provides some details not previously available. The report makes clear there would be a large cut to the pool of funding for standard community facilities grants that would be available through USDA’s competition: the total would plunge by 86%, from $25.3 million in FY23 to just under $3.6 million in FY24. Section 514 loans for farmworker housing would fall from $20 million in FY23 to $13 million in FY24, and Section 516 grants would drop from $10 million to $5 million. Section 504 grants and Section 533 would also decrease.

Like its subcommittee, the House Appropriations Committee states that its $1.607 billion will “fully fund the [Section 521 Rental Assistance] program,” without explaining why the amount differs from the administration’s budget request or whether “all” includes the 27,000 contracts added by the American Rescue Plan Act. (The administration’s total also includes $6 million for RA in new Section 515 units; that amount is not included in the House bill because it would not provide Section 515 funding for new units.)

Disadvantaged Farmers Program Cancellation Proposed

The full House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment, proposed by Agriculture Subcommittee Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.), to eliminate a program for disadvantaged farmers that was created in the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA program replaced one created in the American Rescue Plan Act. The ARPA program would have aided “socially disadvantaged” farmers and ranchers because lawsuits previously determined that USDA discriminated against them. Then white farmers and ranchers sued, claiming it was discriminatory to pay people based solely on their race/ethnicity. While those suits were pending, Congress replaced the ARPA program with a new one in IRA to provide payments to anyone, regardless of race/ethnicity, who could show they experienced past discrimination in USDA farm lending programs. It also included grants and loans to improve land access (including heirs’ property and fractionated land issues) for underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. And it funded outreach, education, research, equity commissions, and other aid.

The House bill also cancels diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at USDA. During the markup Rep. Harris noted that it would not impact USDA’s civil rights office.

House Subcommittee Releases Rural Housing Funding Bill

On May 18, 2023, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee approved a fiscal year 2024 funding bill for USDA, proposing to fund many rural housing programs at levels lower than those requested in the administration’s budget, and in some cases lower than the amounts appropriated in FY23 or FY22.

The full House Appropriations Committee scheduled its own mark-up for May 24, then postponed it without setting a new date.

The administration’s budget documents state that its $1.65 billion request for Section 521 would renew all current Rental Assistance contracts, including 27,000 contracts added by the American Rescue Plan Act. The subcommittee’s summary says its $1.607 billion “fully funds existing rental contracts to ensure rural residents will not be displaced,” but does not specifically mention the ARPA units and does not explain the discrepancy between its figure and the budget’s. The administration’s total also includes $6 million for RA in new Section 515 units; that amount is not included in the House bill because it would not provide Section 515 funding for new units.

The House bill would also rescind unspent monies from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act and would prohibit USDA spending on climate-change-related items including energy efficiency.

The Senate has not yet released proposed appropriations bills.

White House Budget Requests Increases in Rural Housing Funding

March 13, 2023 — The White House’s detailed budget request for fiscal year 2024 would increase funding for almost all of USDA’s rural housing and community facilities programs.

View a recording or the slides from HAC’s webinar on Rural Housing in the Fiscal Year 2024 White House Budget, which examined the budget’s contents and what to expect over the coming months.

Initiatives Requiring Legislation

The budget proposes legislative changes for Section 502 direct homeownership loans and for multifamily housing preservation.

For the Section 502 direct program, subsidy “recapture” would be eliminated. Recapture requires that, when a low- or very low-income homeowner with a Section 502 loan sells the house or moves, they must repay the subsidy amounts they have received over the life of the loan. The administration estimates that eliminating this penalty for current borrowers would cost USDA $996 million. It also proposes that Section 502 direct loans made in 2024 will not to be subject to recapture.

Like last year’s budget, the FY24 request proposes to provide HUD vouchers rather than USDA vouchers for tenants who lose Section 521 Rental Assistance when the USDA Section 515 or 514 mortgage ends for the property where they live. The HUD budget includes $20 million for these vouchers. USDA also again asks Congress to “decouple” RA from USDA mortgages so that some tenants can continue to receive RA after their properties’ mortgages end.

Funding Requests

The budget’s proposed $1.65 billion for Section 521 Rental Assistance would enable USDA to renew all of its RA contracts, including 27,000 contracts added by the American Rescue Plan Act.

The $200 million funding level for Section 515 is intended to provide enough for some new construction as well as preservation of existing properties. The Section 521 request includes $6 million to provide RA for the new Section 515 units.

The Rural Community Development Initiative, which funds capacity building for local organizations, would receive more than three times as much funding in FY24 as in FY23. The budget requests a leap from $6 million to $22.8 million, without explaining a particular reason for the increase. (RCDI is a setaside within the community facilities grants program but is not limited to recipients of CF funds.)

The budget asks Congress to authorize foreclosure authority for USDA RD’s multifamily office that would be equivalent to HUD’s.

All housing construction or rehabilitation would be required to improve energy or water efficiency, or address climate resilience.

Biden’s USDA Housing Budget Proposes Increases in Section 502 Mortgages and Rental Preservation

May 28, 2021/in News, Policy Federal Funding, U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Biden administration’s first full budget request, covering the fiscal year that begins on October 1, 2021, would maintain this year’s spending levels on rural housing programs and make available more loans for rural homebuyers. The Section 502 direct loan program, though which USDA makes loans directly to first-time purchasers, would be raised from $1 billion to $1.5 billion. The Section 502 guarantee program, which guarantees mortgages made by banks, would increase from $24 billion to $30 billion.

Fiscal year 2022 funding for most rural housing programs would remain at the same levels as in fiscal year 2021, with modest increases for self-help housing, rental assistance, and rental vouchers. The budget also indicates that the American Jobs Plan – the administration’s infrastructure proposal – would provide an additional $2 billion in rural housing spending. It does not give any details about how that money would be used.

The budget proposes to eliminate some protections for Section 521 Rental Assistance (RA). It would delete a requirement that recaptured RA be reused for rehab, preservation, or RA, and it would eliminate longstanding provisions requiring a 12-month delay before recapturing unused RA from Section 514/516 farmworker housing and mandating that farmworker housing RA be reused in other farmworker housing if possible. Language that allows recaptured RA to be used for “current needs” would be left in place.

Also deleted would be a provision from FY20 and FY21 appropriations that allows owners to request RA renewals for 20-year periods, subject to annual appropriations, which fund RA contracts for one year at a time.

The Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization (MPR) program, the Section 542 voucher program, and both farmworker housing programs would be shifted to new places in the budgetary scheme, an administrative move that would not alter the functioning of any of these programs.

The administration’s budget is the first step in the annual appropriations process. Each house of Congress will now craft its own proposal and differences will be worked out in the months to come.

USDA Rural Dev. Prog. (dollars in millions)	FY20 Final Approp.	FY21 Final Approp.	Amer. Rescue Plan Act	FY 22 Admin. Budget
502 Single Fam. Direct	$1,000	$1,000	$656.6^a	$1,500
502 Single Family Guar.	24,000	24,000	–	30,000
504 VLI Repair Loans	28	28	18.3^a	28
504 VLI Repair Grants	30	30	–	30
515 Rental Hsg. Direct Lns.	40	40	–	40
514 Farm Labor Hsg. Lns.	28	28	–	28
516 Farm Labor Hsg. Grts.	10	10	–	10
521 Rental Assistance	1,375	1,410	100	1,450
523 Self-Help TA	31	31	–	32
533 Hsg. Prsrv. Grants	15	15	–	15
538 Rental Hsg. Guar.	230	230	–	230
Rental Prsrv. Demo. (MPR)	28	28	–	32
542 Rural Hsg. Vouchers	32	40	–	45
Rental Prsrv. TA	1	2	–	0
Rural Cmnty. Dev’t Init.	4	6	–	6

^aThe American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provides $39 million in budget authority to refinance Section 502 direct loans and Section 504 loans for homeowners impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. USDA expects this funding to generate $656.6 million in Section 502 direct loans and $18.3 million in Section 504 loans.

FY18 Spending Agreement Increases Funds for Some Housing Programs

March 22, 2018/in Policy

Congressional negotiatiors agreed March 21, 2018 on an omnibus appropriations package for FY18, the fiscal year that began October 1, 2017. The bill is expected to pass both the House and Senate, and to be signed into law by President Trump, before midnight on March 23. The bill maintains or increases funding levels for both USDA and HUD housing programs. In fact, because the cap on FY18 spending levels was raised, funding levels for several programs were increased above the amounts in both the House and Senate FY18 bills. These include Section 502 direct homeownership loans, Section 515 direct rental loans, Section 542 vouchers, and others at USDA. At HUD, there are increases for HOME, CDBG, Section 202, Section 811, the Public Housing Capital Fund, tenant-based and project-based vouchers, and others.

The final bill does not include the Rural Economic Infrastructure Grants proposed in the Administration’s FY18 budget.

Congress has recently taken the first steps towards FY19 funding decisions, beginning to hold hearings on the Administration’s budget requests. HAC will continue to report on this process as it moves forward.

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USDA Rural Dev. Prog. (dollars in millions)	FY16 Approp.	FY17 Approp.	FY18 House Bill (H.R. 3268)	FY18 Senate Bill (S. 1603)	FY18 Final Approp.
502 Single Fam. Direct Self-Help setaside	$900 5	$1,000 5	$900 5	$1,000 5	$1,100 5
502 Single Family Guar.	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000
504 VLI Repair Loans	26.3	26.3	24	26.3	28
504 VLI Repair Grants	28.7	28.7	a	28.7	30
515 Rental Hsg. Direct Lns.	28.4	35	28.4	35	40
514 Farm Labor Hsg. Lns.	23.9	23.9	15	23.8	23
516 Farm Labor Hsg. Grts.	8.3	8.3	6	8.3	8.4
521 Rental Assistance	1,390	1,405	1,345	1,345	1,345
523 Self-Help TA	27.5	30	25	30	30
533 Hsg. Prsrv. Grants	3.5	5	a	5	10
538 Rental Hsg. Guar.	150	230	230	230	230
Rental Prsrv. Demo. (MPR)	22	22	15	22	22
542 Rural Hsg. Vouchers	15	19.4	20	19.4	25
Rural Cmnty. Dev’t Init.	4	4	0	4	4

a. Section 504 grants and Section 533 grants would have been rolled into a new Rural Economic Infrastructure Grant program. This change is not included in the final bill.

HUD Program (dollars in millions)	FY16 Approp.	FY17 Approp.	FY18 House Bill (H.R. 3353)	FY18 Senate Bill (S. 1655)	FY18 Final Approp.
CDBG	$3,000	$3,000	$2,900	3,000	3,300
HOME	950	950	850	950	1,362
Self-Help Homeownshp. (SHOP)	10	10	10	10	10
Veterans Home Rehab	5.7	4	0	4	4
Tenant-Based RA VASH setaside Tribal VASH	19,628 60 0	20,292 40 7	20,487 577b 7	21,365 40 5	22,015 40 5
Project-Based Rental Asstnce.	10,622	10,816	11,082	11,507	11,515
Public Hsg. Capital Fund	1,900	1,942	1,850	1,945	2,750
Public Hsg. Operating Fund	4,500	4,400	4,400	4,500	4,550
Choice Neighbrhd. Initiative	125	137.5	20	50	150
Native Amer. Hsg. Block Grant	650	654	654	655	655
Homeless Assistance Grants	2,250	2,383	2,383	2,456	2,513
Hsg. Opps. for Persons w/ AIDS	335	356	356	330	375
202 Hsg. for Elderly	432.7	502.4	573	573	678
811 Hsg. for Disabled	150.6	146.2	147	147	230
Fair Housing	65.3	65.3	65.3	65.3	65
Healthy Homes & Lead Haz. Cntl.	110	145	130	160	230
Housing Counseling	47	55	50	47	55

FY19 Budget Proposes to Eliminate Most Rural Housing Programs

February 12, 2018/in Policy

Guarantees for bank loans would remain at current levels and basic rent aid for tenants would continue, but other rural housing assistance would be wiped out under the Trump Administration’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2019 released on February 12, 2018. Although tenants would continue receiving assistance, they would face a new requirement to pay at least $50 per month in rent unless they are deemed to experience economic hardship.

This budget is much the same as last year’s proposal for rural housing. Last year the Section 504 grant program – which offers small grants to elderly homeowners with very low incomes to repair health and safety hazards in their homes – would have been rolled into a new pool of money called the Rural Economic Infrastructure Grant program. This year’s budget does not include that infrastructure grant proposal, and would simply eliminate Section 504 grants. The House incorporated the infrastructure grant idea into its FY18 appropriations bill, but both the House and the Senate rejected most of the program eliminations proposed by the Administration last year.

The guarantee programs that would remain – Section 502 guarantees for homebuyers and Section 538 guarantees for builders of rental housing in rural places – cover their own costs through fees, so the government pays only the costs of administering them.

USDA’s Section 521 Rental Assistance and Section 542 voucher programs, which assist tenants in two different sets of circumstances, would be funded at levels similar to current amounts. The $20 million proposed for vouchers, however, is too low to help all eligible tenants who want vouchers. HAC believes at least $27 million will be needed for these renters whose landlords pay off their USDA mortgages, either early or at maturity.

In addition to the new $50 rent requirement, the budget proposes to allow USDA to recapture Rental Assistance funds from past years’ agreements if the department determines a property no longer needs RA, and to use those funds for other properties. It would also let USDA transfer unneeded RA or voucher funds to any other rural housing programs. [tdborder][/tdborder]

USDA Rural Dev. Prog. (dollars in millions)	FY16 Approp.	FY17 Approp.	FY18 House Bill (H.R. 3268)a	FY18 Senate Bill (S. 1603)a	FY19 Admin Budget Proposal
502 Single Fam. Direct Self-Help setaside	$900 5	$1,000 5	$900 5	$1,000 5	0 0
502 Single Family Guar.	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000
504 VLI Repair Loans	26.3	26.3	24	26.3	0
504 VLI Repair Grants	28.7	28.7	c	28.7	0
515 Rental Hsg. Direct Lns.	28.4	35	28.4	35	0
514 Farm Labor Hsg. Lns.	23.9	23.9	15	23.8	0
516 Farm Labor Hsg. Grts.	8.3	8.3	6	8.3	0
521 Rental Assistance	1,390	1,405b	1,345	1,345	1,331.4b
523 Self-Help TA	27.5	30	25	30	0
533 Hsg. Prsrv. Grants	3.5	5	a	5	0
538 Rental Hsg. Guar.	150	230	230	230	250
Rental Prsrv. Demo. (MPR)	22	22	15	22	0
542 Rural Hsg. Vouchers	15	19.4	20	19.4	20
Rural Cmnty. Dev’t Init.	4	4	0	4	0

a. FY18 appropriation is not yet final.
b. Includes $40 million in advance funding for FY18, so total available in FY17 was $1.365 billion and total available in FY18 would be $1.385 billion. The FY19 budget assumes that this “forward funding” continues, so more than $1.331 billion would be available in FY19.
c. Section 504 loans and other non-housing loans would have been rolled into a new Rural Economic Infrastructure Grant program.

Senate Committee Approves FY18 USDA Funding Bill

July 24, 2017/in Policy

On July 20 the Senate Appropriations Committee passed S. 1603, which would fund USDA, including the rural housing programs, for fiscal year 2018. The Senate bill keeps most rural housing programs at current levels, somewhat higher than the levels in the House bill.

The Senate bill does not include some changes in programs proposed in H.R. 3268, passed by the House Appropriations Committee on July 12. It does not mention the Rural Economic Infrastructure Grant program, which in the House bill would combine Section 504 grants and Section 533 grants with some utilities and business grant programs. In addition, it does not make H-2A visa holders eligible for Section 514/516 farmworker housing, a change in the House bill that was adopted at the committee level.

The Senate’s Committee Report (S.Rept. 115-131) discusses the need for solutions to the maturing mortgage issue for Section 515 rental housing, not mentioned in the House bill or report.

The Committee is very concerned about the alarming number of multi-family housing mortgages scheduled to mature in the next few years. As these mortgages mature, projects and units will be removed from USDA’s affordable rural housing program, placing very low income rural residents in jeopardy of untenable rent increases and possible eviction. In spite of numerous requests from the Committee, the Department has failed to identify and develop potential solutions to this looming crisis.

The Secretary is directed to engage affordable housing advocates, project owners, tenants, and others as practicable, to find acceptable and effective long term solutions that will retain projects in the affordable rural housing program. The need for affordable rural housing is too great to allow the program to expire.

As of noon on July 24, neither the Senate nor the House has scheduled USDA appropriations for floor action.

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USDA Rural Dev. Prog. (dollars in millions)	FY16 Approp.	FY17 Approp.	FY18 Trump Budget Proposal	House Bill (H.R. 3268)	Senate Bill (S. 1603)
502 Single Fam. Direct Self-Help setaside	$900 5	$1,000 5	0 0	$900 5	$1,000 5
502 Single Family Guar.	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000
504 VLI Repair Loans	26.3	26.3	0	24	26.3
504 VLI Repair Grants	28.7	28.7	a	a	28.7
515 Rental Hsg. Direct Lns.	28.4	35	0	28.4	35
514 Farm Labor Hsg. Lns.	23.9	23.9	(-11)b	15	23.8
516 Farm Labor Hsg. Grts.	8.3	8.3	0	6	8.3
521 Rental Assistance	1,390	1,405c	1,345	1,345	1,345
523 Self-Help TA	27.5	30	(-4)b	25	30
533 Hsg. Prsrv. Grants	3.5	5	0	a	5
538 Rental Hsg. Guar.	150	230	250	230	230
Rental Prsrv. Demo. (MPR)	22	22	(-4)b	15	22
542 Rural Hsg. Vouchers	15	19.4	16	20	19.4
Rural Cmnty. Dev’t Init.	4	4	0	0	4

a. Would become part of Rural Economic Infrastructure Grant program.
b. Budget proposes to rescind unobligated funds from three programs: $11 million from Sec. 523 self-help, $4 million from Sec. 514/516 farm labor housing, and $4 million from MPR.
c. Includes $40 million in advance funding for FY18, so total available in FY17 is $1.365 billion and total available in FY18 would be $1.385 billion.

HAC News: July 20, 2017

July 20, 2017/in HAC News

HAC News Formats. pdf

July 20, 2017
Vol. 46, No. 15

USDA RD leader encourages full use of 502 direct funds • USDA funding moves to Senate • House takes up HUD funding bill • House leaders proposes budget resolution • Congressional committee holds field hearing on NAHASDA • USDA requests comments on improving its regulations • Comment on new HUD veterans rehab and modification pilot • Committee reviews HUD nominations • Programs, including housing, help children succeed, report says

HAC News Formats. pdf

July 20, 2017
Vol. 46, No. 15

USDA RD leader encourages full use of 502 direct funds. With ten weeks remaining in the fiscal year, Anne Hazlett, Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development, has asked single-family program directors in RD state offices to “establish a high priority” for spending all available Section 502 direct funds. She encouraged RD staff to reach out to partners for assistance, and promised additional guidance on tools and resources. For more information, contact state office single-family program directors.

USDA funding moves to Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved an FY18 spending bill for USDA on July 20. The bill has not yet been released to the public. Funding levels for a few of the rural housing programs are available in statements released by the subcommittee, and would keep most rural housing programs at current levels, somewhat higher than the levels in the House bill. The committee included a provision requiring USDA to have an Undersecretary for Rural Development at USDA. Watch www.ruralhome.org for updates on the Senate bill’s contents.
The House Appropriations Committee completed work on its FY18 USDA bill on July 12. It adopted one housing-related change to its subcommittee’s bill, making H-2A visa holders eligible for Section 514/516 farmworker housing.

USDA Rural Dev. Prog. (dollars in millions)	FY16 Approp.	FY17 Approp.	FY18 Trump Budget Proposal	House Bill	Senate Bill
502 Single Fam. Direct Self-Help setaside	$900 5	$1,000 5	0 0	$900 5	$1,000d
502 Single Family Guar.	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000d
504 VLI Repair Loans	26.3	26.3	0	24	e
504 VLI Repair Grants	28.7	28.7	a	a	e
515 Rental Hsg. Direct Lns.	28.4	35	0	28.4	35d
514 Farm Labor Hsg. Lns.	23.9	23.9	(-11)b	15	23.9d
516 Farm Labor Hsg. Grts.	8.3	8.3	0	6	8.3d
521 Rental Assistance	1,390	1,405c	1,345	1,345	1,345d
523 Self-Help TA	27.5	30	(-4)b	25	e
533 Hsg. Prsrv. Grants	3.5	5	0	a	e
538 Rental Hsg. Guar.	150	230	250	230	e
Rental Prsrv. Demo. (MPR)	22	22	(-4)b	15	e
542 Rural Hsg. Vouchers	15	19.4	16	20	19.4d
Rural Cmnty. Dev’t Init.	4	4	0	0	e

a. Would become part of Rural Economic Infrastructure Grant program.

b. Budget proposes to rescind unobligated funds from three programs: $11 million from Sec. 523 self-help, $4 million from Sec. 514/516 farm labor housing, and $4 million from MPR.

c. Includes $40 million in advance funding for FY18, so total available in FY17 is $1.365 billion and total available in FY18 would be $1.385 billion.

d. Preliminary, pending release of bill text.

e. Unknown as of press time, pending release of bill text.

House takes up HUD funding bill. On July 17 the House Appropriations Committee approved an FY18 HUD funding bill that would cut most HUD programs. HOME and CDBG would both be reduced. The bill also would eliminate the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. The National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimate that the House bill would eliminate at least 140,000 vouchers in FY18 because its funding levels for Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Rental Assistance are inadequate. The committee did adopt an amendment to the bill expanding the Rental Assistance Demonstration to include Section 202 Rental Assistance Contracts. The Senate has not yet begun work on its HUD bill.

HUD Program (dollars in millions)	FY16 Approp.	FY17 Approp.	FY18 Trump Budget Proposal	FY18 House Bill
CDBG	$3,000	$3,000	$0	$2,900
HOME	950	950	0	850
Self-Help Homeownshp. (SHOP)	10	10	0	10
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance VASH setaside Tribal VASH	19,628 60 0	20,292 40 7	19,318 0 7	20,487 577a 7
Project-Based Rental Asstnce.	10,622	10,816	10,351	11,082
Public Hsg. Capital Fund	1,900	1,942	628	1,850
Public Hsg. Operating Fund	4,500	4,400	3,900	4,400
Choice Neighbrhd. Initiative	125	137.5	0	20
Native Amer. Hsg. Block Grant	650	654	600	654
Homeless Assistance Grants	2,250	2,383	2,250	2,383
Hsg. Opps. for Persons w/ AIDS	335	356	330	356
202 Hsg. for Elderly	432.7	502.4	510	573
811 Hsg. for Disabled	150.6	146.2	121	147
Fair Housing	65.3	65.3	65	65.3
Healthy Homes & Lead Haz. Cntl.	110	145	130	130
Housing Counseling	47	55	47	50

a. The House bill specifies that its entire VASH appropriation is for renewals.

House leaders propose budget resolution. The House resolution released by the House Budget Committee on July 18, would set caps for FY18 spending at the levels the House is currently using as it develops its versions of FY18 appropriations bills. That limit is below the cap required by the Budget Control Act. In later years, funding for domestic programs – both discretionary and mandatory – would drop sharply. The budget resolution also includes significant tax cuts and may become the vehicle for tax reform legislation.

Congressional committee holds field hearing on NAHASDA. On July 21, the House Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance will hold a hearing in Wisconsin titled “NAHASDA: 20 Years On.” HAC will submit written testimony for the record.

USDA requests comments on improving its regulations. The department requests ideas on modifying, streamlining, expanding, or repealing regulations, guidance documents, or any other policy documents. Comments are due July 17, 2018. USDA will review comments in four batches: those submitted by September 15, 2017, then by November 14, 2017, then February 12, 2018, and finally July 17, 2018. For more information, contact Michael Poe, USDA, 202-720-5303. The Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity is also still accepting comments on legislative, regulatory, and policy changes (see HAC News, 6/22/17).

Comment on new HUD veterans rehab and modification pilot. HUD requests input by September 11 on the design of a new pilot program that will make grants to nonprofit organizations that provide nationwide or statewide programs serving primarily veterans or low-income individuals. The grants may be used to modify or rehabilitate eligible veterans’ primary residences or to provide grantees’ affiliates with technical, administrative, and training support in connection with those services. Email comments to rhed@hud.gov. For more information, contact Sylvia Y. Purvis, HUD, 877-787-2526 (toll-free) or 202-708-2290.

Committee reviews HUD nominations. On July 18 the Senate Banking Committee considered several nominations, including three for HUD positions: J. Paul Compton, Jr. as General Counsel; Anna M. Farias as Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity; and Neal J. Rackleff as Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development. The Committee has not yet voted whether to recommend Senate confirmation of these nominees.

Programs, including housing, help children succeed, report says. “Economic Security Programs Help Low-Income Children Succeed Over Long Term, Many Studies Find,” from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, summarizes the findings of numerous researchers. Economic security programs such as housing subsidies, food assistance, and working-family tax credits not only help families afford basic needs, but also help children do better in school and increase their earning power as adults.

HAC Weighs in on House Ag Appropriations Bill

July 7, 2017/in Policy

HAC Executive Director Applauds Improvements over Administration’s Budget proposal, but calls for bringing back the Rural Community Development Initiative Program

The Housing Assistance Council’s (HAC) Executive Director Moises Loza recently wrote to Robert Aderholt and Sandford Bishop, the Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, weighing in on the Subcommittee’s fiscal year 2018 appropriations bill, which it marked up on June 17. Loza was one of many rural leaders bringing attention to the Administration’s budget proposal, which he said, “strikes particularly hard at rural and tribal communities.”

“The bill is a substantial improvement over the Administration’s budget request for rural development programs. And I appreciated members of the Subcommittee pledging to work toward an even better bill. A better bill starts with funding the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI),” Loza said. The competitive RCDI program allows experienced rural-focused organizations to bring capacity building to grassroots entities that take on affordable housing and economic development.

Loza’s letter noted that “without exception” HAC’s rural partners say that capacity building is “vital” to their work, and hard to access with limited philanthropic support in rural communities. Loza added that increased capacity of grassroots housing and community development organizations via RCDI makes federal investment go further.

Loza’s letter encouraged “sufficient” funding for the Section 521 Rental Assistance and Section 542 vouchers “while funding other rural housing and community development programs at no less than the fiscal year 2017 level.” Loza offered that the USDA Section 504 and Section 533 grants should remain stand-alone programs. The bill grouped both programs along with several others, into an infrastructure program. Loza noted that Section 504 and 533 grants “provide some of the poorest rural Americans with the opportunity to remain in their homes via the removal of health and safety hazards and other upgrades such as handicap accessibility.” Loza believes that grouping both programs with infrastructure needs will “divert” resources from the rural poor, who have “no other options.”

The text of Loza’s letter is here.

HAC News: June 1, 2016

June 1, 2016/in HAC News

HAC News Formats. pdf

June 1, 2016
Vol. 45, No. 10

• Senate committee approves FY17 USDA funding bill • HUD funding for FY17 passes House committee • Modest rental housing remains out of reach nationwide for minimum wage earners • RD encourages multifamily properties to offer summer meal program for kids • Permission restored for states to transfer unused Rental Assistance • YouthBuild funds available • RUS seeks comments on energy efficiency loans • Revisions to IHBG formula proposed • FHA offers changes to its reverse mortgage program • Report recommends better integration of health care and housing for seniors • Native CDFIs have helped improve access to capital and credit • Locations of new businesses show economic recovery weaker in rural America • HAC to hold webinar on VA home loan guaranty program

HAC News Formats. pdf

June 1, 2016
Vol. 45, No. 10

Senate committee approves FY17 USDA funding bill. S. 2956 funds most rural housing programs at their FY16 levels, and provides increases requested by the Administration’s budget for Sections 521, 542, and 538. It also raises Section 515 rental housing to $40 million, higher than either the budget or the House bill.The Committee’s report tells the department to work with others to find long-term solutions to rural rental housing issues, particularly maturing mortgages. To encourage nonprofits and PHAs to purchase USDA-financed rental housing, the bill provides returns on investment, increased asset management fees, and a $1 million pilot program offering technical assistance to purchasers. The bill also requires USDA to report quarterly on Rental Assistance use. Unlike the House bill (see HAC News, 4/20/16), the Senate’s version would not expand use of Section 542 vouchers to include tenants in properties whose mortgages mature. More details are posted on HAC’s website. [tdborder][/tdborder]

USDA Rural Dev. Prog. (dollars in millions)	FY16 Approp.	FY17 Budget Proposal	FY17 House Cmte. Bill (H.R. 5054)	FY17 Senate Cmte. Bill (S. 2956)
502 Single Fam. Direct Self-Help setaside	$900 5	$900 0	$1,000 5	$900 5
502 Single Family Guar.	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000
504 VLI Repair Loans	26.3	26.3	26.3	26.3
504 VLI Repair Grants	28.7	28.7	28.7	28.7
515 Rental Hsg. Direct Lns.	28.4	33.1	35	40
514 Farm Labor Hsg. Lns.	23.9	23.9	23.9	23.9
516 Farm Labor Hsg. Grts.	8.3	8.3	8.3	8.3
521 Rental Assistance	1,390	1,405	1,405	1,405
523 Self-Help TA	27.5	18.5	30	27.5
533 Hsg. Prsrv. Grants	3.5	0	5	3.5
538 Rental Hsg. Guar.	150	230	200	230
Rental Prsrv. Demo. (MPR)	22	19.4	22	22
542 Rural Hsg. Vouchers	15	18	18	18
Rural Cmnty. Dev’t Init.	4	4	4	4

HUD funding for FY17 passes House committee. On May 24 the full House Appropriations Committee approved the Transportation-HUD bill summarized in the HAC News, 5/19/16.

Modest rental housing remains out of reach nationwide for minimum wage earners. Out of Reach 2016: No Refuge for Low Income Renters, by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, says there is no state, metropolitan area, or county in the U.S. where a full-time worker earning minimum wage can afford a two-bedroom apartment at HUD’s Fair Market Rent. An interactive map online provides data for states and localities.

RD encourages multifamily properties to offer summer meal program for kids. More information is available in an Unnumbered Letter dated May 10, 2016 and online.

Permission restored for states to transfer unused Rental Assistance. For a one-year trial, state directors will be allowed to reallocate unused RA within each state. RA lost to prepayment, foreclosure, or mortgage maturity will continue to be recaptured by the national office. Contact a USDA RD state office.

YouthBuild funds available. The Department of Labor offers YouthBuild grants to provide education, occupational skills training, and employment services to disadvantaged youth who serve their communities. Apply by July 6. Contact Kia Mason, DOL, 202-693-2606.

RUS seeks comments on energy efficiency loans. The new Rural Energy Savings Program will make loans to rural families and small businesses to implement cost-saving energy efficiency measures. The Rural Utilities Service asks for input by June 23 on measuring results and on providing technical assistance and training to entities carrying out RESP. Contact Titilayo Ogunyale, RUS, 202-720-0736.

Revisions to IHBG formula proposed. Comments are due August 1 on the Indian Housing Block Grant program allocation formula. The proposed changes reflect consensus decisions reached by HUD and the NAHASDA negotiated rule-making committee. Contact Randall R. Akers, HUD, 202-402-7598.

FHA offers changes to its reverse mortgage program. To reduce risks to its Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, FHA proposes to amend regulations to strengthen its Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. Comments are due July 18. Contact Karin Hill, HUD, 202-402-3084.

Report recommends better integration of health care and housing for seniors. Healthy Aging Begins at Home, published by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Senior Health and Housing Task Force, examines the need for housing affordable to low-income seniors and for integrating health care and supportive services with housing. It recommends making ending senior homelessness a major national priority; investing in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit; establishing a new senior-supportive housing program; making federal regulatory policies more encouraging; engaging the private and nonprofit sectors more broadly; and adopting state and local land-use policies that promote a range of affordable housing options for their seniors.

Native CDFIs have helped improve access to capital and credit. Access to Capital and Credit in Native Communities, commissioned from the Native Nations Institute by the CDFI Fund, concludes there are better options today than in 2001, and finds the CDFI Fund’s Native programs have been critical sources of technical assistance and training in addition to capital. Native Communities still need additional capital and credit, however. To address the needs, the report identifies key strategies for Native communities and the federal government. A related data review will be released on the CDFI Fund’s site.

Locations of new businesses show economic recovery weaker in rural America. The New Map of Economic Growth and Recovery, published by the Economic Innovation Group, surveys the economic landscape emerging from the Great Recession and compares it to previous recovery periods. It finds fewer new businesses have been started, those that do start are concentrated in a smaller number of more populous counties, and counties driving the nation’s economic recoveries have shifted from smaller to larger ones. “Many communities will see fewer employment opportunities as a result,” the report states, “and depressed entrepreneurship will leave their local economies more vulnerable to the downsides of inevitable economic shifts to come.”

HAC to hold webinar on VA home loan guaranty program. “VA Housing Resources for Heroes: An In-depth Overview of the VA Home Loan Guaranty Benefit” is set for Wednesday, June 8, at 2:00 Eastern time. The webinar is free but registration is required. Contact Shonterria Charleston, HAC, 404-892-4824.

HAC News: May 19, 2016

May 19, 2016/in HAC News

HAC News Formats. pdf

May 19, 2016
Vol. 45, No. 9

• Senate adopts FY17 HUD funding measure, House releases bill • USDA FY17 funding consideration begins in Senate • Some Continuums of Care see renewal funding cut • Correction: streamlined refinancing applies to Section 502 direct loans also • Sexual orientation and gender protection proposed for Native American programs • HUD seeks comment on broadband and on climate change hazards • Stakeholder calls on Section 515 to continue • RD corrects environmental regs • Guidance on implementation of Section 502 packaging available • Rural child poverty increased as income inequality grew • HAC report describes older veterans

HAC News Formats. pdf

May 19, 2016
Vol. 45, No. 9

Senate adopts FY17 HUD funding measure, House releases bill. The Senate passed its Transportation-HUD appropriations bill on May 19, after adopting an amendment lifting until 2019 the two-year commitment deadline for HOME funds, and rejecting an amendment that would have stopped HUD implementation of its Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulations. The Administration has threatened a veto of the Senate bill, listing numerous objections including the funding levels for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance and for Homeless Assistance Grants. The House version of the bill would keep many programs at FY16 levels, with decreases in tenant vouchers and an increase in housing counseling. The House T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee approved it on May 18, and the full committee will take it up on May 24. Updates will be posted on HAC’s website when available. [tdborder][/tdborder]

HUD Program (dollars in millions)	FY16 Approp.	FY17 Budget Proposal	FY17 House Subcmte. Bill	FY17 Senate Cmte. Bill H.R. 2577
Cmty. Devel. Fund CDBG	3,060 3,000	2,880 2,800	3,060 3,000	3,000 3,000
HOME	950	950	950	950
Self-Help Homeownshp. (SHOP)	10	10a	10	10
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance VASH setaside	19,628 60	20,854 7c	20,189 7c	20,432 57
Project-Based Rental Asstnce.	10,622	10,816	10,901	10,901
Public Hsg. Capital Fund	1,900	1,865	1,900	1,925
Public Hsg. Operating Fund	4,500	4,569	4,500	4,675
Choice Neighbrhd. Initiative	125	200	100	80
Native Amer. Hsg. Block Grant	650	700	655	647
Homeless Assistance Grantsb	2,250	2,664	2,487	2,330
Hsg. Opps. for Persons w/ AIDS	335	335	335	335
202 Hsg. for Elderly	432.7	505	505	505
811 Hsg. for Disabled	150.6	154	154	154
Fair Housing	65.3	70	65.3	65
Healthy Homes & Lead Haz. Cntl.	110	110	130	135
Housing Counseling	47	47	55	47
Local Housing Policy Grants	–	300d	–	–
a. The FY17 Administration budget, like past budget requests, proposes to make SHOP a setaside in HOME. Congress has consistently rejected that proposal. b. Includes the Rural Housing Stability Program, which is not yet operational. c. Tribal VASH setaside. d. Proposed as mandatory spending.

USDA FY17 funding consideration begins in Senate. TheSenate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommit-tee approved a spending bill on May 17 and the full committee will consider it on May 19. A press release says the bill includes $900 million for Section 502 loans, $24 billion for Section 502 loan guarantees, and $1.4 billion for Rental Assistance. The bill’s text has not yet been released. The House committee passed its version, H.R. 5054, in April (see HAC News, 4/20/16).

Some Continuums of Care see renewal funding cut. As a result of changes to HUD’s FY15 homelessness funding competition, some CoCs received increases but a number of others had funding for ongoing projects reduced. HUD emphasized rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing, while awards for transitional housing fell. HUD acknowledges that some grantees now “face the difficult task of finding alternative funding for, downsizing, or closing down longstanding programs,” but says the total number of people served nationwide will increase. The National Alliance to End Homelessness’s blog offers analysis and suggestions. Find an area CoC here.

Correction: streamlined refinancing applies to Section 502 direct loans also. The May 4, 2016 HAC News reported that USDA RD adopted amendments to the regulations for Section 502 guaranteed loans but did not note that one of them, a new refinance option, is available for Section 502 direct borrowers also. Contact Lilian Lipton, RD, 202-260-8012.

Sexual orientation and gender protection proposed for Native American programs. A proposed rule would require HUD’s Native American and Native Hawaiian programs to be open to all regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. HUD promulgated this rule for other programs in 2012. Comments are due July 8. Contact Camille E. Acevedo, HUD, 202-708-1793.

HUD seeks comment on broadband and on climate change hazards. Comments are due July 18 on two proposed rules. One would require installation of broadband infrastructure at the time of new construction or substantial rehabilitation of multifamily rental housing funded or supported by HUD, with limited exceptions. Contact people vary by program and are listed in the proposed regulation. The second would require jurisdictions to include broadband and natural hazard risks in their Consolidated Plans. They would have to describe existing broadband access in low- and moderate-income housing, and consider providing access where there is none. They would also have to “consider incorporating resilience to natural hazard risks, taking care to anticipate how risks will increase due to climate change.” Contact Lora Routt, HUD, 202-402-4492.

Stakeholder calls on Section 515 to continue. To register for announcements of upcoming quarterly calls on the Section 515 program, contact Timothy James, RD, 919-873-2056. Those who have registered in the past do not need to register again. (These are separate from the Section 538 calls announced in the HAC News, 5/4/16.)

RD corrects environmental regs. The changes apply to a rule issued in March (see HAC News, 3/4/16).

Guidance on implementation of Section 502 packaging available. RD published anUnnumbered Letter (dated May 6, 2016) that provides guidance on the implementation of the certified loan application packaging process, which becomes effective on May 19. Contact Tammy Repine, RD, 360-753-7677.

Rural child poverty increased as income inequality grew. A USDA Economic Research Service report, Understanding the Rise in Rural Child Poverty, 2003-14, and an article based on the report, explain that nonmetro child poverty rates rose 2003-2011 during economic growth and recession periods, then fell 2012-1014 but remained well above 2003 levels. ERS determined that growth in income inequality accounted for most of the increase in rural child poverty.

HAC report describes older veterans. Over two-thirds of U.S. veterans are age 55 and older and their numbers are rising, according to Aging Veterans in the United States, an analysis of data on the older veteran population. The majority are homeowners, and more than half of older veteran renters are cost burdened.

HAC News: April 20, 2016

April 20, 2016/in HAC News

HAC News Formats. pdf

April 20, 2016
Vol. 45, No. 7

• House committee passes FY17 USDA spending bill • Senate subcommittee addresses FY17 HUD spending • RUS offers rural broadband loans, guarantees, and grants • Indian CDBG application period opens • Jobs Plus funds available • 2016 New Markets Tax Credits combined with 2015 funding round • Homelessness data examined at national and state levels • Typical low-income household’s expenses exceeded income in 2014 • HAC offers Section 502 packaging training June 28-30

HAC News Formats. pdf

April 20, 2016
Vol. 45, No. 7

House committee passes FY17 USDA spending bill. On April 19, the House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that provides steady or increased funding levels for USDA’s rural housing programs. It increases Section 523 self-help technical assistance funding to $30 million and raises Section 502 direct to $1 billion. Section 521 Rental Assistance and Section 542 vouchers would receive amounts that, according to the Administration’s budget, will allow for renewal of all current aid, new RA for new farmworker housing properties, and new vouchers for tenants in properties leaving the Section 515 program for any reason, including mortgage maturity. It also includes Administration language that would extend voucher eligibility and allow USDA to set priorities for voucher distribution.

USDA Rural Dev. Prog. (dollars in millions)	FY15 Approp.	FY16 Approp.	FY17 Budget Proposal	FY17 House Cmte. Bill
502 Single Fam. Direct Self-Help setaside	$900 5	$900 5	$900 0	$1,000 5
502 Single Family Guar.	24,000	24,000	24,000	24,000
504 VLI Repair Loans	26.3	26.3	26.3	26.3
504 VLI Repair Grants	28.7	28.7	28.7	28.7
515 Rental Hsg. Direct Lns.	28.4	28.4	33.1	35
514 Farm Labor Hsg. Lns.	23.6	23.9	23.9	23.9
516 Farm Labor Hsg. Grts.	8.3	8.3	8.3	8.3
521 Rental Assistance	1,089	1,390	1,405	1,405
523 Self-Help TA	27.5	27.5	18.5	30
533 Hsg. Prsrv. Grants	3.5	3.5	0	5
538 Rental Hsg. Guar.	150	150	230	200
Rental Prsrv. Demo. (MPR)	17	22	19.4	22
542 Rural Hsg. Vouchers	7	15	18	18
Rural Cmnty. Dev’t Init.	4	4	4	4

The Committee’s report tells USDA to provide it with a list of criteria used to define ‘‘rural in character’’ in determining what places are considered rural and therefore eligible for housing program funding.

Senate subcommittee addresses FY17 HUD spending. The Senate Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee approved a bill on April 19. The measure’s text will not be released until the full committee considers it on April 21, but the committee did announce the bill provides $950 million for HOME and $300 billion for CDBG. The subcommittee’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), released a statement supporting the bill. HAC will post updates at ruralhome.org when available.

RUS offers rural broadband loans, guarantees, and grants. Nonprofits, for-profits, and governments or tribes can apply for Community Connect grants by June 17. Those entities as well as coops can apply for Farm Bill Broadband Loans and Loan Guarantees by July 7. For either program, contact Shawn Arner, RUS, 202-720-0800.

Indian CDBG application period opens.CDBG for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages applications from tribes and tribal organizations are due June 14. Contact a HUD ONAP Regional Office.

Jobs Plus funds available. PHAs with at least 200 non-elderly-only households are eligible, and the deadline is June 13. Contact HUD staff.

2016 New Markets Tax Credits combined with 2015 funding round. The CDFI Fund will not hold a new allocation round this year. It will allocate $3.5 billion for 2015 and $3.5 billion for 2016 under its 2015 NMTC funding notice. The deadline was December 16, 2015.

Homelessness data examined at national and state levels.The State of Homelessness in America 2016, by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, examines recent trends and also those from before the Great Recession to the present. For example, although doubled-up households fell 9% from 2013 to 2014, the number of poor people living doubled up was 52% higher in 2014 than in 2007.

Typical low-income household’s expenses exceeded income in 2014. A Pew Charitable Trusts Issue Brief on “Household Expenditures and Income” shows that by 2014 the median expenditures of working-age households had returned to pre-recession levels, but income did not. In 2004, the typical household in the lowest one-third of income levels had $1,500 of income left over after expenses, but in 2014 their expenses exceeded income by $2,300. Housing costs for those with incomes in the lowest third grew by 50% from 1996 to 2014. (Figures were adjusted for inflation).

HAC offers Section 502 packaging training June 28-30. “Section 502 Packaging Certification Training for Nonprofit Housing Developers,” to be held in Burlington, VT, is an advanced course for those experienced in using Section 502 direct and/or other affordable housing mortgage products. Following the course, participants are encouraged to take the online certification exam. Register online. Contact Shonterria Charleston, HAC, 404-892-4824.

Tag Archive for: USDA funding

Final FY24 Spending Bill Cuts Most Rural Housing Programs

Senate Minibus Includes HUD and USDA

Senate and House Committees Adopt Different Figures for FY24 USDA Spending

Funding Levels

Rescissions

Rental Preservation

Other Provisions

House Committee Passes FY24 USDA Appropriations

New Details on Proposed Cuts

Disadvantaged Farmers Program Cancellation Proposed

House Subcommittee Releases Rural Housing Funding Bill

White House Budget Requests Increases in Rural Housing Funding

Initiatives Requiring Legislation

Funding Requests

Biden’s USDA Housing Budget Proposes Increases in Section 502 Mortgages and Rental Preservation

FY18 Spending Agreement Increases Funds for Some Housing Programs

FY19 Budget Proposes to Eliminate Most Rural Housing Programs

Senate Committee Approves FY18 USDA Funding Bill

HAC News: July 20, 2017

HAC Weighs in on House Ag Appropriations Bill

HAC News: June 1, 2016

HAC News: May 19, 2016

HAC News: April 20, 2016

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