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Grant Funding Opportunity – HAC’s Affordable Housing for Rural Veteran’s Grant

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Eastern Time

Need funding assistance to support or help meet the affordable housing needs of veterans in rural places?  If so, join the Housing Assistance Council as we host an open forum to discuss HAC’s current RFP for its Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans (AHRV) Initiative.  Discussion will include a high-level overview of the RFP and a walk through of frequently asked questions along with an opportunity to pose questions directly to program staff.

Applications are due on January 21, 2022, so get organized and come prepared with your probing questions in hand!  Funding is limited and the application process is extremely competitive.

Download the Application Package: Application | Application Guidelines

This initiative is funded through generous support from The Home Depot Foundation.

Presenters

Anselmo Telles
Senior Housing Specialist/AHRV Program Manager
Housing Assistance Council

Shonterria Charleston
Director, Training and Technical Assistance
Housing Assistance Council

Recording

Materials

PowerPoint Presentation | Webinar Transcript | AGI Income Guidelines | Annual Income Guidelines

 

2021 National Rural Housing Conference

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Keynote Speakers

The 2021 National Rural Housing Conference will include thought provoking Plenary Keynotes featuring national policymakers and other industry leaders! As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, Keynotes will focus on and establishing a forward leaning agenda for the future of rural housing and community development.

Secretary Marcia L. Fudge

Secretary Marcia Fudge

Secretary Marcia L. Fudge is the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Throughout her career, Secretary Fudge has worked to help low-income families, seniors, and communities across the country.

Secretary Fudge served as U.S. Representative for the 11th Congressional District of Ohio from 2008 to March 9, 2021. She was a member of several Congressional Caucuses and past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. As a Member of Congress, Secretary Fudge earned a reputation of tackling the unique challenges of her district by working with her Congressional delegation and across political ideologies.

Whip James Clyburn (D-SC)

Representative James Clyburn

James E. Clyburn is the Majority Whip, the third-ranking Democrat in the United States House of Representatives, and currently serves as the Chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. He is also the Chairman of the Rural Broadband Task Force and Democratic Faith Working Group.

When he came to Congress in 1993 to represent South Carolina’s sixth congressional district, Congressman Clyburn was elected co-president of his freshman class and quickly rose through leadership ranks. He was subsequently elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Vice Chairman, and later Chairman, of the House Democratic Caucus. He previously served as Majority Whip from 2007 to 2011 and served as Assistant Democratic Leader from 2011 to 2019.

Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA)

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Chairwoman Maxine Waters

Congresswoman Maxine Waters is considered by many to be one of the most powerful women in U.S. politics today. She has gained a reputation as a fearless and outspoken advocate for women, children, people of color, the poor, veterans, and seniors. Congresswoman Waters has been dubbed “Aunty Maxine” by millennials who appreciate her advocacy and understanding of issues important to them.

Elected in November 2020 to her sixteenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives with more than 70 percent of the vote in the 43rd Congressional District of California, Congresswoman Waters represents parts of Los Angeles including the communities of Westchester and Playa Del Rey, the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County comprised of Lennox, West Athens, West Carson, Harbor Gateway, El Camino Village, and Watts. The 43rd District also includes the diverse cities of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita and Torrance.

National Rural Housing Conference to Convene Virtually

We’ve had a remarkable year here at the Housing Assistance Council and look forward to finishing the year in that same fashion with HAC’s National Rural Housing Conference, scheduled to take place virtually on November 30 – December 3, 2021. This year’s virtual format will allow us all to reconnect and gather safely, regardless of location. With an exciting and full schedule of workshops and new virtual gathering spaces, the Conference will offer attendees a premier opportunity to learn from experts and connect with the entire affordable housing industry.

Register Now!

REGISTER NOW
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is pleased to announce plans to convene its 2021 National Rural Housing Conference (NRHC) and Training!

The Conference provides an excellent opportunity to network and improve connections to federal agencies, national intermediary organizations, and other vested stakeholders. For many, this conference represents the sole opportunity during the year to connect with important policymakers and experts.

We look forward to seeing you in Washington DC or virtually, for three days of exhilarating conversations, training, and networking where participants will learn best practices and connect with their peers and experts from across the country. The Conference also includes a pre-conference day, packed with gatherings for coalitions, association, and working groups.

Be sure to mark your calendar and make plans to join us…we look forward to reconnecting with you in December!

White Mountain Apache Housing Authority Serves its Veterans

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The White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (WMAHA) helps the members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe to overcome their individual housing needs. Of these, almost 500 are U.S. military veterans. Working in the Fort Apache Indian Reservation located in eastern central Arizona, WMAHA serves the 16,000 enrolled members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe and strives to ensure that every tribal member has safe housing they can afford. The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is proud to be a partner of WMAHA and their amazing work. In 2018, we awarded a $30,000 grant through The Home Depot Foundation‘s Veteran Housing Grants Program to WMAHA to help support their veterans. In celebration of Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month, we’d like to highlight just a few of the many ways the White Mountain Apache Housing Authority serves the veterans of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

Before rehab of a veteran’s home completed by WMAHA in 2018 

Before rehab of a veteran’s home completed by WMAHA in 2018

After rehab of a veteran’s home completed by WMAHA in 2018 

After rehab of a veteran’s home completed by WMAHA in 2018
Before and after of a rehab of a veteran’s home completed by WMAHA in 2018 

 

As many veterans know, service doesn’t end when you’re discharged. It’s a value that is carried for a lifetime. For WMAHA, service is key to the mission. The Veteran Home Rehabilitation Program serves those who have served our country. Many of the low-income Apache veterans the Housing Authority assists are in desperate need of multiple, expensive repairs to make sure their homes are safe, accessible, and livable. But without the ability to make these repairs themselves, many veterans need help.

Over the last eight years, the White Mountain Apache Housing Authority has rehabilitated (or in one case built!) 19 homes for their veterans, each of which required multiple major repairs for health, safety, and accessibility. All of this was performed at no cost to the veteran or their family. Last year WMAHA was able to set a record with 5 rehabilitations.

Making sure their veterans have safe and healthy homes is a point of pride for WMAHA and for the entire White Mountain Apache community. After all, WMAHA doesn’t work alone: each rehabilitation is made possible by scores of volunteers. As the team from WMAHA explains, “the number of volunteers who come and help with demolition and construction cleanup during the projects” is a testament to the rehabilitation program’s “impact on the community.” From the Housing Authority to everyday members, including community partners, the White Mountain Apache Tribe takes care of its veterans. By taking care of those who took care of us, WMAHA is serving both its community and the broader community of veterans nationwide.

The COVID pandemic has hit many Native communities particularly hard, and tragically, the White Mountain Apache are no exception. During the pandemic, unemployment, which usually runs 80% according to WMAHA, has far surpassed that amount, and food insecurity is “at a critical level.” Many of the low-income veterans WMAHA assists don’t have a way to pick up food from the local food bank, so the Housing Authority is starting to deliver the food boxes itself. Not content to just help house their veterans, WMAHA is committed to improving their quality of life.

Caring for veterans extends outside the home, too. For WMAHA, ensuring their veterans have access to the Veterans Affairs benefits they deserve is a critical mission. With 1.67 million acres, the Fort Apache Indian Reservation is large and rural. This creates challenges for many of the Tribe’s low-income veterans. Many of the nearest VA hospitals are hundreds of miles away, which makes even getting to routine appointments incredibly difficult. This distance makes it so challenging to receive disability ratings, see specialists, and make necessary appointments that, according to Barb Connerley, a consultant who works with WMAHA, “many of the veterans…do not know what VA benefits are available to them.”

This veteran’s home was in such disrepair the team from WMAHA decided to tear it down and start from scratch.

This veteran’s home was in such disrepair the team from WMAHA decided to tear it down and start from scratch.

This veteran’s home was in such disrepair the team from WMAHA decided to tear it down and start from scratch.

This veteran’s home was in such disrepair the team from WMAHA decided to tear it down and start from scratch.
This veteran’s home was in such disrepair the team from WMAHA decided to tear it down and start from scratch.

The White Mountain Apache Housing Authority has created a solution to help connect their veterans to the VA medical care they earned through their service. Since 2017, the White Mountain Apache Tribe Department of Transportation has operated Fort Apache Connection Transit (FACT), a 2-route bus system serving 12 stops across the Reservation. While this system doesn’t provide access to the nearest VA hospitals, the Housing Authority recently began repurposing one of their buses to transport veterans to their VA appointments. Multiple times a month, WMAHA will be providing veterans with a bus ride to their appointments and back home. They even take the time to help the veterans complete their paperwork to file for VA benefits.

For the trip, WMAHA provides their veterans with water, snacks, masks, and COVID safety information. They hope that this program can also serve as a teaching event, helping their veterans learn more about COVID safety as well as how to access their VA benefits. The program’s strength is its ingenuity—bringing together transit, healthcare, and informational services—in solving a critical problem for the Tribe’s veterans. Thanks to the White Mountain Apache Housing Authority, veterans living on reservation now have access to the critical VA healthcare they’ve earned through their service.

Many veterans return from their service to find it difficult to access the resources of their communities, including housing. Tragically, Native communities are overrepresented among persistent poverty counties, making these resources even harder to access. The Housing Assistance Council is committed to helping build community resources for housing where they’re needed most. Partners like WMAHA help us give back to our veterans and uplift Native communities. As Barb Connerley puts it, the Tribe’s veterans “have a proud tradition of military service and sacrifice.” The work of the White Mountain Apache Housing Authority pays respect to that service and sacrifice through service, care, and ingenuity of its own.

Serving Veterans in Rural America: A Symposium

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Serving Veterans in Rural America: A Symposium

Date: April 9, 2014
Time: 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location:
US Capitol Visitor Center
Room SVC 200-201
Washington, District of Columbia 20515
Register:https://www.regonline.com/VeteranDC2014

This symposium aims to draw attention to our rural veterans — and to showcase programs and initiatives that help with their housing, health, and employment needs. America’s veterans disproportionately are from rural areas and small towns. Rural veterans make up over 40 percent of enrollees in the VA’s health system. While 21 percent of the US population is rural, 25 percent of the nation’s veterans live in rural communities. Youths from rural zip codes are 22 percent more likely to enlist than young people from cities. And within a decade an astounding 70 percent of rural veterans will be age 65 and over. Rural America serves, but this service is then often forgotten.
 
Invited Speakers:  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL), Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME)
 
Confirmed Speakers:  Gina Capra, Dir., VA Office of Rural Health; Tony Hernandez, Admstr., USDA Rural Housing Service; Mark Johnston, Acting Asst. Secretary, HUD Office of Community Planning & Devel.; Kenn Sassorossi, Housing Vermont
 
There is no charge for the symposium however, advance registration is strongly encouraged.
 
For information on HAC’s Veteran program contact Janice Clark at 202-842-8600 or janice@ruralhome.org.
 
This symposium is made possible through the generous support of The Home Depot Foundation.  Additional information about HAC’s Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans program can be found at www.ruralhome.org.
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Serving Veterans in Rural America

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Presentations | Photos | Agenda | Press Release

Held on May 20, from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm at the US Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC (Room SVC 200-201). This second annual conference will provide information on housing, health, and employment needs and programs for rural veterans. The conference will draw attention to this sometimes forgotten group, and showcase model programs that help. A special focus will be on successful local projects serving veterans. Co-sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation, the conference also featured a presentation on data and demographic information about rural veterans.

Part 1 – Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH): An Overview

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Materials Posted

PowerPoint Presentation | Webinar Recording

Permanent supportive housing has been identified in both the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness and the Ending Veteran Homelessness Initiative as a critical resource for ending homelessness. Within VA, HUD-VASH is the primary service that provides permanent supportive housing. Through collaboration with HUD, HUD-VASH provides Housing Choice Vouchers designated to participating Public Housing Authorities (PHA) to assist with rent payment. VA provides clinical case management and services to assist Veterans obtain and sustain permanent housing while also assisting Veterans with access to treatment and other supportive services that promote their quality of life and full reintegration back into their communities.

HUD-VASH operates on the Housing First principles and is intended to target and care for the chronic and most vulnerable homeless Veterans. Housing First is an evidence-based approach based on the premise that housing is a basic human right and does not have prerequisites such as sobriety or clean time. It prioritizes housing, then assists individuals with access to health care and other supports that promote stable housing and improved quality of life.

The primary goal of HUD-VASH is to move Veterans and their families out of homelessness into permanent supportive housing while promoting maximum Veteran recovery and independence in the community. A key component of the program is VA’s case management services. These services are designed to assist Veterans in obtaining and sustaining permanent housing and engage in needed treatment and other supportive services that improve the Veteran’s quality of life and end their homelessness. Because Veterans experience homelessness for a variety of reasons, case management is individually tailored to meet the needs of each HUD-VASH Veteran.

This webinar, the first in a two part series that will provide information to community providers on housing services available to Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The webinar will provide an overview of the HUD-VASH program including who is eligible for services and how to make a referral for a Veteran to be assessed for admission. There will also be information on how HUD-VASH vouchers are allocated and the difference between tenant-based and project-based HUD-VASH vouchers.

Non-HAC: Veterans Choice Program Google Hangout

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On Thursday, June 25 at 2:30 EST the Veterans Choice Program Google Hangout will be live streamed on YouTube.  Veterans can leave questions on this blog post in advance of the event.  The experts will be answering some of the questions live!  
VA experts will discuss:

  • Eligibility requirements
  • How to find a provider and make a Choice Program appointment
  • What happens after your Choice Program appointment
  • Frequently Asked Questions

For additional information on the Choice Program, visit: https://vaww.va.gov/CHOICE/Choice_Program_Training_Materials.asp.

If you have any questions, please contact VHA10B2Action@va.gov, and thanks for all you do to increase access to care for our rural Veterans!

Serving America’s Aging Veterans: A Symposium

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Materials Posted

HAC Presentation | WMCA Presentation | NCHV Presentation | Aging Veterans in the United States

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Serving Our Aging Veterans: A Symposium
May 18, 2016
US Capitol Visitor Center, Room SVC 200-201, Washington DC
#RuralVeterans

Agenda

8:00 – 8:15 am Breakfast and Gathering
8:15 – 8:20 am Introduction –Moises Loza, Housing Assistance Council
8:20 – 8:40 am Welcome — Heather Pritchard, The Home Depot Foundation Jim Cummings, JPMorgan Chase

8:40 – 9:00 am Research Briefing on Aging Veterans, Veterans Data Central, and State Data Lance George, Housing Assistance Council

9:00 -10:00 am National Perspectives

9:00 Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
9:15 Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
9:30 Rep. Corrine Brown (D – FL), Ranking Member, House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs

10:10 – 11:00 am Best Practices in Serving Older Veterans
Moderator: Tony Hernandez, USDA Rural Development
Elder Home Repair – William Crandall, Western Maine Community Action
Multifamily Rental and Services – Jon Sherin, Volunteers of America

11:00 – 12:00 am National Views on Support for Aging and Rural Veterans
Moderator: Heather Prichard, The Home Depot Foundation
Baylee Crone, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
Doug Dickerson, AARP
Mark Walker, American Legion
Joe Wynn, Vietnam Veterans of America

Rural Americans have a strong history of service to the U.S. military. A disproportionate number of veterans come from and return to small towns and rural America. Approximately 5.6 million, or 11.4 percent, of the rural population served in the military, accounting for a quarter of all veterans in 2010. Rural America serves, but this service is then often overlooked. Veterans are also not a homogenous group, nor are their needs. As two wars overseas wind down, more veterans are coming home. At the same time the demographic changes associated with the baby boom generation and the overall greying of America will also impact veterans’ needs in rural areas. Providing critical programs can be particularly challenging in rural America due to vast geographies, limited resources, and less social service infrastructure.

This third annual symposium will provide information on housing, health, and other needs and programs for older veterans. This event will draw attention to this sometimes forgotten group, and showcase model programs that help. A special focus will be on serving rural veterans.

Co-sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, and the Wells Fargo Foundation the conference will also feature a presentation on data and demographic information about veterans. HAC is a national nonprofit that helps rural communities build affordable housing and communities. One of our initiatives is service to rural veterans.

There is no registration fee to attend this symposium. However, advance registration is required. Register online at https://bit.ly/1QJtwkm; For more information on the symposium contact Janice Clark at janice@ruralhome.org or 202-842-8600 or Shonterria Charleston at shonterria@ruralhome.org or 404-892-4824.

Housing Assistance Council is an equal opportunity lender and employer.

To become a stakeholder or for additional information on HAC’s Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans program, please visit our website at www.ruralhome.org.

VA Housing Resources for Hero’s: An In-depth overview on the VA Home Loan Guaranty benefit

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Materials Posted

Introduction | Presentation | Recording | VA Home Loan Resources | VA Loan Limits

If you are not a Veteran or mortgage lender, you may not be aware of all the great features of VA loans, or the specific assistance VA can provide to Veteran borrowers who are having trouble making their mortgage payments. Join the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) for the “Housing Resources for Hero’s: An in-depth overview and discussion on the VA Home Loan Guaranty benefit.

This webinar, the first in the “2016 Veterans Resources Summer Series”, will provide general information on the VA Home Loan Guaranty benefit, program and loan eligibility, and the actions Veterans can take to obtain a VA-guaranteed home loan. The webinar will also feature a panel discuss on the assistance that may be available to Veterans who are having trouble making their monthly mortgage payments. Participants will have ample opportunity following presentations to ask questions of the subject matter experts.

The VA home loan program was part of the original GI Bill of Rights in 1944, and is credited with helping create suburban America and the American middle-class. Since 1944, VA has guaranteed over 22 Million home loans for over 16 Million Veterans and their families. Roughly 80-percent of Veterans are homeowners, and VA loans comprise about 10-percent of new loans in the current market. While many VA loans are made in urban or suburban areas, a sizeable portion — over 15 percent — are made to Veterans living in rural areas.

VA loans are made by private-sector mortgage companies or banks– VA provides a guaranty backing on the loan that essentially takes the place of a down payment. VA loans are the only major loan product in the market that does not require a down payment. VA loans may be used to purchase a home, refinance an existing loan, build a home, or make energy efficient improvements. Interest rates on VA loans are generally lower than rates for other mortgage types, and VA limits the amount of fees and charges a borrower can be charged as part of the transaction. Flexible underwriting criteria (such as no minimum FICO requirement) may make qualifying for a VA loan easier than for another type of loan. VA loans are also ‘reusable’—a Veteran may use the benefit multiple times throughout his or her life. In addition to maximizing Veterans’ opportunities to obtain home loans, VA is committed to ensuring all defaulted VA borrowers receive every opportunity to avoid foreclosure.

VA Housing Resources for Heroes Part II: An Overview on the VA Specially Adapted Housing Grant Program

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Materials Posted

Welcome | Presentation | Recording | Application

If you are not a Veteran or Veteran service provider, you may not be aware of all the great features of VA loans, or the specific assistance VA can provide to Veterans. Join the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) for the “Housing Resources for Heroes Part II: Overview on the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant program.

This webinar, the second in the “2016 Veterans Resources Summer Series”, will provide general information of the SAH grant program, eligibility, uses along with the necessary actions Veterans need take to obtain a SAH grant. The webinar will also feature a discuss on the specific options of assistance available to Veterans with service-connected disabilities to assist with building, remodeling or purchasing an adapted home. Participants will have ample opportunity following presentations to ask questions of the subject matter experts.

The SAH grant is designed to assist Veterans with certain service-connected disabilities live independently in a barrier-free environment by providing help constructing or modifying a home to meet their adaptive needs.  Specifically, SAH grants can be used in one of the following ways:

  • Construct a specially adapted home on land to be acquired;
  • Build a home on land already owned if it is suitable for specially adapted housing;
  • Remodel an existing home if it can be made suitable for specially adapted housing; or
  • Apply the grant against the unpaid principal mortgage balance of an adapted home already acquired without the assistance of a VA grant

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50 Years for Rural America

Over 50 years HAC has worked in every U.S. state and the territories. Learn more about what our work means for rural communities.

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(202) 842-8600  |  (202) 347-3441  |  hac@ruralhome.org

HAC is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.