USDA Obligations FY 2021 Featured Image

USDA Rural Development Obligations FY 21 – May

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USDA Rural Development Obligations Report Cover - FY 2021

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) presents this month’s report on Fiscal Year 2021 USDA Rural Housing program obligations.

As of the end of May, USDA obligated 94,334 loans, loan guarantees, and grants totaling about $16.2 billion, nearly $2.4 billion higher than obligation levels from this time last year. At that time, there were 88,196 loans, loan guarantees, and grants obligated totaling $13.9 billion.

Federal agencies operated under a series of short-term continuing resolutions (CR) for most of the first quarter of FY 2021. A final CR was signed into law on December 27, 2020 which provides funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. Since March 20, 2020, USDA offices have been operating from remote locations due to the COVID-19 virus.

Single Family Housing Program Highlights

The Section 502 Guaranteed loan program, the largest of the Single Family Housing programs, obligated nearly $15.5 billion (87,519 loan guarantees) up from almost $13.0 (79,509 loan guarantees) this time last year.

For the Section 502 Direct program, loan obligations totaled $605 million (3,281 loans), a bit less than last year’s obligation level of $629 million (3,681 loans.) Nearly 37 percent of the loan dollars went to Very Low-income (VLI) applicants. VLI loans represented over 43 percent of the total number of Section 502 Direct loans.

The Section 504 Repair and Rehabilitation programs obligated 1,316 loans representing about $8 million. Loan volume was down from this time last year (1,722 loans representing $10.4 million.) About $13.7 million (2,119 grants) was obligated in the Section 504 grant program compared to over $20 million (3,105 grants) last year.

USDA’s Section 523 Self Help Housing Grant program funded 27 grants and contracts totaling $16.9 million, a bit less than last year’s 14 grants and contracts totaling over $20.5 million.

Multi-Family Housing Program Highlights

USDA’s Section 538 Multifamily Housing program obligated 51 loan guarantees totaling $135.7 million compared to last year’s 92 loan guarantees ($145.6 million.) No Section 515 Rural Rental Housing loans and no MPR loans or grants have been funded so far this year, similar to last year at this time.

No Farm Labor Housing loans or grants have been funded so far this year. Last year at this time, 13 loans and 5 grants were obligated ($19.7 million and $5.9 million, respectively.)

In the Section 521 Rental Assistance program, USDA obligated funds for 125,076 rental assistance units the Section 521 Rental Assistance program totaling nearly $740.0 million. This compares to about 135,675 units ($783.0 million) obligated same time last year. There were also 5,007 Rural Housing Vouchers totaling $24.3 million compared to 5,368 vouchers representing $25.0 million this time last year.

Download the combined document.

* The Rural Housing Service (RHS) monthly obligation reports are produced by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20005. The monthly figures derive from HAC tabulations of USDA –RHS 205c, d, and f report data. For questions or comments about the obligation reports, please contact Michael Feinberg at 202-842-8600 or michael@ruralhome.org.

USDA Obligations FY 2021 Featured Image

USDA Rural Development Obligations FY 21 – April

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USDA Rural Development Obligations Report Cover - FY 2021

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) presents this month’s report on Fiscal Year 2021 USDA Rural Housing program obligations.

As of the end of April, USDA obligated 83,295 loans, loan guarantees, and grants totaling about $14.3 billion. This is $2.2 billion higher than obligation levels from this time last year. At that time, there were 77,581 loans, loan guarantees, and grants obligated totaling $12.1 billion.

Federal agencies operated under a series of short-term continuing resolutions (CR) for most of the first quarter of FY 2021. A final CR was signed into law on December 27, 2020 which provides funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. Since March 20, 2020, USDA offices have been operating from remote locations due to the COVID-19 virus.

Single Family Housing Program Highlights

The Section 502 Guaranteed loan program, the largest of the Single Family Housing programs, obligated over $13.6 billion (77,364 loan guarantees) up from $11.3 billion (69,902 loan guarantees) this time last year.

For the Section 502 Direct program, loan obligations totaled $533.1 million (2,902 loans), about $24.5 million less than last year’s obligation level of $557.6 million (3,262 loans.) About 37 percent of the loan dollars went to Very Low-income (VLI) applicants. VLI loans represented over 43 percent of the total number of Section 502 Direct loans.

The Section 504 Repair and Rehabilitation programs obligated 1,119 loans representing $6.6 million. At this time last year, USDA obligated 1,509 Section 504 loans representing $9 million. The Section 504 grant program saw about $11.7 million (1,821 grants) obligated compared to $17.7 million (2,756 grants) at this time last year.

USDA’s Section 523 Self Help Housing Grant program funded 23 grants and contracts totaling $15,030,227 up from 12 grants and contracts totaling $13,069,195 a year ago.

Multi-Family Housing Programs

USDA’s Section 538 Multifamily Housing program obligated 48 loan guarantees totaling $129.0 million compared to last year’s 86 loan guarantees ($137.6 million.) No Section 515 Rural Rental Housing program have been funded so far this year, similar to last year at this time. There have been no MPR loans or grants obligated so far this year compared to 4 loans representing $143,438 at this time last year.

No Farm Labor Housing loans or grants have been funded so far this year. Last year at this time, 9 loans and 5 grants were obligated ($18.6 million and nearly $5.9 million respectively.)

USDA obligated funds for 125,050 rental assistance units under the Section 521 Rental Assistance program totaling $739.7 million. This compares to about 135,562 units ($782.6 million) obligated same time last year. There were also 4,511 Rural Housing Vouchers totaling $21.8 million compared to 4,680 vouchers representing $21.9 million this time last year.

Download the combined document.

* The Rural Housing Service (RHS) monthly obligation reports are produced by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20005. The monthly figures derive from HAC tabulations of USDA –RHS 205c, d, and f report data. For questions or comments about the obligation reports, please contact Michael Feinberg at 202-842-8600 or michael@ruralhome.org.

USDA Obligations FY 2021 Featured Image

USDA Rural Development Obligations FY 21 – March

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USDA Rural Development Obligations Report Cover - FY 2021

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) presents this month’s report on Fiscal Year 2021 USDA Rural Housing program obligations.

As of the end of February, USDA obligated 60,232 loans, loan guarantees, and grants totaling about $10,330,206,982. This is $2,134,121,531 higher than obligation levels from this time last year. At that time, there were 53,209 loans, loan guarantees, and grants obligated totaling $8,196,085,451.

Federal agencies operated under a series of short-term continuing resolutions (CR) for most of the first quarter of FY 2021. A final CR was signed into law on December 27, 2020 which provides funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. Since March 20, 2020, USDA offices have been operating from remote locations due to the COVID-19 virus.

Single Family Housing Program Highlights

The Section 502 Guaranteed loan program, the largest of the Single Family Housing programs, obligated $9,888,959,509 (56,221 loan guarantees) up from $7,721,657,308 ( 48,119 loan guarantees) this time last year.

For the Section 502 Direct program, loan obligations totaled $356,827,444 (1,965 loans), similar to last year’s obligation level of $365,962,478 (2,157 loans.) About 38 percent of the loan dollars went to Very Low-income (VLI) applicants. VLI loans represented over 44 percent of the total number of Section 502 Direct loans.

The Section 504 Repair and Rehabilitation programs obligated  750 loans representing $4,369,687. Loan volume was up from this time last year (1,015 loans representing $6,193,027.) There were also about $7,942,283 (1,245 grants) obligated in the Section 504 grant program compared to $12,003,752 (1,869 grants) last year.

USDA’s Section 523 Self Help Housing Grant program funded 6 grants and contracts totaling $3,710,175 up from last year’s 3 grants and contracts totaling $1,900,426.

Multi-Family Housing Programs

USDA’s Section 538 Multifamily Housing program obligated 35 loan guarantees totaling $68,356,333 compared to last year’s 29 loan guarantees ($60,715,592.) No Section 515 Rural Rental Housing program have been funded so far this year, similar to last year at this time. There have been 0 loans and 5 grants obligated in the MPR program totaling $0 and $251,778 this year compared to 0 loans and 3 grants representing $0 and $988,734, respectively last year.

No Farm Labor Housing loans or grants have been funded so far this year. Last year at this time, 9 loans and 5 grants were obligated ($18,630,577 and $5,853,855, respectively.)

USDA obligated funds for 38,592 rental assistance units under the Section 521 Rental Assistance program totaling $219,583,640. This compares to about 83,226 units ($477,189,635) obligated same time last year. There were also 1,939 Rural Housing Vouchers totaling $9,651,145 compared to2,340 vouchers representing $11,057,083 this time last year.

Download the combined document.

* The Rural Housing Service (RHS) monthly obligation reports are produced by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20005. The monthly figures derive from HAC tabulations of USDA –RHS 205c, d, and f report data. For questions or comments about the obligation reports, please contact Michael Feinberg at 202-842-8600 or michael@ruralhome.org.

Northwest Regional Housing Authority Demonstrates Impact of Self-Help Housing

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March 26, 2021 – Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP). In the last quarter century, SHOP has helped tens of thousands of families achieve the dream of homeownership. The SHOP program funds the construction of self-help housing nationwide. Under the self-help model, families help build their home to earn “sweat equity” instead of making a traditional cash down-payment. This makes the new home more affordable and makes homeownership accessible to low- and very low-income households typically left out of the for-sale housing market.

Over the last 25 years, the Housing Assistance Council has received and invested over $120 million through SHOP to build 9,896 self-help homes. We lend this money to local organizations that work with families to build self-help homes across rural America. If the organization meets its targets, our loans are up to 90% forgivable, which allows the organization to provide additional homebuyer subsidies or create additional self-help units. As the only national SHOP grantee with a specific focus on rural homes, we’re proud of the difference our SHOP investments make in rural America. So, to celebrate SHOP’s 25th anniversary, we wanted to highlight the impact of one of our SHOP grantees: Northwest Regional Housing Authority (NWRHA) in Harrison, Arkansas, who we’ve partnered with since 2006.

Operating in 12 counties in northwest Arkansas, NWRHA’s self-help program has helped over 150 families in the pursuit of homeownership. Each family contributes an average of 650 hours of labor building their home. This not only keeps costs down, it provides participants with instant equity in their home and the skills to maintain it. One of the biggest challenges NWRHA faces is finding affordable, buildable lots. With rapidly rising property values, the price of a lot suitable for self-help construction in northwest Arkansas has soared to over $20,000. Luckily, our loans provide NWRHA with the capital to purchase land sooner, which keeps prices down.

To understand the impact of NWRHA’s self-help program, you could take a drive across rural Arkansas to see the dozens of homes self-help families have built. Or, you could ask Ana Castro-Beard, NWRHA’s Self-Help Specialist. She tells the story of a single father and his kids, who did not have stable housing until they came to NWRHA. After they moved into the home they built, Ana received a postcard from the family: it was a picture of their first Christmas in their new home.

Children playing in their new home

Photo courtesy of NWRHA.

Homes are more than just shelter from the elements. They’re where kids are raised, holidays are celebrated, and dinners are shared. They’re the backbone of financial stability and a gateway to economic opportunity.

In his speech before the House of Representatives supporting the bill that funded SHOP, former New York Congressman Rick Lazio promised that the new program would “boost homeownership levels…where we need it desperately.” Twenty-five years later, that dream is a reality. Thanks to the dedicated service of organizations like Northwest Regional Housing Authority, thousands of families—urban and rural—now have a safe, stable place to call home. Their home.

USDA Obligations FY 2021 Featured Image

USDA Rural Development Obligations FY 21 – February

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USDA Rural Development Obligations Report Cover - FY 2021

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) presents this month’s report on Fiscal Year 2021 USDA Rural Housing program obligations.

As of the end of February, USDA obligated 60,232 loans, loan guarantees, and grants totaling about $10.3 billion. This is approximately $2.1 billion higher than obligation levels from this time last year when 53,209 loans, loan guarantees, and grants were obligated totaling nearly $8.2 billion.

Federal agencies operated under a series of short-term continuing resolutions (CR) for most of the first quarter of FY 2021. A final CR was signed into law on December 27, 2020 which provides funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. Since March 20, 2020, USDA offices have been operating from remote locations due to the COVID-19 virus.

Single Family Housing Program Highlights

The Section 502 Guaranteed loan program, the largest of the Single Family Housing programs, obligated approximately $9.9 billion (56,221 loan guarantees) up from nearly $7.8 billion (48,119 loan guarantees) this time last year.

For the Section 502 Direct program, loan obligations totaled $356.9 million (1,965 loans), a bit lower than last year’s $366 million (2,157 loans.) About 38 percent of the loan dollars went to Very Low-income (VLI) applicants. VLI loans represented over 44 percent of the total number of Section 502 Direct loans.

The Section 504 Repair and Rehabilitation programs obligated 750 loans and 1,245 grants representing about $4.4 million and 7.9 million respectively. Loan volume was lower than this time last year (1,015 loans representing $6.2 million) while grants totaled $12.0 million (1,869 grants).

USDA’s Section 523 Self Help Housing Grant program funded 6 grants and contracts totaling $3.7 million up from last year’s 3 grants and contracts totaling $1.9 million.

Multi-Family Housing Programs

USDA’s Section 538 Multifamily Housing program obligated 35 loan guarantees totaling nearly $68.4 million compared to last year’s 29 loan guarantees ($60.7 million.) No Section 515 Rural Rental Housing program have been funded so far this year, similar to last year at this time. There were also no loans or grants obligated so far in FY 21 under the MPR program compared to 3 grants representing $988,734 at this time last year.

No Farm Labor Housing loans or grants have been funded so far this year. Last year at this time, 9 loans and 5 grants were obligated (about $18.6 million and nearly $5.9 million respectively.)

USDA obligated funds for 38,592 rental assistance units under the Section 521 Rental Assistance program totaling $219.6 million. This compares to about 83,226 units ($477.2 million) obligated same time last year. There were also 1,939 Rural Housing Vouchers totaling about $9.7 million compared to 2,340 vouchers representing just over $11 million this time last year.

Download the combined document.

* The Rural Housing Service (RHS) monthly obligation reports are produced by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20005. The monthly figures derive from HAC tabulations of USDA –RHS 205c, d, and f report data. For questions or comments about the obligation reports, please contact Michael Feinberg at 202-842-8600 or michael@ruralhome.org.

USDA Obligations FY 2021 Featured Image

USDA Rural Development Obligations FY 21 – January

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USDA Rural Development Obligations Report Cover - FY 2021

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) presents this month’s report on Fiscal Year 2021 USDA Rural Housing program obligations.

As of the end of January, USDA obligated 47,476 loans, loan guarantees, and grants totaling about $8.1 billion, an increase of more than $3.1 billion over this time last year. At that time, there were 32,361 loans, loan guarantees, and grants obligated totaling nearly $5 billion.

Federal agencies operated under a series of short-term continuing resolutions (CR) for most of the first quarter of FY 2021. A final CR was signed into law on December 27, 2020 which will provide funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. Since March 20, 2020, USDA offices have been operating from remote locations due to the COVID-19 virus.

Single Family Housing Program Highlights

The Section 502 Guaranteed loan program, the largest of the Single Family Housing programs, obligated nearly $7.8 billion (44,318 loan guarantees) an increase of nearly $4.8 billion (29,808 loan guarantees) over this time last year.

For the Section 502 Direct program, loan obligations totaled $292 million (1,623 loans), nearly double last year’s obligation level of $151 million (899 loans.) About 39 percent of the loan dollars went to Very Low-income (VLI) applicants. VLI loans represented almost 45 percent of the total number of Section 502 Direct loans.

The Section 504 Repair and Rehabilitation programs obligated 587 loans representing $3.4 million similar to last year’s 586 loans representing nearly $3.5 million. Section 504 grants were a bit lower than last year at $5.7 million (916 grants) compared to $6.3 million (1,029 grants) last year.

USDA’s Section 523 Self Help Housing Grant program funded 5 grants and contracts totaling nearly $3.5 million up from last year’s 2 grants and contracts totaling $1.9 million.

Multi-Family Housing Programs

USDA’s Section 538 Multifamily Housing obligated 20 loan guarantees totaling $64.6 million compared to last year’s 23 loan guarantees totaling nearly $34.1 million. No Section 515 Rural Rental Housing program have been funded so far this year, similar to last year at this time. No loans or grants have been obligated in the MPR program so far this year compared to 3 grants representing $988,734 last year.

So far this year, there have been no Farm Labor Housing loans or grants funded. Last year at this time, 7 loans and 4 grants were obligated ($12. 6 million and $3.9 million, respectively.)

USDA obligated funds for 38,592 rental assistance units under the Section 521 Rental Assistance program totaling $219.6 million, less than last year’s 46,336 units ($272.9 million) obligated same time last year. Section 542 Rural Housing Vouchers were up from last year at 1,675 vouchers totaling nearly $8.4 million compared to 913 vouchers representing nearly $4.7 million.

Download the combined document.

* The Rural Housing Service (RHS) monthly obligation reports are produced by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20005. The monthly figures derive from HAC tabulations of USDA –RHS 205c, d, and f report data. For questions or comments about the obligation reports, please contact Michael Feinberg at 202-842-8600 or michael@ruralhome.org.

USDA Obligations FY 2021 Featured Image

USDA Rural Development Obligations FY 21 – December

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USDA Rural Development Obligations Report Cover - FY 2021

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) presents this month’s report on Fiscal Year 2021 USDA Rural Housing program obligations.

As of the end of December, USDA obligated 35,111 loans, loan guarantees, and grants totaling about $5,972,304,527. This is nearly $1 billion higher than obligation levels from this time last year. At that time, there were 32,361 loans, loan guarantees, and grants obligated totaling $4,973,305,990.

The agency operated under several short-term continuing resolutions during the month of December. A final CR was signed into law on December 27, 2020 which will provide funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. Since March 20, 2020, USDA offices have been operating from remote locations due to the COVID-19 virus.

Single Family Housing Program Highlights

The Section 502 Guaranteed loan program, the largest of the Single Family Housing programs, obligated $5,746,294,375 (32,823 loan guarantees) up from $4,759,272,406 (29,808 loan guarantees) this time last year.

For the Section 502 Direct program, loan obligations totaled $179,758,120 (975 loans), similar to last year’s obligation level of $151,845,219 (899 loans.) Over 41 percent of the loan dollars went to Very Low-income (VLI) applicants. VLI loans represented over 47 percent of the total number of Section 502 Direct loans.

The Section 504 Repair and Rehabilitation programs obligated 498 loans representing $2,838,485 compared to 586 loans representing $3,462,472 at this time last year.) There were also about $4,863,579 (788 grants) obligated in the Section 504 grant program compared to $6,336,917 (1,029 grants) last year.

USDA’s Section 523 Self Help Housing Grant program funded 5 grants and contracts totaling $3,449,175 up from last year’s 2 grants and contracts totaling $1,870,512.

No credit sales have been funded yet this year, similar to last year at this time.

Multi-Family Housing Programs

USDA’s Section 538 Multifamily Housing obligated 17 loan guarantees totaling $35,082,487 compared to last year’s 23 loan guarantees ($34,064,126.) There have not yet been obligations this year in the Section 515 Rural Rental Housing, the Farm Labor Housing, or MPR programs yet this year. It should be noted that funding in these programs is more prominent later in the fiscal year for most MFH loan and grant programs.

USDA obligated funds for 38,592 rental assistance units under the Section 521 Rental Assistance program totaling $219,583,640 compared to 46,336 units ($272,857,393) obligated same time last year. There were also 1,277 Rural Housing Vouchers totaling $6,508,033 compared to 913 vouchers representing $4,664,688 this time last year.

Download the combined document.

* The Rural Housing Service (RHS) monthly obligation reports are produced by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20005. The monthly figures derive from HAC tabulations of USDA –RHS 205c, d, and f report data. For questions or comments about the obligation reports, please contact Michael Feinberg at 202-842-8600 or michael@ruralhome.org.

USDA Obligations FY 2021 Featured Image

USDA Rural Development Obligations FY 21 – November

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USDA Rural Development Obligations Report Cover - FY 2021

As of the end of November, USDA obligated 23,321 loans (direct and guaranteed) and grant representing $3,960,074,070. This is $622,009,470 higher than obligation levels from this time last year. At that time, there were 21,676 loans, loan guarantees, and grants obligated totaling $3,338,064,600.

The agency is operating under a continuing resolution providing funding through December 11, 2020 which provides limited funding. Since March 20, 2020, USDA offices have been operating from remote locations due to the COVID-19 virus.

Single Family Housing Program Highlights

The Section 502 Guaranteed loan program, the largest of the Single Family Housing programs, obligated $3,788,050,163 (21,758 loan guarantees) up from $3,216,244,331 (20,191 loan guarantees) this time last year.

For the Section 502 Direct program, loan obligations totaled $142,394,439 ( 756 loans), similar to last year’s obligation level of $89,013,254 ( 520 loans.) About 42 percent of the loan dollars went to Very Low-income (VLI) applicants. VLI loans represented over 47 percent of the total number of Section 502 Direct loans.

The Section 504 Repair and Rehabilitation programs obligated 317 loans representing $1,777,504, lower than obligations at the same time last year (349 loans representing $2,132,997.) The Section 504 grant program obligations totaled $2,955,589 (478 grants) compared to $3,678,139 (595 grants) at this time last year.

USDA’s Section 523 Self Help Housing Grant program funded 5 grants and contracts totaling $3,449,175. There were no program obligations this time last year for the Section 523 program.

Multi-Family Housing Programs

USDA’s Section 538 Multifamily Housing obligated 7 loan guarantees totaling $21,447,200. Last year at this time, there were 14 loan guarantees ($21,354,379.)

In the Section 521 Rental Assistance program, funds for  30 rental assistance units under the totaling $150,564 compared to 16,278 units ($92,494,098) obligated same time last year. There were also  953 Rural Housing Vouchers totaling $4,882,173 compared to 796 vouchers representing $4,035,675 this time last year.

There were no other obligations for Single or Multi-Family programs as of the end of November.

Download the combined document.

* The Rural Housing Service (RHS) monthly obligation reports are produced by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20005. The monthly figures derive from HAC tabulations of USDA –RHS 205c, d, and f report data. For questions or comments about the obligation reports, please contact Michael Feinberg at 202-842-8600 or michael@ruralhome.org.

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.

USDA Rural Development Obligations FY 20 – September

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The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) presents this month’s report on Fiscal Year 2020 USDA Rural Housing program obligations.

As of the end of September, USDA obligated 151,874 loans, loan guarantees, and grants totaling about $24,528,082,505. This is $8,149,932,673 higher than obligation levels from this time last year. At that time, there were112,764 loans, loan guarantees, and grants obligated totaling $16,378,149,832.

The agency operated under several continuing resolutions and a 35-day government shutdown last year and obligations have come back to a more normal level in FY 2020. The FY 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law on December 20, 2019 which provided funding for the rest of this fiscal year. Since March 20, 2020, USDA offices have been operating from remote locations due to the COVID-19 virus.

Single Family Housing Program Highlights

 

The Section 502 Guaranteed loan program, the largest of the Single Family Housing programs, obligated $23,074,581,633 (137,970 loan guarantees) up from $14,865,886,386 ( 99,322 loan guarantees) last year.

For the Section 502 Direct program, loan obligations totaled $1,001,414,954 (5,821 loans), similar to last year’s obligation level of $1,001,607,718 (6,194 loans.) About 40 percent of the loan dollars went to Very Low-income (VLI) applicants. VLI loans represented nearly 45 percent of the total number of Section 502 Direct loans.

The Section 504 Repair and Rehabilitation programs obligated 2,739 loans representing $16,640,730. Loan volume was up from this time last year (2,735 loans representing $17,364,032.) There were also about $31,541,672 (4,842 grants) obligated in the Section 504 grant program compared to $24,796,734 (3,908 grants) last year.

USDA’s Section 523 Self Help Housing Grant program funded 55 grants and contracts totaling $32,783,534 up from last year’s 37 grants and contracts totaling $29,001,946.

USDA funded 4 credit sales representing $471,052.

Multi-Family Housing Programs

 

USDA’s Section 538 Multifamily Housing obligated 150 loan guarantees totaling $228,486,473, higher than last year’s 90 loan guarantees ($160,390,167.) In the Section 515 Rural Rental Housing program, there were 40 loans totaling $40,000,001 (including disaster assistance) obligated compared to 86 loans totaling $102,022,213 last year. There have been 80 loans and 5 grants obligated in the MPR program totaling $57,084,997 and $251,778 this year compared to 205 loans and 3 grants representing $130,308,556 and $988,734, respectively last year.

The Farm Labor Housing programs funded 15 loans and 7 grants totaling $20,094,577 and $8,935,855 respectively. Last year at this time, 17 loans and 7 grants were obligated ($19,985,387 and $8,707,162, respectively.)

There were 126 Section 533 Housing Preservation grants obligated this year totaling $15,626,425.

USDA obligated funds for 241,208 rental assistance units under the Section 521 Rental Assistance program totaling $1,375,000,000. This compares to about 252,319 units ($1,331,400,000) obligated same time last year. There were also 7,489 Rural Housing Vouchers totaling $34,544,766 compared to 6,559 vouchers representing $28,623,289 this time last year.

Download the combined document.

* The Rural Housing Service (RHS) monthly obligation reports are produced by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) 1025 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 606, Washington, DC 20005. The monthly figures derive from HAC tabulations of USDA –RHS 205c, d, and f report data. For questions or comments about the obligation reports, please contact Michael Feinberg at 202-842-8600 or michael@ruralhome.org.

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