Thom Amdur Author Archives

More than half of the nation’s households are now headed by someone at least 50 years of age. These 65 million older households are highly diverse in their living situations, financial resources, health and functional abilities, and life stages, and thus require different types of housing to meet their needs and preferences. Affordable, accessible housing […]

House Ways & Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) has announced he has completed a draft tax measure to fix the “retail glitch” in the new tax law and address many tax extenders.  The draft measure is expected to be circulated in the next few days. It is unclear at time of press whether any affordable […]

Like many of you, I was up late watching the returns from yesterday’s mid-term elections.  As I write this we are still waiting for final results  on several races, but a few things are becoming clear. The following are some of my first impressions on what the elections could mean for affordable housing and tax credit […]

According to a recent report published by the Council of Community Finance Agencies (CDFA), 2017 was a record setting year for multifamily private activity bond issuances – $15,302,500,000 in total.

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a new report titled, “Department of Housing and Urban Development: Better Guidance and Performance Measures Would Help Strengthen Enforcement Efforts.”  The GAO found that the three program offices of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that GAO examined have a process in place for […]

The Tidwell Group has published a new article “Income Averaging: Handling a Double-edged Sword.”  The article explores the mechanics of income averaging, potential strategic opportunities, cautionary compliance notes and more…

The National Council of State Housing Agencies has published an online “Opportunity Zone Fund Directory,” which is a compilation of Opportunity Zone funding opportunities. This resource provides descriptions and contact information for publicly-announced funds that have been formed for the purpose of attracting investment in Opportunity Zones. NCSHA is tracking only multi-project opportunity funds.  NCSHA […]

On October 10th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule that would make it more likely for certain immigrants to be denied admission to the U.S. or denied green cards because they receive or would receive lifeline benefits, including Public Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and Project-Based Section 8 housing subsidies.  The National […]

Representative Steve Stivers (R-OH) and Representative Jose Serrano (D-NY) are circulating a “Dear Colleague Letter” request support for a permanent NMTC extension before the end of 2018. The letter is addressed to Ways and Means Chair Kevin Brady (R-TX) and is intended for members who are not on the Ways and Means Committee.  The deadline to sign […]

As part of HUD’s continuing effort to support “decent, safe and sanitary housing,” Secretary Carson is leading a wholesale re-examination of how the Department conducts inspections to ensure private owners are meeting this standard. As HUD continues its internal review of these inspection protocols, the Department is exploring immediate improvements and those refinements over the […]

The next Oregon Housing Stability Council meeting will be on Friday, November 2. The meeting will be held at Oregon Housing and Community Services (725 Summer St NE, Salem OR) in Conference Room 124 A/B. If you cannot attend in person, please join us by phone at: 1-877-273-4202; Participant Code: 4978330 AGENDA: 9:00      […]

In a new blog post Daniel McCue, a Senior Research Associate at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies reports on new analysis of rental markets which compares changes in the rental supply at various rent levels with changes in the number of renter households at various income levels.  McCue finds that that a growing number of low-income […]