General News

On January 25, 2010, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a regulation intended to reduce the review and verification burden related to income eligibility and certain operational requirements under the DOE Weatherization for certain properties identified by HUD.

The U.S. Green Building Council recently published a new report that shows that the Obama Administration has the executive authority to use over 30 existing federal programs worth $72 billion to enhance energy efficiency in the nation’s multifamily housing and commercial buildings, without the need for new legislation.

The Louisiana Housing Finance Agency recently announced that it is seeking proposals from applicants to be placed into a pool of Market Analysts to provide individual market studies for projects to qualify for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) in the State of Louisiana.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is soliciting comments and suggestions from Section 108 recipients for developing performance measures that focus on outcomes and meaningfully reflect the purpose of the program, collects information on the activities, accomplishments and outcomes of Section 108 grantees, and collects original information needed for the analysis of program’s overlap with other Federal programs.

HUD’s Economic and Market Analysis Division has published a Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis report for the Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska-Iowa region.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie this week proposed a new plan that would reduce the state’s control over how New Jersey’s towns and municipalities meet their obligation to provide affordable housing.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released income limits and accompanying materials for 2010, including median family incomes, state income limits, and a map of state income limits and median incomes.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently issued a notice that invites comments from the public on a proposed study that examines what happens to LIHTC properties after the first 15 years, when the original use restrictions for properties that received tax credit allocat ions before 1990 expired, and when some tax credit properties funded after that date also were able to leave the program.

The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund has released the online application and instructions for the 2010 round of the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program.

NH&RA provided input and participated in a recent national policy initiative that has identified specific federal programs in which certain existing rules can be modified to enhance the program’s ability to promote sustainability and energy efficiency in multifamily housing and commercial buildings. Multiple organizations participated in the “existing authorities” initiative, which culminated in a lengthy report, to be released on April 29, outlining a series of recommendations across many different federal programs.

NH&RA’s National Council of Affordable Housing Market Analysts is expected to hold educational training in the near future for staff members of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation and Louisiana Housing Finance Agency. The training will cover various aspects of market studies for LIHTC projects.

Sue Wilson, Director of HUD’s HOPE VI office, will meet with NH&RA’s HOPE VI Council on May 20 during the Association’s Spring Policy Forum conference in Washington, D.C. Ben Metcalf, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing, will also attend. The meeting is expected to focus in part on the proposed Choice Neighborhoods Initiative program.