General News

On Sunday July 7, the New York Times Editorial Board published an Op-Ed titled, “A New Approach on Housing Affordability: Some Democratic presidential candidates are emphasizing the need to build more housing. That could make a big difference.”  The Op-Ed highlights plans from four Democratic candidates including Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Former HUD Secretary Julian […]

The Oregon State Senate recently approved House Bill 2001, which would authorize missing middle housing in large cities’ single-family zones, advancing it to Governor Kate Brown’s desk for her signature.

The Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) of Harvard University released its annual The State of the Nation’s Housing report which shows that housing production still falls short of what is needed, which is keeping pressure on house prices and rents and eroding affordability.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro both recently released housing plans as a part of their 2020 presidential bids.

A new paper, prepared for BRIDGE Housing by Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF), focuses on available technologies and strategies that can impact materials and labor costs. The paper explores the benefits, potential cost savings, challenges and considerations of techniques such as offsite construction, including panelized systems, complete modules and hybrid typologies.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a notice soliciting comments on changes to the Official Poverty Measure (OPM). The OPM is currently set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture based on the cost of food and subject to cost-of-living adjustments. This measure is used by the Department of Health and Human […]

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority posted Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) for its the HOME/Mortgage Resource Fund (MRF) Gap Financing Program and the National Housing Trust Fund (HTF) Gap Financing Program. For the HOME/MRF NOFA, $9 million in funding is available and applications are due Aug. 15, 2019. For the HTF NOFA, $4.8 million in funding is available and applications are due Oct. 15, 2019.

The cities of Jurupa Valley and Paramount recently got their plans approved from the California Department of Housing and Community Development along with the cities of Orange Cove, Clovis and Soledad. Forty-two jurisdictions have yet to earn approved housing plans.

The staff of the California Strategic Growth Council recommended over $402 million in awards for the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program. The recommendations will be considered at the Strategic Growth Council Meeting on June 21.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition and Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation released an updated version of the National Housing Preservation Database for 2019. The database includes updated data on Section 515, Section 8, HOME, REAC and Section 202 direct loan usage across the country. In addition, LIHTC properties now have end dates to track […]

The California State Assembly approved Assembly Bill 1487,that would authorize the creation of the Housing Alliance for the Bay Area, tasked with raising public funds and providing technical assistance to create and preserve affordable homes and offer tenant protections across the region.

During the 2019 legislative session the state of Minnesota allocated $180.6 million towards building and preserving homes, increasing home stability and strengthening homeownership around the state.