HUD

In a primetime speech before the US Congress on September 8, President Obama announced proposal called the “American Jobs Act”. The proposal includes a major new $15 billion initiative called “Project Rebuild” that is targeted towards Rehabilitating Homes, Businesses and Communities. The proposal builds on the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).

National Housing & Rehabilitation Association Executive Director Thom Amdur announced today the recipients of NH&RA’s 2011 Affordable Housing Vision Awards: Sandra Henriquez, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Boston accountant and past NH&RA President John Mackey. The pair will be honored at a ceremony on Monday, November 14 at the Intercontinental Hotel in conjunction with NH&RA’s Fall Developers Forum.

HUD’s Economic and Market Analysis Division has prepared Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis for the Tyler and El Paso, Texas market areas.

HUD recently announced Chicago, Boston, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Seattle as the cities to receive the first grants under the new Choice Neighborhoods Initiative which aims to transform distressed neighborhoods into sustainable mixed-income communities. These grants are meant to build upon the successes of HOPE VI which provided support for the rehabilitation and preservation of public and HUD-assisted housing in order to better approach concentrated poverty.

A new report released by HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research titled “Memphis Murder Revisited: Do Housing Vouchers Cause Crime” examines the link between the presence of Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) holders in a neighborhood and crime.

Responding to this need for better coordinated Federal rental policy, the White House’s Domestic Policy Council established the interagency Rental Policy Working Group in 2010.

Missouri’s state legislature recently advanced a bill that modifies provisions of existing tax credit programs in a manner consistent with the recommendations of the Tax Credit Review Commission and establishes new tax incentive programs.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has released the 2011 2nd Quarter Housing Market Conditions Report.

HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research is managing a Congressionally mandated study of the housing needs of Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.

HUD recently announced an update to its Preservation web page, a resource portal that combines refinancing tools, notices, Section 8 renewal policy and other information its stakeholders may want to know about preserving affordable housing.

Preliminary analysis by Novogradac & Company indicates that the HUD proposed fiscal year 2012 fair market rents (FMRs), released August 19, represent decreases in FMR levels for a vast majority of the country.

HUD has released updated processing guidance for the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly and Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities programs.