HUD

The Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA) published the final 2021 HOME Investment Partnerships Program Action Plan and LIHTC QAP. The tentative AHFA 2021 Competitive Application Cycle is as follows:

In just seven years since the first public housing property converted under the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) and their partners have cleared another major milestone—surpassing more than $10 billion for the improvement and replacement of converting public housing properties.

The Senate returned this week and hit the ground running with Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 appropriations. Funding for the federal government runs out on December 11 and both Republicans and Democrats have stated their desire for full FY 2021 appropriation, as opposed to another short-term or long-term continuing resolution. A COVID-19 relief package and a tax bill are widely seen as the other must-dos during the lame-duck session. All three legislative vehicles provide opportunities to attach LIHTC priorities. We’ll continue to monitor the latest developments and engage our members when action is needed.

The jockeying for cabinet and leadership positions within a Biden administration is well underway. We’ll keep a running list of names that are rumored to be in consideration, but note that this list already is out-of-date the second it is published, and that NH&RA is not endorsing any potential candidate, but rather relaying the potential candidates that we’re aware of.

HUD successfully completed the CNA e-Tool Version 3.0 installation and data conversion. The CNA e-Tool User Interface has been re-platformed to the cloud and the most important result is that users must now enter all data in the web application, not the Excel Assessment Tool, which is now retired.

LifeSTEPS and USA Properties Fund’s RN Coaching PILOT Program has received the 2020 HUD Secretary’s Awards for Healthy Homes, an annual award that recognizes programs that promote healthier housing through partnering, outreach and innovative practices.

On October 14, HUD issued a further update to its Frequently Asked Questions for subsidized multifamily housing programs to clarify and extend certain interim procedures and tie in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s order creating a national eviction moratorium for nonpayment of rent.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a stay and preliminary injunction to prevent HUD from implementing its new Disparate Impact rule. The suit claimed the new rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and drew support and declarations from over a dozen community-based organizations.

Standard Communities announced the acquisition of Canebreak Apartments, an affordable apartment community in Summerville, SC. The 120-unit community will undergo an extensive renovation in the coming months, which will be completed without displacing residents.

Join Blue Sky Communities for a virtual groundbreaking of Fairlawn Village at 10 a.m. ET on November 10.

Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA) introduced the Support Allowing Volume Exception for (SAVE) Federally-Assisted Housing Act, a targeted effort to address the national shortage of affordable housing units by freeing up the availability of private activity bonds used to support the preservation, improvement or replacement of federally-assisted housing facilities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new resources on its eviction moratorium, including a declaration template and FAQs, prepared in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, HUD and the Department of Justice.