HUD

On December 20, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced an increase of the administrative fee for all state funded voucher programs from $40 to $50 per voucher, effective February 1, 2020. This includes the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, Alternative Housing Voucher Program, and the Department of Mental Health Rental Subsidy Program. […]

This week, HUD released a proposed rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AHHF) that would dramatically alter the Obama administration’s final rule published in 2015. The rule changes the definition of AFFH and eliminates the community participation and engagement requirement as well as the requirement that federal grantees complete an analysis of impediments to fair housing. Comments on the proposed rule are due 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register.

As RAD conversions continue to drive Project Based Voucher (PBV) growth, HUD proposes to fill an information gap to enable monitoring, tracking and analysis of PHAs’ PBV performance. Comments are due February 24, 2020.

Yesterday the House of Representatives voted to approve federal funding for the remainder of FY 2020, which will provide $738 billion to the military and $632 billion to non-defense agencies. The Senate is expected to pass the measures before the current continuing resolution expires on December 20, and the White House has indicated President Trump will sign them into law.

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) released the Piggyback Resilient Mixed-Income (PRIME) NOFA, which is designed to develop resilient multifamily properties in areas that were greatly impacted by the 2016 floods. This NOFA will make available $42 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to be combined with LIHTC and bond-financed mortgage proceeds, supporting the development of mixed-income multifamily properties

The United States Conference of Mayors has issued a new report “Mayor’s Vision For America: A 2020 Call To Action” which calls for new investments in infrastructure, innovation and inclusion.  The report outlines 12 priorities including to “make housing more affordable and end homelessness.”  The report specifically calls for increased funding for the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Program as well as the creation of a new program for blighted neighborhood restoration.  Additionally, the report calls for the expansion of rental housing supply noting, “There is an increased need for rental housing. The nation needs to create and pursue policies to develop more rental housing.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on Federal, State, local, and Tribal laws, regulations, land use requirements, and administrative practices that artificially raise the costs of affordable housing development and contribute to shortages in America’s housing supply.

HUD released the 2020 operating cost adjustment factors (OCAFs) for project-based rental assistance with an anniversary date on or after February 11, 2020. The nationwide OCAF increased by 2.2 percent, ranging from 1.8 percent in Oklahoma to 3.4 percent in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.  OCAFs are annual factors used to adjust Section 8 rents […]

Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act. The legislation would create seven grant programs to upgrade public housing units through decarbonization and mixed-use development and repeal the Faircloth Amendment, which prohibits new public housing units above the amount of units owned, operated or assisted by a PHA as of October 1, 1999.

Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced the Homes for All Act of 2019, which will dramatically expand the public housing stock in the U.S. and guarantee housing as a human right. The bill will authorize construction of 12 million new public housing and private, permanently affordable rental units.

House Committee on Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) introduced the Housing is Infrastructure Act of 2019 (H.R. 5187/S. 2951). The bills contain the following investments in housing:

The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) will officially announce a $42 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) on Wednesday, December 11 during its regularly scheduled board meeting. These CDBG funds will be combined with LIHTC and bond-financed mortgage proceeds.