Rural Housing

A new Rural Housing Service rule requires owners of Section 515 and 514/516 rental properties to give tenants written notification at least 30 days before terminating a lease or taking eviction actions.

The Rural Housing Service updated the process for competitive lender submissions (responses) regarding proposed projects for the Section 538 Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Program (GRRHP).

USDA’s Rural Housing Service published a Notice of Solicitation of Applications entitled, Multi-Family Housing Preservation and Revitalization Demonstration Program-Section 514 and Section 515 for Fiscal Year 2022.

The Department of Energy released Weatherization Program Notice 22-5, which expands client eligibility for the program.

The Federal Reserve Board collaborated with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to publish Investing in Rural Prosperity, which compiles perspectives from contributing authors and provides a framework to help provide inclusive, sustainable access to economic opportunity in vulnerable rural communities.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) has released the text of his soon to be introduced Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for All (DASH) Act (full text, overall summary, section by section summary).

The Senate Appropriations Committee advanced its FY 2022 appropriations bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, and the Food and Drug Administration. The bill contains substantial funding increases for several USDA rural housing programs, including $1.45 billion for rural rental assistance, an increase of $40 million.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for eligible entities to provide planning, training and technical assistance to rural communities to foster placemaking activities. 

USDA is making up to $3 million in cooperative agreement grants available under the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC). Eligible entities may use the funds to help rural communities create plans to enhance capacity for broadband access; preserve cultural and historic structures; and support development in transportation, housing and recreational spaces. 

Rural Development (RD) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that Dan Rogers will become the director of Production and Preservation for RD’s Multifamily Housing Field Operations Division.

Freddie Mac released a white paper Dec. 10 that found LIHTC supports 40.1 percent of the multifamily housing market in rural Persistent Poverty Counties (PPCs) – a rate that is more than three times greater than the national average and one and a half times greater than all rural areas.

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.