Rural Housing

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development’s (RD) Office Multifamily Housing (MFH) announced that, effective October 11, 2020, Becki Meyer, Byron Waters, Karissa Stiers and Laurie Warzinski will become the first Regional directors of MFH’s Field Operations Division.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to amend its regulation to implement changes related to the development of a sustainable plan for the Rental Assistance (RA) program, including new RHS flexibilities in the managing of the RA distribution and integrate new asset management policies.

Join the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a training session on affordable housing development and finance in rural communities.

The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) updated online information about the rural affordable workforce housing pilot to reflect community inquiries.

Woda Cooper Companies recently completed a $3.2 million rehabilitation of the 24 units at Maple Hill Apartments in Cadillac, MI. The substantial rehabilitation included new kitchens with ENERGY STAR appliances, new baths, new flooring, windows, doors and energy-efficient HVAC systems, plumbing, insulation, roofs, siding and landscaping plus more.

Rural Development (RD) at USDA announced that, effective August 17, 2020, Ernie Wetherbee will become the first Director of RD’s Multifamily Housing’s new Field Operations Division. Wetherbee has extensive leadership experience at RD, including 11 years implementing Rural Housing programs in the field, which makes him uniquely qualified to take on this new position.

USDA announced the appointment of Elizabeth “Beth” Green as the acting administrator, Rural Housing Service (RHS). Green will report directly to Rural Development’s (RD) Deputy Under Secretary, Bette Brand, effective August 3, 2020. Green takes over the role from former RHS Administrator Bruce Lammers who recently retired.

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is circulating a sign-on letter to Congressional leadership in support of rural housing being included in the next COVID relief package. The deadline to sign on is today, Wednesday, July 22. NH&RA joined the letter and encourages our members to do the same.

Rural community leaders, employers, affordable housing providers, developers, lenders, planners, policy makers and residents are invited to learn more and provide final input prior to the launch of the competitive application process for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority’s rural affordable workforce housing pilot.

The House of Representatives passed the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020 (H.R. 7301) to provide relief for homeowners, renters, landlords and people experiencing homelessness amidst the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The provisions of this bill were largely included in the HEROES Act as passed by the House in May, which has yet to be voted on in the Senate.

In September 2020, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) will announce a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for a Rural Demonstration round under its Greater Opportunity for Affordable Living (GOAL) program. Under this NOFA, AHFC will make grants, zero-interest loans and LIHTCs available for competitive allocation to successful pre-application respondents to construct new rental housing in small communities off the Alaska road system.

A $16.7 million plan focused on affordable housing and economic development gained final approval from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) board on June 17, as members directed spending toward a rural affordable workforce housing pilot, financing for underserved markets and small business lending.