Federal News

Senate Passes FY17 HUD Spending Bill

The Senate passed its Transportation-HUD appropriations bill on May 19, after adopting an amendment lifting until 2019 the two-year commitment deadline for HOME funds, and rejecting an amendment that would have stopped HUD implementation of its Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulations. The bill includes no significant funding cuts, ensures households currently served by HUD programs will continue to receive assistance, and protects the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule. Read the NLIHC summary.

House Appropriators Advance FY17 HUD Spending Bill 

The House Appropriations Committee approved the the Transportation-HUD appropriations bill on May 24. The bill would appropriate $38.7 billion to HUD, $384 million more than last year’s level but below the $39.2 billion provided in the Senate bill. Read the NLIHC summary and budget chart comparing the House and Senate bills. The full House is expected to consider the bill in June, perhaps as early as the week of June 6, which would make it possible for Congress to approve a final bill before they adjourn in mid-July for the party conventions and August recess – well in advance of the October 1 beginning of the fiscal year – a goal that Congress has not achieved in many years.

Senate Appropriators Advance FY17 USDA Spending Bill

On May 19, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the bill to fund the Department of Agriculture. The proposed bill would fund the Section 521 Rental Assistance program at $1.405 billion for FY17, the amount requested by President Obama and $15.3 million increase from FY16. The bill would provide an additional $3 million for housing vouchers to the Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization program.

Bipartisan Bill to Expand LIHTC Introduced in Senate

Senate Finance Committee member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act. The bill would expand the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) by 50 percent in order to create or preserve an additional 400,000 affordable homes over the next ten years. The bill is co-sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY). 

FHFA Announces Principal Reduction Modification Program

The Federal Housing Financing Agency (FHFA) announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will offer principal reduction to certain seriously delinquent, underwater borrowers to help avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. The FHFA expects approximately 33,000 borrowers to be eligible for a principal reduction modification. Servicers must solicit borrowers eligible for a principal reduction modification no later than October 15, 2016.

Democratic Presidential Candidates Release Housing Platforms

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton both released their affordable housing platforms. Clinton commits to increasing the Low Income House Tax Credit and supporting programs like Choice Neighborhoods. Sanders calls for an increase in funding for the National Housing Trust Fund, reinvigorating the Home Affordable Refinance Program for underwater homeowners, and expanding the Housing Choice Voucher program. Read the analysis by Shelterforce and Enterprise.

Bill to Preserve Rural Housing Assistance Introduced in House

Representatives Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Rick Nolan (D-MN) introduced the Rural Housing Preservation Act to ensure that families living in rental communities to prevent extremely-low-income households from losing rental assistance after the mortgages on properties financed through USDA’s Section 515 Rental Housing Loans program mature. 

Treasury Announces Final Hardest Hit Fund Allocation of $1 Billion

After a competitive application process, 13 of the 19 participating Hardest Hit Fund states will recieve a total of $1 billion in additional funds to continue to provide resources for homeowners and struggling neighborhoods negatively impacted by the housing crisis. This is the second phase of a $2 billion funding campaign authorized by Congress. 

HUD Relases Final Report on Rapid Re-Housing

HUD's final evaluation report on the Rapid Re-Housing for Homeless Families Demonstration program finds that within the 12-month period following their exit from the program, families had a low likelihood of returning to emergency shelter but had a 76 percent likelihood of moving at least once. Rapid Re-Housing provided housing search assistance and short-term rental subsidies to help homeless families quickly exit emergency shelters. 

NACEDA News

NACEDA Summit Agenda Released – August 29-31 in Cleveland

The NACEDA summit is a dynamic, peer-learning event designed for community development association professionals and board members to strengthen their skills and networks. This year, we're welcoming members of the healthcare field to join us to explore how treating the neighborhood and not just the patient can improve health outcomes. The summit includes a one-day symposium — Community Development & the Social Determinants of Health — sponsored by New Venture Fund with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Check out the summit webpage and the summit agenda.

NACEDA Contributes to Financial Coaching and Counseling Journal

NACEDA Executive Director Frank Woodruff co-authored "State and Regional Community Development Associations’ Role in Successful Program Measurement" in the Professionalizing Field of Financial Counseling and Coaching Journal published by the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund and Citi Community Development. The full journal was released at a May 5 event at Bloomberg Tower in New York City. Ryan Hill co-authored the article.

Member News

Regional Community Development System Launched in St. Louis

Community Builders of Metro St. Louis, the Metropolitan St. Louis Community Reinvestment Association, and the Greater the St. Louis Community Foundation collaborated to launch St. Louis' first regional community development system. Invest STL will focus on local engagement and capacity-building for community development corporations. Read the Next City article.

USDA Awards Ohio CDC Association Funds for Rural Capacity Building

The Ohio CDC Association was awarded $159,463 through the USDA Rural Community Development Initiative to provide technical assistance to 37 rural nonprofit community-based housing and development organizations statewide. Get the details.

New Executive Director of Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania Named

Phyllis Chamberlain has extensive state and federal policy experience. She served as Director of the Delaware Homeless Planning Council, Director of Field Mobilization for the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and played a key role in the building of the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness (now called Virginia Housing Alliance). Her first day at the Housing Alliance is June 6.

Housing Alliance Releases Publications On Blight and Land Banks

The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania released two publications to share the whys and hows of blight remediation planning and forming and operating a land bank: “We Can DO This: A Five-Step, Fast-Track Blight Plan,” and "The Pennsylvania Land Bank Resource Guide."

Partner News

NLIHC Releases Out of Reach Report

In order to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment in the U.S., renters need to earn a wage of $20.30 per hour, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC’s) Out of Reach 2016 report. This “Housing Wage” of $20.30 is $13.05 higher than the federal minimum wage ($7.25) and $4.88 higher than the estimated average wage earned by renters nationwide ($15.42). According to the report, a renter earning the federal minimum wage would need to work 90 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom rental home at Fair Market Rent and 112 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment. NLIHC breaks down and maps its Housing Wage data by state, metropolitan area and county.

NeighborWorks Announces National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Awards

NeighborWorks America announced $39.9 million in awards to to 21 State Housing Finance Agencies, 19 HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Intermediaries, and 60 community-based NeighborWorks organizations to provide counseling to families and individuals facing the threat of foreclosure. 

Job Opportunities

NeighborWorks America — Washington, DC
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Funding Opportunities

Go to our website for current grant opportunities. The're updated throughout the month.