On April 8, the Woda Cooper Companies opened its new Shepard Greene housing community in Zebulon, NC. The 50-unit apartment community offers age-in-place features and energy-efficient apartments for residents aged 55 years and older who are at 60 percent area median income or less.
Read MoreRecent housing news has been positive: US homebuilder confidence rose 1 point to 63 in April, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Sentiment levels have held in the low 60s for the past three months, any reading over 50 is considered positive. Also, mortgage applications to purchase a new home increased 1 percent last week and were 7 percent higher than a year ago.
Read MoreThe Virginia General Assembly approved an amendment from Governor Northam (D) to increase appropriations for the Virginia Housing Trust Fund (VHTF) by $4 million in FY 2019 and FY 2020. T
Read MoreUS core inflation unexpectedly cooled in March. The core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.1 percent from the prior month, and 2 percent from a year earlier, according to Bloomberg. In other economic news, the Internal Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its outlook for global growth to the lowest since the financial crisis amid a bleaker outlook in most major advanced economies.
Read MoreA new national survey on the connection between homes and health from NH&RA member Enterprise Community Partners Inc. (Enterprise) finds that more than half of renters surveyed have delayed care because they couldn’t afford it and 100 percent of medical professionals surveyed have had at least some of their patients express concerns about affordable housing.
Read MoreUS companies added the fewest workers in March since late 2017 as construction and manufacturing cut jobs, according to ADP Research Institute. Private payrolls increased by 129,000, well below the 197,000 jobs added in February. In other economic news, durable goods orders fell 1.6 percent in February, following a 0.1 percent gain at the start of the year, according to Bloomberg.
Read MoreThe Opportunity Starts at Home campaign released the results of a national public opinion poll showing that the vast majority of the public (85 percent) believes that ensuring everyone has a safe, decent and affordable place to live should be a “top national priority.”
Read MoreJoin the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Chicago staff to learn more about the 2019 competitive Affordable Housing Program (AHP). Workshops cover eligibility, project feasibility and changes to the scoring guidelines. Member institutions, potential sponsors and project consultants are encouraged to attend.
Read MoreOregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) opened a Land Acquisition Program (LAP) in November of 2018 with $2.5 million in available resources. This program is designed to provide loans for purchasing land for affordable homeownership and affordable rental housing. Loan periods may not exceed 8 years and loan terms are 1 percent simple interest and a 1 percent loan fee is paid at the time of the construction loan.
Read MoreThe California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced awards totaling $302 million from the No Place Like Home program. HCD also announced awards totaling $11 million from the federal Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program.
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