General News

On Jan. 31 from 9 – 11:30 am ET the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA) and the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) will host a discussion on financial and technical resources available for energy audits and energy upgrades at multi-family housing properties.

Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) recently gave his State of the State address and released his FY2020 Executive Budget, outlining his priorities for the current legislative session.

In a Microsoft Corporate Blog, president Brad Smith and CFO Amy Hood committed $500 million in loans and grants to accelerate the construction of more affordable housing across the Seattle region across the next three years.

Oregon Housing and Community Service (OCHS) announced the deadline to apply for its Federal Project Based Rent Assistance Preservation Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). Applications, with the project’s Multifamily Energy Program Incentive Reservation letter, are due by 4 pm PT on Feb. 19, 2019. Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development and the Strategic Growth Council have published and updated Questions and Answers document for the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Round 4 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) application period. Applications to the NOFA are due on Feb. 11, 2019.

In a Washington Post op-ed, Jared Bernstein, former chief economist to former Vice President Joe Biden and senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, describes the early developments, including the Zone certification process, market reactions and some proposed investment targets of Opportunity Zones. While Bernstein notes the gentrification risk of Opportunity Zones, he concludes that the selected Zones have both the need and capacity to absorb new investment, development and people without displacing local residents. He calls on Treasury to dictate strong reporting requirements that will accommodate thorough evaluation.

The Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) will hold a workshop on its RFA 2019-107 Financing to Develop Housing for Persons with Disabling Conditions / Developmental Disabilities on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 at 10 a.m. ET. The RFA is expected to be issued in late February and applications will likely be due in late March.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) published his 2019-2020 proposed budget summary. In total, the Budget includes $7.7 billion across multiple departments and programs to address housing and homelessness throughout the state.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development announced $53.3 million in awards for the first round of the California Emergency Solutions and Housing Program (CESH). CESH is a state program providing funds for a variety of activities to assist people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) released its draft Multifamily Housing Program (MHP) Guidelines. Recent legislation authorized the issuance of $1.5 billion in bonds through the MHP for new construction, rehabilitation and preservation of veterans and affordable housing.

HUD announced Ginnie Mae’s executive vice president and chief operations officer Michael Bright will be stepping down on January 16 and has requested that his nomination for president of Ginne Mae be withdrawn. Maren Kasper, current executive vice president of Ginnie Mae, will serve as the acting president upon Bright’s departure. Bright has been hired […]

The King County Council in Washington state accepted a report from Regional Affordable Housing Task Force, which calls for building or preserving at least 44,000 affordable housing units by 2024, focusing on households earning up to 50 percent of the area median income. The report explains that to meet the current demand for affordable housing […]