News
House Passes Infrastructure Bill
Last week the House of Representatives passed a $1.5 trillion infrastructure package (H.R. 2), which includes several housing provisions. A summary of the housing provisions in the bill can be found here. The measure passed by a vote of 233 to 188, with three Republicans crossing party lines to support it and two Democrats breaking […]
House Appropriations Committee Passes FY-2021 HUD Funding Measure
On June 7, 2020 the House Appropriations Committee released its draft fiscal year 2021 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies funding bill. The measure was adopted by the Subcommittee on July 8, 2020. The measure heads next to the Full Committee for an additional markup. The bill provides a total of $50.6 billion […]
New York Legislature Enacts New Eviction Moratorium
On June 30, 2020 Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law S. 8192B, which prohibits evicting tenants for unpaid rent accrued between March 7 and the compete reopening of their area, so long as a tenant can prove in court that they experience financial hardship during that period. A judge can still issue a money judgement against the tenant.
HUD Publishes Housing Notice Extending Moratorium on Evictions for HUD Mortgages in Forbearance
On July 1, 2020, HUD published Housing Notice (2020-7), Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Eviction Moratorium that extends the moratorium on evictions for all HUD-insured or HUD-held mortgages while under forbearance, and also provides guidance on tenant protections for multifamily properties not subject to forbearance and those with HUD-assisted units.
HUD Publishes New Brochure on Housing Stability During COVID-19
To encourage owners of multifamily properties to provide flexibilities to residents who may be struggling financially as a result of COVID-19, HUD has published a new brochure with updated guidance for multifamily property owners on promoting housing stability during the pandemic.
New Markets Tax Credit Coalition Publishes Progress Report
The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Coalition has published its latest annual progress report for the NMTC Program. The 2019 survey findings show that program participants – from investors to community development organizations to the CDFI Fund – continue to improve and refine the program’s efficiency and impact in low-income communities.
Bipartisan Policy Center Publishes Brief on Housing Assistance as a COVID-19 Priority
On June 12 the Bipartsan Policy Center published a new brief entitled “Housing Assistance is a COVID-19 Response and Racial Justice Priority.” The brief finds that the public health and economic crisis that COVID-19 triggered has put millions of low-income households at risk of eviction and homelessness and has widened racial disparities in housing and health outcomes.
WHEDA Schedules July 13 Webinar On New Rural Affordable Workforce Housing Initiative
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.
California Housing Partnership To Host Demo of Housing Needs Dashboard on July 9
The California Housing Partnership recently launched its Housing Needs Dashboard, a new online data tool to discover and compare housing data for every California county and the state overall
In the News: Developers Converting Dying Malls to Apartments
On June 30, City Lab published an article on how developer Avalon Bay is converting a portion of the 41-year-old Alderwood Mall outside of Seattle into housing.
SCOTUS Decision in Seila Law v. CFBP Will Likely Impact FHFA
A divided Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) recently ruled in Seila Law v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), that restrictions on the removal of the CFPB director are unconstitutional. Under the law that created the CFPB, the director can be removed only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.” This decision will likely impact the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which has a similar structure as the CFPB and has a challenge pending in court related to its structure. The directors of the CFPB and the FHFA will likely no longer be independent regulatory agencies, but rather parts of any presidential administration that can be fired at will.
House Passes Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020
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.