HUD

In a preview of the Administration’s FY-2013 Budget (to be released on February 13), the Obama Administration has announced as part of its “Plan to Help Responsible Homeowners and Heal the Housing Market” that his budget will call for $1 billion to capitalize the federal rental housing trust fund.

The Disaster Housing Assistance Program Ike (DHAP- Ike) recently expired with 3,500 households still enrolled in the program. To provide additional time for families to transition, HUD recently announced that it would provide $28 million to convert eligible families that were displaced by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav in 2008 to the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program.

HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PDR) has published a new report that examines redistribution of 2012 CDBG Program funding as a result of the program now relying on the American Community Survey (ACS) data and 2012 Census population counts.

HUD has issued a final policy stating that eligibility for its programs has been extended to protect individuals from housing discrimination based on sexual orientation.

HUD recently issued a NOFA for nearly $110 million in FY 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) Implementation Grants. HUD executives will host a call to discuss the 2012 funding round on Monday, February 6 at 2:15 pm EST.

For the last month, Congress has considered an appropriations minibus, H.R. 2112, to incorporate Fiscal Year 2012 spending bills for the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related programs. On November 14, a House-Senate conference committee approved a compromise minibus measure in the form of a conference report.

For the past few weeks, the United States Senate has been considering an appropriations minibus, H.R. 2112, which includes the annual spending bills for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development and multiple amendments therein. The Senate approved the legislation by a vote of 69 to 30 on Tuesday, November 1.

The Center for Housing Policy has released a new brief titled “More than a Roof: Case Studies of Public Housing Agency Initiatives to Increase Residents’ Economic Security. The paper highlights PHA efforts to help residents make progress toward economic security.

HUD recently launched its Sustainable Construction in Indian Country initiative, which is charged with exploring impediments to sustainable construction practices in Native communities, and suggesting solutions to these impediments.

More than six years after HUD assumed control in 2005, Assistant Secretary Sandra Henriquez announced that the Detroit Housing Commission (DHC) would be returned to local control.

HUD is offering Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grants to Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), local governments, nonprofits, tribal entities, and for-profit developers that apply jointly with a public entity.

Last week, the Hawaii State Legislature introduced two bills that would expand methods for delivering funding to a community development entity (CDE) by allowing guarantees and credit enhancements.