April is Fair Housing Month, a time when we celebrate the Fair Housing Act and recommit ourselves to ensuring every American has access to housing that is free from discrimination.
Here’s an overview of our work for you in December 2018.
As reported previously, HUD posted in Dec 2017 drafts of the contracts that may be used in a future solicitation for Section 8 contract administration services, dividing duties between a national contract and five regional contracts that align with the recently restructure HUD multifamily regions.
This article tells the story of how Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly is the first to reach HUD’s Multifamily affordable housing energy efficiency goal. And it was well ahead of schedule.
The March 23 edition of the Urban Institute's "How Housing Matters" email newsletter draws attention to a number of ways that Oregon is working to address the affordable housing shortage and provide some creative housing options for seniors.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Policy Development and Research completed its congressionally mandated study of the housing needs of Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians and published results in January 2017.
- Housing conditions vary by region but are substantially worse overall among American Indian and Alaska Native households in tribal areas than among all U.S. households, with overcrowding being especially severe.
- Physical deficiencies in plumbing, kitchen, heating, electrical, and maintenance issues were found in 23 percent of households in tribal areas, compared to 5 percent of all U.S. households.
- Overcrowding coupled with another physical condition problem was found in 34 percent of households in tribal areas, compared to 7 percent of all U.S. households.
- The percentage of households with at least one “doubled-up” person staying in the household because they have nowhere else to go was 17 percent, estimated to be up to 84,700 people.
Thanks to the July 21 USDA Rural Development data release, there is now a user-friendly map through which anyone can search subsidized rural properties. The searchable map and newly released data sets include critical information for those interested in acquiring and helping to preserve properties that are so valuable in rural areas.
For rural multifamily housing properties, information on a wide variety of identifiers is searchable and mapable: by state, county, zip code, and congressional district; by owner type (nonprofit, for-profit); by specific management company; with Low Income Housing Tax Credits; with Section 521 Rental Assistance; by tenant income; by property type (senior, disabled, family, etc.); and by estimated year the property will exit its federal subsidy program and end its use requirements. For each individual property, the data show the above information as well as demographics and other information.
Also available are the entire data sets of RD properties. The “Multi-Family 515 Data” links the user to an excel spreadsheet that lists the almost 14,500 Section 515 properties, and the “Multi-Family 538 Data” links the user to a similar spreadsheet listing the almost 800 Section 538 properties.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition has published its annual update on housing costs nationwide, showing a increasingly problematic trend of workforce being priced out of the current housing market.
Out of Reach 2016: No Refuge for Low Income Renters emphasizes the aggravated situation caused by the continued shortage of housing affordable to those making the lowest wages. For the first time the report finds that In absolutely NO state, metropolitan area, or county in the United States can a full-time worker earning the prevailing minimum wage afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment.
In order to afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment at fair market rent, a full-time worker in America today must earn $20.30 per hour—a figure that is almost $5 more than the average hourly wage of renters in the U.S. A full-time worker needs to earn $16.35 per hour to afford a modest 1-bedroom apartment.
Check out the interactive map and easy-to-read state level data.
Older adults are at greater risk of homelessness than at any time in recent history. The population is aging, and more adults are aging into poverty. At the same time, housing is becoming more unaffordable and the costs of necessities like health care are rising, leaving older adults at risk of poverty and homelessness.
A report titled How to Prevent and End Homelessness Among Older Adults, released April 2016 by Justice in Aging, in partnership with the National Alliance to End Homelessness, recommends the following solutions :
- More coordinated action is needed to immediately address the current crisis of homelessness among older adults by creating more housing and services. For older adults who are homeless now, we need to find better ways to serve them until they are housed. Homeless service providers can partner with local government aging services to reach and serve this population.
- Federal, state and local interventions are needed to prevent low-income adults from becoming homeless. Since homelessness is primarily a poverty problem, increasing income supports for low-income older adults and people with disabilities is an important step. Since high health care costs lead to risks of homelessness, making health care affordable, accessible, creative, and tailored to the population is critical. We also need to work to create more affordable, accessible housing through innovative public funding programs.
- In addition, the availability of low-cost legal services can play a role in both preventing homelessness and serving currently homeless individuals.
Read about the recommended solutions as outlined in the report.
Intentional linking of services and the need for expanding availability of affordable housing are key policy goals advocated by LeadingAge, too. Read more about how the LeadingAge Center for Housing Plus Services serves as a national catalyst for the development, adoption and support of innovative housing solutions that enable low- and modest-income seniors to age safely and successfully in their homes and communities.
In a hearing exploring the interplay between housing costs and government regulations, New York City’s Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Vicki Been told members of Congress of the need for affordable senior housing.
“Day in and day out, we hear from elected officials and community organizations about the dire need for senior housing,” Commissioner Been testified.
“Historically, the HUD Section 202 program spurred the production of affordable senior housing but it has been completely defunded since 2011. We desperately need Congress to restore funding for the 202 program. In New York City alone, we have more than 200,000 seniors on waiting lists for affordable senior housing. Without 202 funding, we are unable to meet those needs,” Commissioner Been testified.
The hearing, before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, broadly looked at mounting pressures on the rental housing market, particularly affordable housing.
Subcommittee Chair Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) sought ideas from witnesses to expand affordable housing opportunities.
Commissioner Been noted that many regulatory requirements serve to protect communities’ infrastructure capacities, and to ensure the structural safety of properties.
Granger MacDonald, on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders, testified that the Davis-Bacon Act artificially drives up construction costs on apartment communities, including those with HUD financing.
An archived webcast of the hearing as well as witness testimony is here.
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