Category: Housing News
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Biden’s first budget proposes more money for affordable housing
President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget request proposes significant increases for programs that serve low-income renters. After years of proposed cuts under the Trump administration, affordable housing programs are now getting support from the White House. The President is requesting $68.7 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in FY 2022. This…
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States are slow getting emergency rental assistance to desperate tenants
As the pandemic unfolded last spring, state and local governments had to scramble to help renters avoid eviction. State and local governments have used federal funding to create emergency rental assistance (ERA) programs, but many areas have been slow getting this assistance to low-income renters. Congress provided $25 billion for emergency rental assistance in December.…
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Biden announces the American Jobs Plan
Details of a $2 trillion infrastructure plan were released by President Biden today, including a dedication to build new affordable housing and to address the growing rent crisis. The Fact Sheet written by the White House says that $213 billion will be invested “to produce, preserve, and retrofit more than two million affordable and sustainable…
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Indiana law opens the door to more evictions
A law enacted recently in Indiana will make it easier for landlords to evict low-income renters. Being passed over the governor’s veto, this law will also prevent local governments from regulating landlord-tenant relations. Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 148 expands the types of cases that are eligible for emergency possession orders. An emergency possession order means…
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Eviction moratorium extended until June
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has extended its moratorium on evictions for most Americans due to the coronavirus pandemic until June 30, 2021. This means that qualified renters are be protected from getting evicted until the moratorium is lifted. The CDC moratorium was most recently scheduled to expire on March 31, 2021,…
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American Rescue Plan benefits go beyond checks and unemployment extensions
By now, everyone is aware of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan; a $1.9 trillion relief bill passed last month. In fact, most Americans have already received their Economic Impact Payments that were part of the plan. This bill contains other not so well known benefits for low-income renters. Below is a summary of a few…
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Recommendations to improve racial equity in emergency rental assistance programs
Before the pandemic, minority renters faced much greater housing challenges than their white counterparts. And with the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic; Black, Latino, and Native American renters have felt even more housing instability. Emergency rental assistance needs to be targeted so that these groups are not left out in the cold. The…
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President Biden signs American Rescue Plan
One day after Congress gave its final approval of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, it has been signed into law by President Joe Biden today. “This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country, and giving people in this nation — working people, middle-class folks, people who have built the country…
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COVID relief bill to be signed by Biden this week
There’s only one more step for the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill to be signed into law, after the Senate’s version of the bill was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill, called the American Rescue Plan, will now be sent to President Joe Biden, and it is expected to be signed before…
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Senate passes American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
A week after the House passed their version of the $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, the U.S. Senate has approved their own legislation for the coronavirus relief bill. It will now be sent back for House approval, and then to its final destination — President Biden’s desk. Both actions are expected to happen this upcoming week.…