Category: Housing News
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HUD Secretary defends Trump’s racist comments about Baltimore
This week, HUD Secretary Ben Carson defended President Trump’s characterization of Baltimore as “rat and rodent infested,” and a place “no human being would want to live there.” The controversy arose through a series of tweets by Trump attacking Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD), whose district includes part of Baltimore. Representative Cummings is African-American, and the…
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Budget deal will raise spending caps for next two years
Congressional leaders and the White House reached a two-year budget deal this week. The deal raises the budget caps that would have resulted in severe cuts across the government, including affordable housing programs. The deal also suspends the debt ceiling until after the presidential elections. If the House and Senate approve the measure, it would…
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Why do landlords reject vouchers, and what can be done?
For low-income households struggling to pay the rent, receiving a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher can be like winning the lottery. There are not enough vouchers available for all the families that need them, and many families spend years on a waiting list before they receive assistance. Finding an apartment where that voucher can be…
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House passes bill to help voucher holders move to better neighborhoods
The House of Representatives recently created a demonstration program whose goal is to help households with Section 8 vouchers move to areas of greater opportunity. The Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act of 2019 was introduced by Representatives Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO). It was adopted by the full House in March with…
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HUD proposes rolling back protections for homeless LGBTQ persons
HUD recently announced it will propose a new rule to limit Equal Access protections for LGBTQ persons who are homeless. If the rule is implemented, homeless LGBTQ persons could be turned away from shelters because of their gender identity. This action follows on the heels of the administration’s proposal to evict thousands of mixed-immigration status…
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HUD issues notice on carbon monoxide detectors after Public Housing deaths
HUD recently issued a notice regarding the need for carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in all HUD-assisted housing. The notice comes in the wake of two deaths due to gas leaks at a South Carolina public housing property, covered by Affordable Housing Online here. HUD regulations do not currently require CO detectors. Up until now, HUD…
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Senator Warren introduces bold affordable housing bill
Ambitious new legislation could provide a major boost for low-income renters looking for an affordable home. Re-introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), The American Housing and Economic Mobility Act would substantially boost production and preservation of affordable rental housing. It would also lower rents, reduce segregation, and help homeowners hurt by the Great Recession. In…
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Significant difference in HUD funding between House and Trump FY 2020 budgets
In contrast to the severe cuts proposed by the Trump administration, affordable housing programs would get a tremendous boost of funding in Fiscal Year 2020 under the spending bill just released by the House Appropriations Committee. The subcommittee that sets funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposes $13.4 billion more for…
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HUD immigrant ban would raise program costs and put 55,000 children at risk of homelessness
Raised program costs and 55,000 children facing homelessness are some of HUD’s expected results of a proposed rule that would deny all housing assistance to “mixed families” with at least one undocumented household member. HUD’s proposal, which was published last week in the Federal Register for public comment, applies to the Public Housing and Section…
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Nation’s largest affordable LGBT senior community opening in NYC
A new community being built in New York City named Ingersoll Senior Residences (ISR) will be the largest affordable LGBT senior housing development in the country when it opens this summer. LGBT seniors face the same issues as many other seniors, such as limited mobility, growing health needs and fixed incomes. In addition, LGBT seniors…