Category: Housing News

Two bold proposals to help low-income renters were recently introduced in the Senate and House that would provide a refundable tax credit to renters who are paying too much of their income for their housing. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) recently introduced the Rent Relief Act, a bill that would provide a refundable tax credit for…

The Trump Administration is drafting a proposed rule that will penalize legal immigrants for using housing assistance and other safety net programs. The proposal would expand the list of supportive programs that can be considered when determining if an immigrant is a “public charge,” meaning that they are dependent on the government to meet their…

Smoking will be banned on all Public Housing premises throughout the country starting July 31, 2018. Under the new regulations, smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes will not be allowed in apartments, public areas or within 25 feet of Public Housing buildings. Smoking water pipes, or hookahs, is also banned in these areas. At this time…

According to The State of the Nation’s Housing 2018 report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, low-income renters continue to be hit hard by rising housing costs. In 2016, 47% of renter households had housing cost burden. This means they paid more than 30% of their monthly income for rent. Although this is…

The growing gap between stagnant wages and rising housing costs impacts millions of low-income renters. According to Out of Reach 2018, an annual report of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), there is not a single area in the U.S. where a full time worker earning minimum wage can afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. And…

Affordable housing programs saw funding increases in the FY 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Trump on Friday. The $1.3 trillion measure funds federal programs through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. HUD programs received $4.7 billion more than in FY 2017, and $12 billion…

HUD officials are in the process of revising the agency’s mission statement. Affordable housing supporters were upset to hear that a commitment to fair housing and ending housing discrimination were not included in the draft statement. Fair housing advocates raised objections, and a few days later HUD Secretary Ben Carson felt compelled to affirm the…

On December 7th, 2017, HUD Secretary Ben Carson announced a new initiative called EnVision Centers. The goal of the EnVision Center initiative is to bring together programs and services for HUD assisted families to become self-sufficient and no longer need government assisted housing. When talking about the reason for the EnVision Center Demonstration initiative, Carson claims…

  The proposed Trump Administration Fiscal Year 2019 budget would not only make it difficult for housing providers to serve their current tenants, but new policies would also require residents to pay more and work for their housing. The Administration is preparing a legislative proposal that will increase tenant rent contributions in federally assisted housing…