Author: Chris Holden
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HUD withholds billions in disaster aid for Puerto Rico again
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has again left Puerto Rico without critical disaster aid approved by Congress. HUD has delayed $8 billion in disaster mitigation funds from reaching the territory. This follows a delay three months ago on another $10 billion in aid funding. To date, Puerto Rico has only received…
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Public housing rehab bill proposed by Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez
The Green New Deal for Public Housing Act was recently introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The legislation proposes $180 billion over 10 years to rehabilitate the nation’s aging public housing, improve energy efficiency and provide good paying job opportunities for public housing residents. The bill links critical health and…
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HUD Podcast Provides Clear Info About Housing Issues
HUD has recently been redesigning its website to provide the public with more accessible and useful information. Part of this effort is House Keys, a podcast series that launched in the fall of 2018. House Keys is “devoted to all things housing,” as the introduction says, and does a good job making complicated housing topics…
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Congress Passes Temporary Measure to Keep Government Open
The House and Senate voted to extend government funding through December 20. Called a continuing resolution, the measure avoided a government shutdown. President Trump signed the extension on November 21, the day that government funds were set to run out. The House passed the measure with a mostly party line vote of 231-192 on November…
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Affordable Housing Addressed at Democratic Presidential Debate
The subject of the affordable housing crisis finally made the stage last night at the fifth 2020 Democratic presidential debate in Atlanta. Many housing industry professionals agree that this may be the first time a presidential debate moderator has asked candidates about their plans to address homelessness and the lack of affordable housing. NBC News…
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First California City Sued Under Recent State Housing Law
The first lawsuit has been filed under California’s latest amendment to its Housing Accountability Act, alleging City of Huntington Beach illegally denied a housing development proposal, even though it complied with the zoning. The Housing Accountability Act, passed in 1982, was amended in 2017 to greatly strengthen its enforcement standards and promote the building of…
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Tech companies commit funds for affordable housing: Is it enough?
This week Apple announced a commitment of $2.5 billion for affordable housing in California, surpassing a $1 billion announcement last week by Facebook. These pledges follow on the heels of large affordable housing commitments earlier in the year by Microsoft and Google. Many people, though, argue that these companies’ growth has played a major role…
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3 million people would lose SNAP benefits under rule proposal
The Trump administration has proposed a rule change that would lead to about 3 million people losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Under the proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, automatic qualification for SNAP benefits — formerly known as Food Stamps — would become more restrictive. The proposed…
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HUD Officials Admit Holding Back Disaster Aid for Puerto Rico
Two HUD officials recently admitted to a House subcommittee that the agency knowingly withheld a funding notice for Puerto Rico disaster aid. HUD was scheduled to publish funding notices for 18 areas affected by natural disasters in recent years, but Puerto Rico’s was the only funding notice that did not get published. The HUD officials…
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California third in nation to enforce statewide rent control
California Governor Gavin Newsom gave low-income tenants protection from rent gouging, approving statewide rent control legislation today. California is only the third state to do this, following Oregon in March of this year and New York in June. The new limit will not only cap annual rent increases, it will also provide tenants protection from…