Category: Housing News
-
HUD publishes new rule for affordable housing tenants facing eviction
The pace of distributing Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) to struggling renters is picking up, but many areas still have a lot of funds available. Yesterday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new rule to help spread awareness of these funds for many of its tenants who are facing eviction. The interim…
-
How a government default could impact low-income renters
Low-income renters will be badly hurt if Congress fails to suspend the debt ceiling before the middle of October. If the Treasury can no longer pay the nation’s bills, it would shut down most federal programs, including housing programs. A federal default would be catastrophic. It would badly damage the U.S. economy and global markets,…
-
Minimum wage workers in U.S. cannot afford rent
There is no county or city in the United States where someone working full-time for minimum wage can afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. In its annual Out of Reach report, the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) looks at rent and wage information for every state, county and major metropolitan area in the country. The 2021…
-
House proposes historic housing funds for infrastructure bill
The House voted 30-24 last week to approve more than $330 billion in affordable housing funding for the bipartisan infrastructure package. The bill makes historic investments in rental assistance, public housing improvements, and the production of new affordable housing. Housing advocates look at the bill as a once-in-a-generation commitment to affordable housing. Because these large…
-
What’s next for renters, now that the eviction moratorium is gone?
As the pandemic has dragged on, millions of low-income renters kept their homes because of the national eviction moratorium ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Now that the Supreme Court has struck down the CDC order, what can renters expect as they try to hold off eviction? The help that you…
-
Millions of renters at risk as Supreme Court overturns CDC eviction moratorium
The Supreme Court put millions of renters at risk of losing their homes after a ruling on Thursday to end the CDC eviction moratorium. Responding to an emergency petition by landlord groups, the court overturned the national eviction moratorium ordered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The court said that the…
-
Supreme Court ends eviction ban
Update: Read more detailed information about the Supreme Court ruling here. Late Thursday night, the Supreme Court ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not have authority to place a moratorium (or ban) on evictions for struggling renters. The CDC had implemented a new policy on banning evictions in early August,…
-
Northwest heat waves spotlight emergency planning needs for homeless
Homeless person on a bench. Photo by piercecountywa.gov Homeless people have been the most vulnerable residents during this summer’s heat waves in the Pacific Northwest. Gaps in local emergency planning left homeless residents in many northwest communities without water and other assistance at their time of greatest need. The increasing number and severity of climate-related…
-
House passes FY 22 HUD spending bill with thousands of new vouchers
Thousands more low-income renters nationwide will have affordable homes if new voucher funding is passed for next year’s budget. Most affordable housing programs saw increased funding in the Fiscal Year 2022 HUD spending bill passed by the House of Representatives this month. The House approved $56.5 billion for HUD in FY 2022. This is $314…
-
Hot homebuyer market is hurting low-income renters
Buyers looking to purchase a new home in many areas of the country are facing skyrocketing home prices. In some hot markets, buyers are making all-cash offers thousands of dollars above the asking price. Many of these offers are being made without even an inspection of the property. But what does this frenzy in the…