Category: Editorial
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Does HUD’s Moving to Work demonstration help low-income renters?
HUD recently began expanding the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration program. MTW allows selected Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to try innovative approaches that increase housing choice, improve the quality of housing, increase cost-effectiveness, and promote self-sufficiency. Although Congress and HUD have expanded MTW, there are questions about how well low-income residents are being served by…
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Supreme Court lets Trump public charge rule take effect
The Supreme Court voted last week to let a Trump administration rule take effect that will punish millions of legal immigrants if they use public benefits. If the rule survives challenges that are still being heard in lower courts, it will severely restrict the number of legal immigrants. The 837-page final rule was published in…
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HUD rule proposal would let housing segregation slide
HUD will soon publish a proposed rule reducing local government requirements to the Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) policy as required by the Fair Housing Act. The proposal completely rewrites an Obama administration requirement that cites document patterns of segregation and proposes concrete solutions in order to get federal community development funds. This Trump proposal…
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Congress Nears FY20 Spending Deal to Avoid Government Shutdown
The U.S. House of Representatives passed $1.4 trillion in spending bills on Tuesday to fund the federal government through Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. The legislation now moves to the Senate, which must approve it quickly to avoid a government shutdown. Once approved, HUD will receive funding increases that are a rejection of the massive cuts…
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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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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…