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Climate-related disasters impact millions of Americans annually when roads wash out, power goes down, crops fail, and schools flood. The Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) was established to encourage federal agencies to consider and manage current and future flood risks. FFRMS requires agencies to prepare for and protect federally funded buildings and projects from flood risks. It requires agencies to determine specific federal building or project dimensions in order to manage and mitigate any current or potential flood risks.
The HUD Inspector General recently launched an initiative to advance environmental justice in HUD-assisted housing. In a statement, Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis said, “My office is prioritizing oversight work that promotes safe, affordable housing by reducing environmental and public health hazards in HUD housing. . .
A former housing manager was recently sentenced and ordered to pay $17,543.92 in restitution and sentenced to five years of federal probation, including six months of home detention, for altering a postal money order and embezzling more than $28,000 from the Charleston-Kanawha Housing Authority (CKHA).
The White House recently announced new actions to increase fairness in the rental market and further principles of fair housing. The announcement coincides with the publications of a white paper entitled, “Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights,” published by the White House Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council. This blueprint, which is not legally binding, sets out five principles that create a shared baseline for fairness for renters in the housing market, which include the need for renters to have access to:
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) not only makes it unlawful for jurisdictions to discriminate, but also requires jurisdictions receiving federal funds for housing and urban development to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH). In other words, the FHA requires them to take actions to undo historic patterns of segregation and other types of discrimination, as well as to take actions to promote fair housing choice and to foster inclusive communities.
On Dec. 29, President Biden signed into law a $1.7 trillion federal spending bill to fund the federal government through the end of fiscal year 2023. Congress had passed the FY 2023 Omnibus appropriations legislation with a House vote of 225 to 201 with one member voting present. The Senate voted 68 to 29 in favor of the legislation. The legislation includes roughly $858 billion in defense spending and $772.5 billion for nondefense discretionary programs, including funding for numerous housing-related programs at HUD, the Department of Agriculture, and other federal agencies.
HUD recently published a notice in the Federal Register establishing operating cost adjustment factors (OCAFs) for eligible multifamily housing properties. OCAFs are used to adjust the rent to current market conditions on eligible multifamily housing projects with project-based contracts issued under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 and renewed under the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Action of 1997 (MAHRA).
The median renter now pays nearly the same as the median owner in total housing costs.
Every two years, HUD and the Census Bureau produce the American Housing Survey (AHS), the most comprehensive analysis of the nation's housing inventory. The AHS is the largest regular national housing sample survey in the U.S. and tracks housing units over time.
On Sept. 1, HUD released the FY 2023 Fair Market Rents (FMRs). HUD is required by law to set FMRs every year. FMRs are an estimate of the amount of money that would cover gross rents (rent and utility expenses) on 40 percent of the rental housing units in an area. They go into effect on Oct.
HUD recently released an updated version of its Public Housing Agency (PHA) Disaster Readiness, Response, and Recovery Guidebook to assist PHAs in effectively navigating the disaster process. Data shows disasters disproportionally affect low-income and historically marginalized communities, including the families and individuals who live in HUD-assisted housing. And these events have operational impacts on housing agencies.
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