News

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today proposed a new rule to strengthen itsHome Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Program. In addition to formalizing many of the structural improvements announced recently, FHA’s proposed rule is intended to make certain FHA-insured reverse mortgages remain a viable and sustainable resource for senior homeowners hoping to remain in their homes and age in place. Read FHA’s proposed rule.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for April 2016. Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,116,000. This is 3.6 percent (±1.3%) above the revised March rate of 1,077,000, but is 5.3 percent (±1.3%) below the April 2015 estimate of Single-family authorizations in April were at a rate of 736,000; this is 1.5 percent (±0.8%) above the revised March figure of 725,000. 

In an effort to extend affordable internet access to children and families living in federally assisted housing, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro today proposed a rule to require the installation of broadband infrastructure into most HUD-financed multifamily housing developments during their construction or substantial rehabilitation. Read HUD’s proposed rule, “Narrowing the Digital Divide Through Installation of Broadband Infrastructure in HUD-Funded New Construction and Substantial Rehabilitation of Multifamily Rental Housing.”

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro today named Jim Reed to serve as HUD’s New England Regional Administrator.  As the former Executive Director for the Housing Authority of the City of Newport, Rhode Island, Reed will manage HUD’s operations for a six-state region that includes Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced new tools to help consumers and the manufactured housing industry to resolve disputes involving the purchase and installation of manufactured housing. HUD's Office of Manufactured Housing Programs (OMHP) is unveiling a new website and other education tools to help homeowners, manufacturers, retailers and installers to navigate the dispute resolution process in those states that do not have their own process.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it has won an important Fair Housing Act victory in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The decision upheld a Final Order of the Secretary of HUD following a trial before an administrative law judge that a condominium association discriminated against a resident with disabilities by refusing to allow him to keep an emotional support animal.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is charging a White Plains, New York, co-op with housing discrimination for refusing to grant an exception to its policies that would allow a person with disabilities to buy a unit there. HUD’s Office of Regional Counsel for New England, which has jurisdiction over the case, issued the Charge of Discrimination on April 26.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it is making $2 million available to support research to develop and improve methods for the identification and control of key residential health hazards.  Key hazards include issues such as pest infestation, poor indoor air quality, injury prevention, mold and excess moisture, and lead in drinking water.  It is especially important to protect vulnerable populations, such as children, seniors, and people with chronic illnesses such as asthma, from exposure to these hazards

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today unveiled a new mobile app to help educate the public about hidden home hazards that can impact the health of their families. TheHealthy Homes App is designed to raise awareness about potentially serious health and safety problems in the home and the steps consumers can take to protect themselves

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is making $37.3 million available to fight housing discrimination under HUD's 2016 Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) Notice of Funding Availability(NOFA). This year's three funding notices support a variety of important fair housing activities, including fair housing testing in the rental and sales market, public education efforts, capacity building, and education and outreach activities.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro awarded $355 million to more than 1,200 local homeless housing and service programs across the U.S. and Puerto Rico (see attached chart). These Continuum of Care (CoC) grants support the Obama Administration's efforts to end homelessness and build upon the $1.6 billion in funding HUD awarded through a first round of funding in March.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $9.9 million in “sweat equity” grants to produce at least 541 affordable homes for low-income individuals and families. Funded through HUD’s Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP), the funding awarded today, along with the labor contributed by these households, will significantly lower the cost of homeownership.

In an effort to promote and increase the work being done across the country to improve the grade-level reading skills of children living in federally assisted housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro today announced HUD is joining forces with theCampaign for Grade-Level Reading, a national partnership to ensure that more children in low-income families succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career, and active citizenship.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today a $22,600 Conciliation Agreement between Housing Equality Law Project and the owners and managers of a San Diego-based property management company, settling allegations that they discriminated against persons with disabilities who required the use of assistance animals. Read the agreement.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today an agreement with a group of Las Vegas landlords settling allegations they retaliated against a tenant with disabilities because she requested permission to install a ramp that would allow her to enter and exit her apartment. Read the agreement.

In an effort to help young people involved in the justice system find jobs and housing, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced $1.75 million for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and nonprofit legal service organizations to address the challenges justice-involved individuals face when trying to find work and a place to call home. The grantees are listed below.

Sales of new single-family houses in March 2016 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 511,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau. This is 1.5 percent (±15.0%)* below the revised February rate of 519,000 and is 5.4 percent (±16.0%)* above the March 2015 estimate of 485,000.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today a $1 million agreement between the Fair Housing Project of North Carolina Legal Aid and North Carolina-based Fidelity Bank to resolve allegations the mortgage lender engaged in unfair lending practices against minority applicants

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for March 2016: Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,086,000. This is 7.7 percent (±1.2%) below the revised February rate of 1,177,000, but is 4.6 percent (±0.9%) above the March 2015 estimate of 1,038,000.  Single-family authorizations in March were at a rate of 727,000; this is 1.2 percent (±1.1%) below the revised February figure of 736,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 324,000 in March.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today it is charging landlords in Beloit, Kansas with violating the Fair Housing Act after allegedly discriminating against a female tenant with disabilities by not renewing her lease, sending her a notice containing discriminatory statements about her disability, and retaliating against her for filing a previous fair housing complaint.