HUD Issues Capital Fund Recovery Competition Grant

Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Donovan announced that HUD is offering nearly $1 billion to make substantial improvements to thousands of public housing units nationwide. Public Housing Capital Funding will be awarded competitively through a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)

The NOFA makes available funding under four categories: (1) improvements addressing the needs of the elderly and/or persons with disabilities; (2) public housing transformation; (3) gap financing for projects that are stalled due to financing issues; and (4) creation of energy efficient, green communities.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan says "The funding in the Recovery Act signed by President Obama will give local housing agencies the resources they need to provide quality housing, especially for the elderly and persons living with disabilities. These funds will also help to transform distressed public housing projects, improve energy efficiency and lower the operating costs for housing authorities."

The NOFA is available at www.hud.gov/recovery/recovery-comp-grants.pdf.

Click here for important dates, request, requirements, use of funds, and application submission information.

Section 8 Voucher
Reform Act

Leadership of the House Financial Services Committee have circulated a draft of the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act, in advance of a hearing possibly on May 13, 2009.  The draft is similar to a version of SEVRA the House passed in 2007 (H.R. 1851), but adopts a number of improvements from a version introduced in the Senate in 2008.  (The House must act again in the current Congress in order for legislation to be enacted.)  CBPP has prepared an analysis comparing the provisions of the circulation draft to current law, and highlighting the changes from the bill the House passed in 2007.  This “side-by-side” is available at

http://www.cbpp.org/files/4-28-09hous-prac.pdf.

Click Here for highlights of the changes the bill would make. 

Obama Administration Releases FY 2010 Budget Proposal

President Obama's complete Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 budget proposal has been released.  FY 2010 is the federal fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1, 2009. A 1,380 page document that provides line-by-line funding recommendations for all federal programs. Obama's FY 2010 gross budget request for the Department is $46.334 billion, a 10.8 percent increase over the final Bush administration budget proposal FY 2009. The budget reveals proposed increase for a number of core HUD programs including include Public Housing Operating Funds, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program with, and homeless assistance grants. The President’s proposal also seeks to eliminate funding for HUD’s economic development programs.  The Section 108 community development loan guarantee program, the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI), and the Rural Housing and Economic Development (RHED) program. For the project-based Section 8 program, the administration’s budget proposes $7.7 billion for FY 2010, a $600 million increase over the FY 2009 enacted level.  The administration also requests an advance appropriation of $400 million for FY 2011 in order to provide funding of ongoing contracts.  Additional updates will be provided as information becomes available. More >>