Dos & Don'ts, In the News, Keeping It Straight, Private Letter Rulings, Q & A

Dos & Don'ts, In the News, Keeping It Straight, Private Letter Rulings, Q & A

Alaska Supreme Court Rules on Owner’s Extended Use Commitment

March 26, 2021    

In a recent case from Alaska, an LIHTC site owner tried to exercise an option to be able to exit the affordability restrictions put in place by the extended use agreement. There are two ways an owner can escape extended use commitments, but the court ruled that neither applied here. In applying...

Research Supports a Flexible Emergency Rental Assistance Program

February 26, 2021    

A recent study sought to glean lessons from the state and local rental assistance programs launched in 2020 before the emergency rental assistance programs funded by the coronavirus relief package signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020 ramps up. The difficult task of administering these funds will...

President Biden Unveils $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan

January 28, 2021    

President Joe Biden recently unveiled his “American Rescue Plan,” a $1.9 trillion package of policies to address the healthcare, economic, and societal harms caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He described it as an “emergency legislative package to fund vaccinations, provide...

Janet Yellen Sworn in as Treasury Secretary

January 28, 2021    

Janet L. Yellen was recently sworn in as the secretary of the Treasury Department. Ms. Yellen is the 78th Treasury secretary and the first woman to head the department. As Treasury secretary she will be involved in the design, negotiation, and passage of a stimulus package intended to revive the...

Freddie Mac White Paper Highlights LIHTC in Rural Counties

December 23, 2020    

LIHTC supports a little over 40 percent of the multifamily housing market in rural Persistent Poverty Counties (PPCs), according to a new Freddie Mac white paper.

Report: Rising Sea Levels Threaten Affordable Housing

December 23, 2020    

More than 7,600 apartments, townhomes, and houses nationwide are currently exposed to at least one “coastal flood risk event” in a typical year, and more than 24,500 units may be so threatened by 2050, according to a new report by The National Housing Trust and Climate Central. Their...

Report: Pandemic, Racial Injustice, Climate Change Magnify Housing Crisis

November 24, 2020    

Despite low interest rates and continued growth in some sectors, the health and economic consequences of COVID-19 coupled with racial tensions and climate change across the nation have exacerbated the rental supply and affordability crises, according to the recent 2020 State of the Nation’...

IRS Extends Deadline to Apply for EIPs

October 29, 2020    

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced that the IRS has extended to Nov. 21 the deadline to apply for a CARES Act Economic Impact Payment (EIP) for people who don’t normally file income taxes. The deadline had been Oct. 15 for eligible people to apply for their...

CDC Issues Eviction Ban FAQs

October 29, 2020    

On Oct. 9, the CDC issued FAQs for the eviction moratorium in place from Sept. 4 through Dec. 30. The FAQs were issued jointly by the CDC, HUD, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to clarify outstanding questions related to the declaration used...

Disaster Relief Bill Includes Increased LIHTC Allocation

September 30, 2020    

Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), along with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), recently introduced a bill in the Senate to offer tax relief to individuals, businesses, and states affected...

CBPP Launches Campaign to Help People Get Stimulus Checks

September 30, 2020    

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) recently launched a Final 30 Days Push campaign to help eligible people apply for their Economic Impact Payments (EIPs), better known as “stimulus checks,” before the Oct. 15 deadline. According to the IRS, there are roughly nine...

NCSHA: Renters Will Owe Up to $34B in Back Rent by January

September 30, 2020    

U.S. renters will owe up to $34 billion in past-due rent by January, increasing eviction filings and imposing punishing financial hardship on millions in just a few months, according to a recent report by the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA). The report estimates roughly 10...