A landmark court ruling regarding the obligations of recipients of HUD funds to “affirmatively further fair housing” should be a wake-up call for every jurisdiction in Texas including the state. the duty to affirmatively further fair housing is hardly ever taken seriously in Texas. The court case indicates that the consequences for ignoring the law [...]
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Archive | February, 2009
President’s budget to fund Natinal Housing Trust Fund with $1 billion
February 26, 2009
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President Obama’s budget provides $1 billion in funding for an Affordable Housing Trust Fund for the first time. The Housing Trust Fund was originally authorized in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, with a dedicated funding stream from assessments on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. However, given their financial difficulties, the Federal Housing [...]
Read moreHouston homeownership initiative spurs outrage – but there is a worse dimension to this story
February 25, 2009
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In the wake of a storm of public outrage Houston Mayor Bill White ordered the city’s housing department to shelve a plan to subsidize homebuyers by giving them $3000 grants to pay off debt to improve their FICO scores. Anti-tax organizations became virtually apoplectic in their denunciations. People are right to be concerned with this [...]
Read moreBo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 2/24/2009
February 24, 2009
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The first infusion of federal money to bailout banks had insignificant impact on housing foreclosures as bankers channeled the money into better-paying ventures and personal bonuses. As President Obama and Congress tightens rules to eliminate those practices in the second stimulus package, some banks shun the terms as well as some Red State governors. Meanwhile, [...]
Read moreSenate Committee explores state role in easing home foreclosure problems
February 21, 2009
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The Texas Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee held the first of what promises to be several hearings to explore the home foreclosure crisis in Texas and the state’s role in addressing the issue. The committee, chaired by Dallas Senator Royce West (D), heard testimony from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the Texas [...]
Read moreTexas legislature focuses on unmet rural housing needs
February 21, 2009
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It is no secret that rural housing needs have received far less attention than urban housing needs in Texas. A host of new legislation being filed in the Texas Legislature this session seeks to change that. As I discussed several weeks ago here, the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service, the Association of Rural Communities [...]
Read moreA failed housing program will always come back and bite the responsible entity
February 20, 2009
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One had to feel sorry for Michael Gerber Thursday morning. Appearing before a subcommittee of the Texas House Appropriations Committee he was forced to listen as as the Legislators were presented a state auditor’s report excoriating the failure of the state’s initial efforts to provide housing assistance to victims of Hurricane Rita. House members were [...]
Read moreHousing Texas, TACDC, others to coordinate push for housing trust fund
February 20, 2009
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Housing Texas, the Texas Association of Community Development Corporations and other affordable housing advocates and providers plan to coordinate visits to the offices of members of the Texas Legislature about the Texas Housing Trust Fund. The coordinated effort will take place March 17. For more infomration conatct TACDC at 512-916-0508 or Housing Texas at 512-477-8910 [...]
Read moreExpansion and revisions to Texas Bootstrap Loan program proposed
February 20, 2009
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Legislation has been filed to update and expand the highly popular Texas Bootstrap Loan program. Texas Senator Eddie Lucio (D)-Brownsville, the author of the original bootstrap legislation a decade ago has filed SB 679. The bill would double the annual funding required to be spent on the Bootstrap program from the current $3 million to [...]
Read moreTwo Texas Senate bills seek to endow housing trust with $40 million per year
February 20, 2009
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In response to requests by housing advocates who came together two weeks ago to support a dedicated fee bill to endow the Texas Housing Trust Fund with $40 million per year, two such bills have been filed by Texas Senators. Senator Eddie Lucio (D) – Brownsville filed SB 934 which would endow the housing trust [...]
Read moreBo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 2/17/2009
February 17, 2009
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Foreclosures continue at record rates as the Obama Administration prepares an injection of money into the failing American economy. Meanwhile, scammers find clever ways to bilk tenants by renting vacant homes until the courts process foreclosures. See “Scammers finding open door at foreclosed homes.” A new class of homelessness surges as whole families find themselves [...]
Read moreTexas Senate to hear request for additional housing trust funds
February 13, 2009
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The Texas Senate Finance Committee will consider the budget of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) on Monday. One of the most important items the committee will consider is a request by the TDHCA for an appropriation of $20 million each year for the next two years for the Texas housing trust [...]
Read more…and over affordable housing issues on the Texas Senate side
February 13, 2009
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In response to my blog earlier today about the composition of the Texas House Urban Affairs Committee I was asked where things stood regarding the committee that oversees housing in the Texas Senate. That committee is the Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee, chaired by Dallas Democratic Senator Royce West. Senator West represents southern Dallas and has [...]
Read moreTX House Committee over housing programs dominated by Democrats; D-FW
February 12, 2009
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Those of us who follow the Texas legislature closely have been waiting for the committee assignments for the House to be announced by the new speaker. That announcement came today. The committee which oversees the programs of the state housing agency is the House Urban Affairs Committee. For the first time in recent memory this [...]
Read moreThe president hears a type of story that we hear every day
February 11, 2009
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At his town hall meeting on Tuesday in Fort Myers Florida President Obama was confronted by Ms. Hughes, a woman with a type of problem that we are confronted with a daily basis. Homeless, she told him that she needed a place to live with a real kitchen and a bathroom. Ms. Hughes told him [...]
Read moreWhat we mean by affordable housing: an open letter to Congress
February 10, 2009
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In an open letter to Congress calling for more attention to affordable housing in the economic recovery bill, 547 housing advocates from across the country have made their case that the housing needs of the poor need to be included. The 16 Texas signers are: Advocacy Resource Center for Housing – McAllen, TX Association of [...]
Read moreBo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 2/10/2009
February 10, 2009
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As foreclosures convert homeowners to renters, construction of additional multi-family units to accommodate the surge languishes: the recession renders little money for developers to use. The effects of the recession also impact upscale housing as condo owners bail. And a new piece of research on the “broken windows” theory suggests that sprucing up a neighborhood [...]
Read moreLow income housing details of Senate compromise stimulus bill disclosed
February 9, 2009
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The details of the Senate compromise bill for the economic stimulus package have come out. Here are the portions that effect low income housing. $2,000,000,000 of additional HOME funds to state housing finance agencies for investment in LIHTC projects needing additional financing to proceed. $5,000,000,000 Public Housing Capital fund. $250,000,000 HOME increased for other than [...]
Read moreTexas housing community calls of Legislature to provide $40 million per year for the Texas Housing Trust Fund
February 7, 2009
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This week a group of about 100 people concerned with affordable housing for low income families met in Austin to endorse a dedicated revenue source to provide $40 million per year for the Texas Housing Trust Fund. The group resolved to support the request of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to the [...]
Read moreBo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 2/3/2009
February 7, 2009
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All eyes were on the political struggle surrounding the Democratic stimulus program this week as more dismal news of foreclosures continued to wash up. Meanwhile, Citigroup has finally heard Congress and is the first of the large lenders to use TARP funds to free-up mortgage loans. While major housing developments in most of the nation [...]
Read moreProposed simulus bill fails to address low income housing adequately
February 7, 2009
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The version of the stimulus package being considered by the Senate is a disappointment to those who had hoped that the bill would address long postponed affordable housing needs. While the bill would offer a $15,000 tax credit to those who buy a new home, for the millions of families who are too poor to [...]
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