Tim Irvine, named executive director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs just a couple of months ago, announced at last week’s board meeting a major staff reorganization and a new relationship with housing providers. Irvine announced the department will seek to work with larger, more administratively capable contractors to carry out the [...]
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Tag Archives: TDHCA
Effect of Elected Official Letters on the 2011 LIHTC Round
July 1, 2011
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Abstract: Letters written by Texas State Representatives and Senators regarding the development of low income housing in the state had the effect of moving development to lower income, higher poverty areas of the state.
Read more Opportunity to tame public corruption lost in veto of TDHCA Sunset bill
June 28, 2011
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When Texas Governor Rick Perry vetoed the TDHCA Sunset Bill a week or so ago one thing that was lost was two years of work by the Texas Sunset Commission to reform a system of allocating Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) that has sent a dozen or so Texans to the federal penitentiary. It [...]
Read more Conference committee strikes anti-NIMBY provisions from TDHCA legislation, continues agency 2 years
June 27, 2011
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The Texas House/Senate Conference Committee on SB 1 has reached agreement to extend the life of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs two years. The committee also voted to strike provisions in the Sunset Bill requiring disaster planning as well as Texas Sunset Advisory Commission recommendations designed to reduce Fair Housing violations that plague the [...]
Read more Report: Texas Efficiency Rent 90% of SSI Payments
June 21, 2011
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“Priced Out,” a new report by the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) shows the severe housing affordability problems of people with disabilities. According to the report, a person with a disability receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) would have to pay 90% of their monthly income to rent an [...]
Read more Short term 2 year extension in works for Texas housing department
June 20, 2011
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Well placed Capitol sources tell TxLIHIS that Governor Perry’s staff have indicated they will insist on only a short-term two-year extension of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Last Friday the Governor vetoed the Sunset Bill for the State’s housing department, citing objections to requirements placed in the Sunset Bill at the behest [...]
Read more Analysis: Governor Perry’s veto of Texas Department of Housing
June 19, 2011
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On Friday Governor Perry vetoed the “Sunset Bill” for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) that would continue the agency in operation for 12 more years. Without passage of the Sunset Bill the state housing agency will wind down operations and cease to exist. The Governor says he vetoed the bill because [...]
Read more Housing Tidbits and Round-up
June 17, 2011
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Housing news crossing our desk that didn’t turn into full blog posts this week: TDHCA and TSHAC received $620k through the fifth round of the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling program (a program of the 2008 Housing and Economic Recovery Act). They expect to pass these funds through to local non-profits to reimburse counseling for up [...]
Read more State Rep Riddle says she wants no low-income housing in her district
June 14, 2011
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To appreciate the fair housing problem in Texas just watch this video. Back in February, at a hearing on the budget for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), Texas State Representative Debbie Riddle, House District 150, which comprises much of northwest Harris County (51% Anglo. per capita income $25,272, 28% renters), asked Mike [...]
Read more TDHCA Sunset bill passes House and Senate
May 30, 2011
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The TDHCA Sunset bill passed the Texas House and Senate last night. The final bill differed in several aspects from the Commission’s recommendations. We’ll recap those differences here at Texas Housers sometime over the next few days. Text of final bill (pdf)
Read more 60 minutes on Texas Farmworkers
May 25, 2011
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Last weekend 60 minutes ran a story on migrant youth farm labor. The story features a Texas family staying in a TDHCA-licensed migrant labor housing facility. In the short online-only ‘extra’ clip below, 60 minutes reporter Byron Pitts is astounded at the fact the family is charged a damage deposit to stay at the facility. [...]
Read more TDHCA releases map of total affordable rental units by county
May 18, 2011
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The Housing Resource Center at TDHCA has just released an interactive google map of the affordable rental units funded by the department. An image of the map appears below–double clicking on the embeded image will take you the interactive map itself.
Read moreWashington Post Focuses on Beaumont Housing Failure
May 16, 2011
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Saturday’s Washington Post ran a story on a failed HOME development in Beaumont: BEAUMONT, Tex. — At the dusty intersection of Texas and Elm streets, two partially completed houses sit empty on an unkempt corner lot across from 86-year-old Gardine Grogan’s dilapidated home. Three years ago, a local developer walked off the job without finishing [...]
Read moreHUD Approves Phase I of Texas Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing
May 13, 2011
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One of the conditions of the TxLIHIS – Texas Appleseed – State of Texas Fair Housing settlement on hurricane recovery is that the state would update its Analysis of Impediments (AI) to Fair Housing. (See our post Introduction to an “Analysis of Impediments” for discussion of what an AI is). Today, HUD approved the first phase [...]
Read more John Henneberger Testimony at TDHCA Board Meeting on Disaster Recovery Housing Programs
May 9, 2011
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John Henneberger, a Co-Director of the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service, spoke at the May 5, 2011 board meeting of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) regarding the status of and proposed changes to the Hurricane Ike Disaster Recovery Housing Programs in Houston and Galveston. Youtube videos of selections of his [...]
Read moreAudit Report Roundup–Weatherization Program, TCAP, NSP
May 2, 2011
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The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) audit committee meets next week, and their meeting packet is up at the TDHCA website. A couple of things caught my eye: An Internal Audit repor of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), including that part of the program funded under the Recovery Act was released. In [...]
Read moreTDHCA Executive Director Michael Gerber Stepping Down
April 20, 2011
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Quorum Report is reporting that TDHCA Executive Director Michael Gerber will be stepping down from the helm of TDHCA in mid-June. Mr. Gerber joined the department in 2006, coming from Governor Rick Perry’s Office of Budget, Planning, and Policy. 5/2 update: Per the meeting packet for the TDHCA Board Meeting, TDHCA General Counsel Tim Irvine [...]
Read moreFirst Time Homebuyer Programs at TDHCA and TSAHC
April 19, 2011
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Both the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation operate First Time Homebuyer Programs using funds from the state bond ceiling. TxLIHIS has recently completed an analysis of these programs. We found some differences in the programs, although the differences are not large and may reflect the different focuses [...]
Read moreTexas NSP Program Audit
April 15, 2011
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The Internal Auditing Division of the Texas Department of Community Affairs released a report last week on TDHCA’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The topline finding: “The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs’ (Department) Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is not operating as efficiently as it could and may not fully comply with all program rules and [...]
Read moreJohn Henneberger Testimony at Urban Affairs on TDHCA Sunset
April 11, 2011
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TxLIHIS co-director John Henneberger testified last week at the Texas House Urban Affairs Hearing on TDHCA’s Sunset process. His testimony, as well as the introduction of the TDHCA Sunset Bill by Rep. Harper Brown, is available below via Youtube. (John Henneberger’s testimony starts at 7.24 of the clip, following Rep. Harper Brown’s statements.)
Read moreIt’s NIMBY Time…Again
April 6, 2011
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“We realize that not all residents of an affordable housing development will, by default, be criminals. However, we are also not ignorant to the fact, which is supported by real statistics, that many criminals (especially violent criminals, drug-related criminals, and sex-offenders) tend to come from a lower socio-economic class. […] We feel that in this [...]
Read moreTDHCA Sunset Bill up in House Urban Affairs Wed
April 4, 2011
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The Sunset Bills for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation will be up in the Texas House Committee for Urban Affairs on Wednesday at 10.30 AM or on adjournment. The video should be available here: http://www.house.state.tx.us/video-audio/. Our previous coverage of the Sunset Process can be found [...]
Read moreWeekend Budget Fun
April 3, 2011
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The Texas House met over the weekend to consider HB 1, the budget. Thursday, we noted a couple of amendments worth watching. Following up on them, it appears: Rep. Alvarado’s amendment (page 323 of pre-filed bill package) was pulled by the author prior to reaching the floor. The intent of this amendment lives on in [...]
Read moreHouse Budget Amendments Affect TDHCA Programs
March 31, 2011
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It’s Budget Time! The House takes up HB 1, the FY 12-13 Budget tomorrow. All of the amendments are up for public viewing at the Texas Tribune, but these three are of special interest to folks following the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs: An Article III Amendment by Rep. Torres (p. 170) zeros [...]
Read moreChecking in on the Weatherization Assistance Program
March 21, 2011
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There were two recent updates, one federal and one local, on the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) program as funded under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Federally, the Congressional House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations recently had a hearing on the status of Recovery Act Spending by the Department of Energy (DOE). [...]
Read moreGovernor Announces New TDHCA, TSAHC Board Members
March 18, 2011
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This month Gov. Rick Perry has made two new housing related appointments. He appointed J.Paul Oxer of Sugar Land to the board of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and Jerry Romero of El Paso to the board of the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation. From the Gov’s press release regarding Mr. Oxer’s [...]
Read moreJohn Henneberger Testimony at Senate Finance on TDHCA Budget
March 9, 2011
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TxLIHIS co-director John Henneberger testified last week at the Senate Finance Hearing on TDHCA’s budget and Disaster Recovery funding in Texas. His testimony is available below via Youtube.
Read moreSubsidized Housing In Texas Often Fails to Provide Outreach to the Persons with Disabilities
March 4, 2011
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The Compliance Division of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs cites Failure to provide an Affirmative Marketing Plan as the top non-compliance item it identified in its 600 on-site inspections in 2010. An article in its annual Newsletter states “Developments are typically cited for this finding because they 1) fail to affirmatively market [...]
Read moreHouse Appropriations Axes Homeless Funds and Majority of Housing Trust Fund
February 22, 2011
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This morning the Texas House Appropriations Committee (HAC) met and adopted the LBB recommendations for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) budget. They made a small change related to the language for IT purchases, but otherwise adopted the LBB recommendations in full. The LBB budget recommendation for TDHCA represents only 29% of [...]
Read moreStudy of State’s Use of LIHTC Boost
February 21, 2011
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This month the “Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits” included an article examining how different states utilize their ability to offer some Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) developments a 30% “boost” in funding. (article link here). As regular readers know, the LIHTC program is a federal program that supports the production of affordable multifamily housing. [...]
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Bo McCarver’s housing news clips for May
- Mitt Romney at private fundraiser: I might eliminate HUD – The Washington Post
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Bo’s housing news clips: Study finds zoning segregates lower-income students in lower-scoring schools.
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Texas LIHTC housing program rocked by second earthquake in two months
- Low-Income Housing Program Compels Building in Poor Texas Areas – NYTimes.com
