In demonstration of the indifference of the Texas press to issues affecting the lives of the poor and the sorry state of coverage by the Texas press of state government generally, the Texas Tribune this week ran a story on Mike Gerber’s resignation as director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, four months [...]
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Tag Archives: Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
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 Governor Perry switches agencies responsible for disaster recovery funds
June 20, 2011
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Shakeups in the State’s troubled disaster recovery program continue. In the wake of the virtual elimination of the Governor’s designated lead agency for disaster recovery, the Texas Department of Rural Affairs and a veto of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, the Governor has informed HUD of his intention to change lead disaster [...]
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 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 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 moreStudy: Leading Subsidized Housing Program in Texas Limits Economic Opportunity of the Poor
December 13, 2010
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New report finds that Low Income Housing Tax Credit housing is more likely than other rental housing to be built in low-income, predominantly minority neighborhoods. Austin, TX – The Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, the #1 producer of affordable rental housing in Texas, concentrates its new developments in low-opportunity neighborhoods, according to a [...]
Read moreLawsuit alleging race discrimination in Texas housing tax credit program clears (another) hurdle
September 30, 2010
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The Federal District Court for the Northern District of Texas has ruled that the Inclusive Communities Project has legal standing to continue its lawsuit alleging the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) is guilty of racial discrimination in the operation of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. Back in 2008, we discussed [...]
Read moreNSP1-A Deadline Looms
August 30, 2010
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Last week HUD announced the details of their enforcement of the 18-month deadline for obligation of the first round of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds (NSP1). NSP1 is a federal program for “the purpose of assisting in the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes,” and was funded through the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) [...]
Read moreTexas failing to spend federal funds for foreclosure-impacted communities
June 30, 2010
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New report finds that millions are at risk of being returned to the federal government Austin, TX – Texas may be forced to return an estimated $42 million in unspent federal funds meant to stabilize foreclosure-impacted communities, unless state and local agencies begin properly utilizing the funds, according to a report released today by the [...]
Read moreAdministration proposes changes to Neighborhood Stabilization Program, including additional funding
May 26, 2010
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In a press release Tuesday the Obama administration discussed plans to reallocate funds from the first round of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP1) and proposed a new third round of funding (NSP3). The release states: The Administration also announced plans to reallocate funds awarded through NSP1 that have not yet been committed to specific projects, [...]
Read moreMississippi moves to 100% inspections of mobile home installations; so should Texas
May 17, 2010
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In response to six deaths in mobile homes from the April tornado in Mississippi, WAPT in Jackson Mississippi reports that the State Insurance Commissioner of Mississippi has authorized 100% of inspection of installations of manufactured housing. Previously, Mississippi had a goal to inspect 50% of installations. Texas has a statutory goal of inspecting only 25% [...]
Read moreFailing Waco property facing closure
April 9, 2010
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Back in 2008 we listed the eleven subsidized housing properties with the lowest physical inspection scores from HUD. One of those properties, Parkside Village of Waco, recently received another failing inspection stores and will likely be shut down by HUD. (While two other Waco properties appeared on a more recent list of two subsidized housing [...]
Read moreSlow start to weatherization programs: Not just Texas
February 23, 2010
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On Tuesday the Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General added to the recent parade of commentary regarding the slow start of the Weatherization Assistance Program, pointing out that as of December, nationally only about 5% of the total housing units scheduled to be eventually weatherized had been completed. As previously commented on Texas Housers, [...]
Read moreWeatherization–a slow start for Texas may not be all bad news
December 22, 2009
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The Dallas Morning News ran a story Sunday (here) regarding Texas’s slow start to the Weatherization Assistance Program. The story highlighted the fact that as of last month, the program had completed just a handful homes using Recovery Act funds. Austin’s KUT picked up the story this morning (here). Is this good news? No, we’d [...]
Read moreRecovery Act Reporting Milestone
November 6, 2009
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Last Friday was a major milestone in the extensive reporting requirements of the Recovery Act. Recovery.gov released the first round of reports by local recipients regarding the status of some 142,825 initiatives receiving recovery funds. This round of reports covered Feb. 17, 2009, through Sept. 30, 2009—the reports will be updated quarterly going forward. [...]
Read moreWill corruption convictions bring reform to housing programs?
October 5, 2009
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In the wake of the conviction of former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill and Planning Commissioner D’Angelo Lee in the housing tax credit corruption trial, Dallas Morning News reporter Rudolph Bush writes in his City Hall Blog today… The alleged fraud revolved around minority contracting requirements and community housing development corporations. But so far, [...]
Read moreOverview of the Tax Credit Exchange Program in Texas
September 6, 2009
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Federal Program Highlights: Funding: 3 Billion Administering Agency: US Treasury Unused funds must be returned by 1/1/2011 Texas Program Highlights: Funding: Up to 314 Million Administering Agency: TDHCA Awards expected by 10/16/2009 The 2009 Stimulus Bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) contained a provision allowing the limited exchange of tax credits granted under [...]
Read moreOverview of the Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) in Texas
September 6, 2009
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Here is a brief overview of the Texas Credit Assistance Program and how it is shaping up in Texas. Federal Program Highlights: Funding: 2.25 Billion Administering Agency: HUD Fund must be spent by 2/17/2012 Texas Program Highlights: Funding: 148 Million Administering Agency: TDHCA Awards expected by 12/17/2009 The 2009 Stimulus Bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment [...]
Read moreIt worked! TDHCA Tax Credit Exchange Program gets apps for 883 ELI apartments
September 6, 2009
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The 2009 Stimulus Bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) contained a provision allowing the limited exchange of tax credits granted under the Low- Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program for cash grants. In Texas, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) recently adopted a policy providing incentives for developments to increase [...]
Read moreAdvocates offer recommendations to improve the Texas Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program
August 7, 2009
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The Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program is the program that produces, by far, the largest number of affordable housing units in Texas each year. The tax credits are awarded to housing developers by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) through a competitive process. The rules for that process are set out [...]
Read moreHooray! Today was a historic day of progress in Texas affordable housing
July 30, 2009
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The Board of Directors of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs approved today a plan to use the Tax Credit Exchange Program (TCEP) to provide financial incentives to low income housing tax credit (LIHTC) developers to provide 10 percent to 20 percent more apartments in their new developments for Texans with incomes at [...]
Read more$55,000 was the price for community support for affordable housing in Dallas
July 29, 2009
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A document introduced into evidence today in the Dallas public corruption trial surrounding the Texas Low Income Housing Tax Credit program indicates that the going price for community support required to win approval of a tax credit development application was $55,000. At least that’s the price that was set out an unsigned 2004 agreement between [...]
Read moreA culture of greed tarnishes the Texas Low Income Housing Tax Credit program
July 16, 2009
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The Low Income Housing Tax Credit program in Texas is sometimes more about the developers making money building housing and less about the needs of people who need housing. Evidence of this fact can be found in the ongoing public corruption trial of housing tax credit developers and elected officials in the Dallas federal district court. [...]
Read moreLet’s take care to avoid developer windfalls in the new LIHTC program
July 12, 2009
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I haven’t discussed it much yet, but there’s a lot to be said about the new Low Income Housing Tax Credit Exchange Program (TCEP) recently authorized by the federal government. One of the things that needs to be said immediately is that as the state begins to structure how it is going to operate the [...]
Read moreGovernor Perry’s failure to appoint a consumer board member proves costly
June 26, 2009
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The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) could not meet to conduct business yesterday because it could not get a quorum of board members. As a result the agency is compelled to schedule an “emergency” board meeting for next Monday at Dallas Love Field. All of this could have been avoided had Governor [...]
Read moreTexas LIHTC corruption case should embarrass us into taking action
June 22, 2009
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I don’t know who, if anyone, is guilty in the Dallas Low Income Housing Tax Credit public corruption case that is set to get underway in federal court today. But I do believe that all of us who work in affordable housing in Texas are little guilty for not speaking up louder to demand a [...]
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