‘It’s like we don’t exist’: California’s invisible rural housing crisis

Much has been written about the housing shortage in US cities from Boston to Boise. But behind the headlines, an unnoticed crisis is growing in America’s countryside. … Bob Rapoza, executive secretary of the National Rural Housing Coalition in Washington, worries that ongoing “bipartisan neglect” could doom the [515] program’s chances of survival. “There is…

Food stamps, rent aid and the safety net for American’s poorest at risk as shutdown drags on

From left, Mike Wise, Charlie Brenner and Glenn Beaudin grab bags of food to take to people in need. The Chesapeake Cares Food Pantry is providing food for furloughed federal workers. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

If the government does not fully reopen by Feb. 1, nearly 270,000 rural families who receive federal rent subsidies through the USDA would also be at risk of eviction because their landlords would no longer be paid, said Bob Rapoza, executive secretary of the National Rural Housing Coalition. “These are the poorest rural people in…

Housing’s hidden crisis: Rural Americans struggle to pay rent

The Trump administration’s proposed 2020 budget also contains cuts for rural housing programs, Stan Keasling, president of National Rural Housing Coalition, said in testimony at the Congressional hearing earlier this month. The cuts target “a laundry list” of programs, including direct homeownership, home-repair loans, and loans and grants for rural rental housing. Read the article…

Home-purchase plan for the poor gets support

“Providing very-low-income families with the opportunity for homeownership acts as an effective incentive for them to maintain their homes,” said Rosalie Reichman of the National Rural Housing Coalition.

Lawmakers differ on rural aid plans

“What the House bill did was attempt to take money from low-income communities and use it to make grants and loans to businesses,” said Bob Rapoza of the nonprofit National Rural Housing Coalition.