TO: President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris. Congratulations on your victory. As you take office, we urge you to address the pressing need for decent housing in rural America A recent Wall Street Journal article noted, “Fewer homes are being built per household than almost any other time in US history, and it is even…
Author: Sam Rapoza
Year End Wrap-Up
Dec 21, 2020 The House just released the FY 21 Omnibus Appropriations/ COVID relief bill. The bill is more than 5000 pages long. The COVID package did not include any funding for rural development. FY 21 Highlights The House and Senate Agriculture Bills were relatively close in appropriations recommendations and the conference agreement reflects that. …
COVID- 19 and California’s Housing Crisis
In California, the ongoing housing crisis has made it hard for local and regional governmental authorities to combat and counter the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Crowded and substandard housing make individuals more susceptible to the spread of Covid-19 which is an airborne illness. The shortage of housing, strict zoning laws, high poverty have led…
June is Homeownership Month
Below are some photos of happy homeowners. Eleele Iluna Subdivision, Kauai, Hawaii Self-Help Housing site in Woodlake, CA Community Action Team, St. Helens, Oregon. Community Action Team signing a Self Help rehab project contract with a client during COVID-19. Pokai Bay Self-Help Housing Project Pokai Bay Project, Honolulu
Job Opportunity
Executive Director Job Posting March 2020 After 40 years the Executive Director of FNPH is retiring. The Board of Directors with the assistance of the Executive Director will be conducting a thorough search to fill the position. The history, mission and role in the organization is described in more detail below. This is an exciting…
People’s Self Help Housing: 50 Years of Improving Housing and Lives
It is the 50 year anniversary of People’s Self Help Housing PSSH (PSSH). PSSH has been working to increase the availability of affordable housing in California’s central coastal area since 1970. PSSH’s mission is to help low income families build and purchase their own homes while also providing affordable rental housing. PSSH started with the…
The Dwindling Supply of Affordable Rental Housing
In September 2019 Elizabeth La Jeunesse, Alexander Hermann, Daniel McCue and Jonathan Spader of the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, authored the paper Documenting the Long-Run Decline in Low-Cost Rental Units in the US by State. In this paper the researchers sought to answer the following questions: “1) has the number…
NBC News Gets it Right: USDA Housing Needs More Investment
By Bob Rapoza, NRHC Executive Secretary We read with great interest the recent report by NBC News “Rats, roaches, mold: Under USDA’s watch, some rural public housing is falling apart.” The families profiled in the article are living in a terrible situation that must be remedied, and Washington policymakers must take action to ensure other…
The NRHC Turns 50
The NRHC is celebrating its 50th anniversary