Category: Blog

On February 25, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Housing Commission – led by former Senator Kit Bond, former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, former Senator Mel Martinez, and former Senator George Mitchell – released its recommendations on the future of housing policy, with specific recommendations for USDA Rural Housing programs. Overall, the Commission’s recommendations are supportive of rural housing…

Board of Directors Meeting: Agenda, Speakers, Invitations, Etc The Board meeting will be held on March 5-6 at Rapoza Associates, located at 1331 G Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20005. Please RSVP for the Board Meeting so that we can prepare enough materials for your Hill visits. As usual, we have a full agenda, including: Guest Speakers: Dallas Tonsager, Under Secretary…

Today, NRHC submitted comments on USDA’ s proposed rule that would allow the agency to seek civil damages against those who make false, fictitious, or fraudulent claims.  While NRHC supports USDA’s ability to seek damages, we urged the agency to amend the proposal to ensure that nonprofit organizations are not unfairly impacted by this proposed rule…

In his Year-End Report, Rep. Fortenberry (R-NE) discusses his common-sense Rural Definition legislation, H.R. 273 The Rural Housing Preservation Act.  Rep. Fortenberry warns that without Congressional action on his bill, more than 900 rural communities will lose access to what is often their only source of federal housing funding. “For communities across the nation, [changes to…

The NRHC Board of Directors will be holding their next Board Meeting on March 5-6th.  The Board will meet on the morning of March 5th, with Hill visits later in the afternoon. The Board will reconvene on the morning of March 6th.

Rural housing organizations are in the midst of a very challenging political climate. Congress and the President are under increased pressure to continue to cut government spending. In this difficult environment, rural housing and community development programs must find new and better ways to demonstrate their impact and effectiveness. That’s why I invite all rural housing…

Board of Directors Meeting Rescheduled For March 5-6 The NRHC Board of Directors Meeting has been rescheduled for March 5th-6th, instead of March 19-20 as previously announced. The Board decided that it would be best to reschedule the meeting for an earlier date in light of changes to Congress’s schedule on the debt ceiling and…

Today, USDA released its 2012 Rural Development Progress Report detailing how it invested in job creation, businesses, infrastructure and housing in rural communities.  While we already know the critical impact of these programs in our communities, it’s always helpful to have some numbers, facts, and figures. Did you know? In 2012, Rural Housing programs helped:  7,940…

Rural Housing Coalition releases “Opening Doors to Rural Homeownership: Opportunities to Expand Homeownership, Build Wealth, and Strengthen Communities” The purpose of this report is to document successful federal strategies for providing affordable housing to low-income rural families. Because homeownership is the predominate form of housing in rural America, this report focuses on homeownership programs administered…