Housing

March 23, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts: David H. Stevens, Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner, Department of Housing and Urban Development; Harold Hongju Koh, Legal Adviser, State Department; and Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, Director of Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services.

President Obama also announced that he has designated Judge Emily C. Hewitt to be the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.    » read more »

March 18, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a new partnership to help American families gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs.

The average working American family spends nearly 60 percent of its budget on housing and transportation costs, making these two areas the largest expenses for American families. Donovan and LaHood want to seek ways to cut these costs by focusing their efforts on creating affordable, sustainable communities.    » read more »

HUD Funds Will Help N.C. Communities With Foreclosures, Other Housing Crisis Issues

3/18/2009 -- Raleigh -- North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue today announced that 20 local governments, nonprofits and other organizations have received grant awards totaling $48.85 million under the new federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program developed late last year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program’s purpose is to assist those areas hit hardest by the housing crisis.    » read more »

February 27, 2009 -- CONCORD - New Hampshire Governor John Lynch today announced a new online resource aimed at helping consumers address potential mortgage problems.

“With the national recession and ongoing mortgage crisis, many New Hampshire families are seeing their dreams of home ownership put at risk. In these difficult economic times, many New Hampshire families are struggling to keep their homes and are looking for help. This new website will help connect families with the resources they need,” Gov. Lynch said.    » read more »

Housing Tax Credits Aid Counties Impacted By Natural Disasters Of 2008

February 27, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced today that the state of Iowa will award more than $51 million in Housing Tax Credits to finance the construction of new affordable housing in Waukee, Ames and Keokuk. The awards were made with a special allocation of Housing Tax Credits that the state of Iowa received to assist counties impacted by last year’s historic storms and floods.    » read more »

February 26, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan released the following statement today in response to President Barack Obama's proposed FY 2010 budget announcement:

"Today, President Obama announced general budget direction for HUD and I am very pleased with the outcome and focus. The President has designed a fiscally responsible budget that stresses the need for transparency and accountability from all agencies. HUD will be a leader in providing accountability to American taxpayers as we move forward with the budget process.    » read more »

Governor and Lt. Governor Applaud Support by MacArthur Foundation for Preservation of Affordable Housing for an Estimated 9,000 Families in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 26, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that Maryland will be receiving a $4.5 million investment from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to help preserve 9,000 units of rental housing over the next ten years. The project is part of the MacArthur Foundation’s $32.5 investment in a national initiative to preserve more than 70,000 affordable rental homes in 12 states and cities.    » read more »

Iowa Finance Authority Granted Prestigious Funds to Preserve Affordable Housing for Families, Seniors, and Persons with Disabilities in Rural Iowa Communities

February 26, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver today announced that the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) will receive a $2.4 million investment from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The funds will help ensure the preservation of rural affordable housing for an estimated 1,200 Iowa families, seniors and persons with disabilities that are at-risk of losing their homes. State and local governments in 40 states competed for MacArthur’s support, and Iowa was one of 12 recipients to receive funds and launch innovative projects to preserve affordable rental homes.    » read more »

February 25th, 2009 -- The first dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are headed out the door today, as the federal government makes $15 billion available to help states shore up their Medicaid funds.

And there's more coming up.

Just a week after President Obama signed the Act into law, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today allocated 75% of its recovery funds -- $10 billion -- to create green jobs, to revive housing markets with high rates of foreclosure, and curb homelessness.    » read more »

FHA implements temporary higher loan limits to help families keep their homes

February 25, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - More American families will be eligible this year to purchase or refinance their homes using affordable, FHA-insured mortgages, thanks to the economic stimulus package signed into law by President Obama last week. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will allow HUD's Federal Housing Administration to temporarily increase its maximum loan limit, allowing FHA to insure larger mortgages at a more affordable price in high-cost areas of the country.    » read more »

Nearly 75 percent of HUD Recovery funds allocated today

February 25, 2009 --WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today allocated nearly 75 percent of its funding, or $10.1 billion, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Recovery Act includes $13.61 billion for projects and programs administered by HUD, 75 percent of which was allocated to recipients today - only one week after President Obama signed the Act into law.    » read more »

Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery; Address to Joint Session of Congress

February 24th, 2009 -- Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and the First Lady of the United States:

I’ve come here tonight not only to address the distinguished men and women in this great chamber, but to speak frankly and directly to the men and women who sent us here.    » read more »

February 20, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today the details of a new six-month transition rental assistance program for families currently enrolled in the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP-Katrina/Rita). HUD and FEMA will provide the additional assistance to families as needed until August 31 to give them more time to transition out of the DHAP program, either to self-sufficiency or other federal or state housing programs, including HUD's Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program.    » read more »

February 20, 2009 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm will be in Washington, D.C. this weekend for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) where the nation's governors will discuss the state of the economy, strengthening our nation's infrastructure, national health care reform, and the nation's housing crisis. While in Washington, the governor will also meet with federal officials to strengthen Michigan's partnership with the Obama administration and advocate for efforts that will create jobs in Michigan today and jobs in Michigan tomorrow.    » read more »

February 18, 2009 -- The swift action by the Obama Administration today to address the housing crisis is a welcome and refreshing change.

For more than a year, the Bush Administration ignored calls from the AFL-CIO and others to address a coming foreclosure tsunami. Tragically, in the months that followed, the deepening housing debacle turned millions of families’ lives upside down and strengthened its chokehold on our economy.

The Obama plan is designed to help up to nine million homeowners. The strong plan from the Administration correctly includes changing the bankruptcy laws to allow judges to modify the mortgages of distressed homeowners, including reducing the principal of these loans to the property's current market value.    » read more »