Rural communities face unique challenges when dealing with the affordable housing crisis. Because development does not generally occur at a large scales in rural areas, construction costs are often higher in rural communities compared to urban areas, which reduces the incentives for private investment. Additionally, a lack of access to credit in many rural areas limits funding for maintenance of existing units.
NLIHC works with our state and national partners to advocate for increased funding for USDA and HUD programs, particularly those that provide funding to non-profits that support the creation of affordable housing.
Memo to Members and Partners Articles
By Kayla Blackwell, NLIHC Senior Housing Policy Analyst and Lucas Eisenberg, NLIHC Policy Intern NLIHC submitted a comment on October 19 responding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revoke federal construction and repair standards for…
By Kayla Blackwell, NLIHC Senior Housing Policy Analyst The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) announced two new resources for rural rental housing: a webinar series focused on preservation, with three events happening in October, and a new website to track implementation of the rural housing…
By Libby O’Neill, NLIHC Senior Policy Analyst Representative Rebecca Balint (D-VT) reintroduced the “Community Housing Act” (H.R.9540) on June 30. The bill includes major investments in deeply affordable housing supply through the National Housing Trust Fund, authorizes and funds vital rural…
By Kayla Blackwell, NLIHC Senior Housing Policy Analyst The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) released a new report finding that affordable rental housing funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Section 515 program has decreased dramatically since 2021. The report, “Rural…