Alabama

  • State Data Overview

    Across Alabama, there is a shortage of rental homes affordable and available to extremely low income households, whose incomes are at or below the poverty guideline or 30% of their area median income. Many of these households are severely cost burdened, spending more than half of their income on housing. Severely cost burdened poor households are more likely than other renters to sacrifice other necessities like healthy food and healthcare to pay the rent, and to experience unstable housing situations like evictions. 

    K
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    186,962
    Or
    31%
    Renter households that are extremely low income
    -94,229
    Shortage of rental homes affordable and available for extremely low income renters
    $28,190
    Average income limit for 4-person extremely low income household
    $37,715
    Annual household income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home at HUD's Fair Market Rent.
    70%
    Percent of extremely low income renter households with severe cost burden
  • State Level Partners

    NLIHC Housing Advocacy Organizer

    Sidney Betancourt

    202.662.1530 x200 | [email protected]

    State Partners

    Low Income Housing Coalition of Alabama (c/o Collaborative Solutions)

    PO Box 130159
    Birmingham, AL 35213-0159
    P 205-939-0411
    https://collaborative-solutions.netwww.alabamahousingtrustfund.org
    Russell Bennett, CEO | [email protected]
    Jay Williams, Program Associate [email protected]

    Alabama Arise
    PO Box 1188
    Montgomery, AL 36104
    P 334-832-9060
    www.alarise.org
    Dev Wakeley, Housing Policy Analyst | [email protected]
    Robyn Hyden, Executive Director | [email protected]

    Lookup State and Federal Officials

    Become an NLIHC State Partner

    NLIHC’s affiliation with our state coalition partners is central to our advocacy efforts. Although our partners' involvement varies, they are all housing and homeless advocacy organizations engaged at the state and federal level. Many are traditional coalitions with a range of members; others are local organizations that serve more informally as NLIHC's point of contact.

    Inquire about becoming a state partner by contacting [email protected]

    Become a Member
  • Housing Trust Fund
    HTF Implementation Information

    NLIHC continues working with leaders in each state and the District of Columbia who will mobilize advocates in support of HTF allocation plans that benefit ELI renters to the greatest extent possible. Please contact the point person coordinating with NLIHC in your state (below) to find out about the public participation process and how you can be involved. Email Sidney Betancourt with any questions.

    NHTF logo
    Current Year HTF Allocation
    HTF State Resources

    2023

    Draft 2023 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    2022

    NHTF Status Report (PDF)

    Final 2022 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    Draft 2022 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    2021

    NHTF Status Report (PDF)

    Final 2021 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    Draft 2021 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    2020

    Projects Awarded HTF Funds, see pages 2 and 3 (PDF)

    Draft 2020 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    Final HTF Allocation Plan (PDF) 

    2019

    Projects Awarded HTF Funds, see pages 2 and 3 (PDF)

    Final 2019 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    Summary of Public Comments (PDF)

    Draft 2019 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    2018

    Final 2018 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    Draft HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    Public Comments and State Response to Draft HTF Allocation Plan  (PDF)

    2017

    HTF Application List as of June 3, 2019 (PDF)

    HUD-Approved 2017 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    Final HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    Public Comments and State Response to Draft HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    2018 Application Workshop slides (PDF)

    Draft 2017 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    Notice of public hearing (PDF)

    HUD-Approved 2017 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    2018 and 2019 Funding Approvals (PDF)

    2016

    HUD-Approved HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)

    September 23, 2016 Revised Allocation Plan by Alabama Housing Finance Authority (PDF)

    Public Comments Submitted to AHFA by the Low Income Housing Coalition of Alabama (PDF)

    Draft Allocation Plan by Alabama Housing Finance (PDF)

    Alabama-specific model Allocation Plan by NLIHC (PDF)

    Recording of NLIHC’s Alabama-specific Allocation Plan advocacy webinar dated April 21, 2016 (MP4)

    Slides from NLIHC Alabama-specific Allocation Plan advocacy webinar dated April 21, 2016 (PDF)

    HTF Model Allocation Plan (PDF)

    NLIHC Summary of HTF Allocation Plan Draft (PDF)

    NLIHC Point Person for HTF Advocacy

    Jay Williams

    Program Associate

    Low Income Housing Coalition of Alabama

    205-939-0411

    [email protected]

    State Designated Entity:

    Robert Strickland
    Executive Director
    Alabama Housing Finance Authority
    334-244-9200
    [email protected]

    Official Directly Involved with HTF Implementation:

    David Young
    Multifamily Administrator
    [email protected]


    State Entity Webpage

    Alabama Housing Finance Authority


    NHTF-specific pages

    National Housing Trust Fund

    Allocation Application Information

  • Resources
    Resources

    Housing Profiles

    State Housing Profile

    State Housing Profile: Alabama (PDF) (JPG)

    Congressional District Housing Profile

    Congressional District Profile: Alabama (PDF)

    Research and Data

    National Housing Preservation Database

    The National Housing Preservation Database is an address-level inventory of federally assisted rental housing in the United States.

    Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing

    Out of Reach documents the gap between renters’ wages and the cost of rental housing. In Alabama and Nationwide

    The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes

    The Gap represents data on the affordable housing supply and housing cost burdens at the national, state, and metropolitan levels. In Alabama and Nationwide

  • Take Action
    Urge Congress to Enact Historic Housing Investments!
    Urge Congress to Pass a Budget with Increased Investments in Affordable Homes
  • COVID-19 Resources
    COVID-19 Resources

    NLIHC has estimated a need for no less than $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and broke down the need and cost for each state (download Excel spreadsheet). 

    In response to COVID-19 and its economic fallout, many cities and states are creating or expanding rental assistance programs to support individuals and families impacted by the pandemic, and NLIHC is tracking in-depth information on these programs.  

    You can use the interactive map and searchable database to find state and local emergency rental assistance programs near you. You can also see the latest news on rental assistance programs through the state-by-state news tracker. Note that this is not a comprehensive list of all rental assistance programs as we continue to update frequently. If you are aware of a program not included in our database, please contact [email protected]

    COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

    Across the country, homeless service providers are struggling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to follow public health guidelines and help ensure people’s safety, some shelters are being forced to reduce services, restrict admittance, or close entirely. The loss of these critical resources puts people experiencing homelessness at even higher risk of illness. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of shelter closings.

    Below is a list of shelters that have had to majorly alter services or completely close:


    No information at this time.

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury in February recaptured $42 million of Alabama’s $263 million allocation of federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) due to the state’s failure to meet federal expenditure deadlines. State officials anticipate that another $30 million of ERA funds will be recaptured and reallocated in March, leaving an estimated $92 million in Alabama’s state fund.

    Updated on March 7, 2022


    The City of Huntsville launched Phase 2 of the city’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program on December 13. 

    Updated on December 20, 2021


    AL.com reports legal aid and housing advocates hope to see Alabama increase access to legal representation for people facing eviction and make its COVID-19 emergency rental assistance program permanent. According to Nicholas McKinney, an attorney with Legal Services Alabama, most tenants are unaware of the $263 million in federal rent relief the state was awarded to keep tenants in their homes.

    Updated on November 15, 2021


    Many Alabama renters at risk of eviction report barriers to accessing aid through the state’s rental assistance program, and housing advocates say the Emergency Rental Assistance Alabama program lacks the capacity to distribute aid in a timely manner. The Alabama Housing Finance Authority partnered with Legal Services Alabama to create the Imminent Eviction Prevention Initiative in June, which allows for expedited processing of rental assistance applications.

    Updated on November 8, 2021


    AL.com reports Alabama has spent only $6.2 million out of $23.3 million in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) as of September 30. The Alabama Housing Finance Authority is contracting with HorneLLP, a Mississippi-based contractor, to administer the program. Invoices from HorneLLP show that most of the $6.2 million have been spent on paying the employees administering the program. Horne has awarded funds to just 3,451 households.

    Updated on October 19, 2021


    Members of Black Lives Matter and other local organizations on September 14 stood outside Birmingham City Hall and demanded that Mayor Randall Woodfin and city leaders enact an eviction moratorium. With the federal eviction moratorium no longer in effect, thousands of people across Birmingham could soon face eviction.

    Updated on September 21, 2021


    According to the Alabama Housing Finance Authority, as of July 15, $4.4 million of the $237 million it received to administer the statewide Emergency Rental Assistance Alabama had been provided to 597 households. With census data indicating nearly 58,000 Alabama residents report they could be evicted over the next two months, housing advocates are concerned about a surge of evictions and a rise in homelessness. 
    Updated on August 30, 2021


    The Montgomery Advertiser outlines how Montgomery County renters and landlords can access Alabama’s emergency rental and utility assistance program.

    Updated on April 17, 2021


    NPR shares the story of an Alabama resident who was evicted during the pandemic, highlighting that his experience is a window into what potentially millions more American may face if they cannot catch up on back rent by the end of June when the federal eviction moratorium expires. Felicia Jackson, the executive director of the Alabama Rural Coalition for the Homeless, says the organization is seeing many evictions, despite the CDC eviction moratorium.

    The Emergency Rental Assistance Alabama program is now taking applications. Landlords and tenants can apply at https://eraalabama.com/. Learn more about the ERA Alabama program at a webinar on March 18 at 3 pm CT.

    Updated on March 31, 2021


    The Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA) will soon begin administering relief through the $263 million Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Alabama Program. Check out these flyers for landlords and rentersutility providers, and information on ERA Alabama eligibility questions

    Updated on March 08, 2021


    Governor Kay Ivey authorized the Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA) to implement the state’s new $263 million COVID-19 emergency rental assistance program. AHFA expects to accept applications from landlords and tenants beginning March 1.

    Updated on February 22, 2021


    A patchwork of local, state, and federal eviction protections has made it difficult for the average tenant and landlord to navigate the process. While the federal eviction moratorium has protected many Alabama renters, others have fallen through the cracks due to loopholes and a lack of enforcement. Dev Wakeley, a policy analyst for Alabama Arise, says that current eviction moratoriums are not enough to protect low-income renters and others facing eviction.

    Updated on February 01, 2021


    Just weeks after the federal eviction moratorium and supplemental unemployment insurance benefit expired, Montgomery shelters are filling up again with people who are now homeless.

    Updated on August 25, 2020.


    Alabama is seeing an increase in eviction cases as Congress stalls on decisions to extend weekly unemployment benefits and state and federal moratoriums on evictions expire. Legal Services of Alabama, which provides legal aid to low-income families, told Alabama Daily News that the month of June saw a 70% increase in eviction cases compared to June of 2019.

    Updated on August 19, 2020.


    After Governor Kay Ivey allowed the statewide eviction moratorium to expire on June 1, up to 48% of Alabama renters are in danger of losing their homes due to the pandemic’s economic fallout.

    Alabama Arise released a statement on the Senate Republicans’ proposal for the next COVID-19 relief package. The statement outlines why the plan falls short of meeting the needs of low-income renters and urges Congress to include emergency rent and mortgage assistance in the next package.

    Updated on August 4, 2020.


    The Montgomery City Council on July 7 authorized Mayor Steven Reed to apply for $2.75 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG-CV). The federal funding would be used to re-house people experiencing homelessness, provide food to the elderly, expand COVID-19 testing and tracking, and establish an emergency crisis center.

    Updated on July 13, 2020.


    The city of Gadsden established a new utility assistance program to help residents who have fallen behind on their utility payments due to COVID-19. The program will be funded by Community Development Block Grant - Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds.

    Updated on June 12, 2020.


    Some Mobile County residents, including Elizabeth Chiepalich, who runs the Facebook group Homeless in Mobile, continue to distribute nutritional food, tents, mats, and other necessities to help people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.

    The Alabama Department of Public Health expanded coronavirus testing criteria to include certain asymptomatic, high-risk groups and individuals. The expanded criteria include people without symptoms who are residents of congregate housing settings, such as homeless shelters.


    Birmingham shelters and nonprofit organizations, including Firehouse, First Light, and the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope, continue to serve people experiencing homelessness while adjusting to new guidelines due to the pandemic.

    No information at this time.

    Federal, state, and local eviction moratoriums are rapidly expiring and the CARES Act supplemental unemployment benefits will end soon; at that time, millions of low-income renters will be at risk of losing their homes. The NLIHC estimates at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance is needed to keep low-income renters stably housed during and after the pandemic. This tracker links to news reports of the growing evictions crisis in various cities and states. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of eviction updates.


    Alabama is seeing an increase in eviction cases as Congress stalls and state and federal moratoriums on evictions expire. Legal Services of Alabama (LSA), which provides legal aid to low-income families, told Alabama Daily News that the month of June saw a 70% increase in eviction cases compared to June 2019.

    Updated: August 12


    In-person eviction proceedings resumed May 15; the governor's order to suspend enforcement of new and old eviction orders lapsed on June 1. Eviction cases have resumed both remotely and in person. 

    Updated: August 1


    In the third week of July, 1 in 3 adults in Alabama reported they had missed their previous housing payment or had little confidence they would make their next one on time, according to a weekly survey conducted by the Census. In the same survey, 215,128 renters reported they had not paid their previous rental payment300, 000 Alabamians received the extra weekly payments of $600 through the CARES Act, which expired on July 25. Now many will see their weekly unemployment checks drop below $300. 

    Jefferson, Mobile, Madison, and Montgomery CountiesThese are the state’s top evicting counties, and each saw a 50% increase in eviction filings from May-June after the eviction moratorium expired on June 1. July 22

    Updated: July 29 


    According to a weekly survey by the Census, 1 in 5 adults in the state either missed their last housing payment or have little/no confidence of being able to make next month’s housing payment.

    Jefferson County8-10 evictions are being conducted per day in Jefferson County since the state moratorium was lifted on June 1st. County officials say they have 425 pending evictions.June 6

    Updated: July 16 

    COVID-19 Resources Other

    National Media

    What to Know About Housing and Rent During the COVID-19 Emergency? https://tinyurl.com/y74ox85d

    Arbor Realty Trust launched an innovative $2 million rental assistance program to help thousands of tenants and families significantly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Arbor is contributing $1 million to the program and participating borrowers will match Arbor's advances to its tenants in need to help fill the rent gap during the hard-hit months of May and June. Together, the partnership program will provide $2 million in relief. https://tinyurl.com/y9r6x9vb