AARP Iowa is working to raise awareness of loans and grants the U.S. Department of Agriculture is making available to very low-income seniors for home repairs and improvements, known as the 504 Home Repair Program.

Theresa Greenfield, Iowa rural development director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the program is available to people in communities of 20,000 or fewer to help them stay in their homes. She pointed out the money can be used for a wide variety of improvements.

"Roofs. Windows. Electrical issues. Plumbing," Greenfield outlined. "Seniors who -- maybe their life has changed -- they need a hip replacement. They're going to be using a walker more often, and they want to make upgrades to their bathroom for example to become more handicapped accessible."

Since people have to meet certain criteria to qualify, Greenfield recommended working directly with the USDA to determine eligibility, and also to attend a webinar on May 24.

The program operates on making very low-interest loans or grants available to Iowans who qualify.

Greenfield noted since many people do not know about the program, a lot of money stands to go unused.

"We do about $47 million worth of grants and about $28 million worth of loans, and we have plenty of resources here in Iowa to help folks," Greenfield explained. "Again, it's the goal to keep folks in their homes."

While the grants are available for Iowans 62 and older, there is no age restriction on the loans.

The Kentucky Housing Corporation has received applications for housing funding from the state's Rural Housing Trust Fund requesting more than $18 million for rebuilding single family homes in regions of the state still recovering from catastrophic flooding and tornadoes.

Wendy Smith, deputy executive director of the Kentucky Housing Corporation, explained very few affected homeowners carry flood insurance, and homeowners' policies typically do not cover flooding. She said money from the trust fund will be critical for helping middle and moderate income Kentuckians rebuild their houses.

"We are viewing this allocation of state dollars as a really flexible source to keep the pipeline of housing work in recovery going," Smith noted. "And to grow it before the big federal money arrives."

According to a report by the Ohio River Valley Institute, approximately 9,000 homes in eastern Kentucky were damaged in last year's severe flooding. Rebuilding costs are estimated to be between $450 million and $950 million.

Smith pointed out that, unlike most housing programs, Rural Housing Trust Fund money can serve homeowners who earn up to 120% of a region's medium income.

"It is really a middle-income [program and] we can serve low-income folks," Smith emphasized. "We can also serve folks who earn slightly higher incomes, or maybe it's two earners in the family. And that's really important, because disasters do not care how much money you make."

According to the Ohio Valley Institute report, six in 10 families with flood-damaged have incomes of $30,000 a year or less.

Smith added long-term local and state funding is critical for a successful recovery and rebuilding.

"We've gotten this crash course in how this works, what the federal role is," Smith outlined. "What constitutes the kind of emergency response phase versus the longer term recovery and rebuilding phase. "

FEMA said the federal government has provided $159 million in assistance to eastern Kentuckians so far.


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Advocates for affordable housing in Virginia are holding a forum today for Richmond region candidates to speak with local residents about the state's housing crisis. Across Virginia, the median rent has increased 24%. Earlier this year, the City of Richmond declared a housing crisis based on low housing inventory. Virginia's General Assembly has taken up legislation to aid with this issue in the past, though it hasn't always been successful.

Laura Dobbs, policy director for Housing Opportunities Made Equal, said there are things the state can do.

"The state needs to invest a lot in housing," she said. "Both on the affordable side of simply preserving our existing affordable housing stock, building more affordable housing, but also on the home ownership side."

She added the state has an opportunity to invest in a more robust down-payment assistance program for homeowners. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates Virginia has more than 250,000 extremely low-income households, but only around 80,000 affordable homes available to rent. The forum starts at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 in Auditorium 101 of the Richmond Public Library's Main Branch.

The Richmond Eviction Lab finds statewide, eviction filings increased almost 4% between the end of 2022 and early 2023. But eviction judgements declined more than 9% in the same time period.

Christie Marra, housing advocacy director with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, thinks pandemic-era protections need to be reinstated to prevent eviction risks from rising further.

"We'd like to see the requirement that landlords provide information to tenants on that 'pay or quit' notice, about where they can go to get rental assistance, if their locality has anything," she explained.

Marra also called for the 14 day 'pay or quit' eviction notice be brought back. She said the state knows what works, but elected officials need to have the courage to implement these policies.

The affordable housing crisis in New Hampshire is widespread and a new survey found a majority of voters support legislative action to fix it.

The survey conducted by the Center for Ethics in Society at Saint Anselm College showed 60% of voters believe the state should change its planning and zoning laws to allow for more affordable housing development.

Max Latona, executive director of the center, said perceptions of affordable housing are changing as the problem hits closer to home for more people.

"They're recognizing their kids can't even buy a home in their own neighborhood; their aged parents can't find anywhere to relocate in their own neighborhood," Latona explained.

Latona pointed out a majority of voters showed a decline in so-called NIMBYISM and now support more housing in their own communities.

Every voter surveyed under age 35 agreed their community needs more affordable housing, and much of the demand was for the so-called "missing middle," including apartments, townhomes, or duplexes.

Latona noted young people are especially vulnerable to the housing shortage.

"If New Hampshire is one of the oldest states in the nation, I think we really need to pay attention to what our young people are saying so we can find a way to retain them and draw them to the state," Latona contended.

The recently released New Hampshire Zoning Atlas showed just 11% of the state's buildable land area is zoned for duplexes on small lots leading more developers to lobby for broader planning regulations.

Latona added the housing crisis is not only an urgent matter but one of justice and equity.



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