Florida CARH News
FHFA Expands America’s Affordable Housing Supply in Rural and Underserved Communities; 2) Senate Passes FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
On August 5, FHFA issued a Press Release entitled, Consistent with the One Big Beautiful Bill, U.S. Federal Housing Expands America’s Affordable Housing Supply in Rural and Underserved Communities.
Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Unanimously Passes “ROAD to Housing Act” Bill – Rural Housing Provisions Included
On July 29, 2025, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, by a unanimous vote of 24-0, passed legislation titled the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act (hereafter referred to as its short title, the “ROAD to Housing Act”).
USDA Announces Reorganization
USDA issued a Press Release on July 24 entitled “Secretary Rollins Announces USDA Reorganization, Restoring the Department’s Core Mission of Supporting American Agriculture”. Included in the press release, is a Secretary Memorandum on this subject.
USDA will Begin Accepting Applications for the Rural Energy for America Program on October 1, 2025
The grant application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) will open on October 1, 2025.
USDA Seeks Applications for Funding to Help Rural Towns Strengthen Housing and Economic Development
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development invites applications for grants to provide strong rural communities the leadership and technical know-how to keep growing.
Congress Passes Sweeping Reform Bill with Key Housing Provisions
The newly signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes a permanent 12% increase to the 9% Housing Credit, reduced bond financing requirements, and new rural incentives through Opportunity Zones. Learn how these changes impact affordable housing in rural communities and what’s next for FY 2026 appropriations.
George Kelly Named Administrator for USDA’s Rural Housing Service; Joe Gilson New RD Chief of Staff
George Kelly named administrator for USDA’s Rural Housing Service and Joe Gilson new RD chief of staff.
June 2025 Rural Development Housing News
HUD, budget, USDA updates and more featured in the June 2025 Rural Development Housing News blog.
Save the Date: Florida CARH 2025 Annual Conference — Registration Now Open!
Mark your calendars! Florida CARH’s highly anticipated 2025 Annual Conference will take place October 27–30 at Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater. This premier event brings together professionals, owners, managers, and stakeholders dedicated to advancing affordable rural housing in Florida.
CARH to Testify at House Committee Hearing on Rural Housing on June 12, 2025
The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on June 12 entitled, “Housing in the Heartland: Addressing Our Rural Housing Needs.” CARH will be there to testify.
HUD Proposes Rescission of Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Regulations
On June 3, 2025, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to rescind its Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing regulations, codified at 24 CFR parts 108 and 200, subpart M.
House Narrowly Passes Budget Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed budget reconciliation tax legislation last week by a 215-214 vote. The bill includes key measures to expand affordable housing, extend the Opportunity Zones (OZ) incentive, and scale back certain clean energy tax credits. It now heads to the Senate.
HUD: Utilize Existing Mailboxes for Workload Requests
HUD reminded owners, agents and partners that it is critical that all asset management workload requests for HUD be submitted to the existing incoming mailboxes previously established for our Multifamily regional and satellite offices.
Senators Tina Smith, Mike Rounds Reintroduce Bipartisan Rural Housing Legislation
On April 3, 2025, Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) issued a press release announcing that they reintroduced The Rural Housing Service Reform Act which would “improve federal rural housing programs, cut red tape, and strengthen the supply of affordable housing in small towns and rural communities.”
CARH Letter to USDA on Recommendations to Streamline RD Programs
HUD Releases Income Limits for Fiscal Year 2025
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the FY 2025 Income Limits for various HUD housing programs, which determine eligibility and maximum rents for households receiving rental assistance or living in properties financed by these programs. For FY 2025, income limits increased by a maximum of 9.2%, with a 4.6% average change for Very Low Income households. The new limits, effective immediately, also include updates to geographic area definitions and apply to properties funded by the Housing Credit and Multifamily Bond programs, as well as Multifamily Tax Subsidy Projects.
NLIHC Report: Nation Has Shortage of 7.1 Million Rental Homes Affordable, Available for ELI Renters
The United States has a shortage of 7.1 million rental homes that are affordable and available to extremely low-income (ELI) renters, according to The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, the annual report released March 13 by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)
Yardi Matrix Focuses on Upcoming LIHTC Affordability Restriction Loss
Making use of exclusive data from the Yardi® Matrix affordable housing database, the latest Yardi Matrix Research Bulletin on the affordable housing sector draws attention to the potential loss of Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) affordability restrictions across the U.S.