NLIHC

WASHINGTON - March 25, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- According to Out of Reach 2014, a report released today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, an individual needs to earn $18.92 an hour to afford a two-bedroom rental until at Fair Market Rent. This figure is referred to as the “Housing Wage.” Today’s national average Housing Wage is more than two-and-a-half times the federal minimum wage, and 52% higher than it was in 2000

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 17, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) released the legislative text of their bipartisan housing finance reform proposal. The bill as drafted would provide the most significant new investment in rental housing affordable to America’s neediest families in forty years. It could provide over $3.5 billion a year for the National Housing Trust Fund.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, made public his proposal to reform the federal tax code, in which he calls for changes to the mortgage interest deduction. He would lower the cap on the size of mortgage for which interest can be deducted from $1 million to $500,000. Mr. Camp’s willingness to change the mortgage interest deduction indicates that it is no longer the untouchable third rail of tax policy and is ripening for reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 7, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) gained new leadership as Mel Watt was sworn in as the new director. Mr. Watt brings deep knowledge of and a fresh set of eyes on some of the most complicated housing policy questions facing our country. I am confident that he will give all issues before him a thorough and objective analysis, backed by his values that are rooted in social and economic justice

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 11, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Representative Mel Watt (D-NC) as the new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, marking a great day for the millions of low income Americans in need of decent, affordable homes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 12, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- According to Housing Instability Among Our Nation’s Veterans, a report released today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 1.5 million veteran households suffered from severe housing cost burden in 2011, spending more than 50% of their income on housing. There were also significant disparities among veteran households, with veteran households headed by a racial minority, females, and those with a disability more likely to be cost burdened than their counterparts.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 1, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, a minority of U.S. Senators prevented the full Senate from voting on the nomination of Representative Mel Watt (D-NC) to be the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Once again, the threat of a filibuster by Republicans has prevented an up or down vote in the Senate on a matter of great national importance. Because Mr. Watt’s nomination was not allowed to go forward, an acting director will remain in charge of this vital federal agency.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - October 17, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The United for Homes campaign has released a two-minute video titled “The Solution.” The animated video explains the nationwide shortage of affordable housing, and how the campaign proposal to fund the National Housing Trust Fund through modifications to the mortgage interest deduction would help end homelessness in America.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - October 1, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the first United for Homes road trip kicks off in the state of Michigan. National Low Income Housing Coalition President Sheila Crowley and Outreach Associate Joe Lindstrom will travel throughout Michigan from October 1 to October 4 for a series of eight events to highlight the United for Homes campaign to fund the National Housing Trust Fund with revenue raised from modifications to the mortgage interest deduction.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, along with four individual plaintiffs and the Right to the City Alliance, filed a lawsuit against the Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Edward DeMarco, for failing to uphold Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s statutory requirement to make contributions to the National Housing Trust Fund.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- With this week’s announcements of record profits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the National Low Income Housing Coalition calls on the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Obama Administration to fulfill the statutory requirement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make contributions to the National Housing Trust Fund

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 17, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- On April 17, a house from the Oglala Sioux Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation will be placed on Union Square near the U.S. Capitol to draw attention to the lack of affordable housing and poor housing conditions experienced by American Indians on the Northern Planes and other reservations. The house, built in 1961, was the first federally assisted housing unit built on the Pine Ridge Reservation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 22, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- A poll commissioned by the National Low Income Housing Coalition finds that while most Americans do favor the mortgage interest deduction, majorities of Americans support proposals to make the tax break more targeted, and more than half want the savings from reform to be used to end homelessness

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) announced the launch of a major new campaign to reshape U.S. tax policy to make affordable housing more available to the nation’s 10.1 million extreme low-income renter households. The centerpiece of the NLIHC campaign is a proposal to modify the mortgage interest deduction for higher income Americans and invest the savings in the National Housing Trust Fund, which was established to serve low-income housing needs. The organization today also released a new national public opinion poll showing broad, bipartisan support for such a proposal

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 5, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- This annual research report is the source of the often-cited Housing Wage, or the hourly wage that an individual must earn to afford a modest market-rate rental home. Out of Reach highlights this data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country, and provides additional data about housing affordability such as local wages and housing costs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 28, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Millions of Americans will be writing their rent checks tomorrow. But as a new report shows, millions of the lowest income renters will be making rent payments far greater than what they can afford.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 26, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Low income renters in the United States are experiencing record rates of unaffordable housing costs, according to a new report from HUD. The report, Worst Case Housing Needs 2011, shows 8.48 million renter households experiencing “worst case housing needs,” a 19% increase since 2009 and a 43.5% increase since 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address to Congress last night, called for several measures to deal with the great income divide in the United States, including a substantial increase in the minimum wage. This is good news and Congress should pass such legislation without delay.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 16, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- In 2010, there were 9.8 million extremely low income renter households in the United States, and only 3 million rental homes affordable and available to these households. This shortage of 6.8 million rental units means that only 30 rental homes are affordable and available for every 100 extremely low income renters.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 14, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- President Barack Obama’s FY13 budget request, released today, struggles to keep housing programs funded at a basic level while relying on the lowest income Americans to bear part of the burden of deficit reduction.