WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 19, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded nearly $1.8 billion to public housing authorities in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to make major large-scale improvements to the nation’s 1.1 million public housing units. View funding by public housing authority here

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 17, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — Four student-led teams from across the country are among the finalists selected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of a competition to encourage research and innovation in affordable housing design and planning. Among these finalists, one team of graduate students will be chosen for the best solution for redevelopment of the Revolutionary War-era DeBaun House in Bergen County, New Jersey into new permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans.

WASHINGTON – March 6, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — To help prevent thousands of people with disabilities from experiencing homelessness or unnecessary institutionalization, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the availability of approximately $120 million in funding for state housing agencies to provide long term project-based rental assistance to extremely low-income persons with disabilities, many of whom are transitioning out of institutional settings or are at high risk of homelessness.

WASHINGTON – March 6, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced $2 million in grants to stimulate job growth and business opportunities in chronically underserved rural areas along the U.S.-Mexico border region.

WASHINGTON – March 6, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan today unveiled HUD’s fiscal year 2015 budget proposal. This year The President’s Budget provides a roadmap for accelerating economic growth, expanding opportunity for all Americans, and ensuring fiscal responsibility. The Budget adheres to the 2015 spending levels agreed to in the Bipartisan Budget Act and shows the choices the President would make at those levels.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 5, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — Sales of new single-family houses in January 2014 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 468,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau

WASHINGTON – February 19, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today announced the following new residential construction statistics for January 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 13, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that DeAndra J. Cullen, Acting Director of the Fair Housing Division of Education and Outreach, has received the Atlanta-based Trumpet Award Foundation’s “High Heels Award” for her work in promoting civil rights and higher education. DeAndra J. Cullen, received the prestigious award at the Foundation’s recent awards banquet in Atlanta

WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 10, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the January edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard – a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. The latest data show progress among key indicators. In 2013, home sales had their strongest performance in several years, foreclosure starts were at their lowest annual level since 2005 and homeowners’ equity is up $3.4 trillion since the beginning of 2012. While this scorecard notes positive trends in the housing market, officials caution that the economy is still healing from the Great Recession

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 31, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that the city of Hammond, Indiana, and the Hammond Housing Authority (HHA) agreed to pay Maria Becerra, the former executive director of HHA $200,000 to settle allegations the city and HHA terminated her employment because she administered a HUD-funded rental assistance program that helped minority familiesmove into predominantly white neighborhoods In addition, HHA agreed to reopen its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program waiting list and inform the public about the reopening of the list

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 31, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced that it is granting expanded authority to lenders to accept electronic signatures (e-Signatures) on documents associated with mortgage loans. The new policy allows e-Signatures on origination, servicing, and loss mitigation documents, as well as FHA insurance claims, REO sales contracts and related addenda. Current FHA policy allows for electronic signatures only on third party documents such as sales contracts and other documents not controlled by the lender.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 28, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — Sales of new single-family houses in December 2013 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 414,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 7.0 percent (±17.5%)* below the revised November rate of 445,000, but is 4.5 percent (±19.8%)* above the December 2012 estimate of 396,000

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 27, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — Once suffering from blight and high concentrations of poverty, one of Anchorage, Alaska’s oldest neighborhoods is now a thriving mixed-use commercial corridor, providing residents with affordable housing and jobs while stimulating the surrounding local economy. Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the American Planning Association (APA) announced the Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA) will receive the

WASHINGTON – January 20, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Today the Obama Administration announced it is expanding the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Initiative to include Brownsville, TX; Flint, MI; Gary, IN; Macon, GA; Rockford, IL; St. Louis, MO; and Rocky Mount, NC. President Obama established SC2 in 2011 as an innovative and flexible program designed to strengthen local capacity, coordinate federal investments, and spark growth in economically distressed communities. The SC2 Initiative was developed through engagement with mayors, Members of Congress, foundations, nonprofits and other community partners who are committed to addressing the challenges facing local governments as they work to create economic opportunity for all residents

WASHINGTON WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 20, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today announced the following new residential construction statistics for December 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 13, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the December editionof the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard – a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. The latest data show progress among many key indicators. Home values continue to rise, contributing to both an increase in homeowners’ equity and a decline in underwater borrowers. While there is much good news in this scorecard, officials caution that the overall recovery remains fragile. The full Housing Scorecard is available online at www.hud.gov/scorecard.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 2, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded nearly $57 million in grants to help residents receiving housing assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher Program to gain access to education, job training and employment. HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Family Self-Sufficiency Program (HCV-FSS)helps public housing authorities across the country to hire or retain more than one thousand service coordinators who will work directly with families to connect them to the supportive services that meet their individual needs and to become gainfully employed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 2, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has charged Dardania Properties, LLC, in New York, NY, and its owner Hamid Nezaj with violating the Fair Housing Act by denying the requests of two disabled residents of a Bronx apartment building to keep a medically prescribed service and emotional support animal. HUD’s charge alleges that the owners denied multiple requests by the residents and threatened to evict them if they did not remove the animal.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 25, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Sales of new single-family houses in November 2013 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 464,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 18, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for November 2013: