Northwest HUD Lines
March 2021

HUD e-Briefs from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington
Michael S. Look, Region X Deputy Regional Administrator

Leland Jones, Editor, (206) 220-5356 or Leland.jones@hud.gov

www.hud.gov/alaska	www.hud.gov/idaho
www.hud.gov/oregon	www.hud.gov/washington
https://twitter.com/hudnorthwest	www.facebook.com/HUDNorthwest

EXTENDING PROTECTIONS
HUD has announced the extension of the moratorium foreclosure & evictions because of adverse effects COVID-19 through June 30th. The extension includes FHA - Federal Housing Administration - single family forward mortgages, Home Equity Conversion mortgages & mortgages under the Section 184 Indian Home Loan guarantee program. "As President Biden has made clear, it is urgent that we help homeowners throughout the nation who are struggling financially from this unprecedented national emergency," said Acting HUD Secretary Matthew Ammon. "The steps we are taking today will provide both immediate relief to those in desperate need of assistance & help more homeowners keep their homes & resume their payments when the pandemic subsides." As of the end of calendar year 2020, there were more than 260,000 FHA-insured & Section 184 homebuyers in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington.

COMBATTING DISCRIMINATION
Reflecting Executive Order 13988 signed by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on January 20th, his first afternoon as President, related to Preventing & Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation, HUD's Office of Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity has issued a directive that announced that it will administer & enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation & gender identity. Doing so, said HUD Principal Deputy General Counsel Damon Y. Smith, "isn't just the right thing to do-it's the correct reading of the law" as decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in Bostock v Clayton County.

A REMINDER
If you or someone you know is among the almost one-quarter of Oregon households that depend on domestic or private wells & your well may have been damaged by last fall's wildland fires, please don't forget that the Oregon Health Authority has set a March 15 to obtain a test kit that will allow you to determine if, in fact, your well was damaged. For more, visit.

BRIEF BRIEFS
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has issued a Major Disaster Declaration as a result of severe storms that struck southeast Alaskan communities like Juneau, Haines, Petersburg & Skagway from November 30 to December 2. . .Oregon Housing & Community Services launches its Landlord Compensation Fund that was created by the Legislature to cover up to 80 percent of the losses landlords have sustained because tenants are unable to pay their rent because of the pandemic. . .City of Boise, Idaho, says KTVB-TV, encourages residents adversely affected by COVID-19 & at or below area median income & having difficulty paying rent to apply for assistance from latest Federal pandemic relief bill. . .The day before February 16 when it began accepting applications for up to 12 months of rent & utility bill relief Homes for eligible Alaskans hard-hit by COVID 19, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation reported that 15,193 Alaskans already had pre-registered their interest in the help (P.S.-window closes at 11:59 p.m. March 6). . .Homes for Good Housing, Lane County, Oregon Housing and Community Services & their partners on virtually celebrate the grand opening of The Commons of MLK in Eugene providing 51 units of supportive, affordable housing for the chronically homeless. . .The Everett, Washington Herald says Housing Hope plans tumor than double its Twin Lakes Landing apartment complex in Marysville adding 60 more affordable housing in what will be only the second "passive" multifamily building in Washington state. . .Boise, Idaho City Council votes unanimously to re-zone a 5-acre parcel that was once a school but then became the first property in City's Affordable Housing Land Trust & will now, BoiseDev reports,, & as a result of the vote will be site of 200 new affordable housing units. . .Thanks to $4.2 million state-funded grant from Oregon Community Foundation's Project Turnkey, the non-profit Options for Helping Residents of Ashland buys the first hotel - a former 50- unit Sleep 8 - to shelter families left homeless by wildfires last fall says Jefferson Public Radio & just a couple of days later, says KTVZ-TV, the City of Bend Council votes unanimously to use its funding from Project Turnkey to pursue purchase of 50-unit Old Mill Inn & Suites to offer transitional housing to the homeless. . .Rasmuson Foundation & Weidner Apartment Homes Alaska partnering to buy large downtown Anchorage parcel currently home to Beans Cafe to, says KTUU-TV "continue to provide aid to the at-risk community in the city". . .The Olympian reports that in Washington Thurston County & the cities of Lacey, Tumwater & Yelm have signed a 5-year intergovernmental agreement to form "a council focused on unifying their response to the local homeless crisis". . .HUD awards Washington communities $93 million, Oregon communities $59.5 million, Idaho communities $19.9 million and Alaska communities $9.3 million in Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnership, Emergency Solutions Grants & Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS/HIV grants.

THANKS
Just a few weeks ago HUD announced the award of more than $2.2 billion in Continuum of Care funds to renew our support of more than 6,600 locally developed and operated projects to prevent and end homelessness. Some $84 million was awarded to almost 200 projects in Washington. In getting that money out the door and to those projects, of course, we were just doing our job. Nothing more, nothing less. Which is why we are very appreciative when one of our partners takes the time to call the public's attention to and thank us for doing our job. As Lisa Brown, director of the Washington Department of Commerce did in a February press release. Washington State, "had a homeless crisis before COVID, and today, sadly, we're seeing even more people in need, some for the first time in their lives," she wrote. "This HUD funding is vitally important to strengthen communities in our battle to end homelessness." Since we are very proud of the work we do, we thank Dr. Brown for acknowledging that work. She her colleagues and all our partners can be sure that along as there are people and communities in need, we will always understand there is still more work for us to do. They should never expect anything less from us.

WELL DONE
An investigation by Melanie Hertel and Eugene Hairston of HUD Region X's Office of Davis-Bacon & Labor Relations in Seattle has led the U.S. Department of Labor's Wages and Hours Division to order a sub-contractor working on $7 million HUD-funded Homes for Good housing agency affordable housing projects in Eugene and Springfield to pay $68,000 in wages owed to workers that they not receive. The Davis-Bacon Act requires contractors on a HUD-funded project to pay wages set for each position by the Department of Labor. In this instance, The Register Guard reports, the sub-contractor - Mustang Ridge of Salem, Oregon - was having workers do carpentry, but paid them a lower laborer's wage. "HUD and its partners pay contractors a good and fair price for the work we want them to do," said HUD Oregon Field Office Director Tony Ramirez. "So, it's only fair that their workers get the wages that, under law, they're due. A tip of my hat to Eugene, Melanie and our colleagues at Labor for the good work they've done."

SCALING DOWN
"McMansions" apparently aren't welcome in the City of McCall, Idaho where, says BoiseDev, the City Council has voted to ban new homes of 10,000 square feet or more in a state where the average house size is 2,108 square feet.

STEPPING UP
Noting that the Federal government can "better serve people in need through partnerships with civil society, while preserving our fundamental constitutional commitments,"by executive order President Joseph R. Biden has established a White House Office on Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships to lead Federal efforts to "enlist, equip, enable, empower, & expand the work of community-serving organizations, both faith-based and secular, to the extent permitted by law." Historically, HUD partners with hundreds of non-profit & faith-based organizations to fulfill its mandates, maybe even more than any other Federal agency.

BUYING-IN
"Tiny home" villages seem to be popping-up everywhere as, realizing their affordable housing inventories are stretched to snapping, communities big & small try to create safe, comfortable & affordable as alternatives for the homeless who'd otherwise have to sleep in the woods or on the streets. Villages like HUB City in Albany, Oregon that will provide code-compliant, self-sustaining 400-square-foot homes to 25 homeless people. But there's something profoundly different about this tiny home village says Carol Davies of the Creating Housing Coalition in The Corvallis Gazette. Every month, she says, each resident will pay $50 a month to support HUB City in return for which they will become a member of a cooperative & have an ownership interest in HUB City. And if and when they want to move, what they've contributed will be refunded. Interesting, innovative approach, we'd say.

BRIEF BRIEFS TWO
President Joseph R. Biden issues major disaster declaration in 10-county area of eastern Washington damaged by devastating wildfires & straight-line winds from September 1 to 19, 2020. . .After receiving applications for 4 percent tax credit funding more than four times the amount it expected to allocate in its January 2021 round, Washington State Housing Finance Commission reserves portion of its anticipated June 2021 allocation round allowing it to approve 13 new affordable housing projects with 2,374 units. . .City of Bend, Oregon Council;, says The Bulletin, okays allocation of $1.3 million in city funds to support 3 projects by Housing Works, Mary Rose Place & Bend Heroes Foundation to create "more than 400" additional affordable housing units. . .Metro Oregon reports that it has already produced 2,100 of the 3,600 of affordable units it had anticipated using jut a third of the funds provided by a property tax levy approved by voters in Multnomah, Washington & Clackamas counties in 2018 says West Linn Tidings. . .Puyallup Tribe of Indians & the Low Income Housing Institute are partnering to build 30-house tiny home community on Tribal land in Tacoma for those Tribal members experiencing homelessness says The News Tribune. . .The News Guard says FEMA begins developing 21 suites for temporary housing for people left homeless by 2020 wildfires on land owned by Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in Lincoln City Oregon. . .Washington Department of Commerce awards $3.7 million in Low Income Solar Development funds to 9 projects that will save 2.8 megawatts, enough, it says, to serve 322 typical homes or 12 million electric vehicle miles. . .On a one-acre site the Kennewick, Washington Housing Authority has begun placing 16 tiny, micro-homes for homeless families with children that were manufactured in Idaho & ranging in size from 300 to 600 square feet says Tri-City Herald. . .HUD awarded $94.4 million in Indian Housing Block Grant funds to Alaska Tribes & Villages, $3.7 million to Idaho Tribes, $15.2 million to Oregon Tribes & $42.4 to Washington Tribes to preserve & expand housing stock.

GOT A CHOICE?
Are you aware of an affordable housing project completed in 2020 or to be completed in 2021 that the world ought to know about? Well, here's your chance to show it a little love! Affordable Housing Finance magazine has set March 12th deadline to submit nominations for its 17th Annual Readers' Choice Awards. Why not share your favorite!

GOT A FAVORITE
There are plenty of remarkably well-done historic preservation projects in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington. And you may have favorite one or two. Why not call attention to the hard & historic work you've admired. HUD & the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation set April 16th deadline to submit nominations for the 2021 HUD Secretary's Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation. Don't be shy. Nominate your favorite today!

GOT AN IDEA?
All of us have had the experience of going to a conference or two that, looking back at them, didn't really address head-on the challenges & issues you & your organization are experiencing. So, here is your chance to help develop the agenda & focus on the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliances Conference on Ending Homelessness in October. The Coalition has set a March 22nd deadline for folks who have an idea for a 60-to-75-minute presentation that would be of interest, of course, to you but to the hundreds of other Washington housing ^ community advocates who will be tuning-in. For some tips on how to put a lively, provocative presentation together, visit. And once you're ready to submit your proposal, visit.

NOFA-NOTE
Washington Department of Commerce says it expects to publish application guidance on its 2021 Community Development Block Grant general purpose grant program for non-entitlement cities, towns & counties on March 17 with an application deadline of June 2.

NOFA-SOON-ITY
On March 31 HUD Northwest & HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control & Healthy Homes will host an on-line informational session on upcoming funding opportunities through its Lead Hazard Control & Healthy Homes competitive grant programs. Visit.

NOFA-TUNITY
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines which serves, among other states, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington has opened the technical assistance to affordable housing developers & Member banks that expect to submit applications for its 2021 Affordable Housing Fund competition. The application deadline is May 1.

NOFA-TWO-NITY
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has set March 25th deadline for CDFIs & Native CDFI to submit completed applications for total $1.25 billion in CDFI Rapid Response Program funds to help their communities prepare for, and respond to the economic impact of the coronavirus. See February 26 Federal Register or visit.

NOFA-THREE-NITY
USDA has April 1 deadline for eligible organizations -- non-profits, Tribes, units of state or local gov't - to submit pre-applications for this year's first round of Section 514 Farm Labor Housing loans & Section 516 Farm Labor Housing grants.

NO-FOUR-TUNITY
Business Oregon has set an April 30 deadline for non-entitlement cities, towns & counties in Oregon to apply for almost $12.8 million in Community Development Block Grant - CDBG - funds from HUD. Activities may include public works projects, housing rehabilitation, public community facilities & microenterprise activities, all of which should principally benefit low- and moderate-income residents. For more information, visit and, once there, you will find a link to a Method of Distribution document as well as a two-part Webinar explaining the application process.

NO-FIVE-TUNITY
Business Oregon also has set an April 30 deadline for non-entitlement cities, towns & counties in Oregon to apply for CDBG-DR funds to assist them in addressing the challenges posed to their communities by the pandemic, including just under $3 million for Small Business & Microenterprise Relief, just over $2.2 for Emergency Rental Relief & just over $2million for a COVID-19 Impact Assistance Program to help food banks, child care centers, public facilities & other community institutions serving low- moderate-income people that have been adversely affected by the pandemic., For more, visit.

BRIEF BRIEFS THREE
HUD awarded $3 million in capital funds to Alaska's housing authority, $1.5 million to 9 Idaho authorities, $8.9 million to 12 Oregon authorities & $30.9 million to 22 Washington authorities for projects like roof replacement, energy-efficient & HVAC upgrades & installing water conservation measure. . .Saying "we need affordable housing desperately in this town," the Mayor & Council of the City of Pendleton vote unanimously to okay 3.5 acre land acquisition by the non-profit Horizon Project to build 70 units of housing for families at or below 50 percent of areas median says East Oregonian. . .Metro Portland awards $190,000 in Community Placemaking grants to 12 organizations. . A partnership formed by the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation & Cook Inlet Housing, reports The Anchorage Daily News, is now accepting applications from eligible Alaskans hard-hit by COVID-19 for up to 12 months of rent and utility assistance. . .Oregon Housing & Community Services' Housing Stability Council okays funding for proposals submitted by Hacienda CDC, Housing Works & NAYA - the Native American Youth & Family Center - to build 236 new units of affordable housing in Prineville & Portland. . .Citing an "informal survey" of 167 faith organizations in Boise area that found they owned 180 unused land - an area larger than the Boise State University campus - LEAP Housing Solutions launches dialogue with the organizations to encourage them to use the parcels as affordable housing sites, reports BoiseDev. . .Oregon Housing & Community Services award $3 million in Rental Market Resource funds to Fair Housing Council of Oregon, Community Alliance of Tenants, Transition Projects, and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization to t help low-income individuals find housing in urban & rural communities.

FAC-TASTIC
How do Oregon IDA - Individual Development Account - holders put their savings to work? In a word - "smartly." Some 34 percent buy a home; 29 percent take postsecondary classes; 20 percent launch a micro-enterprise; 10 percent buy a car to commute to & from a job or school. says the Oregon IDA Initiative.

FACT-SINATING
So, these days what's hot & what's not? A recent analysis by Porch.com reports that Idaho is among the 10 states with lowest rental vacancy rates. Which may help explain why another also recent t Apartment List National Rent Report study found that Boise rents rose 12.5 percent from January, 2020 to January, 2021 - the largest rise among cities across the nation with Spokane Valley rising 12 percent not far behind. That's hot. But over the same period rents fell in Seattle, Bellevue & Portland. That's not so hot (but probably news very well-received by renters in those cities!).

NOT-SO-FAC-TASTIC
Not to add insult to injury, but according to a recent study by Fleet Logging of traffic patterns in 141 cities around the world. Ranking first in the number of miles you can drive in an hour if you wait for off-peak hours - 14.7 miles - is Boise, Idaho. The good news? It only ranks 5th in the list of the "Worst Rush Hours" in the world. So, if you find yourself stranded in traffic in Boise, maybe you can console yourself with the fact that you'd be even more so in Marseilles, Lyon, Paris or Monaco.

JUST PUBLISHED
.USDA has posted its single-family loan limits for Federal fiscal year 2021. . .HUD economists publish a brand-new housing market profile for Anchorage & MatSu metropolitan area in Alaska. . .Idaho Housing and Finance Association & Idaho Fair Housing Forum release 4 videos to help you make sure "YOU KNOW YOUR RIGHTS" under the Fair Housing Act. . .Washington Housing Finance Commission, Washington Energy Trust & Seattle City Lights post archived "Solar Panels Don't Have to Break the Bank" Webinar. . .City Club of Eugene hosts 60-minute panel discussion broadcast on KLCC-FM on Losing Health & Home: Oregon's Pending COVID-19 Eviction Crisis. . .In case you missed it, FHA has posted an on-line recording of a detailed February Webinar on Mortgagee Letter 2021-05 Extensions of Single Family Foreclosure and Eviction Moratorium, Start Date of COVID-19 Initial Forbearance, & Home Equity Conversion Mortgage. . .Oregon Housing & Community Services posts archived Webinar on its recently-launched Landlord Compensation Fund. . .Alaska Housing Finance Corporation posts 2020 Annual Report.

HEADS UP!
There are just 152 days remaining until the HUD housing counselor certification final compliance date on August 01, 2021. Don't delay, certify today!

NOTES TO NOTE
.U.S. Department of Labor VETS program sets March 1st deadline for local governments, Tribes, non- & for-profit organizations to apply for $500,000 Homeless Veterans Reintegration Grants to get vets back into the workforce. . .Affordable Housing Finance magazine sets March 12th deadline to submit nominations for its 17th annual Readers' Choice Awards. . .HUD sets March 15th deadline to submit comments on proposed rule on the implementation of national standards for the physical inspection of real estate. .HUD sets March 22nd deadline for housing authorities with Housing Choice Voucher programs to apply for up to 40 grants totaling $20 million for its FYI - Foster Youth to Independence - program that's helping young people "aging-out" of foster care from becoming homeless. . .U.S. Treasury has set March 25th deadline for CDFIs & Native CDFI to submit completed applications for total $1.25 billion in CDFI Rapid Response Program funds. . .USDA sets April 1st deadline for eligible organizations -- non-profits, Tribes, units of state or local governments to submit pre-applications for this year's first round of Section 514 Farm Labor Housing loans & Section 516 Farm Labor Housing grants. . .HUD sets April 15th deadline for Tribes & Tribally designated Housing Entities for $3.2 million for up to 25 new HUD Tribal VASH-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing - grants. . .HUD & Advisory Council on Historic Preservation set April 16th deadline to submit nominations for the 2021 HUD Secretary's Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation. . .Business Oregon sets April 30 deadline for non-entitlement cities, towns & counties to apply for over $12 million in "regular" CDBG funding as well as an additional $7 million in CDBG-DR funding provided by the CARES Act. . .Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines sets May 1 deadline to apply for 2021 Affordable Housing Program funds. . .HUD sets May 26deadline for non-profits to apply for up to 45 Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Low-Income Elderly capital advance awards & project-based rental assistance totaling $150 million. . .Washington Department of Commerce sets June 2 deadline for non-entitlement cities, towns & counties to apply for CDBG general purpose grants. . .USDA's Rural Utilities Services is now accepting letters of intent from potential applications from eligible intermediaries for its Rural Energy Savings Program to help families & small businesses achieve savings from cost-effective, energy-efficient measures.

A REMINDER
HUD offices in Anchorage, Boise, Portland & Seattle are open for business. But as of May 1st due to limited on-site staffing during the coronavirus outbreak, and consistent with local public health social distancing guidelines, the best way to contact us is via e-mail at AK_Webmanager@hud.gov in Alaska, ID_Webmanager@hud.gov in Idaho, OR_Webmanager@hud.gov in Oregon or WA_Webmanager@hud.gov in Washington, or call us at 206-220-5101. And, of course, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook or at four state Web sites. You'll find their addresses in the masthead above. We look forward to hearing from you.

COMING UP
Healthy Homes Partnership & HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control & Healthy Homes he host Webinar on Navigating Disaster Recovery: Strategies in Winter and Spring, March 4, on-line. Visit

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Webinar on LIHTC Average Income Minimum Set Aside Test - Updates, March 4, on-line. Visit

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Webinar on Conquering LIHTC Utility Allowances, March 9, on-line. Visit

Affordable Housing Management Association of Washington hosts Webinar on Understanding LIHTC with RD, March 10, on-line. Visit

HUD Seattle hosts Webinar on Davis-Bacon Labor Standards & Section 3 for CDBG Managers, March 10, on-line. Visit & please register by March 4.

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Webinar on Landlord Tenant Law, March 11, on-line. Visit

Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies hosts webcast on Affordable Housing, Zoning & the Bottom Line: What Can Other Cities Learn from the 100 Percent Affordable Housing Overlay in Cambridge, March 11, on-line. Visit

HUD hosts Public Housing Agencies "Best Practices" in Leasing Strategies During COVID-19, March 11, on-line. Visit

HUD Seattle hosts Webinar on Davis-Bacon Labor Standards & Section 3 for Housing Authorities & Tribes, on-line, March 11. Visit & please register by March 4.

Washington Housing Finance Commission hosts Tax Credit Fundamentals Webinar, March 16, on-line. Visit & please register by March 9.

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Webinar on Conquering the Top Five Most Common Eligibility Errors in Affordable Housing, March 17, on-line. Visit

HUD hosts Public Housing Agencies "Best Practices" Webinar on Continuing to Engage with Landlords During COVID-19, March 22, on-line. Visit

Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies hosts Webcast on Advancing Transit-Oriented Communities & Planning for Equity in Los Angeles, March 26, on-line. Visit

Affordable Housing Management Association of Washington hosts Webinar on USDA Rural Development Update, on-line, March 17. Visit

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Conquering LIHTC Compliance with Optional HCCP Exam Webinar, March 23 to 25, on-line. Visit

HUD Northwest & HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control & Healthy Homes host an on-line informational session on upcoming funding opportunities in its Lead Hazard Control & Healthy Homes grant programs, March 31, on-line. Visit

Affordable Housing Management Association of Washington hosts Basic Tax Credits Webinar, March 24, on-line. Visit

Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Webinar on Can't We All Get Along?: Dealing with Difficult People & Difficult Situations, March 31, on-line. Visit

HUD Northwest & HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control & Healthy Homes host Webinar on Healthy Homes & Lead hazard Control funding opportunities, March 31, on-line. Visit

Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies hosts Webcast on The $15,000 Question: Who Do Down Payment Programs Help & How Should They be Designed, April 6, on-line. Visit

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Webinar on Conquering Tenant LIHTC File Audits, April 7, on-line. Visit

Association of Alaska Housing Authorities hosts on-line Workshop on Residential Endorsement, April 13 to 15, on0-line. Visit

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Webinar on EIV Income Discrepancies: Don't Go Crazy - It's a Tool!, April 14, on-line. Visit

Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies hosts Webcast on How are Landlords Managing the COVID-19 Rental Crisis? - Evidence from a Large Cross-Site Survey, April 26 on-line. Visit

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Webinar on The Student Rules: Keeping Them Straight, April 27, on-line. Visit

Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Webinar on Intermediate HUD Occupancy, April 28, on-line. Visit.

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