Discussions on Rural Housing Needs Continue
Representatives from NAHB met recently with Thomas Dorr, under secretary for rural development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to promote housing opportunities for rural American families.
At that meeting, NAHB First Vice President Bobby Rayburn and Jess Hall, a rural builder and NAHB national vice president from Palmer, AK, said that adequate federal budget funding for the Rural Housing Service's (RHS) single- and multifamily programs is needed to provide new and preserve existing affordable housing in rural communities.
They also spoke in support of an RHS study to assess the extent of the financial and physical needs of the existing Sec. 515 rental housing portfolio and to determine how to improve current management practices.
Sec. 515 provides loans to eligible applicants — such as corporations, partnerships and associations — to construct housing in rural areas for low-income families and senior citizens, including the disabled and the handicapped.
The dialogue on rural housing will continue in June, National Homeownership Month, with NAHB’s participation in a Rural Housing Service Summit in Washington, D.C.
For more information from NAHB, e-mail Bill Renner or call him at 800-368-5242 x8597.