Community Development Field

Trasviña Hints at a Fairer Housing Act; Principal Reduction in Store?

John Trasvina, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, emphasized HUD and Treasury’s central role the federal response to the housing crisis, this morning, as well as hinting […]

John Trasvina, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, emphasized HUD and Treasury’s central role the federal response to the housing crisis, this morning, as well as hinting at further tacks taken by the administration as it continues to address a crisis with as yet elusive solutions

Trasvina offered his remarks to roughly 250 housing advocates at the National Community Reinvestments Coalition’s 2010 National Convention, taking place this week in Washington, DC., while echoing an agency-wide message of reviving the agency’s relevance. “It’s my job to make sure the office relevant in 2010 and to the needs and concerns of people across the country,” he said.

Specifically, the assistant secretary pointed to the 1968 passage of the Fair Housing Act following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., suggesting that the Act was not only necessary policy, but one that promoted national solidarity. “We have to make sure we are accessible to everyone, and we have to be a gateway to those who are marginalized.”

Part of that access is making the Fair Housing Act “relevant to the 21st century,” including for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Congress has begun what is expected to a be series of hearings on the Fair Housing Act that will consider whether changes to the law are necessary, as well as considering an expansion of the law to include LGBT people. After ENDA, expansion of the Fair Housing Act would only be the second effort of Congress to include the LGBT community in the country’s civil rights laws.

“People are hiding behind their identies to buy a house,” Trasvina said, adding that HUD is currently conducting a housing discrimination study — conducted once every 10 years.

Principal Reduction?

Trasvina also gave a glimpse of more action taken by HUD and Treasury in responding to the foreclosure crisis. In response to a question posed by Phyllis Salowe-Kaye of New Jersey Citizen Action about the administration’s recently announced short-sale program within Making Home Affordable, where the servicing bank receives a subsidy to assist a family in danger of foreclosure with relocation assistance, Trasvina appeared to suggest the administration is considering encouraging banks to engage in mortgage principal reduction — a move long supported by housing advocates, despite a cool response from the administration so far.

  • Aerial view of the capital city of Montpelier, Vermont. Leaves in bright fall colors, and three church spires among the small-city houses and building of brick and clapboard.

    States Are Using This Tool to Keep LIHTC Housing Affordable for Longer

    September 13, 2024

    Some state finance agencies are using qualified allocation plans, or QAPs, to extend affordability of LIHTC housing beyond 30 years and increase tenant protections. Here's a look at where it's happening.

  • View from an upper floor of a small-city street, with two- and three-story brick buildings lining the street, and cars parked on the curb. A brick chimney at the back of the buildings is set against a bright blue sky.

    Standing Up for Small CDCs

    August 28, 2024

    Neighborhood-scale community development organizations have community connections and trust that can’t be replicated by larger organizations, and they should be valued as the foundation of the field.

  • Affordable Housers Face Deepening Rental Arrears and Ballooning Expenses

    August 2, 2024

    Four years after the pandemic first wrought havoc on the American economy, nonprofit housers are being overwhelmed by rental arrears. Can they balance their social mission against their operational realities?