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HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra recently announced a joint-agency effort to increase access to COVID-19 prevention and treatment services, including testing and vaccines, among disproportionately affected communities, including among HUD-assisted households and people experiencing homelessness.

The Justice Department is appealing the decision.

On May 5, 2021, a federal judge in the District of Columbia set aside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nationwide moratorium on residential evictions, which the CDC had recently extended beyond its congressionally approved expiration date of March 31 to June 30, 2021 [Alabama Association of Realtors, et al. v. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services].

On March 31, the White House released an outline of a $2 trillion plan to rebuild U.S. infrastructure, with a focus on stimulating the long-term recovery of the American economy, combating climate change, and addressing persistent racial injustice. The framework, called the American Jobs Plan, calls for boosting federal investment in a range of infrastructure systems, including housing, transportation, schools, broadband, electric grid, and drinking water systems.

A recent study sought to glean lessons from the state and local rental assistance programs launched in 2020 before the emergency rental assistance programs funded by the coronavirus relief package signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020, ramps up. The difficult task of administering these funds will fall to state and local governments, many of which have never provided direct rental assistance, or will need to scale up their 2020 efforts significantly.

HUD’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently issued a report on a limited review conducted to determine the use of landlord incentives in the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration program to increase landlord participation and retention in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The review also considered landlord incentives to expand housing options for voucher households outside areas of low-income or minority concentration.

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee recently advanced the nomination of HUD Secretary-designate Marcia Fudge (D-OH) to the full Senate on a 17-7 bipartisan vote. If confirmed, Representative Fudge will be the first woman in 40 years, and the second Black woman, ever to lead HUD.

Each year, HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) issues a report summarizing what it considers the most serious management challenges facing the department. In turn, HUD is required to include this report in its annual agency financial report.

A federal judge recently issued a preliminary injunction to stop HUD from implementing a rule that would have made it harder to bring discrimination claims under the Fair Housing Act. The rule would have required plaintiffs to meet a higher threshold to prove unintentional discrimination, known as disparate impact. The new rule, which is an update to the agency’s 2013 disparate impact rule, would also have given defendants more leeway to rebut the claims.

COVID-19 has increased costs and reduced revenue for housing providers, making it harder for them to operate and invest in future housing projects, according to a survey by the National Leased Housing Association (NLHA) and ndp analytics. Conducted in August, the survey asked low- and moderate-income housing providers about additional expenses related to COVID-19, changes in rent revenue, and how the pandemic has affected their plans.

HUD recently announced the resumption of Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspections of HUD Multifamily and Public Housing properties and units under strict safety protocols during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. REAC inspections are the assessment tool that ensures HUD-assisted properties meet federal standards of health, safety, and accessibility. REAC inspections were paused due to the coronavirus outbreak in March of 2020.