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Johns Hopkins University researchers recently issued a policy research brief exploring the effects of affordable housing on the cognitive development, physical health, and emotional well-being of children living in poverty. Though how much a family spent on housing had no effect on a child’s physical or social health, when it came to cognitive ability, it made a dramatic difference.

To stimulate greater multifamily residential and commercial development in Opportunity Zones, HUD Secretary Ben Carson recently announced the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will insure mortgages on mixed-use development under the agency’s Section 220 program in thousands of lower income communities across the country.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration is changing the rules for how the city allocates federal low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs). The city recently released a new Qualification Allocation Plan (QAP), which details the application process that developers must follow to obtain LIHTCs.

Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Todd Young (R-IN) and Representatives Joe Neguse (D-CO), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) recently introduced the Save Affordable Housing Act of 2019. The Save Affordable Housing Act was introduced both the Senate and the House. This bill will make a correction to the Qualified Contract provision in Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code to stem the loss of thousands of LIHTC sites.

Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) recently released its annual report, “The State of the Nation’s Housing 2019.” According to the report, 2017 measures showed small signs of improvement for cost-burdened renters. In 2017, 20.5 million renter households were cost burdened (compared to 20.8 in 2016), including nearly 10.7 million renter households who were severely cost burdened (compared to 11 million in 2016).

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak recently signed legislation that creates a transferable state housing tax credit with an annual cap of $10 million. If officials see strong demand for the credit, they can award up to $13 million in credits in a year, but the following year’s amount would be reduced by $3 million. The program expires Jan. 1, 2030.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced legislation in both houses of Congress to expand the LIHTC program. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019 was introduced by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.), and U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Kenny Marchant (R-Texas), Don Beyer (D-Va.), and Jackie Walorski (R-In.).

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) recently announced a package of incentives to encourage multifamily property owners to invest in thousands of neighborhoods located in Opportunity Zones across the nation.

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System recently released its “Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households in 2018.” The report describes the responses to the sixth annual “Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking,” and it highlights the wide range of financial challenges facing individuals and households across the nation.

Fannie Mae and research firm Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) recently released survey data on how Americans feel about housing affordability and its relation to other factors, such as childcare options and job opportunities. The survey found that one in three people have trouble finding affordable housing near their workplace, with 31 percent of Americans saying they live further from their job than they'd like because they can’t afford to live closer.