House Financial Services hearing discusses housing innovation 

The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing discussing innovative practices to help expand housing supply entitled Expanding Choice and Increasing Supply: Housing Innovation in America. Witnesses included Bill Boor, President & CEO, Cavco Industries, and Chairman, Manufactured Housing Institute; Eric Schaefer, Chief Business Development Officer at Fading West; Dr. Andrew P. McCoy, Director of the Virginia Center for Housing Research, Professor in the Department of Building Construction, and Associate Director of the Myers Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech; and Colten Lewis Fleu, Senior Attorney at Mountain State Justice, Inc. 

Chairman Mike Flood (R-Neb.) emphasized the need for more workforce housing in his opening remarks. “We have government programs that focus on housing subsidies for low and very low-income people, we have market rate developments that are able to meet some of the demand for higher income people. What we need is housing that can meet the needs of all the people that fall somewhere in between those two worlds,” he stated.  

Much of the discussion focused on the potential to expand the use of manufactured housing. During his testimony, Boor emphasized the need of clarifying HUD as the sole regulator for manufactured housing, working with localities to overcome local zoning and regulatory barriers, and modernizing the chassis requirement for manufactured homes. Other witnesses highlighted the production timelines for manufactured homes and modular construction, 3D printing technology, and difficulties with securing loan financing. 

HUD invests over $1 billion in Native American housing 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced $1.1 billion for the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) to help develop affordable housing for Native American Tribes, Alaska Native Villages, and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs). The IHBG program provides flexible formula grants that can be used for a range of housing-related activities, including new housing construction and modernization, housing services, and safety initiatives. The announcement marks the most robust housing funding initiative by the new administration. The largest grant will go to the Navajo Nation in Arizona amounting to $1,126,425.  

“From day one, HUD has been engaged on alleviating affordable housing challenges facing urban, rural, and Tribal communities. Today’s announcement reaffirms our commitment to serve Tribal communities while working towards meeting Indian Country’s housing needs,” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner. “HUD has a strong partnership with Tribal nations, and I look forward to collaborating directly with Tribal leaders to expand housing opportunities and remove burdensome regulatory barriers that impede progress.”  

A full list of grantees is available here.  

Emergency voucher funding to lapse years early 

HUD has notified public housing authorities across the country that funding for the Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) program—a pandemic-era initiative that provided rental assistance to 70,000 households—will run out sooner than expected. All but 10,000 of these vouchers are now at risk of ending in 2026 rather than the planned end date of 2030, stoking concerns of increased evictions and homelessness for vulnerable families. EHVs were designed to target people who were at risk of homelessness, fleeing domestic violence or stalking, or recently became homeless. HUD informed public housing authorities via a March letter not to expect any further payments.  

According to HUD, increasing inflation and overall housing costs caused the funding to be depleted more quickly than expected, leaving an estimated 18 months of funding remaining. States like California and New York have higher concentrations of EHV usage, with states like Texas and Florida also among the top users. While some housing authorities can sustain the program for shorter periods of time, they cannot guarantee funding for families using the EHVs through 2030 as originally planned. 

The revelation comes during a period of intense uncertainty for housing assistance programs. Members of Congress can maintain the program funding through Congressional action; however, no additional funds are anticipated as the Trump administration continues to downsize the federal government.  

Lawmakers urge reinstatement of disaster resilience program 

A bipartisan, bicameral coalition over 80 lawmakers sent a letter urging the Trump administration to reinstate a federal disaster mitigation initiative that helped local communities prepare for extreme weather events. Addressed to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Senior Official Performing the Duties as FEMA Administrator David Richardson, the letter calls for the return of FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Direct Technical Assistance program. The program provides necessary funding to complete mitigation programs like upgrading and protecting wastewater and drinking water plants, upgrading bridges and road drainage, and strengthening infrastructure in rural and Tribal communities. The effort was led by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).  

“BRIC funds are spurring communities across the country to strengthen their resilience to extreme weather, and forgoing these critical investments will only make it harder and more expensive for communities to recover from the next storm,” the letter reads. 

The lawmakers warned that halting the program undermines national resilience efforts and leaves vulnerable areas without the tools to prepare for increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, and iterated that every dollar of investment in disaster mitigation saves up to $18 in response and recovery expenditures.  

Freddie Mac announces new machine learning tool 

Freddie Mac announced the implementation of a new automated process in its Loan Product Advisor ® underwriting tool that uses machine learning to improve efficiency for borrowers and lenders. The innovation is expected to reduce costs by $1,500 per loan, and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director and Chairman of Freddie Mac William Pulte encouraged lenders to pass those savings on to customers.  

“It’s the year 2025, and the time to streamline the homebuying experience is now… we expedited this version of LPA® to increase efficiency and further lower costs,” said Sonu Mittal, Freddie Mac’s Executive Vice President and Head of Single-Family Acquisitions. 

The announcement also includes a new income calculator tool to help potential homebuyers who work in the gig economy determine their income.