B-O-G-U-S AP Story: "Many Illegal Immigrants Live in Public Housing".

I have read the AP Story HERE several times and have concluded that it deserves a favorite phrase from NPR's Car Talk: B-O-G-U-S.

The story contains but also omits some important facts, includes opinion and speculation, and fails to state that HUD does not pay subsidy for ineligible non citizens and that HUD subsidy therefore is less for families with some ineligible non citizens members. My comments are in bold below.

Facts:
"the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that 29,570 people — 0.4 percent of all those in federally funded housing — are "ineligible noncitizens".

1. Starting with the most obvious, the AP story provides NO source (report, study etc) for the count of "29,570 people".
2. Using figures in the story my projection is that the total universe of residents in federally funded housing is 7,392,500. (29,570 /.04%=7,392,500). (Page 408 of the 2008 HUD PAR says HUD has a total of 4,748,639 public and assisted housing units. Dividing the federally funded housing population of 7,392,500 calculated from the data in the story by this unit count results in a calculation of an average number of 1.56 residents per unit. While possible, that figure seems low to me).
   

Speculation:

"It doesn't include housing funded by state and local governments, where eligibility requirements vary."

1. Stating the obvious, local or state assisted rental housing is NOT "federally funded". The story does not include a count of how many of these kinds of units there are, and the % given for federally funded housing may or may not be similar for these kinds of units. AND, as the story points out the rules that apply to these units would be different, and determined by local and state rules, and not by the federal government.

"Some may be on temporary visas, such as highly educated workers or college students, but many are believed to be illegal immigrants."Frank Bean, director of the University of California, Irvine's Center for Research on Immigration, Population and Public Policy, estimates at least half of ineligible noncitizens — or about 15,000 — are illegal immigrants with U.S.-born children."

2. The AP Story doesn't say what the basis for this estimate is. "Are believed" signals an OPINION; but using this OPINION of 15,000 would further reduce the "illegal" immigrant % of federally funded housing residents to .02%.

Moreover, if the most recent Pew Hispanic Center estimate of 11,900,000 unauthorized immigrants is accurate, and using the quoted OPINION of 15,000 "illegal" immigrants, this would mean that out of every 1,000 unauthorized / "illegal" immigrants in the U.S, less than 1.3 live in federally funded housing. (11,900,000/15,000 *1,000=1.3 residents per thousand).

By any reasonable standard, 1.3 out of every 1,000 unauthorized immigrants living in federally funding housing does NOT meet the definition of "many".

Omitted Facts:

1. HUD does NOT pay subsidy for non citizen residents. With some limited exceptions, HUD rental subsidy is prorated/reduced for a family to exclude the % of the family composed of ineligible non citizens.
2. This means that families living in federally funded housing that include ineligible non citizens get LESS HUD subsidy per unit than the same sized family with the same income that has no ineligible non citizens.
   
3. HUD's does NOT use pro rated rents or allow eligible non citizens to live in federally assisted housing on a whim; its the LAW.
   

OMB Completes Review of HUD Final Reg on Assisted Housing Income and Rent Determinations.

From OMB review site, news that they completed review of this final regulation on December 9th. [OMB regulatory review site is HERE; use second pull down menu and select HUD to see OMB review summary].

Would expect HUD to issue the final rule soon in Federal Register.

Background on the reg is HERE.

Update-NLIHC Data: Oregon Renter "Housing Wage" State Ranking Improves Again, Up By 6 Ranks Since 2000.

[Update: Changed (improper) reference to 2 bedroom median rent to HUD 2 Bedroom Fair Market Rent]

The National Low Income Housing Coalition [NLIHC] Out of Reach study for 2007-2008 was released today HERE.

Housing Wage State Ranking
Each year one set of NLIHC data released is a state ranking on the "housing wage", the hourly wage required for a family to be able to afford the 2 bedroom HUD Fair Market Rent for that state. A HIGHER state ranking means a state is LESS affordable to renters; the worst ranking therefore would be 51,and the best 1. (51 areas include the District of Columbia. In order to allow comparison to 2000 my rankings exclude one of NLIHC areas , Puerto Rico, as it was not included in the 2000 NLIHC rankings. My rankings are thus one place different than the published NLIHC rankings for 2002, 2004,2006 and 2008.

My analysis: Housing wage state ranking

1. In 2000 Oregon ranked 30th.
2. In 2002 it improved to 29th
3. In 2004 it improved to 25th
4. In 2006 it remained at 25th
5. In 2008 Oregon's improved to 24th
   

Conclusion: Note that this measure effectively tracks changes in HUD 2 bedroom Fair Market Rents only, and not changes in actual family incomes. Using this NLIHC measure, relative to other states, Oregon's renter affordability has improved since 2000 with Oregon firmly in the middle of the pack among states on this measure.

My 2 page PDF compilation and table of state housing wage data from 2000-2006 NLIHC Out of Reach studies is HERE.

Housing Wage $$ and % Change
The 2008 Oregon housing wage was $13.87. Without adjusting for inflation/wage growth the housing wage increased by:

1. $2.20/19% since 2000. (Washington state grew by 26%)
   
2. $.41/3% since 2006. (Washington state grew by 7%)
   

CBO Report on Economic Stimulus Plans Includes Analysis of Housing Provisions.

The CBO has issued a PDF report that explores various short term economic stimulus plans HERE.

On pages 27-35 various housing stimulus options are discussed.

Kiki Carries the Ball, with Related Capital, to Purchase 3,500 Existing Units to Preserve as Affordable Housing.

CNN Money story HERE is that former NY Giants running back Kiki Barber is teaming with Related Capital to purchase and renovate 3,500 existing apartments in Virginia and North Carolina and preserve them as affordable housing (at Low Income Housing Tax Credit income levels-below 60% of median family income).

Exclusive IPOD Audio: Oct 17th House Financial Services Committee Hearing , HUD Late Rent Assistance Payments.

As promised in a Thursday post, I have created an audio file of the actual Oct 17^th House Financial Services Committee hearing on HUD late rental assistance payments. The MP3 audio file is HERE. It is 181 MB in size and 2 hours and 35 minutes in duration.

Friday July 27th Housing Bill Signing Event in Governors Office

Governor to Sign Fair Housing Substantial Equivalency Legislation, Steps to Follow Could Lead to State Federal Fair Housing Complaint Processing, for First Time in 20 Years

At a signing ceremony Friday July 27th at 2:30 PM Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski is scheduled to sign into law SB 725, approved this legislative session and designed to bring Oregon law into substantial equivalency with federal fair housing law. Signing of the bill is the culmination of a four year effort in two legislative sessions to update Oregon's fair housing laws. The bill was sponsored by Portland area Senator Margaret Carter and the Fair Housing Council of Oregon and the legislation will be administered by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries [BOLI]. Commissioner Dan Gardner and Senator Carter are expected to attend Friday’s bill signing event. (A weekly BOLI web update alerted me to this signing ceremony).

Following the bill signing, BOLI will need to submit the approved legislation and other referenced Oregon statutes to HUD in Washington D. C. for their determination of whether the bill as passed is actually substantially equivalent to federal fair housing law. If HUD’s review confirms equivalency, the next step will be negotiation and signing of an operating agreement with HUD (which will include funding for training and complaint processing reimbursement rates).

Because of these additional steps, BOLI likely will not actually assume processing for fair housing complaints for many months (My personal guess is that state complaint processing would not begin until sometime during mid to late 2008).

Nonetheless, if and when these additional steps are successfully completed, for the first time in 20 years (since 1988) Oregonians will have state laws legally equivalent to federal fair housing law, and state BOLI staff will be investigating fair housing complaints.

My congratulations to the Governor, the Legislature, Senator Carter, Commissioner Gardner, the Fair Housing Council of Oregon, HUD, and other supportive individuals and organizations for moving forward on this long overdue legislative update.

Perspective: $288 Million in Senate HUD Earmark Spending as High As 29 Times Spending Slated for Other Important HUD Programs.

HUD earmarks in FY 2007 appropriations were ZERO. The FY 2008 Senate HUD /Transportation Committee approved appropriations bill includes $240 Million in earmarks for Economic Development Initiatives and another $48 Million in Neighborhood Initiatives, a total of $288 Million in HUD earmarks.

The Senate Appropriations Committee bill would see HUD spending more on earmarks than it does for AID’s housing, for disabled housing, for public housing redevelopment, fair housing enforcement, etc.

Click here to see a PDF table with a comparison of earmark funding to funding for some other HUD programs –the ratio of earmark spending vs. those programs is as high as 29 to 1.

(Keep up to date on Oregon earmarks by subscribing to the Oregon Earmarks blog here.

Housing Choice Voucher Reform Bill Passes House; Representative Hooley Doesn't Vote.

The Housing Choice Voucher Reform Bill, H.R. 1851, easily passed the House on July 12^th by a vote of 333-83, with 15 Representatives not voting. (Note that this is a program authorization change, aappropriations would be required to pay for the net cost increases that the new program authorization would cause).

Because the bill is generally viewed as liberalizing the voucher program (CRS summary of the bill is here) the absence of a vote from Representative Hooley is somewhat surprising, as she was the only Oregon Representative to not vote. (Hooley is a former Clackamas County commissioner and housing authority board member).

My (early) speculation about why Hooley may not have voted: 1. There were more than enough votes to pass the bill easily. 2. The Congressional Budget estimated a net cost increase (here) of $2.4 Billion for the bill for the 5 years from 2008-2012). 3. Hooley faced a well funded opponent last election and did not want to provide easy ammunition for another opponent this time around (Hooley to date is the only Oregon Representative without a single appropriations earmark).

(For the record, I live in Hooley's district).

HUD Issues Oregon FY 2008 Proposed Fair Market Rents, Rural Areas Got Biggest Boost, Salem Virtually None. Comments Due Aug. 13

On July 12, HUD finally issued proposed fair market rents for use in the largest HUD rental assistance housing program in Oregon, the Housing Choice voucher program.

A quick review shows that for the benchmark 2 bedroom unit size: Rural areas got the largest percentage increase of 5% ($28-31 per month), while the increase in Portland was only about half of that at 2.7%,% ($ 20 per month). Marion County/Salem limped in with the lowest increase a meager .2% or $1 a month.

Exclusive Oregon Housing Blog Download Available: A one page MS Excel summary of Oregon 2 BR. Fair Market Rent Comparisons for 2007 and 2008 by County /Metro area is available for download here.

HUD Data Sources: The main HUD fair market rents page is here. (Readers encouraged to download and read the FY 2008 preamble here.)

Highly detailed calculations showing how rent increases were determined for Oregon can be individually searched here http://www.huduser.org/datasets/fmr/fmrs/st.odb

August 13 comment deadline: Despite HUD’s long delay in issuing the proposed FMR’s for FY 2008, comments on proposed FMRS are due August 13, a month after issuance.