The Home Purchase Assistance Program
"HPAP" Re-opens!
In a major advocacy victory for CNHED, the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has announced that the Greater Washington Urban League will resume accepting new applications for the Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) and issuing Notices of Eligibility to qualified applicants. As you may recall, HPAP was closed in November after a cutback in resources. Based on the reduced level of funding available, DHCD has established new reduced levels of HPAP assistance that will enable the program to continue. Thank you members, residents and advocacy allies for all of your hard work on this issue! We also want to thank the Council of the District of Columbia and DHCD for taking action to restart this vital program.
For more information on the re-opening of HPAP, please visit the DHCD website. For detailed information on the new funding amounts, follow this link.
CNHED's Remarkable Victory:
HPTF Stabilization Amendment Act Passed
On Tuesday, December 16, 2008, the Council of the District of Columbia voted 13 to 0 to pass the Housing Production Trust Fund Stabilization Amendment Act of 2008!! The version passed will assure that:
- The first $70 million from deed recordation and transfer taxes is deposited into the Housing Production Trust Fund in FY 2010;
- The first $80 million from deed recordation and transfer taxes is deposited into the Housing Production Trust Fund in FY 2011 and,
- The first $80 million from deed recordation and transfer taxes, plus an adjustment for inflation (CPI) will be deposited in the Trust Fund in FY 2012 and every year thereafter.
This is an amazing milestone as it represents a commitment to a stable funding source for the Trust Fund for years to come. These amounts are however subject to appropriation which means that in order to initiate this Act, the funding called for must be approved in the FY 2010 budget. Because this new funding is subject to appropriation, we must continue to work with the Mayor and Council to ensure that the money is included in the FY 2010 budget. For now however we congratulate you, our members, residents and friends on the passage of the Housing Production Trust Fund Stabilization Bill, a critical element in the Campaign to Stabilize the Trust Fund!!!
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