Отмена грантов на доступное жилье в Луизиане: программа заменена на субсидии для укрепления крыш

Louisiana developers were waiting last month to learn whether they had been awarded a share of $20 million in federal grants aimed at boosting proposed affordable housing projects across Louisiana. Instead, some applicants were stunned to receive a one-paragraph letter that said the program had been canceled. “There needs to be more transparency from the Landry administration around their priorities,” said Andreanecia Morris of the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, a coalition of affordable housing developers and advocates. The state’s housing policy “has just too many contradictions to feel comfortable and assured.” The subsidy is one of multiple programs the state’s housing finance agency, tasked with providing affordable housing to low-income residents, has cut or delayed this year. Though the shifts have drawn some critics, state leaders, acting in line with federal strategy shifts, say they are reforming a troubled office and freeing up resources for other priorities. “The Louisiana Housing Corporation has been transformed into an organization focused on transparency, accountability, and delivering results for Louisiana families,” said Gov. Jeff Landry in a statement about the changes this week. “Today, LHC is focused on responsible investments that actually help Louisiana families — including fortifying roofs to lower insurance costs and make housing more affordable.” The state hopes to redirect the $20 million that would have funded affordable housing projects to a popular state grant program offered to homeowners who fortify their roofs, said Gina Campo of the state Office of Community Development. Projects left without funding Other changes the housing office has made this year include canceling funding for homeowner counseling programs. And the office has not released an annual funding plan for 2026, including the award of millions of dollars in federal tax credits for affordable housing development. The changes, a window into the Landry administration’s approach to affordable housing, come amid federal funding and as the governor has urged the housing office to limit the costs of affordable housing projects. The office’s $20 million grant program, for example, was authorized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to support housing creation in areas impacted by Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Ida. The money was the final tranche of $475 million from the Piggyback Resilience Initiative Mixed-Income (PRIME) program, which Louisiana has used to help build more than 4,100 apartments in recent years. But President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly taken aim at the federal grants that fund the PRIME program. Trump’s 2027 budget calls for ending them altogether. Campo, whose office works with the state’s housing office to administer those grants, said her office planned to ask HUD to sign off on spending the $20 million on Louisiana’s fortified roof program, which regularly receives thousands more applications than its current funding can support. In their letter to developers, state officials said that they ended the $20 million grant program “after due consideration of” a June statewide housing needs assessment. That report does not recommend expanding the fortified roof program but it does suggest expanding funding for affordable housing development. State officials appear to have decided to end the program within a week of its expected award date of Aug. 19. At an Aug. 12 board meeting, Brenda Evans, the Louisiana Housing Corporation’s chief operating officer, and Wendy Gentry, its board chair, said they expected the awards to be announced soon. Supporters, critics Some housing leaders back the state’s housing strategy. J. Daniels, director of East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority, said he is in favor of the “approach to the administration of LHC — the rightsizing of the organization, the really strengthening of the financial position.” The organization had a $3.4 million net operating loss in 2024, and tasked a consultant in 2025 with cutting $1.5 million from its budget. Others say that while they support the fortified program, the state’s move to fund it poses a major challenge for affordable developers who were hoping for a slice of the funds to offset steep insurance and borrowing costs. “There are developments in New Orleans ready to move forward but for funding gaps,” said Marjorianna Willman, director of the Housing Authority of New Orleans, which provides vouchers for people to live in affordable developments. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent to get the projects shovel-ready.” Willman, a former Louisiana Housing Corporation director, added: “These projects will also have fortified and resilient features such as fortified roofs.” It is unclear how many developers applied for the $20 million and how many could have benefited. HUD designated $10 million for parishes impacted by Hurricane Laura and Delta and $10 million for parishes hit by Hurricane Ida. Jeff Schwartz, New Orleans’ deputy mayor for community and economic development, said he was aware of two projects in New Orleans that appeared to be a good fit: one in Central City, and one in the Lower 9th Ward. The state’s changes “add even more urgency and underscore the really tough challenges we’re faced with,” he said at an Aug. 27 meeting of an advisory panel that governs city housing funds. Morris said a successful fortified program would cover the full cost of a roof for those who need it. The state’s grants cover up to $10,000 but leave homeowners on the hook for the rest. Shifting priorities The program cancellation is one of several recent shifts at the state housing office. The office recently applied to take over $50 million in federal homeless services funds for the New Orleans area, which have long been managed locally, in a sweeping effort to overhaul the region’s long-standing homelessness strategy. The application is in limbo after a court halted the release of federal funding. Last year, the office approved a plan for allocating federal tax credits aimed at limiting the cost of affordable housing after Landry and other state officials raised concerns about the price tags of some new projects. Those credits, which developers get from the government and then sell to investors willing to provide upfront cash for affordable housing projects, are the main source of funding for affordable housing in the state. The state hasn’t released this year’s version of the plan, but at an Aug. 12 board meeting of the housing office, Evans said the office was working on it. While there is no formal funding deadline, the state’s plan has often been published the year before the federal credits are released. The office also declined to apply this year for a federal housing counseling grant, which nonprofits and other agencies can use to offer aid to first-time homeowners or those facing foreclosure. In its most recent funding round, the Louisiana Housing Corporation received $584,000 through that program, assisting 10 providers. The Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center was one of them. Giazzlyn Duncan, a director there, said the funding let the center provide financial management counseling for up to 60 families facing foreclosure per year. They won’t be able to offer that counseling moving forward. “This service is needed because recently homeowners are dealing with increases in insurance,” she said. In a statement, a housing office spokesperson said that “LHC self-generates its funding. LHC’s expenses to operate the program exceeded the program income generated. There are other viable no-cost alternatives for the citizens of Louisiana to receive the same services.” Audit reveals problems The corporation’s latest changes come less than three months after a state audit found that its programs failed to target the lowest-income families that most need assistance, and that the agency failed to track its progress or implement a statewide housing plan as required by state law. After job cuts, the agency's staffing dropped by a third from 2024 to 2025, down to 109 employees. The state audit found “low morale and unclear communication within LHC.” The report noted other challenges at the agency, which has seen five directors since 2019. Landry this week also said that former Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration “left LHC millions of dollars in the red, on an unsustainable path, with federal investigations into prior conduct. We have turned that around.” A spokesperson for Landry did not respond to a question about the subject of any investigations. A spokesperson for HUD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In his response to the audit, Kevin Delahoussaye, the corporation’s executive director, said that the agency was facing "serious budgetary shortfalls" when he took over the helm and that "the current Executive Staff committed all focus towards financial survivability." “The LHC is now positioned to refine process control, efficiency, and program administration,” Delahoussaye wrote.