icon Blueprint for May

Into the Woods

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3 min read

It sometimes seems as if the United States has more than just one country within its boundaries. The divide can appear so vast, you wonder if one government can fuse it.

One of our divides that seems to be widening is that between urban and rural America. A city dude reading J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy or Tara Westover’s Educated can feel as if he is visiting a foreign land. That each of these books topped the bestseller lists at least indicates a widespread yearning to understand that part of America we may not reside in.

The demographic drift in the country—especially among Millennials and, as you will read in Scott Beyer’s Housing USA column, seniors—seems to be from the center of the country to the cities on the edges. At the same time rural America benefits politically from the fact that though the ten most populous states—which contain the vast majority of the largest cities—are now home to over 54 percent of the nation’s population, they are represented by only 20 Senators while the 46 percent are represented by 80 Senators. This disparity also shows up in the voting that drives policy with the most populous states having one electoral vote per every 700,000 residents, while the least populous states have one electoral vote per about 200,000 residents.

Though conversation about the urgent need for affordable housing often focuses on the crowded, booming cities where housing is scarce and rents soar, a recent report, by the Housing Assistance Council pinpoints a looming rural crisis. “The increasing lack of affordable housing is not just an urban problem,” it reported. “Rental housing options in rural America are not only sparse, but also declining.”

One tool to help support rural affordable housing development is the use of private activity bonds. In anticipation of the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association’s imminent release of a Bond Policy Toolkit (targeted for June), in this issue we focus on case studies of bond-supported development and preservation in rural Louisiana, Georgia and Washington state. Developers in each of these regions faced (and overcame) specific funding obstacles they may not have faced in urban settings.

There do appear to be some people profiting from the Opportunity Zone program already – conference organizers. Each day, the number of conference invitations in my e-mailbox is rivalled only by Groupon offers. With rules still in question, raising money for Opportunity Funds may seem a bit like raising money for a movie without a script.  We sent staff writer Mark Olshaker to a recent conference where he heard a lot of questions, but a shortage of answers. (Land of OZ)

Two years ago, attorney David Davenport warned our readers/owners approaching year 15 to “Beware the Aggregators.” Now David returns to these pages with a richer perspective and more advice fueled by actual cases involving his clients. (Year 15: Facing Off with the Aggregator)

And this month’s Talking Head features our first sit-down with Stockton Williams since he assumed the role of executive director of the National Council of State Housing Agencies a year ago.

Marty Bell, Editor