March 30, 2021 | Volume 14, Issue 2

In this issue:

CEO update

In honor of Women’s History Month, I want to highlight the significance of Mutual Self-Help (MSH) housing in the lives of women over the past 58 years. Housing Assistance Council stats show that since 2008, 41 percent of self-help homes have been built and bought by women-led households, many of whom are single mothers. Using a rough average of 1,000 MSH homes built each year, that equates to about 410 women who achieve homeownership for themselves and their families each year. Read more

Mastering Rural Development Standard Form 270 to draw 523 funds

The SF-270 form is frequently used in the Mutual Self-Help program and can be one of the most confusing forms. It is required for all 523 draw requests and provides Rural Development with basic grantee information and financial information for the reporting period of their draw request. Because the form is used for several federal grants not all fields are required for the self-help program, which causes some of the confusion. Read more

Dear Sher

I have lots of questions about calculating income for Section 502 Direct Loans during a pandemic! Do we use the last 30 days to project the income for the next 12 months? If the applicant has resumed their previous level of employment, are the straight-based and average calculations likely the best calculation method to choose? … Read more

Training, Training, Training!

OMB’s Uniform Guidance Greatest Hits & Ch-Chi-Changes!

Are you in compliance with the recent updates to the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Guidance? Could you use a refresher orientation to the overall contents of the guidance for federal grants and agreements? Details and registration

5 days of 502 Direct for self-help!

RCAC is presenting five webinars over five days on Section 502 Direct Loan Packaging topics for self-help grantees! Details and registration

USDA-RD Section 502 Direct Loan certification course

This is an interactive advanced course presented by RCAC that covers Rural Development’s Section 502 Direct Loan program and provides invaluable insight into how this homeownership financing resource can be used in your communities. Details and registration

News you can use!

USDA extends eviction and foreclosure moratorium

U.S. Department of Agriculture Single Family Housing Direct Loan Program (SFHDLP) extends the foreclosure and eviction moratorium for SFHDLP borrowers through June 30, 2021. USDA Extends Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium, and Offers Guidance on Mortgage Forbearance Deadline

For more information on USDA Rural Development’s actions to support customers directly impacted by COVID-19, visit: https://www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus.

SAVE THE DATE!

Construction Supervisor Training for New Construction

RCAC, in collaboration with NCALL, will present Construction Supervisor Training for New Construction on May 26, 2021 and again on June 3, 2021. These two-hour webinars will cover the roles and responsibilities of the construction supervisor as it relates to self-help housing, construction specifications, house plans, scheduling, change orders, bid solicitation, preconstruction meetings, bill paying procedures, group motivation, safety, COVID-19 job safety plans and more! Mark your calendar and keep an eye out for registration information.

The newsletter is published quarterly for the western region self-help network at no cost to subscribers. We encourage correspondence and contributions.

Suzanne Anarde, chief executive officer
Angela Sisco, executive editor
asisco@rcac.org
Sharon Wills, managing editor
swills@rcac.org

Editorial office, West Sacramento, CA (916) 447-2854

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