Section 202 Findings

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[Laws in effect as of January 6, 1999]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 6, 1999 and October 26, 2000]
[CITE: 42USC12721]

TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE

CHAPTER 130--NATIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING

SUBCHAPTER II--INVESTMENT IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Sec. 202. Findings

The Congress finds that--

1. the Nation has not made adequate progress toward the goal of national housing policy, as set out in the Housing Act of 1949 [42 U.S.C. 1441 et seq.] and reaffirmed in the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, which would provide decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable living environments for all Americans;


2. the supply of affordable rental housing is diminishing;


3. the Tax Reform Act of 1986 removed major tax incentives for the production of affordable rental housing;


4. the living environments of an increasing number of Americans have deteriorated over the past several years as a result of reductions in Federal assistance to low-income and moderate-income families;


5. many Americans face the possibility of homelessness unless Federal, State, and local governments work together with the private sector to develop and rehabilitate the housing stock of the Nation to provide decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing for very low-income and low-income families;


6. reliable Federal leadership is needed to achieve an adequate supply of affordable housing for all Americans;


7. to achieve the goal of national housing policy, there is a need to strengthen nationwide a cost-effective community-based housing partnership designed to--
   
   1. expand the supply of rental housing that is affordable to very low-income and low-income families,
   
   
   2. improve homeownership opportunities for low-income families,
   
   
   3. carry out comprehensive housing strategies tailored to local housing market conditions, and
   
   
   4. protect the Federal, State, and local investment in low-income housing to ensure affordability of the housing for the remaining useful life of the property;
   
   
8. direct assistance to expand the supply of affordable rental housing should be provided in a way that is more cost-effective and targeted than tax incentives;


9. much of the Nation's housing system works very well and provides a strong base on which national housing policy should build;


10. an increasing number of States and local governments have been successful in producing cost-effective low-income and moderate-income housing by working in partnership with the private sector, including nonprofit community development corporations, community action agencies, neighborhood housing services corporations, trade unions, groups sponsored by religious organizations, limited equity cooperatives, and other tenant organizations;


11. during the 1980's, nonprofit community housing development organizations, despite severe obstacles caused by inadequate funding, have played an increasingly important role in the production and rehabilitation of affordable housing in communities across the Nation;


12. additional financial resources and technical skills must be made available in local communities if the Nation is to mobilize the capacity of the private sector, including nonprofit community housing development organizations, to provide a more adequate supply of decent, safe, and sanitary housing that is affordable to very low-income, low-income, and moderate-income families and meets the need for large family units and other additional units that are available to very low-income families receiving rental assistance payments from Federal, State, and local governments; and


13. the long-term success of efforts to provide more affordable housing depends upon tenants and homeowners being fiscally responsible and able managers.

(Pub. L. 101-625, title II, Sec. 202, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 4094.)

References in Text

The Housing Act of 1949, referred to in par. (1), is act July 15, 1949, ch. 338, 63 Stat. 413, as amended, which is classified principally to chapter 8A (Sec. 1441 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1441 of this title and Tables.

The Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, referred to in par. (1), is Pub. L. 90-448, Aug. 1, 1968, 82 Stat. 476, as amended. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1968 Amendments note set out under section 1701 of Title 12, Banks and Banking, and Tables.

The Tax Reform Act of 1986, referred to in par. (3), is Pub. L. 99-514, Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2085, as amended. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1986 Amendments note set out under section 1 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code, and Tables.

Short Title

For short title of this subchapter as the "HOME Investment Partnerships Act'', see Short Title note set out under section 12701 of this title.