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USDA and HUD will streamline reviews for rural housing projects
The move follows a White House finding that inflation adjusted rural rents rose 31.2% from 2000 to 2023, outpacing a 5.5% increase in renter incomes.
HousingWire reports that the USDA and HUD signed a memorandum of understanding to streamline environmental reviews for federally funded rural housing projects under the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
The agreement is aimed at reducing development barriers by speeding up one of the steps involved in rural housing approvals, according to the outlet.
HousingWire also points to a 2025 White House report that found inflation adjusted rural rents increased 31.2% from 2000 to 2023, while renter incomes rose 5.5% over the same period.
The report cited affordability challenges in rural markets, noting that rural home prices grew more than six times as fast as homeowner incomes, and tied the need to provisions in the ROAD to Housing Act including measures to preserve affordable housing supply and streamline reviews.