From the Texas Tribune: Rural housing programs serve Texas’ elderly and disabled. This federal bill could make the process easier.

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As Texans spend more of their income on paying their rent than essentials like health care, food, and transportation, several bills filed this congressional session aim to make it easier for people in rural communities to continue living there.

Last week, Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas Democrat, introduced House Bill 7412. It would address administrative issues in the Rural Housing Voucher program that prevent people in rural communities from using critical benefits like housing vouchers.

The bill would clean up some of the hurdles, such as making official notices about housing assistance more readable and informing landlords of the program so they are more likely to accept vouchers from tenants. It would also direct the Rural Housing Service office to develop a plan identifying at-risk tenants and ensure they have a fast approval process for vouchers.

Crockett’s bill, along with a package of bills under the Rural Housing Service Reform Act, stand to update the housing landscape for people in far-flung areas around the country.

The federal bills address Section 515, a program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Rural Development. It provides loans to individuals, nonprofit organizations or corporations to build, improve or purchase rural multifamily housing. People who live in rural communities can also receive a housing voucher through the 515 program that can be used toward rent where it is accepted.

Texas, the second most populous state, has 646 Section 515 properties — the largest number of any state — which serve more than 20,000 families.

How far the rural housing bills go depends on action from Congress. Aside from narrowly dodging government shutdowns, political strife has so far caused legislation to be done at a snail’s pace. This includes the new Farm Bill, which continues to be kicked down the road through extensions.

Advocates say the program is vital to keep rural housing affordable for those living paycheck to paycheck — they cater to families with low and moderate incomes, the elderly, and people with disabilities. According to a national report, 92% of Section 515 tenants have incomes that are less than half of the area median income. More than half of households are elderly people or people with disabilities.