Rural States Refusing Federal Housing Aid

Rural states like Nebraska, Montana, and West Virginia have refused federal funding to aid vulnerable renters during the economic shocks of the pandemic, and that money is now headed to other parts of the country.

2 minute read

April 25, 2022, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Rural Highway

marekuliasz / Shutterstock

“Governor Pete Ricketts, a Republican, has declined to spend $120 million in federal housing assistance funds, claiming the aid risks turning Nebraska into ‘a welfare state,’” according to an article in the Boston Globe by Pranavar Baskar [potential paywall].

Nebraska isn’t the only state to pass on federal funding in recent months—“hundreds of millions of that money is going unused,” according to Baskar, despite the $46 billion Emergency Rental Assistance Program's track record of success. The funding has helped stave off an estimated 1.3 million evictions, according to housing experts cited in the article. A similar redistribution of the program's funding was threatened in January 2022, as states like Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Louisiana were slow to spend their share, according to a New York Times article published at the time.

Despite the obvious need for housing assistance in rural parts of the country, the Biden administration is now responding to three states' refusal to spend their share of the program's funding by redirecting the funding to more populous parts of the country.

“In March, the Treasury reclaimed $377 million in rental aid, including $11 million from Nebraska, $45.3 million from Montana, and more than $39 million from West Virginia. North Dakota returned nearly half its funds. The federal government then sent that money to New York, California, and New Jersey — states that clamored for more help to weather a severe housing crises,” according to the article.

This isn’t the first time in history that Republican leadership at the state level has refused the largesse of economic stimulus spending. Then-Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) infamously rejected federal funding for high-speed rail during the Obama administration in 2011. That money was eventually redirected to California.

Friday, April 15, 2022 in The Boston Globe

Black and white Rideshare Pick-Up Zone sign

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing

From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

June 1, 2023 - Human Transit

Urban sidewalk shaded by large mature trees

Cool Walkability Planning

Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

June 1, 2023 - Todd Litman

Interstate 55 with cars and green freeway signs in Chicago, Illinois

Illinois Legislators Pass Controversial I-55 Road Expansion Legislation

Legislation to enable the addition of express toll lanes on Interstate 55 in the Southwest Side of Chicago, opposed by environmental justice advocates, cleared the Illinois General Assembly last month.

June 7, 2023 - Chicago Tribune

Two blue and white tents on a paved bike trail under an overpass in San Diego, California with palm tree and vegetation on one side

How San Diego Camping Ban Could Impact Neighborhoods

An ordinance supported by the city’s mayor would bar people from sleeping on the street near shelters or services, but critics say it will simply push people to other neighborhoods and put them farther away from the supportive services they need.

June 8 - Voice of San Diego

Small white one-story building with Maggie Hathaway Golf Course sign with American flag on flagpole and green lawn

Expanding Access to Golf in South Los Angeles

L.A. County’s Maggie Hathaway Golf Course getting up to $15 Million from U.S. Open Community Legacy Project to expand access to the sport in South L.A.

June 8 - Los Angeles Times

Wood-frame two-story housing under construction

Opinion: Failed Housing Bills Could Signal California-Style Housing Crisis in Texas

Legislators in a state that so often touts its policies as the opposite of California’s defeated several bills that would have made housing construction easier, leading to concerns that a constricted housing market may exacerbate the housing crisis.

June 8 - The Dallas Morning News

Principal Planner – Advanced Plans

Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department

Planning Officer

City of Bangor

Planning Director

Park City Municipal Corporation

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.