Begich Meets with HUD Nominee, Presses Affordable Housing in Alaska

Press Release

During a meeting on Tuesday, U.S. Senator Mark Begich urged Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) nominee Julian Castro, currently mayor of San Antonio, Texas, to remove barriers to more affordable housing in Alaska and support rental assistance for veterans, help for first time home-buyers, and Alaska Natives living in rural areas.

"It is important to have a mayor in this position, because mayors understand local needs," said Begich. "They know from experience how frustrating it can be to navigate burdensome federal regulations just to be able to access vital funding and services for the communities they serve. If confirmed, I'm confident Mayor Castro will do whatever it takes to cut through the red tape and pave the way for more affordable housing throughout the state. I also told him that if confirmed, he should find the time to come up to Alaska to see firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing Alaska, both in urban areas like Anchorage and in our rural communities across the state."

HUD is the agency responsible for most of the federal government's affordable housing programs, as well as the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which offers affordable mortgages to many first-time homebuyers. HUD also runs the HUD-VASH program, which provides rental assistance for homeless and low-income veterans, and consolidated Native housing programs through the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act (NAHASDA).

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