A little-noticed section in the new 21st Century ROAD to Housing Law provides a three-year authorization for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, a long-standing National Association of REALTORS®' priority.
CDBG-DR is the federal government's primary program for rebuilding and repairing permanent housing after major disaster declarations by the president. Historically, Congress has had to authorize funding for the program following individual disasters, and not every disaster received CDBG-DR assistance. When funding was approved, HUD often had to develop new program requirements for each allocation, creating inconsistent rules and delaying long-term housing recovery.
The new three-year authorization allows HUD to establish standing program rules, creating a more predictable framework for disaster recovery assistance. For homeowners and communities, that could mean faster access to recovery funds, more consistent program requirements, and a quicker path to rebuilding housing after hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other disasters.
NAR has advocated for permanent CDBG-DR authorization for many years and views the three-year authorization as an important step toward improving federal disaster recovery policy. NAR is urging HUD to use this authority to standardize program requirements, speed the release of funds, and incorporate home-hardening measures that reduce repetitive losses and help maintain property insurability.
While HUD must still implement the program through regulations and Congress must continue providing funding through the appropriations process, the authorization represents a significant policy victory and an important milestone in NAR's long-running effort to improve disaster housing recovery. NAR will continue working with Congress and HUD to ensure the program is fully implemented and delivers timely housing assistance to disaster-affected communities.
Read more about NAR’s Natural Disaster Policy.
