Affordable Senior Housing News 2026Mar26

Kierstin Reed • March 26, 2026

Executive Order Seeks to Streamline Affordable Housing

On March 13, the Trump administration issued an executive order (EO) aimed at reducing regulatory barriers that delay housing construction and increase housing costs. In the EO, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, among others, to remove barriers to affordable residential construction. These agencies, according to the EO, “shall, within their respective authorities, take appropriate action to reform and, where appropriate, eliminate unduly burdensome or costly energy-efficiency, water-use, or alternative-energy requirements regarding housing….” The President also directed the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality to issue guidance maximizing the use of categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for housing construction and related activities. The EO also requires the HUD Secretary to, within 60 days, develop a set of regulatory best practices for state and local governments to promote housing construction and affordability. LeadingAge has advocated for a long list of regulatory reform recommendations to streamline environmental and programmatic review processes that delay the development and preservation of affordable senior housing to the Trump administration and looks forward to working with HUD as it meets the directives of this EO. Read the EO here; read a White House fact sheet on the EO here

LeadingAge Urges Congress to Invest in Housing Stability for Older Adults in FY27

On March 18, LeadingAge sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators outlining our fiscal year 2027 (FY27) appropriations priorities to address the crisis of housing unaffordability among older adults with low incomes. Housing assistance programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have a proven track record of successfully housing older adults and reducing homelessness. However, demand continues to outpace supply. LeadingAge calls on Congress to address this crisis by providing robust, full-year funding for housing and homeless assistance programs, such as Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) contracts, Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contracts (PRACs), service coordinators, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs, and the HOME Investment Partnerships program. Read our full letter here. Aging services stakeholders are encouraged to share these FY27 priorities with their own senators and representatives using this action alert.

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By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
LeadingAge Webinar on Tenant Compliance Must-Dos for Affordable Senior Housing, August 19, 2-3:15 p.m. ET. Join the LeadingAge housing community for a webinar by compliance expert Jenny DeSilva, who will review unique rules and requirements for HUD-assisted senior housing communities. Participants will receive practical guidance to stay prepared for HUD oversight while supporting older adults as they age in community. Register here . Affordable housing Weekly Recap . Here is your weekly Affordable Housing Weekly Recap
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
CMS Releases Home Health Agency PEPPER Reports
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
LeadingAge Supports Bill That Includes Medicare Coverage for In-Home Services
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
New Guidance from IRS on No Tax on Overtime Last week, the Internal Revenue Service issued updated FAQs on the No Tax on Overtime provision under HR 1, which added a new tax deduction for qualified overtime compensation. The deduction allows individuals to deduct up to $12,500 of qualified overtime pay annually ($25,000 in the case of a joint return) but may be reduced if a taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds $150,000 ($300,000 for joint filers). Developed in coordination with the Department of Labor and Office of Personnel Management, the updated FAQs replace previous FAQs issued in January 2026 and provide more extensive guidance on overtime eligibility and exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, reporting qualified overtime compensation, and federal income tax withholdings from wages. The FAQs also include a guidance for employers on calculating qualified overtime compensation to be paid to an employee for purposes of the deduction. This includes instructions for alternative methods of computation are used to compute overtime, which may apply to employees of certain residential care facilities. Here is your weekly Workforce Weekly Recap
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
COVID “Up to Date” Definition Will Not Change
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
Life Safety Update
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
Life Safety Update State Fire Marshal has provided a memo regarding Personal Electrical Devices in long term care settings under the preview of the Life Safety Code. This memo clarifies that residents will be able to use personal electronics (such as lamps, laptops and phone chargers) within six feet of the bed without being in violation of Section 10.4.2.2 of the Life Safety Code. These devices no longer require a three-prong or double insulated designation. Facilities must conduct an annual visual inspection and document that devices are in proper working order and are not in need of repair. An inspection must also be conducted when a resident moves in or moves to a new room within the facility. These devices can be plugged directly into the wall or into an approved power tap (60601-1 or 1363A). Extension cords and unapproved power strips should still be avoided. We appreciate the continued follow up on this concern and the willingness of the Fire Marshal to update the understanding of the use of personal electronics in long-term care settings.
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
Join Our Advocacy Movement
By Kierstin Reed August 6, 2026
Proposed Rule Rolls Back Community Reinvestment Act Obligations. Of great concern to LeadingAge and others interested in expanding and preserving the nation’s supply of affordable housing, the Department of Treasury, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) posted a joint rulemaking on July 31, 2026, amending the regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) that could weaken investment in affordable housing and community development. The CRA was enacted in 1977 and requires federal banking regulators to encourage financial institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they do business, including in low and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods. In particular, a financial institution’s record of meeting the credit needs of its entire community is taken into account by federal regulators when evaluating the financial institution’s application for a deposit facility. Among the changes that the rule proposes for evaluating whether a financial institution is meeting its CRA requirements are: restricting the large bank service test to a bank’s “credit services” – i.e., lending – rather than deposit services; imposing a 15% cap on indirect costs that recipients of community development grants at large banks may incur; recalibrating asset thresholds for small, immediate, and large banks; and tailoring retail lending tests to focus only on a bank’s major product line(s). In particular, the recalibration of asset thresholds would likely reduce the number of banks incentivized to make loans and investments in affordable housing and community development, such as investing in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). LeadingAge is concerned that this rule would further limit opportunities for affordable housing for older adults, and we will continue to work with our housing partners to coordinate a response in opposing this rule. While this rule has yet to be published in the Federal Register, there will be a 60 day comment period from the date of publication.
By Kierstin Reed August 6, 2026
Analysis: FY2027 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule
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