WHAT IS AN FHA LOAN?

WHAT IS AN FHA LOAN?

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was established in 1934 to improve housing standards and conditions and to provide an adequate home financing system through insurance of mortgages. Families that would otherwise be excluded from the housing market were finally able to buy the homes of their dreams.

DID YOU KNOW?
During the 1940s, FHA programs helped to finance military housing and then homes for returning veterans and their families.In the '50s, '60s and '70s, FHA helped to stimulate the production of millions of units of privately owned apartments for elderly, handicapped, and lower income Americans. When soaring inflation and energy costs in the 1970s threatened the economic viability of thousands of private apartment buildings, FHA's emergency financing kept cash-strapped properties afloat.When a deep recession prompted private mortgage insurers to pull out of oil producing states in the 1980s, FHA moved in to stabilize falling home prices. During the difficult '80s, FHA programs made it possible for potential homebuyers to get the financing they needed.

In the more than 60 years since inception of the FHA, a great deal has changed and Americans are now arguably the best housed people in the world. FHA has contributed substantially to that achievement.

Today, FHA is particularly important to minority and first-time homebuyers. With the National Homeownership Strategy in place since 1995, FHA has placed a great deal of emphasis on marketing and outreach to minorities and first-time homebuyers.

IMPROVING URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS
In 1995, FHA piloted the Safe Neighborhood Action Plan (SNAP) in 14 urban communities to improve life in HUD-assisted project areas. With volunteers from the AmeriCorp Volunteer Service, the SNAP initiative is focused on eliminating drugs and crime in high-risk urban areas. SNAP has also provided after-school programs and other organized activities for project residents.

FHA has also fostered Neighborhood Network Centers in rental projects to help community residents become more self-sufficient and employable. The Centers provide opportunities to assisted housing residents for learning computer job skills. Many Centers have tutors from local colleges and area businesses and operate with locally donated computer equipment.