Housing Stability for Dreamers Act
Housing Stability for Dreamers Act is a bill introduced in the 119th Congress that would remove eligibility barriers based on DACA status across major federal housing programs. Specifically, it amends the National Housing Act and related housing laws to ensure that being a DACA recipient cannot be used as a basis to limit or deny eligibility for FHA single-family mortgage insurance, USDA Rural Housing loans, and the mortgage purchase activities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also adds DACA recipient status to eligibility rules for certain housing programs under the Housing and Community Development Act and clarifies that a veteran’s VA home loan benefits are not affected if the veteran is a DACA recipient. The defining term “DACA recipient” used in the bill is someone who, on the date of enactment, holds deferred action status under the June 15, 2012 DHS memo. In short, the bill aims to expand access to homeownership and housing support for individuals who are DACA recipients (Dreamers) by ensuring their status does not bar them from federally backed or guaranteed housing-finance programs.
Key Points
- 1Prohibits FHA mortgage insurance eligibility terms or participation restrictions based on DACA status (adds DACA recipient eligibility to FHA Section 203).
- 2Extends the same non-discrimination in eligibility to USDA Rural Housing Service Section 501 loans (single-family mortgages).
- 3Prevents Fannie Mae from conditioning purchase of a single-family mortgage on a borrower’s DACA status (Section 302(b) of the National Housing Act).
- 4Prevents Freddie Mac from conditioning a single-family mortgage purchase on DACA status (Section 305(a) of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act).
- 5Adds DACA recipient eligibility to Section 214(a) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980, extending housing program eligibility to these individuals under that statute.
- 6Clarifies that veterans’ housing loan benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 3702(a) are not affected by whether the veteran is a DACA recipient.
- 7DACA recipient is defined as an alien who, on the date of enactment, is the recipient of Deferred Action under the DHS memo titled “Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion with Respect to Individuals Who Came to the United States as Children,” issued June 15, 2012.