Federal/National News

NACEDA Seeks Support for CHDOs. NACEDA, in collaboration with LISC, has begun advocating for increased funds for Community Housing Development Organizations’ operating support under the HOME Program. Under current law, states and cities that distribute HOME funds have authority to provide up to 5% of HOME funds for CHDOs’ operating expenses, but most do not provide the full 5%, and many provide none. Of the 3,000 CDCs whom NACEDA’s represents through its state and city members, about 2,000 are CHDOs.

NACEDA Supports Preservation Legislation, Aligned with National Preservation Working Group. The Housing Preservation and Tenant Protection Act, covering nearly 2 million affordable subsidized housing apartments, would provide 30 tools of affordable housing and tenant protections, including retaining project-based enhanced voucher assistance in lieu of portable enhanced vouchers, increased rehabilitation funds in exchange for long-term housing affordability, extend enhanced vouchers to all HUD-insured properties, and protections for residents facing conversion and projects facing foreclosure. NACEDA is working with the National Preservation Working Group to examine these provisions, including the “right of first purchase” requirement to sell expiring affordable housing to preservation purchasers. The bill is expected in December.

Main Street TARP Act Introduced last week by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA). H.R. 3766 would provide $2 billion TARP funds for loans, credits, or advances for owner-occupants who are at least 3 months behind in mortgage payments, have lost employment or are underemployed, and have the ability to make future mortgage payments. The bill also provides $1 billion in dedicated TARP funds for the Housing Trust Fund established in 2008. With the goal of 1.5 million homes constructed in 10 years, 75% of homes would be dedicated for extremely low- and very low-income households. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate.

NSP II Grants Expected in December. HUD is currently reviewing 404 NSP II grant applications made by states, cities, nonprofits, and consortia. HUD anticipates finalizing its funding allocations by early November, receiving consortia agreements by December 1, and making grant awards thereafter. Although ARRA provides only $2 billion for NSP II, grant applications total $13 billion in requests.

House Considers Extension of Empowerment Zones and Renewal Communities in October 7 hearing held by the House Ways and Means Committee on Select Revenue. Under current law the period during which an Empowerment Zone and Renewal Community may be designated is set to expire December 31, 2009. President Obama’s budget calls for a one-year extension, through 2010. According to HUD, Empowerment Zones have a 38% poverty rate; Renewal Communities, 34%.

(Testimony from hearing)

House Committee Creates Consumer Federal Protection Agency. On October 15, the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services agreed to create a Consumer Federal Protection Agency (CFPA) with supervision over all banks, except for banks with assets under $10 billion and credit unions with less than $1.5 billion, which would remain under existing federal supervisory authorities. The intent of H.R. 3126, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act, is to bring under one agency the current banking regulatory authority of six federal agencies to strengthen consumer protections. Under the bill, a CFPA would supervise and examine financial institutions, monitor credit transactions, and ensure disclosure of financial markets.

Making Home Affordable Program Achieves Key Milestone Ahead of Schedule. The Treasury Department and HUD have announced that more than 500,000 trial loan modifications are in progress, almost one month a head of schedule, under the Making Home Affordable program. However, the pace of foreclosures seems to have accelerated as more homeowners fall behind on payments. According to the Washington Post, the number of homeowners that have been pulled into foreclosure increased by 5% during the third quarter. RealtyTrac, which compiles data on more than 90 percent of U.S households, says more than 925,000 borrowers have received a foreclosure filling between July and September. The goal of 500,000 trial loan modifications by November 1 initially set in July has pushed servicers to ramp up program implementation and sustain a faster pace of modifications; trial modifications are now being issued at a faster rate than new homeowners are becoming eligible. Most of the foreclosure problems remain centered in hard-hit states such as Arizona and Nevada.

(HUD press release)

HUD Moves to Get States to Hire Low-Income Residents. On October 14, HUD launched a new campaign to increase hiring of low-income individuals and public housing residents by state and local governments that receive HUD funds. Under Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, HUD is empowered to promote new employment, training and contracting opportunities, and to guarantee low-income residents a chance to work on federal HUD-funded projects. Agencies that fail to comply may be debarred, suspended, or denied participation in HUD programs.

CDFI Fund Launches Homebuyer Program. On October 13, the Treasury Department’s CDFI Fund launched its new Financial Education and Counseling (FEC) Pilot Program authorized under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, making $2 million available to identify successful methods of financial education and counseling services that will result in positive behavioral change and create a program model for organizations to deliver effective financial education and counseling services to prospective homebuyers.

(Application materials)

Chicago’s Communities of Color Face Slower Recovery from Foreclosure, Report Shows. According to the WoodStock Institute’s “Road to Recovery: Examining the Disparate Impact of Vacant Owner Properties in Chicago,” lender-owned vacant lots are disproportionately located in predominantly African Americans communities. As housing stabilization begins, there are clear indications that these communities will suffer the negative effects of foreclosure--such as violent crime, vacant property, and declining home prices--for far longer than predominantly white communities.

(Report)

NACEDA News

HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims Headlines Two NACEDA Member Conferences. Sims gave the keynote address, outlining HUD’s mission to create viable cities and communities through comprehensive development of transportation, parks, environmental protection, healthcare and education, in collaboration with other federal agencies on October 7 at the Connecticut Housing Coalition meeting and on October 8 at the Maryland Asset Building Community Development (ABCD) Network’s second annual luncheon, where Maryland development organizations, government officials, and advocacy groups invested in community development met to exchange ideas. The ABCD Network presented awards to its members’ most successful community initiatives.

NACEDA E.D. To Address NSP/Foreclosure at Surdna Conference. Jane DeMarines will provide a federal legislative update on the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and foreclosure nationwide as part of a panel at the Surdna Foundation’s Grantee Conference in Cleveland this week. With foreclosures continuing to rise, HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program is a critical effort to help restore stressed communities that have been victims of foreclosure. Other panel members scheduled to speak include: Jenelle Dame, of the Eastside Organizing Project, which has had as high as an 85% success rate in resolving foreclosures throughout Ohio, and Dawn Stockmo of the National Community Stabilization Trust, whose mission is to purchase foreclosures for resale as affordable housing.

Partner News

Enterprise Cuts Ribbon for Baltimore Green Housing Project. A collaborative partnership with residents to complete the Renaissance Square Model Homes was celebrated on October 8 in Baltimore, with city elected officials and representatives from Enterprise Homes, Inc. and the Mark Building Company who cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the model homes at Renaissance Square. The new green housing project will provide 115 for-sale homes and townhomes and 81 apartments for seniors in the new Evergreen building. The model homes now stand on the site of the Kingsley Park apartments. The Kingsley apartments were built more than 60 years ago to provide affordable housing for servicemen returning from World War II. Over time, the promise of the apartments dimmed under the grip of crime and urban decay. After the demolition of the site in 2003, Kingsley Park was the very first project to use the community charrette process of Baltimore County’s Renaissance Redevelopment Pilot Program. Area residents were involved in a collaborative process that highlights the outstanding leadership of Enterprise and its development partners.

LISC Appoints Ford Foundation Executive to Lead L.A. Office. NACEDA applauds the appointment of Miguel A. Garcia from the Ford Foundation as executive director of Los Angeles LISC, a 22-year-old local program that has invested $425M in grants, loans and equity in low-income communities throughout the L.A. area. Garcia most recently spent seven years as program officer and acting deputy director at the Ford Foundation, where he managed a community development portfolio that focused on mixed-income housing and funding for public/community space, such as neighborhood arts venues, technology centers, recreational facilities and farmers markets. Previously he was a Community Builder Fellow in HUD’s Houston office, and assistant director in Houston’s planning and development department and also executive director of the Harrisburg-Wayside Commercial Revitalization Project in Houston.

NeighborWorks Leads Campaign Against Foreclosure Rescue Scams. According to the Washington Post, the number of homeowners struggling to meet mortgage payments has increased by 5% during the third quarter. As government programs to help borrowers stay in their homes struggle to gain traction, consumers are bombarded with advertisements that promise a reduction in payments. To help get the message out about foreclosure scams, NeighborWorks America received $6 million from the federal government in April to launch a national consumer awareness campaign that targets 25 cities hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis. Foreclosure rescue firms use a variety of tactics to find homeowners in distress: Some sift through public foreclosure notices in newspapers and on the Internet or through public files at local government offices, and then send personalized letters to homeowners.

(More info)

NACEDA Member / State News

Ohio CDC Association Director Named. Nate Coffman, a Cleveland CDC leader with private-sector housing experience, will begin on December 1 at OCDCA’s offices in downtown Columbus. He is the former executive director of Ohio City Near West Development Corporation (OCNW). A native of southeastern Ohio, Coffman joined OCNW in February 2008 after serving eight years as executive director of the Home Builders Association of Greater Cleveland and previously as its government and community affairs manager. He also worked several years in Columbus for U.S. Senator John Glenn and as an aide at the Ohio Senate. Coffman serves on the boards of the Living in Cleveland Center and the City of Cleveland Building and Housing Advisory. He has been recognized as a “Forty under 40” by Crain’s Cleveland Business. Coffman will assume the position of Patricia Barnes, executive director of the OCDA since its formation in 1984. After Dec. 1, Barnes will begin a new career as a consultant in community development.

Save the Date

National Charrette Institute Training: October 19-21 in Portland, OR; October 21-23 in Atlanta, GA. NCI is offering planners, designers, and developers a three-day training on running successful programs via the power of charrettes--the collaborative process by which citizenry of a city or town and hired experts plan community improvements.

(Click here for more details or to register for either training)

Heirs Property & Housing: October 21 in Charleston, SC. The seminar will provide you with information and insight to enhance your organization's potential to assist families’ foster financial stability and wealth creation. Participants will also learn how to collaborate with attorneys and heirs’ property preservation organizations to help community residents resolve heirs' property issues.

(Register)

Housing Action Illinois 2009 Convention: October 22-23 in Chicago, IL. This annual convention is Illinois’ largest, yearly gathering of housing professionals--including housing counselors, affordable housing developers, homeless service providers, supportive housing providers, fair housing advocates, researchers, lenders, government officials, and others--from throughout Illinois. For more info, click here:

http://www.housingactionil.org/organizing/pages1-5/index02.htm

National Environmental Public Health Conference 2009: October 26-29 in Atlanta, GA. Develop and encourage innovative strategies focusing on environmental public health priorities. Six conference tracks include healthy places (including land use revitalization) and sustainability and public health (including mitigating climate change).

(Register)

Community Land Trust Network National Conference: October 27-29 in Atlanta, GA. The 2009 National CLT Conference, “Growing Sustainably from the Roots Up” is the largest gathering of Community Land Trusts--and it’s happening in Georgia, where the CLT concept was born in the 1960s. Building on the roots of the movement, the focus is on sustainability and the benefits of stewardship. Athens Land Trust will share its experience with an engaging tour of homes and conservation lands.

Building for Sustainable Communities: A Full-Day Training on Nonprofit Facilities and Shared Workspace: October 27 in Berkeley, CA. As the real estate market continues to fluctuate and stimulus funds become available, nonprofit organizations are finding new opportunities to create quality workspace and facilities for themselves and the communities they serve. This hands-on training seminar will help your agency successfully create and operate a mission-enhancing, financially sustainable facility. Presented by The NonprofitCenters Network, a project of Tides, and ORGspaces.org, a program of Northern California Community Loan Fund.

Preserving Affordable Homeownership: Strategies for Hot and Cold Markets: October 29 in Athens, GA. Participants in this introductory course will review the most common models for preserving affordable homeownership, including deed covenants, community land trusts, shared appreciation loans, and limited equity cooperatives They will discuss the pros and cons of each model as a vehicle for promoting individual security, prosperity, mobility and wealth building, while addressing various community concerns. (This event will also take place in Washington, DC on December 10.)

(Register)

Housing Assistant and Nonprofit Developers (HAND): Membership: October 30 in Arlington, VA. Dr. Lisa Fowler of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University will present a Regional Housing Forecast at the Arlington Economic Development Commission Business Center, 1100 N. Glebe Road, Suite 1500, Arlington, VA (Ballston Metro), from noon to 2:00 p.m. Dr. Fowler will discuss local trends in real estate development with a focus on the multifamily market. Lunch will be served. RSVP to: jnorcross@handhousing.org

CNHED Rental Housing Development Finance Training: November 3-5 in Washington, DC. CNHED has collaborated with the National Development Council to offer “Rental Housing Development Finance.” The course will examine in detail the financing and developing of rental property. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the criteria used by lenders and investors to decide if they will put money into a project.

U.S. Green Building Council Free Affordable Housing Summit: November 10-11 in Washington, DC. For anyone interested in improving energy efficiency in affordable housing units and in the industry. Space is limited.

Changing the Odds: Learning from the Harlem Children’s Zone® Model: November 9-10 in New York, NY. More than 1,000 leaders from nonprofit, community, government, and philanthropic organizations will participate, with a focus on how to transform their communities by replicating the innovative HCZ model.

(Info)

Redefining Urban Healthcare: November 12 in Baltimore, MD. Baltimore, home to John Hopkins and University of Maryland, has long been regarded as a hub for world-class medical research. But many communities in the city continue to struggle with significant health disparities and stubborn public health challenges. What is health care innovation? Can out-of-the-box thinking help translate medical research into healthier communities?

(Sign up)

Inspiring Collaboration: November 12 in Baltimore, MD. Meet and mingle with our panelists and respondents at a subscriber-only reception. Conversation will continue as we discuss ways community organizations can partner with research universities to address the needs of Baltimore.

(Sign up)

Brownfield’s 2009: November 16-18 in New Orleans, LA. This free conference is the largest, most comprehensive event in the country to focus on cleaning up and redeveloping abandoned, underutilized, and potentially contaminated properties. The 13th annual conference in New Orleans will provide over 150 educational opportunities and bring outstanding plenary speakers including Lisa Jackson, Majora Carter, Mayor Ray Nagin, and Chris Leinberger.

(Register)

NeighborWorks Training Institute: December 7-11 in Washington, DC. Rising to the Challenge: Stabilizing Communities in the Wake of Foreclosure will focus attention on innovative policy, financing, property acquisition and development strategies. Learn about comprehensive best practices to help us all improve and advance sustainable communities. Policymakers, funders, practitioners, developers and property managers will share the latest and most effective techniques and ideas to get the work done in your community.

(Register)

New Partners for Smart Growth in February 4-6, 2010 in Seattle, WA. Join leaders from across the U.S. to tackle new solutions to curbing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing dependence on foreign oil, creating a green economy, and building more livable, walkable, and healthy communities at the 9th annual New Partners for Smart Growth conference.

(Info)