STUDIES and RESOURCES RELEASED

Transforming Cargo Containers Into A Weekend Studio:
320-square-foot "cargotecture" prototype...a stunning reminder of what architecture ought to be about: solving some of civilization's thorniest problems by radically reconsidering the built environment. By Lawrence W. Cheek -- Robert Humble/Joel Egan/HyBrid [images]- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

ArchNewsNow July 5

Straw Houses Serve Seasonal Workers:
Forget traditional construction: This project is stacking the bales -- Greg Miller/Telamon- Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)

ArchNewsNow July 5

Seasonal Workers Hit The Hay
A farmworker advocacy group is working with Virginia farmers to provide housing for the seasonal workers that tend their fields. Houses made of hay are the affordable and energy-efficient solution to this need for seasonal housing. Jul 06 2006 -- Richmond Times-Dispatch

Planetizen July 10

CDA Council Approves Building Height Limits
New building-height regulations in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, aim to bring more businesses and high-density housing downtown, reported the Spokesman Review. Previously, the city had no building height limits, theoretically allowing a developer to construct a 35-story hotel in a downtown area largely populated by buildings averaging about four stories. The city council has set the maximum allowed height at 75 feet. The council also imposed limits on building girth, to prevent large structures from dominating the streetscape and blocking pedestrian views of Tubbs Hill and Lake Coeur d'Alene. The city will allow heights of up to 220 feet, or about 19 stories, for projects that incorporate street-level retail shops, day-care centers, affordable housing, or other public features.

Re-feathering the Nest for Multiple Generations; Housing Trend Unites Extended Family
Both affordable and market-rate housing developers are focusing more on projects enabling multiple generations to live under one roof, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. According to the 2000 U.S. census, households containing three or more generations are growing at a faster rate than any other household type. In response, the national nonprofit Rebuilding Together is helping lower-income families to renovate their homes to facilitate multigenerational living.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Pro Athletes Back Gated Affordable Housing Community
An investment partnership of several professional athletes has developed a gated affordable housing community in Panama City Beach, Fla., reported The News Herald. Members of the Southern Boys Investment Group LLC include Atlanta Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking, former Falcons punter Chris Mohr, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Doug Johnson, and former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker. The partnership is targeting the one- to three-bedroom townhouses and condominiums in their 14-acre Villas at Suncrest community to members of the local work force and blue-collar vacationers, said Johnson. Families making less than $50,000 a year will be able to afford a Villas home, said Rocker. The gated community will offer two lakes, a clubhouse, and a community swimming pool. The partnership has also developed projects in two other Florida towns.

American Institute of Architects to Provide Affordable Housing
As part of its 150th anniversary celebration, the American Institute of Architects is providing $2 million in grants to as many as 200 community programs, reported The Daily Reporter. Already, 60 grants have been awarded to AIA regional affiliates. A $7,500 grant will help AIA Southeast Wisconsin build creatively designed, affordable modular homes on blighted lots between existing housing. Milwaukee, Racine, and Waukesha are each slated for one such home, which University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate students will design. They will include community rooms providing meeting space for collaborators on future neighborhood projects, the article said. AIA Southeast Wisconsin hopes the homes will spur more infill projects in the neighborhoods to promote further revitalization. The organization also hopes to encourage greater use of modular housing citywide, said a local AIA official.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Katrina Cottages
Rising from the ruins of Katrina, new cottage prototypes revolutionize the concept of affordable housing and embody a movement to rebuild the character of Gulf Coast towns. -- Marianne Cusato; Bruce Tolar/Michael LeBatard; Eric Moser [images]- Cottage Living magazine

ArchNewsNow July 14

Architects Show Modest Budgets Don't Require Modest Design:
The design community is finally beginning to push for innovation in infill housing...if this mini-movement spreads, it could add value to tattered neighborhoods and raise the bar for housing design elsewhere. By Whitney Gould -- AIA Wisconsin; Plunkett Raysich Architects; Habitat for Humanity; Johnsen Schmaling Architects [slide show]- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

ArchNewsNow July 17

Don't Just Sit There: Shelter Somebody:
The first-ever broad count of neglected buildings in New York City may reveal housing opportunities... Boston and St. Louis have undertaken similar counts with a goal of reducing blight and encouraging the development of affordable housing.- City Limits (NYC)

ArchNewsNow July 19

First Sustainable Project To Be Built in Crescent City Since Hurricane Katrina
Nonprofit transitional housing developer HomeAid is partnering with Tulane University's School of Architecture and Ameriquest Mortgage Company on the first sustainable construction project to break ground since Hurricane Katrina, reported multi-housingnews.com. The 4,400-square-foot New Orleans Family Center will feature six units, totaling 32 beds, for families displaced by the hurricane. Tulane architecture students designed the project to resemble a Creole cottage. The complex will use bamboo flooring and other sustainable materials as well as a geothermal system.

KnowledgePlex July 19

High Style Meets Low Budget Architecture
Why should the big spenders have a monopoly on architecturally distinctive dwellings? Jul 20 2006 -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Planetizen July 24

Green Building Technologies Becoming More Affordable
The availability of green building technologies has been steadily increasing to the point of affordability. Some high-profile projects are setting the stage for broader acceptance and use. Jul 22 2006 -- Business Week

Planetizen July 24

Nyc To Count Neglected Buildings
Responding to a housing crunch, Manhattan volunteers will count all abandoned properties in the city this weekend in an effort to utilize any and all buildings available. The count is aimed at identifying new sites for affordable housing. Jul 20 2006 -- City Limits

Planetizen July 24

High Density Heads Northwest
A private developer plans to build "one of the densest mixed-use suburban developments in Central Texas," reported the Austin American-Statesman. Pacific Summit Partners' $400 million Lakeline Station would occupy a now-vacant field in far northwest Austin. The area will soon get a new toll road and commuter rail line. The development would include 150,000 square feet of retail space and up to 3,000 homes. As many as 12 types of condos, town houses, and single-family homes are planned for people of varying incomes, said a company official. "The nature of transit-oriented development is diversity," he said. Another developer is planning to bring 1.5 million square feet of apartments, offices, and shops to a 63-acre site on the opposite side of the Capital Metro commuter rail line. The line is expected to begin operating in 2008.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Urban Living Moving Out and Up
Conflicts are arising as high-density development expands beyond Austin's urban core and close to the "notoriously protective neighborhoods" near downtown, reported the Austin American-Statesman. Nearly 6,000 condominiums and apartments -- almost twice the current number -- are planned or under construction in near downtown areas. Developer requests to exceed height limits are prompting opposition by neighborhood residents, who fear increasing traffic congestion and blocked views. City leaders appear reluctant to allow high-rise projects outside downtown, in part to protect the appeal of underused lots and other downtown parcels, the article said. But complex ownership arrangements and other factors limit the number of usable downtown sites, developers say. Height increases are critical to preserving affordability on outer areas where demand is increasing land costs, they say. In August, the city will consider new zoning rules that would allow developers to get more density within existing height limits by decreasing parking and setback requirements, the article said.

Governor Commends Greenbrier Heights as 'Model' Community
A mixed-income, pedestrian-friendly community in Woodinville, Wash., is one of six recently commended by Gov. Christine Gregoire as a "model affordable livable community," reported The Seattle Times. The Greenbrier Heights development features apartments; rental town houses, some of which are rented at below-market rates to families and seniors; and owner-occupied homes, some of which were built for affordable sales and have deeds restricting resales to other low- and middle-income families. The complex also has green spaces and a community center. The project is noteworthy for its breadth of funding partners, the article said.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Georgia Finds Challenges in Affordable Housing for Elderly
Some are questioning whether Atlanta is prepared to handle its expected wave of aging baby boomers and retirees, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. People on fixed incomes or with physical limitations may find standard homes unaffordable or difficult to maintain. The majority of seniors cannot afford to buy into neighborhood developments for people 55 and older, where homes generally cost between $200,000 and $500,000, the article said. Projects funded by tax credits offer lower-cost senior housing, but waiting lists are long. And zoning regulations in some areas prohibit smaller homes or high-density options, such as apartments and condominiums. Some communities, such as Cobb County, are trying to plan for the senior boom, said the director of the Aging Atlanta consortium. Several projects have been approved under new county zoning for senior housing. However, neighborhood opposition to density killed one such project, the article said.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Inclusionary Zoning and Developer Incentive Related Articles

New Florida County Rule Targets Affordable-housing Needs
Broward County, Fla., commissioners passed an ordinance allowing the county to withhold approval of large developments in cities that haven't demonstrated assistance to middle-income home buyers, reported The Miami Herald. Also under the rules, which take effect next year, cities seeking a change in land use must first provide a plan for creating affordable units. In the plan, cities must satisfy certain conditions, such as showing that affordable homes already exist or reducing permitting costs for affordable housing developers.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Commission Looks to Developer Incentives, Not Mandates, for Affordable Units
Reversing course, Sarasota County, Fla., commissioners are now considering encouraging, rather than requiring, developers to include affordable units in projects, reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Manatee County's reported success with an incentives approach factored into the commissioners' decision. Last year, developments proposed in Manatee County included 1,100 affordable homes. The Sarasota County ordinance may allow affordable housing developers to build up to 20 percent more homes per acre and approve projects in half the usual time -- or faster.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Oakland Oak to 9th Project Details Get OK
The Oakland, Calif., City Council approved a plan for the city's largest waterfront development in decades, reported the Contra Costa Times. The "Oak to 9th project," stretching along a 62-acre estuary, will include 3,100 housing units and 200,000 square feet of retail space. Nearly half the land will be set aside for parks and open space. City rules applying to redevelopment zones require the project to reserve 15 percent of the housing units as affordable. However, the latest amendments to the plan call for "a precedent-setting depth of affordability for a private development in Oakland," said an affordable housing advocate.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Santa Fe Targets House Prices
The Santa Fe, N.M., City Council won an enhanced affordable housing pledge from a subdivision developer seeking to have his project site annexed into the city, reported the Albuquerque Journal. Under the arrangement, the city will incorporate about 40 acres for the 201-unit development. Although the city requires that 30 percent of the units in new projects be affordable, the developer "agreed to add an additional 10 percent for entry-level buyers, or those who make 100 percent to 125 percent of area median income," the article said.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Inclusionary Zoning Options Put Forth in Wisconsin
Madison, Wis.'s City Council agreed on an amended version of a controversial inclusionary zoning ordinance. To clear the way for the law's passage, proponents agreed to incorporate a sunset provision, reported the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times. In the debates leading up to last week's vote, opponents of the ordinance argued for repealing the 2-year old law. The law provides insufficient cost-offsets for developers that are required to include lower-cost housing in their projects, and unsatisfactory benefits to first-time home buyers, they said. However, supporters favored amending the law, saying it offers a way for low- and middle-income people to remain in the increasingly costly city.

KnowledgePlex July 19

'Sausage Making at its Best' Saves Affordable Housing Law
Madison, Wis.'s City Council agreed on an amended version of a controversial inclusionary zoning ordinance. To clear the way for the law's passage, proponents agreed to incorporate a sunset provision, reported the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times. In the debates leading up to last week's vote, opponents of the ordinance argued for repealing the 2-year old law. The law provides insufficient cost-offsets for developers that are required to include lower-cost housing in their projects, and unsatisfactory benefits to first-time home buyers, they said. However, supporters favored amending the law, saying it offers a way for low- and middle-income people to remain in the increasingly costly city.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Claremont Approves Affordable Housing Law
A new Claremont, Calif., inclusionary zoning ordinance provides developers with several ways to satisfy their affordable housing requirements, reported the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Under the law, projects of five or more for-sale homes must set aside either 15 percent or more of the units for people with moderate incomes, or 10 percent of the units for people with low incomes. The homes must remain affordable for 45 years. The measure also requires providing a certain percentage of rental units to low- and very-low-income people. Rentals must remain affordable for 55 years.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Visalia, Calif.-based Nonprofit, Developer Team to Provide Affordable Housing
Bakersfield, Calif., officials are allowing the developer of a 260-home, mixed-income subdivision to squeeze more units on the site than typically allowed, reported The Bakersfield Californian. In exchange for this "density bonus," the developer, Matthews Homes, must set aside 20 percent of the project for low-income housing, a company official said. Self-Help Enterprises, a Visalia-based nonprofit, will oversee construction of the 52 lower-cost homes. The "sweat equity" homes will be built in part by their future owners and are expected to be appraised at between $230,000 and $250,000. The market-rate homes will likely be priced between the high-$200,000s and mid-$300,000s. It's hoped that developers will continue to pledge affordable housing in exchange for density bonuses, a city planning official said.

KnowledgePlex July 19

San Diego Reaches Compromise On Inclusionary Zoning
The city will amend its three-year-old ordinance to settle a lawsuit brought by the local the Building Industry Association. Jul 21 2006 -- San Diego Union Tribune

Planetizen July 24

District's Thrifty Housing Rule Hit
As Washington, D.C., considers a controversial plan to impose mandatory affordable housing requirements, another area government has expanded its requirements, reported The Washington Times. Under the proposed D.C. rule, 10 percent of the units in residential projects with 10 or more units must be affordable to households making up to 80 percent of the regional median income. Some developers say a citywide mandatory rule will slow construction. However, "opposition ... has been easing as city officials and housing advocates convince more developers that sky-high housing prices can hurt the community by forcing out moderate-income people who perform necessary services," the article said.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Baltimore Task Force Pushes for Mandatory Affordable Housing
A Baltimore task force is urging the City Council to require developers using public subsidies or seeking rezoning to set aside 20 percent of their projects for people earning low to moderate incomes, reported the Daily Record. The task force, which includes developers and community leaders, included the recommendation in a report delivered to the council earlier this month. Under the task force's plan, the city wouldn't require the same percentage from developers working without public subsidies or zoning changes. However, the city would offer incentives aimed at offsetting the costs of selling some units at lower prices. The incentives would include tax breaks, grants, and loans -- possibly funded by a portion of recordation fees and transfer taxes. The inclusionary zoning policy addresses the threats of gentrification and displacement, said the task force chair.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Law Sparks Debate on Costs of Development
A Wisconsin law shifting responsibility for impact fees to homeowners took effect last month amid protests from some suburban officials, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Previously, residential developers were required to pay fees for all lots in a subdivision, prior to starting construction. The fees were imposed to help fund municipal water services, law enforcement, and other services needed by new residents. Fees are now imposed much later in a project's process, when a building or occupancy permit is issued, and homeowners are responsible for those fees, the article said. By preventing local governments from budgeting for improvements, the hastily approved measure could slow development or lead to rising property taxes, critics say. But according to supporters, subtracting impact fees from the cost of lots will boost affordable housing by allowing developers to charge lower prices.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Report Card on Housing Supply Gives Bay Area a 'B'
A new study gives mixed grades on housing production performance to the San Francisco Bay area's cities and counties, reported the San Jose Mercury News. Local jurisdictions in the Bay Area are assigned state-mandated "fair share" housing targets based on "producing enough new housing to keep up with projected population and job growth," the article said. According to the Bay Area Council's third "housing production report card," the nine-county Bay Area earned an overall "B" grade by issuing 83 percent of the permits needed to meet its housing targets. Six towns in Santa Clara County earned an "A" or "A +" grade by permitting at least 95 percent of their goals. San Mateo County received an "F."

KnowledgePlex July 27

Articles about Increasing Housing Costs and other Barriers to Affordability

Buyers in More Markets Find Housing Out of Reach
The nation's affordability crisis is replete with stories of individuals stretching themselves to the hilt to buy homes, job resignations due to unbearable commutes, and rising homelessness among seniors, experts told USA TODAY. According to a new study from the National Association of Realtors®, Americans are increasingly anxious about their capacity to afford new homes or keep the ones they have. Also, out-of-reach home prices are harming local economies, said 60 percent of those surveyed by the association.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Oregon Land Prices Sizzle
Land for new homes in the Portland, Ore., area is six times more costly today than 15 years ago, according to the first thorough study of land value trends in the region, reported The Oregonian. The results of the Portland State University analysis "confirm anecdotal evidence that home prices have soared partly because the land they sit on is so valuable," the article said. The cost of land now accounts for more than one-fourth of a home's price, the study estimated. Planning rules prohibiting development outside urban-growth boundaries have played a role in increasing land cost, said the study's author. Portland, which expects another 1 million residents by 2030, faces a contentious debate over land values.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Biases Blur Housing Issue
Despite the need for low-income homes in North Carolina's Triangle region, towns are growing bolder in rejecting such housing, developers told The News & Observer. By 2007, Wake County will be short 29,556 rental units affordable to households making less than 60 percent of the county median income, according to a 2003 study. One town passed a ban on selling new single-family homes at prices less than about $24,000 above the town's average home sales price. Officials and residents in other towns have rejected affordable multifamily projects, saying they could increase crime or lower property values. Motivated by a veiled desire to exclude minorities and low-income people, towns end up excluding seniors, disabled people, and workers critical to local economics, said a state housing advocate. One town rejected a proposed complex because it included 48 apartments for low-income seniors. Said a developer, "This is the first time in my career where a community has discriminated against elderly, poor people ... openly, without fear."

KnowledgePlex July 19

Pennsylvania Town Moves to Stem Influx of Immigrants
http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/183279.html

A Pennsylvania coal town with a growing Hispanic population has just enacted "what is believed to be the toughest ordinance targeting illegal immigrants in the country," reported The Times Union. Under Hazleton's Illegal Immigration Relief Act, landlords who knowingly rent to illegal immigrants will be fined $1,000 a day, while businesses that employ them will lose their operating license. The city's code enforcement division is charged with enforcing the new law, which will go into effect in 60 days. According to Hazleton's mayor, similar ordinances will be adopted by municipalities elsewhere that face a drain on their resources by illegal immigrants. But a Spanish-language newspaper publisher predicted a backlash, saying the measure will energize Hispanic voters. Legal groups plan to challenge the ordinance in court, said an official with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund.

San Francisco Becoming Artist-Unfriendly
http://www.planetizen.com/node/20558
Long known as a city of writers and artists, San Francisco can't hold on to its creative types due to its high cost of living. Jul 18 2006 -- San Francisco Chronicle

Planetizen July 20

Cities Shed Middle Class, and Are Richer and Poorer for It:
Does it matter if there is less room for a middle class? ...sociologists and many economists believe that there can be non-economic consequences for cities that lose a lot of middle-income residents.- New York Times

Homelessness Related Articles

Facility Would Help Homeless Students to Stay in School
A Missouri school district's plan to create a group home for its homeless high school students may be a national first, say experts and state officials, as reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Maplewood school district has committed special education dollars to make a down payment on a $250,000 home.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Pilot Program Shows PROMISE; It Starts With Housing for Parolees
The New Jersey State Parole Board has launched a pilot housing program to reduce recidivism among mentally ill offenders leaving prison, reported The Record. The PROMISE program will house and offer mental health and wraparound services to mentally ill parolees who have been repeatedly hospitalized, arrested, or have refused rehabilitative services. The state will save money, as the program is less expensive than repeated incarceration, said the parole board's chairman.

Treatment, Not Jail Is HOPE Team's Mission
Police officers throughout Georgia are being trained to respond to homeless and mentally ill people with hospitalization options rather than jail, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Two years ago, the state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation called for crisis intervention training for law enforcement officials. Since then, 500 officers in almost 90 cities and counties in the state have been following a model that began in Memphis in 1988. Instead of routinely arresting homeless or mentally ill people for nonviolent misdemeanors, officers escort them to mental health treatment centers or shelters.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Street People Think of These as 'The Good Cops'
In San Diego, police officers are partnering with social workers to find and link homeless people with "a veritable basket of service providers, shelters, and rehabilitation programs," reported the San Antonio Express-News. San Diego's Homeless Outreach Teams are one of several strategies used to tackle homelessness in a city where an estimated 10,000 people are homeless, with 1,400 chronically affected.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Miami Offers Lessons on Handling the Homeless
Outreach teams in Miami, supportive housing in New York City, and a no-demand shelter in Seattle represent the new cost-reduction strategy for handling the estimated 250,000 chronically homeless people in America, according to a series on National Public Radio. NPR's reporting began in Miami, whose reputation for helping people get off the streets traces back a private philanthropist. Former Knight Ridder chairman Albert Chapman helped fund what is now a $35 million homelessness trust for Miami. The trust, which also draws from the nation's first-ever city-enacted tax for homeless services, has supported substance abuse treatment programs, housing subsidies, and two homeless assistance shelters.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Homeless Alcoholics in Seattle Find a Home
In the early 1980s, rising homelessness in New York City overwhelmed the city's social services systems, Rockefeller Foundation official Darren Walker told NPR. The situation prompted the birth of the supportive housing movement, which offers shelter combined with assistance services to homeless people with substance abuse or mental health problems, Walker said. Last December, King County, Wash., furthered this concept with a unique model. The county created a facility for 75 homeless alcoholics after discovering that 40 of the most severe cases were costing the county tens of thousands of dollars annually in emergency room, jail, and other service expenses, NPR reported.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Los Angeles Community Pushes Plan to House Homeless Vets
Nationally, homeless veterans make up between 10 and 30 percent of the homeless population, Santa Monica Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Shriver told NPR. To help serve some of the estimated 18,000 or so homeless vets in the Los Angeles area, Shriver wants to turn three large vacant buildings on the Veterans Administration's West Los Angeles campus into permanent housing. Shriver, brother-in-law of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said neighbors are justifiably concerned about the plan. But once the VA and nonprofit service provider partners get the go-ahead, they can respond to residents' fears about security and other issues, he said.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Mayor Announces New Measures to Move Homeless Into More Stable Conditions
A 19 percent drop in New York City's homeless shelter population has saved the city $10 million, which it plans to reinvest in housing stability services for families at risk of homelessness, according to a press release from Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg made the announcement during the National Alliance to End Homelessness Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. In his keynote speech, Bloomberg attributed the shrinking homeless population to a new policy that holds shelters, shelter clients, and the city itself accountable for helping families move into permanent housing.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Articles about Advocacy, Funding and other Affordable Housing Issues

Maryland Association of Realtors Seek to Increase Advocacy for Workforce Housing
Through its new housing affordability public awareness campaign, the Maryland Association of Realtors seeks to transform more Marylanders into advocates of workforce housing, reported The Daily Record. As part of the campaign, the association launched a Web site offering resources to prospective home buyers and released a study on housing affordability in the state. According to the study, home prices in Maryland have grown four times as fast as incomes since 2003. Higher property taxes, rising energy costs, higher interest rates, and government restrictions impeding housing development have all contributed to declining affordability, the report said.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Affording the Solution: Agents, Builders Provide Low-cost Housing
Frustrated with facing clients unable to afford high housing costs, three real estate agents in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area are taking matters into their own hands, reported The Sun News. The agents, who work for Prudential Burroughs & Chapin Realty Inc., are seeking developers to build a neighborhood with homes selling between $120,000 to $150,000. Nearly half of the area's families cannot afford a home at the median price of $188,000. One of the agents started the crusade by approaching local property owners who expressed interest in selling their land for affordable development.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Realtors to Hold Affordable Housing Contest
To bolster the creation of more affordable housing in Humboldt County, Calif., the Humboldt Association of Realtors® is sponsoring a contest for the best-designed accessory dwelling units, reported the Eureka Times Standard. The association got the idea from a San Diego competition, in which three winning building plans were made available to developers as pre-approved designs, thus streamlining the permitting process.

KnowledgePlex July 6

'Unlikely Alliance ' Addressess Shortage of Rural Affordable Housing
Inmates of Minnesota's county jails have built 250 homes for rural families making up to 80 percent of the state median income, reported National Public Radio. Unlike corrections-run home building programs in other states, in which inmates build modular homes inside prison walls, crews of minimum-security inmates are trained and work at construction sites.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Gay Seniors Settle Into a Niche; Housing Caters to Overlooked Market
Gay-friendly housing developments are "an emerging niche in the USA's booming retirement market," reported USA TODAY. According to the American Society on Aging, the few projects under way to date include subdivisions in Pecos, N.M., and Zionville, N.C.; condominiums and apartments in Boston and Los Angeles; and a Santa Rosa, Calif., complex featuring cottages, town homes, and nursing units. Santa Fe, N.M., hosts RainbowVision, the country's first retirement village targeting gay men and lesbians. Although RainbowVision residents are mostly middle- and upper-class, some nonprofit urban ventures include affordable housing, the article said. Older gays lack trust in mainstream institutions and are less likely to seek needed medical care and other services, said the executive director of SAGE, a nonprofit serving gay seniors in New York City. Gay retirement communities that incorporate neighborhood service centers accessible to residents and non-residents alike are under way in Boston's Fenway neighborhood as well as in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the article said.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Realty Group Announces $250M Fund for Market-Rate & Mixed-Use Development
$250M FUND FOR MARKET-RATE & MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCED

http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/181318.html

A company that administers workforce housing investment funds primarily in California is launching a fund in New York, reported multi-housingnews.com. Phoenix Realty Group's new $250 million Metropolitan Workforce Housing Fund will offer equity capital to middle-income residential and mixed-use projects in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area. With its emphasis on urban infill construction, the fund seeks to invest primarily in multifamily for-sale and rental housing, targeting households making between 80 and 200 percent of the median income.

KnowledgePlex July 13

CDFIs Help Finance 43,000 Affordable Housing Units
According to a new report, $3.5 billion invested by U.S. community development financial institutions in 2004 created 43,000 affordable housing units, reported Mortgage Line. The report, by the CDFI Data Project, also found that investments by CDFIs in 2004 built or renovated 470 community facilities and helped support 6,887 businesses that created or maintained 28,330 jobs. Additionally, they helped 122,755 low-income people open their first bank account. The findings confirmed that CDFIs, true to their mission, are reaching a much greater percentage of underserved markets than mainstream financial institutions, the article said.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Home at Last: Tax Credits Build Affordable Units for Forgotten People
Between 1987 and 2004, the $35.6 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits allocated to West Virginia have helped build, rehabilitate, or acquire 9,283 housing units for people earning up to about 60 percent of the area median income, reported The Charleston Gazette. The LIHTC program, which began in 1987, "helps developers defray the cost of building affordable housing for people who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing but don't earn enough to pay market-value rents," the article said.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Flint Families Find New Home in Innovative Affordable Housing Development
A coalition of housing partners is constructing eight affordable homes for first-time buyers on once-vacant, tax-reverted lots in a Flint, Mich., neighborhood, according to a press release from the Mission of Peace CDC and The PMI Group Inc. The homes are being funded under PMI Mortgage Insurance Co.'s Gateway Cities Initiative, a program that seeks to revitalize underserved neighborhoods nationwide. The CDC accessed a $100,000 revolving fund, established by PMI Mortgage, to acquire the foreclosed land and construct the homes. Profits from home sales will be plowed back into the fund to support more home construction.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Law Makes it Harder to Sell Affordable Housing Units
Legislation making it harder to convert federally subsidized rental developments to market-rate complexes passed the Rhode Island Legislature, reported The Providence Journal. Owners of such complexes operate under HUD contracts requiring the units to be rented to subsidized housing recipients for 20-year terms. Under federal law, owners who plan to exit the program must provide tenants with one-year termination notices. The Rhode Island Legislature just amended the state's Two Year Notice Law, which requires that both the tenants and the state receive two years' advance notice of an impending exit from the program. Under the amendment, owners must now also "offer to sell their properties to the tenant association, Rhode Island Housing, the local housing authority, and the municipality before going to the open market," the article said. Housing advocates lauded the change, saying it would help preserve housing affordable to low-income residents.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Florida License Plate to Fund Affordable Housing
Floridians may soon be able to support affordable housing programs by purchasing specialized license plates for $25 annually, reported The Reporter. The Florida Association of Realtors® initiated legislation authorizing the Department of Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue the "Support Homeownership for All" plate. The association spent about $60,000 to launch the effort. A nonprofit formed by Realtors and housing advocates will collect the proceeds from plate sales. Housing programs will receive 90 percent of the funds, and 10 percent will be put toward marketing.

KnowledgePlex July 19

California Awarded $210.7 Million for Housing
Floridians may soon be able to support affordable housing programs by purchasing specialized license plates for $25 annually, reported The Reporter. The Florida Association of Realtors® initiated legislation authorizing the Department of Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue the "Support Homeownership for All" plate. The association spent about $60,000 to launch the effort. A nonprofit formed by Realtors and housing advocates will collect the proceeds from plate sales. Housing programs will receive 90 percent of the funds, and 10 percent will be put toward marketing.

KnowledgePlex July 19

$1 Billion Affordable Housing Bond May Go to Voters
By a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Council endorsed placing a $1 billion housing bond measure on the November ballot, reported the Los Angeles Times. The measure would increase property taxes over 20 years, adding about $75 a year to the tax bill of a $500,000 home. The bond proposal would generate $100 million a year for 10 years, potentially helping to finance about 1,000 new housing units annually for the homeless and working poor. It would also provide first-time home-buyer assistance to families unable to otherwise obtain a mortgage, including, possibly, families making as much as $100,000, the article said.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Crime Prevention Top Priority in Katrina Recovery Plans
According to a Tulane University survey, New Orleans residents consider crime prevention the city's highest rebuilding priority, reported the Times-Picayune. The survey illustrates that New Orleanians want crime-reduction features such as well-lit streets and transit stops in busy retail areas incorporated into neighborhood designs, said an administrator at Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. However, such features have been largely ignored in recent rebuilding workshops, he said. Traits also scoring high among those surveyed were good street lighting, an absence of litter, good schools, little noise, and pedestrian-friendly features such as sidewalks and crosswalks. Black respondents also cited affordable housing and health clinics among their top 10 priorities.

County Eyes Land for Low-cost Homes
Palm Beach County, Fla., plans to use $2.4 million in federal housing dollars to buy land for affordable housing, reported the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Under the deal, the county will acquire 7 acres currently hosting group homes from the South County Foundation for Mental Health. After relocating residents from the homes, the county plans to offer the property to developers who agree to build homes that would sell for between $164,000 and $304,000. Eliminating land costs for developers is one of several strategies under way to create more housing for teachers, police officers, and young professionals priced out of an area where the median home price is nearing $400,000, the article said.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Project OK'd for Neglected Area
The Omaha, Neb., Planning Board approved up to $2.7 million in tax increment financing to a private developer planning an affordable subdivision on neglected land in the center of the city, reported the Omaha World-Herald. The project, by Memphis-based Angelcity Corp., will feature rent-to-own homes for 80 low- and moderate-income families. The homes will have three to four bedrooms, hardwood floors, granite counters, and two-car garages. The project will be partly financed by affordable housing tax credits coming through the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority. TIF funds, which are generated by new property tax revenues from the site, will pay for the installation of streets, sewers, and utilities, the article said. "This is a real appropriate use of TIF," said a city planning official.

KnowledgePlex July 19

CHA Plans Ahead for Change in Funding
According to the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association, housing authorities nationwide are selling properties and raising rents to prepare for cuts in federal funding, reported the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Starting in September 2007, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will cease allocating operating funds directly to public housing authorities with 250 or more units. Instead, the funds will be distributed to individual housing sites. National housing officials are concerned that HUD may fund housing authorities at 78 percent of a level recommended in a cost study by Harvard University, according to the housing directors association.

Managing Staffs to Begin Work in Public Housing
The Birmingham, Ala., Housing Authority was one of 20 housing authorities required to switch to the new site-based asset-management system this year "because of a loss of subsidy," reported the Birmingham News. Property managers, assistant managers, housing coordinators, and maintenance technicians assigned to the various public housing communities are now handling maintenance and social services that were once administered centrally. A resident council president at one of the complexes praised the move to site-based management and said the transition so far has been smooth.

KnowledgePlex July 19

OHA Pins Hopes for Future on its Spinoff Agency
Following the lead of its peer agencies around the nation, the Omaha, Neb., Housing Authority is offsetting declining federal funds by spinning off a nonprofit affiliate, reported the Omaha World-Herald. These separate entities "can snag private investment dollars and tax credits" generally unavailable to housing authorities themselves, the article said. The affiliate, Housing in Omaha Inc., will work with the authority to develop more affordable homes. Although housing authorities can hire development companies to create affordable housing, having its own affiliate will give OHA more control and enable it to reinvest development fees back into the neighborhoods, said the authority's director. OHA's announcement comes during a broader debate over the need to balance entrepreneurialism among housing authorities with sufficient oversight of federal assets, the article said. This fall, HUD is expected to issue guidelines on the relationship between housing authorities and their affiliates.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Cal Poly Program Helps Aged-out Foster Youth
California colleges and universities are increasing efforts to assist youth aging out of foster care, reported the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Fullerton, and UC Santa Cruz number among the schools providing academic and emotional assistance to transitioning youth. Through such initiatives, some of which operate under the name Guardian scholars, participants learn resume writing, bank account management, and other skills. California serves more than 80,000 foster children, more than any other state. Although the state provides life skills counseling programs to many in the foster care system, the quality of services varies widely by county, the article said. Further, the state can afford to offer transitional housing only to foster youth in three counties, the article said. When it reconvenes in August, the state Legislature is expected to consider a bill aimed at minimizing the disparity in service levels through leadership reforms.

KnowledgePlex July 19

New York City's 10 Worst Landlords
NY's Village Voice publishes its non-scientific list of the 10 worst landlords in the city. The worst landlord will surprise you -- HUD. The story also includes "Apartments in Hell" -- photos from the very worst of the apartments. Jul 19 2006 -- The Village Voice

Planetizen July 20

HOUSING IMPACTS DEAL WITH NEW YORK CITY EMPLOYEES

http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/183593.html

New York City fiscal policy analysts are cheering a tentative labor agreement that would rescind a residency requirement for public employees, reported The New York Sun. For almost 20 years, labor pacts with the city have required members of District Council 37, the city's largest public employee union, to live in one of the city's five boroughs. Under the tentative pact announced last week, union members could live in the six suburban counties encircling the city. "Like teachers and uniformed city employees, who are already allowed to live outside the five boroughs, DC 37 members would still have to pay New York City income taxes if they moved elsewhere," the article said. According to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the concession acknowledges the city's housing shortage.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Housing Impacts Deal With New York City Employees
New York City fiscal policy analysts are cheering a tentative labor agreement that would rescind a residency requirement for public employees, reported The New York Sun. For almost 20 years, labor pacts with the city have required members of District Council 37, the city's largest public employee union, to live in one of the city's five boroughs. Under the tentative pact announced last week, union members could live in the six suburban counties encircling the city. "Like teachers and uniformed city employees, who are already allowed to live outside the five boroughs, DC 37 members would still have to pay New York City income taxes if they moved elsewhere," the article said. According to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the concession acknowledges the city's housing shortage.

KnowledgePlex July 27

VHA Proposes Change to Rent Subsidy; Opponents Say Neediest Would be Hurt
The Vancouver, Wash., Housing Authority is planning to replace its current income-based system for calculating rent subsidies with flat subsidies based on family or unit size, reported The Columbian. Under the present standard formula, subsidies vary because they are calculated so that tenants end up spending about 30 percent of their income on rent. The government covers the difference between the tenant's contribution and the market rent. Under the proposed new system, voucher holders would receive a fixed subsidy based on family size, while public housing tenants would pay a fixed rent based on the number of bedrooms per unit. According to an authority official, pegging voucher subsidies to family size would save money, simplify processing for landlords, and encourage tenants to increase their incomes.

KnowledgePlex July 27

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fannie Mae Foundation Announces Harvard Program Fellows
The Fannie Mae Foundation announced the Fellows in the 2006 classes of the Fannie Mae Foundation Fellowship Program. The Fellows are participating in the John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University this summer. They attend an intensive, three-week course on enhancing leadership skills, as well as special housing sessions coordinated by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, Kennedy School faculty, and Fannie Mae Foundation staff.

KnowledgePlex July 6

HUD Recognizes Communities for Removing Regulatory Barriers
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has named three communities and one state agency as this year's winners of its Robert L. Woodson, Jr. Awards. The awards recognize state and local efforts to reduce burdensome regulations that unnecessarily inflate housing costs. The winners are Mount Joy, Pa.; Suffolk County, N.Y.; San Jose, Calif.; and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Supportive Housing Initiative Wins Innovations Award
The State of Connecticut's Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative won the Fannie Mae Foundation Innovations in American Government Award in Affordable Housing. The award is a special honor sponsored by the Foundation as part of the broader Innovations in American Government Awards program. The awards program is administered by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in partnership with the Council for Excellence in Government. The program honors creative and effective government efforts in all service areas. The Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative has created housing with services for more than 400 formerly homeless households in 25 communities throughout the state. As with the other six winners of Innovations Awards, the initiative will receive a $100,000 grant to foster replication of its model.

KnowledgePlex July 19

STUDIES and RESOURCES RELEASED

Enterprise Retools Resource Database
Enterprise has rebuilt and updated its online resource database of affordable housing and community development topics. The Enterprise Resource Database is now powered by KnowledgePlex. Besides offering powerful search functionality, the database is more user-friendly and easier to navigate. Its content covers topics such as affordable housing, asset building and economic development, child care, community building and safety, green affordable housing, housing finance, organizational development, regional and neighborhood planning, and workforce development. From the site, users can also link to such tools as the Housing Developer Support System, MoneyNet, the Child Care Library, trainings and conferences, and publications.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Paper Addresses Treatments for Co-Occurring Disorders
PAPER ADDRESSES TREATMENTS FOR CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS

http://www.coce.samhsa.gov/cod_resources/PDF/SpecialSettings(OP5).pdf

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has published the first papers in a series of publications on how to improve treatment outcomes for people with co-occurring mental health and substance-abuse disorders. According to SAMHSA, about 4.6 million U.S. residents, including a significant portion of the nation's homeless population, have co-occurring disorders. However, only a small percentage receives treatment addressing both conditions. "Addressing Co-Occurring Disorders in Non-Traditional Service Settings" covers strategies that primary health, criminal justice, and social service agencies can use to help people with co-occurring disorders.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Report Assesses Programs' Response to Katrina
A new Urban Institute report points to shortcomings in the post-Katrina response of government housing assistance, unemployment compensation, health care, and cash support programs. "Federalism after Hurricane Katrina: How Can Social Programs Respond to a Major Disaster?" says that the programs' structural complexity and inadequate benefits made it hard for them to respond quickly and effectively to victims' needs. The report explores factors that made Katrina so difficult to handle and recommends ways to improve the social safety net before the next disaster.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Residential Demographic Multipliers Available on DataPlace
DataPlace™ by KnowledgePlex® now features a new data set providing estimates of the total number of persons, school-age children, and public school children who occupy newly constructed housing. These "demographic multipliers" were developed by the Rutgers University Center for Urban Policy Research using a special tabulation of the Census 2000 Public Use Microdata Sample. The multipliers are broken down by age and school grade and are presented separately for housing units categorized by structure type (single-family detached, single-family attached, mobile homes, 2-4 unit structures, and 5 or more unit structures); size (number of bedrooms); tenure (owner- or renter-occupied); and value or rent. Multipliers are provided for the nation as well as individual states and the District of Columbia. The Census 2000-based multipliers are the third edition of the CUPR Residential Demographic Multipliers data set. Previous editions have been widely used for residential development impact analysis by land use planners, real estate developers, tax assessors, school planners, and public safety officers. Applications have included estimating requirements for public school facilities, libraries, police and fire staffing, parking, and road improvements.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Free Guidebook From LRA Provides Direction on Rebuilding
A new guidebook, funded by private donations and a grant from the Fannie Mae Foundation, seeks "to head off bad design choices by homeowners" rebuilding in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita," reported the Times-Picayune. The Louisiana Recovery Authority included drawings, photographs, and advice primarily related to aesthetics in its 92-page guide, "Louisiana Speaks: Pattern Book." The guide, offered free in print and online at www.louisianaspeaks.org, grew out of neighborhood workshops held by authority consultants. Residents and experts in architectural history and cultural geography who participated in the meetings wanted new structures to reflect established cultural and social traditions. The guide explores the influences of local housing styles and covers flood-plain management strategies. It also seeks to promote energy-efficient and storm-resistant construction.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Report Examines D.C.'s Tenant Purchase Act
A new report by Georgetown University Law Center's Harrison Institute for Public Law analyzes and recommends ways to improve a Washington, D.C., law offering tenants an opportunity to purchase the homes that they occupy. Under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, owners putting residential property up for sale must first provide tenants with the chance to make an offer. According to the report, the act "has been the catalyst for preserving thousands of affordable homes ... often in neighborhoods that have been undergoing gentrification." However, financial and technical shortcomings impede full implementation of the act. The report makes numerous suggestions for enhancing the act, including implementing a comprehensive record-keeping system, establishing ongoing resident training, and supporting lawyers to handle TOPA cases.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Paper Analyzes Single Female Home Buyers
A new paper from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University describes the characteristics, preferences, and purchasing behaviors of unmarried female home buyers. According to the paper, unmarried women are a large and fast-growing segment of the home-buying population. Over a 3-plus year period, unmarried women purchased homes totaling more than $550 billion, the paper says. "There is still substantial work to be done, however, in furthering the capacity of unmarried female householders to enter the home buying market," the paper says. "Unmarried female-headed households represent 30 percent of all households, but only 23 percent of all home owners and 20 percent of recent home buyers."

KnowledgePlex July 19

Where Did They Go? The Decline of Middle-Income Neighborhoods
The paper was ublished this past June by Jason C. Booza, Jackie Cutsinger, and George Galster. The paper includes an analysis of 1970 to 2000 decennial census data for families and neighborhoods in the 100 largest metropolitan areas.

LISC eNewsletter July 19

The State of the Nation's Housing
Published by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, traces the way in which the housing boom came under increasing pressure in 2005. With interest rates rising, builders in many states responded to slower sales and larger inventories by scaling back on production. Meanwhile, the surge in energy costs hit household budgets just as higher interest rates started to crimp the spending of homeowners with adjustable mortgages.

LISC eNewsletter July 19

Housing Policy in the United States: An Introduction
A new book by Alex Schwartz, associate professor and chair of the Urban Policy Analysis and Management Program at Milano, the New School for Management and Urban Policy, is a comprehensive introduction to housing issues in our nation and includes an overview of the policies and programs designed to help low-income and other disadvantaged individuals access affordable housing.

LISC eNewsletter July 19

Katrina Index: Tracking Variables of Post-Katrina Recovery
A new report by Amy Liu, Matt Fellowes, and Mia Mabanta, published by the Brookings Institution, takes the dueling focuses of both evacuation and rebuilding as the backdrop to uncover some valuable trends for emergency planning and positive economic signs across the Gulf Coast. It also includes also conflicting signals about the state of rebuilding in New Orleans.

LISC eNewsletter July 19

Report Outlines Help For Lower-Income Families
According to a new report from The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, "public and private leaders have a substantial, and widely overlooked, opportunity today to help lower income families get ahead by bringing down the inflated prices they pay for basic necessities, such as food and housing." Generally, these families pay more for the same consumer products than higher-income families, the report says. Using national data and data from 12 major metropolitan areas, the analysis shows that 4.2 million homeowners who earn less than $30,000 a year pay higher-than-average prices for their mortgages. Roughly 4.5 million lower-income households pay higher-than-average prices for auto loans. Reducing the costs of living for lower-income families by just 1 percent would produce more than $6.5 billion in new spending power for these families, the report says. The report recommends that public and private leaders encourage mainstream businesses to serve lower-income markets, support efforts to help consumers navigate market choices, and crack down on alternative, high-priced businesses operating in lower-income neighborhoods.

KnowledgePlex July 27

NCCED Releases Community Economic Development Census
The National Congress for Community Economic Development has released its fifth national census of the quantitative achievements of community-based development organizations. The new census counts 4,600 CDCs, up from 3,600 through 1998. The census records significant increases in the number of homes and apartments produced, commercial and industrial space developed, and jobs created by community development organizations as of the end of 2004. For example, since 1998, CDCs have added more than 600,000 affordable homes and apartments to their inventories, an average of 86,000 units annually. CDCs' development of commercial and industrial footage rose by 61 million square feet from 1998 to 2005. Intermediaries, particularly local collaboratives, are an important and growing part of the financial support system for CDCs, the census notes.

KnowledgePlex July 27

Study Offers Tips for Developing and Marketing Mixed-Income Properties
NeighborWorks America recently published a study that outlines seven strategies for successfully developing and marketing sustainable mixed-income properties. Funded with support from the Ford Foundation, the report explains that success is as much about putting in place strong property and financial professionals as creating an appealing and attractive place where people of all incomes want to live.

NeighborWorks Alert July

EVENTS

Affordable Housing Symposium, Aug. 21-23
The Performance Institute will host a symposium Aug. 21-23 on the use of tax credits to promote affordable housing. The symposium will provide an overview of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and feature sessions on topics such as the use of tax credits for affordable housing, financial projections, partnership agreements, investor pricing, debt structuring, developer fees, and joint ventures. An all-day workshop will guide participants through the steps of the affordable housing development process.

KnowledgePlex July 6

Neighborhood Funders Group Annual Conference, Sept. 11-13
The Neighborhood Funders Group will host its annual conference Sept. 11-13 in Durham, N.C. The conference will examine issues of race and economic equity, including how asset-building strategies are impacting low- and moderate-income families and communities. Conference sessions will cover such topics as raising the minimum wage as an anti-poverty strategy, building assets through manufactured housing, financial services strategies for low-income households and communities, and partnerships for innovation in affordable housing. Pre-conference events include an overnight learning tour of efforts to organize agriculture and meat-packing workers, and sessions on such topics as predatory lending and prisoner re-entry programs. Registrations received by Aug. 1 qualify for a discount.

KnowledgePlex July 13

Urban Land Institute's Place Making Conference, Sept. 11-12
The Urban Land Institute will host its eighth annual Place Making Conference Sept. 11-12 in Atlanta. The conference will focus on urban and suburban mixed-use and town center developments that create a strong sense of place. By favoring density, such projects combat sprawl, according to ULI. Conference session will address such topics as the public realm in town centers, perspectives on constructing residential units above retail space, parking design, investing in mixed-use projects, and developing successful small-scale, mixed-use projects. Register by August 25 to qualify for the early registration fee.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Rural Housing Award Nominations Due Sept. 15
The Housing Assistance Council is seeking nominations for rural housing awards to be presented at the National Rural Housing Conference in December. The Clay Cochran Award for Distinguished Service in Housing for the Rural Poor honors individuals who have provided outstanding and enduring service to improve housing conditions for the rural poor. The Skip Jason Community Service Award honors people working within communities to improve housing conditions for the rural poor. Recipients will receive stipends and a waiver of conference registration fees. Nominations must be postmarked by Sept. 15.

KnowledgePlex July 19

Urban Forum 2006, November 8-10, 2006
At last, a community development conference where successful strategies aren't just shared, they're created. From issues of eminent domain to decoding the language of new market tax credits, resolving safety concerns to developing funding strategies Urban Forum 2006 will address the pressing concerns facing the revitalization of urban neighborhood business districts today. Join us in Miami for three days of interactive learning with community and economic development practitioners, public administrators, academics, students, nonprofit and corporate philanthropic professionals.

LISC eNewsletter July 19

Housing Credit Group Forum, Sept. 13
The National Association of Home Builders Housing Credit Group will host a forum on cost-control strategies for tax credit developers on Sept. 13 in Salt Lake City. Panel discussions will cover such topics as the impact of property performance on Low-Income Housing Tax Credit underwriting standards, local tax assessment trends, strategies for keeping properties affordably insured, and ancillary income opportunities. During a luncheon address, NAHB experts will provide a legislative update and discuss income limits and utility allowances. The registration deadline is Aug. 30. Members of the Housing Credit Group receive discounted registration.

KnowledgePlex July 27

NeighborWorks Training Institute ~ New Orleans ~ December 11-15
Mark your calendars now to join us in New Orleans for the highest quality training for community development practitioners and resident leaders in the country — and a very special opportunity to contribute to New Orleans' recovery. Featured is the symposium Organizing for Social Equity and Community Rebuilding, volunteer opportunities in local communities, special site visits and learning opportunities applicable to your community, and new courses as part of the Native American Community Development Training Program.

NeighborWorks Alert July