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Welcome to the September 2006 Newsletter from the Center for Innovation in Affordable Housing Design A MODERN HOUSE ON THE CHEAP AUSTRALIA 'S PM SAYS SPRAWL IS THE PRICE FOR CHEAP HOUSING Affordable Housing in an Orchard, From Eyesore to Place of Growth Gov. Doyle Announces Millions for New Neighborhood Housing Initiatives Community Living, Conscious Aging at Heart of Senior Co-housing Project Library-Housing Combinations Could be Model for Future Katrina Cottages Could Provide Affordable Homes Worldwide DOWNSIZING AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Homelessness Related Articles
Market Transition Related Articles
Articles about Funding, Legislation and other Affordable Housing Issues
STUDIES and ANNOUNCEMENTS
EVENTS
ARTICLES Design Related Articles A new book from the former editor of Dwell Magazine details the search for a stylish, modern urban home for around $100 a square foot. Sep 01 2006 -- The New York TimesPlanetizen September 5 AUSTRALIA 'S PM SAYS SPRAWL IS THE PRICE FOR CHEAP HOUSING Prime Minister John Howard says that a lack of residentially zoned land is to blame for Australia 's growing affordable housing shortage. Sep 05 2006 -- Melbourne Herald Sun Planetizen September 7 Affordable Housing in an Orchard, From Eyesore to Place of Growth A "one-of-a-kind project" that transformed a junkyard in Pierce County , Wash. , into a low-income housing community recently won a national award, reported The News Tribune. The Orchard, named for the 340 apple and plum trees featured in the development, received the 2006 Community Development Award from the National Association for County Community and Economic Development. The 18.3-acre site was acquired through a sheriff's foreclosure by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, which donated it to the Pierce County Community Development Corp. Once clean-up was completed, six energy-efficient homes were constructed and the orchard was planted. The residents, who pay 30 percent of their income in rent, care for the orchard, which is expected to supply 74 food banks and meal sites nationwide. KnowledgePlex September 7 Gov. Doyle Announces Millions for New Neighborhood Housing Initiatives Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced new initiatives to boost homeownership in state communities through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, said a press release from the governor's office. WHEDA will provide more than $4 million in financing for a new lease purchase program in Milwaukee 's Metcalfe Park neighborhood. Under the program, 30 prefabricated homes being built will be leased to residents for 15 years. During their tenancy, residents will receive financial literacy, home maintenance, and employment training from the Milwaukee Urban League. At the end of the 15th year, residents will be able to buy their homes, with the Urban League administering the process. KnowledgePlex September 15 Community Living, Conscious Aging at Heart of Senior Co-housing Project A new seniors-only co-housing community is expected to break ground in Santa Fe , N.M. , next spring, reported the Albuquerque Journal. The Santa Fe Community Housing Trust is developing the community on 3.5 acres it owns close to grocery stores, restaurants, shops, and a bus stop. The complex will include 28 energy-efficient homes, and a 2,000- to 3,000-square-foot common house with a laundry room, large kitchen, and dining room for group meals. Thirty percent of the homes will be affordable. To date, four couples and 16 singles have made down payments on the homes. Residents will be expected to help prepare meals for community dinners and participate in clean-up, the article said. KnowledgePlex September 15 Library-Housing Combinations Could be Model for Future With its mix of services and co-located affordable housing, a new public library in St. Paul, Minn., is "at the forefront of mixed-use design," according to an editorial in the Star Tribune. The $23.5 million Rondo Community Outreach Library features one of the public library system's largest collections, including more than 500 Spanish-language titles and extensive resources for people learning English. It also contains a homework center, a small business center, community meeting rooms, and several floors of affordable housing. The high-density complex plans to redevelop the area with multiuse facilities, attractive streetscapes, and, later, light rail transit. The library is viewed as critical to the neighborhood's revitalization, the article said. KnowledgePlex September 15 Katrina Cottages Could Provide Affordable Homes Worldwide The "Katrina Cottages," which will soon hit the market in the U.S. , are attracting attention in the United Kingdom , according to a column in The Daily Telegraph. In the fall, Lowe's home improvement stores in the Gulf Coast region will start selling kits for building an affordable home in as little as four to six weeks. The kits will cost $27,000 for a basic model, the article said. The Katrina Cottage was conceived by Marianne Cusato, a New Yorker who responded to a challenge issued during a recovery planning workshop in Mississippi last October. The workshop leader asked architects to design attractive, affordable homes that could be built quickly and last. "As pretty as iced gingerbread," the cottages are designed to fit with the region's architectural styles and accommodate either expansion, as funds allow, or conversion to use as guest quarters. The Prince of Wales' Foundation for the Built Environment, which helped sponsor the Mississippi planning workshop, is considering the cottages for use in rural Britain and other places, said the foundation's chief executive. KnowledgePlex September 15 DOWNSIZING AFFORDABLE HOUSING With small lots and small houses, one Florida home builder is taking an unconventional approach to developing affordable housing. Sep 19 2006 -- Bradenton Herald Planetizen September 21 City Houses to Be Demolished for New Affordable Dwellings Baltimore officials have voted to spend $10.7 million from the city's new affordable housing fund to demolish more than 400 housing units in distressed neighborhoods, reported The Baltimore Sun. The fund, created in 2005 to win the City Council's backing for a new convention hotel, was capitalized with $10 million from the city budget surplus. It will receive ongoing support through a revenue-sharing arrangement between the city and the Hyatt Regency Baltimore and, possibly, federal grants and loans. The initial allocation of fund monies will be used to tear down public housing units and acquire and demolish other structures in several neighborhoods. City officials hope to spur private investment in creating new affordable homes by packaging sites into larger, development-ready parcels, the article said. KnowledgePlex September 22 Builder's Goal Is Affordable Homes in Arcadia , Florida The housing arm of Florida 's Diocese of Venice is developing an environmentally friendly manufactured housing community for an estimated 700 farmworkers in DeSoto County , reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Many seasonal and migrant farmworkers lost their homes when Hurricane Charley hit the county in 2004. Catholic Charities Housing, the diocese's housing component, created the corporation that is developing and will operate the 86-acre rental community. It will include a village green and community center surrounded by 125 energy-efficient panel homes built to withstand winds of more than 140 mph, said the contractor who is manufacturing the homes. Funds for the $20 million project are coming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, private donors, and other grant-makers. KnowledgePlex September 22 First Phase of Environmentally Friendly Multifamily Complex in NY Completed Thanks in part to state energy incentives, Ithaca , N.Y. , now has 64 new energy-efficient apartments for low-income tenants, reported multi-housingnews.com. Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services partnered with the Domain and Arker companies to develop the $10 million Overlook at West Hill community. The complex includes a clubhouse and housing units that feature high-efficiency appliances, timing-controlled lighting, and other energy-saving design features. The project is the first to secure financial support under the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's Energy Star Multifamily Pilot program, the article said. The developers have also obtained tax credits from the state as well as loans and grants from other sources. Overlook at West Hill is the first phase of a plan to build 128 rental and 15 for-sale units for households at various income levels up to 60 percent of the area median income. KnowledgePlex September 22 Task Force Studies Treatment Center Option for SRO project The Virginia cities of Norfolk , Portsmouth , and Virginia Beach are funding their region's first-ever project to combine single-room occupancy housing for homeless people with on-site supportive services, reported The Virginian-Pilot. Sixty efficiency apartments in Norfolk will serve people from the three jurisdictions. The cities have committed nearly $1 million for permanent supportive housing for homeless people. The Regional Task Force on Homelessness hopes to build a similar project in Virginia Beach and is also studying the feasibility of opening an intensive treatment center for the chronically homeless. KnowledgePlex September 22 High Point : Seattle 's green "HOPE VI" project A radical remake, with a mix of incomes and classes, of sites where large-scale public housing had degenerated into appalling concentrations of poverty and crime. By Neal Peirce -- Mithun- Seattle Times ArchNewsNow September 25 50th Anniversary of Lafayette Park: Urban oasis: Detroit development is a model of diversity and harmonious living...Among its many attributes, it features the largest collection of buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe in the world. By John Gallagher [images]- Detroit Free Press ArchNewsNow September 25 People with Disabilities Face a Housing Crisis New York faces a pressing yet largely overlooked need for homes for people with disabilities, according to an opinion article in the Buffalo News. Cuts in funding for federal housing programs and flat funding levels for state housing programs have aggravated a mismatch between rental housing costs and monthly Supplemental Security Income benefits to the more than 750,000 disabled New Yorkers, the article said. A recent study found that none of them could afford even an efficiency apartment in the state. Though other subsidies may supplement SSI income, they are reserved for people with specific disabilities or are unavailable due to high demand. KnowledgePlex Sept 29 Homelessness Related Articles THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS Treating homelessness as a criminal justice issue not only represents a waste of civic resources, but fails to address the root causes of homelessness, writes Tulin Ozdeger, an attorney at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. Sep 05 2006 -- TomPaine.com Planetizen September 7 A Shift on Homeless Policy Reversing course, Chattanooga , Tenn. , Mayor Ron Littlefield said he won't spend general fund dollars to build a homeless services campus on the 9-acre Farmer's Market site, according to a news article and an editorial in the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Instead, existing homeless service providers will take the lead in planning how to use the site, he said. Earlier this year, at Littlefield's direction, the city bought the land, which has some environmental contamination. The mayor's proposal to centralize homeless services in a newly designed facility on the site generated controversy. KnowledgePlex September 7 More Doors to Open for City's Homeless; SRO thee First Step in New Strategy As part of its efforts to address homelessness, the Houston area is getting its first single-room occupancy development in seven years, reported The Houston Chronicle. More than two years ago, a coalition of public, business, and nonprofit leaders created a plan to address homelessness based on the "housing first" model. The model stresses rapid placement of homeless people in permanent housing with supportive services. The Harris County Housing Authority sponsored the new facility, which will open this month. Jackson Hinds Gardens , in northwest Houston , will feature 110 units for homeless people. Seventeen agencies will offer services such as job training and substance abuse treatment. KnowledgePlex September 7 Study Finds Challenges Increased for Homeless Mothers According to a study featured in the August issue of the American Journal of Health, mothers who were homeless in Worcester , Mass. , in the current decade were, in some ways, worse off than their counterparts in the 1990s, reported the Telegram & Gazette. In December 2003, a research team connected with the University of Massachusetts Medical School surveyed 128 homeless mothers about their physical and mental health problems. The mothers reported higher rates of poverty and illness than a similar group of women surveyed by the Worcester Family Research Project in 1993, the article said. KnowledgePlex September 22 Documentary Recording Homeless Woman's Rebirth A recent conference on increasing community integration of individuals with psychiatric disabilities premiered a documentary about one woman's ordeal to overcome homelessness and help others, according to a U.S. Newswire press release. The conference was hosted by the UPenn Collaborative on Community Integration. The documentary, P. Baltimore, features Patricia Baltimore, a mentally ill Philadelphia woman seeking housing for homeless peers after securing a home of her own. The documentary was produced by Eran Preis, an associate professor at Temple University 's Department of Film and Media Arts. According to Preis, the film "questions whether a home is a privilege or a right ... whether homeless people have to prove their worthiness to get this very basic human need met, or [whether it is] their community's responsibility to provide for weaker members." KnowledgePlex September 22 Funds to Help 500 Homeless Families in L.A. Los Angeles County supervisors voted to tap the first $5.9 million of $80 million in homeless funds "to help get 500 homeless families off Skid Row immediately," reported The Daily News of Los Angeles. An organization called Beyond Shelter is expected to receive about $2 million to provide families with hotel vouchers and rental subsidies. Once housed, the families will receive job search assistance and other services to help them rebuild their lives, said the group's CEO. An additional $1.5 million will go to a pilot project, called Access to Housing for Health, which provides temporary motel vouchers, first and last month's rent, and other assistance to homeless patients who are discharged from county hospitals. The county will also support 996 new shelter beds and a new court program that links homeless people arrested for minor violations with services. KnowledgePlex September 22 Market Transition Related Articles FOR SALE : 10 CITY BLOCKS IN NEW YORK CITY Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, two World War II era middle-class housing developments on Manhattan's lower east side, are up for sale -- with an estimated value of $5 billion. Aug 31 2006 -- The New York Times Planetizen September 5 IN MONTEREY CALIFORNIA , IT'S SLOW-GROWTH ADVOCATES VERSUS DEVELOPERS AND IMMIGRANTS What to do with an area that produces some 80 percent of the nation's lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach that lacks in housing for migrant workers? Why build more housing of course. Not so fast say "slow-growth" advocates. Aug 31 2006 -- Wall Street Journal via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Planetizen September 5 THREE-PART SERIES ON REBUILDING FROM KATRINA, A YEAR LATER The Christian Science Monitor runs a feature-length, three-part series that examines the people, money, and environment on the Gulf Coast one year after Katrina. Sep 02 2006 -- Christian Science Monitor Planetizen September 5 Met Life Sale May Disrupt Mayor's Affordable Housing Plans Metropolitan Life's plan to sell 110 buildings on Manhattan 's East Side could disrupt Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to create and preserve 165,000 low- and middle-income housing units by 2013, reported The New York Sun. The Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town estates are home to "America's densest concentration of military veterans," as well as a significant number of middle-class public service employees, according to the Press Association Newsfile's citing of a New York Times piece. KnowledgePlex September 7 The Overlooked Housing Crunch National politicians aren't saying or doing anything about America 's deepening affordable housing crisis, according to an opinion article in The Salt Lake Tribune. Although "affordable housing is now a serious problem for more low- and moderate-income Americans than taxes, Social Security, or gas prices," Democrats and Republicans are ignoring the issue, the article said. KnowledgePlex September 7 Solving a Housing Puzzle; Officials Encourage Below-market Units In their efforts to create lively, live-work communities, Charleston and Mount Pleasant , S.C. , are planning to provide zoning incentives to developers who set aside "workforce housing" units for middle-income households, reported The Post and Courier. "Carrot" versus "stick" approaches are being piloted because the state doesn't allow mandatory inclusionary zoning, the article said. KnowledgePlex September 7 Connecticut Rewards Workforce Buyers Connecticut 's "UR Home" program will provide home-buyer assistance to employees working in Bridgeport and five other cities, reported Connecticut Post Online. Under the program, municipal and state employees can apply for low-cost Connecticut Housing Finance Authority mortgages, as well as home rehabilitation loans of up to $25,000 that carry no interest if they are repaid within five years. Employees of private firms may also apply for loans if their employers contribute to down payments or closing costs. KnowledgePlex September 7 Post-Katrina New Orleans Proves Pricey, Perhaps Permanently With housing costs in New Orleans well above historic levels, officials and experts disagree about how long the spike in prices will persist, reported the Times-Picayune. Before Katrina, New Orleans ranked among the nation's least expensive cities. HUD-estimated fair market rents are now 39 percent higher, while home sale prices are about 26 percent higher. Home insurance and utility costs have also increased. Mayor Ray Nagin says living costs will fall back to affordable levels. In addition to HUD's plans to restore public housing, city efforts to return 2,500 blighted properties to use will help alleviate the housing shortage, he said. Others disagree, saying landlords won't rent newly rehabilitated units at pre-Katrina rates because they will be in much better condition. KnowledgePlex September 7 Los Angeles Housing Investments Battle Broader Trends Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa announced that the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund has leveraged at least $1 billion for investment in affordable homes, according to a press release from the city. The fund, which was created in 2000, receives money from the federal HOME and Community Development Block Grant programs, the City's General Fund, and Community Redevelopment Agency tax increments. KnowledgePlex September 15 Los Angeles Sees Little Gain in Affordable Housing According to a new study, in recent years Los Angeles has lost almost as many existing affordable housing units as it has gained through new development, reported the Los Angeles Times. Analyzing municipal and U.S. Census data, the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing found that 12,800 affordable rental units were constructed using city incentive programs since 2001. During the same period, the city lost 11,000 older apartments that were under rent control. Since 2005, the loss rate has exceeded the rate of new construction. The study "is likely to fuel an increasingly heated debate about housing and gentrification in the city," the article said. The association wants the city to enact a moratorium on razing or converting rent-controlled apartments. KnowledgePlex September 15 Low-Income Clusters Thwart Housing Goal In Mecklenburg County , N.C. , housing and municipal officials are responding to complaints that federal housing voucher recipients are clustering in certain neighborhoods, reported The Charlotte Observer. According to an Observer analysis, about four out of five households receiving rental vouchers through the Charlotte Housing Authority "are clustered in 10 ZIP codes already burdened with crime and blight," the article said. Few or no voucher recipients live in some of the wealthier neighborhoods in north and south Mecklenburg . Residents of neighborhoods with a higher percentage of voucher recipients say their communities are becoming unstable, citing unkempt yards and rising crime. But there is little evidence that voucher households increase neighborhood crime and blight, housing authority officials say. However, the authority has raised voucher value limits to recruit landlords in higher-income areas and is seeking permission from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to implement mandatory training on neighborliness for voucher recipients. City officials also plan to study how other municipalities deal with the issue. KnowledgePlex September 22 HENRY CISNEROS LEADING THE CREATION OF WORKFORCE HOUSING Despite a scandal-plagued post-Clinton-Cabinet professional career, Henry Cisneros has emerged as one of the nation's top affordable-housing developers. Now, "traditional" development companies are also edging into the market. Sep 23 2006 -- Wall Street Journal Planetizen September 25 CANADA 'S CITIES DEMAND FUNDING FOR TRANSIT, HOUSING With growing need for new infrastructure in Canada 's growing urban centers, city officials are seeking to reclaim some of the revenue they send to Ottawa . Sep 21 2006 -- Toronto Star Planetizen September 25 Articles about Funding, Legislation and other Affordable Housing Issues Wealthier Americans and Men Less Apt to Acknowledge Problems A new survey of U.S. residents found that wealthier people and men are less likely to believe that Americans have difficulty finding decent, affordable homes, according to a press release by Thrivent Financial, the survey's sponsor. Sixty-one percent of survey respondents making $75,000 or more annually and 59 percent of males said working Americans "have access to decent housing they can afford." Only 39 percent of Americans with annual incomes of up to $25,000 and 46 percent of women said working Americans can afford decent housing. Overall, more than half of all Americans -- 52 percent -- agreed with that statement, "a troubling statistic when national data show chronic housing problems nationwide," the release said. KnowledgePlex September 7 Affordable Housing Bills Head to Mayor Legislation promoting affordable housing projects has passed the Albuquerque , N.M. , City Council and is headed to the mayor, whose support is uncertain, reported the Albuquerque Tribune. Under the measures, the city would set aside $10 million in capital improvement bonds every two years to acquire sites and match funds for affordable homes. As part of the bond issue, the funds would require voter approval. Earlier, Mayor Martin Chavez threatened to veto the bills, saying that nonprofit and for-profit builders should have equal opportunities to bid for contracts KnowledgePlex September 7 Senior housing funded in part with Medicare Service Reimbursements In Las Vegas , the first residents have moved into a new, uniquely financed assisted living facility for low-income seniors, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Silver Sky Assisted Living is billed as the nation's first center built on donated public land and using tax-credit financing and Medicaid service reimbursement to fund services. The $12.5 million facility features 90 units and amenities such as a restaurant, computer lab, movie theater, and garden. KnowledgePlex September 7 Housing Tax Credits Compromise OK'd; Mixed-income Plans to Get Future Money The Louisiana Housing Finance Agency's preliminary plan to award $103 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits would support ready-to-build projects as well as mixed-income developments, reported the Times-Picayune. The proposal is a compromise between two priorities: rebuilding as many rental units as possible and creating the kind of mixed-income communities touted by housing experts as an antidote to concentrated poverty, the article said. Under the plan, $81 million in credits will be set aside for New Orleans and seven other parishes that suffered severe damage to rental units during Hurricane Katrina. Of that amount, $30.1 million will go to mixed-income projects, $30.1 million will go to special needs housing, and $20.7 million to public housing authorities. KnowledgePlex September 7 Albuquerque, N.M., Gets New Housing Fund Legislation creating a new funding system for affordable housing has been signed into law by Albuquerque , N.M. , Mayor Martin Chavez, reported the Albuquerque Journal. Starting in October 2007 and continuing every two years for at least six years, voters will be asked to approve the transfer of $10 million from the city's capital program to the new housing fund. Under the capital program, the city issues general obligation bonds to pay for projects such as street improvements and parks. KnowledgePlex September 15 Tax-Credit Operation Helps to Fund High-End Projects The developer behind multibillion dollar mixed-use projects in downtown Los Angeles and central Manhattan bankrolls his "risky endeavors" with money from low-income housing operations, reported the Wall Street Journal. Stephen M. Ross is founder and owner of Related Cos., as well as founder and chairman of CharterMac. Related Cos. builds affordable homes, acquires and rehabilitates existing complexes, and manages properties. The company owns 37,700 apartments -- 90 percent of which are government-subsidized -- in 16 states. Related Cos. also owns 14 percent of CharterMac, a publicly traded finance company that invests in subsidized housing to secure tax credits, which it syndicates to investors for a fee. CharterMac's tax credit and tax-exempt bond investments have helped finance more than 400,000 apartments. The company, which reported a net income of $59 million in 2005, pays dividends back to Related. In turn, Related invests the steady revenues from its affordable housing activities in luxury, mixed-use developments, such as the $1.7 billion Time Warner Center in New York City . The retail and residential complex that Related plans to construct in Los Angeles would cost more than $2.5 billion, the article said. KnowledgePlex September 15 Governor's Affordability Agenda Includes More Low-Cost Housing At the annual meeting of Housing Vermont, Gov. Jim Douglas promoted the housing proposals he is asking Vermont state lawmakers to consider in January, said a news release from the governor's office. The proposals include a New Neighborhoods initiative to foster new housing in downtowns and villages, tax credits for businesses that help employees obtain homes, and a Virtual Land Bank program to convey donated and surplus state land for redevelopment as workforce housing. Douglas also wants downtowns and other developed areas to have special Opportunity Zones in which affordable homes and mixed-use projects receive speedier permitting. The housing proposals are part of the governor's broader Affordability Agenda. KnowledgePlex September 15 Real Estate Agents Help Create Affordable Homes Thanks in part to assistance from a local group of real estate agents, ground will be broken for four permanently affordable homes in Boulder , Colo. , reported the Daily Camera. Last month, the Boulder Area Realtor Association fronted $10,000 in earnest money for construction of the three-bedroom homes. KnowledgePlex September 15 Banks Offer Method for Muslims to Buy Without Breaking Usury Restrictions To capitalize on the expanding Muslim home-buying market, several banks operating in New York have introduced mortgage products that accommodate the Islamic faith's prohibitions on paying interest, reported Newsday. Since HSBC Bank USA launched the trend in 2002, at least two other banks have also created programs that satisfy the conditions of the Quran. Under a "cost-plus" program, the bank purchases the home and then sells it to the buyer at a new, higher price through a series of monthly payments. The bank makes a profit through the increased price, rather than interest on a loan. Under a "partnership" program, lender and client co-own the home, with the client paying rent to live in the home. Over time, the client acquires the bank's share of the home. Although the profit or rent charged is often linked to prevailing interest rates, Islamic scholars have approved the payment plans. KnowledgePlex September 15 HOUSING CRISIS DUE TO GOVERNMENT'S FAILURE TO PLAN Local government's preoccupation with regulating development and its failure to provide public infrastructure and maintain an attractive public realm is at the root of the current lack of affordable housing. Sep 16 2006 -- The New York Sun Planetizen September 18 FEMA Funds Rental Homes fo Teachers Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco announced the launch of a new rental assistance program to help lure quality teachers back to New Orleans classrooms, reported New Orleans CityBusiness. "The regional housing shortage and high rental rates have become significant hindrances on teachers in New Orleans ," the article said. Under the program, 250 modular housing units will be installed on sites owned by the Recovery School District and the Orleans Parish School Board. The homes will be furnished and offered rent-free to public school teachers who were residents of a parish damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and who have a Federal Emergency Management Agency registration number. KnowledgePlex September 22 National Housing Innovator Leads New York City’s Effort for the Poor: The business of generating working-class housing has become more complex with the city’s population growing and land values rising. -- Shaun Donovan- New York Times ArchNewsNow September 26 Federal Suit Says `Sober Houses' Restricted Illegally The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Boca Raton, Fla., challenging the city's ban on operating "sober houses" in residential neighborhoods, reported the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post. The ordinance, passed in 2002, restricted residential treatment facilities for recovering addicts and alcoholics to areas of the city zoned for motels and medical areas. It gave existing facilities outside such areas 18 months to move. However, the facilities have continued to operate, pending a separate federal lawsuit filed in 2003 by the American Civil Liberties Union. According to the Justice Department, the ordinance violates the federal Fair Housing Act by discriminating against people with disabilities. In addition to stopping the city from enforcing the ban, the lawsuit seeks monetary damages for victims and a civil fine against the city. An attorney for the city said the aim of the ban was not to discriminate but to prevent large, for-profit companies from entering residential neighborhoods. KnowledgePlex Sept 29 Agencies Botched Chances for Millions in Aid Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Scott Walker pledged to work together on creating an agency that would develop permanent supportive housing for people with chronic mental illness, reported The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The announcement came in the wake of a Journal Sentinel report that some people with mental illness are living in terrible conditions in part because of the city's failure to access available federal funds. Since 1999, more than $3.3 million in federal funds for developing permanent housing for homeless people has gone untapped; social service and government officials said they couldn't find developers eligible to obtain the dollars. KnowledgePlex Sept 29 New York Senate Introduces Affordable Housing Initiative New York State is investing $25 million in a housing initiative aimed at keeping young workers on Long Island , according to a press release from a state senator. The Homeownership and Economic Stabilization Program for Long Island , or HELP LI, will be administered by the Long Island Housing Partnership. Under the employer-assisted housing component of the program, buyers meeting certain income restrictions who purchase homes appraised at or below Long Island 's median home price may receive up to $40,000 in down-payment assistance from their employers and the state. Under the "Smart Growth" component of the program, developers of five or more single-family, qualified workforce housing units may apply for up to $25,000 per home for down-payment assistance for the buyer. This benefit seeks to encourage workforce housing in urban areas and town centers or on redeveloped properties, the release said. KnowledgePlex Sept 29 Laying a Foundation for Cheaper Housing Both candidates for Rhode Island 's governorship support the bond measure for affordable housing, reported The Providence Journal. Republican Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and his opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, were present at a kickoff rally for the campaign to support the measure, Question 9 on the November ballot. According to housing advocates, the $50 million would help the state leverage about $450 million in federal and private funds, which would help facilitate the construction of up to 2,000 affordable homes over four years. Government funds are needed to help localities with housing plans shoulder land and construction costs, they say. KnowledgePlex Sept 29 San Francisco Mayor to go to Public for Housing Redevelopment Funds San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom pledged to invest all his "political capital" to obtain voter approval of a $100 million bond measure to help fund the redevelopment of eight public housing sites in the city, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. The announcement, made during Newsom's visit to the New York City Housing Authority, comes despite the bleak track record for housing bond measures, which have failed to win voter approval twice since 2002. However, the Newsom administration has been seeking ways to continue rebuilding housing complexes in the wake of declining federal HOPE VI funding, the article said. Coupling bond funds with private investment would enable the San Francisco Housing Authority to transform aging complexes of concentrated poverty into mixed-income communities, said the authority's executive director. But the president of the Board of Supervisors questioned the plan. Asking voters to help pay for rehabilitation would send "the wrong message to HUD - that we're adequately funded - and we're not," he said. KnowledgePlex Sept 29 STUDIES and RESOURCES RELEASED Unaffordable Housing; Groups Join to Find Solutions to Low Minority Homeownership As part of their newly launched partnership to advocate for affordable housing policies, the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People released a report documenting the gap between incomes and housing prices in every state, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. According to the report, only about a quarter or less of the existing rental or for-sale housing stock in California , Hawaii , Massachusetts , and New Jersey is affordable to median-income families. In the Midwestern states of Illinois , Iowa , Minnesota , and Wisconsin , median-income families can afford to buy or rent close to or more than half of the housing supply. However, minorities have fewer options, the report found. A median-income minority family can afford 3 percent of the homes or apartments in Rhode Island ; 6 percent in Washington , D.C. ; 11 percent in California ; 22 percent in Wisconsin ; and 31 percent in Illinois . Affordability challenges make it hard to capitalize on the growing tolerance for racially integrated neighborhoods, said the NAACP's CEO. Planetizen September 7 NAACP Wants HANO to Reopen All Units A new report from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and two other organizations recommended reopening, not razing, public housing in New Orleans , reported the Times-Picayune. Though replacing public housing facilities with mixed-income neighborhoods has merit for the long term, the city has a great short-term need for homes for residents, said the NAACP's president. Planetizen September 7 Analysis Cites Homeownership Benefits for Low-Income, Minority Households A report prepared by Abt Associates Inc. for HUD analyzes the financial and social benefits of homeownership for low-income and minority households. The report reviews available literature and examines American Housing Survey data. According to the report, though homeownership can pose risks for low-income and one-wage-earner households, it can also serve as their major -- and sometimes the only -- vehicle for wealth creation. However, "there is reason to believe that the homeownership gains of the 1990s may have increased the number of owners at risk of being unable to sustain homeownership," the report said. The report cites more flexible mortgage products and the increase in single adult homeowners as factors adding to the current risk. To sustain homeownership, the report recommends greater emphasis on such tools as pre- and post-purchase counseling and affordable refinance programs. KnowledgePlex September 7 Guide to Creating Mixed-Income/Mixed-Race Housing A new guide from The Community Builders describes effective practices in developing mixed-income/mixed-race housing. The guide draws on Community Builders' experience in designing tools to help low-income residents successfully transition from poor-quality public or assisted housing environments to new, economically and socially mixed communities. Chapter 1 examines the challenges of promoting resident success and illustrates how resident initiatives align with different project development stages. Chapters 2-5 detail site activities in the planning, pre-occupancy/readiness, transition, and post-occupancy periods. Within each period, the guide sets the development context and then describes core activities, key actors and relationships, and staffing and budget requirements. Chapter 6 describes field-building efforts currently under way. KnowledgePlex September 15 Guidebook on Developing Permanent Supportive Housing for Homeless Veterans "The Guidebook on Developing Permanent Supportive Housing for Homeless Veterans," prepared by CSH for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, seeks to educate veterans' housing and service organizations that are interested in developing permanent supportive housing. The document includes a case study of a permanent supportive housing project for homeless veterans in San Francisco . KnowledgePlex September 15 Ending Chronic Homelessness Through Employment and Housing A Leadership Dialogue" captures insights shared by participants in a January 2006 dialogue about joining employment services with housing and other supportive services for people who are chronically homeless. CSH and Advocates for Human Potential developed the report. KnowledgePlex September 15 ARTS & CIVIC GROUPS LAUNCH NEW EFFORT TO DEVELOP ARTIST SPACE Sep 20, 2006 -- Artist Link Planetizen September 21 Enterprise Community Partners Online Publications Catalog Enterprise Community Partners has a new and easy way to find a publication on our website. The new publication catalog allows you to search by category or by title to quickly review our 86 offerings. Almost all of our publications are available to download free in PDF format. Enterprise Network News September Organizing Communities, Changing Lives ACORN’s 2005 annual report, “Organizing Communities, Changing Lives,” issued online earlier this year is now available in an expanded and illustrated edition. The 46-page report details a year of ACORN’s work to improve the quality of life for the low-to-moderate income families in communities across the country and beyond. Topics addressed in the annual report include organizing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, living wage and minimum wage campaigns, education, healthcare access and profiles of ACORN community leaders from across the country. ACORN E-News September 29 EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS Enterprise Network Conference, Oct. 25-27 Enterprise Community Partners will host the 2006 Enterprise Network Conference Oct. 25-27 in Los Angeles . Conference sessions will explore the latest on every aspect of housing and community development. Workshop subjects include certification issues for tax credit housing properties, supportive housing finance and development, early results of Gulf Coast recovery programs, community development joint ventures, and connecting residents to job opportunities and education. In addition to "hot topics" workshops, the conference will offer breakfast networking sessions, a first-timer's welcome orientation, and mobile learning labs throughout the city. KnowledgePlex September 7 Urban Forum 2006 The Forum will address the pressing concerns facing the revitalization of urban neighborhood business districts today. Join us in Miami November 8-10 for three days of interactive learning with community and economic development practitioners, public administrators, academics, students, nonprofit and corporate philanthropic professionals. LISC eNewsletter September 19 Rudy Bruner Award, Call for Entries Rudy Bruner Award winners enliven our nation's cities and provide innovative models for addressing some of our country’s most persistent urban ills. CCLA September News Fair Lending Conference, Nov. 5-7 The Consumer Bankers Association will host a conference on fair lending Nov. 5-7 in Arlington , Va. CBA members and federally insured banking institutions are invited to attend. Conference sessions will cover such topics as customizing fair lending training offered to employees, pricing disparities and 2005 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, HMDA and enforcement of fair lending, non-traditional mortgage lending, and the debate over whether lenders should be held responsible for determining the "suitability" of the mortgage loan products that they originate. KnowledgePlex Sept 29 LISC Urban Forum, Nov. 8-10 Local Initiatives Support Corp. will host a conference on urban commercial corridor revitalization Nov. 8-10 in Miami . Bill Strickland, president and CEO of Bidwell Corp., will present the opening keynote address. The closing plenary session will feature LISC and Urban Institute researchers discussing local efforts to mitigate displacement in the face of gentrification. Other conference sessions will cover such topics as linking transit-oriented development to smart growth and regionalism, avoiding negative uses and impacts of eminent domain, structuring mixed-use development deals, and success with New Markets Tax Credits. Registrations received by Oct. 20 qualify for a savings over the available on-site registration fee. KnowledgePlex Sept 29
__________________________________________________________________________ The Center for Innovation in Affordable Housing Design, is a partnership between Penn Design at the University of Pennsylvania and the Peoples Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC). The Center for Innovation in Affordable Housing is funded by a Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) futures grant from the Office of University Partnerships of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. You can find out more about the OUP here, and more about the current COPC grants here. |