HUD

NH&RA’s HOPE VI Council is convening at the 2009 Summer Institute, on July 31 to brainstorm and provide feedback on the Obama Administration’s proposed Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI). The proposed FY-2010 HUD Budget has allocated $250 million for this program, which would replace the HOPE VI program and expand its scope to address neighborhoods in a broader based manner.

Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT), along with fellow Committee members Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Dan Akaka (D-HI) and Charles Schumer (D-NY), introduced legislation to help areas across the country plan and implement development projects that better integrate their community’s needs for transportation, housing, land use, and economic development.

HUD’s Office of Affordable Housing Programs has scheduled technical assistance training addressing Energy Efficiency. The Energy Efficiency course describes how a project can incorporate energy efficiency measures into rehabilitation and new construction programs.

The Urban Institute has published a new report entitled “The Uncharted, Uncertain Future Of HOPE VI Redevelopments: The Case for Assessing Project Sustainability.”

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s regulator, James Lockhart III plans to leave the job by the end of August 2009.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently requested Econometrica, Inc., to assess the analytical usefulness of the American Housing Survey’s (AHS) content.

The Metropolitan Area Quarterly Residential and Business
Vacancy Report for the quarter ending March 31, 2009 is
a recent addition to HUD USER’s library of online data
sets.

Thanks to everyone that made the 2009 Summer Institute a great success! We were blown away by all of the compliments about the quality of the program and networking. I especially want to thank all the great speakers! Its not every day that so many industry leaders and innovators can come together to share ideas and innovations. In such a tough business environment it was inspirational to see how our members are creating new opportunities to close transactions. If you didn’t make out to Vermont here are a few things that you missed…

On-Site Insight, the capital planning subsidiary of CAS Financial Services has begun field inspections of the nation’s 1.3 billion-unit public housing portfolio to provide Congress and HUD a quantitative cost estimate for addressing public housing’s multi-billion-dollar capital backlog.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan has named Barbara Sard his Senior Advisor for Rental Assistance.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced that Shelley Poticha has been appointed Senior Advisor for Sustainable Housing and Communities.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently released updated guidance for the Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP), provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.