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The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) applauds Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) for introducing the Fair Chance at Housing Act of 2016, legislation that would take a significant step towards ensuring people with criminal records have meaningful access to housing

Pending home sales increased slightly in March for the second consecutive month and reached their highest level in almost a year, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Only the West region saw a decline in contract activity last month

$400,000 donation will support nonprofit’s neighborhood revitalization efforts. In celebration of its 150 years of community engagement, Huntington Bank announced today it will donate $250,000 to Habitat for Humanity International and $150,000 to Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio to support neighborhood revitalization efforts.

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) released a white paper describing the importance of Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) exam performance context analysis, reviewing current implementation of the analysis, and prescribing improvements. The paper, “CRA Performance Context: Why it is Importance for Community Development and How to Improve it,” shows that current performance context analyses do an unsatisfactory job determining the housing and economic conditions of a community, and often do not adequately solicit the community’s residents about their financial services needs

Mortgage applications decreased 4.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 22, 2016.

WSSC has completed repairs on the 16-inch water main on Rockville Pike near Cedar Lane. Service has been restored to the 116 customers affected by the break. All northbound lanes on Rockville Pike at Cedar Lane are open. One southbound lane is currently open. Once road restoration is finished, all southbound lanes will reopen. That is expected to happen later tonight.

Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine and El Centro, Calif. Top Growth List; Odessa, Texas, and Bloomington, Ill. Have Largest Declines as Energy Producing Areas Continue to See Drops in Construction Jobs. Construction employment increased in 244 out of 358 metro areas, was unchanged in 44 and declined in 70 between March 2015 and March 2016, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.

For the 19th year, the Milken Institute Global Conference will bring together leaders who drive change. From May 1 through May 4, more than 3,500 people from 55 countries and 45 states will gather for discussion across 11 content tracks, with the overarching theme exploring “The Future of Humankind.

Some of the sunniest states in the country are actively blocking rooftop-solar development through overtly lacking and destructive policy landscapes, according to a Center for Biological Diversity report released today.

NeighborWorks organizations assisted more than 7,700 homeowners with rehab projects last year, an increase of ten percent over the year before, and 14 percent higher than 2013. NeighborWorks organizations also helped homeowners complete more than 4,700 owner-occupied repairs, an increase of 30 percent from 2014. Data are for fiscal years ending Sept. 30.

The VHA Privacy Office, in collaboration with the VHA Homeless Program Office, after discussions with the VA Office of General Counsel, is issuing guidance regarding VHA’s legal authority to disclose Veteran information and demographics, which is considered protected health information (PHI), to community partners who assist in serving Veterans who are currently homeless or those with a prior episode of homelessness.

Nationwide released survey* findings on the state of child safety in and around the home in conjunction with the company’s Make Safe Happen program, which is dedicated to reducing accidental injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. is accidental injuries, and nearly nine million children are treated at emergency rooms across the country, with more than 9,000 children dying each year due to accidental injuries

Maintaining a strong focus on safety and reliability, Consumers Energy will spend nearly $225 million this year to upgrade its natural gas system throughout Lower Michigan. “At Consumers Energy we know that safe, reliable delivery of natural gas is a top priority to our customers and our company.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on April 21 unanimously approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) funding bill. The THUD Appropriations Subcommittee reported the bill April 19. The full Committee adopted the bill with only minor amendments to the Subcommittee-passed bill, which did not change its HUD program funding levels

CEDIA has announced the panel of judges that will evaluate the home technology professional categories for the 2016 CEDIA Awards. The 2016 Home technology professional awards categories include: home theater, media room, integrated home, marine and aircraft, innovative solution, special project, media room under $25,000, integrated home under $25,000, and showroom.

Sales of newly built, single-family homes fell 1.5 percent in March from an upwardly revised February reading to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 511,000 units, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Shannar O’Connor, a freshman attending the University of Miami School of Architecture, has been selected as the 2016 recipient of the AIA/Architects Foundation Diversity Advancement Scholarship. Working in collaboration, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Architects Foundation award the scholarship to high school graduates, college freshmen, and community college students from a minority background who intend to pursue a NAAB-accredited professional degree in architecture. The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage diversity in the architecture profession.

The Retail Contractors Association (RCA) has joined the ConsensusDocs Coalition, a unique coalition of design and construction industry associations that produces industry-standard contracts that are fair and balanced to facilitate project success

Conservation groups filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today – on Earth Day – for failing to protect water quality in the San Francisco Bay-Delta under the Clean Water Act. This failure could result in several native fish species going extinct, toxic algal blooms becoming more common, and the loss of thousands of fishing jobs in California and across the West Coast that depend on healthy Central Valley salmon runs.

NAIOP is proud to announce the 11th annual Developing Leaders Award, honoring up-and-coming commercial real estate professionals, 35 years old and under, for their valued contribution and commitment to the industry. This is the premier opportunity to establish yourself as a leader in the commercial real estate industry, and I encourage you to apply for this special recognition.