Yearly Archives: 2016

The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use and creating thriving communities, has appointed Adam J. Smolyar as its chief marketing and membership officer. Smolyar has extensive experience in branding, strategic communications, marketing, membership recruitment and retention, and information technology.

The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) closes the month by financing the construction of a second new development in April. On April 28th , the Agency completed the transaction to provide $5.34 million in total bond financing, structured as short term ($1.52 million) and long term ($3.82 million) DCHFA tax exempt bonds for the acquisition of the one-fifth acre properties at 2613-2615 Bladensburg Road NE, to construct Langdon Apartments. Proceeds from the syndication of $3.21 million in low income housing tax credits raised by Stratford Capital Group and underwritten by the Agency will finance a portion of the $11.16 million project.

Mayor B. Hancock of Denver, Colo. and Mayor Jennifer Roberts of Charlotte, N.C. hosted the fourth-annual Service Bowl project with Rebuilding Together, a leading national nonprofit in safe and healthy housing. The Service Bowl was held in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps and Senior Corps

Rachel Romero, a building systems engineer at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been named a 2016 New Faces of Engineering recipient by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $9.9 million in “sweat equity” grants to produce at least 541 affordable homes for low-income individuals and families. Funded through HUD’s Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP), the funding awarded today, along with the labor contributed by these households, will significantly lower the cost of homeownership.

Pete Mills, Senior Vice President of Residential Policy and Member Services, issued the following statement regarding CFPB's letter on the Know Before You Owe rule, including a plan to issue a formal Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to address many of the industry's outstanding questions and concerns

In an effort to promote and increase the work being done across the country to improve the grade-level reading skills of children living in federally assisted housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro today announced HUD is joining forces with theCampaign for Grade-Level Reading, a national partnership to ensure that more children in low-income families succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career, and active citizenship.

On the eve of Earth Day 2016, a partnership of water sector organizations—the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and WateReuse—with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) —proudly announce a new Utility of the Future (UOTF) Today Recognition Program. The program will celebrate the progress and exceptional performance of our nation’s wastewater utilities while supporting the widespread adoption of the innovative UOTF business model

Steady job growth, affordable home prices, attractive mortgage interest rates and pent-up demand will help the housing market continue on a gradual upward trajectory in the year ahead, according to economists who participated in yesterday’s National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Spring Construction Forecast Webinar. However, supply side headwinds led by a shortage of construction lots and labor, along with tight access to acquisition, construction and development (AD&C) loans, continue to hamper a more robust recovery

First quarter 2016 commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations overall were essentially flat compared to the same period last year and first quarter originations were thirty-eight percent lower than the fourth quarter of 2015 in line with the seasonality of market, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Quarterly Survey of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers Originations

Kim Coble, Vice President, Environmental Protection and Restoration, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, issued this statement following today's bipartisan approval by 19-1 of The Water Resources Development Act of 2016 by the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Chairman Goodlatte: Eighteen months ago, this Committee commenced a “pattern or practice” investigation into the Justice Department’s mortgage lending settlements. We found that DOJ is systematically subverting Congress’s spending power by requiring settling parties to donate money to activist groups.

Women volunteers will gather this evening in 10 cities across the U.S. for a different kind of Girls’ Night Out. With the help of Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers, they will be wielding hammers, saws and nails under the stars to frame houses as part of Habitat for Humanity’s National Women Build Week. The largest partnership initiative between Habitat and Lowe’s, the event is dedicated to empowering women while helping families build or improve a place they can call home

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) applauds Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY), and John Duncan (R-TN) for introducing the bipartisan Water Infrastructure Trust Fund Act of 2016. This bill builds on previous legislative efforts to create a dedicated source of funding for our nation's water infrastructure — the importance and timeliness of which is only elevated by the recent crisis in Flint, Michigan

Property owners who opt to purchase flood insurance in the private market rather than through the National Flood Insurance Program may do so under current rules, but they risk paying higher rates if they return to the NFIP. H.R. 2901, the "Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act," passed the U.S. House of Representatives today by a vote of 419-0 and seeks to alleviate that concern

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) is hosting the webinar, “Talking to Congress; Advocating for Homeless Veterans”, on Thursday, May 5, 2016 at 3:00 pm EDT. Communicating with your elected representatives in Congress can be a daunting task if you have never attempted it before, but it need not be. As constituents, and as providers of housing, employment, and other services to homeless veterans, you would be welcomed in the offices of your Senators and Representatives. Furthermore, the work you can do in these meetings can bear fruit for helping programs and veterans across the country.

The founder of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty will be the recipient of the 2016 Katharine and George Alexander Law Prize from Santa Clara University School of Law. The award honors top legal advocates who have used their careers to help alleviate injustice and inequity.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today a $22,600 Conciliation Agreement between Housing Equality Law Project and the owners and managers of a San Diego-based property management company, settling allegations that they discriminated against persons with disabilities who required the use of assistance animals. Read the agreement.

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