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HUD CHARGES OHIO HOUSING AUTHORITY WITH DISCRIMINATING AGAINST FAMILY WITH DISABILITIES
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is charging the Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority in Warren, Ohio with violating the Fair Housing Act by denying the reasonable accommodation requests of a family that includes a father and daughter with severe disabilities.
HUD ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH CITY OF FLAGSTAFF AND HOUSING AUTHORITY TO RESOLVE DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today an agreement with the City of Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Flagstaff Housing Authority resolving allegations that they denied the reasonable accommodation requests of a resident with disabilities. Read the Voluntary Compliance Agreement.
HUD RELEASES 3-YEAR STUDY OF STRATEGIES TO END FAMILY HOMELESSNESS
When a family with children seeks emergency shelter, there are a number of interventions to address their homelessness. Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the results of an exhaustive study to identify the most efficient and cost-effective ways to house and serve these families. After tracking more than 2,200 families over a three-year period, HUD found that a long-term subsidy, typically a Housing Choice Voucher, led to far better outcomes for reducing family homelessness and improving family well-being
FHA TO LOWER OWNER-OCCUPANCY REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPMENTS
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced that, under certain circumstances, it will lower its required owner-occupancy standard for approved condominium developments effective immediately. FHA currently requires that approved condominium developments have a minimum of 50 percent of the units occupied by owners. However, the agency determined this requirement can be lowered to 35 percent for existing condo developments provided the project meets certain conditions.
HUD AND CENSUS BUREAU REPORT NEW RESIDENTIAL SALES IN SEPTEMBER
Sales of new single-family houses in September 2016 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 593,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau. This is 3.1 percent (±16.2%)* above the revised August rate of 575,000, but is 29.8 percent (±23.4%) above the September 2015 estimate of 457,000
Administration Announces Additional Economic and Workforce Development Resources for Coal Communities through POWER Initiative
As part of President Obama’s continuing efforts to assist communities negatively impacted by changes in the coal industry and power sector, today the Administration is announcing the second round of grants awarded this year as part of the POWER Initiative’s “POWER 2016” funding opportunity that invests in economic revitalization and workforce training in coal communities across the country.
New ULI Program Will Help Commercial Tenants Cut Energy Consumption and Lower Energy Costs
A program to help commercial building tenants cut energy consumption and lower energy costs was announced today by the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Called the Tenant Energy Optimization Program, it is a process that integrates energy efficiency into tenant space design and construction and delivers significant investment returns through energy conservation.
HUD EXPANDS HOUSING PROTECTIONS FOR SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE
When a home is a place of violence, residents are vulnerable to losing their housing through eviction, coercion, or abuse. Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development finalized a new rule to protect the housing of survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Read HUD’s final rule.
NREL to Lead New Consortium to Develop Advanced Water Splitting Materials for Hydrogen Production
The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has formed a new consortium with five other national labs intended to accelerate the development of commercially viable pathways for hydrogen production from renewable energy sources. The consortium, named HydroGEN Advanced Water Splitting Materials Consortium(HydroGEN), also includes Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Savannah River National Laboratory.
HUD REACHES $65 MILLION AGREEMENT WITH PUERTO RICO PUBLIC HOUSING ADMINISTRATION TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY...
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today a $65 million agreement with the Puerto Rico Public Housing Administration to address longstanding accessibility issues affecting housing for residents with disabilities. Read HUD’s Voluntary Compliance Agreement.
Alleged Architect of $30 Million Mortgage Relief Fraud Scheme and Four Others Indicted in...
The alleged architect of a $30 million mortgage relief fraud scheme and four other former employees of a purported mortgage relief company were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their alleged participation in a conspiracy to defraud banks and homeowners.
Norton to Speak at United Way Resource Fair for D.C.’s Homeless Residents, Today
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will speak at the second annual “Project Homeless Connect,” a one-day resource fair, today, Wednesday, October 19, 2016, at 11:00 a.m., at Central Union Mission (65 Massachusetts Ave, NW). The event, presented by United Way of the National Capital Area, will provide on-site medical and dental care and access to housing, employment and other vital services to residents who are experiencing homelessness
HUD AND CENSUS BUREAU ANNOUNCE NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IN SEPTEMBER
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census Bure. Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in September were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,225,000.
Six Common City-Level Energy Policies Could Reduce Nationwide Carbon Emissions by up to 480...
The Energy Department's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently examined the carbon abatement potential of city actions in six policy areas as part of the DOE's Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (Cities-LEAP) project. The analysis uses new data on energy use in more than 23,400 U.S. cities and estimates the aggregate impact of city actions related to: building energy codes, public transit, building energy incentives, rooftop photovoltaics, smart growth, and municipal actions
NREL Announces Innovation Challenge Winner for Crowdsourced Residential Buildings Energy-Efficiency Ideas
The Energy Department's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today announced the grand prize winner in the JUMP Smart Phone Call for Innovation. Industry partner CLEAResult provided a $3,000 prize and recognized the winner, selected by a panel of judges at the JUMP finals, during their Energy Forum in Austin, Texas, which was attended by more than 200 utility executives and industry representatives
Administration More Interested in Destroying Dams than Generating Affordable Hydroelectricity
Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Sally Jewell urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve the destruction of four dams on the Klamath River in California and Oregon. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement
Justice Department Files Brief to Address the Use of Criminal Background Checks by Housing...
The Justice Department filed a statement of interest today arguing that the Fair Housing Act (FHA) requires that landlords who consider criminal records in evaluating prospective tenants do not use overly broad generalizations that disproportionately disqualify people based on a legally protected characteristic, such as race or national origin.
Khemka & Choudhary - Houston TX Employment & Tenant Lawyer and Attorney
Khemka & Choudhary - Houston TX Employment & Tenant Lawyer and Attorney
Kevin Phelan, CRE Receives Highest Award from The Counselors of Real Estate
October 14, 2016—The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) professional association has named Kevin C. Phelan, CRE, co-chairman of Colliers International, Boston, as the recipient of the 2016 James D. Landauer/John R. White Award–the highest honor conferred by the invitation-only organization.
NREL, International Colleagues Propose Strategy for Stable, Commercial Perovskite Solar Cells
A strategy for producing stable and commercially available perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has been proposed by Kai Zhu and Keith Emery at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in collaboration with Nam-Gyu Park (Korea), Michael Grätzel (Switzerland), and Tsutomu Miyasaka (Japan)
Energy Department Analysis: Loan Guarantee Program Launched Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Solar Market in the United...
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) today released new numbers on how the Obama Administration's early support for solar photovoltaic (PV) projects led to a massive expansion of large-scale solar farms. According to today’s update to a 2015 report, the loans provided by DOE to the first five utility-scale solar PV projects larger than 100 megawatts (MW) in the United States helped demonstrate the technology’s success to the market and led to the private financing of an additional 45 utility-scale solar PV projects, a ten-fold increase
