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Housing counselors across the country working with homeowners to find an alternative to foreclosure for thousands of homeowners cite improving communications with servicers, but note that more needs to be done, according to the latest report on the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling program (NFMC). NFMC is a congressionally funded effort that has helped more than 1.9 million homeowners understand their foreclosure prevention options

On the second day of this year’s Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, the focus of the opening plenary turned to helping Nepal “build back better” following the devastating earthquakes last spring. The plenary session featured a commitment by CGI members All Hands Volunteers and The Architects Foundation to reconstruct culturally appropriate, earthquake resilient permanent homes for displaced families in the Sindhupalchuk district of Nepal, a region in which approximately 90% of the housing stock was destroyed

On Monday, September 28 the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) will host a statewide summit in Baltimore on community reinvestment and neighborhood revitalization in Maryland. The Maryland Reinvestment Summit will feature keynote addresses by U.S. Congressman Elijah Cummings and Benjamin Jealous, Partner at Kapor Capital.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced the first 10 winners of the Build Your Future Scholarship through ABC’s Trimmer Construction Education Foundation (TCEF). The scholarships are awarded to the top 10 students attending an NCCER-accredited program or a state/federally approved apprenticeship program in a merit-shop training facility. The scholarships are funded through a pledge of $100,000 from Build Your Future over the next five years.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro traveled to Atlanta, Georgia and Kansas City, Missouri today to announce that five communities will receive a combined $150 million to redevelop severely distressed public housing and revitalize the surrounding neighborhood. HUD is awarding Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Implementation Grants to city and housing authority partnerships in Atlanta, Georgia; Kansas City, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Sacramento, California; in order to begin the process of transforming, rehabilitating and preserving public housing.

Sales of new single-family houses in August 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 552,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census Bureau. This is 5.7 percent (±16.2%)* above the revised July rate of 522,000 and is 21.6 percent (±18.7%) above the August 2014 estimate of 454,000.

Inclusionary housing, a policy by which developers provide for the construction of affordable housing, can be used effectively to reduce economic segregation at a time of rapid gentrification in neighborhoods across the United States, according to a report published today by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. And it can be deployed while avoiding the negative economic impacts and legal concerns often cited by critics, according to the report

Under an agreement announced today by the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (VIWAPA) will come into compliance with the federal Clean Air Act at its Krum Bay facility on St. Thomas and Cruz Bay facility on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. The settlement resolves numerous violations of the Clean Air Act, including VIWAPA’s failure to properly operate pollution control equipment to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that can cause serious respiratory illness.

With 78 million baby boomers entering or on the verge of retirement, the U.S. needs a more strategic approach for linking health care and housing policies and programs, according to a new Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) paper being released today during an event with the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the University of Minnesota

Marie Debor has been named Vice President of Development for BRIDGE Housing, a nationally recognized nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing. Ms. Debor previously spent 13 years at The Related Companies, most recently as Vice President of Development, where she was responsible for all aspects of the development process including financial analysis, acquisition, planning and design, entitlement processing and financing.

Carpinteria, Sept. 15, 2015 – Peoples’ Self-Help Housing will cut the ribbon on its 45th affordable project, Casas de las Flores, on Oct. 15 during a ceremony celebrating completion of the long-awaited, 43-unit complex at 4096 Via Real.

New York City’s Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) joined Barrier Free Living (BFL), Alembic Community Development and Foxy Management to celebrate the grand opening of Barrier Free Living Residences for Families and Individuals in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx.  The project reflects the City’s ongoing efforts to expand supportive housing for its most vulnerable residents, and is BFL’s first permanent supportive housing development.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule to modernize Clean Water Act reporting for municipalities, industries, and other facilities. The final rule will require regulated entities and state and federal regulators to use existing, available information technology to electronically report data required by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program instead of filing written paper reports

Big Data is reshaping the real estate industry, and for industry professionals the change is so good. Real estate agents are seeing dollar signs again; finally, for the first measurable way since the housing bubble burst in 2008. The market is recovering and optimism is on the rise, and it has a lot to do with Big Data.

Sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 5.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 552,000 units in August from an upwardly revised July reading, according to newly released data from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau

This Saturday, September 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the public is encouraged to safely dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medications at over 50 locations throughout the Washington, D.C. region. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a nationwide event to promote the safe disposal of expired and unwanted medications.

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) slipped in August after showing mostly healthy business conditions so far this year. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the August ABI score was 49.1, down from a mark of 54.7 in July. This score reflects a slight decrease in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 61.8, down from a reading of 63.7 the previous month.

Yesterday Sheila Crowley announced that she will retire in 2016 from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) after leading the organization as President and CEO for over 17 years. Dr. Crowley will continue with NLIHC through April 2016 to ensure a smooth and successful transition for her successor

On Monday, September 21, 2015, the City of Hayward celebrated the groundbreaking of three new residential communities on the site of the former South Hayward BART overflow parking lots. Eden Housing is the developer of two affordable communities located off of Mission Boulevard that will provide in total 151 affordable apartments near the South Hayward BART station. AMCAL Equities is the developer of a market-rate community of 206 luxury apartments off of Dixon Street adjacent to the BART station.

Kentucky businesses and residents affected by the apartment fire at the Grand Hotel in Hazard, Kentucky on Sept. 1, can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet announced today.