TDHCA Releases Key Resources

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has released two important resources—the 2010 State Low Income Housing Plan & Annual Report and the 2010 Program Guide.

The housing plan serves as an overview of statewide housing needs and reports on the distribution of the agency's resources.

The program guide briefly describes all of the department's programs as well as many others at the state and federal levels.

The documents can be found on the agency's Web site, www.tdhca.state.tx.us.

S.F. Mayor's Quote of the Day

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom had a good line about affordable housing today. "Shelters solve sleep, housing solves homelessness," he said at the opening of 149 Mason Street, a 56-unit project for formerly homeless individuals.

I'm not sure if Newsom is the first to deliver that line, but he said it with conviction.

149 Mason is located on the edge of San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, right near Union Square.

Developed by Glide Economic Development Corp. and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp., the project will be loaded with supportive services. Glide Health Services will launch its first satellite clinic to provide onsite medical services for residents.

Philadelphia Sees Huge Demand for Vouchers

The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) reports that it received an overwhelming 54,000 applications for its Housing Choice Voucher Program during a recent two-week period.

Using an online application system for the first time, the housing authority received 33,000 applications, or 61 percent, through the Web. Another 21,000 applications came via telephone. PHA recruited employees from all of its departments to work shifts taking calls.

The demand shows that even more families, seniors and disabled citizens need help paying their rent than initially thought, according to Executive Director Carl Greene.

PHA estimates that each year about 2,500 voucher holders leave the program, creating opportunities for those on a waiting list.

With 17,000 households, the voucher is PHA's largest program.

LIHTC Carryback Bill Introduced

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) introduced legislation today aimed at boosting the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) market.

His bill, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Recovery Act, introduces new flexibility into the program by allowing credits to be carried back up to five years for new housing and qualifying existing housing.

Affordable housing advocates have been pushing for this change as a way to make the credits more attractive to investors. An Ernst & Young study recently determined that this would bring in another $5 billion in private LIHTC investments.

The introduction of the bill was applauded by Enterprise and the Local Initiatives Support Corp.

"Congress’s support and passage of a carryback extension is urgently needed for developers to attract and retain the necessary investment capital to finance, build and rehabilitate affordable apartments,” Charles R. Werhane, president and CEO of Enterprise Community Investment, Inc. “Affordable housing is the cornerstone of success for people and families with low incomes across the country and so Enterprise urges Congress to quickly pass this critical legislation.”

The carryback extension is one of three consensus LIHTC proposals supported by more than 170 national, state and local LIHTC stakeholder organizations working together as part of the Affordable Rental Housing A.C.T.I.O.N. (A Call To Invest in Our Neighborhoods) campaign. For more information on the campaign, visit www.rentalhousingaction.org.

How QAPs Promote Supportive Housing

Low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) allocating agencies continue to promote the development of permanent supportive housing through the federal tax credit program.

Thirty-two jurisdiction implemented notable new policies or revised policies that encourage supportive housing development during the past two years, according to a new report by the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).

Forty-six LIHTC allocating agencies provide potential scoring advantages for supportive housing, and 41 agencies provide general scoring incentives encouraging permanent supportive housing or special-needs housing, says CSH.

Fifteen agencies promote supportive housing with set-asides of credit authority. Three agencies have a threshold requirement of dedicating 5 percent to 10 percent of a development's units for permanent supportive housing, and four additional agencies have general threshold requirements that promote permanent supportive housing, says CSH.

The study looks at each state's qualified allocation plan, which is used to allocate the tax credits to affordable housing developers.

For more, visit www.csh.org.

HUD to Exam Discrimination Against Gays

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)just launched a Web site to allow people to comment on the design of a new national study that will look at housing discrimination based sexual orientation and gender identity.

While there have been no national assessments of housing discrimination targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, there is a body of evidence suggesting this sort of bias exists, says federal housing officials.

To learn more and to share comments on how HUD might test for discrimination, visit http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/LGBT_Discrimination_Study.

New Leaders Take Over Several HFAs

Here's a scorecard of some of the recent lineup changes at state housing finance agencies across the country.

The reasons for the leadership changes vary from retirement to resignations to moves made by governors.

Cris A. White (pictured) has become executive director and CEO of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. White has been with the agency for more than 20 years, most recently serving as the interim executive director and COO.
His appointment was announced today after a nationwide search.
White takes over the top post from Roy Alexander, who retired at the end of the last year.

In Iowa, Joe O'Hern was appointed director of the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) by Gov. Chet Culver at the end of last year. This moves comes after Culver plucked Bret Mills from IFA to led the Iowa Department of Economic Development. O'Hern was interim director at the economic development agency and was deputy director at IFA before that.

And, in case you missed it, Gloria Materre took over as executive director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority last fall. She's the former deputy chief of staff under Gov. Pat Quinn. Materre succeeds DeShana Forney, who resigned "to pursue other career opportunities," according to the authority.

There will also be changes at the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC), where Pete Ramsel recently resigned as executive director. "I am surprised by the sudden resignation of Pete Ramsel from MHDC," said Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder in a Feb. 3 statement. "Pete has been a consummate professional during his tenure at the commission. Over the past 15 years, Pete has worked tirelessly with commissioners and public and private entities to help strengthen our state by providing affordable housing for low-income Missourians." Last year, state Auditor Susan Montee issued a critical report of MHDC. The audit criticized the agency's procurement policies and procedures.

HUD Statement on GSEs Coming Soon

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan
said a statement on the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) is coming
soon.

This comment was made today during a media briefing on HUD’s proposed 2011 budget.
A reporter inquired why little was said in the spending plan about
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

HUD made a commitment last summer as part of its proposal on financial
regulatory reform that it would put forward a statement on the GSEs around
the time of the budget.

“We did not say that it would be included in the budget document itself,”
Donovan said. “We continue to be on track to release a statement in the near future on the GSEs.”

Nothing should be read into the fact there isn’t a fuller statement in the
budget document, according to Donovan.