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FROM THE EDITOR

Christine Serlin, Editor
cserlin@hanleywood.com

Inspiring Readers’ Choice Entries

In between editing and writing for the June issue of Affordable Housing Finance, sending out biweekly newsletters, and planning for AHF Live: The 2010 Affordable Housing Developers’ Summit Nov. 3-5 in Chicago, I have spent a lot of time over the past couple of weeks judging the entries for the magazine’s sixth annual Readers’ Choice Awards.

We’ll be announcing the finalists in a couple of weeks, but I just wanted to share some initial thoughts on the caliber of these developments.

The nominated developments must have been completed in 2009 or will be completed this year. Many already had their financing set up before the financial meltdown, but others have had the challenge of finding new gap financing and have utilized the Tax Credit Assistance Program, tax credit exchange, or Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Besides the financing challenges, many of these projects faced NIMBY battles and delays.

But the one thing I’m seeing across the board are creative solutions to moving projects forward, providing services, implementing green standards, and building models that can be replicated nationwide. I’m seeing a lot of local, state, and federal support for these projects as well.

It’s certainly going to be hard to narrow down these more than 140 entries into 30 or so finalists in the coming weeks. But once we do, I think you’ll also be really inspired by the final selections and how they’re creating and preserving more affordable housing units, so stay tuned. And for the other great projects that don’t make the cut, we’ll be looking at ways to cover them for future issues of the magazine.

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WEB EXCLUSIVE

FHA 221(d)(4) Changes to Impact Some Affordable Deals

Affordable housing developers continue to face limited options when looking for construction debt.
FULL ARTICLE

Affordable Housing in the Next Generation of GSEs

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have played a vital role in the affordable housing world, but the government-sponsored enterprises are an endangered species.
FULL ARTICLE

Carryback Proposal Introduced

Sen. Maria Cantwell introduced the Job Creation and Affordable Housing Act last week, which contains several of the key measures being sought by low-income housing tax credit advocates.
FULL ARTICLE

HUD Announces Disaster Help for Storm Victims

U.S. Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan has announced disaster assistance to help recent storm victims in Tennessee and Alabama.
FULL ARTICLE

Chicago Nonprofit Keeps Credit Flowing in Tough Times

The Chicago-based Community Investment Corp. recently announced a five-year $400 million loan fund to help resuscitate the area’s affordable housing market.
FULL ARTICLE

Raymond James, Citi Invest in S.F. Project

Raymond James Tax Credit Funds announced that it has partnered with Citi Community Capital to provide more than $25 million in low-income housing tax credit equity for a 120-unit single-room occupancy development in San Francisco.
FULL ARTICLE

Boston Capital Invests in Major Renovation

Boston Capital is providing low-income housing tax credit equity for the redevelopment of Clarendon Hill Towers, a 501-unit development in Somerville, Mass.
FULL ARTICLE

Ohio Closes Bond Deal

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency announced that is has issued $5.6 million of tax-exempt bond funds, its first transaction under a new initiative to help housing finance agencies maintain their lending programs during the economic downturn.
FULL ARTICLE

New Hampshire Awards LIHTCs

The New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority board of directors has reserved $2.7 million in low-income housing tax credits to five developments that will add 140 new apartments to the state’s housing supply.
FULL ARTICLE

NAHMA Celebrates 20 Years of Leadership

The National Affordable Housing Management Association is celebrating its 20th year as a champion of affordable multifamily housing across the nation.
FULL ARTICLE

GREEN SCENE

Guest Commentary: Valuing Green Design and Construction

For most people, finding and making a home is a very personal process of self-expression and self-determination. This is as true for low-income families with few options and significant immediate challenges as it is for individuals and families with many options. And it’s true for long-term renters as well as for first-time homeowners.
FULL ARTICLE

AHF's April/May Digital Edition

Now available: Affordable Housing Finance's newest flipbook edition! See the April/May 2010 issue as it appeared in print; search the entire issue by keyword; link specific pages to Facebook, Digg, and Delicious; and connect with advertisers. You can even save the issue hard drive for when you're not online. It's a 21st century take on an old-school experience.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Call for 2010 Young Leader Nominations

Think about the young people you have met in your work and help us identify those special individuals who you think can build organizations, lead programs, usher in new ways of doing things, and solve common problems in the affordable housing industry. Affordable Housing Finance is looking for people from all disciplines, whether its development, finance, law, accounting, or government program administration who are younger than 40. They don’t have to be workaholics, but they need to be dedicated and hard-working people who have demonstrated that they are committed to the mission of affordable housing and community development.

To nominate someone, please e-mail Christine Serlin at cserlin@hanleywood.com telling us why you think the person has leadership ability, making sure to tell us the following:
• where they work and job title
• how you know them, and for how long
• how long they have worked in the industry
• what qualities make them potential leaders
• what you know about their philosophy, purpose, or career goals
• outstanding specific accomplishments that show leadership skill
• their age, if you know it
• their contact information
• their resume, if you have it
We suggest you keep your nomination confidential, as will we. We will be selective in determining who to profile in the magazine, so we don’t want to raise anyone’s hopes. Nor do we want this to be viewed as a career-advancement or resume-building tool. Deadline for nominations is Wednesday, June 2, 2010.

HOUSING FINANCE ONLINE SURVEY

Environmentally friendly strategies are becoming more prevalent in affordable housing. Affordable Housing Finance wants to know your views on the subject as well as the latest green and sustainable strategies that you’re using. The results will be used as part of the green special focus in the June issue of Affordable Housing Finance.

Click Here to take survey

Previous survey results: Health Care Reform

HOUSING FINANCE
SOCIAL NETWORK

AHF Blog
Read about deals, subsidies, gossip, taxes, and sneaky fine print in the world of rental real estate, from the editors and writers of AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE here.

AHF Launches
LinkedIn Group
Affordable Housing Finance has launched a LinkedIn group, giving readers another venue to network and dialogue with one another about the industry's issues.

AHF's Facebook Group
Affordable Housing Finance has launched a Facebook
group, allowing readers the opportunity to network and dialogue with one another about the industry's issues, while following the latest developments from the magazine.

Follow AHF on Twitter
Affordable Housing Finance readers can also follow breaking news and industry updates on twitter.com/AHFMag.

Contact

To reach AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE Editor Christine Serlin, please e-mail cserlin@hanleywood.com

To reach AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE online editor Spencer Markey, e-mail smarkey@hanleywood.com.

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