The House Financial Service Committee recommends HOPE VI Increase to $800 Million Annually

Housing aid hike proposed

Friday, September 28, 2007

By Jo-Ann.moriarty Newhouse

jo-ann.moriarty@newhouse.com

WASHINGTON - The House Financial Service Committee is recommending that the federal funding for the Hope VI program, which the Bush administration sought to kill, be increased from $99 million to $800 million annually, giving cities such as Holyoke greater chances to rebuild neighborhoods fallen to poverty into development that brings mixed incomes into the same section of the city.

But the language voted out of committee does not establish the actual funding for the program.

That task is done by the House Appropriations Committee, of which U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, is a member and chairman of the subcommittee on transportation, housing and urban development.

Olver was able to pull together an additional $21 million for the Hope VI program, started by the Clinton administration to tear down decaying housing projects and build developments that contained homeownership and rentals and families from different socio-economic strata.

"This is fantastic," Raymond P. Murphy Jr. said yesterday. He is the head of the Holyoke Housing Authority, who oversaw the upwards of $100 million in 2002 for the reconstruction of Jackson Parkway into a Hope VI project.

Holyoke is writing a grant application for $20 million to rebuild Lyman Terrace, which is a block from City Hall. Applications are due on Nov. 7.

Also included in the Hope VI bill is an amendment written by Olver that would require all federal housing projects be "green construction" or environmentally friendly to conserve energy by the technology used for heating and cooling as well as the materials used.

Movie star Brad Pitt is part of a consortium involved in a project to build 150 green homes on sites of houses destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Linda M Couch, the executive direction of the National Low Income Housing Coaltion, said that Olver stands out as a member of Congress for advancing the nation's progress to build with technology that considers the environment. more HERE

Sarasota Housing

State help for Sarasota housing

Tax credits will fund rebuilding of Janie Poe and other complexes

By CATHY ZOLLO
cathy.zollo@heraldtribune.com

A state award of tax credits Friday to the Sarasota Housing Authority will generate about $11 million to tear down and rebuild 400 dilapidated public housing apartments.

The tax credits from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation will be used to fund the first 86 units of housing that will eventually be an entirely revamped Janie Poe.

Janie Poe is one of four sites that will be razed and rebuilt by New Jersey-based Michaels Development Co. The two-story apartments, built in the 1970s, are wracked with problems.

For more than a decade, the Housing Authority has been trying to get the money to rebuild. But past efforts failed because of dwindling federal grants and poor management from a Housing Authority ultimately taken over by the federal government.

"Having been born and raised in Sarasota, having been raised as a teenager in public housing, having lived in public housing as a single mom, having gone through each of the HOPE VI (grant application) processes, I didn't think this day would ever come," said Carolyn Mason, a board member of Newtown Front Porch and former mayor of Sarasota. More HERE

The Easton Housing Authority HOPE VI - Moving Forward

The Easton Housing Authority will schedule meetings next month with Delaware Terrace residents to update the authority's HOPE VI revitalization project.

Authority Executive Director Gene Pambianchi said Tuesday that the details include deciding on the various types of homes for sale and rent, and environmental work on the 18-acre South Side property.

Demolition of the 250 units is estimated to begin in January, with construction of the 144 homes -- 96 for rent and 48 for sale -- beginning next summer. The authority is unsure if construction will be done all at once or in phases. More HERE

San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom on HOPE VI

Newsom Jabs Hope VI, As Oakland Embraces Hope VI

by Lynda Carson ( tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com )

Recently San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom took the wealthy on a tour of San Francisco's much needed public housing complexes in an effort to privatize and gentrify them. But, in a moment of brutal honesty Newsom and SFHA Director Gregg Fortner took a jab at HUD and the Hope VI program which ends up costing cities millions in lost housing funds to play the Hope VI demolition game, with no guarentees that a city will receive a Hope VI grant after demolishing their public housing units!

Newsom Jabs Hope VI program, As Oakland Embraces Hope VI

HUD's Larry Bush confirms that the Oakland Housing Authority is about to apply for a Hope VI grant for Tassafaronga Village public housing complex

By Lynda Carson

Mayor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Housing Authority Director Gregg Fortner recently took a jab at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Hope VI program for costing cities millions in lost housing funds to play the Hope VI demolition game. Meanwhile the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) is spending millions in an attempt to hook a Hope VI grant by using much needed funds being grabbed from it's Section 8 and public housing funds.

On August 29, 2007 the Chronicle reports, "Newsom and Fortner both have said they'd rather spend the $200,000 it costs to prepare a (Hope VI) grant application on improving developments immediately. The mayor added that recent federal budget cuts have depleted the pot of money once available under Hope VI, which was begun under President Bill Clinton."

Meanwhile, the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) is moving full steam ahead and spending millions in much needed housing funds from local and federal sources in an effort to demolish and privatize it's Tassafaronga Village public housing complex.

Despite being turned down twice by HUD (Hope VI proposals) in their attempts to demolish Tassafaronga Village and privatize it, as recently as 1991 the OHA spent $7.4 million to remodel the 87 unit complex which then was enough money to buy a home for each of the families residing there according to a report.

According to a June 14, 1991 article in the Daily News of Los Angeles , "Money spent to remodel a housing project in Oakland could have bought a home for each family in the 87-unit structure, according to a published report that claims federal housing funds are "squandered" in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Tassafaronga Village housing complex that will reopen in a few weeks was completed nearly three years late and, at $7.4 million, was double the estimated cost."

As recent as February 15, 2007 the City of Oakland sued the OHA and accused it of being a slumlord, and according to City Attorney John Russo the OHA has been spending millions on buying land for it's Hope VI ventures rather than spending the money to maintain it's public housing properties.

According to City Attorney John Russo, "But the fact that the Authority continues to purchase new properties in a practice of “land banking” refutes their claim to have no money for the repairs and management of the existing sites. In fact, it is not a question of resources, but more a question of OHA priorities which clearly favors purchasing new properties with federal HOPE VI funds with non-profit developers over regular maintenance, management and repair of existing housing."

Further research and documentation shows that the Oakland Housing Authority is using local Section 8 Reserve Funds, and local Section 8 Administrative Reserve Funds as a huge slush fund, for it's notorious Hope Vl proposal for Tassafaronga Village.

Oakland continues to spend millions in attracting another Hope VI proposal for Tassafaronga Village, while it's low-income tenants suffer. Read More HERE

Three HOPE VI housing developments are set to open

Source: Frederick Newspost.com

Three HOPE VI housing developments are set to open within the next two months, with work to begin on a fourth by the end of the year and a fifth next spring.

Sixty apartments in the Hillcrest neighborhood and 23 senior apartments at Catoctin Manor on Motter Avenue should be available by mid-October, said Kevin Lollar, development director for the Housing Authority of the City of Frederick. Residents should be moving in by the start of November.

Friday morning, workers at Catoctin Manor were finishing the building's first floor, including the entryway and common areas.

Eight houses the authority is redeveloping in the Sagner neighborhood should be ready for occupants in mid-November, he said.

HOPE VI is a federal program to replace low-income housing projects with houses and apartments that people with varied incomes can afford.

In Frederick, the housing authority is replacing the Hanson-Taney complexes on North Bentz Street, which it demolished in 2006, with developments around the city.

When the authority tore down the old complexes it had to relocate slightly more than 100 families, said Teresa Justice, the authority's executive director. Roughly 75 of them might return to the new HOPE VI developments.

Half the Hillcrest apartments and 10 Catoctin Manor apartments have been leased, Lollar said.

As residents move in at Hillcrest and Catoctin Manor, work should start on laying new streets at the old Hanson-Taney site, he said. Grading on the site should start in November.

A street in the new development will be named for Lord Nickens, first president of Frederick's NAACP, Lollar said.

Plans call for 55 homes for purchase and 42 rental units at that site, with a mix of market-rate and affordable housing properties for sale, and affordable and public housing apartments.

The City of Frederick has begun demolition on the site of Rogers Homes at South Carroll and East South streets, Lollar said. Construction of that development should be under way by the spring.

Rogers Homes is slated for 32 rental apartments and four units to be purchased by residents.

HOPE VI Application Consultant

Need assistance with the CSS portion of your HOPE VI Application? Contact The Rock Consulting Group. You can email them at: therockconsultinggroup@gmail.com

Visit their website at: The Rock Consulting Group.com - 240-472-8501

Job Opportunity: Executive Director

Executive Director:

The Franklin Housing Authority (TN) seeks an experienced housing professional to lead a progressive and active agency located in beautiful Williamson County which is close by the City of Nashville, TN.

The candidate is required to have five (5) years progressive administrative experience, (preferred executive or department head level) in the area of public or private housing. Experience in the development/redevelopment of affordable housing, a plus. Emphasis on ability to provide excellent resident services and relationships is important. A 4-year college degree, required. A combination of education and excellent experience acceptable. Expert community relations, staff leadership, communications with public officials and ability to relate to a capable board, required. The agency has 298 units of family and senior housing and a staff of eleven employees. Salary negotiable.

Submit cover letter, resume to Leo Dauwer, Search Consultant, 20 Shady Lane, Needham, MA 02492. Attn: Franklin Search. Email: dowerassociates@comcast.net. No faxes, please. Position open until filled.

RFQ/RFP: Co-developer, Financial Advisor, Special Counsel

The Riviera Beach Housing Authority is seeking to engage the services of:

� Co-developer
� Financial Advisor
� Special Counsel

These professional services will provide the Riviera Beach Housing Authority with the required expertise to develop its conceptual site plan for 16.5 acres of mixed income, home-ownership town homes, elderly and multi-family affordable rental housing. Interested parties should request an RFQ Package in writing addressed to:

Philip O. Goombs, Executive Director
Riviera Beach Housing Authority
2014 West 17th Court
Riviera Beach, FL. 33404
or by emailing adminassist-rbha@earthlink.net,

All responses must be received at the above address by 4:00 p.m. e.s.t. on Friday, October 12th 2007, NO PHONE REQUEST FOR PACKAGES WILL BE HONORED

RFQ: Energy Services

The Housing Authority of Hopkinsville (PHA) is seeking proposals from interested Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) for Energy Performance Contracting for the PHA's housing complexes. Proposals will be received on September 27, 2007.

Interested firms are required to tour representative complexes of the PHA's inventory on September 7, 2007 at 10:00 a.m., c.d.t.

Proposal documents may be obtained by contacting:

Janice Powell, Director of Facilities
270-887-4275 ext 3117
e-mail jpowell@housingah.org

RFQ: Professional Consulting Services

The Public Housing Authority of Abilene (PHA) is soliciting responses from qualified firms to provide a comparative analysis evaluating the feasibility, operational and financial effects of a modification to the current relationship between the PHA and the City of Abilene. The City currently provides employees and services to the PHA under contract. The goal of this analysis will be to evaluate the potential operation of the PHA as a fully independent entity. Interested parties can call obtain a full copy of the RFQ by calling (325) 676- 6379 or sending an email to MaryAnn.Martell@abilenetx.com

Affordable Housing Needs

Affordable Housing Needs 2005: Report to Congress

May 2007, 99 pages

Source: HUD USER

In 1990, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee directed HUD to "resume the annual compilation of a worst case housing needs survey of the United States... [to estimate] the number of families and individuals whose incomes fall 50 percent below an area's median income, who either pay 50 percent or more of their monthly income for rent, or who live in substandard housing."

Households with "worst case needs" are defined as unassisted renters with very low incomes who have one of two "priority problems" either paying more than half of their income for housing ("severe rent burden") or living in severely substandard housing. Renters are classified by income using three income limits: Low Income (LI) if their income does not exceed 80 percent of area median income (AMI), Very Low Income (VLI) if income is not more than 50 percent of AMI, and Extremely Low Income (ELI) if income is not more than 30 percent of AMI.

This report is the tenth in a series of Worst Case Needs reports to Congress. This 2005 report is organized into five basic sections Chapter 1 provides an introduction, including a discussion of terms and sources. Chapter 2 outlines the findings of worst case needs by various categories such as demographics and geography. Chapter 3 presents an analysis using data from the Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine the duration of severe rent burdens. Chapter 4 assesses the supply of affordable rental housing. Chapter 5 presents new analysis of how worst case needs relate to neighborhood poverty rates.

Download the Worst Case Needs tables used in the Affordable Housing Needs 2005 report.

An Historical and Baseline Assessment of HOPE VI

Source: HUD User

HOPE VI, also known as the Urban Revitalization Demonstration, is designed to revitalize the Nation's most severely distressed public housing. Congress and HUD created the HOPE VI grant program in 1992 to provide a flexible source of support for investments in public housing developments and for their residents. An Historical and Baseline Assessment of HOPE VI presents findings from the first phase of a planned long-term evaluation of HOPE VI sites.

Revitalizing severely distressed public housing -- even with HOPE VI funds -- will be no easy task, the investigation finds. Serious design flaws, such as high densities and inadequately sized units, plague most of the developments targeted for revitalization, with researchers rating the physical conditions of almost one-half of the developments as "poor" or "very poor." All 15 public housing authorities (PHAs) studied have experienced serious management problems -- nine had recently replaced their executive director, and two-thirds of grantees were on HUD's list of troubled PHAs as of March 1992. The majority of residents have extremely low incomes and are inadequately educated, and an average of 84 percent report income from public assistance. Conditions in the surrounding neighborhoods are almost as severe as those in the HOPE VI developments.

PHAs will pursue HOPE VI revitalization through a variety of approaches: development of mixed-income communities, demolition and/or renovation of current developments, deconcentration and dispersion, emphasis on family self-sufficiency, and resident management of properties. All but three sites reported planning to redevelop a public housing community for mixed-income families. Eight PHAs have approved physical plans, most using a townhouse design for their renovated or newly constructed developments. Of the 13 PHAs with approved management plans, 5 intend to place control of their HOPE VI developments under private management. Only six PHAs had developed clear community service plans at the time of their assessment.

Researchers divided the sites into four groups based on their prospects for success. The most promising PHAs are Baltimore, Cuyahoga Metro (Cleveland), and San Antonio. These sites showed effective collaboration with HUD and local government agencies and a capacity to manage a project of the magnitude of HOPE VI. Also key at these sites were strong support for HOPE VI by residents, institutions, and businesses in the surrounding neighborhoods, and the sites showed encouraging levels of involvement by tenant councils and residents. The four least promising sites had problems such as weak PHA leadership, poor management of capital improvements, and reputations for breaking promises to residents.

The first volume of this three-volume report synthesizes study findings and discusses their national implications. The second volume offers detailed case studies of the 15 sites. Case studies include an overview of the housing authority, a description of the developments and the surrounding neighborhoods, a review of the local HOPE VI planning process, and a summary of implementation progress. The third volume presents the study methodology and baseline data.

The insights from this early assessment of HOPE VI communities will inform national policymakers and local practitioners as they continue their attempts to revitalize severely distressed public housing. More HERE