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Federal Legislative Updates
Activity in Washington, DC ground to a halt
last week as historic snowstorms forced the
House to recess and moved the Senate to
operate on a reduced schedule. They are both
off this week for a pre-scheduled President's
Day break. Here are some updates on key
housing legislation:
- As predicted the Senate "Jobs" bill will
not include funding for the National
Housing Trust Fund. Senate sources are
saying that it does not work to put NHTF
dollars without HUD issuing program
regulations, where as HUD officials state
that regulations will be issued once funding
is approved. The NHTF campaign is encouraging
advocates to express dismay to their Senators
for this failure to provide funding. For more
information visit the National Low Income
Housing Coalition's National
Housing Trust Fund site.
- The Wall Street Reform and Consumer
Protection Act has been referred to the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban
Affairs after being received in the Senate on
January 20, 2010. On December 11 the bill
passed in the House with a 21 vote margin.
Unfortunately Rep. Minnick's amendment to
remove the Consumer Financial Protection
prevailed. On the positive side the Marshall
amendment to help families avoid foreclosure
and stay in their homes also passed. Visit OpenCongress.org
to track the progress of the bill.
- HUD has created a new Office
of Sustainable Housing and
Communities (OSHC) to "create strong,
sustainable communities by connecting housing
to jobs, fostering local innovation, and
helping to build a clean energy economy." HUD
is looking for public feedback regarding how
the Sustainable
Communities Planning Grant Program can be
structured. Comments are due March 12, 2010
at midnight.
- HUD's FY2011 Budget has been released.
The $41.6 billion budget is less than the
$43.6 billion requested in FY2010.
Significant cuts include Section 202
Supportive Housing Program for the Elderly
from $825 million to $274 million, Section
811 Housing for the Disabled program from
$300 million to $90 million and HOME
Investment Partnerships program from $1.8
billion to 1.6 billion. Read more about HUD's
2011 Budget.
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| 2010 Community Development and Empowerment Series |
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The 2010 Community Development and
Empowerment Series offers comprehensive,
value-based training for community
development practitioners. If you seek
opportunities to learn:
- State of the art community investment
practices
- Creation of realistic and sustainable
development efforts
- Methods to ensure that development
benefits your neighborhood and its residents
- How to access local, state, and federal
resources to support your mission
The Empowerment Series is for you!
Registration
is still open for the whole series. The first
workshop begins on February 25th with the
Community Building workshop. Participants
will learn about the basics of community
planning from veteran community developers,
Joy Aruguete of Bickerdike Redevelopment
Corporation and Steven McCullough of Bethel
New Life, through actual strategies used by
community-based organizations.
Visit http://www.chicagorehab.org/capacity/empowerment.htm
for more information and to register.
The 2010 Community Development and
Empowerment Series is presented by Harris Bank.
Related:
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| CRN's Latest Talking To Walls Production Highlights Lathrop Community |
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Lathrop Homes is truly a unique community. To
demonstrate that uniqueness, CRN produced a
short documentary to highlight the people and
the place, and to debunk myths about the
those who call this place home. Through the
voices of residents
and community members, Another Way:
Reimagining Development at Lathrop Homes
brings to focus what is at the forefront of
our minds as we develop sound housing policy.
We invite you to watch this short video on
YouTube by clicking here.
Given the collapse of the real estate market,
the financial crisis, and the rising
unemployment rate, it is very clear that our
economic recovery needs to be established on
multiple fronts while being grounded in
affordable housing. At national and local
levels, we must preserve and leverage our
public assets, ensuring that our investments
in our neighborhoods are not lost during this
tough financial time. CRN s latest Housing
Fact Sheet attested to the alarming reality
that 51% of Chicago residents are cost
burdened, spending more than a third of their
income on housing. Affordable housing is
fundamental to success at work and at school,
and it is evident that our economic recovery
is dependent on the development of
appropriately priced housing.
Our fundamental goal is to work for a housing
market that is responsive to demand, and to
reinforce the significance of affordable
housing. Our recently launched media program,
Talking to Walls, will help achieve this end
and create more opportunities for all to
reflect and be reminded about the importance
of affordable housing. So join us. Watch Another
Way, share this information, and protect
our assets through advocating for a Lathrop
Homes that builds on its rich history,
embraces its unique community, and serves as
a model for affordable and public housing in
the 21st century.
Related:
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| State of Illinois Housing Fact Sheet |
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CRN has released the 2009
Illinois Housing Fact Sheet using data
from the most recent American Community
Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Among the findings include:
- Since 2000, the poverty rate for families
in Illinois increased by over 15 percent.
- The number of renters and owners paying
more than $1,000 has dramatically increased.
Yet, Illinoisans are not any more affluent:
the median household income in
Illinois--$56,235--decreased by 6.6 percent
since 2000.
- Owner households increased by over 33
percent, while renter households decreased by
1.5 percent. Half of renters in Illinois
spend more than a third of their income on
housing. Among mortgaged owners, the rate is
almost 40 percent.
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| A Picture of Chicago Foreclosures: A Year In Review |
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The foreclosure problem did not show any
signs of slowing down in 2009. CRN's 2009
report on foreclosure activity shows that
last year, there were over 20,100 filings
reported in Chicago, up from 16,058 in 2008.
The filings represent a total of more than
$451 million in outstanding mortgages and
approximately $52 million in property tax
liability. The highest foreclosure rates are
in the Southwest and Northwest communities in
2009 (Zipcodes: 60629, 60639, 60634).
The County's moratorium on accepting new
defaults in July and August last year may
have artificially lowered the rate of
foreclosures for the subsequent months.
However, filings began an upward climb again
in the month of December.
This
report, as well as the rest of CRN's
monthly foreclosure data, can be downloaded by
visiting http://www.chicagorehab.org/Foreclosurereports.aspx
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| Participate in the Metro Chicago CDC Census |
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The Chicago Rehab Network's CDC Census is an
unprecedented effort to record and detail the
impact of Community Development organizations
throughout the Chicago Metro area. Fore more
information, visit
http://www.chicagorehab.org/CDCCensus.aspx.
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| Network NewsMakers and Events |
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- The Chicago Neighborhood Development
Awards were held on February 9th and two of
CRN's members were among those recognized for
their outstanding work in Chicago's
communities. We congratulate The
Resurrection Project, winner of the
Chicago Community Trust Outstanding Community
Strategy Award for their Pilsen
Quality-of-Life Planning Process, and
Mercy Housing Lakefront for Malden
Arms Apartments, winner of the Polk Bros.
Foundation Affordable Rental Housing
Preservation Award.
- The Renaissance Collaborative, Inc. is
holding their 16th Annual Friend-Raiser
Breakfast on February 26 from 8:00 am - 10:00
am at the Wabash Y Ballroom, 3763 S. Wabash.
Contact 773-924-9270 ext. 21 for more
information.
- The Community Media Workshop will
celebrate its 21st Anniversary and the life
of Studs Terkel at a celebration and awards
ceremony on March 10, 2010. For more
information, visit www.communitymediaworkshop.org/2010_terkel_awards
- Bethel New Life will hold The
Women's Health and Wealth Summit on February
26, 2010 featuring State Treasurer Alexi
Giannoulias. Bethel is also celebrating 30
years with an anniversary gala on April 22,
2010. Visit www.bethelnewlife.org
for more information on these events.
Do you have an event or announcement you
would like on Network NewsMakers? Please send
them
to pia@chicagorehab.org or call CRN at
312-663-3936.
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| CRN is now on Facebook and Youtube! |
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The Chicago Rehab Network has ventured into
social media!
Become
a fan of Chicago Rehab Network on
Facebook and stay up-to-date with CRN
activities and affordable housing news in
Chicago!
Also, visit our YouTube
Channel for more
Talking to Walls videos and other CRN
productions.
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| Help Build The Network! |
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The Chicago Rehab Network is the oldest and
largest coalition of non-profit community
developers and practitioners in the Midwest.
CRN works to provide a
foundation for new
strategies for effective policy,
communications, training and technical
assistance to support the development and
preservation of affordable housing across
Chicago.
You can support our work by spreading
the word about CRN or by making a donation.
Click Here to Support CRN
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