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Federal Legislative Updates
CRN has been meeting with legislators in
Washington D.C. in the past two consecutive
weeks to keep affordable housing on the
agenda.
National Housing Trust Fund
Today, the House narrowly passed a bill that
would provide $1 billion to capitalize the
National Housing Trust Fund. The American
Jobs and Closing Tax
Loopholes Act [H.R. 4213], or the tax
extender
bill, is a joint effort by the House Ways and
Means Committee and the Senate Finance
Committee. (See
Alert from National Low-Income Housing
Coalition)
The next challenge is to have the Senate take
up the bill upon their return from the
Memorial Day recess on June 7th.
Please contact Senators Durbin and Burris and
let them know how important the National
Housing Trust Fund is to ending and
preventing homelessness and to preserving and
expanding affordable rental housing in your
community.
Chicago Rehab Network
signed on to the National Housing Trust Fund
campaign letter urging
legislators to immediately fund NHTF. To add
your organizations and to view the letter,
visit www.nhtf.org.
HUD PETRA Proposal
On May 12th, HUD released its proposed new
initiative to preserve HUD-funded public and
assisted housing and enhance its rental
assistance programs. The Preservation,
Enhancement, and Transformation of Rental
Assistance Act of 2010 (PETRA) would preserve
public and assisted housing by allowing
owners to convert to a new project-based
contract or project-based voucher. The
National Council of State Housing Agencies
includes more details including a
section-by-section analysis here.
Visit HUD's Transforming Rental Assistance information
page.
Wall Street Reform Act passes
Senate
The Senate passed its version of the Wall
Street reform bill on May 20th setting the
stage for establishing a financial system
that protects consumers. The Restoring
American Financial Stability Act creates a
Consumer Financial Protection Agency, a new
regulatory body that could write rules to
hold banks accountable, protect consumers
from predatory and fraudulent practices in
the financial industry, and increase
transparency in the financial system.
The next step is for the Senate to negotiate
with members of the House and work towards a
final bill. For more information on the
status and passage of the bill, visit Open
Congress.
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| Chicago Housing Authority to open the Family Housing Wait List |
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For the first time in a decade, the CHA will
open the Family Housing Wait List.
Names in the Wait List will be drawn
randomly from a lottery. To be eligible for
the lottery, participants must register
online for free anytime between June 14, 2010
and July 9, 2010. All registrations received
during this four-week period will have an
equal chance to be entered into the lottery.
Community groups and
organizations--especially those who are able
to provide computer access to the public--are
encouraged to participate in this endeavor to
help Chicago families apply for the lottery
since registration can only be done
online.
Visit CHAwaitlist.org
for more information.
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| Chicago Housing Authority Receivership Ends |
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For 23 years, the CHA had been under a
court-ordered receivership with The Habitat
Company after a federal decision which found
that the CHA failed to comply with a consent
decree stemming from the landmark Gautreaux
housing discrimination case. The consent
decree mandated that the siting of new public
housing
should extend beyond low-income
African-American communities. The ruling in
1987 appointed The Habitat Company to oversee
CHA's development of over 4,000 units of
scattered site housing.
Last week, the same judge who ordered the
receivership determined that CHA had achieved
substantial progress to improve the
conditions that called for the court order.
Beginning June 1, 2010, all acquisition,
development and redevelopment of public
housing in Chicago will revert back to the
Chicago Housing Authority. The transition
will occur over a three-year period.
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| Donations Tax Credit Extension Awaits Governor's Signature |
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Last month a bill to extend the Illinois
Affordable Housing Tax Credit, or as it is
more commonly known, the Donations Tax
Credit, passed both State houses and is now
awaiting the signature of Governor Quinn.
The Chicago Rehab Network was instrumental in
establishing the tax credit as a key tool for
neighborhood development. The Donations Tax
Credit has been a valuable tool to finance
the creation and preservation of affordable
rental housing throughout the State.
The bill would extend this vital resource to
December 31, 2016.
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| Recent Reports |
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Lawyer's Committee on Better Housing
Releases Report on Apartment
Foreclosures
Approximately 3,000-4,000 more rental units
were affected by foreclosures than
owner-occupied housing in 2009, according a
new report by Lawyer's Committee for Better
Housing. The study, Chicago Apartment
Building Foreclosures: Impact on Tenants,
also finds that on average, about 125
multifamily buildings entered foreclosure
weekly in Chicago.
The full report is available by visiting www.lcbh.org.
When Investors Buy Up the
Neighborhood
PolicyLink, in partnership with the Northwest
Area Foundation and Family Housing Fund,
examined the issue of predatory investment
and foreclosures in the Twin Cities. The
report, When Investors Buy Up the
Neighborhood: Strategies to Prevent Investor
Ownership from Causing Neighborhood
Decline, illustrates dozens of strategies
which communities can use" to reclaim
foreclosed properties, encourage positive
reinvestment, and stabilize their
neighborhoods."
The full report can be downloaded by visiting
www.policylink.org.
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| Empowerment Series |
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We are halfway through the 2010 Community
Development and Empowerment Series. The
following workshops are remaining and
registration is still open:
- Single Family Housing Development, June
17-18
- Multifamily Housing Development, July
15-16
- Project and Construction Management,
August 12-13
- Property/Asset Management/ Tenant
Services, September 16-17
For more information about the Series, visit
http://www.chicagorehab.org/capacity/index.htm
or
contact Gené Moreno at gene@chicagorehab.org.
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| Let us know what matters to you! |
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One of CRN's priorities this year is to
advance our communications by using the
valuable input of our members and audience.
In the past few weeks, we are near completion
of the first phase of our survey project,
seeking input from City of Chicago Aldermen,
in order to better respond to our
policymakers and elected officials on
affordable housing issues and community needs.
Soon, we will need your support in
assessing our communications activities.
Critical to our work is our ability to push
the message of affordability and inform you
of key issues affecting your communities. We
want to know how we are doing in providing
you with information and where we can do better.
Stay tuned for a Stakeholder
Communications Survey from CRN. Your
feedback is essential and will help shape our
communication priorities and understanding of
what housing issues matter to you.
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| Network NewsMakers |
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CRN in the News
Debating
the Future of Lathrop Homes
Deal
Estate, April 21,2010
The
Future of Lathrop Homes
Eight Forty-Eight, April 21,2010
CHA
to reopen wait list for public
housing
Chicago Tribune, May 10, 2010
With
programs and other aid, foreclosures continue
to rise
Chicago Defender, May 12, 2010
Upcoming Events:
- Woodstock Institute and the
Illinois Community Investment Coalition
will hold an event, Beyond Foreclosures:
The Impact of the Financial Crisis on the
Wealth Gap and Economic Opportunity, on
June 3rd at the Federal Reserve Bank of
Chicago. To register, contact Beverly
Berryhill at 312-368-0310 or
bhill@woodstockinst.org.
- Community Media Workshop's annual
conference, Making Media Connections,
will be held on June 9-10. For more
information and registration, visit
www.newstips.org.
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| Follow us on Facebook |
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Become a Fan of CRN!
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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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