Mark your calendars for the 2011 Statewide Conference on Housing and Community Economic Development located at the Indiana Convention Center in Downtown Indianapolis, September 20-21.

This year's conference will feature Richard Longworth, author of Caught in the Middle: America's Heartland in the Age of Globalism, as the keynote speaker, multiple tracks on knowledge and skills necessary to lead community development, and a Midwest summit including community development colleagues from neighboring states to discuss our regional assets and challenges for community development.

Awards Nominations

Click here to nominate individuals and projects in Indiana that have made a positive impact on the Hoosier community development field.  Awards will be presented September 21, 2011 at the  Statewide Conference on Housing and Community Economic Development!

Around Indiana

IACED Staffer will lead Evansville Community Meeting
IACED Program Manager John Marron will be the keynote speaker at this year's Evansville Ministerial Breakfast organized by Habitat for Humanity of Evansville.  Mr. Marron will be discussing "The Power of Partnership" as it relates to comprehensive community development.

Specifically, he will be working with Evansville ministers, lay leaders, residents and traditional civic leaders to envision community development efforts that are community-driven, holistic in nature, and asset-based.  Click here to read more. 

Indiana Coalition of Human Services Regional Meetings
IACED is proud to be a member of the Indiana Coalition of Human Services (ICHS). This year ICHS is offering regional meetings to present legislative updates. The sessions are titled, "What happens in the Statehouse does not Stay in the Statehouse: How new laws affect your clients and nonprofit." IACED human service members are encouraged to attend a session near you. Click here to read more from IACED's blog. 

Mid-North Quality of Life Summit Draws Impressive Crowd of Community Stakeholders and Residents
IACED program manager, John Marron, attended the Mid-North Quality of Life visioning effort on the morning of April 9 in Indianapolis as residents and other stakeholders in the Mid-North area came together to begin to articulate a common vision for the future of their community.

The summit drew more than 300 attendees and the subsequent planning meeting on April 25 brought in more than 100 residents. Those residents are now forming action teams around the issues of highest priority that were identified at the visioning session; these issues include housing, youth engagement, education, senior advocacy, business development, crime, safety and aesthetics. Click here to read more from IACED's blog.

 Indiana Renters Struggle to Afford Housing
According to a national report, Out of Reach 2011, released in May by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), Indiana is the 32nd most expensive state in the nation for renters, more expensive than Ohio and Kentucky and similar to New Mexico. Indiana's Housing Wage, the income necesssary for a family to afford the rent and utilities for a safe and modest home in the private housing market, has increased 32% since 2000.

Housing costs are considered affordable when they are at or below 30 percent of a household's gross income.  The typical renter in Indiana earns $10.76, which is $2.94 less than the hourly wage needed to afford a modest unit when working 40 hours per week. As a result, an estimated 53% of renters in Indiana do not earn enough to afford a two-bedroom unit at the Fair Market Rent.  To read more, click here. 

Across the Nation 

Big Banks Face Tough Federal and State Investigations into Mortgage Practices

The top five mortgage servicers in the United States remain locked in tense debates with the Department of Justice, federal bank regulators and the attorneys-general of each state surrounding foreclosure practices that took place in the height of the housing crisis.  In 2010, news reports alleged that these banks used "robo-signers" on foreclosure documents in violation of consumer laws in many states.   In fact, all 50 states moved forward to enter into a settlement that would require changes to foreclosure servicing.

These negotiations yielded a revised agreement in May that includes a relief fund to adjust mortgages and provide for mediation of future cases.  Apart from these negotiations, U.S. bank regulators issued enforcement orders in April to 14 financial institutions to revamp their mortgage servicing practices. These orders have required banks to hire an outside consultant to assess their procedures from foreclosures that took place in 2009 and 2010 and suggest changes within 60 days.  Check out our blog post to read more. 

HUD and Community Advocates Refute Generalizations Made in Washington Post Report on HOME Funds

On May 14, the Washington Post published an investigative report surrounding HUD's use and oversight of HOME funds.  The HOME program uses federal dollars to help state and local governments create affordable housing solely for low-income families.  The report alleged that HUD does not have adequate safeguards to prevent improper spending on a local level and this has allowed nearly $400 million HOME funds to sit idle.  The series prompted Members of Congress to push for investigations into the use of HOME funds.   

HUD and advocates in the community development field have pushed back against the assertions made in the report.  In a rebuttal, HUD wrote that the examples the Washington Post used were "concerning," but represented a minute number of projects.  The agency went on to add that "since January, 2011, HUD has canceled 1,778 activities, freeing up $290 million of HOME funding to be re-committed to viable projects."  

To read our full blog post on this issue, click here.