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Around Indiana
Register Today for the 37th Annual Neighborhoods, USA Conference
Registration is now open for Neighborhoods, USA's (NUSA) 37th Annual Conference on Neighborhood Concerns that will be held in Indianapolis on May 23 - 26, 2012. This year's conference is being hosted by the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center. The conference registration fee includes the costs of workshops, receptions, annual NUSA dues and the opportunity to vote for the NUSA Board of Directors.
Early registration (by April 27, 2012) is $200, and late registration (on or after April 28, 2012) is $300. You can download the entire 2012 NUSA Conference Registration Booklet by clicking here, or read more details on our blog post about the conference by clicking here.
Aging in Place - Housing Choices
Many older Hoosiers have expressed a strong desire to continue living in their home as they age, rather than moving in with family members or to an assisted living facility. A significant portion of them own their home without a mortgage; and remaining in their home is not only preferable, but affordable. In order to age in place, older adults may need to make modifications to their homes. AARP and others have developed checklists and tools for making homes "universally accessible" for people regardless of age or abilities.
In some cases, it may be advantageous to consider co-housing options where a group of older adults (usually not all the same age) live together in a home (think "Golden Girls") or where a younger person is provided a room at low or no rent in exchange for assisting with household tasks that are challenging for the elder. Other models include a number of single-family homes clustered around a common building where meals are shared in common and decisions about the common life of the group are made collectively.
Thinking outside of the standard nursing home/assisted living/continuum of care community will be needed to accommodate the large population of aging Boomers over the next few decades. How is your community responding to these needs? Let us know by responding to our blog post here. For more information on the AARP checklist, click here.
Incubating Homeownership
Around the state we hear of communities where the number of homeowners is declining and the number of renters is increasing, due in large part to the housing crisis, high unemployment rates, and tighter credit standards. Neighborhoods fear that more renters mean that people have less investment in the neighborhood and aren't committed to the success or future of the neighborhood.
Lately there has also been much discussion around the Legacy Projects from the Super Bowl on the near eastside of Indianapolis. Many of the Legacy Projects grew from the vision and energy of the Quality of Life plan that the neighborhood did as part of the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI) project. The crossroads of the two is the homeownership incubator at Jefferson Apartments. The program is designed to help families become permanent stakeholders in the neighborhood by providing financial and social support for three to five years with the intent of the families then purchasing an affordable home in the neighborhood.
To read more on this project or weigh in on a project in your area that is incubating homeownership and/or addressing the investment of renters in a neighborhood, visit our blog post by clicking here.
Across the Nation
President Obama Unveils Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Proposal
On February 13, the Obama Administration unveiled its FY 2013 Budget Request. While IACED supports many of the President's funding requests for programs within the Department of Housing and Urban Development, we strongly oppose some of the cuts made to programs that are critical to serving low-income, vulnerable populations. We believe these decisions to scale back key programs aimed at helping families and individuals most in need are extremely ill-advised at the beginning of what was already likely to be a bleak appropriations cycle.
Some of the budget's bright spots include increased funding requests for Homeless Assistance Grants and Section 202 funding for Housing for the Elderly, along with a proposal to invest $1 billion in the National Housing Trust Fund. The following proposals, however, fall far short of the funding needed to revitalize our communities during this time of economic hardship. The Administration's FY13 budget requests:
- $8.7 billion for project-based rental assistance, down from about $9.3 billion in fiscal year 2012
- Only $150 million for Section 811, down from $165 million in 2012
- Cutting the Community Development Fund from $3.308 in FY12 to $3.143 in FY13
- Static funding levels for the Community Development Block Grants and HOME funds
- HUD to increase minimum rents paid by the lowest income HUD-assisted households to a mandatory level of $75, up from $25-$50
To read our detailed analysis or find links to the full Administration proposal, check out our blog post.
House of Representatives Committee Moves on Bill to Expand Definition of Homeless Children
In January, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity approved H.R. 32 the Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2011. With growing support among Representatives on both sides of the aisle, the bill is poised to be considered in the full committee in the coming weeks. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Judy Biggert, (R-Ill.), amends the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) definition of homelessness to include children, youth and their families who are verified as homeless by designated school district liaisons, Head Start programs, and Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs.
Current law does address children and youth, but includes restrictive and burdensome documentation that effectively denies HUD assistance to many vulnerable children, even though they meet the definition of homelessness as defined by other federal agencies.
H. R. 32 would streamline this qualification process by clarifying that all children and youth who are verified as homeless by other government agencies would be counted by HUD and eligible for shelter and supportive services. We ask that our members who support this expansion call their Representative to ask them to cosponsor the bill and support its final passage in the House. Currently, none of the members of Indiana's congressional delegation have signed on as a cosponsor.
To read more about the bill or ways to contact your member, click here for our blog post.
President Obama Proposes New Housing Program for Struggling Homeowners
On February 1, the President put forth a plan aimed at helping homeowners with loans not held by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac refinance their mortgage. To be eligible for the proposed program, President Obama explained that these homeowners must be current on their mortgage for the past six months and meet a minimum credit score. The White House estimates the plan would cost between $5 billion and $10 billion to be paid for through an off-set described as a "financial crisis responsibility fee." The fee would be collected from the nation's largest financial institutions.
The legislation is unlikely to move in the House where leaders already dismissed the proposal as costly and "not serious." President Obama also referenced several new initiatives that will be implemented through an Executive Order. To read more on those initiatives or the response from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director, click here to read our full blog post.
New report reveals significant increases in rental housing cost burden for poorest Americans
According to a new Housing Spotlight, released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) this month, the supply of affordable housing for renters is shrinking nationwide. This trend is having the greatest impact on extremely low-income households. In Indiana, there are reportedly 30 units of available affordable rental housing per 100 households at or below the extremely low-income threshold; this figure matches that of the national average. To read the entire report, go to the NLIHC's February 2012 Housing Spotlight.
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