IHDA Loan Officer of the Month
LoanOfficer
IHDA's Homeownership Department recognizes Eddie R. Williams, III, CRA Loan Officer with Standard Bank and Trust in Chicago as its "Loan Officer of the Month." For over 9 years, Eddie has built a reputation for outstanding service to his clients, performing credit counseling and home buying seminars that guide his buyers through the loan process. An expert in community based lending, he works closely with IHDA and others to provide his clients with the down payment assistance they need, tailoring their loan to their specific situation and keeping them informed every step of the way. Thanks, Eddie!
IHDA Upcoming Dates


UpcomingDates
April 14 - 17
Jesse White Community Center and Fieldhouse
410 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60610

HACC Housing Fair
April 14
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
HACC's Turlington West Apartments
15306 S. Robey Ave.
Harvey, IL 60426

April 22
11:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph St.
2nd Floor, Room 2-025
Chicago, IL 60601

May 11 - 13
Chicago Marriot
540 North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Governor Bruce Rauner Speaks to Housing Leaders at Annual Affordable Housing Conference
 GovConference
Governor Bruce Rauner spoke at the Illinois Governor's Conference on Affordable Housing on April 1 where he touched on the major goals of his plan to transform Illinois and called for greater collaboration between the state and its private sector partners. Addressing nearly 700 housing industry leaders, advocates and elected officials, the Governor emphasized the vital role of affordable housing in his agenda and praised the state's development partners for their commitment to creating stronger financial foundations for families and communities.

The annual conference featured 11 panel sessions on topics from financial strategy to innovative design that shared best practices for housing development from throughout the state. The event was also highlighted by a discussion between Congressmen Danny Davis (7th) and Mike Quigley (5th) on the legislation that will impact economic development under the 114th Congress and a keynote address from Professor Sandra J. Newman of the Johns Hopkins University on the role of housing in the lives of children and adults.

See the press release for more details. Conference photos and session presentations will be available this week at www.ilgovernorsconference.org.
April is National Fair Housing Month
 FairHousing
Join the Illinois Association of Realtors and the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) as we mark the 47th anniversary of the passing of the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Every April, Realtors in Illinois reaffirm their commitment to eliminating housing discrimination, promoting integration and creating equal opportunity in our communities. Realtors have been among the strongest advocates for inclusive communities in Illinois and their continued support of IHDA and IDHR has been instrumental in efforts to assure equal opportunity in housing for all.

See the Illinois Association of Realtors for more information and attend a Fair Housing Event hosted by IDHR on April 22 in Chicago. As part of the event, there will be networking opportunities, a screening of a short fair housing documentary and a chance to speak with IDHR attorneys and investigators.
Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer and Heartland Housing Recognized as Affordable Housing Champions
 Champions
IHDA Awards & RecognitionOutstanding developments and revitalization efforts would not be possible without the support of the elected officials and housing developers that create, fund and operate the programs that support healthy neighborhoods statewide.

Bridget Gainer, Commissioner of Cook County's 10th District was named IHDA's Public Servant of the Year for her leadership as creator and Chair of the Cook County Land Bank, the region's most comprehensive policy to reduce the impact of vacant land and abandoned buildings. To turn the tide in neighborhoods distressed by blight, the land bank returns vacant properties to productive use, either as rental homes, owner-occupied housing or open green space.

Town Hall Apartments was voted the most outstanding development of the year for its innovative transformation of a former police station into Chicago's first LGBTQ-friendly housing complex for seniors. Town Hall developers Heartland Housing and Center on Halsted worked closely with potential residents and neighbors during the design process to better understand the needs, ideas and wishes of future tenants.
Down Payment Assistance Gives Lenders and Realtors Options for Every Type of Buyer
 USBank
IHDA Program News On March 17, U.S. Bank announced that IHDA was their largest HFA originator of single family mortgages in the United States in 2014, setting a new state record with $1.2 billion in financing for affordable home loans and down payment assistance.

The main driver of the outstanding lending year was the Welcome Home Illinois loan, a product that offered below-market interest rates and cash assistance for down payments. Lenders and Realtors accessed the program in record numbers to make homeownership possible for more than 10,000 buyers who may have otherwise been priced out of the market.

IHDA's new @HomeIllinois loan is on pace to match the records set in 2014, yet many households still name the down payment as their biggest challenge. But with the help of IHDA's down payment assistance for first time and repeat buyers, lenders and Realtors have the solutions they need to make homeownership possible for more borrowers throughout the state.

Visit AtHomeIllinois.gov for more details.

Pictured from left: Scott Schmitt, VP Account Executive of U.S. Bank Home Mortgage; Ed Shanks, Executive VP of U.S. Bank Home Mortgage; Tara Pavlik, Managing Director of IHDA Homeownership Programs; Mary R. Kenney, IHDA Executive Director; Jim Coreno, Sr. VP of U.S. Bank Home Mortgage; Lou Caresani, VP of U.S. Bank Client Support Services; Gregory Faulkner, IHDA Account Manager; Scott Bush, IHDA Account Manager.
Help Solve Development Issues at IHDA's First Qualified Allocation Plan Summits
 QAP
IHDA Program News IHDA is pleased to announce the first-ever QAP Summits in June 2015. The Summits will provide an opportunity for housing developers and advocates to proactively discuss the QAP before it is issued for public comments. At the Summits, the development community will help to shape the policies that guide the LIHTC program and provide feedback on the ideas IHDA is considering to add, expand or change in the next QAP. Those in attendance will also have the chance to help identify and solve potential problems that may result from the proposed changes.

More information will be available soon on IHDA's Program Timelines page. Please direct any questions to multifamilyfin@ihda.org.
Register Today for the Illinois Supportive Housing Academy
 CSH
Registration is now live for the 2015 CSH Supportive Housing Academy, an intensive training on creating new supportive housing and improving the quality of existing housing throughout Illinois. 

Open to current supportive housing providers, affordable housing developers, private market landlords and government officials, the Academy covers key issues including financing, development partnerships, policy and service design. Academy participants will learn to position their projects to access public and private dollars, create solid development partnerships, cultivate the skills needed to operate supportive housing, and develop an array supportive housing options. Participants may also request follow-up technical assistance.

Visit CSH to register for the Supportive Housing Academy.
Developers, Remember to Include IHDA When Planning Your Groundbreakings and Grand Openings
 Events
Every new development provides a valuable platform to reach out to the communities we serve and showcase the work we do. Not only are these events important milestones, but they help to establish new partnerships that lead to more support for new developments in the future.

Please contact Max Mueller in IHDA's Marketing & Communications Department when you start planning for your next event. He will help identify the best dates, times, speakers and media opportunities that make these events a success. 
 
We look forward to hearing from you!

IHDA New Developments
 
NewDevelopments
Congratulations to our public-private partners on the following grand opening:

Laborers' Home Development IV (Laborers' Home Development Corporation)
(April 6, 2015)


IHDA In The News
InTheNews 
(April 7, 2015) Chicago Tribune

(April 7, 2015) Jacksonville Journal-Courier

(April 7, 2015) Kankakee Daily Journal

(April 4, 2015) The Southern Illinoisan

(April 2, 2015) LaSalle News Tribune

(March 28, 2015) The Alton Telegraph

(March 26, 2015) WSIL TV

(March 12, 2015) The Edwardsville Intelligencer