IHDA's Homeownership Department recognizes Cecelia Marlow, Vice President at The Federal Savings Bank in Chicago as its "Loan Officer of the Month." Cecelia is a frequent speaker on homebuying, avoiding credit traps and creating wealth through real estate. Her ultimate goal is to help clients make informed decisions regarding their financial futures by working closely with clients, educating and guiding them through the mortgage process. With an understanding of how the purchase fits into her clients' financial goals, Cecelia considers IHDA's @HomeIllinois mortgage to be a valuable option to ensure her buyers work with the best the industry has to offer. Thanks, Cecelia!
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The YWCA Elgin at its Annual Leader Luncheon presented IHDA Board Member Cristina Castro with the 2015 Myrtle Spiegler Gerberding Award for Public Service on May 7.
Named after the first woman to assume the position of Elgin City Clerk, the award recognizes leadership, excellence and achievement in serving the community of Kane County. Castro is a longtime advocate for working families and is currently the Director of Communications and Outreach for Berwyn South School District 100. She has been a leader and a guiding voice for affordable housing since her appointment to the IHDA Board in 2013, assisting in the development and administration of effective affordable housing programs statewide. Congratulations, Cristina!
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June 16
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Illinois State Library
Gwendolyn Brooks Bldg.
300 S. Second St.
Springfield, IL 62071
2016 QAP Summit
June 19
1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Illinois Housing Development Authority
401 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite 700
Chicago, IL 60611
2015 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria Training
June 25
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location TBD
2015 Single Family Housing Summit
July 16
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Illinois State Library
Gwendolyn Brooks Bldg.
300 S. Second St.
Springfield, IL 62701
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For more immediate updates, please join us on IHDA's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter:
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 June is National Homeownership Month
 June is National Homeownership month and IHDA's growing network of lenders, Realtors and housing counselors are using this time to call attention to the $5,000 in down payment assistance offered by the @HomeIllinois mortgage for first-time and repeat homebuyers.
Homeownership continues to be a significant source of household wealth and the foundation of long-term economic security for working households. But according to the Federal Reserve, most renters who would like to buy indicate that financial barriers, especially an inability to afford high down payments, prevent them from purchasing a home.
Given today's restrictive lending environment, lenders and Realtors have used the customizable @HomeIllinois mortgage to create solutions for credit-worthy first-time and repeat buyers throughout the state. Since the program launched in March 2015, borrowers have reserved 2,200 loans for $237 million, nearly matching the record pace set last year. Owning a home is one of the best ways for working families to build household wealth, and with personalized solutions that can be tailored to the borrower's individual needs, @HomeIllinois can help lenders, Realtors and counselors increase their clients' purchasing power to make affordable homeownership possible.
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 Chicago Association of Realtors Recognizes Buffett Place with 2015 Good Neighbor Award
The Chicago Association of Realtors on May 21 recognized winners of the 2015 Good Neighbor Awards, honoring 37 exceptional new construction, rehab and historic renovation developments that have made the Chicago metropolitan area a better place to live.
Thresholds and Brinshore Development received the 2015 Bruce Abrams Award, the highest honor within the annual Good Neighbor Awards, for the major rehabilitation of Buffett Place in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. Once known as the Diplomat Hotel, the building had fallen into disrepair when Thresholds and Brinshore transformed the property into 51 apartments for people with disabilities or mental illness who are at risk of homelessness.
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New Member Joins IHDA Board of Directors
Governor Bruce Rauner's office announced on May 15 the appointment of Alyssa Rapp to the IHDA Board of Directors.
Rapp is the founder and CEO of Bottlenotes, Inc., a leading interactive media company specializing in newsletters, large-scale interactive events, social media platforms, mobile applications and video content. She is an accomplished author and speaker and frequently appears on national television as an expert in entrepreneurship. She also serves on the Executive Board of the Spark Program, a national non-profit that provides transformative apprenticeships for at-risk middle school students.
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 Volunteers of America of Illinois' Hope Manor II Nominated for AHF Readers' Choice Award
Hope Manor II of Chicago, developed by the Volunteers of America of Illinois and the Volunteers of America, has been selected as a finalist in the Urban category of the Affordable Housing Finance Readers' Choice Awards for the nation's top developments of 2014 and 2015.
Hope Manor II is the first large scale, supportive housing development in the country specifically designed for Veterans with families. The property was selected as a finalist out of 112 nominations and will be featured in the July/August issue of AHF. Magazine and e-newsletter subscribers will select the winner of each category during online voting between July 13 and August 14. Make sure to subscribe by July 1 to support Hope Manor II and the Volunteers of America.
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FHFA Extends Foreclosure Prevention Programs Through 2016
The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced on May 8 that the deadline to participate in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) has been extended through December 2016.
Since HAMP and HARP were first launched in 2009, the programs have provided critical financial relief for nearly 300,000 Illinois borrowers by allowing them to lower their monthly payments to sustainable, affordable levels. The programs have been important foreclosure prevention tools for housing counselors throughout the state, including the Spanish Coalition for Housing which has saved an estimated $1.4 billion in residential property value from foreclosure since 2010. By extending HAMP and HARP, counselors, lenders and servicers will have more options to help borrowers who continue to face mortgage challenges, including more than 47,000 Illinois households who are still eligible for a HARP refinance.
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Full House Expected for the 2016 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Qualified Allocation Plan Summits
Nearly 200 people have registered for the first-ever QAP Summits on June 16 in Springfield and June 19 in Chicago to discuss the changes being considered for the 2016 QAP. IHDA expects a packed house for both sessions with participation from developers, syndicators, architects, contractors, local governments, HUD officials, consultants and others.
IHDA's Multifamily Finance, Strategic Planning, Architecture and Construction staff thank everyone who has registered and provided input via the QAP Summit Survey.
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Single Family Summit Planned for July 2015
Grantees, sponsors and partners under IHDA's single family HOME and Trust Fund programs should attend the 2015 Single Family Housing Summit on July 16 in Springfield. The goal of the summit is to provide the single family housing community with the opportunity to inform IHDA of housing needs at the local level. The input and suggestions provided will assist IHDA in shaping future grant programs for homebuyers and homeowners throughout the state.
The date and location are as follows:
July 16, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Illinois State Library, Gwendolyn Brooks Building
300 S. Second Street
Springfield, IL 62701
Additional communication, including how to register, will be forthcoming. For now, please save the date and begin formulating your ideas and suggestions.
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Rural Homelessness Expert Sharon Hess to Retire
IHDA is sad to announce that Sharon Hess, the state's expert on rural homelessness and long-time Executive Director of the Southern Illinois Coalition for the Homeless (SICH), will retire on June 30.
Sharon has operated a homeless to homeownership program in a 27 county area for nearly 20 years in southern Illinois and has been an active partner to IHDA, especially with the state's Affordable Housing Trust Fund programs. She has served on both the Illinois Office of Housing Coordination Services' Advisory Committee and the Illinois Housing Task Force as a member of its Executive Committee. SICH was also a recipient of an Illinois Affordable Housing Champion Award in 2013 in honor of its longstanding efforts to assist the homeless by purchasing single family homes, repairing them, and renting or selling the finished properties to formerly homeless persons or families.
Sharon has been a strong advocate for persons at risk of homelessness in southern Illinois. IHDA wishes her the best of luck and we look forward to working with Camille Dorris, Sharon's long-time colleague, who will take her place at SICH.
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Attend an Enterprise Green Communities Criteria Training on June 25
The 2015 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria was released in April of this year, capturing the collective experience of the nation's leading environmental, public health and green building experts.
To help developers and community development partners learn more about the new criteria, Enterprise is hosting a free training on June 25 in Chicago. The training will primarily be of interest to developers and architects interested in learning about Enterprise Green Communities and the ways it can increase the viability of affordable housing development. Other affordable development partners, including property management, asset management and resident engagement staff may also benefit from attending the training led by the national Green Communities team at Enterprise.
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Developers, Remember to Include IHDA When Planning Your Groundbreakings and Grand Openings
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!
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