Housing Virginia

Housing Virginia Newsletter
September 2013
HUD Secretary Endorses National Housing Trust Fund   
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HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan keynoted NHC's Solutions Conference in Atlanta on September 17th with a vigorous endorsement of the National Housing Trust Fund. Donovan noted that any reformed GSE/housing finance system for the nation should include a mechanism to provide significant, ongoing capitalization of a Housing Trust Fund.
 
Research Spotlight: Study Finds Fiscal Benefits with Smart Growth Development     
Smart Growth America has recently released a report, Building Better Budgets: A National Examination of the Fiscal Benefits of Smart Growth Development, which is the first national survey of the cost savings that municipalities have experienced by utilizing smart growth strategies. The report surveys 17 studies from around the country that have compared municipal revenues in smart growth versus conventional suburban development scenarios.

 

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GHC to Feature Housing 2020 and Housing StoryWorks - Schedule your Interview Today! 

The Governor's Housing Conference to be held in Norfolk November 20-22 is the largest annual gathering of affordable housing providers, developers and practitioners from across Virginia. This year Housing Virginia will be a part of the conference line up with two exciting features:  Housing StoryWorks and Housing2020.

Housing Virginia's Housing StoryWorks initiative will explore stories that demonstrate how housing makes a difference in lives and in communities. Share YOUR story by taping a 3-5 minute video segment that answers the question "How has affordable housing changed an individual, a neighborhood or a community?"
      
HV Seeks NIMBY Examples
    
null As part of its upcoming 2014 Virginia Whole Communities Project, Housing Virginia is collecting media stories that demonstrate examples of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard). While there is increasing awareness of the value of affordable housing, there are many cases where misconceptions and fear block new homes. We are inviting YOU to forward print and media stories of opposition to affordable housing in communities across Virginia. Visit www.housingvirginia.org to upload an article for the Housing Virginia archives.

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Upcoming Study Will Examine LIHTC Energy Efficient Standards
 
Housing Virginia is currently seeking funding for a major study that will examine how the state's LIHTC energy efficient standards impact the residents served by this program.  In partnership with the Virginia Tech Center for Housing Research and EarthCraft Virginia, Housing Virginia will analyze how these standards have affected residents' energy use and utility costs, and how their energy savings impact their household budgets.
Housing Affordability Calculator coming to SOURCEBOOK
 

Have you ever wondered what the maximum rent or home price is that you could afford if you spent 30% of your income for housing? SOURCEBOOK will soon calculate that for you.

A new feature, Housing Affordability Calculator, will provide the maximum monthly rent or mortgage payment amount, in addition to the maximum home price for any household income you provide.

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Research Spotlight: Rural Poverty is On the Rise
 
 
 
A new study from the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) shows poverty in rural areas has grown considerably even though the national poverty rate has remained the same.  Released this week, the report estimates that 46.5 million people had incomes below the poverty line in 2012, a figure also statistically unchanged from 2011. However the article also notes a significant increase of more than 400,000 persons living in rural areas from the 2011 level.
Richmond Regional Housing Alliance Kicks Off Housing Readiness Plan 
 
 
 
Earlier this month, Richmond's Partnership for Housing Affordability (PHA) hosted the first meeting of the Regional Housing Alliance, a newly-created group of housing and data experts that is tasked with creating a Housing Readiness Plan for the Richmond region.  This plan is being created in response to the Capital Region Collaborative's community input report, "Capital Region Collaborative: Building the Framework."
Virginia Housing Credit Conference Attracts 250 Participants 
 
 

On September 4-5, the Virginia Housing Coalition convened the first Virginia Housing Credit Conference at the Westin in Richmond, attracting nearly 250 attendees. There were 40 expert presenters in two plenary sessions and nine concurrent sessions.   
Census: Household Incomes Holding Steady
 
 

Americans' household incomes still haven't caught up to where they were before the recession, but they've stopped losing ground to inflation, the Census Bureau said Tuesday.

Median household incomes after inflation stabilized in 2012, following two annual declines, the bureau reported. Adjusted for inflation, median household income was $51,017 last year, not statistically different from the 2011 median of $51,100.   
HUD Issues New Rule on Fair Housing: Focuses on Concentrated Poverty

HUD has issued a new draft rule that refines the process known as "Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice". In this draft, HUD simplifies the process and provides more explicit directions to grantees on how to conduct this analysis.  The section that has drawn the most attention is the one that focuses on the need to address areas where there are concentrations of poverty and racial segregation.   
In This Issue
Calendar

VHC and VCEH 2013 Housing Policy Forums 

Sept 23, 26, 27

Oct 2, 4  

Multiple Locations in VA 

VHC and VCEH are partnering to hold a series of housing policy meetings throughout the state that will educate and advocate. The sessions are broken into two hour-long segments, the first focusing on federal housing policy and the second on state level legislative issues.

Click here to register.   

 

VAR REal Show 2013

Oct 4th - 5th

VA Beach Convention Center

The Real Show is Virginia's largest real estate education & networking event.

Click here to register 

   

Hampton Roads Housing Consortium 7th Annual Housing Awards 

Oct 10th 

The Hampton Roads Housing Consortium is accepting nominations for the Seventh Annual Housing Awards to be presented on October 10, 2013. This program will be held at the Chesapeake Conference Center, 900 Greenbrier Circle, Chesapeake, VA 23320. 

Click here for the nomination form and more info 

 

Governor's Housing Conference

Nov 20th - 22nd

Norfolk Waterside Marriott

The 2013 Governor's
Housing Conference is
focused on building strong economies through housing and community development. Explore how to prepare for  
tomorrow's opportunities, tackle today's challenges,
and build strong neighborhoods and communities for the next decade. 

 

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