Habitat for Humanity’s National Women Build Week
M Live Media
May 15, 2013
Photo by: Emily Zoladz of the Grand Rapids Press |
Women volunteers from all across the nation came together May 4- May 12 for “National Women Build Week.” More than 10,000 women were included in Habitat for Humanity’s sixth annual event to help build affordable housing for those in need. Amy Snow-Buckner, the coordinator in Kent County Michigan was proud to welcome 300 female volunteers to help build a home for a needy local family. Habitat for Humanity has project supervisors who direct all project volunteers which in turn creates effective and efficient teams by utilizing individuals’ talents and aptitudes to ensure the houses are constructed properly. Habitat for Humanity implements a crucial service and the volunteers have the rare opportunity to provide a dire service for families desperately in need of a home.
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Freddie Mac’s K Certificates Backed by Senior Housing
Freddie Mac Press Release
May 13, 2013
Freddie Mac recently offered its K Certificates (certificates are "regularly-issued, structured pass-through securities backed by recently-originated multifamily mortgage loans”) to be exclusively backed by senior properties’ multifamily mortgages. The decision to back the certificates for senior housing is unprecedented and approximately $369 million in K Certificates is expected to be distributed via Wells Fargo Securities, Barclays Capital Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, and J. P. Morgan Securities LLC. More…
Report: Veterans Permanent Supportive Housing: Policy and Practice
Center for Housing Policy Publications
May 10, 2013
Veterans returning home are at a high risk for homelessness due to transition difficulties. The need for permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans is found to be the most beneficial; this consists of affordable apartments combined with veteran-specific supportive services. The National Housing Conference (NHC) and the Center for Housing Policy published a report focused veterans housing needs, options, current policies, case studies and recommendations for permanent supportive housing. More…
Researching Homelessness and Homeless Programs
PD&R Online Magazine
May 8, 2013
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has created a thorough strategic plan to end homelessness by 2015. To accomplish this goal research is a necessary component in order to learn where funds will best provide the most beneficial outcomes. The Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) published a two-part series, on their online magazine, to explain their research efforts. PD&R first focused their research on the myriad of types of homelessness, including homeless families, youth aging out of foster care, homeless veterans, and the education of homeless children. PD&R then conducted studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the homeless programs already in place such as rapid-rehousing, public housing agencies (PHAs), and Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH). More…
Report: "An Annual Look at the Housing Affordability Challenges of America's Working Households"
Center for Housing Policy "Housing Landscape 2013"
May 3, 2013
The study, published by Center for Housing Policy, which spanned 2008 through 2011, resulted in the findings that the rising cost of rental housing combined with nationally declining wages has affected the country to the point that one in four working renter households is spending more than 50 percent of their income on housing. One in five home owners also experienced high cost burden, due the national drop in median wages, despite decreases in mortgage rates. More...
States Receive a Second Round of Grants for Homeless Programs
HUD Press Release
May 2, 2013
U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD’s) Continuum of Care Program is now bolstered by an additional $72 million more in grants for homeless programs throughout the nation. These grants are the second tier of funding, earlier this year $1.5 billion was awarded to states to use towards their homeless programs. The funding is part of the administration’s efforts to end homelessness by 2015 by using the strategies outlined in “Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness” and will be used to help provide assessments, street outreach, rapid re-housing, transitional and supportive housing. Florida will receive over $78 million from both rounds of grants for programs across the state. More…