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Leland C. Brendsel, chairman and CEO of Freddie Mac, will receive the National Housing Conference’s “Housing Person of the Year” award. The Enterprise Foundation has promoted Peter Werwath to vice president and deputy director of Program Services. Werwath is the author of a number of books and articles on best practices in the housing and community development industries. Jeff Berg has been named acting director of the CDFI Fund, replacing Maurice Jones. Berg, who has been the Fund’s legal counsel since 1998, also serves as the acting deputy director of policy and programs. He will remain in that position until George W. Bush appoints a successor. The Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County, WA (HDC) recently honored housing activist Darcy Johnson and realtor Sam Pace with its 2001 Pedestal Award. The award honors individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to affordable housing, creating housing-related programs or solving housing problems, in King County. |
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| Organizations & Initiatives | The first round of Washington State housing grants have been awarded from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Sound Families initiative. The grants, totaling $1.7 million, have been awarded to five organizations in King and Snohomish Counties: Low Income Housing Institute (see Shelterforce #116), Hearing, Speech & Deafness Center, Auburn Housing for Homeless Families, Vision House and Housing Hope. The funds will be used for projects ranging from creating transitional and permanent family housing to training and service provision. Paul Carlson, Sound Families Program, 206-233-7088. NAHRO Access Alliance, a new $200 million housing fund, will provide expanded information, training, technical assistance and capital to National Housing Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) members – local government housing and community development agencies and officials. The alliance – created by NAHRO, The Enterprise Foundation, The Enterprise Social Investment Corporation, Bank of America, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and the National Equity Fund – seeks to reduce local agencies’ near total reliance on federal programs. Michael Nail, NAHRO, 877-866-2476 x235; Joanne Veto, Enterprise, 202-543-4599 x17. Seedco has earmarked $1.8 million for community development initiatives in Memphis, TN. The money will provide technical assistance over a 3-5 year period to Memphis Housing & Community Development, Memphis Community Development Partnership, LeMoyne-Owen College, Center for Urban Research and Extension at the University of Memphis, and United Way of the Mid-South. Results expected from the initiative include enhanced CDC capacity to produce affordable homeownership, workforce development, 50 new homeowners, two business incubators and six social purpose businesses. 212-473-0255. St. Louis residents recently voted 58 to 42 percent to pass a measure that will generate $6-9 million per year for a new municipal trust fund to be split evenly between affordable housing and indigent health care. Money for the trust fund will be raised through a “use tax” – a tax on purchases of over $2,000 out of state – which primarily affects businesses. St. Louis ACORN helped broker a deal with the mayor-elect, who committed to raising money for what many considered an impossible initiative to pass. Craig Robbins, 314-531-7023. With Ownership, Wealth (WOW), a program designed to increase homeownership among African Americans by one million by 2005 has been launched by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Congressional Black Caucus, with other banks, mortgage companies and community groups. WOW will fund new mortgages – many with special borrowing terms – for buyers found through a series of homeownership fairs and seminars, radio and newspaper ad campaigns and individual credit counseling. The program will start in May in 20 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 800-822-1669. Fifty leading corporate executives, big city mayors, university presidents, and nonprofit executives have announced the formation of CEOs for Cities. The new organization will devote itself to building the economic competitiveness of cities, call upon the Bush administration and Congress to recognize the urban turnaround that is underway in the U.S. and support policies that augment this comeback. Lyn Chamberlin, CEOs for Cities, 617-451-5747; www.ceosforcities.org. HouseChicago, a seven-year, $55 billion investment plan by Fannie Mae, is the largest single housing investment in Chicago’s history. HouseChicago will finance affordable housing for 500,000 families, and includes apartment and multi-family housing development, an anti-predatory lending refinance initiative, housing rehabilitation, mortgage underwriting flexibility to encourage homeownership by immigrants, a Location Efficient Mortgage initiative and a multicultural homeownership initiative. Fannie Mae Consumer Resource Center, 800-732-6643. Wildcat Services Corporation and Binding Together Inc., both of New York City, and Jewish Vocational Service of San Francisco are the recipients of Chase Manhattan Foundation Awards for Excellence in Workforce Development. The awards were given by The Enterprise Foundation on the basis of work helping low-income people obtain and retain quality jobs and move out of poverty. Honorable mentions were presented to Center for Employment Opportunities of New York City and Bay Area Video Coalition of San Francisco. |
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