Housing Policy Briefs
September 21, 2010

A twice monthly update of information on affordable housing and solutions in Connecticut published by the Partnership for Strong Communities.

Partnership News
- Homelessness, Supportive Housing To Be Topics of Lyceum Forum
- HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan Visits Stamford
- Partnership Seeks Young Professionals' Attitudes on Housing

Federal Updates
- Trust Fund in New Version of Tax Extender Bill
- HUD Releases NOFA for Homelessness Assistance Grants
- HUD Announces Funding for Foreclosures, Choice Neighborhoods

News You Can Use
- New Data: Housing Affordability Gap Widens
- Warren Group: CT Median Home Prices Rise in July
- CBPP: Rental Housing Getting Less Affordable
- Foreclosures Drop in Connecticut
- Connecticut Housing Coalition Seeks Replacement for Freiser
- FHLBB Taking Applications for Affordable Housing
- Investment, Jobs Increase in CT Main Street Communities
- Enterprise Community Partners to Host Online Event
- Boston Fed to Explore Labor Supply


Partnership News

Homelessness, Supportive Housing To Be Topics of Lyceum Forum
The Keep the Promise Campaign will host a candidate forum at the Lyceum in Hartford Thursday, Sept. 23. It is one of a series of forums around the state and the public is invited to ask legislative candidates where they stand on key issues involving mental illness, healthcare services, homelessness and housing. Read more...

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan Visits Stamford
On Friday, September 17, Partnership Executive Director Diane Randall, along with other affordable housing leaders, attended a roundtable discussion with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan hosted by Representative Jim Himes (CT-4) in Stamford. Read more...

Partnership Seeks Young Professionals' Attitudes on Housing
The Partnership for Strong Communities is distributing a survey that asks Connecticut's younger professionals how they choose where to live. The insight gained from the 15-question survey will enable the Partnership to better incorporate the views of the state's young professionals when creating housing policy solutions. Read more...

Federal Updates

Trust Fund in New Version of Tax Extender Bill
U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, has released a new version of the tax extender bill that would provide $1 billion in capital funds for the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) and $65 million for project-based vouchers to be used in connection with NHTF capital grants. Read more...

HUD Releases NOFA for Homelessness Assistance Grants
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released the 2010 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) establishing funding criteria for Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Grant Programs. Read more...

HUD Announces Funding for Foreclosures, Choice Neighborhoods
HUD said last week it has allocated $1 billion to the 20 percent of communities in each state that have been hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. As part of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), these funds can be used by local governments to buy, demolish or rehabilitate abandoned properties, facilitating a new opportunity to develop additional affordable or permanent supportive housing. Read more...

News You Can Use

New Data: Housing Affordability Gap Widens
The gap between Connecticut's median housing price and the growth of personal income has continued to widen, according to new federal and Warren Group data through the second quarter of 2010. Read more...

Warren Group: CT Median Home Prices Rise in July
Data released by the Warren Group in September 2010 shows that median home prices were down in July in every county but Fairfield, where they increased 22% compared to data from July 2009. Year-to-date median prices are up or equal in Fairfield and Hartford counties, and down in the other six counties.  Windham and Litchfield Counties July median sales prices both dropped 15% from their median prices in July 2009. Read more...

CBPP: Rental Housing Getting Less Affordable
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has reported that housing has become increasingly unaffordable for low-income renters since the start of the recession, according to fresh data from several sources. Read more...

Foreclosures Drop in Connecticut
Foreclosure filings in Connecticut plummeted 22% from July to August, while the state's ranking on the national list dropped nine spots to number 32, according to a new report. Read more...

Connecticut Housing Coalition Seeks Replacement for Freiser
The Connecticut Housing Coalition, the state's leading membership organization for affordable housing, is seeking an executive director to replace Jeffrey Freiser, who announced his retirement this summer. Freiser will step down in December. Read more...

FHLBB Taking Applications for Affordable Housing
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston's (FHLBB) 2010 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) funding round opened Sept. 7. Over $5.8 million of AHP subsidy funds will be available for qualifying applications. Read more...

Investment, Jobs Increase in CT Main Street Communities
Investment in Connecticut Main Street communities has increased by 17% in the period from June 30, 2009 to June 30, 2010, the organization reports. Since the start of the recession in 2007, the number of net new jobs in Main Street districts has increased by 18%. Read more...

Enterprise Community Partners to Host Online Event
Enterprise's Green Communities will offer a webinar introduction and overview of the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5. It will include examples of green building methods and materials referenced in the criteria. Read more...

Boston Fed to Explore Labor Supply
The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston will explore solutions to shortages in the labor pool at "Mismatch in the Labor Market? Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Skilled Labor in New England" Tuesday, Nov. 30, from 8:30 a.m. - noon in the bank's New England Room, 600 Atlantic Avenue in Boston. Read more...