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| HOPE Now Expands HOPE LoanPort™; Reports 150,000 Loan Modifications in January |
The HOPE NOW Alliance announced that it is expanding HOPE LoanPort™, its housing counselor Web portal, to 25 states and over 100 cities to help at-risk homeowners avoid foreclosure. The portal allows HUD-approved counselors to submit completed Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) applications directly to a homeowner’s servicer, track the status and provide borrowers with more timely decisions. Five NeighborWorks organizations are participating in this expansion.
Meanwhile, HOPE Now has reported that it has modified 150,000 loans for the month of January, and the number of non-HAMP solutions out number HAMP modifications two to one. In addition, more than 74 percent of the non-HAMP loan modifications involved reductions of both principal and interest payments, according to HOPE Now. The alliance is betting that the HOPE LoanPort™ expansion will escalate the number of HAMP modifications it completes. |
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| Subsidized, Moderate-Income Homes Defy Foreclosure Trend |
| Nearly all the moderate-income homes in an East New York community have escaped the tide of foreclosure that has swept surrounding neighborhoods. A New York Times article says the difference is that all 3,000 working-class homeowners have solid credit and got homeownership counseling from groups such as our member organization Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City.They purchased their homes through an alliance of city housing agencies and nonprofit organizations that have seen only 1 percent of their clients experience foreclosure over the past 30 years. |
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NeighborWorks America Helps Communities
'Go Green' by Awarding 170 Training and Education Certificates |
| NeighborWorks America recently awarded 170 certificates of completion to nonprofit leaders from around the country.
The certificates were awarded in a range of disciplines including how to improve the energy and environmental footprint of multifamily and single-family housing, and how to engage community residents on behalf of greener living.“This was our largest number of certificates earned since we began a gradual roll-out of green courses in 2005,” commented Paul Kealey, director of training. “These are exciting times for housing developers and community leaders. Energy efficiency and better health through the use of greener products is on everyone’s mind. While the courses directly enhance the knowledge of the participants, the community-wide benefit of their learning touches thousands of people.” |
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| Community Strategies represent the shared experience of NeighborWorks America and its member organizations in various topics of community development and affordable housing. |
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| The
NeighborWorks Training
Institute is dedicated to providing the highest quality training
for community development practitioners. Learn about the latest
classes and symposia on leading-edge topics. |
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| A Family's Journey to Avoid Foreclosure Gets National Attention |
| For over four years, Frank and Judi Viola struggled with a number of personal setbacks that nearly cost them their home of 22 years. Their story has a happy ending due to the help they received from Neighborhood Housing Services of Lackawanna County, a NeighborWorks organization. Listen to their first-hand account of how their children and a community — and ultimately their lender — helped them avoid foreclosure. The interview was broadcasted on The Story, a national news radio program. More background is available here. |
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| Forty-Nine Community Development Leaders Graduate from NeighborWorks’ Achieving Excellence Program |
| NeighborWorks America recently announced the graduation of 49 community development leaders from NeighborWorks America’s prestigious Achieving Excellence in Community Development program offered in association with Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
“As a result of the dedication and hard work of these community development leaders, 49 nonprofit organizations are better equipped to increase the availability of quality affordable housing, stem the tide of foreclosures, and revitalize communities. We look forward to their continued success in business and creating lasting change in our communities,” said Ken Wade, CEO of NeighborWorks America. |
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| NeighborWorks Member Gives Congressional Testimony on Energy Efficiency Standards for Manufactured Homes |
| Stacey Epperson, president of Frontier Housing, one of the NeighborWorks network's largest homebuilders, sat before a Senate Committee on March 11 as part of an effort to replace old manufactured homes across the country with new, energy efficient homes. The construction of these new manufactured homes could create about 50,000 jobs and save as much as $240 million in energy costs for low-income families. Read Epperson's testimony before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Read New York Times article about the latest congressional efforts to implement energy efficiency standards and tax incentive programs for home and commercial buildings. |
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| EPA, HUD Award Community Housing Partners with Energy Star Award |
| The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and HUD have awarded NeighborWorks member Community Housing Partners (CHP) in Christiansburg, Virginia, with the 2010 ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence in Energy-Efficient Affordable Housing. CHP received this award in recognition of its efforts to provide energy-efficient housing for low-income residents.
CHP and other award winners were selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.
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| Beautifying Your Property Can Start a Chain Reaction in Your Neighborhood |
Construction Specialists Dave Murnen and Pat Beaty with NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor County in Aberdeen, Washington, published a great article in their local newspaper about making a difference in our communities. “By getting rid of junk in our yards, washing or painting our houses or even just edging a bad lawn, we can start a wonderful chain reaction in our neighborhoods,” they wrote. “This isn’t wishful thinking on our part. It’s documented over and over again by all 200 plus NeighborWorks organizations across the country that fixing up a single house in a neighborhood stimulates surrounding owners to spruce up as well."
During the NeighborWorks Training Institute in New Orleans, NeighborWorks staff and Training Institute participants volunteered to help clean up properties in New Orleans neighborhoods. View the photos at the NeighborWorks Flickr site. |
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| NeighborWorks America Comments on HUD's Proposed Rule on the SAFE Act |
| NeighborWorks America CEO Ken Wade has sent a letter to HUD's Regulation Division with regard to HUD's proposed rule related to the SAFE Act, which requires the registration and licensing of all individuals involved in loan origination and modification. NeighborWorks America is generally supportive of the proposed rule, as it applies to anyone directly involved in loan origination or loan modification. However, the concern is that the regulation so broadly written that it might also apply to housing counselors employed by HUD-approved nonprofit housing counseling agencies. These agencies have no direct role in actually providing mortgages or influencing mortgage terms/rates. It seeks an exemption from the registration and licensing requirements for HUD-approved housing counseling agencies. The letter also includes several other related recommendations. |
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| Senate Adopts Amendment to Extend Go-Zone Low Income tax Credits in the Gulf |
| The U.S. Senate has adopted an amendment to extend the "Go-Zone" low income tax credit program that’s aimed at encouraging housing development in Gulf Coast states impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.The tax credit program, which provides Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama with $300 million in low-income tax credits on affordable housing projects, was set to expire at the end of the year. The amendment would extend it through December 31, 2012. In a statement congratulating Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, who sponsored the amendment, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said
The GO Zone tax credits have driven redevelopment efforts, created jobs and helped to return much needed affordable housing to the Gulf Coast.
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| The Home Depot Foundation Awards of Excellence in Affordable Housing Built Responsibly, LOI Deadline March 31, 2010 |
| The Home Depot Foundation is accepting applications for its 2010 Awards of Excellence in Affordable Housing Built Responsibly. The awards program identifies, recognizes and showcases the outstanding and innovative work of nonprofit organizations in the area of design and management of affordable housing.
The Home Depot Foundation is currently soliciting letters of inquiry for the competition from nonprofit organizations whose projects meet the requirements of the program. The deadline for the LOI submittal is March 31, 2010. More information about the award and how to apply can be found at www.homedepotfoundation.org. |
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| New Funding for CDFIs Engaged in Housing, Deadline April 15, 2010 |
| The Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund has opened
the inaugural application round of the Capital Magnet Fund, under which $80 million will be made available to certified CDFIs and nonprofit housing organizations. Capital Magnet Fund awards must be used to support affordable housing activities, though awardees may use up to 30 percent of their awards to finance community service facilities and economic development activities. Applicants may apply for up to $12 million (15 percent of the aggregate award pool of $80 million) under this application round. The Capital Magnet Fund application materials are due to the CDFI Fund by 5 p.m. on April 15. View more details on eligibility and application guidelines. |
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| Home Depot Trade Scholarship Program, Deadline April 30, 2010 |
| The Home Depot is offering $1 million in funding for its 2010 Pro Trade Scholarship Program, which supports students attending professional building and construction trade schools. Specifically, $1,000 scholarships will be available to 500 trade school students to help them offset the cost of tuition, books and tools for their chosen trade. Qualifying schools of the scholarship recipients will receive additional funds for classroom tools from The Home Depot Foundation through matching gifts of $1,000 for each scholarship awarded to one or more of their students. Winners will be selected based on a combination of academic performance, leadership and work experience. Scholarship applications will be accepted through April 30, 2010 at www.homedepot.com/tradescholarship. |
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| LeadersforCommunities.org Celebrates First Anniversary |
| LeadersforCommunities.org, the NeighborWorks online community for neighborhood revitalization, celebrated its first anniversary last week. LeadersforCommunities.org recently streamlined its content, improved navigation, updated its style and made its homepage more user-friendly. Every day participants in the online network are sharing stories, reading each others blogs and tips, socializing and networking. If you haven’t joined the community yet, check it out at LeadersforCommunities.org. Congratulations to LeadersforCommunities.org on a successful first year! |
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| Susan Ellis and Patrick Corvington
Invited to Speak at Volunteerism Symposium in Phoenix
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| Susan Ellis will be speaking at the Volunteerism symposium in Phoenix, May 5, and Patrick Corvington has been invited to speak as well. Ellis, president of Energize, Inc., is one of the leading thinkers and writers and a dynamic speaker on the subject of volunteerism. She is the author of “On Volunteers,” a bi-monthly column for The NonProfit Times, and author/co-author of 12 books on volunteerism. Corvington is the newly appointed CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (watch a video from his first day). He is “a recognized expert on nonprofit sector leadership and capacity issues, new and emerging philanthropy, and volunteerism” and is a co-author of publications on leadership. Come hear these and other great speakers at the Volunteerism symposium at the Phoenix Training Institute. Register online today — online registration deadline is April 12. |
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| New E-Learning Course for Construction & Production Management |
| CP185el Fundamentals of Green Affordable Housing Development, Rehab and Management is designed to assist local nonprofits and municipalities to understand the key elements that will provide more energy efficient and healthier homes.
This online course covers the basics of "thinking green" for organizations and programs and "building green" as it impacts the development of affordable housing, and the basics of green practices as a response to the larger sustainability concerns. It also covers the principles of healthy housing and provides a framework for more informed decision making, including a focus on the bottom line, on the part of boards, the executive director and other key decision makers in your organization. Register online today. |
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| The Federal Reserve Board Launches Credit Card Web Site to Help Consumers Understand New Rules |
| The Federal Reserve Board has launched a new interactive Web site to help consumers better understand the new credit card protections that took effect on February 22. These rules ban several harmful practices and require greater transparency in the disclosure of the terms and conditions of credit card accounts. The site, which can be found at www.federalreserve.gov/creditcard, summarizes the main provisions of the rules and explains how they will affect credit card users. |
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New YouTube Videos Available for Consumers Seeking Loan Modifications |
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A set of videos were recently released on YouTube that addresses some of the more pressing concerns that homeowners have about the loan modification process.
Q&A Series on Loan Modification: NeighborWorks Loan Modification Scam Alert campaign recently asked homeowners to submit their questions about loan modification. Five frequently asked questions emerged and answers were captured for homeowners on video. Ask editor@nw.org how you can embed them on your Web site.
Your To-Do List for Getting a Permanent Loan Modification: This video from the Making Home Affordable program tells homeowners how to get a trial loan modification and what they must do to convert the trial into a permanent loan modification.
How You Can Avoid Loan Modification Scams: This video from Making Home Affordable emphasizes for homeowners who are facing foreclosure that help is available and it is free – one of the most important things they need to know to avoid being victims of loan modification scams. Homeowners are provided with several other tips and resources, including NeighborWorks Loan Modification Scam Alert campaign web site, loanscamalert.org.
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| Center for Housing Policy's 'Paycheck to Paycheck' Database on Housing Affordability |
| The Center for Housing Policy's Paycheck to Paycheck online, interactive database provides a snapshot of housing affordability for workers across the country. This regularly updated database includes wages for more than 60 occupations and home prices and rents in more than 200 metropolitan areas. Visitors can either select a metropolitan area and see whether housing is affordable for a selection of workers in the area, or select an occupation and assess housing affordability for workers across several metropolitan areas. |
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