Wisconsin Housing Conferences

Last week I attended two housing conferences in Madison-the Homelessness Conference and the A Home for Everyone Conference and both conferences were a success. Below are some pictures.




Above: Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton welcoming people to the A Home For Everyone Conference.


Above: Department of Commerce's Division of Housing & Community Development Director Marty Evanson speaks to the audience.

Herman Boone, the coach played by Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans, was the closing plenary speaker.

Milwaukee HUD Annual Report

Hello all;

If you're like me, you probably know in general what HUD does, maybe even know what many, or most of their programs do. But you may not realize the scope of their services & programs. Now you can.

WHEDA Dividends Plan Hearing

WHEDA is holding public hearings to give people an opportunity to comment on the 2010 Dividends Plan. The hearings will be held at:

DATE: Monday, July 27
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
LOCATION: WHEDA Suite 700
201 West Washington Avenue
Madison

DATE: Tuesday, July 28
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
LOCATION: Green Bay City Hall
Room 400
100 N. Jefferson
Green Bay

DATE: Tuesday, July 28
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
LOCATION: WHEDA, Suite 200
140 South 1st Street
Milwaukee

Below is a background summary of the Dividends Plan. At this time, they do not yet know the size of the unrestricted reserve fund, but anticipate it being smaller than previous years. Please take advantage of this opportunity to provide feedback to WHEDA on what the priorities should be.

WHEDA ANNUAL DIVIDENDS PLAN

WHEDA was established by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1972 to help meet the housing needs of Wisconsin's low and moderate income citizens. In the early 1980s, WHEDA's statutes were expanded to include financing for farmers and economic development projects.

WHEDA finances most of its programs through the sale of federally tax-exempt bonds. Working through participating lenders and sponsors, WHEDA provides low-cost financing, federal tax credits and loan guarantees for housing and business development. WHEDA also uses a portion of its earnings to make grants to support special needs housing for persons-in-crisis.

WHEDA receives no state tax dollars for its bond-supported programs. Its income is derived from interest on loans and investments, and from loan origination and service fees.

Annually, as required by statutes, WHEDA develops a plan for the use of its unrestricted reserve funds.

This Dividends Plan is developed based on three priorities. The first priority is bonded program support. WHEDA’s most important tool to successfully fulfill its affordable housing mission is low cost financing provided by federally tax exempt mortgage revenue bonds. WHEDA satisfies rating agency requirements by making contributions to new bond issues. The bonds that we issue make the financing available to home buyers and multifamily housing developments
more affordable.

The second priority is special initiatives. The WHEDA Foundation Grant Program provides needed assistance to Wisconsin housing organizations for the creation and/or improvement of special needs housing. WHEDA also provides loans to elderly homeowners through the Property Tax Deferral Loan Program.

The third priority is new initiatives. WHEDA is exploring new and innovative initiatives that may be developed using unencumbered general reserve funds, as dictated by the size of the plan each year. Past programs have included the Easy Close closing cost assistance program, manufactured housing design for persons with disabilities, business development interest rate subsidies for women and minorities, and others.

Brookfield's Comprehensive/Master Plan-Participation Opportunity

The City of Brookfield is working on their Comprehensive/Master Plan for the city's future, projecting the community's needs until 2035.

Below, I am pasting an e-mail sent out by one of the consultants. If you live in Brookfield, I urge you to take advantage of the opportunity to provide feedback. In particular, look to the housing elements-such as affordability.
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Greetings:

The City is updating its comprehensive/master plan to guide the future growth of Brookfield. Based on an inspiring vision for the year 2035 prepared last year, the City has turned its attention towards preparing and prioritizing detailed implementation strategies for carrying out its 2035 Vision Preliminary strategies for Brookfield's future focus, for example, on what actions might be taken to advance sustainability, preserve neighborhoods, invite a new generation of families, and capitalize on new economic opportunities.

City officials and consultants need your input on these and other potential strategies to realize the 2035 Vision. To review preliminary strategies and provide input:

• Drop-in on July 18th anytime from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Brookfield Farmer's Market at City Hall
• Stop by on August 5th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p. m. at the Public Safety Building Fire Department Bays, as part of Brookfield's National Night Out
• Visit most any time between July 18th and August 5th at Brookfield Square Mall (in center court), the Brookfield Public Library, and on the City's website at www.ci.brookfield.wi.us

For additional information about the Comprehensive Plan and how you can participate, please contact the Community Development Department at (262) 796-6695 or development@ci.brookfield.wi.us. Information about the Comprehensive Plan is also available online at www.ci.brookfield.wi.us. Look for the 2035 Comprehensive Plan link on the homepage.

Thank you for your interest in Brookfield's future!

Jessica Schmiedicke, AICP

Associate Planner

Growth Management Team

Vandewalle & Associates Inc.

Shaping places, shaping change

Madison Milwaukee

608.255.3988

www.vandewalle.com

Cost & Benefits of Lead Control

A recent study published in the Environmental Health Perspectives shows the costs and benefits of lead control, typically done through lead paint hazard control. The effects of lead paint on young children can be severe, leading to problems with health and behavior which, unfortunately, can lead to problems with crime. You can find the sad history of lead paint here.

In the study, it calculates that the conservative estimate of benefit from lead reduction would be approximately $192.38 billion with the total cost being $11.02 billion with the net benefit being $181.37 billion. That's a ratio of 1-17; every $1 spent brings $17 in benefits eventually through reduced costs. The optimistic estimate has a net benefit of $269.23 billion with a ratio of 1-221!!! Now, I'm no financial wizard, but even I can tell that a return of 221 is a good investment! This seems like a no-brainer-spend money on lead paint control now, save money on health, educational & crime later.

Unfortunately, the way our system is set up, we don't see school systems, health care providers and potential future crime victims paying for lead paint removal. Instead, much of the lead control is done through underfunded government programs.

A new way for communities to increase dollars toward lead control is to use the recent inclusion of the Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) extension authority in the state budget. This now allows communities to use an additional year of TIF toward housing (including lead control).

Waukesha Habitat for Humanity Store Closure

I just discovered today that the HomeStore run by the Waukesha Habitat for Humanity has closed. Furthmore, they no longer have a paid Executive Director, and are searching for a volunteer Director.

It's unfortunate they couldn't keep the store open, and I wish them the best of luck in finding a volunteer director that can lead the organization in their future building projects. If you are interested, or know of someone who would be, call the Waukesha Habitat at (262) 309-6025.