National Housing Trust Fund Call-In Days

The National Low-Income Housing Coalition is requesting that people call their Senators and Representatives on December 1 and 2 to request that the National Housing Trust Fund be funded with $1 billion. More details at the link.

The National Housing Trust Fund was originally intended to be funded with profits from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but the economy and housing collapse prevented that from happening-at least for now.

You may have heard proposals to use money from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), but apparently the Administration is opposing that source, so it's best, when you call, that you don't indicate where the money should come from, only that it should be funded.

So on December 1 and 2, use your fingers to start pressing the numbers!

877-210-5351 is the toll free number for the congressional switchboard. Ask to be connected to the housing staffer for your representative's and senators' offices.

Congratulations to Gorman & Company, Inc.

Congratulations to Gorman & Company, Inc. for the HUD Secretary's Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation. This development is in Beloit, and Gorman has a strong presence in Milwaukee and elsewhere across the state. But oddly, apparently not in Waukesha County.

This is an example of the kind of attractive historic preservation that can be done with tax credits and subsidized housing funds in communities.

Wisconsin Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

Sorry about the late notice, but I just found out that it's currently Wisconsin Lead Poisoning Prevent Week, Oct 25-31. The Department of Health Services has some helpful information and resources for people concerned about lead in their homes.

For a look at what areas are impacted, there are maps of communities in Wisconsin impacted by lead, including Waukesha and Waukesha County.

If only there was some kind of-I don't know, a trust fund?-to help fund lead removal efforts. Oh, wait, one has been proposed for Waukesha County!

Trust fund or no, if the building was built before 1950, you should get your home/property tested.

Concrete Change Video

An old video from Concrete Change back in the 1990's, but the message is enduring. It's called Building Better Neighborhoods and here's Part 2.

This has been done in many parts of the country-Visitability and Universal Design isn't some radical concept that will cost a fortune to implement, it's a common-sense approach to housing and honestly, why not incorporate it in every home now? What is it about those two or three steps that are so magical?

Why can't builders just do it automatically? Why can't buyers make sure that homes have this?