The term “worst case needs” is defined as very low-income renters with incomes below 50 percent of the Area Median Income who do not receive government housing assistance and who either paid more than one-half of their income for rent or lived in severely inadequate conditions, or who faced both of these challenges.
Monday, February 7, 2011
HUD Reports to Congress on Worst Housing Needs
HUD is required to provide a report to the Congress every two years on the "Worst Case Housing Needs" with the recently released report being the 13th, covering 2007-2009 (I discussed the previous report here.)
Friday, February 4, 2011
Feinstein Challenge.
The Feinstein Foundation issues a challenge annually to Hope House of Milwaukee*. The shelves at Hope House's food pantry are pretty bare, & the Foundation will match all food donations March 1-April 30.
That's a chance to get double the bang for your donations! They're going for 15,000 pounds of food.
You know what to do. Start planning your workplace, church, community group, etc. donations. Call Hope House at (414) 645 – 2122 for details.
* I'm on the Board of Directors.
That's a chance to get double the bang for your donations! They're going for 15,000 pounds of food.
You know what to do. Start planning your workplace, church, community group, etc. donations. Call Hope House at (414) 645 – 2122 for details.
* I'm on the Board of Directors.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Concepts in Housing: Federal Home Loan Banks
Second in a series of posts exploring programs and services in housing that some may be unfamiliar with. The Federal Home Loan Bank is a player in the community that often is not very visible, but also is very essential.
The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) is, essentially, a bank's bank. Banks who purchase stocks in the system are members and have access to low-cost funding for home mortgages and community lenders. There are twelve in the United States, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBC) serves Illinois and Wisconsin.
FHLBC, and all of the other Home Loan Banks, have community investment programs to serve the communities that their members are in, focusing on affordable housing and economic development through grants, subsidized loans, financing assistance, downpayment assistance for homebuyers, etc. This can be a source of funding for many developers, organizations, and homebuyers.
The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) is, essentially, a bank's bank. Banks who purchase stocks in the system are members and have access to low-cost funding for home mortgages and community lenders. There are twelve in the United States, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBC) serves Illinois and Wisconsin.
FHLBC, and all of the other Home Loan Banks, have community investment programs to serve the communities that their members are in, focusing on affordable housing and economic development through grants, subsidized loans, financing assistance, downpayment assistance for homebuyers, etc. This can be a source of funding for many developers, organizations, and homebuyers.
Real Concerns & NIMBYism
The Freeman reports on the Saturday meeting regarding Hebron House's overflow shelter that was opened recently.
I think those kind of neighborhood meetings are very helpful if neighbors have specific concerns, such as "people are walking along the easement behind the properties" that Hebron House can deal with. That's the kind of concerns that organizations appreciate hearing-it could mean there's a problem they need to do a better job of fixing, or perhaps it's something they didn't know about.
But then there's neighbors that apparently are opposed to the existence of the overflow shelter, want it gone no matter what. Those kind of neighbors are not helpful at all. They're doing what is called Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY), and very often people engaging in NIMBY behavior do not have any real solutions other than "I don't want to see it at all." Wishing a place out of existence doesn't mean the underlying problem is gone. I very much doubt those neighbors can offer a solution on what to do with the 26 men who are staying there.
Hebron House and other service providers for the homeless searched for months, if not years, for a permanent place for the overflow shelter. Elected officials and the media were aware of this search. The fact that they settled on the school means that there were not many other options (actually, none). Closing the shelter would mean that the men in the overflow shelter has nowhere else to go for a safe place to stay. Long-term solutions would include more services on mental health issues, more funding for homelessness prevention, more funding for job programs, and a whole host of long-term programs and services.
Unless they're willing to support that kind of social net, there will always be people on the streets and a need for shelters. If not this overflow shelter, the NIMBY people would be protesting churches trying to shelter homeless people on cold nights (which actually was being proposed by some churches), or protesting low-income housing that could provide affordable housing (which has happened many times), etc.
If you don't want an overflow shelter in your neighborhood, then be involved in your community's solutions so that one is not needed..
I think those kind of neighborhood meetings are very helpful if neighbors have specific concerns, such as "people are walking along the easement behind the properties" that Hebron House can deal with. That's the kind of concerns that organizations appreciate hearing-it could mean there's a problem they need to do a better job of fixing, or perhaps it's something they didn't know about.
But then there's neighbors that apparently are opposed to the existence of the overflow shelter, want it gone no matter what. Those kind of neighbors are not helpful at all. They're doing what is called Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY), and very often people engaging in NIMBY behavior do not have any real solutions other than "I don't want to see it at all." Wishing a place out of existence doesn't mean the underlying problem is gone. I very much doubt those neighbors can offer a solution on what to do with the 26 men who are staying there.
Hebron House and other service providers for the homeless searched for months, if not years, for a permanent place for the overflow shelter. Elected officials and the media were aware of this search. The fact that they settled on the school means that there were not many other options (actually, none). Closing the shelter would mean that the men in the overflow shelter has nowhere else to go for a safe place to stay. Long-term solutions would include more services on mental health issues, more funding for homelessness prevention, more funding for job programs, and a whole host of long-term programs and services.
Unless they're willing to support that kind of social net, there will always be people on the streets and a need for shelters. If not this overflow shelter, the NIMBY people would be protesting churches trying to shelter homeless people on cold nights (which actually was being proposed by some churches), or protesting low-income housing that could provide affordable housing (which has happened many times), etc.
If you don't want an overflow shelter in your neighborhood, then be involved in your community's solutions so that one is not needed..
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