Quick Assortment of News

A quick assortment of housing-related news as we head into the weekend:

• The National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) has released a preliminary estimate of how much each state would receive from a National Housing Trust fund funded at $1 billion. Wisconsin would receive 1.5% of the total funds, or $15.5 million. If you have not already contacted your Senators and your Representative to request that the Trust Fund (which has already passed, but is unfunded) be capitalized with at least $1 billion. It's not too late to contact them. More details here.
• The latest newsletter for Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) is out with an announcement from Executive Director Anthonio Riley that more than $100 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the "stimulus funding," will be used to jump-start 36 developments around the state, creating over 2,000 jobs. The newsletter also has a nice description of the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP). It doesn't, however, answer the most pressing question I have: Why is it HPRP not HPRRP as is logical?
• Speaking of WHEDA, they are being criticized by Senator Grothman (R-West Bend) for spending $1,400 on "floral decorations for holiday reception." The Senator suggests that WHEDA donate the money to the Madison Salvation Army shelter. I wonder, though, why didn't he suggest instead that the money be given to a homeless organization in his district, Hebron House?
• IndependenceFirst's newsletter, Breaking Away is available online with four housing-related items.

Cool Intersection of Design & Autism

Very cool how this software, SketchUp, for architects & design professionals had an unexpected benefit for children with autism.

It all started when Google's Tom Wyman and Chris Cronin started getting enthusiastic calls and e-mails from architects who had children on the spectrum. Their kids, the parents reported, had discovered the software program and loved it. All they needed was their creativity and a computer mouse and they could design entire neighborhoods.

Autism can be a difficult and frustrating disability with people having difficulty communicating through speech and writing, but they can excel at visual thinking.

Using SketchUp, educators can map out unfamiliar environments that kids with autism might visit, like office buildings, city parks or doctors' offices. The unknown can be a major stressor for kids with autism. If the student has a teeth-cleaning appointment, for example, teachers can create a SketchUp model of the space, complete with the dentist's chair, then walk the child through what to expect when he gets there.

More information can be found at Project Spectrum or The Autism Collaborative.

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.