Strong on Housing: good stuff that's been ignored at DU.

Terran

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Tue Jun-23-09 03:02 PM
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Strong on Housing: good stuff that's been ignored at DU.

I know housing and homelessness have never been hot topics at DU, but these news items are important to what I do, and will help tens of thousands of people who most need it. Possibly boring to read about, but isn't a little hard fact better than some of the bullshit that's being thrown around here lately? Like "Where's my new infrastructure, wah!" and "Bush's third term". Bush cut back HUD almost every year he was in office; Obama gets it, he gets housing.

http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr09-095.cfm

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today joined President Obama's commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision by announcing that it will offer rental assistance to 4,000 non-elderly families with disabilities, including 1,000 vouchers specifically targeted to those transitioning out of nursing homes and other care facilities. Through its funding notice, HUD is seeking comment from public housing authorities and others to ensure this critically needed assistance is distributed and administered in the most effective manner possible.

Today's announcement coincides with the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in Olmstead v. L.C. & E.W. which affirmed the rights of individuals with disabilities to live independently. To commemorate this landmark decision, President Obama declared 2009 the Year of Community Living.

-more-

http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/policy/legislature/mckinney_vento

On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed into law a bill to reauthorize HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs. The bill was included as part of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. The McKinney-Vento reauthorization provisions are identical to those included in two bills introduced earlier in 2009, both known as the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. The Senate bill (S. 808) was introduced by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Kit Bond (R-MO), and 11 other Senators. The House bill (H.R. 1877) was introduced by Representatives Gwen Moore (D-WI), Judy Biggert (R-IL), and 5 other House Members.

The HEARTH Act will provide communities with new resources and better tools to prevent and end homelessness. The legislation:

--Increases priority on homeless families with children, by providing new resources for rapid re-housing programs, designating funding to permanently house families, and ensuring that families are included in the chronic homelessness initiative.
--Significantly increases resources to prevent homelessness for people who are at risk of homelessness, doubled up, living in hotels, or in other precarious housing situations through the Emergency Solutions Grant program.
--Continues to provide incentives for developing permanent supportive housing and provides dedicated funding for permanent housing renewals.
--Grants rural communities greater flexibility in utilizing McKinney funds.
--Modestly expands the definition of homelessness to include people who are losing their housing in the next 14 days and who lack resources or support networks to obtain housing, as well as families and youth who are persistently unstable and lack independent housing and will continue to do so.

http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr09-088.cfm

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that more than $58 million is available for a broad range of housing counseling programs to help families find and preserve housing. The funding is an increase of $11 million, or 23 percent, over last year. These grants will be awarded competitively to hundreds of HUD-approved counseling agencies and State Housing Finance Agencies that offer a variety of services including how to purchase or rent a home, how to avoid foreclosure, how to improve credit scores, and how to qualify for a reverse mortgage.

"Now, more than ever, it is crucial that American families make informed decisions about their housing choices," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "These counseling agencies are also vital to the success of the President's Making Home Affordable Plan which is helping families avoid foreclosure and remain in their homes."

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