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7 Issues Facing Rural America

FEATURES

7 Issues Facing Rural America: Leading Rural Housing Forward
by the Housing Assistance Council

Saving USDA Rural Development and Its Programs
by Peter Carey, Self-Help Enterprises, Inc.

Rural Rental Housing Preservation
by Tom Bishop, Homestead Affordable Housing, Inc., and Leslie Strauss, HAC

Energy Efficiency Issues in Rural Affordable Housing
by Meghan Walsh, USDA Rural Development

Housing Options for Rural Seniors
by Gus Seelig, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board

Serving High Needs Areas and Vulnerable Populations
by Marty Miller, Office of Rural Farmworker Housing, Andy Saavedra, Mid South Delta LISC, and Leslie Strauss

Building a New Generation of Rural Housing Professionals and Leaders
by Gisela Salgado and Rob Weiner, California Rural Housing Coalition

Strategic Partnerships for Rural Nonprofits
by David Dangler, NeighborWorks Rural Initiative, and Tom Carew, FAHE

View from Washington

Sequestration Hurts and Disappointing FY14 Budget Doesn't Heal
by The Housing Assistance Council 

Add your Response

Rural Voices would like to hear what you have to say about one, or all, of these issues. Please feel free to comment on this story at the Rural Affordable Housing Group on LinkedIn, or on our Facebook page. 

 

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Taking Stock of Housing in Your Community

View from Washington

Erika Poethig, Acting Assistant Secretary
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Policy Development and Research

FEATURES

Developing a Statistical Portrait of your Community
by Arthur Cresce, The U.S. Census Bureau
Using the Census Bureau's American Community Survey

What is Rural?
by the Housing Assistance Council
A question that matters

Information on What Banks Are Doing in Your Community
by John Taylor, National Community Reinvesment Corporation
Getting the Most from Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Data

Data Resources for Rural Communities
A Visual Guide to Selected Data and Information Sources

Q&A with John Cromartie
Rural Voices sat down with John Cromartie, Senior Geographer at USDA's Economic Research Service, to discuss demographic trends and data for rural areas

The National Housing Preservation Database
by Megan Bolton, National Low-Income Housing Coalition
A long awaited national database of federally-assisted housing can make the case for affordable housing preservation

Share your Story

Rural Voices is curious to hear your stories of how you have used data to further your work in your community.  Do you have a story from your own community to share on this subject?  Please  share your story on Facebook, LinkedIn, or  Twitter and help demonstrate the importance of accurate data for rural communities across the country.

 

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Share your local veteran housing story

America's Rural Heroes

A special thanks to The Home Depot Foundation for their support of this issue of Rural Voices 

Views from Washington

Senator Patty Murray Leahy, (D - WA)

Representative Jeff Miller (R - FL)

FEATURES

More Than Their Share
Military veterans gravitate toward rural and exurban areas
  Data on Military Veterans  
  Data on Gulf Era Veterans

Ending Homelessness Among Veterans
A goal to end veteran homelessness by 2015

Canal Street Housing Serves Veterans in Vermont
How local nonprofits partnered with veterans to develop innovative Canal Street Apartments

Local solutions for Veteran Housing in Rural Areas
An interview with Nathaniel Saltz of the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV)

Purple Heart Homes Provides Service Connected Disabled Veterans with Housing Solutions
Purple Heart Homes provides housing solutions for service connected disabled veterans

Veterans Create Sweat Equity with Habitat for Humanity
Habitat affiliates in rural areas help veterans create a sense of community as homeowners and volunteers

Working with Veterans in Rural Tennessee
Community Action Network helps veterans build homes in their communities

VA Loans in Rural and Small Town America
An overview of VA loan activity in rural and small town areas

Meeting the Housing Needs of Veterans Requires Collaboration
By fostering local partnerships and providing national-level information, NLC is working to build better communities for rural veterans

Share your Story

Rural Voices is not a large enough publication in which to cover all the stories of veteran housing in communities across the country.  Do you have a story from your own community to share on this subject?  Please tell us in the comments below, share your story on Facebook, LinkedIn, or tweet #ruralvets  and help demonstrate the importance of the HOME program to communities across the country.

 

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HOME program weblinks.

Share your HOME Success Story

HOME Works for Rural Communities

Views from Washington

The HOME Investment Partnerships Program: Cornerstone of Affordable Housing Development Efforts
by Senator Partick Leahy, (D - VT)

The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)
by Mercedes Márquez

FEATURES

What is the HOME Program
A detailed overview of the HOME Program.

The New HOME Rules and What They Mean
HUD has plans to make several changes to the HOME Final Rule. What are those changes and how will they impact rural communities?

STORIES FROM YOUR COMMUNITY

This issue of Rural Voices features success stories from organizations that have successfully utilized the HOME program to develop housing, create jobs, and provide decent affordable housing for their communities.

HAC would like to thank the following organizations for sharing their stories:

Brazos Valley Affordable Housing Corporation, City of Hesperia/Hesperia Housing Authority, City of Santa Clarita, Cocopah Indian Housing and Development, Community Action, Inc., Community Development Commission of Mendocino County, Community Housing Partners, Community Support Program, Inc., Crawford-Sebastian CDC, Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation, Economic Security Corporation, Freedom West Community Development Corporation, Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership, New Mexico Housing & Community Development Corporation, Northwest Housing Alternatives, Opportunities for Chenango Inc., PathStone Corporation, PRIDE of Ticonderoga, Inc., Self Help Enterprises, South County Housing Corporation, Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Inc., Tierra Del Sol Housing Corporation, Tri-County Opportunities Council, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and Walker Montgomery Community Development Corporation.

Share your Story

Rural Voices is not a large enough publication in which to cover all the stories of how HOME has positively benefitted communities across the country.  Do you have a great story from your own community to share on this subject?  Please tell us in the comments below, share your story on Facebook, LinkedIn, or tweet #HUDHOMEWorks  and help demonstrate the importance of the HOME program to communities across the country.

 

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Affordable Rural Senior Housing

Views from Washington

Affordable Housing and Services for Seniors

by Nancy Libson and Robyn Stone, LeadingAge 

AARP Foundation Launching Strategy to Address Housing Needs
by John Carpenter, AARP Foundation 

FEATURES

 Rehab - Renew: Housing Rehabilitation for Seniors
The Self-Help Home Improvement Project (SHHIP) has developed several products and strategies to assist their primarily senior clientelle in rural California.

Opportunities to Meet the Needs of Seniors in Rural America
Cathedral Square Corporation (CSC), the largest provider of affordable senior housing in Vermont, shares its methods for development.

USDA Rural Development and HAC Work Together to Improve Housing in Rural Iowa
USDA Rural Development in Iowa details several examples of HAC and USDA RD facilitating local development partnerships and projects.

Section 202: Interview with Carolyn Branton
Carolyn Branton, Director of HAC's Southeast Regional Office, sits down for an interview to discuss the uses of and importance of HUD's Section 202 program.

Senior Housing in Rural Washington
The story of Catholic Charities Housing Services' senior housing development, Rose of Mary Terrace from conception in 2003 to completion in 2008.

Reverse Mortgages After the Recession
Learn more about reverse mortgages as they apply to older Americans. What are the advantages, pitfalls and precautions to be aware of when using these loan products.

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Housing and Water: The Critical Connection

A joint issue of HAC's Rural Voices and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership's (RCAP) Rural Matters

View From Washington

USDA and the Obama Administration: Working to meet the needs of rural homeowners
by USDA Rural Development Undersecretary Dallas Tonsager

FEATURES

Figuring It Out: Bringing Infrastructure to Affordable Housing Development Projects
Infrastructure improvements can rapidly increase the cost of an affordable housing development.  HOPE shares strategies that have worked for them to fund these improvements.

Former Pineapple Plantation Continues to Bear Fruit
A Hawaii nonprofit partners with RCAP to save the affordable housing in Kunia after a pineapple producer leaves the town.

A Housing and Water Project that is ‘A Gift From God’
The community of Hobson Bay, Va. improved its infrastructure and housing stock dramatically with the help of Southeast RCAP.

Persistence and Perseverance: Tackling Infrastructure Challenges in Northwest, North Carolina
Comprehensive infrastructure development plans must take into account political and financial challenges that may impact even the most well thought-out project.

Location, Location, Location: Developing the Morley Meadows Subdivision in Santaquin, Utah
As with all housing development, location is key; however, when infrastructure is taken into account, location can be both an asset and a challenge.

Creating Comfortable Housing for a Growing Population of Seniors
How RCAP Solutions assembled the Townsend Woods project, the first LEED-certified HUD 202 senior development in Massachusetts.

Keeping the Water Flowing in Rural America for 35 Years
For 35 years, Community Resource Group has been working to insure access to clean, safe water for all rural Americans. 

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Lower Mississippi Delta

View From Washington

Housing in the Mississippi Delta
by Congressman Bennie Thompson

FEATURES

Lower Mississippi Delta Nonprofit Capacity Survey Results Summary
A summary of HAC’s survey of Delta nonprofit housing developers, implemented to gain a better understanding of the existing network of organizations and their needs.

Housing Rehabilitation in the Delta
By David Hargrove
Partnering with local high schools, the Purchase Area Housing Corporation is building homes and providing valuable job training for local youth at the same time.

Making Homeownership Attainable: Family Resources of New Orleans
By Paula Pete
Family Resources of New Orleans is working in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill to help families who are still struggling to recover.

From Helpless to Hopeful to Homeowner
By Dazetta L. Thorne
Seventh District Pavilion, Inc., is finding success through its housing counseling program one homeowner at a time.\

When Lightning Strikes Twice: Disaster Recovery in Yazoo County
By Linda Smith
After the county was hit by tornadoes twice in less than eight months, the Esther Stewart Buford Foundation is working to help families prepare for the next storm.

"Building Today’s Communities for Tomorrow" in Louisiana
By Emel J. Alexander and Vernard Sterling, Jr.
Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation relies on partnerships to help the residents of Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes help themselves.

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Rural Housing Programs that Work: USDA Sections 503 & 523

Features

USDA Housing Programs:

Expand Homeownership. By providing affordable mortgages to low- and very low-income households, USDA Sections 502 and 523 increase homeownership rates beyond what the private market will support.

• USDA Housing Programs  have Countless Benefits, by Neal Gibson, NRHA
• USDA Funding Helps Put an End to the Cycle of Poverty In Rural Colorado, by Brittnee Wood, CRHDC
• A Chance at Homeownership, by Tom Sommerville, HRWC
• Building Sustainable Assets through Homeownership, by Dana Cleary, CHISPA

Promote Affordability. The low rates of foreclosure for self-help and other USDA-financed homes show that USDA housing programs provide truly affordable mortgages.

• Bringing Down Housing Costs in Hawaii, by Claudia Shay, SHHCH 
• Innovating to Affordability, by Mark Kvammen, NEICAC

Create Jobs. Section 502 funds support local businesses that sell materials, construction workers, plumbers, electricians, and others who depend on housing development for their livelihood.

• States Recognize the Benefit of USDA Housing Programs, by Jill Lordan, NCALL  
• Supporting Local Businesses in Kentucky, by Wilma Kelley, BHDC
• Getting the Economic Ball Rolling , by Kimberly Miller, UHDC.

Stabilize Families and Communities. Homeownership benefits families through a more stable environment for children and more investment in the surrounding community; particularly if the whole block help build one another’s home.

• With Drive and Determination, by Becky Reynolds, Little Dixie CAA
• Finding a Way Home, by David Ferrier, CHIP
• Building Homes and Communities in America’s Breadbasket, by Tom Collishaw, SHE

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• Pinky Clifford, Oglala Sioux Tribal Partnerships for Housing
• Peter Carey, Self-Help Enterprises
• Rose Garcia, Tierra del Sol Housing Corporation
• John Zippert, The Federation of Southern Cooperatives
• Steve Kirk, Rural Housing, Inc.
• Griffin Lotson, Sams Memorial Community Economic Development, Inc.
• Art Gonzales, Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Corporation
• Polly Nichol, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board

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• Special Feature - 2010 HAC National Rural Housing Conference: Honoring Our Past As We Look to the Future
• Navigating the CHDO Process - Total Action Against Poverty
• Celebrating California’s First Native American-Based Community Housing Development Organization - United Native Housing Development Corporation
• With Tighter Budgets, Vermont CHDOs Focus on Sustainability - Vermont Housing and Conservation Board
• Making Homeownership Dreams a Reality–at an Affordable Price - Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc.
• Capacity Leads to Access - North East Community Action Corporation