Each week, NCHC Staff cover the state working on a variety of issues. Here's what we've been up to.
Regina travelled to Concord to support the Time to Build workshop for Housing Counselors held by Prosperity Unlimited. She then headed down to the Davidson Housing Coalition’s Open House. This week, she is attending the National Alliance of HUD Tenants conference in Washington DC with two tenants from eastern NC.
Anne and I travelled to Lexington to attend the opening of the new Homeownership Center. The Center is led by the Lexington CDC, but includes multiple partners so it can serve as a “one stop shop” for resources. It serves everyone with housing needs in Davidson County. From there, we headed to Greensboro to the opening of Churchview Farm, an affordable seniors development built by George Carr and Beacon Management. Congratulations to both groups for making a real difference in those communities. With all of the inevitable NIMBY opposition, it was great to see such good local support at these events.
Last week, Carley and I also spent the day in Charlotte meeting with members of the Mixed Income Housing Coalition about how to add our input to proposed revisions to the city’s locational policy. These guidelines have a big impact on where affordable housing can be built in Charlotte. However, the current policy only affects where assisted multi-family developments can be located. It does not impact the location of Section 8 rentals and fails to consider broader community development strategies for vulnerable communities where tax credit multifamily development can be an effective form of community investment. We are glad that Charlotte has seen that change is needed in the policy and will encourage city leadership to look at the issue more holistically. Please let us know if your community is reviewing its locational policies and if we can help you provide feedback to improve them.
Next week, several staff will be at the opening of Maplewood Apartments in Durham. This is a collaborative effort between Self Help, Durham Community Land Trust, and DHIC of Raleigh. The next day, I will be speaking at the CDC Association’s Sustainability Conference in Charlotte, and the day after I will be at the the Housing Summit in Durham led by the Durham Affordable Housing Coalition. See the Announcements section for more information this opportunities.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
ACTION ALERT: Ask your member of the NC House to vote YES on the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act!
Now, more than ever, your help is needed to protect homeowners and homebuyers from predatory real estate practices!
Contact your member of the NC House of Representatives TODAY and urge them to vote YES for SB 1015, the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act!
The Issue:
Next week the NC House will vote on SB 1015, the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act, sponsored by Senator Josh Stein. We are in a race to the finishline to pass this important bill before the legislative session ends!
Contact your member of the NC House of Representatives TODAY and urge them to vote YES for SB 1015, the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act!
The Issue:
Next week the NC House will vote on SB 1015, the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act, sponsored by Senator Josh Stein. We are in a race to the finishline to pass this important bill before the legislative session ends!
SB 1015 will prohibit foreclosure rescue scams and add reasonable consumer protections to certain real estate transactions: lease-option or "rent to own" deals and contracts for deeds. These scams and real estate practices have been used in deceitful ways to exploit families who are desperately looking for ways to save their home from foreclosure and North Carolinians looking for an alternative path to homeownership.
Please act today!
Contact your member of the House and urge them to VOTE YES on SB1015.
To look up contact information for your House member, click here.
Please also contact:* Rep. Joe Hackney, Speaker of the House, Joe.Hackney@ncleg.net, 919-733-3451 (Chatham, Moore, Orange)
The Ask:
Please vote YES on SB 1015, the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act. This bill will help NC homeowners facing unprecedented job loss and risk of foreclosure by prohibiting foreclosure rescue scams. It will also protect unsuspecting homebuyers from a range of predatory real estate practices that stand in the way of sustainable homeownership.
Contact your member of the House and urge them to VOTE YES on SB1015.
To look up contact information for your House member, click here.
Please also contact:* Rep. Joe Hackney, Speaker of the House, Joe.Hackney@ncleg.net, 919-733-3451 (Chatham, Moore, Orange)
The Ask:
Please vote YES on SB 1015, the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act. This bill will help NC homeowners facing unprecedented job loss and risk of foreclosure by prohibiting foreclosure rescue scams. It will also protect unsuspecting homebuyers from a range of predatory real estate practices that stand in the way of sustainable homeownership.
Thank you for your assistance and support. If you have any questions, please contact me at cruff@nchousing.org or 919-827-4496 .
In appreciation,
Carley Ruff
Policy and Outreach Coordinator
North Carolina Housing Coalition
Educating and Advocating for Change
http://www.nchousing.org/
Policy and Outreach Coordinator
North Carolina Housing Coalition
Educating and Advocating for Change
http://www.nchousing.org/
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Foreclosures by Race and Ethnicity: The Demographics of a Crisis
The ongoing foreclosure crisis has been a disaster for many American communities – especially communities of color. According to the June 18, report by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), approximately 17% of Latino homeowners and 11% of African-American homeowners have lost their homes due to foreclosure or who are at “imminent risk” of foreclosure. According to the report, imminent risk is defined as two or more payments behind or in foreclosure process.
There is no single set of numbers that depict the story. CRL used several datasets to calculate the impact of foreclosures on people of color. Regardless of which database, compilation, or tabulation system used by CRL, the numbers add up the same and the results are disturbing. Of importance, is that these disparities hold across all income lines.
Among the report's findings:
• An estimated 2.5 million foreclosures were completed from 2007-2009 and an estimated 5.7 are imminent. (Independent estimates have suggested that up to 13 million homes will be lost through 2014.)
• Among completed foreclosures, most on mortgages made between 2005 and 2008, CRL estimates that 56 percent involved a white family. But, black and Hispanic families have received a disproportionate share, even when accounting for income: Nearly 8 percent of both groups have already lost a home, compared with 4.5 percent of white borrowers.
• The great majority of homes lost were owner occupied, as are those at imminent risk of being lost.
“As Congress finishes financial reform legislation, the rules on home lending need to get stronger, not weaker,” said Mike Calhoun, CRL president. “We need to make sure a foreclosure crisis of this type never happens again, and, though so many homes have been lost, it's not too late to prevent more damage."
To reverse the foreclosure trend, the CRL recommends policymakers strengthen efforts to prevent needless foreclosures. While the CRL praises the government’s volunteer Home Affordable Modification Program, it feels it doesn't go far enough in holding lenders' feet to the fire. CRL suggests a multipronged approach to mortgage modification that includes requiring all servicers to engage in loss mitigation and providing authority to bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages on principal residences.
To read the full report, go to….
http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/research-analysis/foreclosures-by-race-and-ethnicity.html
There is no single set of numbers that depict the story. CRL used several datasets to calculate the impact of foreclosures on people of color. Regardless of which database, compilation, or tabulation system used by CRL, the numbers add up the same and the results are disturbing. Of importance, is that these disparities hold across all income lines.
Among the report's findings:
• An estimated 2.5 million foreclosures were completed from 2007-2009 and an estimated 5.7 are imminent. (Independent estimates have suggested that up to 13 million homes will be lost through 2014.)
• Among completed foreclosures, most on mortgages made between 2005 and 2008, CRL estimates that 56 percent involved a white family. But, black and Hispanic families have received a disproportionate share, even when accounting for income: Nearly 8 percent of both groups have already lost a home, compared with 4.5 percent of white borrowers.
• The great majority of homes lost were owner occupied, as are those at imminent risk of being lost.
“As Congress finishes financial reform legislation, the rules on home lending need to get stronger, not weaker,” said Mike Calhoun, CRL president. “We need to make sure a foreclosure crisis of this type never happens again, and, though so many homes have been lost, it's not too late to prevent more damage."
To reverse the foreclosure trend, the CRL recommends policymakers strengthen efforts to prevent needless foreclosures. While the CRL praises the government’s volunteer Home Affordable Modification Program, it feels it doesn't go far enough in holding lenders' feet to the fire. CRL suggests a multipronged approach to mortgage modification that includes requiring all servicers to engage in loss mitigation and providing authority to bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages on principal residences.
To read the full report, go to….
http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/research-analysis/foreclosures-by-race-and-ethnicity.html
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION INTRODUCES MONTHLY HOUSING SCORECARD
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION INTRODUCES MONTHLY HOUSING SCORECARD
IMPACT OF ADMINISTRATION EFFORTS SEEN IN SIGNS OF HOUSE PRICE STABILIZATION AND INCREASED AFFORDABILITY
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today introduced a monthly scorecard on the nation's housing market. Each month, the scorecard will incorporate key housing market indicators and highlight the impact of the Administration's unprecedented housing recovery efforts, including assistance to homeowners through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). This scorecard contains key data on the health of the housing market including:
•After 30 straight months of decline and an expectation of continued nearly 14 percent decline, home prices leveled off in the past year and expectations have adjusted upward
•Mortgages are more affordable: due to historically low interest rates, more than 6 million homeowners have refinanced, saving an estimated $150 per month on average and more than $11 billion in total. And more than 2.5 million families have purchased a home using the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit.
•Servicers report that the number of homeowners receiving restructured mortgages since April 2009 has increased to 2.8 million. Additionally, nearly half of homeowners unable to enter a HAMP permanent modification enter an alternative modification with their servicer, and fewer than 10 percent of cancelled trials move to foreclosure sale.
•However, the foreclosure prevention initiatives are not intended to help all borrowers and the market will continue to adjust for some time. The supply of homes on and off market remains near all-time highs. It will take time to work though this large inventory.
"We already know that due to the Obama Administration's efforts, the housing market is significantly better than anyone predicted a year ago," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "This scorecard will allow the American people to monitor the Administration's efforts to strengthen the housing market on a monthly basis and hold the government and industry accountable. Demonstrating the progress in the housing market due to the Administration's policies, this month's report provides a broad set of indicators showing encouraging signs of recovery."
"The Administration's housing policies, combined with actions of the Fed, have lowered mortgage interest rates, helped stabilize home prices and reduced the rate of foreclosures, repairing some of the damage caused by the financial crisis to the financial security of millions and millions of American families," said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. " And the Administration's loan modification programs have given more than a million responsible homeowners a chance to stay in their homes. We are going to keep working to help the Americans hardest hit by this crisis, and as we do we will make sure we are careful stewards of the scarce resources of the American taxpayer."
The Administration's goal is to promote stability for both the housing market and homeowners. To meet these objectives, the Administration developed a broad based approach including state and local housing agency initiatives, tax credits for homebuyers, neighborhood stabilization and community development programs, mortgage modifications and refinancings, and support for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These efforts build on Federal Reserve and Treasury mortgage backed securities purchase programs that have helped to keep mortgage interest rates to record lows over the past year.
These initiatives have resulted in measurable progress, particularly in affordability of mortgage credit across the market. Low interest rates have helped more than 6 million families refinance, resulting in more stable home prices and $11 billion in total borrower savings. More than 2.5 million Americans purchased a home using the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, helping to further stabilize home prices.
At the same time, FHA has helped maintain affordability by playing an important backstop role, stepping in to support home purchase and refinance activity at a time when private capital was fleeing the mortgage market. In addition, the FHA helped nearly 400,000 homeowners stay in their homes since April 2009 through FHA loss mitigation efforts, which include modification options. While providing access to affordable mortgage capital and helping homeowners prevent foreclosures, the FHA has also taken unprecedented administrative and regulatory steps to improve risk management and has pursued essential reforms to strengthen its finances.
Servicers report that the number of homeowners receiving restructured mortgages since April 2009 has increased to 2.8 million. This includes more than 1.2 million homeowners who have started HAMP trial modifications and nearly 400,000 who have benefitted from FHA loss mitigation activities. Of those in the HAMP program, 346,000 have entered a permanent modification saving a median of more than $500 per month.
The housing scorecard now incorporates the monthly Making Home Affordable Program Servicer Performance Report, including HAMP modification data that once again shows a month-over-month increase in permanent modifications, with average growth of roughly 50,000 permanent modifications per month over the last four months. Servicer data indicates close to half of the homeowners in HAMP trial modifications who were ultimately ineligible for a HAMP permanent modification were offered an alternative modification and less than 10 percent move to foreclosure sale In addition to the modifications through HAMP, servicers have adopted the HAMP guidelines as an industry standard and are now initiating their own modification agreements incorporating many of the HAMP affordability principles. . Homeowners who cannot afford a modified payment under HAMP may also be eligible for the Administration's Foreclosure Alternatives Program, to help relocate to more affordable housing that is sustainable over the long term.
The housing scorecard details new reporting on both the scope of Treasury's compliance activities and the areas of focus for compliance reviews under HAMP. Compliance activities include on-site reviews, file reviews and reviews of net present value (NPV) model applications. Also included are the first-ever results of compliance-related "second look" reviews of select servicers to ensure that potentially eligible borrowers were solicited and properly evaluated for HAMP. Treasury's compliance activities will lead to improvements in servicer performance and process improvements designed to minimize the likelihood that borrower applications are overlooked or that applicants are inadvertently denied a modification.
Complete Housing Scorecard available at: www.hud.gov/scorecard
IMPACT OF ADMINISTRATION EFFORTS SEEN IN SIGNS OF HOUSE PRICE STABILIZATION AND INCREASED AFFORDABILITY
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today introduced a monthly scorecard on the nation's housing market. Each month, the scorecard will incorporate key housing market indicators and highlight the impact of the Administration's unprecedented housing recovery efforts, including assistance to homeowners through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). This scorecard contains key data on the health of the housing market including:
•After 30 straight months of decline and an expectation of continued nearly 14 percent decline, home prices leveled off in the past year and expectations have adjusted upward
•Mortgages are more affordable: due to historically low interest rates, more than 6 million homeowners have refinanced, saving an estimated $150 per month on average and more than $11 billion in total. And more than 2.5 million families have purchased a home using the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit.
•Servicers report that the number of homeowners receiving restructured mortgages since April 2009 has increased to 2.8 million. Additionally, nearly half of homeowners unable to enter a HAMP permanent modification enter an alternative modification with their servicer, and fewer than 10 percent of cancelled trials move to foreclosure sale.
•However, the foreclosure prevention initiatives are not intended to help all borrowers and the market will continue to adjust for some time. The supply of homes on and off market remains near all-time highs. It will take time to work though this large inventory.
"We already know that due to the Obama Administration's efforts, the housing market is significantly better than anyone predicted a year ago," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "This scorecard will allow the American people to monitor the Administration's efforts to strengthen the housing market on a monthly basis and hold the government and industry accountable. Demonstrating the progress in the housing market due to the Administration's policies, this month's report provides a broad set of indicators showing encouraging signs of recovery."
"The Administration's housing policies, combined with actions of the Fed, have lowered mortgage interest rates, helped stabilize home prices and reduced the rate of foreclosures, repairing some of the damage caused by the financial crisis to the financial security of millions and millions of American families," said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. " And the Administration's loan modification programs have given more than a million responsible homeowners a chance to stay in their homes. We are going to keep working to help the Americans hardest hit by this crisis, and as we do we will make sure we are careful stewards of the scarce resources of the American taxpayer."
The Administration's goal is to promote stability for both the housing market and homeowners. To meet these objectives, the Administration developed a broad based approach including state and local housing agency initiatives, tax credits for homebuyers, neighborhood stabilization and community development programs, mortgage modifications and refinancings, and support for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These efforts build on Federal Reserve and Treasury mortgage backed securities purchase programs that have helped to keep mortgage interest rates to record lows over the past year.
These initiatives have resulted in measurable progress, particularly in affordability of mortgage credit across the market. Low interest rates have helped more than 6 million families refinance, resulting in more stable home prices and $11 billion in total borrower savings. More than 2.5 million Americans purchased a home using the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, helping to further stabilize home prices.
At the same time, FHA has helped maintain affordability by playing an important backstop role, stepping in to support home purchase and refinance activity at a time when private capital was fleeing the mortgage market. In addition, the FHA helped nearly 400,000 homeowners stay in their homes since April 2009 through FHA loss mitigation efforts, which include modification options. While providing access to affordable mortgage capital and helping homeowners prevent foreclosures, the FHA has also taken unprecedented administrative and regulatory steps to improve risk management and has pursued essential reforms to strengthen its finances.
Servicers report that the number of homeowners receiving restructured mortgages since April 2009 has increased to 2.8 million. This includes more than 1.2 million homeowners who have started HAMP trial modifications and nearly 400,000 who have benefitted from FHA loss mitigation activities. Of those in the HAMP program, 346,000 have entered a permanent modification saving a median of more than $500 per month.
The housing scorecard now incorporates the monthly Making Home Affordable Program Servicer Performance Report, including HAMP modification data that once again shows a month-over-month increase in permanent modifications, with average growth of roughly 50,000 permanent modifications per month over the last four months. Servicer data indicates close to half of the homeowners in HAMP trial modifications who were ultimately ineligible for a HAMP permanent modification were offered an alternative modification and less than 10 percent move to foreclosure sale In addition to the modifications through HAMP, servicers have adopted the HAMP guidelines as an industry standard and are now initiating their own modification agreements incorporating many of the HAMP affordability principles. . Homeowners who cannot afford a modified payment under HAMP may also be eligible for the Administration's Foreclosure Alternatives Program, to help relocate to more affordable housing that is sustainable over the long term.
The housing scorecard details new reporting on both the scope of Treasury's compliance activities and the areas of focus for compliance reviews under HAMP. Compliance activities include on-site reviews, file reviews and reviews of net present value (NPV) model applications. Also included are the first-ever results of compliance-related "second look" reviews of select servicers to ensure that potentially eligible borrowers were solicited and properly evaluated for HAMP. Treasury's compliance activities will lead to improvements in servicer performance and process improvements designed to minimize the likelihood that borrower applications are overlooked or that applicants are inadvertently denied a modification.
Complete Housing Scorecard available at: www.hud.gov/scorecard
Friday, June 18, 2010
HUD ISSUES 2009 HOMELESS ASSESSMENT REPORT TO CONGRESS: Individual homelessness down; Family homelessness up for second straight year
HUD No. 10-124
Brian Sullivan
(202) 708-0685
www.hud.gov/news
FOR RELEASE
Wednesday
June 16, 2010
HUD ISSUES 2009 ANNUAL HOMELESS ASSESSMENT REPORT TO CONGRESS
Individual homelessness down; Family homelessness up for second straight year
WASHINGTON – The total number of homeless persons in America dropped slightly between 2008 and 2009 although the number of homeless families increased, almost certainly due to the ongoing effects of the recession. That’s the conclusion of the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, a yearly study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designed to measure the scope of homelessness across the country.
HUD’s latest report finds that 643,000 persons were homeless on a given night in 2009 while roughly 1.56 million people, or one in every 200 Americans, spent at least one night in a shelter during 2009. While the total estimated number of persons who experience homelessness as individuals declined by 5 percent, the number of homeless families increased for the second straight year.
“As a nation, we appear to be doing a better job sheltering those who might otherwise be living on our streets but clearly homelessness is impacting a greater share of families with children,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “As patterns of homelessness change, we must use the latest data to tailor our response. The Obama Administration is committed to ending homelessness in all its forms.”
HUD’s annual assessment is based on two measures of homelessness:
•Point-In-Time ‘Snapshot’ Counts – these data account for sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night, usually at the end of January. On a given night in January 2009, volunteers throughout the nation counted 643,000 homeless people. A majority of these communities reported increases in the number of sheltered persons and decreases in unsheltered or ‘street homeless’ revealing a greater capacity and success in finding housing solutions for those who are homeless.
Long-term or chronic homelessness has continued a pattern of decline in the U.S. since 2006. HUD currently estimates that nearly 111,000 people were chronically homeless on a single night in January 2009, more than a 10 percent drop from 2008 and nearly 30 percent from levels reported in 2006. All of this year’s decrease in chronic homelessness occurred among the unsheltered ‘street population.’ Much of the decline since 2006 may be associated with the dramatic expansion of the permanent supportive housing stock, which increased from 177,000 to 219,000 beds during this time period.
•12-Month Counts – Using Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS), these data provide more detailed information on persons who access a shelter over the course of a full year. In the 2009 AHAR, 2,988 counties and 1,056 cities contributed HMIS data to produce national estimates of sheltered homeless. HUD estimates that 1.56 million persons experienced homelessness and found shelter between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009. A typical sheltered homeless person is a single, middle-aged man and a member of a minority group. Of all those who sought emergency shelter or transitional housing during 2009, the following characteristics were observed:
•78 percent of all sheltered homeless persons are adults.
•61 percent are male.
•62 percent are members of a minority group.
•38 percent are 31-to-50 years old.
•64 percent are in one-person households.
•38 percent have a disability.
HUD’s report also reveals the following trends:
From 2008-2009:
•Between 2008 and 2009, the number of individuals in emergency shelters and transitional housing programs dropped by nearly 58,000 people or 5 percent. Meanwhile, sheltered homeless persons in families increased by almost 19,000 people or 3.6 percent.
•When families are considered as households rather than as the separate people in the households, the increase was nearly 11,000 families between 2008 and 20098, a seven percent increase over the 159,142 sheltered homeless families in 2008.
From 2007-2009:
•Between 2007 and 2009, the drop in the number of sheltered homeless individuals was 80,000 people or about 7 percent. This decline may be related to the ability of communities to place people into an expanding stock of permanent housing, which increased from about 177,000 to 219,000 beds during this time period.
•In 2009, nearly 62,000 more family members were in emergency shelter or transitional housing at some point during the year than had been in 2007. Considered as households rather than as separate people, the growth in sheltered family homelessness over the three years was almost 40,000 families, representing a 30 percent increase.
Looking Ahead
The long-term impacts of the recession are unclear. A recent study found a nearly five-fold increase in the rate of housing overcrowding, suggesting that many families are doubling up in response to the economic downturn. If some of these family support networks already are struggling to make ends meet, some of the doubled-up families may find their way into the homeless residential service system during 2010.
On the other hand, as the nation comes out of the recession and as the stimulus funding made available through the Homeless Prevention and Re-housing (HPRP) Program starts helping families in crisis avoid shelter, it also is possible that family homelessness will decline during the next reporting period. Indeed, as of May 2010, HPRP has already served more than 350,000 people and approximately 75 percent of the funds have been used for prevention services.
Painter, Gary. 2010. What Happens to Household Formation in a Recession? Research Institute for Housing America and the Mortgage Bankers Association.
###
HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.
Print Friendly Version
Making Home Affordable
Help for America's
Homeowners
HUD Implementation of the Recovery Act
HUD.GOV/Recovery
Federal Housing Administration
Insuring More Than 37 Million Mortgages Since 1934
Public and Indian Housing
Ensuring safe, decent,
and affordable housing
Brian Sullivan
(202) 708-0685
www.hud.gov/news
FOR RELEASE
Wednesday
June 16, 2010
HUD ISSUES 2009 ANNUAL HOMELESS ASSESSMENT REPORT TO CONGRESS
Individual homelessness down; Family homelessness up for second straight year
WASHINGTON – The total number of homeless persons in America dropped slightly between 2008 and 2009 although the number of homeless families increased, almost certainly due to the ongoing effects of the recession. That’s the conclusion of the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, a yearly study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designed to measure the scope of homelessness across the country.
HUD’s latest report finds that 643,000 persons were homeless on a given night in 2009 while roughly 1.56 million people, or one in every 200 Americans, spent at least one night in a shelter during 2009. While the total estimated number of persons who experience homelessness as individuals declined by 5 percent, the number of homeless families increased for the second straight year.
“As a nation, we appear to be doing a better job sheltering those who might otherwise be living on our streets but clearly homelessness is impacting a greater share of families with children,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “As patterns of homelessness change, we must use the latest data to tailor our response. The Obama Administration is committed to ending homelessness in all its forms.”
HUD’s annual assessment is based on two measures of homelessness:
•Point-In-Time ‘Snapshot’ Counts – these data account for sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night, usually at the end of January. On a given night in January 2009, volunteers throughout the nation counted 643,000 homeless people. A majority of these communities reported increases in the number of sheltered persons and decreases in unsheltered or ‘street homeless’ revealing a greater capacity and success in finding housing solutions for those who are homeless.
Long-term or chronic homelessness has continued a pattern of decline in the U.S. since 2006. HUD currently estimates that nearly 111,000 people were chronically homeless on a single night in January 2009, more than a 10 percent drop from 2008 and nearly 30 percent from levels reported in 2006. All of this year’s decrease in chronic homelessness occurred among the unsheltered ‘street population.’ Much of the decline since 2006 may be associated with the dramatic expansion of the permanent supportive housing stock, which increased from 177,000 to 219,000 beds during this time period.
•12-Month Counts – Using Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS), these data provide more detailed information on persons who access a shelter over the course of a full year. In the 2009 AHAR, 2,988 counties and 1,056 cities contributed HMIS data to produce national estimates of sheltered homeless. HUD estimates that 1.56 million persons experienced homelessness and found shelter between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009. A typical sheltered homeless person is a single, middle-aged man and a member of a minority group. Of all those who sought emergency shelter or transitional housing during 2009, the following characteristics were observed:
•78 percent of all sheltered homeless persons are adults.
•61 percent are male.
•62 percent are members of a minority group.
•38 percent are 31-to-50 years old.
•64 percent are in one-person households.
•38 percent have a disability.
HUD’s report also reveals the following trends:
From 2008-2009:
•Between 2008 and 2009, the number of individuals in emergency shelters and transitional housing programs dropped by nearly 58,000 people or 5 percent. Meanwhile, sheltered homeless persons in families increased by almost 19,000 people or 3.6 percent.
•When families are considered as households rather than as the separate people in the households, the increase was nearly 11,000 families between 2008 and 20098, a seven percent increase over the 159,142 sheltered homeless families in 2008.
From 2007-2009:
•Between 2007 and 2009, the drop in the number of sheltered homeless individuals was 80,000 people or about 7 percent. This decline may be related to the ability of communities to place people into an expanding stock of permanent housing, which increased from about 177,000 to 219,000 beds during this time period.
•In 2009, nearly 62,000 more family members were in emergency shelter or transitional housing at some point during the year than had been in 2007. Considered as households rather than as separate people, the growth in sheltered family homelessness over the three years was almost 40,000 families, representing a 30 percent increase.
Looking Ahead
The long-term impacts of the recession are unclear. A recent study found a nearly five-fold increase in the rate of housing overcrowding, suggesting that many families are doubling up in response to the economic downturn. If some of these family support networks already are struggling to make ends meet, some of the doubled-up families may find their way into the homeless residential service system during 2010.
On the other hand, as the nation comes out of the recession and as the stimulus funding made available through the Homeless Prevention and Re-housing (HPRP) Program starts helping families in crisis avoid shelter, it also is possible that family homelessness will decline during the next reporting period. Indeed, as of May 2010, HPRP has already served more than 350,000 people and approximately 75 percent of the funds have been used for prevention services.
Painter, Gary. 2010. What Happens to Household Formation in a Recession? Research Institute for Housing America and the Mortgage Bankers Association.
###
HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.
Print Friendly Version
Making Home Affordable
Help for America's
Homeowners
HUD Implementation of the Recovery Act
HUD.GOV/Recovery
Federal Housing Administration
Insuring More Than 37 Million Mortgages Since 1934
Public and Indian Housing
Ensuring safe, decent,
and affordable housing
Monday, June 14, 2010
Washington D.C. ……Here She Comes!
Janice Williams, a tenant of Maxton Village Apartments, who hopes to attend the National Alliance of HUD Tenants (NAHT) Conference in Washington D.C. this year. Her first trip to the NAHT conference was in 2006, along with tenants from seven HUD properties from around the state, making North Carolina the largest state delegation of HUD tenants represented that year.
The NAHT conference offers workshops presented by tenants from around the nation on topics ranging from “How to Start a Tenant Association” to “How to Purchase Your Building”. Stories are shared about struggles and victories in the fight to preserve their affordable housing properties. There are heart-warming parts of the conference during honors remembrances of the deceased. HUD officials are always invited to speak followed by a Q&A session with them about specific tenant protections and preservation of affordable project-based properties. Deputy Assistant Secretary of HUD, Carol Galante, will be the guest speaker this year.
During our last attendance at the conference in 2008, we were able to schedule legislative office visits to meet with congressional staffers. Janice took advantage of the opportunity to talk to her congressman’s staffer about improvements made at Maxton Village Apartments as a result of the Mark to Market program. It was good for them to hear about what was going on at her apartment complex from a tenant’s perspective.
So here we are in 2010 and Janice is working hard to return the conference in Washington DC. To help pay for the trip and conference registration Janice held a dinner fundraiser in April. As she prepared dinners for her customers, she would stop momentarily to pass around photos of her past trips to the D.C. conference. She even remembers many tenants by name and the states they were from! Janice made a small profit and plans to hold another fundraiser later this month.
What is important to understand about Janice is that her determination to overcome obstacles doesn’t just apply to being an advocate for resident in her apartment complex. She has been recently diagnosed with MS but has not let this illness hamper her determination and willpower. She has continued to be active in her community and is looking forward more than ever to taking her message of the importance of affordable housing to her federal legislators in Washington.
I will accompany Janice to the NAHT conference. While in Washington I will meet with Congressional staff to discuss resources for tenant organizing, a HUD program the Coalition administered from 1998 to 2006, promoting tenant participation in at risk expiring Section 8 buildings. –Regina Green
The NAHT conference offers workshops presented by tenants from around the nation on topics ranging from “How to Start a Tenant Association” to “How to Purchase Your Building”. Stories are shared about struggles and victories in the fight to preserve their affordable housing properties. There are heart-warming parts of the conference during honors remembrances of the deceased. HUD officials are always invited to speak followed by a Q&A session with them about specific tenant protections and preservation of affordable project-based properties. Deputy Assistant Secretary of HUD, Carol Galante, will be the guest speaker this year.
During our last attendance at the conference in 2008, we were able to schedule legislative office visits to meet with congressional staffers. Janice took advantage of the opportunity to talk to her congressman’s staffer about improvements made at Maxton Village Apartments as a result of the Mark to Market program. It was good for them to hear about what was going on at her apartment complex from a tenant’s perspective.
So here we are in 2010 and Janice is working hard to return the conference in Washington DC. To help pay for the trip and conference registration Janice held a dinner fundraiser in April. As she prepared dinners for her customers, she would stop momentarily to pass around photos of her past trips to the D.C. conference. She even remembers many tenants by name and the states they were from! Janice made a small profit and plans to hold another fundraiser later this month.
What is important to understand about Janice is that her determination to overcome obstacles doesn’t just apply to being an advocate for resident in her apartment complex. She has been recently diagnosed with MS but has not let this illness hamper her determination and willpower. She has continued to be active in her community and is looking forward more than ever to taking her message of the importance of affordable housing to her federal legislators in Washington.
I will accompany Janice to the NAHT conference. While in Washington I will meet with Congressional staff to discuss resources for tenant organizing, a HUD program the Coalition administered from 1998 to 2006, promoting tenant participation in at risk expiring Section 8 buildings. –Regina Green
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
State Legislative Update
Last week, SB1015, the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act passed favorably out of the House Committe on Financial Institutions. The bill then moved on the House Judiciary II Committee (J2) for review. The J2 Committe met today to discuss SB1015, and per the request of Chairman Glazier, the bill was put into a sub0committee for further review. Members of the sub-committee include Rep. Rhyne, Rep. Jackson, Rep. Gill, Rep. Glazier, and Rep. Hurley. The bill will likely be scheduled for a committe vote early next week.
As noted in previous issues of Housing Matters, SB1015 would prohibit foreclosure rescue scams create reasonable regulations and standards for options to purchase or "rent to own" contracts and contracts for deeds. These scams and unscrupulous real estate transactions are used to exploit and manipulate families struggling to pay a home loan or families who are having trouble obtaining a loan to purchase a home.
Thank you for your outpouring of support for this bill! Please continue to call and email the Speaker of the House and members of the House Judiciary II Committe and urge them to vote YES on SB1015.
As noted in previous issues of Housing Matters, SB1015 would prohibit foreclosure rescue scams create reasonable regulations and standards for options to purchase or "rent to own" contracts and contracts for deeds. These scams and unscrupulous real estate transactions are used to exploit and manipulate families struggling to pay a home loan or families who are having trouble obtaining a loan to purchase a home.
Thank you for your outpouring of support for this bill! Please continue to call and email the Speaker of the House and members of the House Judiciary II Committe and urge them to vote YES on SB1015.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
ACTION ALERT: Urge your lawmaker to protect homeowners and homebuyers facing predatory real estate practices
ACTION ALERT: Join NC Justice Center in urging lawmakers to protect homeowners and homebuyers from predatory real estate practices
Soon, the NC House Judiciary Committee II (J2) will meet to discuss SB1015, The Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act, sponsored by Senator Josh Stein. This bill would prohibit foreclosure rescue scams and create reasonable regulation and standards for option to purchase or "rent to own" contracts and contracts for deeds. These scams and unscrupulous real estate transactions are used to exploit and manipulate families struggling to pay a home loan or families who are having trouble obtaining a loan to purchase a home.
Please act today!
Contact the members of the House Judiciary Committee II and urge them to support SB1015.
Rep. Rick Glazier, Vice Chairman, 919-733-5601, Rick.Glazier@ncleg.net
(Cumberland)
Rep. Jimmy Love, Vice Chairman, 919-715-3026, Jimmy.Love@ncleg.net
(Harnett, Lee)
Rep. Jennifer Weiss, Vice Chairman, 919-715-3010, Jennifer.Weiss@ncleg.net
(Wake)
Rep. Hugh Blackwell, 919-733-5805, Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.net
(Burke)
Rep. Alice Bordsen, 919-733-5820, mailto:Alice.Bordsen@ncleg.net
(Alamance)
Rep. Justin Burr, 919-733-5908, Justin.Burr@ncleg.net
(Montgomery, Stanly, Union)
Rep. James W. Crawford, 919-733-5824, Jim.Crawford@ncleg.net
(Granville, Vance)
Rep. Dale Folwell, 919-733-5787, Dale.Folwell@ncleg.net
(Forsyth)
Rep. Rosa Gill, 919-733-5880, Rosa.Gill@ncleg.net
(Wake)
Rep. Pat Hurley, 919-733-5865, Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net
(Randolph)
Rep. Darren Jackson, 919-733-5974, Darren.Jackson@ncleg.net
(Wake)
Rep. Linda Johnson, 919-733-5861, Linda.Johnson2@ncleg.net
(Cabarrus)
Rep. Earl Jones, 919-733-5825, Earl.Jones@ncleg.net
(Guilford)
Rep. Tim Moore, 919-733-4838, Tim.Moore@ncleg.net
(Cleveland)
Rep. Earline Parmon, 919-733-5829, Earline.Parmon@ncleg.net
(Forsyth)
Rep. Johnathan Rhyne, 919-733-5782, Johnathan.Rhyne@ncleg.net
(Lincoln)
Rep. Timothy Spear, 919-715-3029, Tim.Spear@ncleg.net
(Chowan, Dare, Hyde, Washington)
Please also contact:
Rep. Joe Hackney, Speaker of the House, 919-733-3451, Joe.Hackney@ncleg.net,
(Chatham, Moore, Orange)
"We're telling legislators the following: In these challenging economic times, as many North Carolinians face lost jobs and the threat of foreclosure, we must make sure that struggling homeowners and aspiring homebuyers are protected from predatory real estate practices. Vote yes on the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act SB1015 to protect the economic well-being of your community and your constituents. "
Please send this important message, and feel free to add your own stories as well.
Thank you for your support!
Carley Ruff
Policy and Outreach Coordinator
NC Housing Coalition
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