A weekly digest of current trends in housing and community development. The discussion examines topics from infrastructure to community fabric.
Adopting Rapid Re-Housing Statewide: The Commonwealth of Virginia
(RECAP: Virginia’s rapid re-housing showed that with a relatively small investment over a 3-year period, a state can re-tool its family homelessness system and improve its effectiveness, resulting in significantly reduced family homelessness. This paper discusses the process by which Virginia re-tooled its approach to family homelessness to one centered upon rapid re-housing, and the project and partnership that supported this effort.)
Downtown Hurdles
(RECAP: An obstacle to downtown revitalization is simply an incentive for development to take place somewhere else. Your community's comprehensive plan should make downtown the easiest and most advantageous place for new development to occur.)
Changing veteran housing needs
(RECAP: The National Housing Conference’s new report, Housing and Service Needs of Our ChangingVeteran Population, explores the changing demographics of the veteran population and identifies their special housing and supportive service needs. The report also includes policy recommendations.)
The Benefits of Aging in Manufactured Housing Communities
(RECAP: As places for low- and moderate-income Americans to age in place, manufactured housing communities present an impressive array of advantages—and some financial risks.)
Planning for Prosperity in Small Towns and Rural Regions
(RECAP: The NADO Research Foundation has developed a new website, Planning for Prosperity in Small Towns and Rural Regions, that contains materials developed over the past four years through HUD’s Sustainable Communities Initiative capacity building program. The website includes links to publications, webinars, workshop materials and other information on a variety of topics and themes.)
Opinions on Housing
The views and opinions expressed in Opinions on Housing are solely those of the original authors, and do not necessarily represent those of VHDA, our stakeholders or any/all contributors to this blog.
Bring the Home Loan Banks' Housing Program into the 21st Century
(RECAP: Some housing professionals are reluctant to participate in the FHLBs' Affordable Housing Program, objecting to burdensome requirements and rules that are inconsistent with other funding sources. It's time for the FHFA to make some updates.)
Asset Management and Survival of Nonprofit Owners
(RECAP: What does it take for a mission-oriented real estate owner to survive? The question is cash, and the answer is asset management. Today, CDC portfolios and new development face seven challenges: preservation, rising capitalization requirements, cost containment, energy management, operational sustainability of the service suite, outflowing cash and services make community.)