Weekly update from the National Housing Conference
October 31, 2018
President's Message I By David M. Dworkin
Greetings!

Last week NHC released our 2017-2018 annual report, which details what we have achieved thanks to the resources and support of members and partners like you. Since our founding in 1931, NHC has had some harrowing challenges and some incredible triumphs. 2017 was one of those challenges, when we struggled to add value to our members and recover from two years of major funding disruption. In 2018, we have re-prioritized member-service and housing policy leadership. Today, we look ahead to finishing our financial year “in the black”, increasing our membership by nearly 50 percent and being more than just a leader in housing but the place where housing leaders come to get things done. That’s a good thing, because the need for affordable housing at nearly every income level has never been greater. The American Home needs us more than ever. Our nation’s homeless population has doubled in size, extremely low income people are evicted at rates not seen since the Great Depression, hardworking Americans in nearly every industry struggle to find affordable rental housing or achieve homeownership, the minority homeownership gap has never been larger and millions of millennials cannot afford a home of their own, even as they find good jobs and start new families. We can do better, and we will. 

If you are a member, you will be receiving your membership renewal in November. If you aren’t, or are not sure, please contact me or Amanda Mitchell and we can help you join NHC. Your support has never been more important – not just to NHC and our members, but to all Americans. Not sure about becoming a member, or interested in doing more? Then come to our Solutions for Affordable Housing 2018 convening at the National Press Club on Nov. 27 and 28. Invited guest speakers include Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, HUD Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). We will be exploring major housing policy issues like Community Reinvestment Act modernization and affordable housing production, as well as visiting key administration officials in their offices and Members of Congress – both newly elected and current – on Capitol Hill. We look forward to working with you now and in the important years to come as we defend our American Home.


Sincerely,
David M. Dworkin
President and CEO
News from Washington I By Tristan Bréaux and
 Kaitlyn Snyder
Register for the November Restoring Neighborhoods webinar

Join NHC on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. EST for a webinar featuring a presentation from Alan Mallach on his new report “ The Empty House Next Door.” The report explores the issues related to property vacancy by defining what is meant by a “vacant” property, what constitutes a “healthy” vacancy rate, how vacant properties are measured and why properties become vacant and abandoned. Mallach focuses attention on the issue of “hypervacancy,” where “vacant properties become so extensive and so concentrated that they define the character of the surrounding area,” often more than 20 percent of existing property. Register here. 
FHFA issues proposed rule on FHLBank housing goals

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued a proposed rule on the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks) housing goals. The proposed rule would: set a single prospective mortgage purchase housing goal as a share of each FHLBank's total Acquired Member Asset purchases; set a new small member participation housing goal for participation by small institutions; eliminate the volume threshold and instead allow FHLBanks to propose different goals levels for mortgage purchases and small member participation, subject to FHFA approval; and simplify and expand the eligibility criteria to enable federally backed loans to count for goals purposes. Comments are due 90 days from formal publication in the Federal Register. FHFA is also hosting a webinar on its proposed rule on Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. EST. Register here. 
HUD releases HOME reports

Last week, HUD issued three reports on the HOME program: units completed by state, units competed by congressional district and units completed within Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects by state. The reports on states and congressional districts include data from 1992 while the report LIHTC properties has data from 2010 - 2017.
HUD NSP workshop series

HUD is hosting a workshop series for grantees of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) on Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 in San Francisco, Calif. Session one includes a hands-on Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System training and a joint session on closeout preparation with session two attendees. Session two, building upon session one content, provides more advanced training and technical assistance (TA) in a clinic-style environment, where grantees can engage with TA providers to address specific NSP concerns and attend small group learning opportunities. This is likely the last time such sessions will be made available and grantees are encouraged to register today. Each NSP grantee is limited initially to two staff members for each session of the workshop. 
Enterprise's interactive report on trends in housing tenure

NHC member, Enterprise Community Partners has updated its interactive report on trends in housing tenure such as rental and homeownership using data released as part of the U.S. Census Bureau’s third quarter 2018 Housing Vacancy Survey. “The interactive graphics in the report, which breakdown tenure trends by age, race/ethnicity and income, reveal stark disparities in the share of homeowners among these subsets of households, as well as changes in rates that are narrowing some tenure gaps and expanding others,” according to Enterprise. “While homeownership among Hispanic, Asian and non-Hispanic Whites households have increased to 47.1, 55.7 and 72.8 percent, respectively, over the past two years, rates for non-Hispanic Blacks have been nearly flat, which widened their tenure gap with non-Hispanic White households to 31 percentage points – a record for this 25-year series. The report points out that households with incomes above the national median have a homeownership rate above 78 percent, despite only marginal growth since the end of the housing boom.” 
The National Housing Conference has been defending the American Home since 1931. We believe Everyone in America should have equal opportunity to live in a quality, affordable home in a thriving community. NHC convenes and collaborates with our diverse membership and the broader housing and community development sectors to advance our policy, research and communications initiatives to effect positive change at the federal, state and local levels. Politically diverse and nonpartisan, NHC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Defending our American Home since 1931
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