![]() |
Home | En Español | Contact Us | A to Z |
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
What's Up at HUD This Week in Region IX?July 2, 2008 New data on FHA Endorsements shows sharp increase since March. The table lists Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA's) which take in more than the city, and is the standard used to define major metropolitan areas.
ARIZONAPhoenix Forecasts Suggest "Sun Corridor" Status (Arizona) Rebecca Flanagan, Phoenix Field Office Director, and Sally Thomas, Multifamily Director, attended the June 26 Phoenix Community Alliance Meeting. Two newly released reports were discussed about the Phoenix/Tucson area becoming the "Sun Corridor" based on population and economic development running from Prescott in the north to Nogales in the south. The other report discussed the need for planning around the social service needs of the current and increased population within the Phoenix metropolitan area. Read the report "Arizona's Sun Corridor" Arizona Housing Commission Discusses Budget (Phoenix, Arizona) Rebecca Flanagan, Phoenix Field Office Director, at tended the June 27 Arizona Housing Commission Meeting. Items of interest discussed were the result of the Arizona Budget passage and its impact on the Arizona Department of Housing and its programs including the Housing Trust Funds. The Department will oper at e on $8.9 million budget which is a 50% decrease from the 2008 Budget. Regional Summit for Southwest Tribes Identifies Goals, Strategies (Phoenix, Arizona) A regional HUD Summit was held in April for the tribes in the Southwest; a final report was recently issued that identified the goals, strategies and action plans developed by the attendees. The report will now be shared with tribes before further release. The results will be incorporated with future management plans for the SWONAP office. CALIFORNIAHUD Staff Monitors Housing Developments, Tenant Needs in California Wildfires On July 2, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and FEMA Director David Paulison inspected the fire situation in Big Sur, the California coastal community that is a heavily visited tourist area, now ordered to be evacuated as the fire has spread. Highway 1 is now closed to all vehicles except emergency personnel, and all federal land has been closed. The fire is only three percent contained. Get the latest updates from the State of California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention Several Northern California communities were ordered to evacuate by July 1 as hundreds of wildfires destroyed homes, businesses and perhaps 300,000 acres in what is believed to be the worst fire season in California history. Currently two HUD properties are on alert because of nearing fires, and senior residents in HUD-assisted housing in the San Joaquin Valley and north of Sacramento are being urged to keep windows closed and to stay indoors as smoke-filled air has created serious health hazards. California Governor Schwarzenegger has called up National Guard troops to aid in the firefighting, but some fires are being allowed to burn in unpopulated areas because there are not enough firefighters and equipment to deal with an estimated 1,400 wildfires. HUD staff, including Disaster Coordinator Gary DeYulia and Field Office Directors in San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno is closely monitoring the situation and will move into action in the event that HUD resources are required. Wildfires Severely Impact San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Smoke throughout the San Joaquin Valley has prompted local air-pollution officials to issue a health cautionary statement which remains effective until fires are extinguished. Monitoring stations throughout the Valley are picking up elevated levels of particulate matter in the air. Residents have been advised to use caution, and reduce prolonged exposure, strenuous activities or heavy exertion. The Valley Air District covers eight counties including San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and San Joaquin Valley air basin portions of Kern. San Diego "Lives Transformed" Homeless Woman Introduces President at National Conference of Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Washington, D.C.) On June 26, 2008, Edith Espinoza, a graduate of El Nido Program operated by Interfaith Shelter Network in San Diego, and the focus of a recent San Diego Lives Transformed story, introduced President Bush at the National Conference of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. President Bush remarked about Ms. Espinoza's beautiful transition from being a homeless mother of two to introducing the President of the United States. After greeting Ms. Espinoza, President Bush spoke about celebrating and promoting the "compassionate acts" of countless faith based and community organizations across the country. Fresno, San Mateo Open Section 8 Waiting Lists Housing Authority Accepting Section 8 Applications (Fresno, CA) The Fresno Housing Authority began accepting pre-applications for the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) on July 1, and will
continue through July 31. The waiting list was last opened in 2006. Hard-copy pre-applications are available for download on the Housing Authority's website (www.hafresno.org/) along with access to apply online. Applicants with disabilities who need assistance applying can either download the pre-application and complete the Request for Reasonable Accommodation section on the back of the form and mail it to: Fresno Housing Authorities The Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo (HACSM) will begin accepting pre-applications from Monday, July 7, 2008 to Saturday, July 12, 2008 to establish a waiting list for the HCV Program. HACSM will randomly select 3600 pre-applications from the pool of all completed pre-applications submitted by the deadline. Those selected will be randomly ordered on the waiting list. Preference will be given to families who live, work, or have been hired to work in San Mateo County. Having a preference will not affect the random draw. Once the waiting list and the placement order are established, HACSM will serve applicants in the order of preference. In cases where the applicants have the same preference, the placement order will be used as tie breakers. Any previous applicants, previous Section 8 participants, or current Public Housing residents must submit a pre-application to be considered. Applicants may apply on-line (www.sanmateoform.com) beginning 6:00 AM Monday, July 7, 2008 through 6:00 PM, Saturday, July 12, 2008. Each household must only submit one pre-application form by mail or online. Duplicate or multiple pre-applications will be rejected. Applicants who wish to mail in their pre-application may download the form (www.sanmateoform.com) or pick up the form at the following offices:
Note: The web links, application forms, and the PO Box address will not be available until July 7, 2008. Mail-in pre-applications will be accepted only with postmark dates between July 7, 2008 and July 12, 2008 submitted to: San Mateo Wait List Please do not mail, fax, or deliver the pre-application form to any of the housing authority's offices. If you need special accommodation or language needs, please call (650) 802-3318. Visit to Yolo County Housing Authority (California) On June 23, 2008 Deputy Regional Director Caroline Krewson and Public Housing Division Director Melina Whitehead conducted a goodwill visit to Yolo County Housing (YCH). The Executive Director Lisa Baker introduced the staff and shared highlights of the energy innovations made by the YCH during the past year. The Executive Director gave a tour of the administration building, where staff has deployed s computerized heating and air-conditioning system that saves more than $6,000 in energy costs. Melina Whitehead and Caroline Krewson were also shown properties owned by YCH, its non-profit subsidiary and its newest partnership tax credit units. The Executive Director demonstrated how YCH works with its oldest public housing as well as its newest innovations. In the YCH public housing, Caroline Krewson and Melina Whitehead were able to see how a partnership with the local water board provided erosion control and drought tolerant landscaping while restoring native plants and improving fish spawning habitat. In its newer units, Lisa Baker showed the effective use of passive solar design for units coupled with solar powered community spaces and the use of drought tolerant landscaping and storm water catchments systems. HUD Provides Funding for 17 Housing Units for Community Center, Housing Grand Opening for Aging Foster Youth, Recovery Residents (San Francisco, California) HUD provided $1,094,340 from a five-year award of Shelter Plus Care funding for this project, for seventeen units of housing. On June 26, 2008 Deputy Regional Director Caroline Krewson attended the grand opening and dedication service of the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center and Railton Place. This is the single largest project ever untaken by The Salvation Army in San Francisco since 1883. A 135,773 square foot facility consisting of a comprehensive community center, as well as transitional and permanent housing was constructed. 110 units of transitional and permanent housing will serve single adults in substance abuse recovery and young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. The community center will be a hub of healthy and productive activity energizing both the individuals and the community as a whole. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom gave remarks to express gratitude for the investment in the Tenderloin. Special video messages from Senator Dianne Feinstein and Speaker Nancy Pelosi were also part of the dedication service. Forum Aims to Improve Quality of Foreclosure Prevention Workshops (San Francisco, California) On June 27, 2008, more than 60 representatives from the housing counseling industry, mortgage service providers and local, state and federal government participated in the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's Improving Outcomes at Foreclosure Prevention Events Forum. Field Office Director, Cynthia Abbott, Supervisory Operations Officer, Nancy Flores, and Single Family Housing Program Officer, Donna Martin, represented the Department at the day long event designed to maximize the effectiveness of foreclosure education forums being held in California and throughout the nation. Participants heard from legal service organizations on basic consumer protections and legal rights for individuals facing foreclosures; strategies for maximizing attendance at foreclosure outreach events; and received a demonstration on "Best FIT" - a web-based tool to facilitate underwriting mortgage options for individuals going through a foreclosure. National Council La Raza will host HOME Clinic for Distressed Homeowners in San Diego (California) On July 13, 2008, the Housing Opportunities Collaborative (HOC) will conduct a HOME clinic at the San Diego Convention Center in collaboration with the National Council La Raza (NCLR). The HOME clinic will offer individual foreclosure prevention counseling to homeowners by volunteer attorneys and by HUD approved housing counseling agencies. Loss Mitigation Teams from various lenders will also attend the clinic to meet with homeowners. The San Diego HUD office will assist HOC in coordinating the participating HUD approved housing counseling agencies. HUD Single Family will also appear at this annual conference of NCLR, from July 12, 2008 to July 15, 2008. NCLR celebrates its 40 th anniversary as the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, having a network of 300 affiliated community based organizations throughout the country. Southern California African American Realty Organization's Homeownership Fair (Los Angeles, California) On Saturday, June 28th, FPM staff represented the Los Angeles Field Office at the Consolidated Board of Realty's 6 th Annual "Home Ownership Made Easy" Fair entitled "Preventing Foreclosure." Vendor participants included representatives from the California Housing Finance Agency (CALHFA); the County of Los Angeles Community Development Commission; the Los Angeles Housing Department; and numerous financial institutions including Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Countrywide, just to name a few. One of the interactive activities during the daylong event were morning and afternoon panel discussions consisting of a pre-selected vendor representatives - including HUD - to discuss Down Payment Assistance Programs; Reverse Mortgages; FHA Programs; Foreclosure Issues, and many other related homeownership and real estate concerns with a seated audience. The event was not only open to the trade organization's members but to the community-at-large. National Rifle Association and San Francisco Sue Each Other over Gun Ban in Public Housing (California) The National Rifle Association (NRA) filed suit against the City of San Francisco and the San Francisco Housing Authority to end a ban on guns in the city's public housing, while the City of San Francisco then sued the NRA charging that the NRA's lawsuit had significant legal errors constituting an abuse of the judicial system. The Housing Authority has banned guns in public housing units since 2006, according to its officials. The NRA suit came one day after a U.S. Supreme Court decision against a District of Columbia law banning guns. Ex-San Francisco Housing Commissioner Stands Trial on Money Laundering (San Francisco, California) Julie Lee, a former San Francisco Housing Authority Commissioner, go on trial in federal court over political corruption charges that led to the resignation of California's Secretary of State. Lee is charged with fraud and money laundering, allegedly through the diversion of state grant funds as well as diversion of the proceeds from home sales through Lee's occupation as a real estate agent. Multifamily "Pacific Currents" Newsletter Released (San Francisco) We issued a June 2008 issue of Pacific Currents. The focus is on REAC inspections. It is in our website and also mailed to approximately 4000 subscribers. San Francisco Multifamily to Hold Quarterly Industry Meeting (California) On July 17, the San Francisco office will hold its quarterly industry meeting. These are very popular, with the last meeting having over 150 participants. Due to high demand, we had to initiate an RSVP system for the current meeting. Rep. Mike Honda Hosts Foreclosure Workshop (San Jose, California) HUD will participate at a Foreclosure Workshop hosted by Rep. Mike Honda on July 2 in San Jose, California. Second Annual "FHA" Day Celebration (Santa Ana, California) On Friday, June 30, 2008, Ray Brewer, Santa Ana Field Office Director in collaboration with the Santa Ana Homeownership Center celebrated its Second Annual "FHA" Day. The event included an informational booth/table on homeownership, homeownership preservation, FHASecure and other related FHA products at the entrance of the Santa Ana Federal Office Building. Occupants/employees of the building and all visitors to the Federal, State, and County buildings in the area throughout the day were offered an opportunity to ask questions and gather FHA informational materials. Homeownership Preservation & Foreclosure Prevention Workshop (Brea, California) On Saturday, June 28, 2008, Ray Brewer Santa Ana Field Office Director in collaboration with the Santa Ana Homeownership Center conducted a homeownership preservation and foreclosure prevention workshop at the Brea Senior Center in Brea, California. Ron Garcia, Brea Councilman and Ray Brewer provided opening remarks to approximately 125 homeowners in attendance. The Orange County Homeownership Opportunities Collaborative participated on the morning panel session. Housing counseling agencies, lenders, and local housing partners participated to make this a successful event. Half-Day FHA Presentation Draws 100 Industry Professionals (Santa Ana, California) On June 25, 2008, Nancy West, Marketing & Outreach Specialist, Santa Ana Homeownership Center provided a 3-hour presentation on FHA programs, the 2008 Stimulus Act, and the FHA Modernization Act in Santa Ana, California. Approximately 100 mortgage brokers, loan officers and real estate professionals were in attendance. 12th Annual Homeownership Fair (Sacramento, California) The Sacramento Regional Partners in Homeownership invited the public to attend the free 12th Annual Homeownership Fair on Saturday, June 14, 2008. Over 500 participants took advantage of the Homeownership Fair which featured a variety of industry exhibitors as well as homebuyer education classes. Cynthia L. Abbott, HUD Sacramento Field Office Director emceed the Opening Ceremony. HAWAIIHUD-ONAP Sponsors Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant Training (Hawaii) The Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) sponsored a series of Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant (NHHBG) Program training sessions throughout the State. The course is designed to introduce NHHBG program requirements and educate entities on how to become a grant subrecipient to participate in the NHHBG program. Approximately 50 participants attended the trainings, representing the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, nonprofit organizations, public entities, and various Hawaiian homestead associations. Honolulu Conducts Multifamily Industry Meeting (Honolulu, Hawaii) The Honolulu Multifamily Program Center and Contract Management Services (CMS) hosted an Asset Management Industry Meeting on June 24 attended by 65 industry participants representing a broad cross-section of Section 8 Owners and their Property Managers. The focus of this annual meeting was to provide a nuts-and-bolts education on timely issues such as the Opt-out process, the 20-Year HAP contract, management fees, and budgets that build the capacity of Multifamily partners to perform effectively. A meeting highlight that galvanized the participants was the presentation by the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) - the local utility - on the new energy efficiency programs HECO has available to help its customers reduce energy costs and realize savings. San Francisco HUB Director Tom Azumbrado and staff were also in attendance. Faith- and Community-based Organizations Receive Basic Introduction to CPD Programs (Honolulu, Hawaii) CPD Director Mark Chandler conducted a briefing on June 27 to share the diversity of CPD programs available to help faith-based and community organizations succeed in their community development efforts. Along with learning the ABCs of CPD Programs, the twenty organizational representatives were also apprised of HUD's menu of homeownership tools as part of June as National Homeownership Month, 2008. NEVADAClark County Housing Agency Chief Announces Resignation (Nevada) The Clark County Housing Authority's executive director has resigned, the agency board's chairman confirmed on Monday. Nancy Wesoff, who has served as the housing authority's executive director since early 2006, is leaving for a job with the Los Angeles Housing Authority, said Tim O'Callaghan, chairman of the local housing authority's board of commissioners. A nationwide search for a new executive director will shortly be under way, O'Callaghan said. Howard Wasserman, director of operations at the housing authority, will serve as interim executive director until a replacement is named. Nevada Statewide Foreclosure Prevention Task Force Completes Strategy (Reno, Nevada) On June 26, 2008, Tony Ramirez, Field Office Director and Thomas Vetica, Operations Specialist, participated in the working session of the Nevada Statewide Foreclosure Prevention Task Force. The goal of this meeting was to finalize structure and working goals and strategies in order to deliver assistance to borrowers that are facing mortgage crisis. Lenders, realtors, staff of governmental and non-profit agencies, HUD approved housing counseling agencies compose the task force and its work groups. The group has created a statewide website (http://foreclosurehelp.nv.gov/). Intertribal Council of Nevada to be Pilot on Cross-Cutting Nevada Tribal Issues The Intertribal Council of Nevada has been identified as part of a pilot program to identify and compile a list of cross cutting issues affecting Nevada tribes. The second step will be to identify ways in which assistance can be provided. Carolyn O'Neil, SWONAP Administrator, has been asked to be part of the planning committee being developed by the Tribal Affairs Committee of the Federal Regional Council. A meeting is tentatively scheduled for the tribes in September. Douglas Bell, Clark County Manager Honored Douglas Bell, Manager of the Community Resources Management Division within the Clark County Finance Department, was honored at the Board of County Commissioner's meeting at his retirement after 33 years with the County. Since joining Clark County in 1978, his division has been responsible for bringing to Southern Nevada $327 million in federal, state, and foundation funds for the completion of numerous capital and public service projects of benefit to the low and moderate income in our community. The Community Resources Management Division administers the funds received from HUD via the Urban County Community Development Block Grant Program, the HOME Consortium, and the Emergency Shelter Grant Program. His office administers the County's annual outside agency grants process. Since 1978, the Community Resources Management Division has played a key role in financing the development of over 115 public facility buildings and 15,676 units of affordable housing in this community serving the low and moderate income. Currently, his office is coordinating several pilot project efforts by the County to use the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act of 1998 for the generation of affordable housing. IN THE NEWS...Hawaii Emergency Proclamation On Homeless Extended (AP) AP, July 1, 2008 Honolulu Tightening Camping Laws (KHNL) KHNL-TV Honolulu, June 30, 2008 Demise Of Vegas Public Housing 'projects' Sought (LVS) Las Vegas Sun, July 1, 2008 SF Calls NRA Lawsuit 'Slipshod', 'Waste Of Time' (KNTV) KNTV-TV San Francisco (CA), June 30, 2008 Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 1, 2008 Your Questions Answered: Our HUD offices receive many questions from customers and partners every day, and we will post some of the questions and our responses on issues that we believe will be of interest to a broader audience. This week's questions: "Our office was approached by a company with a name that sounded like it might be part of HUD's foreclosure assistance program, but we aren't certain that it really is part of HUD's program. How can we know if a company is a HUD partner?" A few weeks ago, HUD mailed hundreds of thousands of letters to homeowners who might want to discuss their mortgages and avail themselves of HUD's programs. Some companies appear to have decided to contact homeowners at the same time, using names and even internet sites that sound and look like they might actually be part of HUD's program. We do our best to counter actual cases of fraud, but there is nothing to prevent a company from adopting a name that sounds like, or even has a title closely resembling, one of our HUD programs. The actual contacts for HUD's programs are available through: HUD approved housing counseling agency - (800) 569-4287 "Is the FHA Resource Center experiencing difficulties?" The FHA Resource Center is experiencing difficulties and the 1 (800) CALLFHA number is currently out of service. Until such time as the call center can be put back in service, FHA is asking its business partners to utilize an alternate number. Please contact FHA at (877) 234-2717. For the short term you may experience long hold times on this new number. FHA is doing everything in its power to adequately staff this number and hopes to improve response time in the near future. --->Please know that you can continue to find answer to FHA question on our on-line knowledge base located at faq.fha.gov. You may also continue to use our direct email address at answers@hud.gov. We appreciate your patience as we work these issues and look forward to improving this service in the coming months. "How can I learn of any HUD-owned homes are for sale?" In California , HUD contracts with Pemco Ltd. for the sale of HUD-owned homes. They are in Sacramento at (877) 927-7313 For Arizona, contact Michaelson, Conner and Boul in Phoenix at (866) 941-8737 For Hawaii, contact Pemco Ltd. in Honolulu at (808) 949-0414 For Nevada, contact Michaelson, Conner and Boul in Phoenix at (866) 941- 8737 You may find it helpful to look at homes owned by other government agencies that are also available for sale. HUD provides a link to those agencies and their real estate listings on our webpage. Some of the agencies with homes for sale include the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture Rural Development, the Internal Revenue Service, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Customs and the U.S. Marshalls Service. For further information regarding any of these articles, please contact the Region IX Supervisory Public Affairs Officer, Larry Bush. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Content Archived: February 11, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||