March 2010 HUDLines

E-Briefs from the Richmond Office of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development

HUD WORKS FOR YOU...
***HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announces $26.5 M in grant funding to "sweat equity" intermediaries Housing Assistance Council, Habitat for Humanity Int'l, Tierra del Sol Housing Corp., and Community Frameworks to help create homeownership opportunities for 1,500 families. ***Sustainable Communities Planning Grant Program Advance Notice & Request for Comment. This program is to support multi-jurisdictional regional planning efforts that integrate housing, economic development & transportation decision-making to consider economic growth, social equity & environmental impact. All comments must be received by 3/12 - see http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-2979.htm ***Annual rent adjustments required for housing units receiving Section 8 assistance. HUD Annual Adjustment Factors (AAFs) are based on changes in residential rent & utility costs from Consumer Price Index survey. 2010 AAFs published in Federal Register on 2/10 see http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/aaf.html ***Extended deadline - HOPE VI Main Street applications due 3/3 - see online ***HUD joins forces with Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network, to launch PreventLoanScams.org - another resource to protect vulnerable homeowners facing foreclosure from home loan modification scammers- see http://www.preventloanscams.org/***

FHA LEADS THE WAY�
***New FHA Mortgagee Letter 2010-06 provides extension of Mortgagee Letter 2009-22 - Revised Temporary Authority for Multifamily Hubs to Process Waiver Requests pertaining to the 3 yr. rule for Section 223(f) - see the HUD website***

HUD RICHMOND'S PARTNER IN THE HUDLIGHTS� ***Virginia Dept. of Housing and Community Development's Office of Community Capacity Building provides programs and services, primarily to nonprofits and local governments in non-entitlement communities, to increase agency capacity and sustainability. Intensive technical assistance and training in Organizational Development & Growth, Management, Resource Development, Program Development and Community Relations & Accountability. See http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommunityCapacityBuilding/Office_Of_Community_Capacity_Building.htm ***

BRIEF BRIEFS� ***2010 South Hampton Roads Regional Conference on Ending Homelessness 3/16 at Virginian Wesleyan College, Norfolk -register at http://www.theplanningcouncil.org/homelessform.asp by 3/2*** Competitive applications for 7/ 1/ 2010 - 6/30/ 2011 program year of Emergency Shelter Grants are at http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/ -- Due date 3/26. ***2010 Virginia Emergency Management Symposium, "Heads Up: Changes in Emergency Management," 3/31 - 4/2 in Hampton. Registration required at http://www.vemaweb.org/content/conference/ ***Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLB) offering Affordable Housing Program workshops 4/7 at Virginia Housing Center - contact Ramona Chapman of Dept. of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for more information - ramona.chapman@dhcd.virginia.gov - 804-371-7167***

GREEN NOTES� ***Federal Green Jobs Legislative Conference 3/2, 6:00 pm, Tidewater Community College - Roper Performing Arts Center Theater, Norfolk. See http://greeneconomicalliance.org ***Housing Assistance Council (HAC) schedules conference "Building Green in Rural America: A Symposium on Policy and Practice" for 6/ 9 in Washington, DC. Will feature local housing developers with successful sustainable and green practices in rural housing development� See http://www.ruralhome.org or contact Dan Stern, HAC, 202-842-8600, dan@ruralhome.org ***The Home Depot Foundation's Awards of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development recognizes projects completed between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2009. Awards for both cities and their nonprofit partners representing local initiatives. See http://www.homedepotfoundation.org/aoe_community.html***

BRIEF BRIEFS TO LOOK INTO� ***Community Transportation Association of America USDA Rural Passenger Transportation Technical Assistance Program (http://web1.ctaa.org/webmodules/webarticles/articlefiles/M-STAPP.pdf) - Contact Charles A. Rutkowski, Assistant Director Community Transportation Association of America, 202-661-0219, rutkowski@ctaa.org*** Ronald McDonald House Charities accepting letters of interest for July grant review - deadline 3/ 5 see http://rmhc.org/what-we-do/grants/how-to-apply/ ***Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation grants for children affected by domestic violence - letters of intent due 4/1 - see http://www.wfamilyfoundation.org/childrens_initiative.html *** Affordable Housing Finance (AHF) seeks award nominations for its Readers' Choice Awards, including a rural category, for affordable housing projects using LIHTC or other financing in 2009 or 2010. See http://www.housingfinance.com/. Contact AHF, 415-315-1241, ext. 309 or dkimura@hanleywood.com. *** Dept. of Justice Second Chance Act Adult & Juvenile Offender Reentry Demonstration Project grant applications from state, county, local and tribal governments due 03/04 - see http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/10BJA_JJ_SecondChanceDemonstrationSol.pdf ***The M�A�C AIDS Fund U.S. Community Grants Program announces Food & Nutrition grants for agencies working with people who have HIV/AIDS - applications due 3/15 - see http://macaidsfund.org/support/GrantMakingProgram_US.html ***USDA Rural Development Rural Utilities Service Round 2 applications for Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) grants and/or loans for Last Mile and Middle Mile Projects closes 3/15/10. See http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/info_lib.htm ***Office of National Drug Control Policy's Drug Free Communities grants applications due 3/19 - see http://www.ondcp.gov/DFC/potentialgrantees.html ***Capital Grant component of Veterans' Affairs Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program applications due 3/31 - see http://www.va.gov/homeless ***National Endowment for the Arts announces grants for Artist Communities: Access to Artistic Excellence - Deadline 3/11 - see http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/GAP11/DanceAAE.html ***