JACKSON RECOGNIZES CITY OF CASPER AND WYOMING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR INCREASING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING
City of Casper and Wyoming Community Development Authority cited as a model for removing regulatory barriers that drive up housing costs

WASHINGTON - They are teachers, police officers, nurses, firefighters and returning veterans- the sort of people anyone would be happy to call a neighbor. In some communities, however, excessive regulations are creating barriers that artificially drive up housing costs on working families. Today, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson recognized the city of Casper and Wyoming Community Development Authority in breaking down these barriers and creating a more inclusive environment for families struggling to afford decent homes.

As more Americans become homeowners, rising housing costs are pricing out millions of hard-working families who hope to find homes close to their jobs and within their budgets. Often, regulations that drive up the cost of housing are to blame.

HUD is taking a fresh look at these barriers to affordable housing with its America's Affordable Communities Initiative. This initiative is designed to combat the outdated, excessive and duplicative regulations that significantly increase the cost and limit the supply of affordable housing and is motivating communities like Casper and organizations like the Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA) to take a look at their housing regulations and determine which ones no longer serve a valid public purpose.

"We know that regulatory barriers can increase housing costs by as much as 35 percent, making it impossible for many working families to live in the cities where we work," said Jackson. "Other communities around the country can learn from Casper and WCDA's efforts to open more doors for the very people who should be our neighbors."

The emphasis of this issue at the field office level has prompted Casper to begin the development of an affordable housing plan that will address regulatory barriers. The Wyoming Community Development Authority, a state wide CDC, will award 20 points in its 2005 application competition to proposals that demonstrate that the locality has taken actions to reduce regulatory barriers. This initiative has the potential to lower barriers for qualifying affordable housing projects.

The Affordable Communities Initiative focuses on local, county, and state efforts to revise statutes and ordinances to promote affordability as well as reduce, defer, or eliminate burdensome regulations, fees, processes and procedures that significantly restrict the development of affordable housing without providing a commensurate health or safety benefit. These barriers can effectively exclude working individuals from living in the communities where they work. In addition, senior citizens often find it impossible to locate suitable homes or apartments near their adult children, and young families are unable to find a home in the communities where they were raised.

By recognizing communities like Casper and community development corporations like WCDA, HUD hopes to encourage others around the country to reexamine their own regulatory climate and work closely with builders and urban planners to find creative solutions to allow for the development of more affordable housing.

"We recognize that what might work in Wyoming may not be appropriate in other parts of the country," said John Carson, HUD's Regional Director. "Casper and WCDA's leadership in this area reminds us how important it is to work together to reduce barriers that stifle the development of housing affordable to our teachers, nurses, police officers or returning veterans."

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and, supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

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