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VHC News Clips, volume 2011-33 (October 27, 2011)
Save the Date – December 1 st , 2011!
(RECAP: Make plans to join the Virginia Housing Coalition and our partners for our executive workshop on Thursday, December 1 st , Raising the Bar Beyond Excellence . Join us as we welcome Dr. Raymond A. Bell, Jr., for this innovative and interactive session that will help you cultivate your strengths and find your focus to make you a more effective leader in the affordable housing arena and every area of your life. This program is not designed to grow leaders, but to grow better leaders by speaking to the leader in YOU.)Foothills Housing Coalition seeks Executive Director
Foothills Housing Coalition (FHC) is seeking a dynamic new executive director for our non-profit affordable housing organization serving five Virginia counties – Fauquier, Rappahannock, Culpeper, Orange and Madison. Please follow this link to the official job posting: http://www.foothillshousing.org/executive-director-job-postedSENT ON BEHALF OF GWEN VOLK, CPM, CHAIR, IREM FEDERAL HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD
To IREM members who manage affordable/assisted/insured multifamily housing:
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is conducting two studies dealing with Rural Housing that IREM has been asked to comment on. Please review the questions and provide Chuck Achilles with your comments on any of the questions on or before November 3.SENT ON BEHALF OF GWEN VOLK, CPM, CHAIR, IREM FEDERAL HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD
To IREM members who manage affordable/assisted/insured multifamily housing:
IREM sends letter to HUD on Bed Bug Notice. Housing Notice 2011-20, Guidelines on Bed Bug Control and Prevention in HUD Insured and Assisted Multifamily Housing, was issued on August 19, 2011.Life jacket coming for homeowners: New changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program should help boost the number of underwater homeowners who are eligible to participate. A life jacket for homeowners.
The Free Lance-Star , October 27, 2011
(RECAP: The flood of questions from homeowners "underwater" on their mortgages depressed the two experts who answered questions during this month's Money Talk$ webchat at fredericksburg.com. The homeowners, who'd seen their property values plunge when the housing bubble burst, wanted to know if they could refinance to take advantage of today's low interest rates.)Randolph C. Kendall Jr., who led the Richmond Urban League for three decades, dies
Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 27, 2011
(RECAP: For 29 years, Randolph C. Kendall Jr. led the Richmond Urban League, improving the lot of the poor and engaging the whole community in that endeavor. Mr. Kendall died of heart failure Monday at a Richmond-area hospital. He was 78. A funeral will be held Saturday at noon at Wesley Memorial Methodist Church in Mechanicsville, where he had long been a member and officer. Interment will follow at Oakwood Cemetery .)Affordable Housing Development Opens in Ballston
ARLnow.com, October 26, 2011
(RECAP: The opening of an affordable housing community in Ballston was welcomed with much fanfare on Tuesday evening. Numerous county officials joined new residents at The Jordan ( 801 N. Wakefield St.) for a grand opening ceremony.)Seniors discuss housing, services
Stafford County Sun , October 26, 2011
(RECAP: Last weekend, more than 120 seniors, local advocates for seniors and apartment managers gathered at The Gardens of Stafford Apartments to discuss housing for seniors and other issues.)
CAAR Fall Realtor Summit
WVIR-TV NBC 29, October 26, 2011
(RECAP: More than a hundred realtors are gathering in Albemarle County Wednesday for the Fall Realtor Summit sponsored by the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors. It's a chance for them to get a look at what the market has in store for the coming year.)Poll shows many retiring boomers staying put amid bad economy
WSLS 10, October 26, 2011
(RECAP: As baby boomers look ahead to retirement, they'd prefer a home that is affordable, accessible to medical care and close to family. But an Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll finds that amid a shaky economy, few think it's likely they'll move in retirement.)More underwater homeowners qualify for federal lifeline
The Virginian-Pilot, October 25, 2011
(RECAP: New changes to a federal foreclosure prevention program should help Hampton Roads homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. On Monday, the Obama administration announced plans to significantly expand a program aimed at helping homeowners with falling property values to refinance their mortgages and get lower monthly payments.)Home Prices Rise for 5th Straight Month
WCYB-TV Fox 5, October 25, 2011
(RECAP: Home prices continued a winning streak in August, the fifth straight month of price gains, but remain lower on a year-over-year basis. A gauge of home prices featuring 20 major cities, the S&P/Case Shiller index, reported Tuesday that prices rose 0.2% in August but were still down 3.8% year over year.)Habitat Youth United Golf Tournament
WVIR-TV NBC 29, October 24, 2011
(RECAP: The Habitat Youth United Golf Tournament is this Saturday at the Meadow Creek Golf Course. The Youth United Program is a national Habitat program made up of volunteers between the ages of 5 and 25.)'We've done a lot,' Jones says in defending record
Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 24, 2011
(RECAP: Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones points to recent criticism from the City Council as a sign that he's having success advancing an agenda for the city. And it is a not-too-subtle reminder of next year's elections.)Time to do something (serious)
The Daily Progress, October 23, 2011
(RECAP: That 20 percent of the population of Charlottesville lives in poverty, as revealed by a recent report sponsored by the Regional Chamber of Commerce, is, unfortunately, nothing new. Twenty percent of our citizens have been living in poverty for decades. And let's not forget that the burden of that poverty falls principally on the African-American community.)Real estate: Market is down but not out
Suffolk News-Herald, October 22, 2011
(RECAP: It might be the fastest growing city in Virginia , but that doesn't make Suffolk immune to the troubles in the real estate market. In North Suffolk a multitude of new homes make for a special kind of market, but real estate experts say the abundance isn't hindering sales in the area.)Board Approves Plan to Preserve Apartments
Arlington Connection, October 20, 2011
(RECAP: The Arlington County Board approved a proposed residential development that will preserve in perpetuity a historic garden apartment complex in Fort Myer Heights while adding a 12-story residential building to the site.)
Manassas offers help for homeowners
InsideNOVA.com, October 18, 2011
(RECAP: Area homeowners looking for help with affording their mortgages came to Osbourn High School on Saturday. As part of the Manassas City Housing Event sponsored by the City of Manassas Housing Advocacy Program , struggling homeowners were able to meet with representatives from Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Fannie Mae in an effort to find assistance with avoiding foreclosures.)Danville partners with rental property owners to improve energy efficiency
Chatham Star Tribune, October 18, 2011
(RECAP: The city of Danville has launched a new service to help rental property owners reduce energy costs for tenants. Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the city will pay up to 50 percent of the cost for specified energy efficiency improvements (total work cost not to exceed $6,500). Low interest financing will be available to help owners with remaining costs. The service is available for housing units occupied by income-qualified residents.)
Fair assists homeless and those who want to help: Homeless advocates want to spread the
word about their services
The Free Lance-Star, October 17, 2011
(RECAP: The troubled economy has many area families teetering on the brink of poverty. Most social services agencies have seen a dramatic increase in demand. But thanks to local efforts, the Fredericksburg area has also seen a decrease in the numbers of people living on the streets.)Ex-Beverley resident gets extension at lodging
The Staunton Newsleader, October 14, 2011
(RECAP: Social workers have arranged extended temporary housing for one former Beverley Hotel resident who feared he'd be out on the street Thursday, in their continuing effort to help families who still haven't found a permanent place after the city ordered the decrepit apartments vacated last month.)Community-minded woman to be honored by Lynchburg foundation
The News & Advance, October 14, 2011
(RECAP: [Jane] White, who has been instrumental in numerous community projects, is being honored by LNDF at a time when that group is completing a project uniquely connected to White's mother — a one-woman wonder in her own right.)Ashburn Residents Weigh In On Community Needs
Leesburg Today, October 14, 2011
(RECAP: The first of four meetings to let community members share their hopes and desires for the future of Ashburn brought out about a dozen residents to Eagle Ridge Middle School in Broadlands last night. There, county staff members reviewed the results of a recent survey conducted to gauge residents' and business owners' opinions of life in Ashburn and how it can be improved. The initiative is part of the Board of Supervisors-directed outreach effort called the Ashburn Community Outreach Project.)The Next Generation of Green Living: Cutting edge green home design emerges in the region.
Burke Connection, October 14, 2011
(RECAP: Meet the passive house, dubbed the next generation of green living, and named one of the top green building trends of 2011 by the Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable building practices.)
Apartment plan draws fire at first hearing: Concerns over plan's impact on schools, crime rate dominate first Planning Commission meeting
Powhatan Today, October 12, 2011
(RECAP: The proposed Shady Oaks apartment and townhouse complex at Stavemill Road and Route 60 plan consists of 220 apartments and 38 townhomes sitting on 64.5 acres, resulting in 4 units per acre. The area is currently zoned for lots of 4 acres or larger. Rezoning and a conditional use permit would have to be granted by the Board of Supervisors in order for the project to move forward.)Programs target empty houses
The Progress-Index, October 10, 2011
(RECAP: Administered in Virginia by the state Department of Housing and Community Development, the NSP program was created in 2008 to help alleviate the effects of a surge in foreclosures that came in the wake of a national banking crisis and economic recession. That wave of foreclosures threatened to swamp cities like Petersburg that were already up to their necks in vacant and abandoned housing.)Lynchburg begins talks about city's housing needs
WSLS 10, October 10, 2011
(RECAP: For the first time, Lynchburg is initiating a citywide conversation about its housing needs. Fueled by a planning grant, the city is bringing government officials, business leaders, nonprofits and citizens together in hopes of developing a strategic plan to guide its future housing decisions.)News Clips Archives
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