Thursday, June 22
Lafayette Market
Pontiac, MI
5-7:30 p.m.
Join us for an evening of networking and learn how to engage with us!
Attendees will enjoy
Michigan beer and wine tasting, appetizer stations, and live music!
Individual tickets are $25; sponsorships are also available.
Please visit this link to purchase a sponsorship or ticket.
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Save the Date:
B
ring it Home annual fundraising event!
Thursday, October 12
If you are interested in sponsoring, attending or donating to Bring it Home, please contact Lisa Fuhr at
248-824-7313 or visit Bring it Home.
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This month I'd like to introduce you to Al Wolschleger, a
Housing Development specialist in our Troy office.
Al works in our Development department with our HOME program. This program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program that uses "grants to states and units of general local government to implement local housing strategies designed to increase homeownership and affordable housing opportunities for low and very low-income Americans."
Al manages our HOME projects, which help low- and moderate-income households purchase a quality, affordable home. We purchase and
rehabilitate
homes in Oakland and Macomb counties so that they are 100% move-in ready, up-to-date, and energy efficient! Learn more about the program here, including eligibility, available properties and more!
Other homes that Al works with will become rental opportunities for those needing permanent supportive housing. These homes have upgrades such as roll-in showers or ramps to make them more accessible.
When Kirsten Elliott, vice president of Development offered a position to Al, one
of the many reasons she decided to hire him was because of his "urban planning background and his ability to manage data. More importantly it was his personality. I knew he would be a good fit in the development department!"
Let's turn to Al now and give him a chance to answer a few questions.
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How did you become involved with CHN?
I started with CHN on a contract project that required someone with geographic, mapping, and database skills. When that project reached its end, CHN was looking for a Development assistant, and I moved to the Troy office and joined the Development team.
What does a Housing Development specialist do?
This role is a sort of a sweetened condensed version of the real estate development process, from acquisition to sale or lease-up. I solicit bids and award contracts for refurbishing the homes, prepare and submit rehab cost draw requests to respective jurisdictions, handle licensing and registration issues with municipalities, and oversee construction. I work with property management and/or prospective homeowners to help match home-seekers to our homes. Going forward, I am looking forward to selecting the next batch of homes to add more options for those who need them.
Additionally, I support the rest of the Development team with research, analysis, and map-making. I help complete and assemble major funding applications and component pieces of those. I pick up a lot of the sorts of miscellaneous things that come up in development: notarizing documents, meeting contractors at properties, recording property documents, and the like.
Describe how our Homeownership program helps those we serve become housed?
In terms of the actual program, it involves using a subsidy to help offer down payment assistance to those that struggle to put together that much cash but otherwise would be fine candidates for home ownership. We're looking for those with low to moderate incomes - 60% to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and have decent credit. (We generally recommend an average credit score of 620 or better). The homes themselves are generally 1,000-1,300 square feet, 3- or 4-bedrooms in desirable, safe and stable neighborhoods.
What type of training is required to be successful in your job?
Aside from an ability to sit on a balance ball (Note: at CHN we offer alternative seating options to make our employees more comfortable
throughout
the day), I find understanding the financial aspects of development and the construction process very important.
My training is in urban planning, with previous experience in private-sector real estate development in Detroit and as our Development assistant. I think development (like urban planning) is a field of people who cut their teeth in other fields (I worked in television production before becoming an urban planner!), so someone with an ability to communicate, think clearly, and work with the understanding that very little will be certain and things can occasionally be "messy" can figure out a lot of it.
I mean, maybe someone could do this job without sitting on the balance ball, but I haven't risked it!
What is a typical day like for a Housing Development specialist?
A "typical" day? I try to avoid those. That's how things get boring! From day to day I might be sorting through costs and invoices to request reimbursements from the counties or making a map to support an application.
Any parting words of wisdom?
Data tell stories, and stories make sense of data-the two are intertwined. Trying to divorce one from the other doesn't work, but listening to people's stories and looking at the data are the best way to figure out what's really going on.
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I am grateful for Al's work, as well as the work of all CHN team members.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Marc Craig
President
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With support from:
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