New Rental Housing on the Horizon on Large Undeveloped Lot in Bend
By: Suzanne Roig
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Rental housing is being planned on a 32.75-acre parcel where Wilson Avenue and 15th Street intersect that could be move-in ready over the next couple of years. Construction could begin in late 2023 after the owners, Evergreen Housing Development Group, move forward with amending the original master plan to remove the commercial development that was previously approved. The Bend City Council adopted the project concept in 2015. The property was listed for sale for $10.9 million and sold in January. The Wildflower Planned Development will be 574 homes — three-story walk-up apartments, townhomes, cottage-style single-family homes and duplexes — residential community with a small commercial area, said Jim Stephens, Evergreen Housing Development Group executive managing director. Providing more housing in Bend is important to sustaining the community’s growth, said Damon Runberg, Oregon Employment Department regional economist. A housing shortage means new workers coming from outside the community cannot find a place to live, leaving employers at a loss to fill vacant positions. “The answer to more affordable housing is to build more housing,” Runberg said. “Apartment complexes, in-fill, condominiums, townhomes, and yes, even more single-family homes need to be part of the solution. Read More.....
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Is Homelessness a Housing Problem? Two Seattle Experts Make Their Case in New Book
By: Scott Greenstone
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There’s a big problem when it comes to fixing homelessness: The research-backed solution is not always the one the public agrees with. Gregg Colburn realized this shortly after moving to Seattle in 2017 to take a job as assistant professor of real estate at the University of Washington. Most people either see homelessness as an entirely individual problem, or a structural problem with the housing market or income inequality. Homeless people will also tell you varying reasons for what caused their homelessness — loss of employment, drugs and alcohol, and mental health place high on past surveys. Housing issues tend to fall lower on the list of answers, and are complicated: people say eviction, rising rent, domestic violence, or a family member kicking them out. But when Colburn compared cities with high and low numbers of homelessness based on poverty, drug use and mental health treatment factors, there was a clear answer that housing plays an outsize role in homelessness — and most academics have agreed on it for a while. It just hasn’t been embraced by the general public yet. So Colburn teamed up with Clayton Page Aldern, a data journalist who used to evaluate homelessness programs for Pierce County government, to write a peer-reviewed but plainly written guide in hopes that more people will embrace solutions that work to fix the problem. The result: “Homelessness Is a Housing Problem,” a book published this month by University of California Press. Read More.....
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May 2, 2022
11pm - 12pm: EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
12pm - 1pm: GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING & LUNCH (Open to all Attendees)
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PROCUREMENT & CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
Training Provided by National NAHRO – 2.5 DAY CERTIFICATION
Description: Join us for a refresher on procurement basics, including basic procurement requirements, 24 CFR 200, procurement standards, competition, methods of procurement, cost and price analysis, awarding agency, bonding requirements, regulatory documents, actions requiring HUD approval, roles and responsibilities, ethics, procurement policy, employment training opportunities, procurement methods and processes, and more.
Objectives:
After completing this training, participants will be able to:
- Apply basic procurement requirements to administer a compliant program
- Conduct fair and competitive procurements
- Effectively plan for your agency’s procurement and contract needs
- Promote and increase work with Section 3 and Women and Minority Businesses (W/MBE)
- Identify best practices for documentation and contract filing systems
- Effectively administer your contacts to ensure your agency maximizes its dollars and resources
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HCV AND PUBLIC HOUSING RENT CALCULATION
Training Provided by National NAHRO – 2.5 DAY CERTIFICATION
Description: This course provides intermediate training in rent calculation for the public housing and housing choice voucher programs. The course also explores strengthening math skills and addressing math challenges in rent calculation through rigorous assignments and study.
Objectives: Attendees will further develop their skills to properly calculate rent as the result of identifying income, assets; properly calculating them, and applying the appropriate deductions to accurately calculate rent in public housing and housing choice voucher programs.
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HOUSING QUALITY STANDARDS (HQS)
Training Provided by National NAHRO – 3 DAY CERTIFICATION
Description: Looking to effectively and efficiently complete your HQS inspections? Inspections play a huge role in the leasing and recertification process. You’ll learn all you need to plan, prep, and conduct your inspections, as well as how to communicate with residents and landlords about inspection related matters.
Objectives: After completing this training, participants will be able to identify Section 8 pre-inspection and inspection preparation and procedures, successfully work with landlords and residents, improve problem solving and conflict resolution skills, accurately conduct HQS inspections and identify and avoid common inspection pitfalls and HUD findings
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HUD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING
2 DAY TRAINING
Developing a Cost Allocation Plan, Transitioning to MTW, RAD, Voucher Management System (VMS) Reporting, HCV Two-Year-Tool, HCV Update and Other Miscellaneous Voucher Topics, Public Housing Update. This training will qualify for 16 hrs. of CPE included. Click here for (draft) full class agenda.
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REAC NSPIRE TRAINING
2-day training
You will find that our training isn’t like anything you’ve attended before…our unrelenting goal is to make you a High Performer! The difference in UPCS and the NSPIRE standards is so great that you must start planning for this new protocol now.
We have been conducting REAC prep classes since the inception of REAC, having trained both inspectors and housing agencies nationwide. Our exclusive training class is formatted to make the most of your valuable time. Whether you plan on inspecting your units with your own staff or outsource the inspections, you will find that this training will educate your staff allowing you to maximize your REAC score without breaking the bank. Our training will include an in-depth review of the ENTIRE NSPIRE protocol coupled with a detailed study of the each inspectable areas. Using hundreds of actual photos, our instructor will educate you on what to look for in EVERY area of your property.
Summary of Training:
Our instructor (one of the nation’s first REAC Certified Instructors) will educate you on every aspect of the NSPIRE)…including year’s worth of “tricks” and helpful tips on preparing for the REAC inspection.
Who should attend:
Everyone from the seasoned property manager to the newest maintenance mechanic
Items Provided (for each participant):
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Exclusive Inspection GuideBook - The industry’s only field chart with easy to understand inspection standards for all 3 inspectable areas.
- Electronic File Containing Valuable REAC Material - This file contains all recent REAC Updates, NSPIRE Definitions, Compilation Bulletin, Appeal Forms and Instructions, and much, much more.
- Proficiency Exam and Certificate - Each participant that passes the Proficiency Exam will receive an NSPIRE Proficiency Certificate
- Hands-On Experience (in-field) - With the assistance of the staff we will inspect several building exteriors, systems, common areas and units. We will “put into practice” what we have learned regarding NSPIRE and setting proper priorities
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FAIR HOUSING
Training Provided by National NAHRO – 2 DAY CERTIFICATION
Description: This training focuses on Fair Housing laws and regulations for Assisted Housing Programs, with an emphasis on the Public Housing and Housing Vouchers.
Together we will explore the basics of Fair Housing and then take a deep dive into processes, program specific requirements, best practices, complaints, and resolutions, ADA/504 standards, and reasonable accommodation requests, and how to process them.
We will review and discuss the impacts of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the newest protected classes, Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and other federal provisions, as well as how to avoid and/or address Fair Housing violations, voluntary compliance agreements, and special conditions that may be required by HUD or DOJ.
Objectives: After completing this training, participants will be able to understand Fair Housing laws and regulations that affect affordable housing programs, create, and maintain processes, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance, identify and eliminate barriers to promote Fair Housing within the ever-changing regulatory environment · Anticipate and avoid complaints and compliance issue
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High Demand, Low Inventory: How Kootenai County is Addressing Housing Challenges
By: Bill Buley
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There were some clear takeaways from findings of the latest look at the local housing market, as reported by our news partners, the Coeur d'Alene Press. Little has changed in the past year. Home prices are high. So are rents. Demand is very high. Inventory is very low. Newcomers are arriving all the time. Workforce housing is shrinking. And locals are priced out, forced to leave the area. “This is kind of grim, right?” said Maggie Lyons, executive director of the Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance. Lyons, Coeur d’Alene City Councilwoman Kiki Miller and Gynii Gilliam, executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Economic Development Corp., all with the Regional Housing and Growth Issues Partnerships Group, presented a housing update to the City Council on Tuesday, based on their work over the past 14 months. They offered some hope and possible solutions. The group’s mission is for home ownership to be achievable for residents of Kootenai County, and to build and retain housing inventory for local workers But that's growing more difficult. Five years ago, 75% of county residents could afford a home when the median price was $250,000. Today, according to the Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors, the median price is $520,000. Lyons said the affordability gap is growing. The median household income in Kootenai County is $65,500. But to buy a $500,000 home requires a median income of $100,000. “This picture gets worse as mortgage rates go up,” Lyons said. More than half of county residents can’t afford the average monthly rent of $1,400, and rent rose about 30% in the past year. That's forced some with middle-class incomes, a good job, to either leave the area, move in with relatives, or quit working and seek government subsidized housing. “Many found themselves homeless for the first time in their lives because the rental became so valuable they were sold,” Lyons said. More homes are needed in the $200,000 to $350,000 range, but Lyons said that according to the Coeur d’Alene Multiple Listing Service, there were only 30 Kootenai County homes currently for sale for under $500,000, and 17 of those were manufactured homes on leased land. The trend is not expected to change. Idaho was the fastest-growing state in the nation from 2010 to 2020, with a 17% population increase. Kootenai County’s population rose 24% in that time. Read More.....
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Want Landlords to Lease to Families With Housing Vouchers? Try Asking in New Ways |
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There’s been a flood of recent news about housing voucher holders who can’t find landlords willing to rent to them. It feels like a new phenomenon. But the basic story is not new. Unfortunately, increasing landlord participation in the voucher program, especially in neighborhoods of greater economic opportunity, has always been a challenge. The reasons for this may stem from prejudices against voucher holders—a majority of whom are BIPOC and female—negative views of the effort required to partner with housing authorities, and the ability of voucher programs to pay landlords market rents. New evidence from Seattle may offer a template for boosting landlord acceptance of voucher holders, regardless of a property’s location. From 2016 through 2020, a project called Creating Moves to Opportunity, or CMTO, studied strategies that could help families with vouchers move from high-poverty neighborhoods to areas where evidence shows high rates of upward economic mobility. As part of CMTO, the King County and Seattle, Washington, housing authorities—local entities who issue vouchers—partnered with a local nonprofit called InterIm CDA to offer the housing mobility program, which provides housing search support, landlord engagement and financial assistance to help families lease in “high-opportunity areas.” Read More.....
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NAHRO Professional Development has a variety of quality trainings upcoming in 2022. Give a friend, colleague, or even yourself the opportunity to learn something new or sharpen your skills!
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Available Virtual Classrooms:
For more information, contact NAHRO Professional Development at
202 580 7211 or
OR;
PNRC NAHRO Regional Service Officer 202.580.7203
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Send your pictures and articles to pnrc@nahro.org by April 13th to be featured in next month's newsletter!!
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