From housingminnesota at mhponline.org Thu Apr 8 12:01:47 2004 From: housingminnesota at mhponline.org (HousingMN Communications ) Date: Thu Apr 8 13:08:56 2004 Subject: [HousingMinnesota Bulletin] Volume 3, Issue 7 4-08-04 Message-ID: <91CE81A8B5C57940AA99ECF1E2A160600A6384@mhpserver.mhponline.org> HousingMinnesota Homes for All by 2012! The Bulletin April 8, 2004 Volume 3, Issue 7 Distributed bi-weekly, this bulletin contains news, announcements, legislative updates, publications, and upcoming events. We hope you'll find it helpful in keeping you abreast of important developments. Please don't hesitate to contact us with items you'd like included in future issues. The Bulletin is also available online at http://www.mhponline.org/Bulletin/Bulletin.htm . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Special Edition: Mid-Session Progress Report on HousingMinnesota's Legislative Efforts HousingMinnesota has been working hard to promote our legislative agenda this session and we have taken the opportunity to weigh in on important emerging legislative issues. We are half way through the legislative session and the pace has picked up this week as both bodies try to pass their supplemental budgets before the upcoming break. Conference committees will be formed soon to tackle the major differences in budget approaches. The legislature is constitutionally mandated to adjourn on May 17th. A table with the comparison of the governor's, House, and Senate positions is posted on our Web site at: http://www.housingminnesota.org/downloads/2004SessionSupplementalBudgetsCompared.pdf HousingMinnesota Legislative Agenda Update Promote the Governor's Proposed $20 million in Bonding for Permanent Supportive Housing The governor's bonding initiative is a priority legislative agenda item this session. HousingMinnesota showcased this initiative for our lobby day on Feb. 17th when almost 300 citizens lobbied their legislators at the Capitol to ask legislators for support on the $20 million bonding bill. In addition to building grassroots support for the bonding initiative, HousingMinnesota has also spent many hours lobbying legislators directly. HousingMinnesota staff has directly lobbied 60 legislators on this issue-including Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson and House Speaker Steve Sviggum. Many of these visits were coordinated with the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, and the Minnesota Supportive Housing Consortium. These efforts and the administration's hard work paid off and the initiative was ranked in the top eleven "high priority" initiatives by the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee. The Capital Investment committees are expected to put their bills together in the next week or two. We will continue our efforts to ensure there is strong bipartisan support for this bonding initiative in both bodies through the remainder of the process. For more information see our fact sheet: http://www.housingminnesota.org/downloads/2004BondingFactSheet.pdf Increase Funding for Emergency Services (Shelters) and Transitional Housing A second agenda item for HousingMinnesota is the restoration of $2.7 million in funding reductions for the Emergency Services Program and the Transitional Housing Program funded through Dept. of Human Services. These operating dollars will help strengthen the plan to end long-term homelessness by helping to prevent more people from experiencing homelessness multiple times or for long periods of time. We have worked with the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless to secure solid bipartisan support for this funding by enlisting authors from both sides of the aisle in both bodies of the legislature. We have directly lobbied over 50 legislators on this issue. We organized testimony before the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee on our bill (HF 1997) and were able to secure an additional $250,000 as a one-time funding increase for transitional housing operations in this committee's supplemental budget (HF 3090). Our bill (SF 1772) was heard in Senate Environment, Agriculture, and Economic Development Budget Division 3-31-04 and the Senate supplemental budget includes a one-time restoration of $750,000 in funding for transitional housing (SF 2028). The House passed HF 3090 on the floor on April 7th. The Senate passed their omnibus supplemental budget bill (HF 2028) on the floor during the early hours of April 8th. Provide Tax Relief to Affordable Rental Properties MHFA has taken the lead in attempting to draft legislation and get agreement from the Dept. of Revenue and assessors about a legislative fix for the problems facing low-income rental property. HousingMinnesota has convened meetings of property owners, county commissioners, and MHFA to stay on top of the negotiations as they are taking place. We issued an action alert to over 400 affordable rental owners to contact the governor's office to ensure he heard how pressing this issue was to affordable rental property owners. Minneapolis Consortium of Community Developers has been instrumental in compiling information and getting property owners involved in the discussion. Sen. Pogemiller, Senate Tax Committee Chair, has requested language be put together for all the options under discussion-he has promised to include something in his omnibus tax bill. We will continue to work with MHFA and the other key stakeholders to develop and promote a workable solution to the high taxes faced by affordable rental property. For more information on this issue see our fact sheet: http://www.housingminnesota.org/downloads/Rental_Taxes_2004.pdf Improve Tax Increment Financing for Affordable Housing Sen. Moua has introduced a bill for us (SF 2278) that would create a special hybrid rental/ownership district with specified income limits to make it easier to accomplish mixed income/mixed use TIF housing districts and leverage a greater amount of money for the affordable units. SF 2278 was heard in Senate Tax committee and was placed on the "A" list, meaning it is assured to be in the Senate omnibus tax bill. We have not yet introduced legislation in the House. We are in discussion with other advocacy groups about alternative legislation that may address the issue in a TIF technical bill that is being drafted by local governments. We have asked for feedback from housing developers experienced with TIF. Emerging Issues HousingMinnesota has Responded to During the Session $200 Housing Penalty Proposed The House Majority has proposed to increase the $50 housing penalty to a $200 penalty (HF 1681). This means families receiving assistance from our state's welfare to work program (MFIP) who also receive Section 8 rental assistance or live in Public Housing would see a $200 reduction in their assistance. HousingMinnesota provided testimony in the House against this proposal. The initiative was passed out of committee as part of the House Health and Human Services supplemental budget on 3-25-04. That bill passed on the House floor April 2nd on a vote of 83 to 46. HousingMinnesota convened a meeting of advocates that have been active on this issue in the past to strategize next steps. We have agreed on a media strategy and next steps to put pressure on policymakers. Sen. Berglin has introduced a bill that would repeal the $50 housing penalty (SF 1991). We arranged testimony by a tenant impacted by the penalty for the hearing in the Senate Health, Human Services and Corrections Budget Division. The Senate repeals the $50 housing penalty in their supplemental budget bill (HF 2028) which was passed on the floor early on April 8th. An ACTION ALERT on this issue is posted on our Web site along with more information: www.housingminnesota.org Supplemental Budget to Fill $160 Million Deficit Governor Pawlenty has proposed to cut MHFA's base budget by $628,000 for 05. This is a 1.8% base cut and would amount to a $1.256 million cut for the 06-07 biennium. The House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee passed their supplemental budget on 3-25-04; the bill passed the Ways and Means Committee and passed on the floor on Wed. April 7th. The bill (HF 3090) includes a one-time cut of $628,000 in 05 for MHFA's budget. The Senate Environment, Agriculture, and Ec. Dev. Budget Division heard an overview of the governor's proposed cuts to MHFA. In testimony before this Senate committee MHFA has said they will make this cut to their budget by shifting agency resources around so that program cuts will not be necessary in 2005. However, MHFA also stated that any base reduction will need to be revisited for the next biennium. HousingMinnesota provided written testimony in both Senate and House committees in opposition to this cut and lobbied key members of both committees to attempt to reduce the cuts. The Senate Environment, Agriculture, and Ec. Dev. Budget Division passed their supplemental budget bill on April 2nd with no program cuts to MHFA; that bill was passed by the Senate Finance Committee and was incorporated into the Senate's broad omnibus supplemental budget bill (HF 2028). However, the Senate Finance Committee has passed another bill (HF 956) that will reduce agency operating budgets by as much as 5% for 05. In HF 956, the Senate cuts MHFA's base budget by $1.047 million in 05; a base cut of 3%. The Senate passed both of their omnibus supplemental budget bills on the floor in the early hours of April 8th. Special Funds for Consumer Education, Flipping, and Fair Housing HousingMinnesota has worked to raise awareness and weigh in on the raiding of three special revenue funds at the Dept. of Commerce meant to provide consumer education about mortgage scams, to fund education about fair housing, and to educate homeowners about "flipping". The House Jobs and Economic Development Finance committee raided these funds to plug their general fund deficit. HousingMinnesota is working with other advocates) to ensure the Senate does not take these funds for other purposes. We have alerted MHFA, the Homeownership Center, and other advocacy groups about the potential loss of these funds and have asked them to weigh in. Currently, the Senate does not raid these funds in their supplemental budget. For further information on legislation, please visit our Web site at www.housingminnesota.org or contact our policy director, Rachel Callanan at 651-649-1710 x107 or rcallanan@mhponline.org . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reading/Resources Project Based Section 8- New Proposed Rules Comments due by May 17 in Washington HUD is seeking comments on a proposed rule regarding committing housing vouchers (formerly, Section 8) to buildings. Called "project basing," local housing authorities will have increased flexibility in using rent subsidies to expand housing choice for low income tenants. See the proposed rule at www.regulations.gov/fredpdfs/04-05827.pdf The deadline for comments is May 17, 2004. State Budget Deficits Continue Through 2007: A Response to the February 2004 Forecast This document takes a look at the February Forecast and finds that the picture is still bleak, despite an expected strong economic performance. It describes the risks in the forecast, why deficits persist in Minnesota, and next steps. Available online at www.mncn.org/bp/feb04fs.htm . Source: Minnesota Budget Project * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Upcoming Events April 13 Reasonable Accommodations Workshop: Understanding the Fair Housing Act, 504 Requirements, and Reasonable Accommodations 9:00am-3:30pm , Initiative Foundation, 405 1st Street SE , Little Falls, MN. The goal of this training is to ensure that McKinney Vento funded grantees have the information they need to explain the rules regarding handicap accessibility and reasonable accommodations to their asset and property managers, staff, subgrantees, contractors/subcontractors, and to provide guidance and successfully monitor them. Click here to download a brochure and registration materials. April 14 Minnesota Participation Project (MPP) Participation Clinic 8:30am-10:30am, Sabathani Community Center, 310 East 38th Street, Minneapolis. This month's clinic topic is Converting Ideas to Action: Planning Your Voter Mobilization Effort. In this clinic, we will: define terms used in voter mobilization efforts, walk through the essential elements of a powerful Voter Mobilization Plan, examine case studies, and help you create a customized, step-by-step plan for your Voter Mobilization work. Participation Clinics are free and open to anyone working with a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization or community group. For more information, call or email: Ann Wiesner, 651-645-2433, ann@grassrootssolutions.com ; Marcia Avner, 651-642-1904, marcia@mncn.org ; or C. Scott Cooper, 651-641-4050, cscooper@mapa-mn.org . April 18 Rally for the Homeless 2:00pm: Prayer Service at Christ Lutheran Church, 105 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55103; 3:00pm: Rally at the Capitol. Sponsored by the Sowers of Justice at the University of St. Thomas. Call 651-592-0573 or email mwcoenen@stthomas.edu with questions or to RSVP. April 19 Reasonable Accommodations Workshop: Understanding the Fair Housing Act, 504 Requirements, and Reasonable Accommodations 9:00am-3:30pm , Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, 3002 4th Street SE , Minneapolis , MN . The goal of this training is to ensure that McKinney Vento funded grantees have the information they need to explain the rules regarding handicap accessibility and reasonable accommodations to their asset and property managers, staff, subgrantees, contractors/subcontractors, and to provide guidance and successfully monitor them. Click here to download a brochure and registration materials. April 26 & 27 Income Training: Determining Income Eligibility for the HOME Program 8:00am-5:00pm, Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, 3131 Campus Drive, Plymouth, MN. This training will teach attendees how to calculate a family's eligibility for HOME-assisted housing units using annual income as defined at 24 CFR 5.609. Training will include determining whose income to count; definitions of income, assets, and allowances; the methods used to calculate them; and the necessary source documentation. Click here to download a brochure and registration materials. April 26-May 1 Affordable Comfort Conference Minneapolis, MN. This major national event, in its 18th year, is about improving the way old and new homes in terms of health, safety, durability, and the reduction of energy use/cost. Features include a 2 and ? day core conference, pre- and post-conference sessions, hands-on field sessions, trade show, field trips/tours, advanced to basic sessions, a focus on best practices, and new technology. $195 for single-day registration. For details and registration see http://www.affordablecomfort.org or call Janice at 800/344-3866, ext. 10. May 3-7 NeighborWorks Training Institute Hilton Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN. NeighborWorks offers a series of workshops with topics such as Affordable Housing, Asset Management, Community Building and Organizing, Community Economic Development, Construction and Production Management, Home Ownership and Community Lending, Management and Leadership, Neighborhood Revitalization and more. Early Registration Deadline: March 22nd. Registrations accepted through April 19th with a $25 late fee. Scholarships are available. For more information and to register, visit www.nw.org/training and click the Minneapolis Institute Link, email nti@nw.org , or call (800) 438-5547. May 11-13 Financial Management Training: Ensuring Compliance with Federal Financial Requirements Radisson Hotel Roseville, 2540 N. Cleveland Ave., Roseville, MN 55113. This training will provide attendees with an overview of financial compliance rules for federal housing and community development programs. Participants will gain an understanding of the financial management reporting and audit requirements for funding received from federal departments like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Click here to download a brochure and training materials. May 17 Greater Minnesota Housing Need Forum: The Importance of Stable, Affordable Housing for Families with Children Save the date! The forum will take place in Rochester. Further details about the forum and location to come. Sponsored by Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite 1310-East, Saint Paul, MN 55101 Main 651-221-1997; TF 800-277-2258; Fax 651-221-1904 gmhf@gmhf.com | www.gmhf.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Looking for something from the last Bulletin?? Archived issues are available online at: http://www.mhponline.org/Bulletin/Bulletin.htm For more information on affordable housing, the content of this document, or if you have news or events you would like included in future issues, please contact Rachel Callanan , Policy Director, (651) 649-1710 x107, email rcallanan@mhponline.org or see HousingMinnesota's website at www.housingminnesota.org . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mapnp.Geeks.ORG/pipermail/mhp-bulletin/attachments/20040408/8b3d3af1/attachment.html From housingminnesota at mhponline.org Mon Apr 19 14:14:52 2004 From: housingminnesota at mhponline.org (HousingMN Communications ) Date: Mon Apr 19 15:20:39 2004 Subject: [HousingMinnesota Bulletin] Volume 3, Issue 8 4-19-4 Message-ID: <91CE81A8B5C57940AA99ECF1E2A160600A6388@mhpserver.mhponline.org> HousingMinnesota Homes for All by 2012! The Bulletin April 19, 2004 Volume 3, Issue 8 Distributed bi-weekly, this bulletin contains news, announcements, legislative updates, publications, and upcoming events. We hope you'll find it helpful in keeping you abreast of important developments. Please don't hesitate to contact us with items you'd like included in future issues. The Bulletin is also available online at http://www.mhponline.org/Bulletin/Bulletin.htm . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * News/Announcements Action Alert! Urge Legislators to Include Governor's Proposed $20 million in Bonding for Permanent Supportive Housing in Final Bonding Bill As noted in the last edition of the Bulletin, HousingMinnesota has been working hard with other organizations to win passage of the Governor's $20 million bonding proposal for permanent supportive housing "bricks and mortar" funding. Although the proposal was ranked in the top eleven "high priority" initiatives by the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee, there is no guarantee that the Capital Investment committee will include the full $20 million in the final version of the bonding bill that goes to the House floor. It is expected that the Capital Investment Committee will be taking the bonding bill up on Wednesday, April 21, so please call or email members of the Capital Investment Committee (http://ww3.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/committeemembers.asp?comm=3 ) today! Let them know why you support the Governor's proposal, and why it is a necessary first step toward the Governor's initiative to end long-term homelessness by 2010. (Please view our fact sheet online at http://www.housingminnesota.org/downloads/2004BondingFactSheet.pdf .) You should also contact your individual House representative and ask him or her to lobby members of the Capital Investment committee to fully fund the Governor's bonding request for permanent supportive housing. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reading/Resources "Fair Housing Implications of the Administration's Flexible Voucher Proposal," from the Poverty and Race Research Action Council Housing advocacy groups have criticized the severe impact that the administration's new "Flexible Voucher Program" and Section 8 budget proposals would have on low income families, potentially removing Section 8 housing benefits from up to 250,000 families nationwide next year. In addition, the bill would further limit housing choices and would tend to concentrate Section 8 recipients in higher poverty, segregated neighborhoods. http://www.prrac.org/full_text.php?text_id=951&item_id=8609&newsletter_id=0&header=Policy%20Briefs (Source: Moving Ideas News) "2004 Fair Housing Trends," from the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) According to the report, at least 3.7 million fair housing violations still occur annually, with African- and Latino-Americans experiencing most of the discrimination. Yet HUD charged only four race discrimination cases in 2003, while the Department of Justice filed just six. The report found that race was the most commonly reported form of housing discrimination (29% of all complaints), followed by disability (27%) and familial status (13%). View the full report at: www.nationalfairhousing.org (Source: NLIHC Memo to Members). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Upcoming Events April 26 & 27 Income Training: Determining Income Eligibility for the HOME Program 8:00am-5:00pm, Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, 3131 Campus Drive, Plymouth, MN. This training will teach attendees how to calculate a family's eligibility for HOME-assisted housing units using annual income as defined at 24 CFR 5.609. Training will include determining whose income to count; definitions of income, assets, and allowances; the methods used to calculate them; and the necessary source documentation. Click here to download a brochure and registration materials. April 26-May 1 Affordable Comfort Conference Minneapolis, MN. This major national event, in its 18th year, is about improving the way old and new homes in terms of health, safety, durability, and the reduction of energy use/cost. Features include a 2 and ? day core conference, pre- and post-conference sessions, hands-on field sessions, trade show, field trips/tours, advanced to basic sessions, a focus on best practices, and new technology. $195 for single-day registration. For details and registration see http://www.affordablecomfort.org or call Janice at 800/344-3866, ext. 10. May 3-7 NeighborWorks Training Institute Hilton Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN. NeighborWorks offers a series of workshops with topics such as Affordable Housing, Asset Management, Community Building and Organizing, Community Economic Development, Construction and Production Management, Home Ownership and Community Lending, Management and Leadership, Neighborhood Revitalization and more. Early Registration Deadline: March 22nd. Registrations accepted through April 19th with a $25 late fee. Scholarships are available. For more information and to register, visit www.nw.org/training and click the Minneapolis Institute Link, email nti@nw.org , or call (800) 438-5547. May 11-13 Financial Management Training: Ensuring Compliance with Federal Financial Requirements Radisson Hotel Roseville, 2540 N. Cleveland Ave., Roseville, MN 55113. This training will provide attendees with an overview of financial compliance rules for federal housing and community development programs. Participants will gain an understanding of the financial management reporting and audit requirements for funding received from federal departments like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Click here to download a brochure and training materials. May 17 Greater Minnesota Housing Need Forum: The Importance of Stable, Affordable Housing for Families with Children Save the date! The forum will take place in Rochester. Further details about the forum and location to come. Sponsored by Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite 1310-East, Saint Paul, MN 55101 Main 651-221-1997; TF 800-277-2258; Fax 651-221-1904 gmhf@gmhf.com | www.gmhf.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Looking for something from the last Bulletin?? Archived issues are available online at: http://www.mhponline.org/Bulletin/Bulletin.htm For more information on affordable housing, the content of this document, or if you have news or events you would like included in future issues, please contact Rachel Callanan , Policy Director, (651) 649-1710 x107, email rcallanan@mhponline.org or see HousingMinnesota's website at www.housingminnesota.org . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mapnp.Geeks.ORG/pipermail/mhp-bulletin/attachments/20040419/2350aff2/attachment.html From housingminnesota at mhponline.org Thu Apr 22 07:08:39 2004 From: housingminnesota at mhponline.org (HousingMN Communications ) Date: Thu Apr 22 08:14:29 2004 Subject: [HousingMinnesota Bulletin] Action Alert! Message-ID: <91CE81A8B5C57940AA99ECF1E2A160600A638C@mhpserver.mhponline.org> House Capital Investment Committee Eliminates Funds for Long-Term Homeless Call or email your Minnesota State Representative Today! Take Action! The Minnesota House of Representatives Capital Investment Committee has forwarded a $684 million bonding proposal, but failed to include a single dollar for supportive housing. The Governor recommended $20 million for permanent, supportive housing as part of a plan to end long-term homelessness in Minnesota, and HousingMinnesota has supported and endorsed this effort. Our full fact sheet is available here . By failing to recommend any funding for this initiative, the Capital Investment Committee is setting a course to undermine the plan to end long-term homelessness in Minnesota. We need you to contact your Representative and urge the full $20 million dollars be added back to the final bill. If your email program doesn't support this link, please visit http://www.HousingMinnesota.org and click the Take Action button from there. Your voice is critical in support of Homes for All! -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 9405 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mapnp.Geeks.ORG/pipermail/mhp-bulletin/attachments/20040422/1252d058/attachment.bin