by iwd Tina | Jun 21, 2011 | Housing News
WASHINGTON – On June 22, the lead Cabinet secretaries from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) – from the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Veterans Affairs (VA) – joined Executive Director of the USICH Barbara Poppe to unveil and submit to the President and Congress the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes accepted the plan on behalf of President Barack Obama. The full report, titled Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, is available at www.usich.gov.
Please click here to read the full press release.
by iwd Tina | Jun 21, 2011 | Housing News
The Administration’s goal is to promote stability for both the housing market and homeowners. To meet these objectives in the context of a very challenging market, the Administration developed a broad approach implementing state and local housing agency initiatives, tax credits for homebuyers, neighborhood stabilization and community development programs, mortgage modifications and refinancing, continued Federal Housing Administration (FHA) engagement, and support for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In addition, Federal Reserve and Treasury MBS purchase programs have helped to keep mortgage interest rates at record lows over the past year.
To read the full report, click here.
by iwd Tina | Jun 21, 2011 | Housing News
The median price for single-family homes sold in Massachusetts during the month of February jumped 8.4 percent compared to a year earlier, the third consecutive month of year-over-year increases in prices, according to a new report from The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. The uptick in home prices comes as single-family home sales escalated 13.5 percent in February.”
The local housing market has definitely gained momentum in the last few months as single-family home sales have risen year-over-year for eight months in a row. The increase in sales volume has helped fuel pretty significant gains in median prices over the last three months,” said Timothy M. Warren Jr., CEO of The Warren Group.
Warren added, “There’s growing confidence in the housing market. Historically, median prices have increased after consistent gains in sales volume, but there is real concern about what will happen to home sales once the federal government withdraws its support of the housing sector, including ending the homebuyer tax credit.”
The median price for a single-family home climbed to $269,950 from $249,000 in February 2009. The year-to-date median home price is up 9.8 percent to $280,000 from $255,000.
Please click here to read the full article from Banker & Tradesman.
by iwd Tina | Jun 21, 2011 | Housing News
Beginning in 2010, utilities in Massachusetts will offer a new, multi- million dollar energy efficiency retrofit grant program for existing low-income multi-family properties (five or more units) owned by public housing authorities and non-profits.
The program will provide owners direct services that will include benchmarking a development’s energy use and in most cases an energy assessment. This “whole building” assessment will evaluate all energysaving
opportunities in a building, regardless of fuel source and whether the owner or tenant pays metered usage. Grants will be offered to implement the most cost-effective measures (to reduce gas and electricity usage, and possibly, oil); in some cases, a co-payment may be required. A more detailed program description is here.
A program overview session will be held on February 25th at 10 am – 11:30 am at the office of ABCD (178 Tremont Street, Boston, 3rd Floor). Please RSVP to Ellen Tohn at etohn@tohnenvironmental.com
by iwd Tina | Jun 21, 2011 | Housing News
Joe DeNucci, State Auditor, News Release – On February 24, 2010, State Auditor Joe DeNucci reported that years of underfunding of operating and capital budgets have resulted in the deterioration of state-subsidized public housing units for people with special needs, depriving them of decent, safe, secure and sanitary housing.
During the audit period, there were 1,904 special needs housing units owned by 115 housing authorities across the state. Under this program, human service providers manage these units under contracts with various state agencies, including the Departments of Mental Health (DMH), Developmental Services (DDS), and Public Health (DPH). The providers make rent payments to the housing authorities and the state funding agencies pay an annual maintenance fee of $2,000, but the housing authorities are responsible for the cost of repairs.
DeNucci’s audit, which reviewed conditions of special needs units at 30 selected local housing authorities across Massachusetts, cited such health and safety problems as mold and mildew; rotted and damaged window frames and roofs; broken and missing floor and bathroom tiles, safety railings and cabinets; failing heating systems and boilers; animal infestation of units; and debris and shrubbery overgrowth in yard areas.
DeNucci commended the Patrick Administration and the Legislature for providing increased funding for housing authorities since his 2006 report that found many public housing units to be in serious disrepair. However, he noted that the current fiscal crisis has curtailed these funding increases, and housing authorities do not receive adequate rental income or annual maintenance fees to cover their operating and capital needs. Also contributing to the problem, according to DeNucci’s report, is an inefficient and cumbersome lease process that fails to clearly identify responsibility for proper upkeep and modernization of these public housing units.
“I recognize the serious fiscal problems we are facing at this time,” said DeNucci, “but I hope we can make this important program a priority. Vulnerable people with special needs deserve to live in safe, decent and sanitary units.”
The following local housing authorities were reviewed as part of DeNucci’s report: Amherst, Attleboro, Barnstable, Boston, Bourne, Brockton, Chelmsford, Cohasset, Dennis, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Grafton, Hingham, Hudson, Mansfield, Methuen, Milton, Needham, Norwell, Orleans, Plymouth, Quincy, Sandwich, Sharon, Somerville, Taunton, Waltham, Westfield and Worcester.
