Thursday, October 28, 2010

Upcoming Private Activity Bond meeting

Colorado's Private Activity Bond Allocation Committee will hold a meeting on Friday, November 5th, 1:30 - 3:30pm, at the Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman St., Room 518.

The Committee will hear a presentation on tax-exempt bond markets from Douglas Houston of GK Baum & Co. Then they will discuss and vote on the Department of Local Affairs' (DOLA's) priorities for use of the Statewide Balance for next year. The Committee will also review applications for PABs and for RZFBs.

Please direct any questions to Ann Watts at [email protected] or (303) 866-4652.

VIDEO: Housing permits vs. household formation

Monday, October 25, 2010

Please Comment on DOH's new Guidelines for DPA and Rehab programs

Please find here DOH's new DRAFT Guidelines for your revolving loan fund programs. It covers both Down Payment Assistance programs and Single-Family Owner Occupied Rehab programs. Please review & return any comments &/or suggestions to me by Monday, November 1st.

I have also attached a PDF of the Power Point presentation from the State Housing Board's retreat last Tuesday - this summarizes the Guideline's key policies, but please don't rely on it by itself for your comments! We also want to make sure that the Guideline document itself is easy to read & use.

Your comments will be compiled & submitted to the State Housing Board by Tuesday, November 2nd for discussion at their meeting on Tuesday, November 9th.

Submit comments to: [email protected]

Friday, October 22, 2010

AIA/HUD Secretary's 2011 Awards Program Announcement

AIA/HUD Secretary's 2011 Awards Program Announcement

Applications for the 2011 Housing and Urban Development Design Awards program are currently being accepted by the Residential Knowledge Community of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. These annual awards recognize excellence in affordable housing, community-based design, participatory design, and housing accessibility.

Award recipients will have their projects publicized by HUD and in AIA's online newsletter, AIArchitect, at info.aia.org/aiarchitect/. The winning designs will also be honored at the 2011 AIA National Convention in New Orleans, on May 12–14.

Applications are due December 10, 2010. The criteria and instructions for online submissions are located at http://www.aia.org/practicing/awards/AIAS075324. Questions should be directed to AIA at (202) 626-7586 or by email to [email protected]. Go to http://www.huduser.org/portal/research/secaward.html#des to read about past winners.

Colorado Foreclosure Hotline Wins Eagle Award

From the Foreclosure Hotline Call Center's press release:

Officials with the statewide affordable housing advocacy group Housing Colorado NOW! last week presented the staff and members of the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline with the organization’s prestigious Eagle Award—celebrating the extraordinary accomplishments, innovations and outstanding leadership of agencies and individuals in housing and support services. Housing Colorado officials presented the award on Oct. 14th during the organization’s annual conference in Vail.

Web searches for Colorado foreclosures moving down

Some interesting information from Google Trends:

In the graph below, Google Trends shows that global Google searches for the terms "foreclosure" and "Colorado" have been going down since 2008, which is probably a reflection of the fact that, while Colorado was at the forefront of the news in 2007 and 2008 for its foreclosure rate, Colorado has gradually slipped into the background as other states have attained much larger foreclosure crises than Colorado's.

Interestingly, the graph also provides some information on what stories caused some spikes in web searches on this topic. Happily, most of these spikes were produced by our own efforts with the media, which means that much of the media about foreclosures in Colorado is being based on the State data and not on data from others with less accurate data.

Monday, October 11, 2010

October Housing Snapshot now available

October's Housing Snapshot is now available online.

See this month's Housing Snapshot for a quick look at recent economic developments in Colorado.

In this issue, we feature:
Job and Income
The Housing CPI
Residential Building vs. Household Formation
Home Sales Activity
A September Foreclosure Update

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

2010 Annual Demography Meeting

If you're looking to understand demographic and economic trends in Colorado, be sure to attend the Colorado Demography Office's Annual Demography Meeting on November 5th:

Click here to register.

Presented by the Department of Local Affairs
And Northwest Colorado Council of Governments
November 5th, 2010
Arvada Center for the Performing Arts
8:30 - 3:30

$65.00 Registration

Join us for this exciting and informational event and learn about the issues affecting YOUR organization!

· Spend the day learning about the population and economic trends affecting our state.

· Learn more about the methods used to produce our estimates and forecasts.

· Get an update about Census 2010 and learn hands-on how to access the wealth of information available through the American Community Survey.

· International immigration is a component of our population change and economic growth. Come and hear findings from the DU Strategic Issues Panel about this important public policy challenge.

Registration is $65 per person. If paying by Visa or MC, please click here. If you wish to pay by check, please send an email to [email protected].

Hot and cold beverages will be provided throughout the day, as well as a buffet-style luncheon. The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities is located at 6901 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada 80003. Click here for a map.

If you have any questions or special requests, please send an email to [email protected].

Register early- We tend to sell out!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Antonia Manjarrez selected as new Sec. 8 Director for Denver Housing Authority

From the Denver Housing Authority:

Denver, CO -- The Housing Authority (DHA) of the City and County of Denver recently welcomed Ms. Antonia Manjarrez as DHA’s Section 8 Rental Assistance Department. Ms. Manjarrez assumes the Section 8 Director position vacated by Ms. Tina Segura, who will be leaving DHA at the end of 2010.

Ms. Manjarrez was selected for the position following a national search and will assume responsibility for the Section 8 Department as of October 4, 2010. She brings proven experience in management and administration of the federal housing choice voucher program and related Section 8 voucher programs, including the Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (VASH) Program, and special needs housing. Prior to joining DHA, Ms. Manjarrez served as Housing Choice Voucher Supervisor for the Seattle Housing Authority.