There Was No Subprime Crisis

In this Issue: In this Issue: Did Extending More Credit to Subprime Borrowers Cause the Foreclosure Crisis? ● 7 Ways to Improve Transit Beyond a New Rail Stop ● Affirmatively Dismantling Fair Housing

Week of February 2 In this Issue: Did Extending More Credit to Subprime Borrowers Cause the Foreclosure Crisis? ● 7 Ways to Improve Transit Beyond a New Rail Stop ● Affirmatively Dismantling Fair Housing ● Do Rent Regulations Make the Housing Crisis Worse? ● Also: Jobs ● In Case You Missed It + 7 Ways to Improve Transit Beyond a New Rail Stop Miriam Axel-Lute, Shelterforce The next time you hear “transit,” don’t necessarily limit your thoughts to light rail and transit-oriented development. Read Full Article Affirmatively Dismantling Fair Housing Gregory Squires, George Washington University HUD has proposed a new rule that would make it more difficult to combat racial segregation in housing. For starters, the rule doesn’t even mention segregation. Read Full Article Q: Did Extending More Credit to Subprime Borrowers Cause the Foreclosure Crisis? Shelterforce staff Many people believe that the foreclosure crisis occurred because too many unqualified borrowers became homeowners. What actually happened was . . . Read Full Article From the Shelterforce archive: Nuisance Laws May Violate Fair Housing Act J. Rosie Tighe, Cleveland State University Fighting nuisances might sound great, but when landlords respond by moving to evict whenever there’s a call to law enforcement, there are unintended consequences. Here’s how to retool these ordinances to avoid the worst of these problems. Read Full Article Events Thursday, Feb. 6, 1:30 p.m. ET | Defending the AFFH Rule | Join the National Community Reinvestment Coalition on Thursday, Feb. 6, for a webinar to learn about proposed changes to the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, how to make an effective comment, and how to help defend AFFH. Register here. We only list free events and resources of national interest. To learn about advertising, click here. You Said It On “HUD Secretary Asks America to Accept Housing Segregation” Broken Hearted: Only a white person who does not have to face this kind of discrimination would say something like that. You may mean well Sir. But unless you are a person of color, YOU WILL NEVER FULLY UNDERSTAND what it is we truly face. I am a . . . Read More On “Tiny Houses: Does Size Matter?” Peter W. Peters: REACH Advocacy in Rochester, New York is planning a Tiny Home Village to increase the supportive housing available in our city. Our tiny homes will be designed to survive in a Rochester winter! We are also . . . Read More On “The Paradox of Prevailing Wage” M.B.: The biggest barrier for a small subcontractor in using [The Davis-Bacon Act] isn’t the paperwork it is the uncertainty. If I was a small subcontractor I wouldn’t bid on a [Davis-Bacon Act] job because of the omissions in labor classifications. As an owner . . . Read More On “Who Most Needs Access to Core Neighborhoods?” Barbara Samuels: And unless or until we reach the point where transit is everywhere and frequent, we need equity in access to or a car. Efforts to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMTs) should be viewed through an equity lens. That includes a focus on reducing . . . Read More On “Tiny Houses – Not a Big Enough Solution” LR: Are you kidding me . . . a cottage of 384 square feet? Some of the tiny homes are 500 square feet and up. I suppose it depends on your definition of “tiny home.” We certainly need homes under 1,000 square feet but let’s be realistic. Not everyone will . . . Read More Marc Brenman: Just as homelessness is a complicated and multi-faceted problem, tiny houses are just one part of a solution at the margin. Via Facebook On “Don’t Wait to Call in the Artists” Patricia Walsh: Americans for the Arts is working to support public art and transit by advocating for the Saving Transit Art Resources Act (STAR Act, HR 3437) before . . . Read More On “Buying Power: Why Nonprofits Should Own Their Space” Shameka Render: Thank you for posting this information. I was in tears as I begin to imagine the things that my nonprofit can offer to others once we purchased a building. Thanks so much! Read More Looking for a Job? Scroll Down... In Case You Missed It Tenant Organizing Where Rising Rent Isn’t the (Main) Issue Arts in Transit HUD Secretary Asks America to Accept Housing Segregation Organizing for Hospital Community Benefits Could Gentrification be Changing DC Schools for the Better? Jobs Publisher/Executive Director, Shelterforce, Montclair, NJ ● Shelterforce seeks a publisher/executive director to advance its mission, grow its audience and influence, and strategically and sustainably guide the organization through an evolving and dynamic media landscape. Read Full Listing Director of Finance, Champlain Housing Trust, Burlington, VT ● Champlain Housing Trust is seeking a highly skilled professional to lead its accounting and financial activities as the Director of Finance. This is a dynamic position with a dynamic organization, offering an opportunity to support the development, management, and stewardship of permanently . . . Read Full Listing Chief Executive Officer, Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers, Minneapolis, MN ● Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD) seeks an individual who is able to develop relationships with key external influencers, such as elected officials and funders. This position reports to and is the principal resource to the Board of Directors. The CEO will align metrics and performance . . . Read Full Listing Multifamily Housing Lender, City of Seattle Office of Housing, Seattle, WA ● The City of Seattle Office of Housing seeks a Multifamily Housing Lender to help the City decide which projects should or should not be funded. With oversight, you will review and evaluate multifamily and bridge loan applications for policy and regulatory compliance, underwrite projects' . . . Read Full Listing Chief Real Estate Officer, Way Finders Inc., Springfield, MA ● As a member of the Chief Executive Team, the Chief Real Estate Officer (CREO) oversees and implements strategy, policy, and goal setting that advances the mission of Way Finders. The CREO is principally responsible for leading and supervising Way Finders’ real estate development activities . . . Read Full Listing Click here to post a job! More Jobs President and CEO, Raleigh, NC ● DHIC, Inc. Executive Director, Northampton, MA ● Valley Community Development President and CEO, Springfield, MA ● Way Finders Inc. Director of Finance, Detroit, MI ● Housing Partnership Network Chief Financial Officer, Detroit, MI ● Housing Partnership Network Editor, Miriam Axel-Lute Managing Editor, Lillian M. Ortiz Senior Editor, Keli A. Tianga Assistant Editor, Elizabeth Oguss Operations Assistant, Sam Fields Publisher, Harold Simon Made possible by the generous support of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ● Kresge Foundation ● NeighborWorks America ● Kaiser Permanente ● Bank of America Foundation ● JPMorgan Chase Foundation ● Citi Community Development ● PNC Bank Foundation● BB&T ● Valley National Bank ... and with the support of readers like you.