Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros, a leading authority on expanding affordable housing opportunities for both renters and homebuyers during and after his service as President Clinton’s housing chief, will be the keynote speaker at the 13^th annual Governor’s Housing Conference at the Baltimore Hilton on Friday, Sept. 27.

The theme of the conference, Building for the Future: Investing in People, Places and Communities, reflects the focus of the day-long workshops and forums, said Kelly Vaughn, director of DHCD’s Office of Community Outreach, during an interview broadcast Tuesday on WEAA’s The Deborah Owens Show.

The annual Governor’s Housing Conference is the largest and most comprehensive affordable housing forum in the state, convening housing advocates, community development leaders, housing authorities, homebuilders, developers, lenders and legislators to discuss solutions and opportunities for affordable homeownership and rental housing in Maryland. DHCD hosts the conference in partnership with the Homebuilders Association of Maryland.

During the conference, DHCD will announce winners of its annual Commitment to Excellence Awards.  The annual roundtable discussion with some of the region’s top lawmakers is one of the popular conference events.

Secretary Cisneros is executive chairman of the CityView companies, which work with urban homebuilders to create homes priced within the range of average families. CityView is a partner in building more than 60 communities in 13 states, incorporating more than 7,000 homes with a home value of over $2 billion.

His community-building career began at the local level. After serving three terms as a city council member, in 1981, he became mayor of San Antonio, Texas, the first Hispanic-American mayor of a major U.S. city.

During his four terms as mayor, Secretary Cisneros helped rebuild the city’s economic base and spurred the creation of jobs through massive infrastructure and downtown improvements.  In 1984, he was interviewed by the Democratic presidential nominee as a possible candidate for vice president of the United States and in 1986 was selected as the “Outstanding Mayor” in the nation by City and State Magazine.

As a member of President Clinton’s cabinet beginning in 1992, Secretary Cisneros has been credited with initiating the revitalization of many of the nation’s public housing developments and with formulating policies which contributed to achieving the nation’s highest ever homeownership rate.

After leaving HUD in 1997, he was president and chief operating officer of Univision Communications, the Spanish-language broadcaster. He currently serves on Univision’s board of directors.

By David Bowers, Enterprise VP and Market Leader, Mid-Atlantic
@the horizon An Enterprise blog about affordable housing and community development

Last week, we celebrated the groundbreaking for Monseñor Romero apartments, a building that will soon provide affordable homes for 63 families in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The building burned down in a five-alarm blaze in 2008. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. Enterprise provided $12 million in Housing Credits to help our partner, the National Housing Trust/Enterprise Preservation Corporation, redevelop it.

I noticed a small boy quietly moving rocks from a tree bed to the street. After a while, he looked back on his work and then proceeded to return the rocks back to the tree bed. I’m not sure whether he was playing or cleaning, but he was certainly building something.

The young boy was right in front of the Mayor and Councilmember. At one point, Mayor Gray noticed the boy, smiled at him and leaned over to speak to him. The boy the handed him one of his rocks.

I was particularly moved by the remarks of Yasmin Romero-Latin, President of the 3145 Mount Pleasant Street Tenants Association. She noted that before the fire, the former owner had treated the residents “like animals,” with code violations an all too common daily reality for the residents. They believed the owner wanted them to move out and convert the building to market-rate condos.

To me, this groundbreaking was a moment of inspiration, a reminder of why we do what we do. More than three decades after Mr. Rouse helped preserve the Mozart and the Ritz for low-income District residents, the spirit of Enterprise is as strong as ever, and we continue to fight for families across the country. I’m truly proud and blessed to be a part of that effort.

Click here to view the full article.

At their annual luncheon in Richmond on June 20, APAH President/CEO Nina Janopaul received the Innovations In Leadership award from the Virginia Housing Coalition.

The Innovations In Leadership Award is bestowed on honorees who have demonstrated professional excellence in Virginia’s housing industry and innovations in leadership.

In addition to her role at APAH, Ms. Janopaul also serves as the Immediate Past President of HAND’s Board of Directors. Congratulations Nina!