DONATE TO HAND TODAY!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • Rss

Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND)

  • ABOUT
    • MEET THE TEAM
    • BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    • ANNUAL REPORT
  • MEMBERS
    • JOIN OR RENEW MEMBERSHIP
    • MEMBER BENEFITS
    • MEMBERS-ONLY PORTAL
    • MEMBER DIRECTORY
    • CAREER CENTER
    • INDUSTRY RFPS
  • PROGRAMS
    • 2023-2024 TRAINING & CAPACITY BUILDING SERIES
    • ANNUAL HAND HONORS
    • GENERATIONHAND
      • GENERATIONHAND SCHOLARSHIP
  • POLICY ACTIVATIONS
    • HOUSING INDICATOR TOOL
    • EQUITY IN ACTION
    • MY RIGHT, MY FIGHT
  • EQUITY
    • WHEN WE ALL VOTE
  • RESOURCES
    • BLOG
      • AREAS OF NEED
      • MEMBER EVENTS & SUCCESS STORIES
      • OPPORTUNITIES
    • STAY IN THE KNOW
  • SUPPORTERS

Archive for month: April, 2015

NACEDA Releases Report: Financial Empowerment In a Thriving Community Development Network

April 23, 2015
April 23, 2015

Financial Empowerment In a Thriving Community Development Network finds that financial empowerment is a growing strategy for community development associations. Financial empowerment programs provide strategies to help families with low and moderate incomes stabilize their finances, prepare for their financial future, budget soundly, improve credit worthiness, build assets, and reduce debt.

Funded by the PNC Foundation, the report assesses 18 state and regional community development associations’ engagement in financial empowerment activities. It’s based on interviews with the executive directors of the associations, all of whom are NACEDA members.

Findings include:

  • The vast majority see a continuing need for financial empowerment in their communities;
  • Existing funding comes predominantly from the Federal government and to a lesser extent from philanthropy;
  • Measurement standards and terminology differed widely among the associations;
  • All of the associations currently engaged in financial empowerment and asset building programs see it as a future area of work for their organizations.

Click here to view the report

0 Comments/in HAND News, Member Events & Success Stories /by H.A.N.D.

New Member Spotlight: The Michaels Development Company Shares Key’s Pointe Progress

April 22, 2015
April 22, 2015

Michaels Development Company is one of eight integrated but independent companies that comprise The Michaels Organization, a national leader in the residential real estate industry that offers full service capabilities in development, property and asset management, construction, mortgage finance and tax credit syndication. Named the number one affordable housing owner and developer by Affordable Housing Finance Magazine, Michaels Development Company has developed more than 50,000 units in 34 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands since it was founded by housing visionary Michael Levitt in 1973. From small scale properties to massive neighborhood transformations, Michaels Development has created high-quality, environmentally conscious and financially successful communities that offer affordable housing opportunities to more than 100,000 residents.

They are extraordinary proud of the grand opening of Key’s Pointe, the first phase of the massive redevelopment of a 60-acre O’Donnell Heights public housing site just outside of downtown Baltimore. For years, the city of Baltimore and the Baltimore Housing Authority wanted to redevelop this outdated and obsolete barrack-style housing community, but continually ran into obstacles. Through a collaborative process with our partners at The Baltimore Housing Authority, AHC of Greater Baltimore, and stakeholders from the community, including residents, business and community leaders and neighbors, a comprehensive master plan has been created that ensures Key’s Pointe will be a dynamic, diverse community that will serve families with a variety of incomes. Phase 2 is expected to close in 2015.

Michaels Development is proud to have its Vice President of Development Sasha-Gaye Angus work with many of HAND’s members. Ms. Angus represents the very best of the affordable housing industry. She is committed to providing quality, sustainable housing for families with low-incomes, and is especially focused on urban centers in order to raise the quality of life for those most vulnerable among us. In recognition of Sasha’s achievements in Baltimore, Tennessee, and now Washington, D.C., Sasha  was named The Michaels Organization’s Teammate of the Year in 2014.

Michaels Development is new to HAND, but very excited to be part of an association that supports the community development industry in the mid-Atlantic region. The company is expanding its portfolio in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, and looks to HAND as a major resource for information, best practices and networking with leaders in the field.

0 Comments/in HAND News, Member Events & Success Stories, HAND Member Profiles /by H.A.N.D.

Bisnow Features GenerationHAND

April 13, 2015
April 13, 2015

0 Comments/in HAND Press Releases /by H.A.N.D.

ProInspire Fellowship – 2015 Finalists for Washington D.C. Placements

April 13, 2015
April 13, 2015

ProInspire is now identifying nonprofits in the Washington DC region to serve as hiring partners for the 2015 ProInspire Fellowship. ProInspire Fellows are top professionals with 2-5 years of business or fundraising experience, and they spend one year working in a role focused on analysis, finance, fundraising, marketing, operations, or strategy. Fellows come from across the US, with experience at companies like Bain, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Google, JPMorgan, and Mediacom. Fellows can start their one year Fellowship between June and September 2015, based on partner needs. Find more details about hiring a ProInspire Fellow here.

5 Things to Know About the ProInspire Fellowship:
1. Due to the highly competitive selection process, only 4% of applicants are selected as Fellows each year
2. Over 63% of Fellows are persons of color
3. 81% of Fellows stay at their organization after the Fellowship ends
4. 80% of partners are very satisfied with ProInspire’s ability to find a candidate that meets their needs.
5. Our hiring partners indicate that an average salary of $64K would reflect the Fellow’s value to their organization.

Costs:
The total annual cost to hire a ProInspire Fellow is approximately $51k (Partners pay salary & health benefits to Fellow, and program fee to ProInspire).

Recommended Deadlines:
Fellow to start in June/July: April 20th
Fellow to start in Aug/Sep: June 19th

0 Comments/in HAND News, Opportunities /by H.A.N.D.

Enterprise Community Loan Fund is Fourth CDFI to Join FHLBank Atlanta Cooperative

April 13, 2015
April 13, 2015

Enterprise Community Loan Fund (ECLF) is pleased to announce it has joined the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta). As an FHLBank Atlanta member ECLF will have access to new resources, allowing the organization to further its work in strengthening communities by ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to live in an affordable home connected to good schools, jobs, transit and health care. ECLF joins a small group of approximately 30 community development financial institutions (CDFIs) currently participating as member institutions in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, and is only the fourth CDFI to have joined the FHLBank Atlanta cooperative.

To learn more, read the press release.

0 Comments/in HAND News, Member Events & Success Stories /by H.A.N.D.

GenerationHAND Launch was a Success!

April 8, 2015
April 8, 2015

Nearly 150 HAND members, partners and friends joined us last week for the launch of GenerationHAND! This standing room only event brought out affordable housing and community development practitioners from nearly every sector within the industry and clearly showed that the appetite for professional development and leadership training is strong among our practitioners who are “on the rise.” What was also equally clear was that our current leaders are just as excited to share their hard-earned knowledge on the inner workings of our industry, and are vested in helping to cultivate a strong slate of leaders for today and tomorrow.

The expert panel answered questions from the audience and the moderator with keen insight and perspectives based on their respective functions. Composed of for-profit and nonprofit leaders the panel was composed of presidents/CEOs, architects, bankers, real estate experts, developers and syndicators. Together they provided tangible and solid advice on ways to shape your future.

Did you miss the event? Keep your eyes open for when we announce the next event later in the year.

For a full listing of the panelists and GenerationHAND background, click here. If you are interested in being apart of GenerationHAND, please email Heather Raspberry.

 

0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by H.A.N.D.

HAND Spotlights Emerging Leader Maia Shanklin Roberts, Bocarsly Emden Cowan Esmail & Arndt LLP

April 6, 2015
April 6, 2015

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself:

A: I am a proud Washingtonian. I earned my Bachelors in Urban Studies from Stanford University, my Masters in Community from the University of Maryland in Community Planning and my JD from American University, Washington College of Law. I am currently an associate at Bocarsly Emden Cowan Esmail & Ardnt LLP, where I represent investors in affordable real estate projects, primarily using the federal low-income housing tax credit. My passions have always been centered around the uplift and support of low-income and minority communities. My career and education are a direct reflection of an intentional path to create and facilitate solutions to reinvigorate such communities and the families that reside within them.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge in your industry, and how have addressed it?

A: I would describe my industry as the lawyers who represent the developers, lenders and investors in affordable housing projects. Beyond learning all of the law needed to be a great attorney, in my opinion, the hardest challenge is getting in the door. The community of affordable housing lawyers in the DC Metropolitan region is very small. Our practice area is very niche and the pathway for entering into the field is not very defined. As such, breaking in can be challenging.

In order to address the challenge, I learned to be very tenacious in my efforts to build connections and mentors. I met with everyone – developers, attorneys, investors and policy makers. I pushed myself to attend events and talk to people in the industry to learn as much as I could.  And from those experiences, I learned that the leaders in this industry have a wealth of knowledge that they are beyond willing to share. Presenting myself as one who is worthy of an investment was all that was needed.

Now, as a young attorney, I continue to challenge myself to maintain and develop those connections. I am constantly striving to gain new information and facilitate my personal and professional growth. Every day, I challenge myself to demonstrate that I am one who is still deserving of investment.

Q: What’s the one piece of advice you wish you had gotten sooner that helped you be successful?

A: A piece of advice that I wish I would have gotten sooner is to release the fear of starting over. As one who is constantly striving for success, accepting the idea that a direction you have set for yourself is no longer fitting is difficult. Releasing the idea that your professional career will be linear is necessary to achieve greater heights. I constantly remind myself that I can recreate and revise the blue print and that has been freeing! I have become less and less wedded to some fictitious future that I envisioned and have learned to have faith in the process.

Q: How has being a member of HAND helped you with your community development efforts?

A: HAND has helped me to connect with the broader affordable housing community. Heather Raspberry, specifically, has been beacon in my journey to become more engaged in community development. I feel so much more informed about the affordable housing landscape and the issues that confront my practice and the industry. HAND affirms my belief that my work is meaningful and that community development and affordable housing creates change.

 

 

 

0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by H.A.N.D.

The Impact of Sequestration on the Washington DC Area Housing Market: How Across-the-Board Federal Spending Cuts Restructured the Region’s Economy and Will Alter Demand for Housing

April 6, 2015
April 6, 2015

By Lisa A. Sturtevant, PhD

The federal budget cuts known as sequestration reduced overall discretionary spending and placed budget caps on total defense and non-defense spending. Introduced as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011, these across-the-board spending cuts were put into place as of March 1, 2013.  Legislation passed in 2013 lifted the spending caps through fiscal year 2015 but the caps will return in fiscal year 2016 unless Congress acts.

While the impacts of sequestration were widespread, the greater Washington DC area  was particularly hard hit by the cuts because of our economy’s dependence on the federal government. Federal government employment in the region has declined steadily since the end of 2011.  Federal procurement spending—which had escalated over the past three decades—declined for three consecutive years before upticking slightly in 2014.  Procurement spending supports many professional and business service jobs in the region, and that sector has taken a hit. As a result of job losses in the government and professional and business services sector, average wages have declined across the region as we have traded higher wage jobs for lower wage jobs during the recovery.

The effects of sequestration are not likely temporary. Sequestration has fundamental reset the regional economy.  According to estimate from the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis, the federal government’s portion of the region’s economy will decline from about 40 percent today to just 29 percent by 2019.


The regional economy will need to diversify moving forward. Local jurisdictions across the region are planning for how to attract new businesses to a new regional economy. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has just launched an initiative on regional economic competitiveness. Thus, there is recognition that things are changing in the region.  Moving forward, the region will see higher growth in the health, leisure and hospitality and other services sectors.

These jobs will come with lower wages than what we’ve become used to when the federal government and professional and business service sectors were the primary drivers of job growth.

What are the implications for the region’s housing market?

Despite some selected positive indicators around the region’s for-sale housing market in early 2015, there is growing evidence of a general slowdown in the market in response to slower overall regional job growth. And the lower wages and household incomes associated with economic restructuring in the region are evident in the housing market activity data broken down by price point; the fastest selling, most in-demand homes have been among lower priced homes. We will likely see a slowdown in price appreciation across the region in the coming year, and inventories of lower-priced homes will continue to be limited.

While changes at the federal level will make access to homeownership easier for many, demand for rental housing will continue to be strong in the region in the new economy. As a result of the economic restructuring brought on by sequestration, there will be a greater need to serve households lower down the income spectrum, as well as to serve larger households, including families that may be renters by necessity.

The Washington DC region has been very effective at producing high end rental housing.  More than half of all building permits issued in the region last year were for units in multifamily buildings and the rents in those new building have topped over $2,000—or more—for a one-bedroom unit.   The rapid increase in rental supply at the higher end was not coupled with similar increases in production at the lower end of the housing market. According to a recent report from the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, since 2002, the District of Columbia lost nearly half of all units renting for less than $800 per month. The study authors concluded that there is virtually no market-rate housing in the city affordable to low-income households; all housing renting for below $800 per month is subsidized housing.

There is some evidence, however, that the market is beginning to respond to the demand for lower-cost rental housing. Or that there will be a slowdown, at the very least, in targeting new construction at the very high end of the market.  A recent Washington Post article documented discounts, free rent, and other incentives owners of new multifamily buildings have had to offer to potential renters to get them to sign a lease. An oversupply of rental housing across the region—from DC to Tysons to Rockville—suggests that builders have overbuilt for the high-end market, a population whose growth has slowed as a result of the new economic reality in the region.  Greater demand for more moderately-priced rental homes may lead to more diverse construction, including more homes affordable to renters further down the income spectrum. High land costs, however, may mean that the majority of this new construction will occur outside the region’s urban core.

Last year, in addition to targeting the higher end of the market, developers of multifamily rental properties also targeted aggressively single Millennials.  Family-sized units have been notoriously hard to come by in the region.  But there will be growing demand for larger, multifamily units in the region in the years ahead. As members of the region’s Millennial population age—and marry and have children—some may seek to remain in high-density more urban environments where they will need rental or multifamily housing with two or three bedrooms.  At the same time, the region’s population will continue to become more racially and ethnically diverse. Since non-white households tend to be larger, there will be additional needs for larger multifamily rental housing. And even as the economy continues to recovery and wages slowly start to rise, many workers will still be looking for housing where they can split rent, which means additional demand for two and three bedroom units.

Community opposition to multifamily rental housing is common, and NIMBYism around multifamily buildings with large, family-sized units can derail a project. Understanding the fiscal and other concerns residents have—and learning how to communicate effectively to combat this NIMBYism—will be critical for ensuring that this needed housing gets built.

The region’s new economy means shifting housing demand. The market will respond to some aspects of changing housing demand, but as the DC Fiscal Policy Institute and other local jurisdictions have shown, new supply has not been able to outpace losses in market-rate affordable housing. In order to ensure that workers in the new regional economy can find housing they can afford, we will need continued subsidies to meet housing needs for the lowest-income workers and land use and regulatory strategies to incentivize the production of housing affordable all along the income spectrum and for households of different sizes and types.

Next month: Prospects for Regionalism

0 Comments/in Uncategorized, HAND Thought Leadership /by H.A.N.D.

GenerationHAND

April 1, 2015
April 1, 2015

The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers is proud to share our newest program offering: Generation HAND, an emerging leader initiative designed to support the unique needs of practitioners who are on the rise within the affordable housing and community development industry. The goal of this initiative is to provide needed tools and guidance to our developing leaders as they pursue successful careers in the public and private sector.

The program will launch with an informative and in-depth panel discussion followed by a dynamic networking event for participants. The panel discussion will include seasoned professionals representing the various segments of HAND’s membership – Real Estate Development, Philanthropy, Finance, Government, Professional Firms, etc.  Topics will include tips for professional success, personal anecdotes, industry trends, best practices, lessons learned and more!

We hope you will join us for this landmark event. By having a range of perspectives represented by leading industry experts who understand the inner workings of the field, a real opportunity for a well-rounded experience for all attending will occur. These kinds of interactions allow the next generation of real estate professionals to learn from this generation of leaders…and vice versa.

Join us!

 

0 Comments/in Member Events & Success Stories /by H.A.N.D.

Latest from Facebook

[custom-facebook-feed]

Annual Meeting Important Information

Payments: Orders placed on the event registration page are not confirmed until payment is received. A confirmation email will be sent to the email address listed in your registration. If you paid by credit card, a receipt will be sent to the email address listed in your registration. If you mail a check, all payments must be received within seven days of completing your registration form. Checks should be remitted to: HAND, PO Box 48386, Washington, DC 20002

Guest List & Dietary Preference: If your registration includes a luncheon table or multiple guests, please submit guest names and menu choices by May 1, 2020. Submit guest names here.

Housing Expo: Plan to exhibit? Download the Housing Expo FAQs here.

Omni Shoreham Hotel Room Block: For attendees looking to secure overnight accommodations on May 25th, HAND has secured a rate starting at $189 for conference attendees. There are a limited amount of rooms available, so visit this link today to reserve your room. May 10th is the last day to secure a room at the discounted rate.

 Ad Submission: The artwork for advertisements should be submitted to annualmeeting@handhousing.org. You can download the ad spec sheet here. Deadline for ad submission is April 13, 2020.

Cancellations & Changes: If you wish to cancel or change your registration for the Annual Meeting & Housing Expo, please send a request in writing to annualmeeting@handhousing.org. All cancellation requests made prior to April 27th will receive a 50% refund. For cancellation requests made after April 27th, no refund will be provided.

Door Prizes: Are you interested in donating a door prize to this year’s Annual Meeting? Email annualmeeting@handhousing.org to coordinate with our team.

Latest News

  • Five Minutes With Taylor PhillipsMay 5, 2023 - 3:48 pm
  • Five Minutes With Ronette “Ronnie” SlaminMarch 7, 2023 - 11:29 am
  • Five Minutes With David Bowers & Paul StanfordDecember 7, 2022 - 5:36 pm
  • Five Minutes With John HallNovember 21, 2022 - 7:21 pm

New Members

  • West North Avenue Development AuthorityAugust 24, 2023 - 4:17 pm
  • Community Havens, Inc.August 7, 2023 - 2:45 pm
  • Mohsen TeimouriJuly 18, 2023 - 1:50 pm
  • Altman Living, LLCJuly 18, 2023 - 12:31 pm
  • Swiftway ServicesJuly 3, 2023 - 11:57 am
  • Kindred StrategiesJune 30, 2023 - 4:24 pm

Contact Information

Mailing Address:
HAND
1330 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Suite 124
Washington, DC 20036

info@handhousing.org

202.384.3764
Staff Directory

MEDIA INQUIRIES?
communications@handhousing.org

INTERESTED IN HAND UPDATES?
Sign up for the distribution list here.

© Copyright Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND)