On May 15th, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved the merger between Exelon and Pepco Holdings. The Order includes significant benefits to residents and owners of affordable multifamily housing. These benefits include increased investments in energy efficiency, improved access to energy consumption data, and debt forgiveness for low-income utility customers. The Order requires Exelon to provide $57 million for investments in efficiency and clean energy.
These provisions were sought by the National Housing Trust (NHT), National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition (MAHC), and Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) as formal interveners in the merger proceeding.
In Washington, DC, region, one of the most prosperous in the world, far too many hardworking people are spending so much on housing that they have a hard time paying for the other basics of life.
In the fall of 2013, Housing CAN retained strategic communications consulting firm, Wainger Group, to help CAN develop clear and compelling messaging that articulates its mission both internally and externally to the business community, real estate community, and government agencies and elected officials, and partners. As part of the process to develop a messaging platform, Housing CAN: Conducted interviews with practitioners, donors and influencers in the area of housing affordability in the District of Columbia; Reviewed media/coverage on housing issues; and Conducted a message development workshop with partners and network members. From this process, a messaging platform was developed. The platform consists of a core message and three supporting messages.
Core Message: Housing that is affordable is essential to our region’s future.
Supporting Messages
· Housing that is affordable is critical to economic growth, a thriving business community and a high quality of life.
· Housing that is affordable is essential to a regional economy that can compete effectively for talent in the workforce and in a marketplace that can attract new business and industries.
· Housing that is affordable is essential to economically and culturally diverse communities.
Governor Hogan’s recently released 2016 Budget only includes $10 Million for Rental Housing Works (RHW) – $15 Million SHORT of what is needed to fund pending developments and maintain level funding at $25 Million. RHW is funded through GO Bonds, which the Legislature has the ability to increase. In fact, they have increased funding for RHW the last two years! Therefore, it is imperative that everyone start contacting your Legislators right way to let them know that rental housing matters and encourage them to take the necessary actions to restore funding levels for Rental Housing Works because the program “Really Works!”
How can you help?
Let your Legislators know that Rental Housing Works is important. First, contact your Legislators right away to urge them to restore funding for RHW. Second, attend Housing Day so we can send a message that Hou singMatters. By filling the room we can show them that we have a strong base of supporters.
Attend Housing Day:
February 12, 2015
8am – 12pm
House Office Building
6 Bladen Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
Contact Your Legislators Now:
Email your Legislators now to let them know the following important facts about the RHW Program:
Encourage them to restore funding for RHW to $25 Million to address this backlog, put people to work, and create much needed affordable housing units across the State.
Contact House Speaker Mike Busch
HERE
Contact Members of the House Appropriations Committee
HERE
Contact Senate President Mike Miller
HERE
Contact Members of the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee
HERE
DRAFT EMAIL LANGUAGE TO LEGISLATORS:
Dear (insert Legislator Name Here),
I am writing to request that you restore funding for the Rental Housing Works Program to level funding at $25 Million in GO Bonds. I represent (insert company name and info here, anything personal about a project you own or operate in their district). The Governor’s budget cut funding for this important program down to $10 Million. Rental Housing Works has been incredibly successful in its three short years by bringing new investment to Maryland and increasing State and Local revenue. RHW creates jobs (over 3, 000 to date), and for every $1 the State invests in these properties $11 in new public and private investments is leveraged. These funds are repaid with interest and the projects funded also generate new revenues to State and local governments.
There are $25 Million in applications in the pipeline and waiting approval, so $10 Million is far short of what is needed to keep this program going. I urge you to please restore funding for the Rental Housing Works Program
Sincerely,
NAME
Dear Friends of HIP,
Yesterday’s Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU FM featured Mary Hunter, HIP’s Director of Housing Counseling, along with Michael Fletcher of the Washington Post, Dorothy Brown of Emory University School of Law and Tom Shapiro of the Institute on Asset and Social Policy to discuss Mr. Fletcher’s recent series, “A Shattered Foundation” which discusses the loss of wealth in the African American community in Prince George’s County due to the foreclosure crisis.
The articles cite example after example of African American buyers who were steered to subprime predatory loans during the height of the housing bubble, only to see their homes decline in value, preventing them from refinancing into more reasonable loans. Egged on by realtors and lenders, many homeowners made one bad decision after another, hoping to work their way out of trouble but only digging their holes deeper.
Mary emphasized the importance of housing counseling for families before they buy a home so that they may truly understand what they can afford and what are good mortgage terms. Only a housing counselor can be truly objective about a buyer’s financial situation; there is no commission or fee to be earned based on the size of a loan.
Here at HIP, we see clients on a daily basis who want to build wealth for their families and find stable housing situations that they can afford for the long term, whether that be homeownership or rental. And we see the victims of the housing meltdown. Helping these families make housing choices that will benefit them for the long term is what drives us to do the work we do day after day.
In a letter to the editor of the Washington Business Journal, WRAG’s president Tamara Copeland applauded Dr. Stephen Fuller and Bob Buchanan’s recent call for a regional summit to address Greater Washington’s long-term economic development (“Time for regional economic summit, head of 2030 Group declares,” WBJ, January 15) and offered the support of the local philanthropic sector.
The letter is re-printed below.
To the editor:
Last week, two longtime leaders in our region, Stephen Fuller and Bob Buchanan, joined forces to call for government and business leaders from across Greater Washington to come together for a regional summit on long-term economic development. We applaud them and offer a third sector — philanthropy — to this powerful call for action.
We know that the regional lens is an absolute necessity. Cross-sector and cross-jurisdictional cooperation is essential. And catalytic leadership is needed.
Seamlessly, and almost daily, most of us travel from one jurisdiction to another. So, too, do the challenges that affect the long-term vitality of our region, from housing affordability to job growth, improving the quality of the Anacostia River to improving educational quality in every jurisdiction for all children.
Years ago, philanthropy was called the “passing gear” when it comes to social change. The local grantmaking community has long seen the region as the core of a much needed conversation, one that is grounded in cooperation and recognizes our shared destiny. Count us in.
Tamara Copeland
President, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
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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.
Mailing Address:
HAND
1330 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Suite 124
Washington, DC 20036
info@handhousing.org
202.384.3764
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