Policy
Housing News in Washington
Rural Housing Service Targets
PHAs Will Receive Section 8 Voucher Budgets January 21
Mayors Cite Lack of Affordable Housing as Cause of Homelessness
Draft of AAHSA Housing Issue Papers Posted

AAHSA News
Housing Education at AAHSA Future of Aging Services Conference
Did You Resolve to be More Involved in 2005?


New and Notable
Housing Tax Credit Training Available in Florida in January


Publications Highlight
HUD Electronic 4350.3 Handbook on CD-ROM


Housing Report

Policy
Housing News in Washington
The 109th Congress convened last week, swearing in new members, voting on rules, assigning members to Committees and a new House Appropriations Committee Chair, not much that is substantive. The real work begins after the inauguration, the State of the Union scheduled for February 2, and the President’s submission of the FY 2006 budget expected February 7.

The Senate has announced its new members’ committee assignments while all the House assignments have not yet been posted. We know there will be changes to the House Financial Services Committee as several Republican members have been reassigned (some would say promoted) to exclusive committees — Appropriations, Ways and Means, Rules, and Energy and Commerce.

The most important announcement comes from the House Republicans: Congressman Jerry Lewis, from Redlands, California, will be the new chairman of the Appropriations Committee. In the Senate, Thad Cochran of Mississippi will be the new chairman of the Appropriations Committee. No changes in leadership on the authorizing committees. Both selections may be good news for housing issues and appropriations. Jerry Lewis chaired the VA-HUD subcommittee for four years and knows, understands, and likes housing programs and Senator Cochran knows and supports rural housing programs. There will, however, be serious discussions about restructuring subcommittee jurisdictions and the VA-HUD subcommittee is a prime target. That could be good news or bad news for housing; so stay tuned. For more information, contact Nancy Libson.

Rural Housing Service Targets Non-Profits for Rural Housing Preservation
The Rural Housing Service (RHS) will launch a website in February to encourage not-for-profit organizations to purchase and preserve existing affordable rural housing facilities. This represents a real opportunity for AAHSA members to expand their portfolios and to preserve senior housing in rural areas. The preservation information exchange website, PIX, will include a database of providers interested in buying USDA Section 515 properties. RHS is targeting not-for-profits specifically because of their mission-based focus. Once the site becomes active organizations will be able to register to receive email alerts whenever owners of Section 515 properties request authorization to prepay their mortgages. While more than 10,000 units of affordable rural housing were preserved last year, almost 3,000 were lost permanently form the affordable housing stock. For more information about rural housing programs go to http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/.

PHAs Will Receive Section 8 Voucher Budgets January 2
Public Housing Authorities are scheduled to receive their FY2005 Section 8 voucher budgets by January 21. The change in funding will result is PHAs facing a second year of tight budgets and more uncertainty for voucher holders. The new budgets will be based on the average expenses that a given PHA incurred in May thru June 2004 and moves the voucher program one step closer towards a budget-based system than a cost- based one. H.R. 4818, the FY05 HUD appropriations bill, leaves agencies with significantly less reserves and flexibility than they have ever had and may force them to increase resident contribution and/or reduce allowable rent levels. This change will not affect project based Section 8 contracts but will certainly exacerbate ongoing affordable housing shortages. For more information contact Alayna Waldrum.

Mayors Cite Lack of Affordable Housing as Cause of Homelessness
In December 2004 the Conference of Mayors released its annual “Hunger and Homelessness Survey”, a report on homeless populations in 27 cities throughout the United States. The report evaluates the demand for emergency food and shelter programs, the demographics of the homelessness population, the availability of affordable housing and the impact of the economy on the homeless. Several cities noted increasing need among seniors, including Portland, Louisville and Philadelphia. To view the report visit the Conference of Mayors website at http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/home.asp

Draft of AAHSA Housing Issue Papers Posted
Drafts of the 2005 AAHSA housing issue papers are available for members to view. The papers lay out AAHSA’s housing agenda and policy goals for the new Congress and include the following topics: Preservation, Management and Operations, Increasing the Supply and Housing and Services. The papers will be finalized over the next few weeks. Click here to view the 2005 issue paper drafts for housing. For more information contact Alayna Waldrum.


AAHSA News
Housing Education at AAHSA Future of Aging Services Conference
In April AAHSA members will converge on D.C. to learn how the field is transforming senior care options, long term care policy implications and commitment to serving their residents in a place they call home. The future of aging services will involve an expanded role for housing providers and partnering organizations, not to mention the increasing opportunities for innovative models. As always the conference will include a three-part HUD Update with the latest from the HUD and administration staff and new sessions on the policy concerns for increasing services in housing. Before heading to the hill to lend your support and voice to the mission of senior care, you will have the opportunity to attend the housing and homes and community based services policy forums. For more information on the conference, visit www.aahsa.org.

Did You Resolve to be More Involved in 2005? Join AAHSA’s Housing List Serves!
AAHSA offers members an opportunity to share information and practices on list serves. AAHSA has a Housing Management list serve for subsidized and market rate housing providers and a Housing Policy list serve to providers to discuss state laws and regulations impacting housing. Click here to view a list of the available list serves.


New and Notable
Housing Tax Credit Training Available in Florida in January
Joe Guggenheim, nationally known tax credits author and trainer will offer one or two days of highly acclaimed housing tax credit training in Florida, January 25 and 26 in Miami Beach and January 31 and February 1 in Orlando. The two programs, the basic course: Tax Credit Fundamentals: In-Depth Essentials of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program and the follow up course: Critical Issues in Securing and Using Tax Credits and Other Financing in Florida include the 12th Edition of Joe Guggenheim's popular program guide and textbook, Tax Credits for Low Income Housing.

Get a head start on thinking about mixed financing 202 deals for FY 2005, refinancing your older Section 202, or simply expanding your portfolio. Full information, including a detailed agenda and registration form, is attached. Or call 301 320-5771, or e-mail joe.guggen@verizon.net


Publications Highlight
HUD Electronic 4350.3 Handbook on CD-ROM
Give your front-line operators and oversight staff this HUD handbook in a user-friendly, searchable CD-ROM format. They will tell you it is excellent for single topic searches and full subject reviews, and they will enjoy the interactive table of contents, embedded Internet links, power search engine, and more. Recent updates are included.

Member price $65, Item # AH005. Contact (800) 508-9442; order by item number. Read about/order the electronic HUD handbook.