Not able to make the Solutions for Working Families:
2009 Learning Conference on State and Local Housing Policy?

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The conference, organized by the Center for Housing Policy and the National Housing Conference, was a first-of-its-kind learning event that included sessions for housing policy veterans and newcomers, presentations tailored to state- and local-level policy issues, facilitated discussions and roundtables. Conference information>

National Housing Trust Newsletter
May 2009

"We've effectively had a national housing policy only about home ownership, with not even a focus or discussion in Washington about the importance of rental properties", said Michael Bodaken, President, National Housing Trust.

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New Staff at DePaul Real Estate Center

James D. Shilling, Michael J. Horne Chair in Real Estate Studies, a world renowned scholar, has accepted the position of Director of the Institute for Housing Studies (IHS) at DePaul University's Real Estate Center. Two Preservation Compact Keystones - the Interagency Council and the Rental Housing Data Clearinghouse - are administered by IHS.

Marti Wiles Deuter also joined IHS as the Director of the Rental Housing Data Clearinghouse.

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Assessor Holds Class 9 Discussions

The Cook County Assessor's Office held a small forum in March consisting of property owners, mission-driven owners/developers, other stakeholders and Assessor staff involved in the Class 9 program to discuss the current state of the Class 9 (Class S) program. Historically, the Class 9 program has assisted owners of affordable housing cut their taxes as much as 50% compared to other multi-family buildings without the incentive. However, as a part of a plan to end the bias against multi-family housing built into the Cook County Classification Ordinance, the difference between the taxes paid by a building without the incentive and a building with the incentive has shrunk.

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New Federal Energy Funding

As most owners know, energy is one of the least predictable operating costs in multi-family buildings. It's also one of the largest. That's the bad news. The good news is that there are new resources related to energy assistance. Resources primarily come from two sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Here are some details.

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