PD&R Edge Elist 10/23/2013

New on The Edge

Message from Senior Leadership:
The Consensus Process
Building consensus among stakeholders can be challenging especially during a negotiated rulemaking process, in which the federal government meets with a group of individuals or organizations to negotiate the terms of proposed regulations. Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy Development Todd M. Richardson discusses the importance of leadership and process in consensus building in the context of negotiations with Native American tribes in allocating funds for the Native American Housing and Self Determination Act (NAHASDA).

Research:
Preventing Homelessness Among Veterans
The Veterans Homelessness Prevention Demonstration (VHPD), a 3-year, $15 million collaborative effort between the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and Labor, is the first federal program to offer homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing assistance to veterans and their families. A recently released interim report about the VHPD describes the first year of implementation, including the characteristics of clients from the program’s five sites and the challenges of administering the program.

In Practice:
Peninsula Housing Authority Encourages Low-Income Homeownership
Downpayment requirements often serve as a barrier to homeownership for low-income households. In two rural counties at the northern tip of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the Peninsula Housing Authority (PHA) is helping households overcome this barrier through its Mutual Self-Help Home Building program. Prospective homeowners actively participate in building their own new homes, as well as those of other participants in their development, in lieu of a downpayment.

Policy Update:
Models for Affordable Housing Preservation
Property owners, nonprofits, and governments working to preserve the stock of affordable housing units face numerous obstacles, including difficulty obtaining necessary financing and efficiently identifying at-risk properties. Preservation compacts, which are collaborative, grant-based initiatives, and state housing trust funds, which offer a dedicated public source of revenue, are two notable approaches to addressing some of the key challenges in affordable housing preservation.