Details of President Obama’s foreclosure relief plan have been announced and on this episode of the Affordable Housing podcast, George Duarte, Vice Chairman of the California Association of Mortgage Brokers, explains how the plan will assist some homeowners in avoiding foreclosure. From his vantage point as both a mortgage and real estate broker, Duarte offers…
There’s much that can be done on the county and city level to aid those who face foreclosure. In this episode of the Affordable Housing podcast, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia talks about counseling to help residents to maintain their homes as well as efforts to deal with the numerous homes that have been…
In her work leading the Child Health Impact Assessment Working Group, Dr. Lauren Smith, Medical Director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, has uncovered many links between safe, appropriate affordable housing and children’s health. In this episode of the Affordable Housing podcast, Dr. Smith explains the ways in which children’s health suffers when they’re…
Substantial investment in affordable housing constitutes economic stimulus that would create not only housing but jobs. In California alone, there are more than 32,000 shovel ready affordable homes that could be started this year, leading to the creation of an estimated 37,000 badly needed jobs. Matt Schwartz, President of the California Housing Partnership Corporation, explains…
While an increasing number of families face foreclosure, Santa Clara County’s Blue Ribbon Commission to End Homelessness is doing all it can to provide coordinated services to get people into transitional and permanent housing. Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage describes how they’ve made significant progress is getting access to free transportation for homeless community…
In an effort to end America’s affordable housing crisis, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has set an ambitious goal: to build, rehabilitate and preserve 1.5 million affordable rental units. Its president, Sheila Crowley, shares the history of the affordable housing crisis in America, her perspective on the progress made in addressing the problem, and…
The subprime and foreclosure crises are clues to the deep-rooted housing crisis that has plagued our nation for decades. In this episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast, Andre Shashaty, founder and editor for 15 years of Affordable Housing Finance, shares the advice given to the Obama administration about housing and HUD, the federal department of…
With proper guidance and assistance, many homeowners can avoid foreclosure even when all signs point to losing their homes. Ken Wade, CEO of NeighborWorks America, supports a network of more than 240 affordable housing and community development organizations serving over 4,000 communities. In this podcast episode, he addresses the state of the housing crisis in…
One of the major policy tools to address the affordable housing crisis is inclusionary housing, also called inclusionary zoning. These ordinances require or encourage market rate developers to include a percentage of homes in their projects – often 10-20% – that will be affordable to low and moderate income households.On this episode of the Affordable…
Prior to the current foreclosure crisis, countless working Californians were not earning enough money to afford decent housing. While Proposition 1C created bonds to fund affordable housing, that money will run out. Lynne Jacobs, Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development, discusses efforts to secure a permanent source of funding on this…
