Regional Housing Legal Services http://rhls.org Partners in Community Renewal Wed, 16 May 2012 15:55:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Rachel Blake Testifies on HEMAP http://rhls.org/rachel-blake-testifies-on-hemap http://rhls.org/rachel-blake-testifies-on-hemap#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 13:21:34 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1938 Our own Rachel Blake testified on May 15th about the importance of the HEMAP program at a hearing called by the Committee on Public Health and Human Services of the Council of the City of Philadelphia.

Her testimony was quoted, in part, in a NewsWorks story: ”Between 2008 and 2010 HEMAP helped more than 6,100 homeowners avoid foreclosure and saved between local and state governments, banks and homeowners more than $480 million,” said Blake. A portion of her testimony was also broadcast in a story about the hearing on WHYY. Read more of the media coverage of the hearing.

Read the full remarks.


]]> http://rhls.org/rachel-blake-testifies-on-hemap/feed 0 Dina Schlossberg to Moderate Panel at ABA Conference http://rhls.org/dina-schlossberg-to-moderate-panel-at-aba-conference http://rhls.org/dina-schlossberg-to-moderate-panel-at-aba-conference#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 18:53:10 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1933 Dina Schlossberg will be moderating a panel at the upcoming 21st Annual Conference of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law, titled “Making the Case For Affordable Housing and Community Development”.

The panel, titled “Energy, Environmental Justice & Community Development”, will include a discussion of the challenges and benefits of energy related development and its impact on environmental justice, and local and regional community development activities.

The Conference will be held May 23-25 in Washington DC.

Learn more about the conference.

]]> http://rhls.org/dina-schlossberg-to-moderate-panel-at-aba-conference/feed 0 PUC Urges Special Emphasis for Multifamily Housing in Phase Two of Act 129 http://rhls.org/puc-urges-special-emphasis-for-multifamily-housing-in-phase-two-of-act-129 http://rhls.org/puc-urges-special-emphasis-for-multifamily-housing-in-phase-two-of-act-129#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 18:45:06 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1930 The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has just released a Tentative Implementation Order for the second phase of Act 129.

The Order does not create any specific funding or savings targets for multifamily housing, but does recognize the arguments of several groups, including RHLS, that multifamily housing is an area where energy-efficiency investments should be targeted.

The Order states that “multifamily housing [should] be given special emphasis and consideration within the government/educational/nonprofit sector”. The PUC also “encourages the EDCs [electric distribution companies] to recognize the available potential for energy savings present in multifamily housing and develop strategies and programs to sufficiently address this opportunity within their Phase II EE&C plans”.

Read the Tentative Implementation Order.

Read RHLS’s Comments to the Secretarial Letter (PDF).

 

 

]]> http://rhls.org/puc-urges-special-emphasis-for-multifamily-housing-in-phase-two-of-act-129/feed 0 Rachel Blake Presents at Reinventing Older Communities Conference http://rhls.org/rachel-blake-presents-at-reinventing-older-communities-conference http://rhls.org/rachel-blake-presents-at-reinventing-older-communities-conference#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 16:21:53 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1921 Rachel Blake was part of the “At the Forefront of Foreclosure” panel at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s fifth biennial Reinventing Older Communities Conference. Rachel presented an overview of Philadelphia’s foreclosure prevention approach, findings from RHLS’s 2011 No Place Like Home report, and information about recent developments in the field — including the increasing attention being paid to the intersection of health and foreclosure.

Slides and video will be available on the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s website in the upcoming weeks.

Information about the No Place Like Home report and the intersection of health and housing are available on RHLS’s website.

Also, keep an eye out for our forthcoming article on health and foreclosure in the next issue of Shelterforce.

]]> http://rhls.org/rachel-blake-presents-at-reinventing-older-communities-conference/feed 0 Many Modified FHA Loans Default http://rhls.org/many-modified-hfa-loans-default http://rhls.org/many-modified-hfa-loans-default#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 13:51:32 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1916 FHA mortgage foreclosure actions are on the rise, even for loans that have been modified.  Although the FHA has modified some loans to reduce the monthly payments, about half of the modified loans are in default, leading to a jump in foreclosures.

Read More

]]> http://rhls.org/many-modified-hfa-loans-default/feed 0 New Analysis Showing Value of Retrofit in Multifamily Properties http://rhls.org/new-analysis-showing-value-of-retrofit-in-multifamily-properties http://rhls.org/new-analysis-showing-value-of-retrofit-in-multifamily-properties#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 19:34:15 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1912 A newly released analysis of the Building Retrofit Industry and Market, released by the Rockefeller Foundation and Deutsche Bank Climate Change Investment, has indicated that multifamily housing and affordable multifamily housing are good segments to focus future energy-efficiency efforts.

The report found that with regard to the multifamily market (5 or more units):

  • 83% of all units are rented and 68% are in 5+ unit buildings, which can range from 5-100+ units
  • The segment can be further divided into market-rate and affordable housing; over 10% of 2-4 unit buildings and 15% of 5+ unit buildings are publicly or privately subsidized
  • A full retrofit program in this segment could result in energy savings of 347 trillion Btus annually, the creation of 557,000 new jobs, and an annual reduction of 70 million metric tons of greenhouse gases at a cost of at least $33Bn
  • Greater potential for energy savings per dollar invested, due to centralized building systems and structural characteristics (e.g., lower surface area to volume ratio) typical of MF buildings

Read the Executive Summary

Read the Report

]]> http://rhls.org/new-analysis-showing-value-of-retrofit-in-multifamily-properties/feed 0 Homeownership rate at lowest point in 15 years http://rhls.org/homeownership-rate-at-lowest-point-in-15-years http://rhls.org/homeownership-rate-at-lowest-point-in-15-years#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 15:29:23 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1901 The Census Bureau reported that the homeownership rate in the US is at its lowest in 15 years. It is currently 65.4% down from a high of 69.2% in 2004

Philadelphia’s homeownership rate dropped from 59% in 2000 to 54% in 2010.

Read more from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

]]> http://rhls.org/homeownership-rate-at-lowest-point-in-15-years/feed 0 Laura Schwartz Presented at Corridors Connect http://rhls.org/laura-schwartz-presented-at-corridors-connect http://rhls.org/laura-schwartz-presented-at-corridors-connect#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 20:04:50 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1898 Laura Schwartz, Director of Economic Development, presented on governance and legal issues for business associations at the Corridors Connect Certificate Program on April 25th at Drexel.

Learn more about Corridors Connect.

]]> http://rhls.org/laura-schwartz-presented-at-corridors-connect/feed 0 Pittsburgh Leads All Cities Nationwide in Foreclosure http://rhls.org/pittsburgh-leads-all-cities-nationwide-in-foreclosure http://rhls.org/pittsburgh-leads-all-cities-nationwide-in-foreclosure#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 16:39:47 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1879 Many of the cities around the nation have seen their foreclosure filings spike in the first part of 2012.  However, Pittsburgh has had the fastest rise – 49 percent.

Read More

]]> http://rhls.org/pittsburgh-leads-all-cities-nationwide-in-foreclosure/feed 0 UAC Foreclosure Prevention Resource Guide http://rhls.org/uac-foreclosure-prevention-resource-guide http://rhls.org/uac-foreclosure-prevention-resource-guide#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:23:42 +0000 RHLS http://rhls.org/?p=1877 The Urban Affairs Coalition Foreclosure Prevention Task Force has released a resource guide to help practitioners in the five-county Philadelphia region fight foreclosures.

“The Guide is designed to help professionals who encounter homeowners facing foreclosure, as well as to demystify the foreclosure process for homeowners and help them take advantage of the opportunities to preserve ownership of their homes.”

Read More

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