Federal Issues
Stay tuned to COHHIO for updates on the following issues:
Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act
Next Steps in Implementation
On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed into law the HEARTH Act to reauthorize HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs. The bill makes transformative changes to the McKinney program, modernizing and streamlining housing assistance and services and allocating millions more to homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and permanent housing. Before the new program’s implementation, HUD is charged with creating its new rules and regulations. Local, state, and national advocacy efforts play a key role in ensuring we achieve the strongest McKinney reforms possible. Below is a timeline of next steps in the implementation of the new McKinney program and suggestions for what you can do to impact the program rules and regulations.
Fall / Winter 2009: HUD issues draft regulations for public comment
No later than May 20, 2010:Final HUD regulations released
Three months after final regulations are released OR by November 20, 2010:Regulations go into effect
For more, visit the National Alliance to End Homelessness at www.naeh.org
National Housing Trust Fund Status
July 30, 2009 marked the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the National Housing Trust Fund. The NHT Fund was created as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on July 30, 2008. While President Barack Obama has expressed continued support of the National Housing Trust Fund, the NHTF has not yet received funding.
The initial funds were to have come from contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but those were suspended when the companies got into financial trouble.
President Obama proposed $1 billion in mandatory spending for the trust fund as part of his FY10 budget request, but the Administration has not yet identified a dedicated source for the funding. House Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank (D-MA) recently proposed providing the fund with $1 billion in FY10 from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) enacted last fall. The Obama Administration has not endorsed using TARP funds for this purpose.
The National Housing Trust Fund campaign calls on Congress and the Administration to capitalize the fund so communities can begin building, rehabilitating and preserving homes for the lowest income families. Affordable homes for the lowest income people have been in short supply for a long time; the housing bust and recession have only made it worse.
The National Housing Trust Fund is the first new federal housing production program to serve extremely low-income families since 1974. Among its most important features:
- It is a permanent program to be capitalized with dedicated sources of revenue.
- At least 90% of the funds must be used for the production, preservation, or rehabilitation of rental homes.
- At least 75% of the funds for rental housing must benefit extremely low income (30% of area median income or less) households. All funds must benefit very low income households (50% of area median income or less)
Quotes from other campaign partner organizations on the one-year anniversary of passage of National Housing Trust Fund legislation, as well as more information on the NHTF, can be found at www.nhtf.org
Neighborhood Stabilization Program
(via Housing & Economic Recovery Act of 2008)
The Neighborhood Stabilization Program will provide $3.9 billion to local communities to address vacant and foreclosed properties (to be allocated to states or units of local government with the greatest need, as determined by number & percentage of home foreclosures, number & percentage of homes financed by subprime mortgages, and number & percentage of homes in default or delinquency).
Ohio’s share is approximately $258 million, of which $116 million will go directly to Ohio’s cities and counties. The Ohio Department of Development recently submitted its plan to for HUD’s review. If more NSP funds are allocated from the FED, those funds could be targeted more towards rural communities. If the NSP formula were weighed based on vacant/substandard housing and not just foreclosures, rural communities would see more benefits.
House Holds Hearings on Preservation Legislation
On July 15, 2009, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity Services held a second hearing on draft legislation that would help preserve the assisted housing stock. The legislation, the “Housing Preservation and Tenant Protection Act of 2009” was circulated publically the week of June 22.
Formal introduction of the bill is expected after August recess and Committee consideration as early as September. Regular updates may be found on the National Low Income Housing Coalition website, www.NLIHC.org
Runaway Homeless Youth Act (RHYA)
Signed by President Bush on October 8th, 2008, this legislation will reauthorize the program for an additional five years.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) programs help prevent victimization and ensure basic safety of unaccompanied children and youth. RHYA also ensures youths’ access to family reunification, housing, education, employment training, health care, and other vital social services.
- Foreclosures: U.S. Treasury's HFA Hardest Hit Fund
- Press Release 03_29_2010 — PDF
- Akron Beacon Journal — PDF
- Ashtabula Star Beacon — PDF
- Columbus Dispatch — PDF
- Dayton Daily News — PDF
- Dems Lash Out at Senate — PDF
- Gongwer News Service — PDF
- Ideastream — PDF
- Mansfield News Journal — PDF
- Guidelines for Original HFA Hardest-Hit Fund
- HFA Proposal Guidelines — PDF
- HFA FAQs — PDF
- Sample Counseling Letter to Your State Senator
- A New Look at an Old Problem: The Case for Federal Foreclosure Support in Ohio – Report Released March 05, 2010
- Ohio Political Leaders Call on President Obama to Expand Foreclosure Assistance
- Kucinich/La Tourette Letter — PDF
- Budish Letter — PDF
- Cordray Letter — PDF
- Brown Letter — PDF
- What can YOU do about foreclosures?
- Help Stem The Tide of Foreclosures-letter – doc
- Letter from Counseling agencies – doc
- Letter from individuals – doc
- Margaret Miller Testimony – PDF
- Mark Siefert, ESOP Testimony – PDF
- Mike Piepsny CTO Testimony – PDF
- Ohio Bankers League Testimony – PDF
- Bill Faith Testimony – doc
- ESOP Testimony – PDF
- The Supreme Court of Ohio Testimony – PDF
- MORPC Testimony – PDF
Below are three versions of sample support letters that you can download and start circulating in support of foreclosure counseling and servicer regulation. Cut and past as you see fit. Send completed letters to your state senator.
For a list of state senator addresses, click the link below
http://www.ohiosenate.gov/directory.html Click here for the Ohio Legislative and Government Directory - 128th General Assembly 2009-2010A coalition has formed to address the foreclosure crisis in Ohio through legislative action. Join today! Email cathyjohnston@cohhio.org to join the listserv and receive regular updates. To Download an endorsement form, complete and fax back 614.463.1060, click here for a Word doc or here for a PDF
Sponsor Testimony from Senate Finance & Financial Institutions Committee
Tuesday, January 12- Rep. Celeste testimony — PDF
- Rep Driehaus testimony — PDF
- Rep Mike Foley Testimony — PDF
- Senator Jones Testimony — PDF
What's News
- Summary of Second Quarter 2009 Negative Equity Data from First American CoreLogic — PDF
- Survey on Budget Cuts — PDF
- Red Alert...Rally for Health & Human Services June 4 @Statehouse — PDF
- Tuesday May 19 - ACTION ALERT - Help Build Momentum for the Ohio Senate— PDF
- Tuesday May 12 - ACTION ALERT - Vital Health and Human Services At Risk— PDF
- Policy Matters Ohio 2008 Foreclosure Report
- Local Resolutions Adopted on Support of Foreclosure Moratorium
- Newsmakers Interview Mark Lawson and Representative Driehaus - doc
- Law Would Help Renters When Landlord Loses Property in Foreclosure
- Wave of Foreclosures Taking Toll on Renters
- Three Days, and You're Out
- Morning Journal "Our View" Editorial: Six Month Moratorium on Forclosures Will Help Desperate Ohioans
- Don't Keep Renters in the Dark on Foreclosures
- Renters Protection Act Reintroduced
- Foreclosure Prevention Cosponsor Request — PDF
COHHIO Advocacy
- Housing and Urban Revitalization Hearing Documents, November 18
- Andrea Kinast HB 306 testimony — PDF
- Fiscal Note HB 306 — PDF
- HB323 LSC analysis — PDF
- HB323_Ford_Testimony_November18-09 — PDF
- HB323_Kobie_Testimony — doc
- Housing Facts and Trends_10-1-09 — PDF
- INTERSTATE_Rev3-npi — PDF
- Letter from AG Cordray HB 306 — PDF
- Linda Cook HB 306 testimony — PDF
- Linda Cook MHA Public 111009 FINAL — PDF
- Paul Bellamy IP Testimony HB 306 — PDF
- PerDiemFinesConvertedtoJudgmentthrough10-23-09(1) — xls
- Pfeiffer HB 323 Proponent Testimony 11-18-09 (2) — PDF
- Top Buyers out of REO — xls
- HB 313 - PDF
- Sub 306 Bill analysis - PDF
- Sub 306 - PDF
- Sub HB 3 - PDF
- Sub HB 9 - PDF
- SB 13 - PDF
Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio