This letter is to officially inform you of my decision to step down from my position as Executive Director of Housing Alliance & Community Partnerships. My Tenure with HACP will conclude at the end of August.
For over eleven years, HACP has been my passion and my most important undertaking. From when I took the position in the February of 2010 to today, I have been deeply committed to creating housing opportunity for low-income households and to serving this community.
I am immensely proud of what HACP has achieved in these eleven years, and I am tremendously grateful that I have been able to play a central part in its evolution and success. There is much to celebrate. We have increased our voucher portfolio by 29% and our units owned or managed my 75%. We have advocated for and been awarded new and innovative opportunities (VASH, Mainstream, ROSS, FYI, and EHV) and most recently have been admitted to the moving to work demonstration program. We have also developed our presence as a strong community partner with other stakeholders who serve the most vulnerable populations in Pocatello.
Today, HACP is positioned well for further success. It is my unwavering belief that HACP will continue to realize its vision of "cultivating affordable housing communities and partnerships that inspire self-reliance, growth, and optimism."
As HACP faces a year of transition and change, it is more important than ever that board members, staff, partners, supporters, and friends pull together to maintain, build, and grow on the remarkable work that HACP has done to this point. There is much to do, and this organization will rise to the challenge. While I anticipate an orderly transition, I will continue to be available and do all I can to ensure that HACP emerges as a stronger organization.
I sincerely thank all the staff and stakeholders of HACP, for their commitment to the organization, and most of all, to the most vulnerable in our community that we serve. Each and every person, board member, and staff member, is making a direct and invaluable contribution to the lives of these households. It has been the greatest pleasure of my life to lead this agency. I thank the board and the staff for showing me support and grace as needed. I am who I am because of the opportunity.
Thank you again - and I hope to keep you all as friends and colleagues as we venture down separate paths.
With love and respect,
Sunny Shaw
HACP Executive Director
National NAHRO President
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National NAHRO recently launched the Congressional Contacts initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to recruit NAHRO members from every congressional district to support ongoing advocacy efforts.
Your voice is needed – offices on Capitol Hill want to hear from agencies that serve residents in their districts. When advocacy opportunities arise, NAHRO will ask you to send a pre-drafted letter from their online Action Alert Center. The NAHRO team wants to make it easy for you to influence your members of Congress as they make decisions that impact our programs and communities.
For more information:
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4 Tips for a Successful (& safe) Splash Pad
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Recreational water facilities—also known as splash parks, splash pads, spray grounds, wet decks, or spray parks—have gained popularity over the last decade. They’re interactive, non-natural recreational areas where water is sprayed, splashed, or poured onto visitors. Water drains immediately out of the play area instead of accumulating. There’s no doubt these recreational areas provide plenty of fun in the sun, but they also present unique hazards for residents and guests. Check out our tips below, and get in touch with a member of the HAI Group Risk Control team if you have any questions.
1. Check your state and local regulations
2. Don’t slack on maintenance
3. Perform daily pre-opening and closing inspections
4. Create safety rules
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A Portland Suburb is Poised to Lose One-Fifth of its Affordable Housing |
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Across the state, buildings owners are being freed up to bring affordable housing to market rate.
Heidi Johnstone, 61, has spent the last decade pushed around the city of Tigard by a wave of ever-rising rent.
Johnstone moved to the Portland suburb in 2009 in search of someplace cheaper than her home city of Los Angeles. She fell in love with a $737-a-month two-bedroom atop a hill with a sweeping view of the Willamette Valley. When rents started to rise a few years later, she moved to a new apartment two miles north. By 2019, the rent had nearly doubled to $1,457. Once again, Johnstone broke out the moving boxes.
Woodspring Apartments, located a few miles south of downtown Tigard, was meant to be her final home. The building was federally subsidized and intended for low-income seniors. Johnstone assumed this meant her rent wouldn’t jump much.
On Jan. 1, a little over a year after moving in, she got a notice on her door informing her that, after 30 years, the building was no longer required to remain affordable. The new owner, a San Francisco-based real estate investment company called Hamilton Zanze, would be bringing all of the building’s 172 units to market rate within a few years. With that, Tigard would lose about a fifth of its affordable housing.
For the third time since moving to the Portland area, Johnstone is contemplating living in her car. Read More.....
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Amazon Provides $100 Million to Build Housing Near Sound Transit Stations |
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Amazon and Sound Transit announced a partnership Wednesday to speed up development of as many as 1,200 affordable homes next to light-rail stations, using vacant lots left over after construction.
The e-commerce giant is establishing a $75 million low-interest loan fund for developers, and donating $25 million for site preparation, engineering and permits.
The money will be available immediately, said Catherine Buell, head of community development for Amazon. As developers repay the loans, the money would be recirculated for future financing, she said.
The company’s Housing Equity Fund is announcing similar affordable-housing contributions Wednesday of $125 million around Washington, D.C.-area transit stations, and $75 million along the WeGo bus-rapid transit network in Nashville.
It’s the latest round in Amazon’s $2 billion housing program, that included a $185.5 million commitment in January to buy 470 apartments in Bellevue, and provide another 530 affordable units across the region.
“We are targeting households earning between 30% and 80% of median income,” said Buell. “Many of these households do the ‘drive until you qualify,’ and transportation tends to be more than 13% of their budget,” she said. Read More.....
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Oregon Races to Distribute Rent Assistance as Eviction Moratorium Comes to an End |
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Xochitl Garnica rented a two-acre farm on Sauvie Island shortly before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, hoping to expand the farming collective she runs with two other farmers.
The timing was far from ideal. Many of the farmers markets Garnica had planned to attend last year were canceled, and she could no longer teach in-person farming workshops. Her husband lost his job in construction amid the pandemic as well and has been unable to look for full-time work because he has to care for the couple’s two children and nephew.
Before the pandemic, the family was barely keeping up with their bills. Now, they’ve fallen behind. They will have until next February to repay the $2,600 they owe in missed rent on their two-bedroom Tigard apartment — but the family of five could still face eviction next month if they can’t find a way to cobble together enough money to pay their July rent on time. Read More......
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Join Our Emerging Leaders!
By: Anne Conte, Seattle Housing Authority
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Emerging Leaders are a self-identified, diverse group of professionals who are interested in advancement in the housing and community development field. They gain knowledge and integrate themselves into the industry through mentors, trainings, and conferences. To this end, the PNRC Emerging Leaders Track Organizing Group is looking to expand in membership and purpose. Fill out this no obligation, short questionnaire to express interest and receive an invitation to the monthly, half hour community building event.
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PNRC NAHRO Members Save $$ and the Region Earns $$
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How does it work?
When registering, please use code: PNRC2020 (All CAPS)
and your $10 discount will automatically be applied, it’s that simple!
Please note: this code must be used when registering!
It cannot be retroactively applied.
What is Virtual Classroom?
Multi-day training delivered in a modular and a web-based format. Participants register individually and access the sessions with a direct email. Sessions are typically 3 hours (1:30-4:30pm ET) and spread out. This allows participants to balance learning with other work responsibilities. Attendance is recorded and upon successful completion, CEUs are applied towards certification requirements. Distance learnings are meant to be interactive. Participants will engage with the faculty member by discussions, polls and utilizing a chat feature.
Available Virtual Classrooms:
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For more information, contact NAHRO Professional Development at
202 580 7211 or
OR;
PNRC NAHRO Regional Service Officer 202.580.7203
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YOU COULD HAVE FEATURED YOUR AGENCY HERE!!!
We want to fill this newsletter with articles and pictures about you, but we can't do that unless you send them in. Send your pictures and articles to [email protected] by July 13th to be featured in next month's newsletter!!
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2021 Emergency Solutions Grant Program |
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On June 14, 2021, Idaho Housing and Finance Association will begin accepting applications for Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program funds as authorized by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009. Eligible applicants are units of general local government or private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Eligible activities under this application are:
- Emergency shelters: services and operations
- Rapid rehousing
- Homelessness prevention
- HMIS/comparable database costs
- Administration costs
The application, as well as additional information about Idaho’s ESG Program, can be found here.
The completed application and required attachments must be submitted through Procorem, a secure portal used by IHFA to transmit documents. Please email [email protected] on or after June 7, 2021, to indicate your intention to apply. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to access Procorem.
IHFA will conduct a training webinar and answer questions pertaining to the application and application process at 2 p.m. (mountain time), June 22, 2021. Please follow this link to register:
NOTE: the webinar will be recorded and made available on IHFA’s website.
Idaho’s ESG program is a competitive process. IHFA will review all submissions for completeness of application materials. Incomplete applications may not be considered for funding. IHFA will explain any rejections upon request. Additionally, technical assistance may be provided for application submissions upon request.
Applications must be received by IHFA no later than 5 p.m. (mountain time), Friday, July 30, 2021.
Grant awards will be issued by August 31, 2021. The grant year will begin on October 1, 2021.
Contact Information
All questions related to the ESG application process should be directed to:
Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAP) team
Idaho Housing and Finance Association
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Senate Confirms Todman as Deputy HUD Secretary |
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The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Adrianne Todman as the new Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by voice vote, filling a much-needed leadership position in the Department under the administration of President Joe Biden and HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge.
Todman, who was nominated by President Biden for the position in March, brings a wealth of housing sector experience to the number two position at the Department. She most recently served as the chief executive officer of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), joining the organization in 2017. Read More......
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Mike Gerber Appointed Interim
CEO of NAHRO
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After the confirmation of former NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman as Deputy Secretary of HUD, the NAHRO Board of Governors designated Mike Gerber as interim CEO of the association. Gerber is currently president and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) and will continue in that role in addition to his new duties as interim NAHRO CEO. He will serve as interim CEO until a permanent NAHRO CEO is hired following a nationwide search.
Gerber is a long-time member of NAHRO and has served in multiple leadership positions, including as chair of the Strategic Plan Advisory Committee and the Legislative Network. He has been HACA President and CEO since 2012.
Gerber has an extensive background in affordable housing and community development. He previously served as Executive Director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, in senior positions in the Office of Public and Indian Housing at HUD, and as a staff member for two U.S. Senators.
“As a veteran NAHRO member and leader, the chief of a public housing agency, a longtime advocate, and an experienced executive, we have the utmost confidence in Mike’s ability to lead the association until we find a new permanent CEO,” NAHRO President Sunny Shaw said. “We’re grateful to him for taking on this additional responsibility.”
“I am excited to lead NAHRO during this transition period,” Gerber added. “NAHRO members make a significant difference in the lives of low-income persons in their communities. Our job is to ensure they have the support and tools needed to be as impactful as possible.”
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