VETERANS DISPOSABLE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

House resolution: HR 1, the FR2011 Budget proposal cut the $75 million that has been in the budget for the past two years for Department of Housing and Urban Development–Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, the report says that on a single night in January 2009, 75,609 veterans were homeless; and an estimated 136,334 veterans spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 20009. The $75 million that has been in the budget was enough to support 10,000 vouchers. that is only 1 out of every 13 homeless vets families, and the Republicans in the House cut even that.

I don't know about anyone else, but in my opinion this is a slap in the face of the men and women who laid down their lives to protect our homes, we are going to toss them out like last weeks bath water.  Shame on you US Government.  Maybe we should just lower their salaries to minimum wage and see what kind of response we get on these budget cuts when they have to face the harsh reality that the US is falling behind in providing for her own people.  Funny, we have plenty of money to give away to foreign countries, but we can't or wont house our needy.

Doesn't it say somewhere on the Statue of Liberty "Give me your poor. . . . ."?  Why, so we can add to our homeless population?  Our government seems to be doing fine on its own.  You know it is 3% of the population that has the rest of  us in this position.  When will the  95% of the population that wants to pretend this wont effect them wake up and call Congressman Rehberg and demand full funding for HUD.  Here is the phone number, 1-202-225-3211 for his DC office, or call here at home on his 1-888-232-2626.  That phone really doesn't weigh 500 lbs.  You can even call after hours and leave a message.  No one but you and the Congressman will know you called.  So what is stopping you?  No phone?  No desire to stay warm until spring?  Or just don't believe that they are really going to take $23.7 million dollars from Montana housing?

I never thought I would see the day that the US would take on classes, pushing the poor, elderly, disabled, and veterans into surf status.  Something is wrong with this picture.  Call today, the home you save maybe Grandma's.
Than you for your efforts.

MONTANA RENTAL SUBSIDIESED PROGRAMS TO BE CUT

The Montana Board of Housing offers financing to produce rental housing that is affordable for low-income Montanans. The Multifamily Program monitors these properties to ensure that they comply with federal and state requirements and that they fulfill the obligations they committed to for the financial assistance they receive. The Reverse Annuity Mortgage Program is one of the few RAMs that has been implemented by a State Housing Finance Agency and Montana is proud of the support we have been able to extend to many low-income seniors who wish to stay in their home as long as possible. The Risk Sharing Program is a collaboration between the Montana Board of Housing and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which provides FHA insured permanent financing for units of multifamily rental property in Montana.

The General Obligation (G.O.) Program is a source of permanent mortgage financing for affordable rental housing which meets certain low income occupancy and rent limitation requirements. The Board provides mortgage underwriting and loan management as well as financing.

BOZEMAN'S CONTROBUTION TO NATIONAL TENANT'S ACTION

Congressman Denny Rehberg was to attend a function at the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce today at 11 am.  I Understand that attendance was by invitation only.  My plan earlier in the day to have an opportunity to speak directly to the Congressman had been foiled, and I was not about to let another go by that was still within reach.

I quickly wrote my "Don't Feed Us To The Wolves" and "1,200 Montana Families Face Eviction," signs and headed down the road to the Chamber a little over ten miles away.

When I got there, I parked about four blocks away.  I walked with my signs battling the wind, setting the bright, neon-green 1,200 Montana sign was strategically balanced against the stop light, I unrolled the bright, neon-orange poster stating, "DON'T FEED US TO THE WOLVES - - FULL FUNDING FOR HUD", sign and proceeded to march up and down the snow covered shoulder in 20 something degree weather, for the next two hours.
The green sign requested that people call Congressman Rehberg's 1-888-232-2626 number and request full funding for HUD.
I don't know, nor will I ever know if I made any kind of impact.  I do know though, when I lay my read down tonight, under my Home Choice Voucher rented roof, I will know I tried one more day to save the home I now live in.

FEB 17, UPDATE ELDERLY AND DISABLED ASSISTANCE AT RISK WITH HUD

The table below shows not only the FY12 budget proposal, but also the funding levels proposed for the remainder of FY11 in H.R. 1, introduced on February 11 by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY). H.R. 1 would eliminate two-thirds of the funding for CDBG and more than two-thirds for Section 202 and Section 811. It would eliminate housing counseling funds and would reduce funding for HOME, public housing, and Native American housing. It would continue funding for the Rural Innovation Fund and SHOP.http://www.ruralhome.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=394:fy12-hud-budget-and-appropriations&catid=45 

HUD BE QUIET ---- Whats Sec. Shaun Donovan Up To?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49696.html   CLICK AND FIND OUT.

SELF-HELP IS THE ANSWER TO GOVERNMENT EVICTIONS

Call Congress  today and demand full funding for HUD programs or you may have to move in with your children, grandchildren or parents.
Senator Jon Tester 406-586-4450
Senator Max Baucus 406-586-6104
Representative Denny Rehberg 1-888-232-2626

HAVE A HEART SAVE OUR HOMES!

Obama's 2012 budget: agency by agency - FederalTimes.com

Obama's 2012 budget: agency by agency - FederalTimes.com

EXTRA, EXTRA, HUD BUDGET CUTS

THERE CAN BE NO JOB RECOVERY WITHOUT HOUSING

It is hard to do the right thing, especially when the right thing may very well entail  biting the hand that feeds you.  There comes a time in everyone’s life when the welfare of others has to prevail before our own wants and desires. As a society it is our duty to preserve human life, protect certain rights of the individual and take responsibility for the short-comings of  Government, Churches,  Banks, Auto-makers and others considered to big to fail. When they outsourced jobs that were once filled by those on fixed incomes, and allowed other businesses to practice unfair employment policies you get this mess we find ourselves .

Many of the people who utilize these programs have no other choice but to apply for and accept this help.  Through no fault of their own, generating an income is an activity that is closely regulated and seems to penalize tenants for making any where from $20 to $200 more a month.  How then can they improve their situations when every step they take is counted and collected?  How can we have an economic recovery without Housing?  How can we apply for jobs if we have no homes to list on job applications?

I  recently spent over three months trying to activate a software program on my computer, it took this long to speak to two people who took their time and spoke English clearly and at a speed that was acceptable to my feeble brain.  I could have given in and called someone who was more level headed and knowledgeable about these things,  but that would cost me money I don’t have to spend.  The right thing to do was to learn what the problem was, what if anything could be done to solve the problem and to make sure that I actually have the time and physical capability to dig the tower out and listen to a dialect of English that I have difficulty at best in understanding what I am being told to do?

Instead tonight, I decided to work on another uphill battle.  One I can not throw money at.  One that people in my position have never been approached before in finding the solution.  Yes, I am talking about Subsidized housing.  In actuality, I am talking about being a tenant of a residential rental unit of any kind.  I have rented my entire life of living out from under my parents roof.  I have been a night mare tenant in my past, and have come to be a responsible, trustworthy tenant today.  Unfortunately the conditions the financially challenged find for acceptable living quarters has not, if anything is has gotten worse.

The physical condition of the buildings that those who are of the working poor and underfinanced groups has not aged gracefully.  Neglect, depression, and a sense of desperation has fallen upon complexes that were once Harold to be the prime rental selection.  In my youth, I saw this as a sign that the owner of the property did not care what happened, just as long as the rent was paid, in full, and on time.  Even when all the conditions were met: proper notice, rent paid in full and on time, deposit put up front as required, walls washed, professionally cleaned carpets, no damage of any kind,  kiss that deposit good by.  If you move on a voucher, get yourself a storage unit as you will be homeless between the time it takes for the contract to expire on one place and kick in at the other.  You will need to make your deposit on the new place and find somewhere to stay until this all passes over.

I now get to share these experiences with tenants, lawyers, and advocates all over  the nation as well as with HUD officials such as Secretary Shaun Donavon, Deputy Assistant Secretary Caroll Galanta and Senior Advisor Barbra Sard (check title).  I am happy to share my experiences and my opinion on how I think things should be done. I do believe that my experiences are a little one sided and perhaps jaded.  I would welcome a fresh perspective on these phone calls with the Resident Engagement Group.  It really isn’t all that confusing and if you take the time to read the materials posted here, and follow the links, post questions and apply your personal experiences with a seasoned opinion you can be a part of history and change the way tenants live all across the country.

FREE COLLEGE EDUCATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HARD KNOCKS MONTANA CAMPUS

Welcome to the Montana campus of the University of Hard knocks.  Don’t worry, you have already paid your tuition with every bad decision, indecisive moment, and who knows how my thousands of dollars lost due to wrongful withholding of security deposits and other financial issues that were taken out of your control because . . . Well, lets face it, you are financially challenged. That’s not completely a bad thing, just something that is terribly misunderstood, and one that can be almost impossible it seems to achieve.

As your instructor, I will show you where you can obtain a college education in almost any field you find fascinating or one that you may want to join the working force in, mind you I said “SHOW YOU WHERE TO OBTAIN” ,  and if you will look around you will notice that you are in the worlds largest public library and every opportunity in the world is with in your reach with the mere investment of your most precious and sought after commodities.
These are your time, your attention, your understanding and your ability to invest all of this and more in yourself.  Money is at your discretion, I am not giving  anyone financial advice here.  I promised to show you where, to be more specific any one can educate themselves on any topic, if they invest the time to open a book commit to reading it from cover to cover, including all the forward, introductions and footnotes, applying those suggestions into the life you want to create realizing that it will take time and move slowly especially in the beginning.  Yet if you give yourself 30 minuets each and every morning upon rising and the same at night to invest in yourself, believe in yourself, trust in yourself and make a decision on something anything and just start you will find in time that others respect your knowledgeable accounts of the subject matter you have chosen to master.  Well, not really its going to take more than one hour a day.  It will take exactly as many hours a day you use to waist with indecision, to afraid to take a risk and spent running away from your reality. 

If you can do this continuously for ten days then you have started the journey.  You will find that a million and one things will come along to distract you from spending time on yourself that may very well be  of great importance, remember, unless someone is dying, or your employer is going to can you, the only other reason not to invest this time in yourself each and every day for the rest of your life is that you are dead.  And if that is the case, please stop reading, lay down, you have earned your Masters Degree from the University of Hard Knocks.
The rest of you . . . . MAKE A DECISION AND TRUST YOURSELF!!

Post Cards Are Another Way To GO!

How about sending out a handful of these simple little post cards?  http://www.saveourhomes.org



You can always pick up  that 500 pound phone and call Congress today if that is your preferred method of communication.

Some Very Interesting Links

 

I have a heck of a time with HUD’s website.  

http://www.hud.gov/local/mt/homeless/shelters.cfm

http://www.montanalawhelp.org/MT/StateChannelResults.cfm/County/

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/

http://housing.mt.gov/about/section8/default.mcpx

http://www.socialserve.com/dbh/ViewUnit/236495?ch=MT&hm=CFzgehOx

HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program

 

HOME is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to produce affordable housing for low‐income families. It allows states and localities to decide how best to use the scarce HOME funds to meet their most urgent affordable housing needs.

States invest HOME funds in a wide variety of rental and homeownership programs and
projects, including new construction, rehabilitation, down payment assistance, and tenant based rental assistance.

HOME has helped its State and local administrators produce more than one million affordable homes since Congress created it in 1990 to provide a flexible resource those administrators could use to meet their highest priority affordable housing needs. HOME helps approximately 143,000 families secure affordable housing each year.
HOME funds may only assist families earning 80 percent or less of the area median income
(AMI). Ninety percent of HOME rental funds must benefit families with incomes of 60 percent of AMI or less. Rental properties with five or more HOME‐assisted apartments must reserve 20 percent of those units for families earning 50 percent of AMI or less.
However, HOME has consistently exceeded these requirements by assisting families with
incomes well below the HOME limits. HOME funds are often used to assist the elderly, persons with disabilities, and the homeless.

States annually receive 40 percent of HOME funding, and local governments and consortia
receive 60 percent. A HUD needs‐based formula determines funding allocations. PJs must
commit HOME funds within 24 months of their receipt and expend them within five years.
States and localities monitor HOME‐assisted properties to ensure long‐term affordability and
compliance with program rules. Apartments must remain affordable to low‐income families for a period of five to 20 years, depending on the amount of HOME assistance they receive.
Ownership properties must remain a family’s principal residence for a period of up to 15 years.

HOME helps create jobs, expand local tax bases, and stabilize distressed neighborhoods. Each
federal HOME dollar is matched with 25 cents of state, local, or private funds. However, PJs
leverage significantly more. In fact, every federal HOME dollar generates over three dollars in additional public and private investment.
In FY 2010, total HOME funding was $1.825 billion. The President’s FY 2011 Budget proposes
$1.65 billion for HOME.

HOUSING BONDS

The Mortgage Revenue Bond (MRB) and tax‐exempt multifamily housing bond programs
(collectively, Housing Bonds) have provided 4 million lower‐income Americans with affordable homeownership and another 1 million with rental housing opportunities. Each year, another 100,000 families buy their first homes with MRB mortgages. HFAs use multifamily tax‐exempt housing bonds to finance an additional 30,000 apartments each year.

Housing Bonds finance low‐interest mortgages for low‐ and moderate‐income home buyers and the acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of multifamily housing for low‐income renters.Investors purchase Housing Bonds at low interest rates because the income from them is tax free. The interest savings made possible by the tax exemption is passed on to home buyers and renters in reduced housing costs.

Each state’s annual issuance of Housing Bonds and other so‐called private activity bonds,
including industrial development, redevelopment, and student loan bonds, is capped. In 2000, Congress increased the private activity bond cap by 50 percent and indexed it to inflation. The 2010 limit is $90 times the state population, with a state minimum of $273,775,000.

Congress restricts Mortgage Revenue Bond (MRB) mortgages to first‐time home buyers who
earn no more than the area median income (AMI). Larger families can earn up to 115 percent of AMI. The median income of an MRB borrower in 2008 was $39,195— just 78 percent of the national median of $50,303.
Congress limits the price of homes purchased with MRB mortgages to 90 percent of the average area purchase price. The average MRB purchase price in 2008 was $138,901— only 70 percent of the national median price of $198,100.

Multifamily housing bond developments must set aside at least 40 percent of their apartments
for families with incomes of 60 percent of AMI or less, or 20 percent for families with incomes of
50 percent of AMI or less.
In 2008, Congress provided $11 billion in new tax‐exempt Housing Bond authority to remain
available through 2010 and permitted HFAs to refinance subprime loans, defined as adjustable
rate mortgages originated after December 31, 2001 and before January 1, 2008, until 2010.
In October 2009, the Administration announced its HFA Initiative. The two‐point plan was
designed to help HFAs expand their affordable lending efforts and strengthen their financial
standing by overcoming obstacles to both created by the financial crisis. The plan created the
New Issuance Bond Program to fund home loans and finance rental production at affordable
rates; and created the Temporary Credit and Liquidity Program to help secure liquidity for
existing HFA Variable Rate Debt (VRD) to strengthen HFA lending capacity.

CALL TO ACTION FOLLOW NAHTS LEAD

As Barbra Sard said during a telephone meeting withe the Resident's Engagement Group (REG), "Now is the time."  Never in the history of HUD have they ever consulted with Tenants from all of their rental programs on how to make things better for both parties.

Join in this call for full funding for HUD rental programs.  All you have to do is make a simple phone call.  Call Congress, save your home.  If you are in public housing, and or use a voucher (Home Choice, Section 8, Project based, or tenant based your home is on the chopping block!

TENANTS WANTED

Montana residential tenants that use rental subsidies such as Section 8, Home Choice Vouchers, Public Housing, Tax Credit, and Multifamily tenants to work with top HUD Officials through the national Resident Engagement Group. Compensation ability to help preserve Affordable Housing in Montana.  Call (406) 600-1653 or email snakewoman@gmail.com for more information on how Montana tenants can be heard.

Montana Families Face Eviction

875 Montana Voucher families will be facing eviction  March 2001, if the 21% reduction in spending takes place.  $1.9 million dollars will be cut from Public Housing, and $3 Million will be cut from City and State Housing and Homeless programs leaving many more Montanans out in the literal cold.  These families and 333,000 across the nation need your help.  Call Congress today and request full funding for HUD housing programs!