June 17, 2013

Join us for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities Twitter Town Hall on Monday, June 17, at 1:30 PM ET

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June 16, 2013 marks the four-year anniversary of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since 2009, our three federal agencies have been working together to help communities build stronger regional economies, improve their housing and transportation options, and protect the environment.

As President Obama said when the Partnership launched in 2009, “…by working together, [the agencies] can make sure that when it comes to development—housing, transportation, energy efficiency—these things aren’t mutually exclusive; they go hand in hand.”

Our collaboration helps communities plan the housing, transportation and economic development they need as infrastructure for economic growth, helping them attract businesses and improve quality of life for residents. Continue reading →

June 13, 2013

Join the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for a Sustainable Communities Twitter Town Hall!

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On June 17, 2013, we invite you to participate in a virtual discussion with senior U.S. officials to commemorate the fourth year anniversary of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities in a 45-minute Twitter town hall meeting.

The Partnership, a collaboration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), helps communities build stronger regional economies, improve their housing and transportation options, and protect the environment.  It has provided more than $4 billion in funding and technical assistance for projects in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Please join EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe, HUD Deputy Secretary Maurice Jones, and DOT Deputy Secretary John Porcari for a conversation at the Sustainable Communities Twitter Town Hall Meeting on Monday, June 17, at 1:30 pm (ET). Continue reading →

June 5, 2013

Rebuilding the Middle Class and the American Dream

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June is Homeownership Month, a time to celebrate something that’s central to this thing we call ‘the American Dream.’  As our nation continues to recover from the housing crisis, we also must reflect on ways to promote responsible and sustainable homeownership.

Perhaps then it’s only right that the theme of this Homeownership Month is Rebuilding the Middle-Class.  Today, the housing market is on the rebound with home sales on the increase and foreclosures on the decline.  Homebuilders are back to building homes and creating jobs for working Americans and thanks to rising home prices this year, nearly 2 million more families are no longer under water.  The market’s recovery is in large part, due to the swift and bold action taken by the Obama administration.  In the past four years, millions of people facing foreclosure are still their homes.

Despite all this progress, our work is not finished.  We still have a long way to go to ensure that every distressed homeowner gets help and every qualified buyer is treated fairly.  Too many responsible families who want to buy are still being locked out of market and the middle class.  While many homeowners can now take advantage of today’s low interest rates and refinance their mortgages (even if they’re under water), many others can’t!  Homeowners with a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or an FHA-insured mortgage have that option to lower their monthly mortgage costs but there are homeowners with private mortgages that don’t have that opportunity and continue to be locked out.  That’s why the President is urging the Congress to act on a plan to extend this opportunity to ALL responsible homeowners, allowing them a chance to save approximately $3000 a year!

HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling supports hundreds of certified housing counseling agencies across the country that can help struggling homeowners to keep their homes.  These counselors also assist first-time homebuyers and even those desperate for affordable rental housing.

Working with these and other partners on the ground, we can shape a housing market that is stronger and safer housing market than before.  In doing so, we’ll continue to restore the dream of homeownership, creating a stronger middle-class and a stronger America.

Happy Homeownership Month!

June 3, 2013

Summer Jobs Make a Difference in Youth’s Lives

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Secretary Donovan at Youth Summer Jobs Roundtable

Secretary Donovan at Youth Summer Jobs Roundtable

Most of us remember our first job. For many, it was the first time we learned about the importance of hard work, responsibility and accountability. The first paychecks were memorable as well; they provided funds to go to the movies, hang out with friends, or save towards a skateboard or back to school clothes.

For many of today’s disadvantaged and at-risk youths, summer employment represents something very different. It represents not just the value of a hard-earned dollar, but also exposure to long-term job opportunities, or to a mentor that can be a positive influence in their lives.

This is why in 2012 the Obama Administration announced the Summer Jobs+ program. Out of that successful initiative, the Youth Jobs+ program was created. Youth Jobs+ operates by bringing together Cabinet members, elected officials, local businesses, and non-profit organizations to create potential employment opportunities for young Americans.

On Thursday May 30th Secretary Shaun Donovan and Mayor Greg Stanton met with local civic and business leaders, as well as two young people, to discuss the Youth Summer Jobs program in Phoenix, Arizona. During the meeting, they discussed summer youth opportunities in Phoenix, the benefits to employing at-risk youth, the short and long term effects of limited employment opportunities, as well as how best to encourage the business community to provide those opportunities.

One attendee, Sammie Robinson, shared his firsthand experience about how obtaining a summer job at the YMCA helped him not only steer away from trouble, but also inspired him to want to help others. Today Sammie is a college student majoring in political science and works as a youth Counselor at the Phoenix YMCA.

The event was a success, and both Secretary Donovan and Mayor Stanton were pleased with connections that established at the meeting to ensure that this summer, young people in Phoenix and across the country have job opportunities.

Sustainability in Indian Country

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The intersection of housing and culture is brought into clear focus in this series of videos highlighting new sustainable housing projects in four Native American communities. Among the projects depicted is the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribal Housing Authority, which designed the energy-efficient Teekalet Village to preserve the cultural importance of fishing and waterways.  Adjacent to historic Puget Sound salmon fishing grounds, the project includes sustainable storm water practices that protect a salmon spawning creek, a tribal hatchery, and a historic waterfront.

Other highlighted projects include the Puyallup Nation’s Place of the Hidden Waters, the Penobscot LEED Homes, and the Crow Nation’s Awe’‐Itche Ashe, Good Earth Lodges, each telling the unique story of sustainable design and construction practices being adapted and applied to meet the housing needs of 21stcentury tribal life, while maintaining reverence and respect for native traditions.

The videos premiered and were well-received at the Sustainable Construction in Indian Country event held on May 2, 2013 at the National Museum of the American Indian.  Enterprise Community Partners’ Sustainable Native Communities Collaborative produced the videos with a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Policy Development and Research. Continue reading →