------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Stock for $4. No Minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/k6cvND/n97DAA/ySSFAA/tOsolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: CPPH_Info-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are 2 messages in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1. Fwd: Changing Section 8 rules under "Moving to Work" in Philadelphia From: Grant 2. Representation and Chicago Reporter Articles From: Grant ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 06:56:46 -0800 (PST) From: Grant Subject: Fwd: Changing Section 8 rules under "Moving to Work" in Philadelphia --- Wayne Sherwood wrote: > > > > Philadelphia Daily News (PA) > April 1, 2002 > Page: 11 > > > Section 8 gets a make-over > > Mayor Street once promised to find a way to "choke Section 8 into > submission," and prevent it from killing Philadelphia neighborhoods. > > Four years later, the Philadelphia Housing Authority has a plan to help > Street keep that promise. > The weapon is a new federal program that will give PHA executive director > Carl R. Greene the flexibility to retool the rent voucher program for needy > families. > > As one of 30 housing authorities approved for the U.S. Department of > Housing and Urban Development's new Moving to Work program, PHA also gets > to keep about $35 million a year in unused Section 8 money that previously > was returned to HUD. Greene can use the money to make improvements in > public housing. > > The rent vouchers help about 14,000 low-income families pay rent to private > landlords. PHA has 4,200 more vouchers waiting to be claimed. > > Changes PHA proposes for Section 8 include: > > * Encouraging families to use their subsidy to buy a home, instead of > renting. HUD allows the voucher to be applied to mortgage payments for up > to 15 years. > > * Placing a seven-year limit on eligibility for those who use the vouchers > for rent. Now, renters can renew their vouchers yearly as long as they meet > income guidelines. > > * Creating a new two-year voucher for those who lose their jobs and need > help in paying their mortgage or rent. > > Greene said PHA will build or buy new scattered sites to replace the worst > of its aging stock, most of which is concentrated in the city's poorest > neighborhoods. > > The new sites will be located in more economically stable areas, Greene > said. > > Many of the new units won't be owned or managed by PHA. Greene wants to do > more ventures like the one in Spring Garden where he turned 30 PHA > scattered sites between 18th and 20th streets, Spring Garden Street and Mt. > Vernon Street, over to the Community Builders and Spring Garden Neighbors > Association. The nonprofit development team is completing a gut-rehab of > the townhouses, creating apartments for the same families who rented them > from PHA. > > PHA's plan, which must still be approved by HUD, is designed to work in > tandem with Street's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, the citywide > anti-blight effort. > > "The city is now entering the business of neighborhood revitalization," > Greene said. "This plan is designed to help us work together and restore > value to our communities." * > > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 07:03:16 -0800 (PST) From: Grant Subject: Representation and Chicago Reporter Articles I have attached a set of Articles from the Chicago Reporter which go into this, and other issues in more depth. If you are unable to open the attachment and want the articles let me know the format you are interested in. Grant --- Wayne Sherwood wrote: > > Many CHA tenants lack representation > > April 1, 2002 > > BY DAVE NEWBART STAFF REPORTER > Chicago Sun Times > > Thousands of public housing residents in Chicago have no representation on > local leadership councils, the Chicago Reporter writes in its April issue. > > Federal law allows only those residents who currently live in public > housing to vote or run for tenant leader positions on Local Advisory > Councils. But because many public housing residents have been given > vouchers to move elsewhere while Chicago Housing Authority buildings are > being revamped or rebuilt, that leaves as many as 6,500 families ineligible > to serve on the councils over a 10-year period, the Reporter found. > > Rules require resident leaders to live in the housing for at least six > months before an election. That means while they live elsewhere, residents > will not be able to help shape the future of the development they plan to > return to. > > Since 1971, the CHA has been required to consult with the tenant groups on > issues ranging from redevelopment to budgets. Tenant groups were > instrumental in getting the CHA to agree to allow public housing tenants to > return to redeveloped CHA buildings even if they had been moved out on > vouchers. > > The Reporter notes that the situation isn't likely to change any time soon. > > "I personally, and as far as I know, anyone either on the board or at the > top levels of management, have not given it a lot of thought at this > point," CHA Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Sharon Gist Gilliam told the > publication. > > The story is part of the "Chicago Matters" series funded by the Chicago > Community Trust and produced by the Reporter--a monthly publication of the > Community Renewal Society--along with Chicago Public Radio and WTTW-Channel > 11. > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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