HUD Ideas in Action

Improve current mortgagee letter dealing with Pre-foreclosure Sale program, thereby increasing the number of closed sales = fewer foreclosures. Appraised values that are too high prevent successful prefoclosure sales. Implement price reduction procedures based on number of days on market. Offer up to 3% towards buyers closing costs, instead of the 1% policy increasing the number of buyers. Increase the PFS period from 90 days to at least 120 days. This will result in far less vacant homes and foreclosures for HUD to deal with. Other suggestions available, but these would require little policy/procedure change with big benefit.

Jobs creation and retention is a large component of all HUD funded projects whether or not that is the purpose of the project. How many people are employees on a sewer line replacement project, how many people are able to obtain employment because case managers are available at a homeless shelter, how many people are employed building a new affordable housing development, how many people are employees at the center making meals for housebound seniors? This information is not collected at the national level; only those projects that the benefit is a business directly is job data collected and reported. This data is easily collected and only needs a forum to report. This should be an easy alteration within the current systems (IDIS, HMIS, etc.). My community has collected this information for the last five years and has been greatly appreciated by elected officials (local and national) and shows the full impact of HUD funds in our community. As these are templet jobs we report on number of people not FTE as the impact for that person means maybe that month they do not need state assistance or they are able to stay in their home for another month.

HUD should establish an intra-agency AFFH working group composed of personnel from FHEO, OGC, and relevant program offices. The working group would have regular meetings and focus on reviewing HUD programs to find ways to ensure that the programs affirmatively further fair housing. The working group could review one large HUD program and one smaller HUD program per year and produce a report for the Assistant Secretary of FHEO to the Secretary that would discuss potential improvements in the programs, recommended regulatory changes, recommendend guidance to be provided to recipients, recommended NOFA changes, and any needed legislative changes to the programs.

Research shows when employees have access to a coach or mentor work is more productive with less conflict. All employees need to be able to have access either through a site or directly to discuss workplace challenges. When I was teaching, I was blessed to be working in a school with a school counselor whose service was not limited to "troubled" kids. Every child was sent to meet with the counselor for 15 minutes once a month. This provided a healthy outlet for all concerns and was also productive in that only the "troubled" kids did not get labeled as needing a counselor.
Making coaches available may also result in reducing the number of cases of workplace mobbing and bullying, on the premise that bullying is a by-product of ignorance.

The VASH program is successful because each Veteran is assigned to a Social Worker who helps them get out of homelessness into housing. However, there are many assisted clients who are motivated about getting out of assisted housing but don't know where to start. If perhaps there was a site to field such questions and helpful answers were provided atleast some might be able to follow their dreams and get out of lifelong assistance.

In order to keep cost down, HUD should require that Housing Authorities offer tenant's some sort of renter's insurance at a reduced cost. The cost to repair units when tenant's move-out is expensive. This is will aid with tenant's losing their belongings during a fire, theft, or natural disaster. There are agencies that will provide the Housing Authorities a group rate.

In order to truly fix the housing market we need to first remember what a healthy housing cycle looks like. It starts with a first time buyer who typically buys a small house from someone. That family can then buy something larger (trade-up), and the family they buy from can then build new construction from a builder -- who then purchases materials and hires labor. That cycle is broken, because the first time buyers who are critical to begin the healthy process are not buying their starter homes from homeowners, they are buying vacant homes from the banks. THE ANSWER is to get the first time buyers back into the traditional cycle and get them to buy from real people. This will result in each first time buyer ABSORBING three houses, instead of just one house as is happening when they buy something vacant. When a first time buyer buys a vacant home, NO ONE else moves, three houses sit stagnant, a builder doesn't get to build, labor doesn't get hired and factories don't produce materials. Inside the three houses that don't get sold there is at least one homeowner in distress who really needs to sell to avoid foreclosure but doesn't achieve a sale because the first time buyer didn't create the traditional cycle. As a result, that person ends up in foreclosure and simply replaces the one the first time buyer bought. Bring back the first time buyer tax credit with a restriction that they have to buy from a real homeowner in order to qualify for the credit. This will drive the first time buyers into the traditional market, increase demand from the bottom up, stabilize prices, reduce foreclosures, and create construction & factory jobs which will then put people back to work and let many of them catch up on missed payments, reducing foreclosures even further.

Let occupants of foreclosed houses stay at the property until payment arrangements can be made or the house is actually sold, but require them to maintain the property in an acceptable manner. Currently, thousands of homes have been abandoned and foreclosed and are sitting vacant in neighborhoods causing blight because of vandalism. As a result, property values of the remaining homes are dropping and states are demolishing homes to preserve the communities--homes that would have been otherwise habitable if the occupants were allowed to remain. Instead of evictions and abandonments, recommend that HUD should take a more active role and create a program that would allow the occupants to remain in the homes at: (a) the reduced, newly appraised value; and (b) a special helping hand lower interest rate that would allow the borrowers to make payments based upon income. The plan would have to be drafted, but it is workable if acceptable to the banks.

Dollar of investment what HUD leverages/ creates jobs. USEDA uses a formula to track jobs for both direct and indirect impact.. There was a study at I think, the University of Miami about 15 years ago that demonstrate that every dollar put into beach replenishment creates $4 in tourism. Why can't HUD come up with some kind of similar idea to demonstrate the impact on communities?

We can donate leave to colleagues who are in a pinch with an unexpected health or family situation, but it would be also appropriate (and more popular) in some situations to offer each other leave as a loan instead. For example, I'd be more willing to loan my annual leave to fellow women who are out on maternity leave than I would be to fully donate it, since the person had at least 9 months to save up but also may have had difficulty doing so. If someone could return the annual leave to me after they return to work by transferring their leave as it is earned, then I'd be able to be more generous and flexible. After all, I've got to save up to take care of myself, too. This could also work with money through the credit union, perhaps, because a lot of people who run into unexpected health problems or are going on maternity leave could use an extra bolster, but should be able to pay it back in time.

I run in to this challenge daily as clients would like to lower their rate by doing a streamline FHA refinance, however, due to the increased MI rate across the board they are unable in a lot of cases to take advantage of the lower rates. Their principal and interest payment are greatly reduced, however, their MI is almost double then what it was which makes it impossible for them to refinance. Has there been any thoughts on lowering the streamline MI so that people can possibly lower their payments and stay in their homes?

What if HUD were to create a medium similar to 2006 Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus' Grameen Bank concept? Homeowners who have lost their jobs and are unable to pay their mortgage could be eligible to use their skills to create a business and compete for smaller HUD contract awards. For example every HUD office buys large amounts of paper from established businesses. However, based on completion of certain criteria if we award the contract to a homeowner who creates a paper supply business, we would be able to provide them an opportunity to work, maybe hire others for delivery etc while we continue to expend funds which we would have spent otherwise too. Since this is just an example it would not necessarily be limited to paper supplies. The list of possible products is numerous.

Give New HUD employees the opportunity to receive training from our external clients. This will give HUD staff an opportunity to see how external partners implement the rules and regulations set forth by HUD. Many people learn better by doing. Spending time at a Public Housing Authority, for example, would give employees a better feel for their day-to-day operations.

As congress explore strategies to reduce the deficit by shrinking government and slashing federal spending, HUD must find innovative ways to "do more with less." I feel we could seize a great opportunity within the job market. Presently the unemployment rate sits at 8.6%. HUD could take this opportunity to offer unpaid internships. This would benefit many of the understaffed divisons/program offices as well as the job market. Job seekers could utilize this opportunity to learn new skills or keep their current skill set relevant. Some federal agencies are currently using this approach including the Executive Office of the President, U.S. Courts and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Allow banks to put liens on properties once they have reduced the principal. The owner would pay the new lower mortgage but once the property sold all proceeds would go to cover the current mortgage then the lien then to the owner. The lien would be a set amount no interest added so it would not grow forever. The lien would stay on the title through any sales until it was totally paid off. This would encourage stability in neighborhoods since the owner benefits more by staying. Refinancing would not be allowed unless a certain portion of the lien was folded into the loan. There could even be a market for these liens in time.

I recently encountered a homeless person and gave him a few bucks, I noticed that he was coughing and was cold, I told him he needs to be in a shelter. He said he tried the shelter and its was full. I felt bad because I could not help him. Yet, I work at HUD. I suggest that all employees carry information cards with a helpline for people.