Selected Web Sites on Housing

CHANCE
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUDCLIPS
The Corporation for Enterprise Development
The Center on Human Policy
The Center for Social Development (CSD)
The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA)
The Center for Universal Design
National Low Income Housing Coalition/LIHIS
Fannie Mae's HomeChoice
The National Coalition of the Homeless
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
The Technical Assistance Collaborative
United States Department of Agriculture Rural Housing and Community Development Service (RHCDS)
Federal Home Loan Banks

The Center for Housing and New Community Economics (CHANCE) improves and increases access to integrated, affordable, and accessible housing coordinated with, but separate from, personal assistance and supportive services. CHANCE's purpose is to offer alternatives to approaches that segregate, congregate, and control people with disabilities. CHANCE represents an innovative partnership between ADAPT and IOD. This Web site provides information on four major initiatives of CHANCE including the Community Living Exchange Collaborative, Project Access, the National Home of Your Own Alliance information and referral center, and a series of studies called Strategies, Barriers, and Outcomes of Home Ownership. The viewer of this Web site will have an opportunity to download publications and search numerous links to other relevant sites on the Internet. http://chance.unh.edu

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Web site. The viewer can get information on HUD news, buying, selling, renting, and home improvements. In addition, the site contains comprehensive information on fair housing, HUD grants, programs, contracts and other housing resources. http://www.hud.gov

The HUDCLIPS Web site provides information and resources at HUD. The site offers access to HUD's official repository of policies, procedures, announcements, and other materials. HUDCLIPS (HUD Client Information and Policy System) contains full text searchable databases of the following: ALL HUD handbooks, ALL HUD notices, ALL Mortgagee, Preservation, and Title I letters, United States Code Titles 12 and 42, Code of Federal Regulations Title 24, Housing Waivers, OGC Preservation Documents, Federal Register notices, HUD Forms in PDF and GIF format. http://www.hudclips.org/cgi/index.cgi

The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) Web site. CFED fosters widely shared and sustainable economic well being. CFED promotes asset-building strategies, primarily in low-income and distressed communities, that bring together community practice, public policy, and private markets in new and effective ways. The CFED Web site includes excellent links to relevant information on Economic and Community Development. http://www.cfed.org

The Center on Human Policy Web site (CHP). The Center on Human Policy (CHP) is a Syracuse University based policy, research, and advocacy organization involved in the national movement to insure the rights of people with disabilities. Since its founding, the Center has been involved in the study and promotion of open settings (inclusive community opportunities) for people with disabilities. This Web site is full of relevant information, articles, and evaluations. http://soeweb.syr.edu/thechp

The Center for Social Development (CSD) Web site. CSD is part of the George Warren Brown School of Social Work (GWB), Washington University, St. Louis. CSD was founded in 1994 as a research and policy center, with Michael Sherraden as the founding director. Social development refers to investing in people, promoting active citizenship, and strengthening families and communities. The purpose of the Center is to chart new directions and study innovations in the domestic arena, particularly where such innovations are likely to have the greatest impact on public policy and private action. The domestic arena includes areas that are typically thought of as "social welfare" and "economic development" as well as broader aspects of family, community, and national life. Through innovation, research, networking, and policy development, the Center makes intellectual and applied contributions in social development theory, federal and state policy, and community projects. The Web site includes relevant articles, links, and research on Social Development. http://gwbweb.wustl.edu/csd

The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) is a national, nonprofit organization created by the nation's state housing finance agencies to assist them in increasing housing opportunities for lower income and underserved people through the financing, development, and preservation of affordable housing. http://www.ncsha.org/default.htm

The Center for Universal Design was established in 1989 under a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) as the Center for Accessible Housing with a mission to improve the quality and availability of housing for people with disabilities, including disabilities that result from aging. The Center for Universal Design is a national research, information, and technical assistance center that evaluates, develops, and promotes universal design in housing, public and commercial facilities, and related products. http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/

Established in 1974, the National Low Income Housing Coalition/LIHIS. The NLIHC is committed to educating, organizing, and advocating to ensure decent, affordable housing within healthy neighborhoods for everyone. NLIHC provides up-to-date information, formulates policy, and educates the public on housing needs and the strategies for solutions. http://www.nlihc.org/

Fannie Mae's HomeChoice mortgages for low- and moderate-income households that include a person with disabilities are part of its commitment to provide $1 trillion in targeted home-lending funds for ten million families by the end of the decade. Fannie Mae's Web sites provide in-depth information on many topics related to purchasing a home, including lists of lenders that offer HomeChoice mortgages. http://www.FannieMae.com/

The National Coalition of the Homeless is a national advocacy network of homeless persons, activists, service providers, and others committed to ending homelessness through public education, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and technical assistance. http://www.nationalhomeless.org/

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Web site. The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization based in Washington D.C. Their name honors the federal appeals court judge whose landmark decisions pioneered the field of mental health law, and the center's advocacy is based on the principle that every individual is entitled to choice and dignity. For many people with mental disabilities, this means something as basic as having a decent place to live, supportive services and equality of opportunity. This site is rich with legal information concerning people with disabilities. http://bazelon.org/mhcare.html

The Technical Assistance Collaborative provides consultation and technical assistance to governments and community organizations in the health, human services, and supported housing fields. The Web site includes a direct link to materials developed for the Opening Doors initiative. Opening Doors is a housing initiative designed to provide information and technical assistance on affordable housing issues to people with disabilities, their families, advocates, and service providers across the United States. This Web site has many publications and links on housing. http://www.tacinc.org

United States Department of Agriculture Rural Housing and Community Development Service (RHCDS). RHCDS offers financial assistance to apartment dwellers and homeowners in rural areas. Its housing programs include the Rural Rental Housing Program and Rural Housing Preservation Grants Program. It has regional and local offices that serve all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. The Rural Housing Service provides a number of homeownership opportunities to rural Americans, as well as programs for home renovation and repair. RHS also makes financing available to elderly, disabled, or low-income rural residents of multi-unit housing buildings to ensure they are able to make rent payments. http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/Individual/ind_splash.htm

Federal Home Loan Banks are privately capitalized cooperative government-sponsored enterprises that were created by Congress in 1932. The FHL Bank System consists of twelve regional FHL Banks; its fiscal agent, the Office of Finance; and its regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Board. It has a trade association, the Council of Federal Home Loan Banks. The mission of the FHL Banks is to support residential mortgage lending by their member-stockholders. Eligible members include commercial banks, savings institutions, credit unions, and insurance companies. The FHL Banks provide members with access to economical wholesale credit products, and provide an attractive and safe stock investment. http://www.fhfb.gov/FHLB/FHLBPS_index.htm

Note: This list is by no means a comprehensive list of web sites with valuable information on housing. Please use the links on each of these web sites to further explore many other useful sites on housing.

Contact Information

Rosalie Kane
University of Minnesota
420 Delaware Street, SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 624-5171
kanex002@maroon.tc.umn.edu

Jay Klein
Center for Housing and New Community Economics (CHANCE)
4028 Crescent Drive
Fort Collins, CO 80526
(800) 220-8770 (V)
chance.iod@attbi.com