March 15, 2010
The Asset Building Potential of Shared Equity Homeownership
In this paper for the New America Foundation, we review the literature on homeownership as an asset building strategy for lower income households. We then present a real world case study, examining wealth building and household mobility among buyers of 424 resale-restricted, owner-occupied houses and condominiums developed by the Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) in Burlington, Vermont between 1988 and 2008. We conclude by comparing the asset building potential of shared equity homeownership to the rewards and risks associated with other strategies for helping lower income families to accumulate assets and build wealth.[More]
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March 12, 2010
Brookings: Retail Trade as a Path to Neighborhood Revitalization
Retail trade is a highly visible feature in a community, and is often a symbol of economic status. Terms like “upscale retail,” “strip mall,” or “big box store,” convey very different images of retail trade that are widely associated with economic prosperity, or the lack thereof. But, does retail trade really revitalize run down or neglected neighborhoods? And if so, what are the mechanisms at work, the successful strategies, and necessary conditions that lead to success? In “Retail Trade as a Route to Neighborhood Revitalization,” Karen Chapple and Rick Jacobus tackle these questions.[More]
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Center for American Progress: A Path to Homeownership
Homeownership continues to provide real social and economic benefits and remains a high priority for most American families, but the United States is experiencing significant declines in the ownership rate for the first time in decades. What we need is greater availability of targeted purchase assistance programs that address wealth barriers to homeownership.[More]
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September 05, 2009
Hemet considers new ways to boost housing
Community land trusts are nonprofit, community-based housing organizations that acquire land through purchases or donations and hold it in perpetuity, said Rick Jacobus, an Oakland-based consultant hired to look into forming the land.[More]Posted by Rick Jacobus | Comments (0)
December 09, 2008
SF Chronicle: Coffee Shops Perk Up Streets
Cafes revitalize neighborhoods by providing safe gathering places, drawing other businesses Neighborhoods like North Beach and Noe Valley are teeming with coffee shops, but head south and you're likely to find people clamoring for a cafe. In recent years, these businesses have become a key part of community efforts to revitalize commercial strips, arguably the most visible and telling element of any neighborhood. Coffee shops offer a safe, warm gathering place for neighbors, bring foot traffic to areas that need it, and tend to reflect the flavor of a community.[More]Posted by Rick Jacobus | Comments (0)
August 26, 2008
Market Data Webcast for LISC Staff
This webcast provided an overview of the ESRI Business Analyst Online tool for obtaining neighborhood market data. Presentation Handouts: Powerpoint Neighborhood Market Snapshot: Understanding the Data Bayview Materials: Bayview Market Conditions Overview San Francisco Grocerty Attraction Handouts Related items: Commercial...[More]Posted by Rick Jacobus | Comments (0)
March 04, 2008
Asset Building and Affordable Homeownership
Homeownership has historically offered the best asset building strategy available to middle class american families. But homeownership has changed and is no longer available to many moderate income households. Local government programs that seek to make ownership affordable however frequently choose to limit the price that homeowners can sell for in order to preserve affordability for future buyers. But affordability protections are sometimes opposed by those who want to encourage homeowner wealth building. These debates are really about the very purpose of affordable homeownership programs. This 15 minute video presentation looks more closely at local affordable homeownership programs from the point of view of asset building. Can affordable ownership programs be seen as asset building strategies? How do they compare with traditional ownership?[More]
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November 02, 2007
Wealth Creation and Affordability in Inclusionary Housing
Inclusionary housing ordinances can produce vital community assets and valuable personal assets. Should the programs seek to preserve these community assets, or allow residents of the affordable units to reap the full rewards of homeownership?
This session examined various techniques for balancing these two important goals, including resale provisions that utilize
shared appreciation formulas and community land trusts.[More]
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October 29, 2007
Best Practices in Administration and Oversight of Inclusionary Housing
This paper outlines some of the challanges of ongoing administration of Inclusionary housing programs and highlights the policies, procedures and systems that successful programs have been using to address these challanges. The paper identifies common approaches to staffing these programs over time including partnerships with local consultants or nonprofit organizations and looks at scalable revenue sources to support the ongoing costs of administration. [More]
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Administration of Inclusionary Housing Programs
This panel at the National Inclusionary Housing Conference focused on the complex programs and systems necessary to successfully oversee inclusionary housing programs. It offered the audience a chance to learn from experienced administrators about what to anticipate, pitfalls to avoid, and partnerships that can make it easier.[More]Posted by Rick Jacobus | Comments (0)
September 27, 2007
Grocery Store Attraction Symposium
This one-day workshop/discussion brought together local government staff, community advocates, economic development practitioners, and others who are working to bring healthy food retailers to underserved, low-income, urban, or rural communities.
[More]
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September 15, 2007
Inclusionary Housing Production Study
Affordable By Choice:Trends in California Inclusionary Housing Programs was commissioned by the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, The California Coalition for Rural Housing, The San Diego Housing Federation and the Sacramento Housing Alliance. The report details the findings of a statewide survey of local government agencies that have adopted inclusionary housing policies. [More]
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September 14, 2007
Understanding Subsidy Retention
This animated presentation was designed to help policymakers understand the economics of permanently affordable homeownership. The key to understanding the growing homeownership affordability challenge is the relative rates of change of housing prices and incomes. I found that this idea was difficult to explain verbally but was easy for people to understand with the help of simple drawings.
[More]
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September 08, 2007
Commercial Revitalization Planning Guide
This hands on guidebook is filled with detailed direction that will provide practitioners with a starting point for organizing comprehensive commercial district revitalization efforts. It takes the reader through each stage of revitalization from planning, research, and visioning to understanding the potential of the community, analyzing the business mix, marketing the assets, and implementing the work plan. The planning guide also provides a set of practical tools to assist in implementation.[More]
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Joint Ventures with For-Profit Developers. A Guide for Community Development Corporations
Joint ventures between community development corporations and for-profit partners present tremendous opportunities for CDC to build their skills and complete projects that are larger in scale and/or beyond their core competencies. However, there are a host of business issues raised by the prospect of a CDC co-owning or working closely with a for-profit on a project. This guide is designed to assist CDCs in becoming educated consumers as they think about, plan and become partners in joint ventures.[More]
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