Congress of Cities Session to Focus on New Approaches to Housing Crisis
by Mike Wallace
Cities beset by
challenges related to the mortgage foreclosure crisis will soon have an
opportunity to learn how new federal housing programs can be used to create new
solutions to rising foreclosures, vacant and abandoned housing and
homelessness. The Congress of Cities
in Orlando, Fla., will feature a mini plenary session of prominent
federal and local officials who will discuss new and innovative approaches to
local housing challenges.
Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), and
Stan Gimont, director of the Office of Block Grant Assistance at the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, will join NLC Immediate Past
President James C. Hunt, councilmember, Clarksburg, W.Va., during the session to
talk about how new and existing federal programs, including the new $3.9
billion CDBG Neighborhood Stabilization Program, can jump-start or enhance
local strategies to help neighborhoods and families affected by the housing
crisis. Affordable housing and homeownership, including consumer protection from unsound and predatory lending, has been a long-time priority of NLC.
NLC worked with Congressional leaders for the last two years to pass legislation to help homeowners and cities overcome challenges associated with the foreclosure crisis. Last July, Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, which provides stronger regulations on mortgage brokers, new resources to help struggling homeowners refinance into improved mortgage loans, and a new program to help ease the burden of vacant housing on affected neighborhoods.
This session on housing during the Congress of Cities is one of four mini plenaries to take place the morning of Saturday, November 15. The other sessions will focus on school reform, planning for a sustainable future and strengthening local infrastructure.
Mangano has directed
USICH since 2002, where he has made it a priority to engage every level
of government and the private sector to form a National Partnership to End Homelessness. The partnership has grown
to include 20 federal agencies, 49 states, three territories and more than 350
local communities. By focusing on the
prevention of homelessness and rapid re-housing of homeless people, the council
has led a 30 percent reduction in the number of chronically homeless persons
over the last three years.
Mangano was recently recognized by the International
Downtown Association with a lifetime achievement award for
significantly advancing the cause of downtown revitalization. In 2007, he was nominated as one of
Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, and in 2006 was named by Governing magazine as the first and only federal official ever to be honored with its Public Official of the Year award. Under Mangano’s leadership, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of
Government named the Interagency Council on Homelessness one of the “Top 50
Government Innovations” in the nation.
Gimont is the head administrator of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Neighborhood
Stabilization Program (NSP).
The NSP
program, enacted just three months ago, will provide $3.9 billion in grants
to cities and states to purchase vacant and abandoned homes to help stabilize
neighborhoods burdened by high rates of foreclosure. Gimont also leads the administration of
the CDBG program, Section 108 loan guarantee program and CDBG-funded disaster
recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast. He has been awarded HUD’s Stephen Bollinger Award for his instrumental
efforts in implementing both HUD’s Economic Development Initiative and
Brownfields program.
NLC Immediate Past President Hunt is
well known for his experience and expertise in matters important to local
governments. In addition to his 22-year
elected tenure as mayor and council member, he is founder of Amazing Cities, an organization dedicated to creating
excellence in municipal government, and NLC's Inclusive Communities Partnership,
a national effort to create an inclusive approach to government. More than 160 cities representing 15 million citizens
have joined the partnership. In 2006, American City & County magazine named Hunt its Municipal Leader of the Year.
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