Habitat for Humanity Partners With OHA
To Displace Oakland's Poor
LYNDA CARSON / Mindfully.org 13oct2007
http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2007/Habitat-For-Humanity13oct07.htm Habitat for Humanity has the reputation of assisting poor people to become homeowners, but how many of you know that their projects are actually being built upon the backs of the poor in public housing complexes all across the nation, while displacing tens of thousands of poor families from their public housing units in the process?
Oakland — As resistance builds to the Tassafaronga Village public housing complex demolition project being proposed in East Oakland, Habitat for Humanity is denouncing the OHA for not offering proper support to the 75 families that will be displaced by the project, while wanting to move full steam ahead with the demolition project and mixed income housing development they want to build upon the current public housing site.
The Proposal: Demolish 16 buildings including 87 units of public housing and redevelop the project site with 191 residential units, including townhouses; apartments; and loft units in a rehabilitated manufacturing building.
The proposed project would not result in any more public housing units than the OHA currently has, 87 habitable units of public housing would be demolished, millions in housing funds (over $20 million) from OHA's other housing programs would be diverted to the demolition project, while the existing African-American community would be displaced in the process.
East Bay Habitat for Humanity openly admits that the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) has not done it's part to offer enough support to 75 families facing eviction from the Tassafaronga Village public housing complex. See e-mail below...
The OHA has 3,308 public housing units, including 5 privately owned and managed Hope VI sites. There are 8 sites that have anywhere from 30 to 390 units at each location, including 254 scattered sites with an average of 6 housing units per location. Most units are 35 to 40 years in age and the OHA wants to focus on "22 on-going project sites", which includes it's Hope VI projects, and Tassafaronga Village. The OHA wants to dispose of the rest of it's scattered sites or demolish them, but may retain 4 additional public housing sites if it can come up with the necessary funding to maintain or redevelop them.
Regardless of the future of Oakland's public housing sites and the public housing residents uncertain future, Habitat for Humanity has no qualms about jumping right in to grab a piece of the action, to be a part of the team that displaces Oakland's poor for their own privatized home ownership project.
According to Habitat for Humanity; "Habitat is a $145 million-a-year enterprise based in Americus, Ga., with about 2,300 affiliates in some 100 countries and all 50 states. It builds nearly 25,000 homes a year for people who earn 25% to 50% of their area's median income. Applicants contribute about 10 weeks of labor to build their home or others in the community, make a down payment of $100, and commit to a monthly mortgage payment."
Habitat for Humanity Preys Upon The Poor In Public Housing Complexes
Habitat for Humanity is a bad actor that has been caught up into one project after another all across the nation in partnerships with Public Housing Authorities. These partnerships have displaced tens of thousands of public housing tenants, siphons off public housing funds for their privatized home ownership projects, and has resulted in thousands of public housing tenants becoming homeless as a result.
As well intentioned as it may sound to build housing for low-income families if that is really the case, it is immoral of Habitat for Humanity to be involved in projects that have displaced the poor to make way for their $80,000 condominiums and other home ownership projects that continue to create more homelessness all across the nation by displacing public housing tenants.
Like a vulture of prey upon the backs of the poor, all across the nation Habitat for Humanity is involved in one project after another where they suck up MILLIONS in Public Housing Authority housing funds that were originally meant for the poor in public housing and the Section 8 program, but are now being diverted to their privatized projects.
Down in New Oreans, Habitat for Humanity has become a public menance towards public housing tenants who have been trying to get back into their housing units. Habitat for Humanity openly and publicly is doing everything possible to take advantage of the Katrina disaster to get their hands on all that public housing property in New Orleans, no matter how many thousands of poor public housing tenants become homeless as a result of their policies. See article below...
Habitat for Humanity uses all the public housing funds they can grab for their private housing projects that provide home ownership and condominiums on the commercial home sales private market.
Habitat for Humanity has become expert in partnering up in projects that displace poor people from their public housing units, as they siphon off millions upon millions in public housing funds that were originally meant to assist the poor renters needing public housing or Section 8 funding. They have been grabbing public housing properties for a steal ($1 dollar per parcel), all across the nation to build their privatized condos and homes upon.
A recent 2007 study shows that Habitat for Humanity's partnership with Miami Dade Housing Authority and their privatized mixed income housing development at the Scott-Carver public housing properties, have demolished 850 public housing units resulting in homelessness for 33% of the families being displaced from their public housing units. See study below...
According to the report; All of the former public housing residents reported that they had initially been relocated into housing after they left Scott Homes and Carver Homes public housing complexes.
• 63% of the residents that answered questionnaires said that they relocated using a Section 8 voucher.
• 52% of the former Scott residents that relocated with a Section 8 voucher also report losing their Section 8 voucher.
• 76% of the residents that initially relocated through Section 8 and subsequently lost their voucher also reported that they were homeless or moved in with family or friends.
The HOPE VI plan called for the provision of support services but the vast majority of the respondents (73%) report never receiving support services from MDHA.
At present 33% of the displaced residents who answered questionnaires reported being homeless.
When East Bay Habitat for Humanity was contacted recently and asked about their project at Tassafaronga Village public housing complex in Oakland that will end up displacing 75 families if not stopped, Habitat had Tim Thomas try to step up to the plate to quell the alarm and distaste that people are feeling about their demolition displacement project at Tassafaronga Village.
Habitats, Tim Thomas wrote; "Now if folk are concerned about African-Americans being displaced they need to struggle with the OHA about guarantees to the current residents about the right of return. The current approach is a "creaming process", as there is no social service apparatus supporting the relocated families. Thus, people who want to come back have to have their lives in order as defined by the OHA. In other words, there is no case management for the relocated families. So families that need life skills, parenting support and debt management help, will be left out in the cold. Right now it's the relocated resident responsibility to keep in touch with OHA! Thus, some of the resident will fall through the cracks. It's these issues that "the organizers" around displacement need to be focusing on."
East Bay Habitat for Humanity knows that their partnership with the OHA will displace 75 families with many of them becoming homeless in the process, but is still trying to convince everyone that it's too late to stop the project, and that people instead need to pressure the OHA into doing more to assist those that will be displaced if the project continues.
Habitat for Humanity is wrong, and it is not too late to stop the demolition of Tassafaronga Village, which is still habitable and remodeled as recent as 1991 for $7.4 million.
The position of Habitat for Humanity is immoral, and should not be supported by anyone.
Below is an e-mail sent out by Tim Thomas of East Bay Habitat for Humanity, in which he describes that the Oakland Housing Authority is not offering enough support for the 75 families being evicted/displaced from Tassafaronga Village public housing complex.
Activists are urging Habitat for Humanity to pull out of the Tassafaronga Village demolition project immediately as a way to keep those 75 families from being displaced from their community. Just copy and paste the e-mails below to send and tell Habitat for Humanity that you are opposed to the Tassafaronga Village demolition project they are involved in.
jjensen [at] habitatEB.org, jgolike [at] habitateb.org, kmorgenthaler [at] habitatEB.org, dlee [at] habitatEB.org, showell [at] habitatEB.org, eschissel [at] habitatEB.org, lboege [at] habitatEB.org, drodrigues [at] habitatEB.org, mdurham [at] habitatEB.org, agoldsworthy [at] habitatEB.org, jbergdoll [at] habitatEB.org, bchaquette [at] habitateb.org, hburgos [at] habitatEB.org, dstimpson [at] habitatEB.org, hjadav [at] habitatEB.org, hreuvekamp [at] habitatEB.org, rosullivan [at] habitatEB.org, scharles [at] habitatEB.org
See information below in regards to some of the many projects Habitat for Humanity has been involved in which has displaced tens of thousands of public housing residents all across the nation, and sucked up precious public housing housing funds in the process.
Lynda Carson may be reached at, tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com
Date:
Tue, 9 Oct 2007 17:34:20 -0700 (PDT)
From:
"Margaret Gordon" Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
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Subject:
RE: ATTN;2:EB Habitat involved in mass eviction project
To:
"Lynda Carson"
CC:
"Adam Gold" , "vanessa [at] justcauseoakland.org" , "Margaretta Lin" , "James Vann"
To Lynda Carson,
From:
--- Tim Thomas wrote:
> Hey Sister: The Chairman said, "No investigation,
> No right to speak!" Strategically, Habitat
> supports mixed-income develops as a way to deal with
> areas of concentrated poverty. Are our "advocates"
> in support maintaining disinvested communities with
> its concentrated poverty? The HOA has committed
> themselves to a one-to-one replacement. But more
> importantly, the OHA board has already made the
> decision to tear the development down. This is an
> example of "advocates" hollering after the fact.
> Now the tactical plan should be how to make this
> move the best possible for the residents.
>
> The current residents will be given a section 8
> voucher to find a house on the market; If they can't
> find a house on the market, they will be relocated
> in a OHA complex. The relocated resident have first
> priority on returning to the new development. Now if
> folk are concerned about African-Americans being
> displaced they need to struggle with the OHA about
> guarantees to the current residents about the right
> of return. The current approach is a "creaming
> process", as there is no social service apparatus
> supporting the relocated families. Thus, people who
> want to come back have to have their lives in order
> as defined by the OHA. In other words, there is no
> case management for the relocated families. So
> families that need life skills, parenting support
> and debt management help, will be left out in the
> cold. Right now it's the relocated resident
> responsibility to keep in touch with OHA! Thus,
> some of the resident will fall through the cracks.
> It's these issues that "the organizers" around
> displacement need to be focusing on.
>
> As to Habitat, we provide Homeowner opportunities to
> people who can't get homes on the market. The
> relocated residents have first chance at getting one
> of our homes if they meet the income requirements.
> However, we already know that debt issues are the
> major barrier for a lot of people. So, we set up
> what we call pre-application workshop with Operation
> Hope, a debt and financial management agency where
> we seek to give people a heads up on getting their
> credit in order. We will not be doing selection for
> the Tassafaronga project until early 2009. We had a
> pre-application session in the neighborhood in
> December of last year. I also appeared at a HOA
> discussion with residents last month where I
> informed people of the requirement of our projects.
> In addition, we are planning another pre-application
> session in late November or early December. Later,
> Tim
*************
[Study Shows That Habitat For Humanity Projects With Housing Authorities Create Homelessness]
[PDF]
Executive Summary - family homes—57 of these are Habitat for Humanity homes. ... in public housing. First, the landlord can evict the tenant after the first year simply by ...
http://www.risep-fiu.org/reports/Find_our_People.pdf EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
View as HTML-
http://tinyurl.com/ywbz8b Until their demolition in the past two years, Scott Homes and Carver Homes public housing projects
contained a total of 850 conventional public housing rental units. The projects were demolished as part of a HOPE VI grant which Miami Dade Housing Agency received from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development in 1999. The HOPE VI redevelopment plan was to relocate all of the existing residents, demolish all of the public housing units and rebuild a mixed income community
with only eighty traditional public housing units. The relocated residents were required to either move into other public housing units or to utilize Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers to move into private rentals.
Most of the relocating residents chose to use the Section 8 vouchers. The Miami Workers
Center and Low Income Families Fighting Together have recently identified 187 former heads of
households that were displaced from Scott-Carver Homes. These former Scott-Carver residents filled
out questionnaires about their experiences after relocation, and their responses revealed serious
problems with the success of the relocation effort. The findings from those questionnaires are as
follows:
All of the former residents reported that they had initially been relocated into housing after they left
Scott Homes and Carver Homes.
63% of the residents that answered questionnaires said that they relocated using a Section 8
voucher.
52% of the former Scott residents that relocated with a Section 8 voucher also report losing their
Section 8 voucher.
76% of the residents that initially relocated through Section 8 and subsequently lost their voucher
also reported that they were homeless or moved in with family or friends.
The HOPE VI plan called for the provision of support services but the vast majority of the
respondents (73%) report never receiving support services from MDHA.
At present 33% of the displaced residents who answered questionnaires reported being homeless.
These findings are based on questionnaires answered by 187 individuals who had been identified by
Miami Dade Housing Agency as heads of household in Scott Homes or Carver homes. The trends
detected among our sample of former residents suggests the need for changes in the HOPE VI plan and the assistance provided to the relocated households.
BACKGROUND
In 1999 the US HUD awarded a HOPE VI grant to Miami-Dade County for the redevelopment of
Scott-Carver Projects in Liberty City. This committed over $35 million in HOPE VI program funding
from HUD for the purpose redeveloping 850 public housing units, improving the lives of former Scott-Carver residents and revitalizing the existing neighborhood.
1
The redevelopment plan required the demolition of all 850 units. These are to be replaced with a
mixed-income project, which originally provided 80 units of traditional public housing with the
remainder being townhomes and single family homes.
The current HOPE VI plan calls for 411 units to be built on site; 251 are homeownership units and 160 are public housing units. The 251 homeownership units are planned as 137 townhomes and 114 single family homes—57 of these are Habitat for Humanity homes. To date only four homes have been built and sold.
THIS STUDY
As part of a 5 year long community organizing campaign to bring back all 850 low-income rentals to
the area of Scott Carver Projects, the Miami Workers Center (MWC) and Low-Income Families
Fighting Together (LIFFT) initiated the “Find Our People Campaign” in January 2007. The campaign
focused on locating “lost” former residents of Scott Carver Projects, assessing their present housing
needs, connecting them to legal services and collectively advocating for services and housing when
needed.
View As HTML -
http://tinyurl.com/ywbz8b <<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>
Habitat's Scott-Carver Mixed Income Housing Projects Displaced The Poor
Habitat for Humanity's mixed income housing project displaced the poor public housing tenants from the Scott-Carver, Miami Dade Public Housing Complex.
Public housing tenants were displaced from the Scott-Carver public housing projects to make way for Habitat's mixed income project, and were forced to move between 2001 and 2005. Habitat for Humanity built private mixed income housing units where the public housing units once stood, which screwed the majority of the public housing tenants that were displaced. Most tenants facing a screening process in an attempt to get back into the new mixed income housing project are beiing left out in the cold.
http://tinyurl.com/2ud4ww *************
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
U.S. Housing Secretary to commemorate National Housing Model in Dallas
By Pegasus News wire
(DALLAS, Texas) – Alphonso Jackson, Secretary to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will join Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity for a celebration commemorating the fifth anniversary of Greenleaf Village, a national model for corporate, government and nonprofit partnerships in building communities, on Thursday, October 4th at 10:00 a.m. at Bickers Street and Vine Maple Place in West Dallas.
[[[In 2002, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity partnered with the City of Dallas, KB Home, and the Dallas Housing Authority to build a model community of mixed-income family homes on the land formerly occupied by the Lakewest Public Housing Development.]]]
"Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity is proud to be involved in the creation of Greenleaf Village and the continuing revitalization of the West Dallas community,” said Norm Wilbur, Executive Director, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity. “In partnering with the City of Dallas, our goal is to transform neighborhoods by providing quality, affordable housing and empowering low income families to become successful homeowners."
http://tinyurl.com/29gfmh Thousands Displaced By Habitat for Humanity's Mixed Income Project At Lakewest Public Housing Complex, Now Called Green Leaf Village
The Lakewest public housing developments in West Dallas were originally built on 435 acres in the 1950s. As with assisted housing in South Dallas, the developments themselves were separated from Dallas's mainstream housing market and its downtown, and residents within the developments were strictly segregated by race. After public housing segregation was struck down in the '60s, the units gradually declined to the degree that, by 1987 when the "Walker Consent Decree" was signed between the Dallas Housing Authority (DHA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
In the City of Dallas, Habitat has grown to become the eighth largest homebuilder in the city. The key element of Habitat's housing construction efforts is to secure land in neighborhoods where prices are low enough that homes can be built for people making between 25 and 50 percent of the area median income (AMI), or $16,625 and $33,250 for a family of four in Dallas.
[[[Habitat for Humanity thrives on partnerships with housing authorities all across the nation, to get their hands on public housing properties where the poor reside. Habitat for Humanity builds homes for wealthier people after the poor public housing tenants are displaced from those properties and their public housing units have been demolished. Tens of thousands of poor people all across the nation are being displaced and made homeless as a result of Habitat for Humanity's activities.]]]
[[[It's Shamefull That Habitat for Humanity In Dallas Gets Cozy With HUD Secretary]]]
HUD Secretary Under Investigation
http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/071004nj2.htm >>>>>>>>>>>
More on HUD Secretary Under Investigation...
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=HUD+Secretary%2C+under+investigation&btnG=Search+News
*************
HABITAT DISRESPECTS THE POOR
(As Thousands of Displaced Public Housing Tenants Struggle To Return To Their Housing Units In New Orleans, Habitat for Humanity Chomps At The Bit In Eagerness To Get It's Dirty Hands On New Orleans Public Housing Properties, For Their Own Privatized Home Sales Projects)
More Than 500 Crumbling HANO Housing Units Still Await Demolition
Leslie Williams
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
August 13, 2007
http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/729831.html While the fate of New Orleans' public housing complexes has triggered plenty of controversy and debate in the rebuilding city, less attention is devoted to the hundreds of smaller devastated public residences known as "scattered sites," from doubles to 16-unit complexes, that remain uninhabited and unchecked nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina.
Among those wishing HANO would swing the wrecking ball is the New Orleans area Habitat for Humanity. If HANO would follow through with the proposed demolition of flood-damaged duplexes in one eastern New Orleans neighborhood, Habitat for Humanity could quickly build dozens of affordable single-family homes to be sold to the working poor, said Jim Pate, director of the local Habitat for Humanity.
"If the Housing Authority of New Orleans could deliver the eastern New Orleans lots by Sept. 1, we could have the houses built (on America, Dale and Ray streets) no later than March 2008 -- unless we choose to make some of those lots part of the Jimmy and Rosalind Carter Work Project," Pate said. "And if that happens, the houses would be ready in May."
*************
Jacksonvill Florida Public Housing
Habitat got their hands on many public housing properties in Jacksonville, Florida, which displaced many poor people and whose partnered projects kept them from being able to move back into the public housing properties.
http://www.habitat.org/newsroom/2002archive/insitedoc004415.aspx *************
68 Acres Of Dallas Housing Authority (DHA) Property Goes To Habitat & Other Private Developers
(West Dallas was once held as one of the nations largest concentrations of low-rise public housing units.)
DHA partnered with KB Home, Habitat for Humanity and American CityVista to create Greenleaf Village, a development of 300 privately owned single-family homes in West Dallas on 68-acres of land previously owned by the housing authority.
http://www.clpha.org/page.cfm?pageID=1126 DHA Demolishes Thousands Of Public Housing Units In Name Of Mixed Income Projects- Thousands Are Displaced By Mixed Income Housing Projects That Are attacks Upon The Poor
http://www.dhadal.com/GI/facts.html *************
(Mixed Income Housing Project Displaces The Poor)
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Housing Authority Meets With Residents and Community About Redevelopment Plans
[[[During the past two weeks the Housing Authority has held public meetings with the public .... Now that Habitat for Humanity has purchased the property, ...]]]
During the past two weeks the Housing Authority has held public meetings with the public housing residents and with the Newtown community so that the status of the redevelopment plans could be presented and questions could be answered.
Commissioner Atkins said forceably that change will happen, either participate or watch it. But it will happen. Housing Director Russell indicated that he felt the Housing Authority properties have had a negative affect on the Newtown community, he wants to change this so these properties will be a positive factor in the community.
Basically, the Housing Authority is looking at replacing the current 388 low income rental units with approximately 850 units that would be a mix of low income rentals, subsidized rental and ownership and market rate rental and ownership units. Currently a concept plan is being refined so that a realistic proposal can be solicited from potential developers.
[[[Mr. Valenti explained his position on the Cohen Way property: Those public housing residents lived in deplorable conditions, the Housing Authority was between a "rock and a hard place." It couldn't afford to repair the buildings. "We knew the buildings would have to be torn down," he said. At that time we had no vouchers. Relocation was the only solution. And now we will offer vouchers to those residents first. Now that Habitat for Humanity has purchased the property, they will build housing units for under $100,000 (in the $90 to 95,000 range). The Rosemary Condos are in the $88 to 98,000 range. Close out documents for the last phase of the Rosemary Condos should be completed soon.]]]
http://sarahousing.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html Tenants Worry About Being Displaced Before Wrecking Ball Comes
http://heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060310/NEWS/603100533/-1/ARCHIVES30 *************
Letters to the Editor
Kingston This Week - Tuesday, January 09, 2007
The Kingston Coalition Against Poverty condemns the eviction by the local Habitat for Humanity, and their use of the eviction factory known as Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal.
More than 65,000 Ontario evictions were processed in 2005. According to the trend, this could reach 80,000 for 2006.
The family being evicted have had nothing but unfair treatment from the organization whose mandate is to help the poor rise above the cycle of low pay, few options, and exorbitant rent.
Very significantly, they had caught up all the payments until HFH refused their December payment, preferring instead to continue their efforts to regain ownership.
It is not imaginable that in their present situation, given the Harris/McGuinty realities, they would ever again reach the $32,000 income they had to have to qualify. They are, however, still able to meet all of the payments required for their mortgage.
http://kcap.tao.ca/orr5.html Habitat evicts poor family
http://kcap.tao.ca/orr6.html *************
Oakland Housing Authority considers mass evictions at public housing sites
(Habitat for Humanity site at Tassafaronga Village to displace 75 families)
by Lynda Carson ( tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com )
Sunday Oct 7th, 2007 1:14 AM
Published On Indy Media News Wire...
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/10/07/18452557.php *************
RevHCHD Annual Report '06
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity. HCHA partners with Habitat ... Public/Private Partnerships. HCHA opened two senior housing developments in 2006. ...
http://www.hchatexas.org/annual_report.pdf *************
Habitat for Humanity’s Homes Faulted in Florida
The Fairway Oaks owners took their complaints to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, and of 56 who answered a survey for Legal Aid, 41 reported cracked concrete slabs, 22 had cracked walls and 48 said their houses were infested with insects or rodents, presumably because of the cracks. Others reported mold or mildew, nails popping out of plasterboard and other problems.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/us/17habitat.html *************
Chapter 6 - Housing
(The locations of the Housing Authority's eight public housing .... the City worked with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity to construct new housing ...
http://www.annapolis.gov/info.asp?page=2955 *************
(Habitat Corrupts Housing Authority To Get Involved In Condominium Projects)
COOPERATION AGREEMENT
(Habitat for Humanity Julianna Street Project)
This COOPERATION AGREEMENT (Habitat for Humanity Julianna Street Project)
(this “Agreement”), dated for identification purposes only as of July 1, 2007 (the “Date of
Agreement”), is entered into by and between the ANAHEIM REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY,
a public body, corporate and politic, (the “Redevelopment Agency”) and the ANAHEIM
HOUSING AUTHORITY, a public body, corporate and politic, (the “Housing Authority”) with
reference to the following:
R E C I T A L S
A.
The Redevelopment Agency and the Housing Authority (each, a “Party” and jointly, the
“Parties”) desire to assist with the redevelopment of that real property generally located at
322-328 Julianna Street in the Cityof Anaheim (the “Site”). The Site is depicted on the Map
which is attached hereto as Exhibit A and incorporated herein by this reference.
B.
The Housing Authority is endeavoring to redevelop the Site as four (4) single family
condominium residences (the “Housing Project”). To this end, the Housing Authority has
entered into that certain Affordable Housing and Home Investment Partnership Agreement
dated as of June 7, 2005 with Humanity Housing, Inc. (the “Developer”) with respect to the
development of the Housing Project (the “Affordable Housing Agreement”).
http://tinyurl.com/372kpo *************
City of Reading, Pennsylvania - Office of the Mayor - Press Releases
“We feel there is a natural partnership between the Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity,” said Daniel Luckey, executive director of the Reading ...
READING, Pa (March 8, 2006) – Reading-Berks Habitat for Humanity is very pleased to announce a unique public-private housing venture in the City of Reading.
http://www.readingpa.gov/mayor_press_releases_3102006.asp *************
Brentwood Breaks Ground
The Florida Times-Union
September 2, 2005
City will revamp housing projects
By CHARLIE PATTON
The Times-Union
City officials broke ground Thursday on an ambitious redevelopment project for the 51-acre site where the old Brentwood public housing projects once stood.
http://www.habijax.org/about_us/news.php?ID=22 **************
Habitat for Humanity to buy Cohen Way, build affordable condos
By DALE WHITE
dale.white [at] heraldtribune.com
SARASOTA -- Bargain-priced land, a motivated seller and a nonprofit builder are expected to become key ingredients in a unique plan to build homes for low-income buyers in this increasingly affluent city.
Habitat for Humanity and the Sarasota Housing Authority are launching what is believed to be a precedent-setting partnership.
The authority will sell a dilapidated apartment complex to Habitat for well below the land's value. The apartments will be razed and, for the first time, Habitat's Sarasota chapter will build condominiums. By building more homes per acre than in a typical subdivision, Habitat's land acquisition costs could come to $15,000 or less per condo -- a fraction of what a single-family lot would cost in the Sarasota market.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060118/NEWS/601180568 ****************
(Habitat wants to take advantage of Katrina disaster)
Habitat for Humanity International is offering to collaborate with HUD to rebuild lower income affordable housing (not public housing) in the months to come.
http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr05-119.cfm ***********
(Habitat moves in on Chapel-Hill N.C.)
The 2001 project ordinance budgets a $441,000 grant and $35,000 of program income for rehabilitation of public housing, Meadowmont Affordable Townhomes, neighborhood
revitalization, property acquisition for a Habitat for Humanity subdivision, and community services.
The 2002 project ordinance budgets a $445,000 grant and $16,000 of program income for rehabilitation of public housing, neighborhood revitalization, community services, and acquisition of property for a Habitat for Humanity subdivision.
http://tinyurl.com/2ashae ***********
Boston Redevelopment Authority
BRA Approves Habitat for Humanity’s Affordable Housing Project in Dorchester ...
http://www.cityofboston.gov/BRA/press/PressDisplay.asp?pressID=177 Through the combined efforts of the Department of Neighborhood Development, Boston Housing Authority, Boston Redevelopment Authority, and Inspectional Services Department,
Habitat for Humanity is involved in mixed use housing development in Boston where 1032 units of vacant public housing stood.
*************
[Habitat For Humanity Has Become An Enemy Of The Poor]
Habitat for Humanity's push for home ownership result's in the eradication of so-called substandard public housing complexes including existing habitable public housing complexes.
You will not see or hear Habitat for Humanity stepping up to the plate to demand that the federal government should fully fund all public housing complexes across the nation. Theres no percentage in it for them to do so unless they can get their hands on the public housing projects for their own projects.
You will see and hear Habitat for Humanity demand that local public housing authorities must offer Section 8 vouchers to be used for homeownership to buy their housing or condominiums, and that housing authorities should sell off their land to them for $1 dollar a parcel for Habitat's home ownership programs.
These leaches at Habitat for Humanity are crawling all over the nations public housing authorities in a concentrated effort to suck up their housing program funds from the poor, their Section 8 vouchers, land parcels and their older public housing complexes for Habitats privatized home/condo/townhome ownership projects.
Habitat says; [Even though the capacity of Habitat affiliates to rehabilitate single-family homes seems limited when compared to the vast needs of the federal government’s affordable housing stock, it makes sense for the government to continue its programs of $1 sales and other discounts to non-profit community housing developers to purchase certain properties and take responsibility for the rehabilitation and re-sale of the home.]
[[[As you may know, the mission of Habitat for Humanity is twofold: to eradicate substandard housing worldwide and to make the issue of affordable, decent housing a matter of public conscience. Habitat for Humanity has spent the past 25 years proving that our self-help construction and affordable financing approach is one of the most successful ways to help low-income families attain the dream of homeownership.]]]
http://tinyurl.com/2dnzbe *************
Criticism of Habitat for Humanity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_for_Humanity Although Habitat enjoys high name recognition and regard as a non-profit, it has also been the subject of criticism. Some observers have questioned the cost-effectiveness of Habitat building projects. For the same amount of money, scores of thousands of lower-income Americans could receive outright grants to use as housing down payments with conventional lenders. Genuinely poor Americans could be helped to stay in homes they already own; thousands more apartment-or rowhouse-owners could receive funds and volunteer assistance renovating their existing properties. It is difficult to estimate effectiveness, as total volunteer hours on-site and aggregated homeowner financial data are not available. Is Habitat for Humanity's basic model of building and holding notes on houses an effective use of its donors' money?[5]
Families are required to show an ability to pay for their home in addition to the need for housing. With these requirements, homeless and low income families may fail to qualify for a Habitat home. Most American Habitat affiliates perform credit checks and criminal record checks on applicants before partnering with them for the construction of a home. Some critics therefore allege that Habitat misrepresents the nature of its work by partnering with families that might be considered nearly "middle-income."[6] To address this, in the United States many Habitat affiliates partner only with families that fall below the government-set "poverty line" for their area. The current poverty rate is measured according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines[7]
The credit and income requirements help assure that Habitat applicants are able to maintain the purpose of the house. Foreclosures on Habitat houses have been very low: 2%, according to official figures. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build more Habitat homes.[8]
[edit] Ousting of the founder
Habitat's founder, Millard Fuller, and his wife were dismissed by the Habitat board of directors on January 31, 2005 after he was accused of "suggestive comments and inappropriate touching" toward a female employee during a ride to the Atlanta airport in 2003. HFH now says there was insufficient evidence to corroborate the complaint, and it now appears that the firing was due to a change in corporate culture.[9]
Before Fuller's termination, attempts were made by former President Jimmy Carter to broker an agreement that would allow Fuller to retire with his $79,000 salary intact; when Fuller was found to have violated the non-disclosure portion of this agreement, he was subsequently fired. In response to his dismissal from the project he founded, Fuller has established The Fuller Center for Housing, which aims to work directly with local Habitat affiliates and other organizations, without involving the international headquarters.
[edit] Not Partnering with Local Communities
Habitat has faced opposition in the City of Edmonton in regard to their "Anderson Gardens" project. They initially wanted to build about 75 row houses in a strictly RF-1 housing community. Six hundred signatures from community members were collected within days of the announcement of the project. However, Community members feel that Habitat has largely ignored their requests. They have since reduced the number of homes planned to 50. The Anderson Gardens community feels that this is still an unacceptably high density. Neighbourhood members are strongly advocating for no more than 25 units, as that is the number the neighbourhood can sustain without major infrastructure upgrades. The sewer system and road networks adjacent to the property were not designed for such a high volume of people.
**************
Miami’s poverty a grim backdrop to Super Bowl glitz
But more than six years ago, the county began bulldozing 850 public-housing
units near the center, promising to replace them with half as many
affordable homes. Today, $22 million later, only 10 houses are complete, and
the number of kids the center serves has plummeted — from about 800 a day
to about 300.
Habitat for Humanity has since taken over the project, and the housing
agency is under investigation for fraud and mismanagement.
http://www.allforthetaking.org/?p=91 **************
Habitat's Partnerships
Click below for links to Habitat for Humanity's partnerships with public housing authorities...
http://tinyurl.com/3djjgb ***************
Save Tassafaronga Village!
by Lynda Carson
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Join Oaklanders in saving their public housing!
Call Congresswoman Barbara Lee and tell her that you oppose the proposed demolition of Tassafaronga Village! Call (510) 763-0370.
The Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) plans to file another Hope VI grant application to demolish, privatize and redevelop the lovely 87-unit public housing complex known as Tassafaronga Village, home to many beautiful East Oakland families throughout the years.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee
The plan is to displace the whole community that currently resides there and re-people the property with higher income residents in a newly rebuilt privatized complex through the Hope VI program.
The Hope VI program is the nation's most notorious public housing demolition program. It has displaced over 80,000 families since its inception.
Click below for full commentary...
http://www.sfbayview.com/20070912412/News/Front_Page/Save_Tassafaronga_Village_.html ***********
Tassafaronga Hope Vl Proposal Threatens the Poor
by Lynda Carson‚ Jun. 05‚ 2007
Beyond Chron
As working partners involved in the scheme to displace Oakland's poor from Tassafaronga Village, the OHA is partnered on the project with Habitat for Humanity which plans to build 22 homes after the poor are displaced by their project.
Further details of the land grab scheme, reveals that Habitat for Humanity was to be charged only 1$ (ONE DOLLAR), for their piece of the action in this land grab from the poor.
Click below for full story...
http://quartz.he.net/~beyondch/news/index.php?itemid=4582 **************
info [at] habitatEB.org
East Bay -- Habitat for Humanity
http://www.habitateb.org/where_we_build/ Habitat for Humanity East Bay
Board of Directors
Michael O'Kane, Board President
Principal
Promontory Financial Group, LLC
Michael Oliver, Board Vice President
Director of Government Relations & Entitlements
Pacific Union Homes
Adam Fiore, Board Treasurer
General Counsel
Apex Capital, LLC
Lee Hudson, Board Secretary
Controller
Private Firm
David Barron
Attorney
Cassidy, Shimko & Dawson
Larry Briggs
Executive Vice President (Retired)
Bank of America
John Byrd
Manager
Federal Reserve Bank
Andrew Cameron
Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel
The PMI Group, Inc.
Katie Glynn
Auditor (Retired)
Bob Hoffman
Director
Becton Dickinson Biosciences
Chris Hunter
Attorney
Morgan Miller Blair Law Firm
John Lovitt
Executive Advisor to Technology Startups,
Board of Directors
Codefast and Appistry
Senior Vice President of Worldwide
Field Operations (Retired)
Rational Software / IBM
Jan Makin
Human Resource (Retired)
CA State Automobile Association
Rodger Miller
Director of Land
Pulte Home Corporation
Leonard Nielson
General Contractor
Catherine Pinkas
Financial Advisor
Sage Financial Network
Gary Struthers
Architect
Hardison, Komatsu, Ivelich, & Tucker
Ed Szaky
President
Matrix Real Estate Services, Inc.
Matthew E. Weber
Assistant Director of Operations
The Olson Company
Nancy Williams
Principal
Williams & Associates
****************
Habitat for Humanity East Bay Staff
2619 Broadway Oakland, CA 94612
Office Main Phone Number 510-251-6304
General email: info [at] habitatEB.org
Executive Director
Janice Jensen, ext. 314
jjensen [at] habitatEB.org
Executive Assistant
Jen Golike, ext. 369
jgolike [at] habitateb.org
Development Department
Director of Development
Krysta Morgenthaler, ext. 310
kmorgenthaler [at] habitatEB.org
Corporate Development Officer
Daryl Lee, ext. 306
dlee [at] habitatEB.org
Donor Development Officer
Sue Howell, ext. 307
showell [at] habitatEB.org
Volunteer Programs Manager
Eliza Schissel, ext. 360
eschissel [at] habitatEB.org
Grants Manager
Lisa Boege, ext. 308
lboege [at] habitatEB.org
Development Associate,
Materials & In-Kind Donations
Donald Rodrigues, 510-777-9706
drodrigues [at] habitatEB.org
Fund Development Coordinator
(AmeriCorps VISTA Member)
Andrew Goldsworthy, ext. 368
agoldsworthy [at] habitatEB.org
Volunteer Coordinator
(AmeriCorps Member)
Matthew Durham, ext. 311
mdurham [at] habitatEB.org
Volunteer Coordinator
(AmeriCorps Member)
J.P. Lor, ext. 361
jplor [at] habitatEB.org
Finance & Operations Department
Director of Finance & Operations
Jim Obendorf, ext. 359
jobendorf [at] habitatEB.org
Finance & Operations Manager
Lucinda Lee, ext. 303
llee [at] habitatEB.org
Accounting Manager
Lara Wagner, ext. 305
lwagner [at] habitatEB.org
Accounting Specialist
Thalia Cambouroglou, ext. 357
tcambouroglou [at] habitatEB.org
Housing Development Department
Housing Development Director
Jim Bergdoll, ext. 312
jbergdoll [at] habitatEB.org
Senior Project Manager
Hector Burgos, ext. 355
hburgos [at] habitatEB.org
Assistant Project Manager
Brenda Chaquette, ext. 324
bchaquette [at] habitateb.org
Project Manager
Doug Stimpson, ext. 363
dstimpson [at] habitatEB.org
Project Specialist
(AmeriCorps Member)
Natalie Monk, ext. 372
nmonk [at] habitatEB.org
Assistant Project Manager
Hitesh Jadav, ext. 363
hjadav [at] habitatEB.org
Homeowner Relations Department
Director of Homeowner Relations
Jen Shafer, ext. 370
jshafer [at] habitatEB.org
Community Building Program Manager
Tim Thomas, ext. 316
tthomas [at] habitatEB.org
Homeowner Program Specialist
Isabel Paez, ext. 362
ipaez [at] habitatEB.org
Habitat Youth Scholarship Coordinator
Catherine Chen, ext. 366
cchen [at] habitatEB.org
Homeowner Relations Coordinator
(AmeriCorps Member)
Alejandra Guillen, ext. 367
aguillen [at] habitatEB.org
Homeowner Relations Coordinator
Megan Shea, ext. 365
mshea [at] habitatEB.org
Homeowner Relations Coordinator
(AmeriCorps Member)
Gaylen Mohre, ext. 360
aguillen [at] habitatEB.org
Construction Department
Construction Director
Hans Reuvekamp, ext. 317
hreuvekamp [at] habitatEB.org
Construction Field Supervisor
Sam Charles
scharles [at] habitatEB.org
Cost Engineer
Ruairi O'Sullivan, ext. 358
rosullivan [at] habitatEB.org
Construction Engineer
(AmeriCorp VISTA)
Aaron Preman, 510-251-6304 ext. 354
apreman [at] habitatEB.org
Site Superintendents
Christopher Dumbleton,
cdumbleton [at] habitatEB.org
Chrissy Thomas,
cthomas [at] habitatEB.org
Site Carpenter
Juan Zavala
Construction Site Assistants
(AmeriCorps Members)
Katie Boehm
Jeremy Coerper
Stephen Eales
Johannes Copeland
Peter High
Abigail Loughrey
Robert Maldonado
Maggie Schouten
Kwon Hong Teoh
Alyssa Thunberg
Shipei Wang
ReStore
ReStore Manager
Frank Atkins, 510-777-1447
fatkins [at] habitatEB.org
ReStore Personnel
Pablo Maldonado, 510-777-1447
Development Associate,
Materials & In-Kind Donations
Donald Rodrigues, 510-777-9706
drodrigues [at] habitatEB.org
Materials Procurement Assistant
Bryan Kilgore, 510-777-9706
ReStore Coordinator
(Americorps VISTA)
Ty Abrams, 510-777-9706
tabrams [at] habitatEB.org
The home page of this website is
http://www.mindfully.org