HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan To Speak At American Bar Association Housing Conference

CHICAGO, May 12, 2009—Lawyers, private sector, government, non-profit and academic professionals alike will convene in the nation’s capital May 20 – 22 for the 18th Annual Conference on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The conference, “Opportunities During Challenging Times,” is sponsored by the American Bar Association Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, recently appointed to his post by President Obama, will serve as the conference’s keynote speaker on Friday, May 22 at 9.am. Conference topics for discussion include tax credits, green building, Fair Housing Act loans and what the new stimulus package means for the affordable housing industry. Helen Kanovsky, who was sworn in as HUD general counsel on May 1, will provide an inside look at what the agency has in store for the affordable housing sector.

Several of the conference sessions will focus on the effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on the housing industry. A joint program with HUD will examine the agency’s implementation of the ARRA relative to HOME, Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds and public housing capital funds. These workshops include “Insider Perspectives on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,” “NSP, HOME and Capital Funds in ARRA” and an overview of the low-income housing tax credit program.

A number of the meeting’s programs will  focus on financing, a critical factor during this time when private lending is strained and more and more ventures are turning to FHA-insured loans. “FHA 101 – About the Process” will outline HUD requirements, key steps in the process and integrating FHA funding into larger financing packages. “Ten Things Not to Discover at the Closing Table,” “State of the Market/Economy: How to Make Your Deals Work” and “Debt in a Post-Crash World” will all provide a detailed look at obtaining credit in this stalled market.

With foreclosures at an all-time high, “Local Solutions to Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis” will focus on funding, judicial intervention and legislative efforts that have been implemented to stabilize high foreclosure rates and property abandonment.

Other noteworthy programs:

May 20
“FHA and the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 Assisted Housing Energy and Green Retrofit Program,” 1 – 5 p.m.

May 21
“Public Housing Efforts in the Stimulus Package,” 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
“Green Building,” 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

May 22
“Energy Credit Basics,” 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
“Tax Credit Issues After the Closing,” 11:30 – 1 p.m.

A complete conference program is available at http://www.abanet.org/forums/affordable/pdf/AH_09_FinalBrochure.pdf.

The ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law serves as a clearinghouse of information and programs related to affordable housing and community development.  The forum coordinates training programs for lawyers practicing in the field of affordable housing and community development and provides educational programs focusing on new issues and ongoing concerns.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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