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WISCONSIN FAIR HOUSING NETWORK

4801 Forest Run Road ¨ Suite 201 ¨ Madison, WI  53704-7337

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:                                      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dan Stotmeister 414-297-3214 x8304

 Statewide Fair Housing Awards Presented in Honor of April as Fair Housing Month

 The Wisconsin Fair Housing Network, a coalition of representatives of public and private organizations and agencies dedicated to the promotion of fair housing throughout the state, presented its 2010 Fair Housing Awards. The awards were presented at the Fair Housing Update & Awards Luncheon Program on April 23, 2010 at the Country Springs Hotel and Conference Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

 The Partnership Fair Housing Award was presented to the Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency in Tomah and the Neighborhood Housing Services of Richland County in Richland Center.  These two organizations combined their efforts to address housing needs of Native Americans. Native Americans have been underserved by the private financial services industry and underrepresented as homeowners in the south and west central rural areas of Wisconsin where these partners work.  As partners, the Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency and the Neighborhood Housing Services of Richland County worked with lenders on issues of trust-land status and creditworthiness that have interfered with Native American mortgage borrowing.  In an area that is 98% white, they jointly sponsored a Homebuyer Seminar program last year that graduated 20 Native Americans. To insure future success in mortgage lending, they established an in-house Community Development Financial Institution and incorporated down payment assistance in their homebuyers’ program. The partnership resulted in recruitment and training of Native Americans as peer housing counselors to further increase and enhance successful homeownership by Native Americans.  They are currently placing their collaboration into a model to be shared with other Wisconsin tribes, other Neighborhood Housing Services, rural housing nonprofits, lenders, foundations and others to eliminate barriers to housing choice beyond their borders.

 The Individual Professional Fair Housing Award was presented to Terry Testolin, Executive Director, Neighborhood Housing Services of Richland County in Richland Center. Mr. Testolin was recognized for his efforts to address barriers to fair housing choice in his organization’s mission to succeed.  Recognizing that Native Americans are underrepresented as homeowners and underserved by private lenders, he approached the Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency about establishing a partnership to address this issue.  Mr. Testolin secured the grant that enabled the partnership to train Native Americans as housing counselors.  It was his initiative that led to a $40,000 set-aside from Neighbor Works to be used for collaborative Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Neighborhood Stabilization projects.  He has been instrumental in involving the Ho-Chunk Nation in broad area events to make featured presentations about Ho-Chunk and Native American culture to reduce racial bias and misunderstanding that can often result in housing discrimination. He furthermore has been promoting fair housing opportunities for persons of all races, incomes and backgrounds for 20 years through Neighborhood Housing Services of Richland County.  Mr. Testolin’s efforts have led to increases in homeownership not only by Native Americans but also by persons of Hispanic origin and persons with disabilities.

An Organization Fair Housing Award was presented to the Fatherhood Initiative in Beloit. The Fatherhood Initiative was recognized for addressing a missing piece in the puzzle by securing housing choice for an often overlooked segment of our society; at-risk fathers, many of whom have been incarcerated or are men of color. The organization recognized that these individuals are likely to experience housing discrimination in the community of Beloit where it operates.  The Fatherhood Initiative provides a holistic approach in providing the men with parenting skills, employment training, financial management and supportive services directed toward enhancing their self-esteem and family relationships. The organization perceives housing as integral to providing a stable environment for the men and their families and provides them with specific housing training. The organization has been successful in convincing local landlords who might otherwise deny housing to these men, to rent to participants of its program.  In the last year alone, it has obtained stable housing for 31 participants.

 An Organization Fair Housing Award was presented to Housing Resources, Incorporated (HRI) in Milwaukee. Housing Resources, Inc. was founded over 20 years ago to address gaps in homeownership among underrepresented groups.  HRI has therefore targeted its free homebuyer education and counseling programs in Metropolitan Milwaukee to persons of color, single heads of households and persons with disabilities, among others.  Its client base is 88% minority and 62% female headed households.  To address cultural and language barriers that exist in a community as diverse as Milwaukee, the organization’s staff is also culturally diverse.  They provide written materials in English, Spanish, Lao, Thai and Hmong.  HRI has assisted more homebuyers and homeowners of color than any other agency in Milwaukee and recently made modifications to its offices to increase accessibility to persons with mobility disabilities. HRI was one of the first to provide post purchase and foreclosure prevention services. Recognizing the impact of home abandonment and foreclosures on neighborhoods that were mostly minority occupied, HRI developed a model for turning foreclosed property to owner-occupied homes resulting in 187 loans and $17,627,000 worth of investment in these neighborhoods.

 An Individual Volunteer Fair Housing Award was presented to Gregg Shimanski of Madison. Mr. Shimanski is a landlord who recognizes the benefits that housing choice plays in low-income families’ overall success in achieving educational and employment opportunities. The percentages of Housing Choice Voucher participants who are minorities or persons with disabilities are higher than their overall proportion within in the area’s population.  Mr. Shimanski became aware that many such housing choice voucher participants lost their assistance because other landlords would not participate in the program. As a volunteer he successfully worked with the local apartment association, the City of Madison and Dane County to have housing voucher assistance status become recognized locally as a basis for protection from discrimination in housing.  He made it his mission to educate other landlords about the advantages of having housing voucher tenants. As a result, more than 100 new landlords participate in the voucher program in Madison and Dane County, which greatly increased voucher utilization.  Mr. Shimanski has also been instrumental in securing development funds to improve the quality of life in a Madison minority area that has been experiencing blight. 

 An Individual Volunteer Fair Housing Award was presented to Larry Gleasman of Madison. Mr. Gleasman was recognized for his continued volunteer efforts since his retirement from the real estate profession six years ago. He is one of the most active volunteers on the Affordable Housing and Equal Opportunity Committee of the REALTORS Association of South Central Wisconsin and the Equal Opportunity Committee of the Wisconsin REALTORS Association. For many years Mr. Gleasman has contributed to their efforts to increase the number of minorities as real estate professionals and as members of REALTORS Associations. He has served as a leader in the planning of the Home Buyers Fairs, sponsored by the local REALTORS Association, which have reached several thousand potential new homeowners of all races and ethnic backgrounds. He also volunteers his time for Habitat for Humanity to fix and build affordable homes for low income families. He sincerely believes that barriers to affordable housing are also barriers to fair housing and has oft been noted to say “there can be no fair housing without affordable housing.” Mr. Gleasman also serves as the co-Chairperson of the Wisconsin Fair Housing Network.

 A Special Recognition Fair Housing Award was presented, in memoriam, to Anthony Brown, Sr., of Madison, who recently passed away. Mr. Brown was a champion for civil rights and initiated many firsts in striving for equality. He served for many years as the head of the Madison Equal Opportunities Commission where he led the city’s effort to fight housing and employment discrimination. His work in the investigation of racial profiling led to the formation of the Task Force on Race Relations. During his employment with the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority Mr. Brown addressed barriers encountered by African-Americans in their attempt to purchase a home, increased their homeownership rate in his regions, and advanced the cause of housing integration. He served many years on the Wisconsin Fair Housing Network’s Conference Planning Committee, marketed the events, obtained speakers and performed master of ceremony duties. Anthony Brown’s wife, Brenda Brown, and his son Anthony Brown, Jr., accepted this award in honor of his life and his contributions to further fair housing in Wisconsin.

 A Special Recognition Fair Housing Award was presented to Marti Wilson of Madison for her efforts to further fair housing on behalf of the Network and the State of Wisconsin. Ms Wilson helped administer the State’s Community Development Block Grant Program within the Division of Housing and Community Development, a position from which she recently retired.  Marti was instrumental in seeing that the communities that the State funded with its Community Development program received training and undertook activities to further fair housing in their respective communities. Ms. Wilson used her influence to have the Wisconsin Department of Commerce take the lead role in coordinating the Wisconsin Fair Housing Network’s annual statewide Fair Housing Poster and Essay Contest. She encouraged many of Wisconsin’s non-metropolitan communities to participate in this program, thereby spreading the fair housing message to school-age children who then demonstrate their artistic or writing talents to reflect what they have learned. Ms. Wilson often served as a contest judge and has been the very entertaining Mistress of Ceremonies at the annual statewide awards ceremony for this contest, held in June at the State Capitol.  

 PRESS RELEASE:
 March 5, 2009— First Time Homebuyer’s Tax Credit of Up to $8000 Now Available.
The Federal First Time Homebuyer’s Tax Credit for 2009 (up to $8000) is now available to eligible families who have or will purchase a home between January 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009.  Unlike the tax credit offered in 2008, this money does not need to be paid back to the IRS as long as the recipient continues to own and occupy the home as a primary residence for 3 years.  A “first-time” homebuyer is considered as any individual who has not owned a primary residence in the past 3 years.  The available tax credit amount is equal to 10% of the home’s purchase price, up to a maximum of $8000, and mobile homes, new construction, and condominiums would all qualify. 

Eligible new homeowners who file the needed forms to the IRS will receive the tax credit as a rebate when filing their income tax returns after purchasing.  Terry Testolin, Executive Director of NHS of Richland County, said “The importance of this rebate is that it gives new homeowners a chance to establish financial reserves shortly after purchasing, and the ability to pay down the principal of the first mortgage.”  To be eligible for the full rebate, an individual must earn less than $75,000 or $150,000 (if filing jointly) in adjusted gross income.  A partial credit may be available for those earning up to $95,000 or $170,000 (if filing jointly).  More information about the First Time Homebuyer’s Tax Credit for 2009 is available at www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com.

Neighborhood Housing Services of Richland County (NHS) will be presenting information on the new “First Time Homebuyer’s Tax Credit” for 2009 at their free Homebuyer Education Seminars.  The next scheduled dates are Saturday, March 14^th and May 9^th with locations in Richland Center, Dodgeville, Monroe, and Platteville.  Participants should pre-register by calling NHS at 647-4949 x 301 or visiting www.nhsrcwi.org.

NHS of Richland County is a private, non-profit, community controlled corporation that has been active in Richland County for over 25 years and provides free homebuyer education, pre-purchase counseling and down-payment assistance for homebuyers.  Other agency services include rehab loans for homeowners, construction of Energy Star and Green Built certified new homes, foreclosure prevention counseling, and the operation of the Park Hotel Senior Citizen Apartments in Richland Center.  More information on NHS of Richland County can be obtained by calling NHS at 608-647-4949 or visiting www.nhsrcwi.org.
 Neighborhood Housing Services of Richland County is an Equal Housing and Employment Opportunity Provider.

Contact: Chelsea Bagot
NHS of Richland County
Homeownership Center
Community Organizer
chelsea@nhsrcwi.org
608-647-4949 Ext 301