Podcast appearances and mentions of urban development hud

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the annual rent and income limits April 1 for property managers to apply when renting properties financed by low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity as well as HUD programs such as Section 8, Section 202 and Section 811. In this week's episode of the Tax Credit Tuesday podcast, host Michael Novogradac, CPA, and guest Thomas Stagg, CPA, one of Novogradac and the nation's leading experts in rent and income limits, discuss three key takeaways from this year's release. First, Stagg and Novogradac discuss income limits being higher than anticipated. The second key takeaway is why the rent and income limits were higher'a change in HUD's methodology for calculating inflation factor in rent and income limits. Finally, they discuss a number of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) that were reorganized or changed in the 2025 limits release, including why a disproportionate number of the changes are in Connecticut.

In the past, the manufactured housing industry was plagued with outdated terminology and negative connotations. Today, manufactured homes are no longer considered “trailers” or “mobile home parks”—they're like any other dwelling, except they're constructed in environmentally protected areas, and can be a better option than site-built homes for many reasons.Rick Robinson joins the podcast to discuss the evolution of manufactured housing and how the industry is promoting new factory-built solutions, such as barndominiums and modular mansions. Manufactured construction tends to be more efficient and cost-effective; fully customizable (amenities, design, layout, etc.); and located in amenity-rich communities featuring golf courses, dog parks, swimming pools, and more. Rick also explores U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations, industry resources to consider, and where to research available inventory. Further, he shares his thoughts on “From Bookwork to Blueprints,” a documentary that tells the heartwarming story of students who built a modular home at their school to donate to Habitat for Humanity.Explore additional Beyond Rent episodes by connecting with us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.You can learn more about Rick Robinson on LinkedIn, and ManufacturedHomes.com on the company's website.Visit RentManager.com/Podcast to submit an idea for an upcoming episode of Beyond Rent and discover more about the program.Learn more about Rent Manager's industry-leading accounting, reporting, maintenance, and communication features at RentManager.com, or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X.

Georgia-based Appen Media and Decaturish.com have launched a new print edition, Decaturish Ink. Dan Whisenhunt, the founder and editor of the online community news outlet, talked more about the new print component. He also shared details about the publication’s goals of providing deeper, more narrative-driven content that seeks to capture the spirit and unique voices of Decatur and surrounding areas like Avondale Estates, Clarkston, Tucker, Chamblee, Kirkwood and Stone Mountain. Plus, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), recognizes April as Fair Housing Month. The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination. Richard Rothstein, a housing scholar and author of 'The Color of Law' and co-author of 'Just Action,' returns to “Closer Look” to assess the Trump administration’s housing policy and the historical context of unequal housing practices in the U.S.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 10 weeks of the second Trump administration, funding and staffing changes continue to develop for affordable housing funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and for the public housing authorities (PHAs) that oversee much of that spending. On this week's episode of Tax Credit Tuesday, host Michael Novogradac, CPA, discusses HUD-related issues with Peter Lawrence, Novogradac's chief public policy officer, and Rich Larsen, CPA, who leads the company's public housing authority practice. They look at how the federal government's continuing resolution funding package for fiscal year 2025 affected HUD spending, then look at issues in the fiscal year 2026 funding plans. After that, they discuss how the reduction in the HUD workforce and field offices affect PHAs and others, before wrapping up with a look at how cuts to the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program funding are playing out and what we know now that we didn't know on inauguration day.

In this special episode of Fearless, we sit down with Secretary Scott Turner, the newly appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Broadcasting from the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina, this conversation dives deep into Secretary Turner's incredible journey—from his roots in Dallas, Texas, to his career in the NFL, and ultimately, to his calling in public service.Many may recognize Secretary Turner from his viral prayer at President Trump's first cabinet meeting, but this episode reveals the heart behind the headlines. With a deep faith and a commitment to servant leadership, Turner shares how his life experiences—including overcoming childhood adversity, his time in professional sports, and his service in the Texas House of Representatives—have prepared him for this moment. He also reflects on the importance of trusting in God's timing and persevering through challenges, citing the lessons he's learned along the way.A key focus of this conversation is the pressing issue of homelessness in America, which has reached historic levels. Turner provides a candid look at the challenges facing HUD and why he believes faith-based organizations and nonprofits must play a larger role in addressing the crisis. “The federal government is not the answer,” he says, emphasizing the power of local communities and churches to bring meaningful change.As Turner prepares to meet with local leaders and visit disaster-stricken areas in North Carolina, he shares how faith informs his approach to governance. Cissie encourages listeners to pray for Secretary Turner, recognizing the weight of his responsibility and the need for God's wisdom in every decision.

In this engaging episode of "We Are TPM," hosts Kyle Teixeira and John Teixeira delvedeep into the complexities of the federal housing voucher program, better known asSection 8. They unravel the intricacies of the program from both landlord and tenantperspectives, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of how thesevouchers impact the housing market. As the Department of Government Efficiencyturns its attention to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) toaddress fraud and waste, Kyle and John take this opportunity to explore various facetsof the Section 8 program, discussing its pros and cons, and the potential for abusewithin the system.Throughout the episode, Kyle and John use their extensive real estate experience todissect key aspects of the Section 8 program. They emphasize the importance ofunderstanding local housing authorities and highlight the diverse issues surroundingfraud, bias, and inefficiency. As they discuss the challenges landlords face whendealing with housing vouchers, they provide insightful strategies for effectivelymanaging these situations, underscoring the critical need for enhanced programoversight and reform. The show articulates valuable advice for both current andprospective landlords, while also echoing broader themes of social justice andgovernmental accountability in public housing programs.Notable Quotes:"I want them to go to a good purpose. I don't mind having my taxpayer dollars gotoward solving homelessness in my area." - John Teixeira"Would you accept housing vouchers as an investor? Yeah, we would consider it basedon the case." - Kyle Teixeira"If you break a contract with us, I don't care who you are, you're not going to get, youknow, we're not going to work with you."- Kyle TeixeiraListen to We Are TPM on any major podcast platform including Apple Podcasts,Google Play, Spotify, and many more.Tune in today!We Are TPMTeixeira Property ManagementMansfield, Texaswww.WeAreTPM.comShowMeTheMoney@WeAreTPM.com———————————————————————————There are a vast amount of ways in today's world to build wealth using real estate andinvesting, not just in property, but in yourself!Located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, John Teixeira and Kyle Teixeira ofTeixeira Property Management bring you all of the knowledge and experience they canprovide for the confidence to achieve your investment goals, or how and why to createthem. Now, while John and Kyle have a ton to share, they will also be bringing youinterviews with some of their clients, industry partners, experienced investors, andmuch more every week!John and Kyle look forward to sharing the knowledge you need about arguably thegreatest investment vehicle that is available to the masses — Real Estate. Knowledgeis power, and John and Kyle intend to give you as much power as possible. It's notalways about the HOW, but also the WHY, and they will be digging into it right hereevery week!

Tune in here to this Tuesday edition of the Brett Winterble Show! Brett kicks off the program by talking with Scott Turner, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). They discuss how badly we were hit by Hurricane Helene a few months back and his eagerness to get resources to Western North Carolina to rebuild our great state. One of his priorities is to increase the housing supply, driving down prices and improving accessibility for all Americans. The homelessness rate is up 18% due to many factors, including the sky-high housing prices; this is a complex problem that Secretary Turner breaks down for us. Beth Troutman from Good Morning BT is also here for this Tuesday's episode of Crossing the Streams. Brett and Beth talk about President Trump's speech tonight and what topics they think the president will cover. Beth also shares what she and Bo have coming up tomorrow on Good Morning BT! Listen here for all of this and more on The Brett Winterble Show! For more from Brett Winterble check out his YouTube channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tune in here to this Tuesday edition of the Brett Winterble Show! Brett kicks off the program by talking with Scott Turner, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). They discuss how badly we were hit by Hurricane Helene a few months back and his eagerness to get resources to Western North Carolina to rebuild our great state. Secretary Turner is pushing these funds out as fast as possible to get them into the hands of those in the greatest need. One of his priorities is to increase the housing supply, driving down prices and improving accessibility for all Americans. The homelessness rate is up 18% due to many factors including the sky-high housing prices; this is a complex problem that Secretary Turner breaks down for us. Listen here for all of this and more on The Brett Winterble Show! For more from Brett Winterble check out his YouTube channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Normal World, Dave Landau, 1/4 Black Garrett, and Angela cover Starbucks laying off over 1,000 employees and sending them off with a misspelled mug. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom is asking for $40 billion in federal aid, barely remembering to claim it's for wildfires. Over at Wingstop, an employee was attacked and then hit by a car—only for the suspect to be found later praying at Chick-fil-A. Hackers hijack a TV at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), playing an AI-generated video of Trump kissing Elon Musk's feet, with the message: “LONG LIVE THE REAL KING.” Some suspect Anonymous. Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin loses his temper again, threatening a Trump impersonator, telling him, “I'd snap your f–king neck in half.” A Colombian man was busted smuggling 200 grams of cocaine under his toupee, leading to a discussion on the dumbest drug smuggling attempts. And in another nightmare airline story, a couple flying to Italy was forced to sit next to a dead body for four hours. After a woman collapsed mid-flight, Qatar Airways placed her in a seat next to them, covered with a blanket. With planes flipping over, emergency landings, and near-collisions dominating headlines, the skies feel more chaotic than ever. The couple claims the airline hasn't responded to their complaints. Go to UNDERTAC.COM, that's UNDERTAC DOT COM, and use NORMAL20 for 20% OFF SITEWIDE. Whether you're gearing up for adventure or everyday life, you can trust Undertac to have your back. Visit PREPARE WITH NORMAL WORLD DOT COM now to secure your family's future with a $100 discount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts: Erin Rider and Greg Skordas  The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers programs meant to help people stay off the streets and get into affordable housing. However, not everyone thinks these programs are actually doing what they're supposed to do. A resolution on Utah's Capitol Hill is now urging HUD to make changes. Floor sponsor State Senator Heidi Balderree explains more. 

Hosts: Erin Rider and Greg Skordas  DOGE employees resigning in protest of department’s direction  As the Department of Government Efficiency goes about laying off thousands and thousands of government workers, they may soon deal with some staffing issues themselves: resignations. Today, more than 20 civil service employees resigned from DOGE, saying they wouldn't take part in an effort to "dismantle critical public services." Could this be a sign of more problems with DOGE?     Millcreek Mayor Silvestrini shares reaction to ICE letter  The Mayor of Millcreek is sharing some of the reaction he's received regarding a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You'll recall a few weeks ago -- following a controversial ICE traffic stop on the border of Millcreek and Murray -- Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini wrote a letter urging federal officials to take action. He spoke about the reaction last night during the State of the City and joins Inside Sources to share more.    On the Hill 2025: Resolution calling for changes to homelessness regulations  The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers programs meant to help people stay off the streets and get into affordable housing. However, not everyone thinks these programs are actually doing what they're supposed to do. A resolution on Utah's Capitol Hill is now urging HUD to make changes. Floor sponsor State Senator Heidi Balderree explains more.    On the Hill 2025: Proposal to change how Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice is chosen  This legislative session, we've focused on a few bills proposing changes to Utah's judiciary. One of those bills is Senate Bill 296: Judicial Amendments; this would change how the Utah Supreme Court’s Chief Justice is selected. While the bill sponsor wasn’t able to join us, given the legal background of both hosts, Inside Sources spends a segment discussing the proposal.    Senators, Representatives on both sides issue resolution supporting Ukraine  While the United States joined Russia and North Korea in voting against a UN resolution condemning Russia for invading Ukraine, members of Congress issued their own resolution supporting Ukraine. It's one of the ways we're seeing a rift form between the president and Congress, even among members of the President's party. We hear some of Senator John Curtis’ thoughts on the situation.    Judges who ruled against Pres. Trump facing impeachment efforts  Several federal judges are facing impeachment bids from members of Congress after the judges ruled against some of the things President Trump is trying to do. The lawmakers claim the justices are guilty of "high crimes and misdemeanors." What’s the appropriate course of action to hold judges accountable? The Inside Sources share their thoughts.    Democratic Party receiving less money from now-angry donors  Since the November election, we've spent quite a bit of time discussing what Democrats did wrong and what they're doing as a result of their devastating loss to Republicans. As part of that, we need to talk about funding and donations. New reports show that for the most part, Democratic donors are angry and unwilling to give more money to the party. Is that enough to push the party to change?    Some Tesla owners begin regretting their purchase... because of Elon Musk  Tesla owners once prided themselves on being eco-friendly -- buying an electric car was seen as a symbol of "being green." But since Telsa CEO Elon Musk has become closer and closer to Republican President Donald Trump, it's prompted this interesting sense of regret among more liberal-leaning Tesla owners. Inside Sources finishes off with a discussion on buyer’s remorse.   

Scott Turner, former state legislator, NFL player, and pastor from Plano, Texas, will take over as the new Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Given that the history of HUD is about everything that Donald Trump wants to change in Washington, Turner has a great challenge and opportunity. That is, HUD is all about government. Turner has many great ideas, and among these he's thinking about changing the name of the department. My vote would be changing the name to Housing and Community Development (HCD). Community Development would emphasize programs to remove government barriers to investment...Article Link

After chatter about budget cuts during the campaign from several members of President Donald Trump's new administration, stakeholders in the affordable housing community watch attentively as developments arise in Washington, D.C. In this episode of Tax Credit Tuesday, Michael Novogradac, CPA; Rich Larsen, CPA; and Peter Lawrence, Novogradac's director of public policy and government relations, look at what may be in store for affordable housing through the prism of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). First, the trio discusses what might be ahead under Scott Turner, Trump's nominee for HUD secretary. Next, Lawrence and Larsen explore what some of the potential upsides for HUD might be under the new administration. Later, Larsen details challenges that may be on the horizon and how public housing authorities can act now to navigate possible shortfalls.

Rental income and operating expenses both set records and increased at rates higher than the consumer price index for housing in 2023, according to data in the 2024 Novogradac Operating Income and Expenses Report. In this week's podcast, Michael Novogradac and report author Kelly Gorman, a partner in Novogradac's Clark, New Jersey, office, discuss the findings of the report and what affordable housing operators should learn from them. They look at the overall increases, then drill down on specifics about property insurance, repairs and maintenance and utility expenses, including what caused increases and whether trends were likely to continue in 2024 and 2025. They also look at the effect of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rent and income limits and discuss expense categories that vary depending on geography.

What is normal wear and tear you ask?  How do you know what will be charged to you when you depart a unit?  What is considered willful damage and where is there a gray area?  In today's episode we go over the difficult-to-define "normal wear and tear", and review the US's Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s guidelines of life expectancy in rental items.  As a tenant, you need to educate yourself of what may be taken out of your security deposit; as a landlord, you need to budget for inevitable repairs, replacements, and renovations in your rentals. 

Corey Minor Smith's moved 21 times and attended 14 different schools before graduating high school, and throughout her childhood she was a teenage caretaker to her mother who was living with a severe mental health condition. In spite of these obstacles, she became a successful attorney.” These adverse childhood experiences along with becoming a trained facilitator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), have paved the way for her mental health advocacy work. Currently, she is appointed to serve as US  Senior Counsel for HUD  the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). On this episode of The vault we talked about the challenges that caregivers face when living with someone with severe mental health issues and ways to support families and caregivers with resources and training. Corey has also written books and guides to support families who have had similar challenges due to having loved ones with severe mental health conditions. Self-care for caregivers. Mental health support for caregivers. How to help a loved one who does not acknowledge their mental illness. How to support a loved one who has severe mental illness. How to utlize resources in the community to support caregivers. How to utilize resources in the community to support loved ones with severe mentalillness. How to cope with High Functioning DepressionFollow Corey Minor Smithhttps://www.instagram.com/coreyempowers/https://www.coreyempowers.com/https://www.amazon.com/Driven-Corey-Minor-Smith/dp/0578444003Follow Dr. Judith:Instagram: https://instagram.com/drjudithjoseph TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drjudithjoseph Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjudithjoseph Website: https://www.drjudithjoseph.com/Sign up for my newsletter here: https://www.drjudithjoseph.com/newsletter-sign-upDisclaimer: You may want to consider your individual mental health needs with a licensed medical professional. This page is not medical advice.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Scott Turner, a former NFL player and political leader, as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Turner will oversee housing policies impacting low- and moderate-income families, homeownership access, and housing discrimination cases. Turner previously served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, where he worked on the Opportunity Zones programs, which reportedly helped to increase gentrification. Housing affordability, a top voter concern, looms large as rents have surged over 30% since 2019, according to Zillow. Turner, a Texas native and University of Illinois graduate, spent nine years in the NFL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Michael chats with Marion McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Together, they discuss how McFadden's office coordinated the response to recent natural disasters; the impact of HUD's housing supply work, including PRO Housing and the Section 108 Legacy Challenge; how HUD is working to provide financial assistance to rural communities facing homelessness difficulties; and HUD's holistic approach to improve economic prosperity in rural communications.

On Day 3 of Veterans Saves Week, Krystel and Amelia tackle the unique housing challenges veterans face and share valuable resources for securing affordable housing. Whether you're working toward homeownership, renting, or facing other housing hurdles, today's episode is packed with practical tips and guidance to help you meet your housing needs. Segments: Save or Skip: In today's "Save or Skip" segment, we explore what to do if you're a veteran facing a rent increase that could strain your budget. We offer a balanced approach to help you decide if you should "save" by staying put with support or "skip" and look for a new home. Homeownership Support: VA Loans: Learn how VA loans provide competitive rates, often with no down payment, to help veterans achieve homeownership. We discuss why it's essential to compare offers to ensure you're getting the best deal. VA Grants for Home Modifications: Discover how these grants can help veterans modify their homes to improve accessibility, especially for those with disabilities. Resources for Current Homeowners: If you're a homeowner facing financial challenges, we discuss housing counselors and VA services that can help you stay on top of mortgage payments. Rental Assistance and Tenant Rights: HUD-VASH Program: A collaborative program between HUD and the VA that provides rental assistance vouchers to unhoused veterans. Affordable Rental Resources: Veterans not yet ready to buy can find affordable rental housing through VA resources and local organizations. Tenant Rights: Knowing your rights protects you from unfair practices and discrimination in housing. Support for Unhoused Veterans: For veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans connects them to local support to stabilize their housing situation. Links & Resources: Resources for Veterans Having Difficulty Making Mortgage Payments The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)   is committed to ending Veteran homelessness and works with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to offer programs for housing vouchers for Veterans in need of permanent housing.   The National Call Center for Homeless Veterans  helps Veterans in need of immediate assistance to avoid eviction or loss of housing. Trained VA counselors are on hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help. You can reach them at 1-877-4AID VET or (877) 424-3838.  Veterans Matter helps house homeless veterans and their families who qualify for VA/HUD-VASH housing vouchers. It is a nationwide program that works to help veterans find housing quickly by helping with rental deposits and first month's rent. You can reach them by calling (567) 698-7838.  National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) provides emergency and supportive housing along with food, health services, job training, and placement assistance.  Their website also offers a searchable database that you can use to find organizations in your state that provide services. You can reach them by calling 1-800-VET-HELP or 1-800-838-4357.   You can find additional resources in your area by searching the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's  Federal Rental Assistance webpage. There you can find out what assistance is available, what it covers, how it works, and who is eligible.    _______ Tune in tomorrow for the final day of Veteran Saves Week, where we'll discuss the financial transition from military to civilian life. Remember: Veterans deserve accessible, affordable housing, and support is available to help at every stage.

The Bible is full of wisdom on managing money and possessions, yet there are common beliefs about wealth that are simply unbiblical. These misconceptions can lead people away from God's truth about finances, creating confusion and stress. Let's examine five of these myths and explore what the Bible actually teaches.1. The “I Win, You Lose” MentalityOne widespread belief is that money is a zero-sum game: for someone to have more, someone else must have less. This scarcity mindset fuels anxiety and fear, making people view wealth as something limited.Scripture, however, reveals God's generosity and ability to provide abundantly. In Psalm 50:10, God reminds us that He “owns the cattle on a thousand hills.” Jesus also demonstrated abundance in Matthew 14:13-21 when He fed five thousand with just five loaves and two fish, leaving behind twelve baskets of leftovers. God is not restricted by human limitations; His resources are limitless, allowing us to live with trust rather than fear.2. Building Wealth Is SelfishSome believe building wealth is inherently selfish and contrary to a life of faith. However, the Bible encourages us to grow wealth wisely for God's Kingdom. In Proverbs 13:11, we learn, “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.” Wealth can be a tool for godly stewardship, enabling us to bless others.Building wealth isn't about hoarding; it's about using resources to serve others and accomplish God's purposes. We can earn, save, and give generously with careful stewardship to impact lives and glorify God.3. More Money Equals More HappinessAnother myth is that more money will bring more happiness. Many pursue wealth, believing it will lead to contentment and fulfillment, yet Ecclesiastes 5:10 warns us, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied.”True joy comes not from wealth but from a relationship with Christ. The Apostle Paul beautifully illustrates this in Philippians 4:12-13, “I have learned the secret of being content in any situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” True contentment comes from God, not from financial abundance.4. Only 10 Percent Belongs to GodTithing often stirs debate, but the heart behind our giving matters most. Viewing only ten percent as God's and the rest as ours is misleading; everything we have belongs to God. This mindset risks making generosity about pride, as if giving more makes us better Christians.When we recognize God's ownership of all things, our giving becomes a humble response to His generosity. As Deuteronomy 10:14 says, “To the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.” Like David prayed, “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”5. Giving More Money Means Receiving More MoneyThe final myth is that if we give generously, God will always respond by giving us more money. While God blesses obedience and faithfulness, His blessings are not limited to financial gain. Blessings from God come in many forms—wisdom, peace, relationships, and spiritual growth.The Bible cautions against trying to “bargain” with God for financial returns. Giving should come from a heart of worship and gratitude, not from an expectation of receiving. God's blessings often transcend wealth, fulfilling our deeper needs beyond money.These common myths about money can lead us away from God's wisdom, yet by staying rooted in Scripture, we can find true financial peace. Understanding what the Bible really says helps us manage our resources faithfully, focusing on generosity, trust, and purpose. As we reject these unbiblical beliefs, we can steward God's resources wisely, with an eternal perspective that honors Him.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I'm about to lose our house with a big mortgage company. They had me do a forbearance and then a modification, but I couldn't afford the modified payments. Now, they're telling me to wait until it's denied and apply for another modification, but I'm worried they're trying to get me to wait so they can foreclose since we have a lot of equity. Is there help available to work with the mortgage company?I worked at a company with an ESOP and got fired for sharing my faith. About a month before, my wife felt strongly that we should pay off our house. Now, I'll have access to the ESOP money this fourth quarter. Should we use that to pay off the house this year, even though it will impact our taxes? Or should we wait until next year for tax reasons?I'm retiring in 6 months and have $520,000 in retirement accounts. An investment firm has offered an annuity that would add 30% to my balance and provide an 8% annual increase if I delay withdrawals. If I start withdrawals in the first year, they will pay me $42,925 per year for life. Is this annuity option beneficial for my situation?My husband plans to retire at age 55. Can he work part-time and still withdraw money from his 401(k) without penalty? And if he returns to work full-time, can he still withdraw from that 401(k) without the 10% penalty?Resources Mentioned:U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD.gov)Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

The Current State of US Energy ConsumptionThe United States consumes vast amounts of energy and spends enormous amounts of money every year to fuel our economy, business, and lifestyle. The US accounts for 4% of the world's population, yet uses 16% of the world's total energy. The production and consumption of energy are major drivers of global climate change, hazardous air pollution, habitat destruction, and acid rain. In 2022, US consumers spent $1.7 trillion on energy, amounting to around 6.7% of GDP. Annual energy costs were $5,159 per person in 2022, a 30% increase from 2021. In order to mitigate the large-scale impacts of excessive energy consumption, policymakers are calling for an urgent restructuring of the energy system through increasing efficiency. Energy efficiency is the use of less energy to perform the same task or result, often being achieved through more efficient heating and cooling systems, manufacturing facilities, and appliances and electronics. Simply, energy efficiency reduces the amount of energy required to provide products and services. Many lower-income households are burdened by rising electricity costs and increasing risks from extreme weather events but do not have the resources to fund energy-efficient systems in their homes. To address this disparity, new energy efficiency standards for affordable housing are being developed in order to lower costs and improve climate resilience for households unable to afford high energy prices.Current Initiatives in the USThe Biden Administration has taken a lead in issuing new minimum energy standards for homes built with federal dollars in an attempt to save costs for renters and homeowners. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the USDA announced the adoption of the Minimum Energy Standards for new single and multi-family homes. The standards are expected to decrease cost expenditures for residents, reduce energy use and pollution, improve resident health, and increase resilience in extreme weather events. The adoption of such energy standards will incorporate cost-saving insulation, air sealing, and efficient windows, lighting, heating and cooling systems in HUD and USDA supported properties to decrease energy bills for families. It is projected that energy efficiency improvements of 37% will decrease energy costs by more than $950 a year for homeowners. Overall, minimum energy standards are projected to expand housing affordability, minimize health risks, and improve resilience of homes during extreme weather.Advantages of energy efficiency standardsEnergy efficiency can increase affordability and reliability for homeowners by reducing total energy demand and peak electricity demand. Peak electricity demand is the highest demand for electricity at any one point in time, which utilities are required to have the capacity to meet. Peak demand is driven by patterns of energy use in the market, with most production occurring in the afternoons. Energy efficiency programs utilize a demand-side management (DSM) strategy to reduce energy demand specifically during these high-volume, peak hours. For homeowners, energy efficiency improvements are cost-effective as they can lower utility bills by reducing the amount of power needed. Further, energy efficiency can decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and enable the growth of renewable energy, thereby decreasing GHG emissions. Updated minimum energy standards are expected to reduce 6.35 million metric tons in carbon emissions over the next three decades, generating an annual cost savings of $13.9 million. Energy efficiency also spurs the creation of new jobs in research, production, installation, and sales. In 2022, more than 2.1 million Americans worked in energy efficiency, with this only growing as we transition to a greener economy. There are many social, economic, and environmental advantages that come alongside transitioning towards an energy-efficient economy,Drawbacks in achieving energy efficiency Although there are many advantages to achieving energy efficiency, there exists roadblocks in achieving the current goals being set. First, innovative technologies rely upon very specialized knowledge, requiring expert research in the field. As well, a large concern in the development of these technologies are the significant upfront costs, through initially high levels of investment in research and development. For projects that are just starting up, it can be difficult to secure funding, potentially leading businesses to solely focus on short-term goals. On the consumer side, there may be a lack of acceptance or awareness of these new technologies prohibiting their take up in the market. To achieve universal acceptance, technologies must attain the energy savings and functionality that consumers expect. Scaling up these technologies can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring complex supply chain logistics, techniques, and manufacturing. Government policies, such as the new energy efficiency standards for lower-income households, will be vital in encouraging innovation and investment to accelerate this transition.Who is our guest?Mark Kresowik, Senior Policy Director at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, is a strong advocate for centering marginalized communities in policies that work to improve energy efficiency. Mark works to shape local, state, utility, and federal-level policies across the country. ResourcesUSAID: From the American People, Energy Efficiency BasicsOffice of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy: Energy Efficiency: Buildings and IndustryCase Western Reserve University: Energy-Efficient Building Technologies: Challenges and OpportunitiesNatural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Lora Shinn, Energy Efficiency: The Clean FactsU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: New Update: HUD and USDA Announce Adoption of Minimum Energy Standards that will Lower Monthly Costs for Homeowners and RentersCenter for Sustainable Systems: U.S. Energy System Factsheet (University of Michigan)Further ReadingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Minimum Energy StandardsU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Minimum Energy Standards FAQsUS Housing Consultants: HUD and USDA Announce Adoption Cost-Lowering Minimum Energy StandardsFor a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/standardizing-energy-efficiency-with-mark-kresowik/.

Two of the three major factors that determine fiscal year (FY) 2025 rent and income limits for low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC)-financed properties were recently released, giving a preview of what to expect when those limits are announced next April by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In this week's Tax Credit Tuesday podcast, Michael Novogradac, CPA, and Novogradac partner Thomas Stagg, CPA, discuss those income limits, including what factors are involved in the calculation, what we know so far, how having a good estimate can assist developers and property managers and how HUD's projections for 2023 national median household income lined up with the data from 2023. They also discuss what's new with fair market rents, California's recently passed rent control legislation and which dates to remember between now and the release of FY 2025 income limits.

On this episode of The Women in the Arena, we have the pleasure of interviewing the Honorable Dr. Kimberly A. McClain. Dr. McClain is an accomplished leader with an extensive career spanning over 30 years across academia, defense, financial services, government, and international relations. Her expertise encompasses critical areas such as aviation, cybersecurity, defense acquisition, legislative affairs, public policy, risk management, strategic communication, security cooperation, and strategic planning.Her time in the U.S. Air Force, where she served both in active duty and reserves, culminating in her retirement as a Reserve aviator with 29 years of service. In January 2021, she joined the Biden Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Later, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in on January 3, 2023, as Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In this episode, we explore the significance of public service and the impactful initiatives Dr. McClain is leading at HUD. We discuss the challenges of housing affordability and the legislative efforts aimed at making housing more affordable, safe, and accessible for all Americans. You won't want to miss this episode, filled with valuable insights from an incredibly impactful woman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced over $420 million in funding to eliminate lead hazards from homes across 32 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The goal is to protect low-income families, particularly children, from the dangers of lead exposure, which can cause severe health issues. The funding includes $395 million to support local governments in reducing lead-based paint hazards and $10 million for research on improving safety and cost-effectiveness in addressing housing-related dangers. This initiative is a part of the Biden-Harris administration's broader efforts, which includes $2.6 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law for nationwide lead pipe replacements. HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman emphasized that removing lead hazards is crucial to creating safe homes for all, especially vulnerable children. For Black and brown communities, the impact will be significant due to long-standing disparities in housing quality and access to safe environments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Carson and the American Cornerstone Institute team are excited to present "Heard on West Exec," a brand-new weekly podcast dedicated to exploring the intricacies of working within the federal executive branch. In this episode of "Heard on West Exec,” host Evelyn Lim from the American Cornerstone Institute (ACI) speaks with Irv Dennis, former CFO of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Irv, who spent 38 years at Ernst and Young, shares his experience addressing HUD's financial challenges. They discuss some of the themes in Irv's book, “Transforming a Federal Agency: Management Lessons from HUD's Financial Reconstruction” such as the agency's significant financial weaknesses, the strategies he implemented to improve governance, and the importance of leadership and financial discipline. Irv discusses the benefits of integrating private sector expertise into government roles which lead to better efficiency and more accountability.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Biden-Harris administration has expanded housing access for veterans. A new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) policy will enable veterans with service-connected disabilities to secure more housing opportunities through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. Previously, their VA benefits were counted as income limiting their eligibility, but now these benefits are excluded, opening doors to supportive housing. HUD is also raising the income eligibility threshold for veterans to 80 percent of area medium income, providing $20 million to public housing agencies to enhance the HUD-VASH program. These changes are part of a broader effort to end veteran homelessness, building on the success of the HUD-VASH program, which has helped over 200,000 veterans find permanent housing since 2010. In a press release, HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman stated, "No veteran should ever have to experience homelessness, but when they do, they should not face barriers to getting help they deserve." These policy shifts underscore the administration's commitment to supporting veterans in need. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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TSA PreCheck TSA PreCheck How do I apply for TSA PreCheck Second Annual International Copyleft Conference Copyleft Copyleft Copyleft The Free Software Foundation Software Freedom Conservancy Mark Shuttleworth Mark Shuttleworth stallman: Richard Stallman's Personal Site. Duck Duck Go: Bradley Coon Ubuntu Summit 2023 Redhat Rocky Linux AlmaLinux Centos ubuntu: Ubuntu is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. ubports: We are building a secure & private operating system for your smartphone. Ubuntu Touch Ubuntu Touch Ubuntu Touch Apps Firefox OS Firefox OS Firefox OS Firefox OS Features Guide sailfishos: The mobile OS with built-in privacy. Fairphone We are Fairphone. An Amsterdam-based electronics company. Fairphone Fairphone is a Dutch electronics manufacturer that designs and produces smartphones and headphones. Hello World magazine by educators for educators One hundred pages of in-depth discussion, project ideas, lesson plans, news, and reviews. Fire TV Sticks, Streaming Devices, Smart TVs & More | Amazon Amazon Linux 2023, a Cloud-Optimized Linux Distribution with Long-Term Support Every generation of Amazon Linux distribution is secured, optimized for the cloud, and receives long-term AWS support. We built Amazon Linux 2023 on these principles, and we go even further. Deploying your workloads on Amazon Linux 2023 gives you three major benefits: a high-security standard, a predictable lifecycle, and a consistent update experience. Linux from AWS Whether you are looking for an operating system to host your general-purpose workloads or a purpose-built operating system to host containers, AWS offers you a portfolio of security-focused, stable, and high performance Linux-based operating systems. 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See your content look more brilliant and vivid with a Super AMOLED™ display and enjoy the premium Galaxy camera modes and intuitive user interface. spectrum Switch to Spectrum for incredible savings and seamless connectivity with... spectrum Sign up for Spectrum Internet® and get Advanced WiFi and an Unlimited Mobile... ZX Spectrum Vega+ The ZX Spectrum Vega+ is a handheld game console based on the ZX Spectrum and designed by Rick Dickinson as a follow-up to the ZX Spectrum Vega handheld TV game which was released in 2015. Only a small number of Vega+ machines were released, before Retro Computers (who manufactured the devices) was wound up. youtube.com: Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+ Handheld - Review & Overview wikipedia: Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is a parallel expansion card standard, designed for attaching a video card to a computer system to assist in the acceleration of 3D computer graphics. wikipedia: Hardware acceleration is the use of computer hardware designed to perform specific functions more efficiently when compared to software running on a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU). Any transformation of data that can be calculated in software running on a generic CPU can also be calculated in custom-made hardware, or in some mix of both. wikipedia: ZX Spectrum Next is an 8-bit home computer, initially released in 2017, which is compatible with software and hardware for the 1982 ZX Spectrum. It also has enhanced capabilities. wikipedia: The ZX Spectrum 128 is similar to the ZX Spectrum+, with the exception of a large external heatsink for the internal 7805 voltage regulator added to the right hand end of the case, replacing the internal heatsink in previous versions. wikipedia: In Sweden, the standard time is Central European Time (CET; UTC+01:00; Swedish: centraleuropeisk tid). Daylight saving time is observed from the last Sunday in March (02:00 CET) to the last Sunday in October (03:00 CEST). Sweden adopted CET in 1900. wikipedia: Lapland, also known by its Swedish name Lappland (Northern Sami: Sápmi, Finnish: Lappi, Latin: Lapponia), is a province in northernmost Sweden. raspberrypi: single board computers. mxlinux: MX Linux is a cooperative venture between the antiX and MX Linux communities. raspbian: Raspbian is not affiliated with the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Raspbian was created by a small, dedicated team of developers that are fans of the Raspberry Pi hardware, the educational goals of the Raspberry Pi Foundation and, of course, the Debian Project. raspberrypi: Many operating systems are available for Raspberry Pi, including Raspberry Pi OS, our official supported operating system, and operating systems from other organisations. joeress: I’m Joe Ressington. I’m a freelance podcast producer, host, and editor. I’m the head of the Late Night Linux Family of podcasts. linuxacademy: Error: can’t connect to the server at linuxacademy.com wikipedia: Cunt: In informal British, Irish, New Zealand, and Australian English, and occasionally but to a lesser extent in Canadian English, it can be used with no negative connotations to refer to a (usually male) person. In this sense, it may be modified by a positive qualifier (funny, clever, etc.). For example, "This is my mate Brian. He's a good cunt. debian: Debian, also known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a Linux distribution composed of free and open-source software, developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993. xfce: Xfce or XFCE is a free and open-source desktop environment for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. snapcraft: Snaps are containerised software packages that are simple to create and install. They auto-update and are safe to run. flatpak: Flatpak is developed by an independent community, made up of contributors, volunteers and supporting organizations. It is a true upstream open source project, dedicated to providing technology and services that can be used by all, with no vendor lock-in. We have strong links to other Free Software projects, including the Freedesktop project. raspberrypi: Raspberry Pi computers and microcontrollers ubuntu: Apt-Cache-ng is A caching proxy. Specialized for package files from Linux distributors, primarily for Debian (and Debian based) distributions but not limited to those. mumble: Mumble is a free, open source, low latency, high quality voice chat application. wikipedia: Pepsi Max (also known as Pepsi Zero Sugar and Pepsi Black in some countries) is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi, except for the United Kingdom and Norway, where it is the main Pepsi flavor. alcoholism: Alcoholism is a condition that develops over time as someone continues to abuse alcohol. The result of alcoholism is the inability to control the urge to drink alcohol. wikipedia: The Swiss Army knife is a pocketknife, generally multi-tooled, now manufactured by Victorinox. 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Cookies are separated by container, allowing you to use the web with multiple accounts and integrate Mozilla VPN for an extra layer of privacy. rocketmortgage: Did you know that manufactured homes used to be more commonly referred to as mobile homes? That is until 1976, when Congress passed the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act, which authorized the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create construction standards for manufactured homes. audiobookshelf: goodreads: The BSD North conference draws some of the smartest people in the world. These few days will validate Dale Whitehead’s work—or expose him as a fraud. goodreads: Demon Squad Series. goodreads: Sandman Slim Series. goodreads: Case Files of Henri Davenforth Series. snapcraft: Nextcloud Server - A safe home for all your data. tubitv: free Movies & TV Fewer Ads than Cable No Subscription Required Thousands of movies and TV shows. 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On this episode of Millennial Debt Domination, Katie highlights Homeownership Month.  The month of June highlights Homeownership Month. This  month promotes the benefits of homeownership and creates opportunities for future homeowners. Before many people own their home, they rent. However, renting prices have significantly skyrocketed over the last four years making it hard for young people to move out of their parent's home and start a life of their own. Today, Katie is joined by Stacie Rillo. Stacie is one of Navicore's housing counselors. Stacie and Katie will be discussing how your credit history impacts your ability to rent, rising inflation, how to save for a downpayment, and much more.  Follow Navicore on Social Media: Twitter: @NavicorePR Instagram: @navicoresolutions Facebook: NavicoreSolutionsPR More questions for Katie? E-mail us: olm@navicoresolutions.org About Navicore Solutions: We are a national nonprofit provider of financial education and compassionate personal finance counseling. We can help you gain control of your finances. A debt-free future is possible. Learn more about us here: http://navicoresolutions.org/  HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |    

Sacramento County's unhoused population drops 29%, bucking recent trends. Also, how this year's Sacramento Pride is aiming to be the greenest celebration yet. Finally, a new production in Yuba City called “Salt of the Earth.” Sacramento Homeless Population Drops Sacramento County's unhoused population plummeted 29% over the past two years to an estimated 6,615 people, according to a closely-watched survey conducted by Sacramento Steps Forward. The 2024 Point In Time Count shows a dramatic drop from the nearly 9,300 people counted in 2022, when the region's unhoused population spiked 67% from the previous survey conducted in 2019. The surveys are typically conducted every two years and are mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to qualify for federal funding. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg discusses the strides made, as well as the ongoing challenges to overcome. Eco-Friendly Sacramento Pride The 2024 Sacramento Pride March & Festival is kicking off this weekend, June 8-9. And this year, the event also has made additional changes to make sure that the celebrations are environmentally friendly. Priya Kumar, Marketing and Communications Manager at the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, talks about how this year's Pride is aiming to be the greenest celebration yet. Yuba City Play ‘Salt of the Earth' A new play in Yuba City is adapting a famous 1954 film that was blacklisted during the McCarthy era for alleged ties to communism. Salt of the Earth will be performed at the Sutter Theater Center for the Arts from June 6-8, coinciding with the film's 70th anniversary. Creator Marc Flacks, director Lydia Crist, and lead actress Maria Ornelas talk about Salt of the Earth's continued relevance today, and the democratic process that was used to create this adaptation.

High electricity costs are hitting homeowners hard in the Midwest and across the nation, prompting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to adopt updated energy standards for new HUD-funded homes. The rules, announced in April, are estimated to save homeowners $950 a year. Midwest Newsroom managing editor Holly Edgell talks about how the new federal building codes will make homes more affordable, energy efficient and climate resilient.

In this episode of The Consumer Finance Podcast, Chris Willis is joined by Troutman Pepper Partner Lori Sommerfield to discuss the new guidance issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on targeted advertising for housing and housing-related ads. The conversation delves into the implications of the guidance, which was motivated by HUD's original charge of discrimination against Facebook in 2019 and President Biden's 2023 Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI. They explore how the guidance shifts the focus from disparate treatment to disparate impact, and the challenges advertisers and advertising platforms may face in complying with the new guidelines. The episode concludes with a discussion on the potential for regulatory overreach and the possibility of litigation.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the allocation of $26 million in funds to support fair housing efforts across the nation. Distributed through its Fair Housing Assistance Program, this noncompetitive funding is designed for state and local fair housing enforcement agencies to bolster investigations into discrimination complaints and conduct educational outreach programs. Acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman emphasized the critical role of partnerships in eradicating housing discrimination, underscoring the agency's commitment to upholding fair housing standards. The $26 million allotment for fiscal year 2024 will benefit 77 enforcement agencies, which will have collectively witnessed a 6 percent rise in case processing over the past year. These funds will support the enforcement of fair housing laws and safeguard individuals against discrimination to ensure inclusive and just housing opportunities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has allocated $5 million in funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to conduct housing and community research development.  The aim is to support Research Centers of Excellence at HBCUs, which will focus on strategic areas of interest to HUD. These centers will produce evidence-based solutions to address challenges in underserved communities, including housing, community development, economic development, and the environment.  The funding will enable HBCUs to expand their capacity for innovative research and to contribute to policy-making and positive change in these critical areas. The initiative reflects HUD's commitment to affordable housing and its emphasis on collaborating with institutions that prioritize Black and brown communities. More information on how to apply for funding can be found on HUD.gov. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About This EpisodeAs the COO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), Marcia Davies' professional journey underscores the power of self-belief and truth in the stories we tell to ourselves and to others. The episode also sheds light on mPower (MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach) and how Marcia not only founded this networking platform for women in the real estate finance industry but has grown it over the years into an engaged community of more than 25,000. mPower's true success lies in the genuine connections and business opportunities it has facilitated, transcending traditional corporate hierarchies and enabling women to extend their reach. Tune in to hear important insights for those seeking to revitalize their professional journey, emphasizing the importance of integrating passion into one's career and staying aligned with your joy and purpose. About Marcia DaviesMarcia Davies is Chief Operating Officer for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). As COO, Marcia is responsible for ensuring cross organizational alignment and facilitating the implementation of strategic initiatives, as well as maintaining oversight of key organizational priorities. She is also the lead strategist for MBA's external activities, providing leadership, guidance and overall management to the public affairs and marketing divisions. In addition, Marcia provides strategic direction and management of MBA's Conferences, Membership, Education, Information Technology and Office Services divisions. She also provides management oversight to and is a Board member of MBA's Opens Doors Foundation. Previously, Marcia worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner. Before joining HUD, Marcia spent 21 years at Freddie Mac, where she held a variety of officer positions in communications, customer outreach, marketing, servicer relations and policy. Marcia is the founder of mPower - MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach - MBA's networking platform for women in the real estate finance industry. Under her leadership, mPower has grown into an engaged community of more than 25,000, providing best-in-class conference and webinar programming, networking events, and online opportunities to stay engaged. Through mPower, more women are positioned to achieve leadership positions and are well represented in all segments of the industry. Marcia is a member of the AWRB Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council (NDILC). She is also a member of Women in Housing Finance and the International Women's Leadership Association. Most recently, Marcia received the silver Stevie Awards for Women in Business 2018 Maverick of the Year. She is also the recipient of Five Star's Laurie A. Maggiano Legacy award, the NAWRB 2018 Industry Revolutionary Award, and the CIFS Diversity & Inclusion 2018 Trailblazer Award. In 2015, Marcia was honored by HousingWire as one of its 2015 Women of Influence. Marcia is a graduate of the Katharine Gibbs School in Montclair, NJ. Additional ResourcesLinkedIn: @MarciaDavies

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released 2024 rent and income limits earlier this month'limits that determine renter eligibility for HUD-assisted programs and for properties financed by low-income housing tax credit (LIHTCs). The limits also determine the maximum rents that owners of LIHTC properties can charge tenants. In this week's podcast, Michael Novogradac, CPA, and Novogradac partner Thomas Stagg, CPA, discuss the rent and income limits. They look at key takeaways, how the new 10% ceiling affected limits, what geographic areas saw income limit growth that was below the national average of 6% or decreased and how the income limits affect (or don't affect) HERA special properties. They also look to what to expect in 2025 and key dates for data release that will affect those 2025 limits.

Episode 101 - Real Estate Exam Questions: Fair Housing Going through state exam questions to help real estate students pass their state exam.   03:00 – Message of kindness and respect. Open your mind! 09:50 – List of recent grads: Brandon, Elmer, Bronda, Cindy, Layton, Maxwell, Dillon, Philip, Alayna, Michael, Angela, Cullen, Avery, Barrett, Nanticia, Kyle, Raven, Whitney, Milan, Mandy, Albert, Halim, Janice, Alisia, Claudia, April, Janeva, Martina, Abbey, Ella, Isaiah, Betty, Dana, Juston, Darian, Jennifer, Conner, Richard, Zaria, Ruth, Dajon, Rhonda, Michelle, Morgan, and Kasandra. 11:05 – Message from Brandon. 12:50 – Episode Focus: Fair housing 13:30 – Know the years; Civil Rights Act of 1866; only race was the protected class. 14:35 – Fair Housing Act; Title 8 (VIII) of 1968; race, color, national origin, and religion. 16:10 – Sex/Gender added in 1974; Familial status and disability were added in 1988. Sexual orientation is not a federal protected class. 17:30 – Familial status defined. 19:35 – Disability: physical and mental 21:30 - Reasonable accommodations 23:50 – Security deposit issues. 27:10 – Service animals and how tenant selection and security deposits work. 30:20 – Exceptions to fair housing laws. Discriminatory advertising. Race is NEVER an exception to the fair housing laws. 35:40 – ADA; American with Disabilities Act; workplace, commercial, industrial, retail, and office spaces. 15 or more employees. 37:05 – Fair housing practices: Blockbusting, Steering, and Advertising. 41:35 – Lender issues and fair housing; ECOA (Equal Credit Opportunity Act); added marital status, age, and reliance upon public assistance as protected classes. 44:25 – Redlining. 45:20 – Enforcement is through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); unless complaint is based upon race, then the complaint goes directly to federal courts. 46:50 – These are the general, federal rules on fair housing. There is more to the federal, state, and local laws. Watch for the distinctions on your questions. 48:40 – Exam questions 1:12:35 – May and June episodes will be a two-part series on lending principles, practices, and math. So much content to cover, I had to split it into two shows. Come back for more to help you pass the real estate exam.   Go to www.ahareep.com and sign up for the program for only $35, use discount code: legendary15 to save 15% off.   Go to www.indianarealestateinstitute.com for Indiana real estate classes.   A-Ha LINKS   Email info@ahareep.com   Web www.ahareep.com   Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AHA.REEP   YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrxAjI5Li4Ll3Epwcyc0i6A

In this episode of IMPACTability, The Nonprofit Leaders Podcast, host Josh Hirsch interviews Jessica Cicere, former CEO of Nonprofits First, about nonprofit collaborations. They discuss the importance of partnerships and collaborations in the nonprofit sector, especially during times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. They also explore the difference between formal and handshake partnerships and when each is appropriate. Jessica shares a case study of a collaboration between the Edna Runner After School Center and Families First, highlighting the benefits of immediate partnerships in times of need. They also discuss the value of networking with fellow nonprofits to find potential collaborations. The conversation then shifts to the taboo topic of nonprofit mergers and when it may be necessary for two organizations to come together as one. Jessica emphasizes the importance of assessing board and staff commitment, organizational capacity, and the alignment of strategic plans before considering a merger. They also discuss the challenges and benefits of mergers and the need for professional guidance throughout the process. The episode concludes with a segment of Coaches Corner, where Stanton Cadow, CFRE, discusses how to assess the feasibility of a capital campaign for a nonprofit, including the importance of board and staff commitment, crafting a compelling narrative, and seeking professional guidance.Guest BioJessica Cecere is the Chief Executive Officer of Nonprofits First, Inc. and has over 32 years of nonprofit leadership experience. Ms. Cecere has also been a small business shareholder, a consultant, and an active community volunteer. She earned a Bachelor's Degree from Florida State University. She is a BoardSource Certified Governance trainer and a Certified True Colors Facilitator. In years past, Jessica was also a Certified Consumer Credit Counselor and a Certified Counselor for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Ms. Cecere is an expert in board governance, nonprofit management, leadership facilitation and personal finance and has appeared in numerous local and national publications. Cecere was a long time local television media source in the area of credit and personal finance, as well as, serving as a frequent guest host on Clear Channel Radio's WJNO morning news.Jessica Cecere has a long history of community involvement with many community service and nonprofit organizations. She is a graduate and active alumnus of Leadership Florida and Leadership Palm Beach County. Jessica also serves as a volunteer on numerous committees. Jessica has served on 12 plus nonprofit boards and advisory councils from 1992 – 2023. Jessica is currently serbving as a Board member for the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida and the Caribbean and Leadership Palm Beach.Jessica is a recipient of the 2022 Women in Leadership Award for the Executive Women of the Palm Beaches Foundation and a recipient of the 2022 Leadership Palm Beach County Presidents Award.TakeawaysPartnerships and collaborations are crucial in the nonprofit sector, especially during times of crisis.Formal partnerships are necessary for long-term collaborations, while handshake partnerships can be suitable for short-term projects.Networking with fellow nonprofits is essential for finding potential collaborations and expanding your organization's reach.Nonprofit mergers should be considered when there is a financial or operational need, and when the missions of the organizations align.Assessing...

NCIS,  The West Wing, Murder at 1600, Nat'l News,  Actress, Motion Pictures, TV, Best Selling Author  Doris McMillon has emerged as one of the industry's most versatile journalists. Whether in front of the camera, motivating audiences, or behind the scenes, Doris delivers strategies for clients to communicate to the public, by harnessing her experience as a journalist, newscaster, producer, author and trainer.Prior to establishing McMillon Communications, she ranked among the top New York broadcast professionals as both general assignment reporter and anchor for Eyewitness News, the city's most viewed early-evening news program, and for news broadcasts in Good Morning America and The Regis Philbin Show for ABC-TV network flagship station, WABC-TV. The international community knows her as a news anchor and Interactive moderator for the U.S. Information Agency's WORLDNET and the Department of State.Doris' career began to soar in the New York City market. She co-anchored for NBC radio network's news and information service a 24 hour national news broadcast. In addition, she reported and anchored for the city's primetime news hour at Metromedia/Fox News flagship station, WNYW-TV. She wrote and produced news and features covering a wide range of subjects from sports to Broadway to the hard-hitting Emmy Award winning series, The Welfare Ripoff.Doris' experience includes assignments with Black Entertainment Television (BET), where she anchored news and public affairs programs from Washington, D.C.. At BET, she sharpened her ability to connect with diverse audiences by offering passionate and practical insight as a program host. She also served as the "voice" for GOOD LIFE TV. No stranger to the big screen, Doris has appeared as herself in the role of a news anchor in Clint Eastwood's blockbuster movie, In the Line of Fire and in Wesley Snipes' movie Murder at 1600, where she played the part of a CNN reporter. She also has played the role of a primetime news anchor in NBC's Emmy Award winning drama, The West Wing & NCIS on CBS-TV. Doris tells her story in her best-selling book, Mixed Blessing, which re-counts her journey to find her biological parents. The book received high praise from The New York Times, Larry King Live, New York Post, New York Daily News and The Washington Times.As a widely sought media consultant and trainer, Doris has worked with a variety of clients, including: Avon, World Bank, AFL-CIO, MCI, Eastman-Kodak, AMTRAK, AARP, Bell Atlantic, Marriott Hotels, National Institutes of Health, The National Urban League, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Education, Veteran's Administration, U.S. Postal Service, the Internal Revenue Service, America's Most Wanted and many others. McMillionCommunications.com© 2024 Building Abundant Success!!2024 All Rights ReservedJoin Me on ~ iHeart Media @ https://tinyurl.com/iHeartBASSpot Me on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yxuy23baAmazon ~ https://tinyurl.com/AmzBASAudacy:  https://tinyurl.com/BASAud

I would like to introduce you to Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills. She had a decent childhood, for the most part. She was raped and also gang raped, but as she learned to be unstoppable and gained strength from these experiences, she grew into a fierce advocate for women and then later for other marginalized groups. Her story is quite amazing. To me, the most amazing thing is that she is quite willing to share her story if it will help others. She will tell us all about her philosophy on the subject.   For a time she worked in the insurance arena and then went into other endeavors. Over the past 20 years she has been a coach, trainer and consultant to over 2,000 companies and, as she says, she has assisted countless more in various ways.   Barbara's story and life lessons demonstrate how someone can make the choice to be unstoppable. She lives in Mount Loral, NJ with her family. If you ever meet her, don't mess with her as she is quite proficient in various martial arts styles as you can read in her bio. I hope you gain wisdom and knowledge from our conversation. Barbara Anne is a gem and a wonderful person to talk with. I hope you feel the same.   About the Guest:   Barbara Anne is a “Solutions Navigator” and servant leader who has directly assisted over 2,000 businesses in the past two decades and provided training, coaching, and technical assistance to countless more companies, teams, entrepreneurs, and individuals throughout her career. She is the founder and owner of Purpose-Filled Solutions and Evolutions LLC, a business consulting and leadership coaching company that partners with people, leaders, companies, and agencies to find their "why" (core purpose), identify resources, navigate challenges, change mindsets, and develop and implement plans to achieve their visions of success, with an emphasis on civility, inclusion, equity, and diversity (CIED), her unique alternative to current DEI approaches. Barbara Anne also serves as Director of Compliance & Engagement for Cooperative Business Assistance Corporation (CBAC) in Camden, NJ, and hosts “What The Why?!? with Barbara Anne,” a weekly talk show on RVN Television, Roku, and more. Before her current roles, she served as the Management Analyst and Community Liaison for the U.S. White House Promise Zone Initiative in Camden, NJ, stationed at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), and as Supervisor of Lender Relations and Economic Development/Women's Business Ownership Representative for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) New Jersey District Office, and in other leadership roles in the corporate, non-profit, and municipal government arenas. Barbara Anne holds an M.S. in Executive Leadership, a B.A. in Political Science/ Honors with concentrations in Pre-Law and Women's Studies, and an A.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Business Communications. She has completed multiple professional designations and adult continuing education certificates, including her Professional Certified Coach (PCC) certification with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Certified Professional Coach in Executive Coaching from RCSJ, and certifications in talent optimization and implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. Barbara Anne serves in volunteer leadership capacities with ICF's NJ Charter Chapter and Braven, and she is a member of ICF Global, the Association of Talent Development (ATD), CDFI Women's Network, and other professional and civic organizations. The National Association of Women's Business Owners (NAWBO) – South Jersey Chapter honored her with their 2016 “Women's Advocate of the Year” award.  She is also a Second-Degree Black Belt and member of the Okinawa Goju-Ryu Kenshi-Kai Karate-Jutsu Kobu-Jutsu Association and trains in multiple other martial arts styles.   ** ** Ways to connect with Barbara:   Email: info@Purposefilledsolutionsandevolutions.com Phone: 856-313-0609 Website: https://www.purposefilledsolutionsandevolutions.com/  Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bgardenhiremills/ Purpose-Filled Solutions & Evolutions' Social Media Links Through LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/purposefilledcoach "What The Why?!? with Barbara Anne" On-Demand: https://rvntelevision.com/tv-show/what-the-why/        About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, and hello, once again. Welcome to unstoppable mindset. I'm your host, Michael Hingson. Or you can call me Mike, it's okay. Just Oh, I hate to do the joke, just not late for dinner. But anyway, here we are. And today we get to talk with Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills. Barbara Ann is in New Jersey has an interesting story and things that she's doing as a coach and other work that she is doing. And also, I'm going to give it away and she'll talk about it anyway. Barbara has had a couple of bouts with COVID. And actually just got through with one but she has a lot of wisdom about long COVID And actually already and just talking with her before we started this I learned some things I didn't know. And knowledge is always useful thing to have. So Barbara Anne welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 02:12 Thank you so much. I am super happy and honored to be asked to be your guest today. I'm really looking forward to our conversation.   Michael Hingson ** 02:23 Well, then we ought to have one right. So tell me about maybe the the younger barber and growing up and all that let's start there. It's always good as they say to start at the beginning somewhere.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 02:34 Yes. Start at the beginning. So younger Pribram was born in the late 60s to Maryland and Joseph, a biracial couple. So when my parents got married, still wasn't even legal in some states. And I was born right here in New Jersey, Jersey girl my whole life. And my my five foot three Caucasian mom and my six foot three. Black dad, African American reef. Yeah, they met when they were in college. And while my mother's family was very, very not in any way any color in the family tree has recently improved by one to three me my father's family was always very integrated. And I was the first of four children. My mother and dad had me and my sister exactly 16 months apart on purpose. I think that's insane. I can't even imagine doing that these days. And, and then there was three other siblings that would come along the way. One of whom died shortly after birth because of complications. And it was interesting. I grew up in an apartment complex that wasn't then but is now officially designated as what you would call affordable housing. And a small little, I never thought of it as rural growing up, but they call it rural. It was Vineland, New Jersey. Ah, and it actually is the biggest city in the state of New Jersey in terms of land size, all 69 square miles of it. And but definitely in southern New Jersey. And this is at a time when a lot of the highways and systems that exist now didn't even exist in its parts of South Jersey. And it was like its own whole other world. Anybody who has any familiarity with North and South Jersey knows how vastly different the two are the right down to the accents. And you know, we you know, had a good upbringing, the Things were going well, when it's time for me to go to school, because of the time that it was was you talking about early 70s, I was bussed as part of a program to make sure that they were, you know, equally distributing children aka schools. Which was really interesting. When back in the days before there was cell phones, in fact, my parents had a party line. They accidentally put me on the wrong bus. That was fun when you're in kindergarten. Yeah. But probably one of the earliest tragic things that would happen to me what happened when I was seven. And it's interesting, because I, my mom said, I've always been a forward planner, I've always been very rational, but also very even tempered. And she likes to tell stories about how you know, at a time when I was 14 months, I spilled a bowl of popcorn and I sat there at 14 months old, individually picking up each piece of kernel of corn and putting it back in the bowl. And when I was when I started walking it at nine months, and around 1112 months, we were out walking, and I saw a dandy line and I bent over and I pulled it up, I had no idea that would kill it. I picked it up and I sniffed it, and proceeded to put it right back in its exact place where it was. And so all these years later, she still loves to tell that story because I was very methodical and particular and had my routines and my processes. And then 10 days before Christmas, just after my seventh birthday, my father was killed in a car accident. And here was my mother, at the age of 28, widowed with four biracial children, the oldest of whom was seven and the youngest of whom was only had just been born on October 27. And that would be one of many pivots, in terms of that would define my future going forward. Okay, how   Michael Hingson ** 07:09 did you how did your parents, your, your grandparents deal with you? Maybe at the beginning, you said that they on your mom's side, we're not really oriented toward having biracial or any color in the family did that mollify at all especially towards you as you grow older,   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 07:30 not till I was much older. In fact, when my dad died, my grandfather, who was an Episcopal priest, refused to let my grandmother even can be with my mother, her grieving daughter, because as far as he was concerned, she was dead to him.   Michael Hingson ** 07:51 I have just never comprehended, of course, I've been blind my whole life, baby. And I regard it as a blessing. But I've just never understood this whole issue of color, and skin color having any significance to anything. It's just crazy. But   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 08:09 for the most part, it wasn't even a thing until the mid 1800s. In terms of, you know, I can't think of his name right now, because I'm coming off of my long COVID relapse, but a British scientist, was the one who kind of artificially constructed and classified race. Yeah. And there were a number of people, including Alexander Graham Bell, who bought into some of those theories. Yeah. And but before that, it really was just more of a familial designation, in terms of what country you are from and royalty was royalty. So they intermixed all the time. You know, there was how we understand things now really, are an artificial construct, which is one of the foundational pieces of what I do in my work as it relates to civility, inclusion and equity and diversity. But in that time, my grandmother didn't come my aunt didn't come they were in Florida. My dad's family. My dad was the youngest of six and he was a sports person he had played for the Eagles, arm team and he played basketball and everybody knew who he was. And his family stepped up and stepped in by her family was non existent. I would finally meet her sister a few years after that, and we have a good relationship. I only ever met my one uncle on her side once and I have a necklace that's handed down to my mother was. Her maiden name was aptly As in former Prime Minister Attlee of England, and so they were very particular, he was very much. Interestingly, it was almost bad that he married my grandmother. He was very much a white Anglo Saxon Protestant male, who married my mother's mother, my grandmother, credibly beautiful woman, her name was Ruth Fogarty. And like, parents off the boat Irish, her dad was an Irish house in New Orleans. And, and they had three children, and my mother was the oldest of them. And so dad wasn't so thrilled and dad ruled the household. And I finally met my grandmother right before I turned 12, because there's a family necklace that's handed down through the Fogarty family line to the to the oldest female on their 12th birthday. And so she was permitted to come see us and, and transfer that to me. And then right around the time I turned 16, my grandfather decided to have a change of heart, and that he was wrong. And I would meet him a couple of times between 16 and 19. And then when I was 19, he passed us was very awkward, I agreed to go to the funeral for my mother. But that was probably actually one of the biggest fights we ever had to because I had very strong feelings about being forced to go and mourn someone that had done, what I now understood had been the things that he had done over the course of her life in mind. But I, you know, she she said, incredible person. So my mother, who I'm I've ever been, I don't know who it is, but I don't like she tends to be much more private. She watches everything I do. But I don't usually name her for her own privacy reasons. You know, she would raise all four of us on her own, she never remarried, she went back to school, because she dropped out when she married my dad, and then had me, you know, urina. She got married in February of 67. They had me in mid November of 68. So she decided to go back to school, she completed her associate's then her Bachelor's than her Master's. And she went on to teach at the college where she got her nursing degree. And all of that joined the military before age 40, to become a nurse. And for the US Army, reserve corps, so she did a lot of really amazing things on her own, with me, helping out along the way, as the oldest child. So I learned to do a lot of things very young, that I probably wouldn't really be able to do now, in terms of watching siblings, cooking and cleaning, and things like that, but things that were otherwise really common at the time. And another big part of our lives was the church that we raised in. And because the whole family, my dad's family, was involved on both sides, my family were involved in the clergy, but the brother and cousins that we were most close to, went to the church where we went to and so they became a huge support system for my mom. And in a very interesting indoctrination process for me, that I would spend the better part of my teens and early 20s trying to undo. So that's the very early I, you know, we went to a private Christian school on scholarship. And when my mom graduated, they said no more scholarships. So I went to public high school, and did really well. You know, but I felt like I had been kind of thrown into this weird alternative universe where I had been used to being one of the only children of color in an entire school. And now I was in a school that was pseudo integrated. Different kids tended to be tracked based on their intelligence, but also, in part based on their socioeconomic status and, and race. And on my very first day, when I went to go in with the few kids that I didn't know, into the school cafeteria, I was stopped at the door and I was told that only the white kids ate in there, I had to go to the other cafeteria with the black and Spanish kids. And I was like, what, what are you talking about? And they were like, You eaten here. And that that was not something that my high school fixed for almost another 15 years when they finally decided to assign cafeterias, and eliminate a lot of staff. But other than that, I did choir, I did drama, I did all the things that I loved to learn, had its really great friends. And then couldn't afford to go to college. Now that my mom was working, I didn't get enough aid, and I wanted to be a doctor. And so I ended up getting just enough grants to go to community college. And then I went to work full time, and we went to school full time at nights. I went to work for Prudential insurance company, and they paid 90% tuition reimbursement. And I worked there in policyholder services, answering questions for agents for 10 states. Here I was, you know, the ages of 1819 20 ensiling complex insurance questions back when everything was in these little books, we would have to pull the pages out. And to replace them to update them. We covered all of New England and most of the East Coast with the exception of New Jersey and Massachusetts along scope   Michael Hingson ** 16:36 guard. So this was like 1987 88. Yes, exactly.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 16:40 8788 89. And, and then one of the next major pivotal things in my life happens. Having been raised in a very fundamentalist religion, I had never been involved in any kind of a sexual relationship. And I got raped. And what was interesting about it, other than the fact that it was pretty bad and it was somebody I knew, I got angry. And that's, that pivoted me into advocacy. And I became a speaker. I spoke on college campuses, I spoke at my high school. I was like, oh, no, no, no, this is never going to happen to another woman. Right? Yeah. This is just not okay. And, and then I had this whole world of advocacy opened up for me. And it's funny, I'll never forget, I ended up changing my major. Because my political science class and my sophomore year of college, the professor has put a list of all of these different characteristics. He said, Well, what describes a typical politician and he was what in New Jersey, we now call commissioners, but back then we called them freeholders freeholders held land. And we put all these characteristics on a board of what a typical politician is. And he said, Georgia class, he said, Okay, everybody, if you aren't, at least, almost all of them, if not all of these, you never, ever, ever have a chance of holding any kind of high office or elected office in government. And I looked at him in my stereotypical, defiant way, when somebody says I can't do something, and said, Oh, really. And I changed my major to political science that week. And I would later tell him after I graduated from political science honors from what is now Rowan University, with concentrations in pre law and Women's Studies. I would eventually tell him go back and tell him that he was the reason why I changed my major. And he was just so blown away. He's like, Oh, wow, I'm so odd. Really told him why. And guess what, like many politicians, he ended up having an affair with a staffer and losing his his seat and his wife in the process. So I guess he was so much more like, far too many prostitutions back then, than what was listed on the board.   Michael Hingson ** 19:31 Do as I say, not as I do.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 19:35 When I go ahead, no, go ahead. I was gonna say when I finished college, though, my first job right out of college. As I had left Prudential to go back full time to finish, which was good because by the time I got done Prudential no longer existed. They had moved their job offices to Jacksonville and have the office that I would have worked at had I stayed there like so many people said I should. Of course they He told me he really shouldn't leave this great job. And I said, Okay, really well watch me. And so again, I answered an ad in the newspaper. And I ended up going to work for the city of Bridgeton, in my field, actually working for the city in a new role for called the Community Development Block Grant sub recipient monitor. And my job was to create the infrastructure for monitoring funds from a community development block grants that were distributed to organizations in the community as a whole host of other things. And that was the beginning in 1992, of my 31 year career, other than one, brief six year return to insurance after having my son, my otherwise 31 year career in community and economic development.   Michael Hingson ** 20:59 So you got married along the way?   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 21:02 I did, but not yet. I stayed for a while. Yeah. Which is a really great question. I, I just wasn't ready. Yeah, I, I was in this I was in this weird world of, I was too white for most black boys. I was too dark for most white boys. I was not Latina. But that was what I was most often mistaken for, because of my skin tone and where I grew up. And, and I was often just a novelty, somebody wanted to be able to say that they had tried being with a black girl. And in 2012, when I was 23 years old, that culminated actually, in a second, much more serious rape scenario with a guy that I had been seeing. Who knew about the first one, we'd had conversations about the fact that his sister had been through something similar. And then myself and a friend went to a party at his house, and they, I didn't even drink, because I didn't want to be in that situation. And yet, I felt like I was drunk. And it didn't. We didn't talk about things like being date rape drugs, and things like that. But yeah, it was, it was bad. And I remember bits and pieces, and they were just kind of joking that they all wanted to know what it was like to be with a black girl. And, um, so I was very protective of myself in many ways for many years. And when I met my husband, I was in a, I was long distance seeing someone he was seeing somebody else, we could care less. And then we would be reintroduced a couple years later. And I was at a point where I was like, I just not I can't get involved with. I've had all these bad experiences with white guys and black guys. I just know, I was seeing a guy from Puerto Rico at the time. And as my husband likes to say, he just had to convince me that he was the only thing missing from my life. So he did what every other guy who wants to be with somebody does, he became a really good friend. And then we would end up finally getting married three years after our first date, which was a disaster, by the way, because our first date was literally the day of the very first Million Man March. Oh, and I said to him, What were you thinking we had ended up getting into a political conversation and realized we were about as diametrically opposed as one could be. And that's what he thought about. What was he thinking when he asked out a young black urban professional, he said he didn't know because he didn't realize I was black. He thought I was lucky not then. And then one of the jokes of that evening that still gets repeated to this day, I said, oh, and I suppose you haven't marched? And I suppose you've marched in a militia too. And he says, well, not lately. Now he was he had been on the north on a Civil War reenactment militia militia, but my husband would really appreciate your sense of humor. So no, in spite of that disastrous first date, next month, we will have been married for 25 years and together for 28. Any he was so everything I was not looking for at the time, which is probably exactly why it worked because I after all of those other experiences I had decided to find out. And we did, we got married. And, in fact, I was executive director of a nonprofit housing organization at the time, and it was selling, it's celebrating its 25th anniversary. So we postponed our talk about understanding guy, he's always supported me and said, You go be you. We actually postponed our honeymoon, so that we could get the anniversary banquet and celebration out of the way, and then go on our honeymoon without having that hanging over our heads. So he knew what kind of person he was getting together with. And he was he was fine with that. And so yeah, and we would go on, and I would have, we would have one son. And that was another pivot. This year, I was, at this point, I'm now running an organization that the nonprofit that I was with helped start, I'm used to like going around the country, and conducting training classes in housing counseling, and homeownership education for housing counselor is for the federal government on going all these great places. And then along comes this son, who God purposefully gave me to prove I have absolutely no control over anything. I remember Oh, my gosh, it was it was something else. And remember, and of course, you know, being a slightly older mom, at this point, I'm 33. Having a geriatric pregnancy just didn't sound right. At all, I'm like, Oh, my God, I've I've tested I'm sitting there in tears one day, like, how is it that I could testify and in front of the state legislature and congressional hearings that I can't get this kid to go to sleep? What is wrong?   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 27:10 got through it. I went back to the insurance industry. took a pause. 911 happened. I remember you. I remember seeing interviews with you on Larry King. And you know, one of the reasons why we chose our son's name, Colin, which is, the original Greek word for courage was after that happened, because we had, as you probably I know, you can relate based on having heard your story. I worked in Trenton and so there were people, a lot of people would commute by train. So someone I grew up with was lost. Very, very close friend of ours, his cousin was lost. But then there were other people that were actually supposed to be there that I was friends with, for various reasons that, like interviews were cancelled. A friend of mine who worked in Jersey City was supposed to cross over to work for Wall Street Journal, he was supposed to be there that morning, it got postponed to that afternoon. So many people that had so many close brushes. And so Colin seemed like a really good name. And, but it also drastically affected our funding as a nonprofit, because all the organizations where we were basically redirected already committed funds to World Trade Center efforts. And which is why to this day, I'm still firmly believe in cash accounting, and not the cruel accounting. And I went back into the insurance industry for six years. And it was fun. And I was underwriting manager for a company here in New Jersey. And and then, we unmerged with our parent company merged with another company and a whole bunch of changes started happening. And I ended up going through my next major pivot. I decided to leave a role where I was having a lot of difficulty with someone who was actively sabotaging my work. And so I decided to take a lateral move left a team of 19, several of whom were in extreme tears to help go create another department. And that behavior continued constant, what we would now call bullying but there was no such thing as bullying in the workplace. Right? And that would culminate in him. physically assaulting me on the job in a conference room full of leaders in front of witnesses. And he herniated all the discs in my neck. And what was really interesting about that is all of the other things that I had been through. They were emotional, and it was easy to recover. But the physical injury that I went in for a while I, my neck got everything swelled up so much I couldn't walk, I couldn't feel my feet. I couldn't function it was was incredibly painful. All of my C spine discs, were either damaged or bulged. And you would think, with so many people having witnessed it, it would be a no brainer, he would get fired. That's not what happened. Yeah, I was gonna ask. Yeah. That's not what happened at all. I would later find out through notes that he was giving a an a one time final warning, but this person had had a history of inappropriate behavior. And everybody would just chalk it up as to being that person. And so he had been there 20 years I had been there, three, and they decided that I was the one that needed to go. And they did what we used to call an insurance terms and other corporate terms called circle the wagons, protect their jobs. And that got ugly, very, very ugly. And Lisa Halloran was my hero. She was my, she taking the job was supposed to be a director was downgraded to a manager, which then downgraded me from management to consultant. And so she had only been there six months when this happened, she had transferred from another office. And in full integrity, she stood by me. Even when she personally was threatened, she stood by me. One point, she was told by the Vice President, I'm trying to save our jobs, you need to get in line. And she said, I would rather lose my job and be able to sleep at night, and do what you're asking me to do. And fortunately, for me, even though that left knee permanently partially disabled, I was able to find specialists, they did pay for one disc to be replaced. I did, New Jersey has binding arbitration, and the company pays for it. So there's not really much of an incentive for a binding arbitrator to actually rule in the favor of an employee. And they had argued in court that assaults were not not considered eligible for arbitration, but then tried to argue, in arbitration, that assaults belonged in court and the judge saw right through it and sent them all and joined everybody together, inviting arbitration and what was interesting is they lost. Wow, they lost and what what the ruling basically was was that the assault aside the way I was treated, including having ignored blatantly and openly admitted to ignoring their own grievance procedures process, that they had made a bad situation worse. And the funny thing is, then they then filed an appeal. At which point the arbitrator scathingly said, what part of binding arbitration Didn't you understand when you asked for binding arbitration? And they would eventually shut down all New Jersey operations. I, there's lots of rumors, I won't speculate. But yeah, almost everybody lost their jobs, all the way up to the top, including the New Jersey president. And I went back into government nonprofit work, and that's where I've been ever since.   Michael Hingson ** 34:26 You know, it's the insurance industry is a fascinating place. The reason I said early on that you joined in the insurance world in 1987 1988. Something like seven years before around 1980, maybe 1979. Probably 1980. Somebody in the National Federation of the Blind, which is the largest consumer organization of blind people, was at a meeting of insurance people Sitting next to a person from Prudential and said to this person, I think it also had to do with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, but anyway said, you know, insurance companies won't provide life insurance for people who are blind. And this guy said, Yeah. And the person who I knew said, Well, why don't you do everything that you do based on evidence to actuarial statistics and evidentiary data? And you have mathematical models for everything? And the guy said, Well, absolutely. That's how we make all of our decisions. And my friends said, Well, can we see the evidence that says that blind people are a higher risk? And the guy said, Sure, no problem. Six months went by, without any indication that there was anything. And finally my friend said, so where's the evidence? And the guy from Prudential said, Well, we were working on it. We haven't found it yet, but it's there. And my friend said, you don't have any do you? You have been discriminating against blind people and other persons with disabilities is it eventually expanded. But you've been doing that simply based on prejudice, and a mistaken belief that we're a higher risk without any evidence to show for it. And on the other end, we as blind people know, we're not a higher risk. Well, what that eventually led to was a campaign in every State of the Union at the time, I was living in Massachusetts. So I ran the effort for the state of Massachusetts for the National Federation of blind in Massachusetts. But to get every state to pass a law that said, you can't discriminate against blind or other persons with physical disabilities, unless you can provide actuarial statistics or or evidentiary data. And to this day, of course, no one's been able to because it doesn't exist. Yeah. It wasn't scientific at all. It was prejudice. Yep.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 37:00 Absolutely. Absolutely. And my husband had worked in that industry for a while. And yeah, and it both in the life insurance, but also in health and also in property and casualty. To be honest, at one point from in 95, and 96, I had gone back to insurance company, because I was recruited from a nonprofit specifically to help with a pilot program where they were reentering the urban environment to because they had stopped insuring in most cities, urban environments, because of flat roofs, and the fire risk that they support that they had. And my boss, an amazing person, his name was, Andre Howell had conceived of this idea that if we worked with people to help mitigate risk, we think that they'll actually perform well. And he was right. And we worked in a very specific target targeted neighborhood of Philadelphia, and offered like free inspections, and all kinds of things. And, and part of my job was to track the performance of that. Now, this was for all state at the time, and I will name them because at that time, they had lost more money in Hurricane Andrew than they had made in the history of the company. Yeah. And this is a program that they would eventually roll out across all the states. And I had been serving on the National Insurance Task Force which dealt with access, availability, and affordability, affordability of insurance and regional or in a metropolitan as well as rural areas, because there's a big issue with rural areas too. But interestingly, a division of theirs decided not long after I got there that they were going to start mass canceling and a non renewing policies in the state of New Jersey. And the actuarial logic behind it was they looked at all of the people who had had not an accident, apparently you get an accident every five years, they looked at all the people who had not had an accident within a five year period determined that they were due and decided that they were going to use a loophole in a tooth what was called the two for one law. For every two g non renewed you could take one new customer and they just started, guess what group hasn't had a car accident within a five year timeframe. Disabled people, seniors and those who only use vehicles for pleasure use. So here I was in the government relations divisions of a company whose state subsidiary was mass, non renewing disabled and non working individuals. We had agents that were losing clients like 90 a week, and of course, those individuals were taking other business with them, I've never. And this is on the heels of them having gotten in trouble because somebody had made a very inappropriate comment about why they wouldn't cover repairs to a property for a same sex couple. So it was a rough period for them that they would eventually overcome. But really just, that was some of the eye opening for me in terms of why my advocacy needed to be so much broader than just around women. So   Michael Hingson ** 40:28 is that what sort of really led you into dealing with the whole issue of inclusion and equity and so on?   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 40:36 Yes, because I had now at this point, I had worked. in Bridgeton, I had worked in Cherry Hill Township, I had worked in Camden, I had worked in Philadelphia, looking at all of this, I'm seeing all this happening, I'm looking at people use numbers in ways that they should never have to use them because they had their own proprietary insurance score. And I had to know that model. So I had to know what went into it, so I could teach it. And I realized that the problem was so much bigger than even the different things that I had in my life that were intersectional in terms of being a female being a woman of color, you know, I wasn't even dealing with the disability yet at that point. And, but just other things, and, and hearing the way people would talk about people, as groups and status as individual human beings.   Michael Hingson ** 41:34 You know, it's, oh, go ahead.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 41:36 No, go ahead.   Michael Hingson ** 41:37 It's amazing, just how, as I said, Before, people do as I say, not as I do, how people behave, you know, and most people don't think about their own disabilities, all of you who have eyesight, and I've said it several times on this podcast, have a disability as well, your light dependent, just wait till the power goes out in the building, and you got to go off and try to scrounge for a flashlight or a smartphone. The thing is that, because so many people think that eyesight is really the only game in town, our society collectively, has worked really hard to make light on demand, a fact of life everywhere. And so we've spent basically 145 years developing this technology to make light on demand available, pretty much in a ubiquitous sort of way. So most of the time, you have light on demand until you don't like when I was in a hotel in March. And I've seen it other times since then, before being a building and settling, the power goes out and people start to scream and they don't know what to do. And the fear comes in, and I'm sitting there going so what's the problem? The the issue is, you guys are light dependent. And the reality is disability should not mean a lack of ability, because it's not. Disability is a characteristic that every single person on the planet has. And what we need to truly understand and do is to recognize that the characteristic manifests itself in different ways for different people. It doesn't mean it's not there. So let light cover up your disability, but you still have it. And you can say all day long, you don't. But you do. But but we're too arrogant sometimes to really address that and deal with it. And it's so unfortunate, when that happens so much in our world today. But but the fact is, that's that's the way it is. And so I talk about it, probably more than some people would like on the podcast, because I want the message to be heard by everyone. That disability does not mean lack of ability, and everyone has that characteristic in one way or another. For my part.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 43:51 Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. No, no, no, I was gonna say AB so lute Li and I loved hearing you talk about it, on the podcast that I listened to in the speeches that I listened to. Because disability disabled individuals are among some of the most discriminated individuals in this country. And that's planet. And, you know, when you were talking about what happened to you as a child in terms of what the doctors told your parents, you know, a lot of people don't realize that in this country in this country, till as recently as 1979. They were sterilizing women to keep certain women from being able to reproduce, because it will pollute the gene pool with disabled disability character, and   Michael Hingson ** 44:37 there were courts who backed that up. Yes. And supported eugenics like that. Yes, exactly.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 44:43 And so, you know, I mean, depending on it had I didn't born in a different state, God knows what would have happened. Yeah. But you know, in California was one of the biggest ones. And, you know, a lot of people don't know that because we don't talk About those parts of our history, but whether I was paying attention, I'm really good at listening. And I realized that it's naturally human beings tend to want to group things. They all want to be seen as individuals, but they want to put everybody else in groups. And you could say, you know, people talk about, you know, different immigrants being stupid. I'm sorry, How many languages do you speak? Because they may be struggling in English. But most, most people I know, who have immigrated here know at least one if not five, or six. My Spanish is terrible got Mexico, to for my honeymoon. I mean, people who have all these diverse people, we are all wonderfully and perfectly made, depending on whether or not you believe in God, we've written to flee imperfectly made in God's image. Yeah. And if the Bible says God makes no mistakes, who are we to think that any one else is any less? More superior, less, less superior? Or that we're more superior than anyone else?   Michael Hingson ** 46:19 Well, except that in Oh God, George Burns said that he made a mistake, because he made avocado pits too large. Yeah. Oh, my God to sneak that one in.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 46:34 Which is funny, though, only. But   Michael Hingson ** 46:37 I hear exactly what you're saying. The fact of the matter is, and kids especially I was talking with someone earlier today. And we were we were doing another interview, and we were talking about children and growing up and how kids are, are fun loving, they are full of adventure. And they don't have all of these agendas. And it's so unfortunate that we teach this in so many ways to children, and they grow up with these these horrible attitudes to a large degree, and there's no need for it. Children aren't evil. But we make them that way.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 47:17 Well, we could say that about a lot of things, right? I mean, a thing is a thing. It's, it's how we use it. Now, children are born a blank slate, it's what we write on it. Right. And the younger, we can undo that the better. And which is a huge part of you know, you know, like I said, my third pivot was was my most recent pivot after going to grad school. Because I was determined, I was going to get that master's degree before I turned 50. And then getting long COVID. I was like, Okay, you're still here. What are you going to do with this? And I said, well, since grad school, I've been talking about it, because here I am this black female who's been, you know, the first list the first you know, first black female here at first black female there because I was lighter skin, I was palpable, which gets into a whole other issue. And I didn't say quote, unquote, sound black or growing up, the black kids would say your family talks white. Half of my family is white, all my cousins are all interracial. That was my way my dad's family was three possible shade. So it was just normal to me. But then in the post Obama era, it was a little bit more normalized. For a while, oh, if I had $1 for every time somebody said, Oh, she speaks so well. I'd be very, very rich. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 48:45 if I had $1, for every time somebody said, you're amazing. And of course, what they're really saying is, especially for a blind person, you know.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 48:53 And so after getting COVID, and realizing I was still here, and seeing the spotlight shine on all things that were broken with our health care system, and then some, for anybody who was a person of color, who had an existing disability. Some of the things that I experienced. I actually had to I was like, Mom, you deal with the hospital, you're a nursing professor, you're Caucasian. They're not listening to me. You just deal with it, because they're not listening to me. Because there's so many of us continue to have to deal with ongoing symptoms before anybody would acknowledge that that was a real thing. The and so many people who are in the disability community, we're right in there with us. We're all in there together finding each other and social media and Facebook groups, because no one would listen to us. Mm. That's when I was like, Okay, it's, you're still here, you're here for a reason, it's time to get vocal about everything that's broken in this country about how we treat each other in general. And as the person of color in many organizations back when it was still called affirmative action. And having been part of integrating teams and corporate and government agencies, and seeing the narrative shift. Over the years, I was already getting concerned. And then when everybody was exposed to what so many of us knew, in the death of George Floyd and others, while everybody else said, Okay, stand up, this is a time for celebration, people are finally going to live, learn, change is going to happen, companies are issuing pledges everywhere, we're finally going to get the change that's been coming. And me, I'm on a webinar, still in very deep throes of long COVID with massive cognitive issues. And I said, here's my concern. And I meant to say backlash. I said, the black lashes coming. And that stuck. I see, I see, give it time. People know, when things aren't authentic. People know, when change is being shoved down their throat, people don't like being told that they're responsible for things that they didn't have happen. And saying, Now, you know, how it feels to be me is not the right response for that. And people started reading books about anti racism and all these things I said, I'm telling you, and then I repeat it, I said, I'm gonna keep using the word the black lashes coming since 2021, on record in a webinar. And now we have what we're seeing in Florida, and other states, and book burnings, and Supreme Court decisions. And all of these things as the pendulum swings back from one side to the other. And companies are eliminating diversity, equity inclusion programs, and people are leaving this fairly new kind of practice, for lack of better words. I mean, they've been, it's been slowly been evolving from diversity, diversity, inclusion, diversity, equity. And, and I've been saying for eight years, we're doing it all wrong. doing it all wrong. At no point, in over 20 years, if I ever brought a new hire into a situation without first addressing what needed to be addressed in house to create the environment that would make it possible for them to succeed, we should be doing it differently. And then, of course, after my assault, I was like, we have a serious civility issue. Just in terms of me, you can only legislate how people treat each other so much. But we have serious civility issues going on in workplaces that aren't being addressed, for all of the wrong reasons, across different groups. And it's time that we get our houses in order in terms of civility, then focus on creating the inclusive environment that it should be, then look at the equity issues within that environment, then you bring in the diversity hires that you want to bring in to help your company capitalize on the 30% return on investment that most companies that are diverse actually experience when they are run properly. In a truly, you know, culture add way, and then everybody can succeed. Otherwise, they're just hiring somebody that person comes in, they can't function, they quit. Everybody throws up their hands and says, Oh, well, we tried it didn't work, move on.   Michael Hingson ** 53:46 Tell me about purpose, build solutions and evolutions, if you would.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 53:49 Sure. It's a purpose built solutions and evolutions while I was in grad school, and I've been doing coaching internally and externally, since 1997. And I was asked, in grad schools, what as part of one of my classes to come up with a two or three word way to describe what I am from a professional standpoint. And I described myself as a Resource Navigator. And because so many of my roles involved, either giving the answers or putting people into the direction where they could find the answers. And so I had been doing everything that you're not supposed to do as a business as a side hustle. And Maryam with long COVID I go ahead, I finally get my international coaching Federation certification that I've been putting off for 12 years. And my coach says, When you get to start a business, you've helped like 1000s of others when you can actually do it yourself. And I figured, okay, so put was filled solutions and evolutions was originally going to be purpose filled solutions and evolutions navigators. But I've refiled the service mark to drop the the navigators, even though I still use it. Solutions navigator was already taken. So I was like, well, everything I do is coaching around the purpose. Once your why what is your core purpose? I know mine, mine is helping others figure out theirs, and then achieve it. And after about three weeks of analysis, paralysis, and finally settled on purpose built solutions, and evolutions, a company that would offer the coaching that I had been doing, but also capitalize on my years of experience in various leadership roles, from supervisor up to Executive Director, as well as my Masters of Science and executive leadership and all that I had learned in grad school with a big focus on fixing what I felt was broken with what I call civility, inclusion, equity and diversity. And my company's turned to in June. And I have a team of consultants that support me, and a young woman that I hired from a program that I served as a leadership coach in breathe and shout out to Braven, which is a fellowship program for college students. I brought her in as an intern, and then hired her as my team. And she was a young woman who came here at the age of three, as part of her parents trying to escape Mexico. And she's DACA. And she's going through the citizenship process. And she couldn't find a job in the DEI space. And so we after a number of things, I asked her apologize for the parking. After a number of meetings, I asked her, Okay, we've had all these conversations about what I feel is wrong with the tape all of the information that I gave you, and then I want you to go and I want you to research and I want you to come back and tell me how you would redo my inclusion, equity and diversity program. And she came back. And she said, I think we need to start with mental health and physical disabilities. So this young woman who herself was an immigrant, who had was given carte blanche to look at everything that we should be looking at as part of a program that focuses on inclusion, equity and diversity, had every reason to throughout her life to come back with any number of options. And that's what she came back with. And I said, Okay, would you like a job as consultant? And how would you like to help me take take the lead and developing this program, and that's how paving the way to civility, inclusion, equity and diversity was born. Wow.   Michael Hingson ** 58:09 Well, that is pretty cool. And, and you're even making enough to pay her and everything, huh?   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 58:14 I am. That's a blessing. Unfortunately, it works out she's she's part time consultant. She just had her and her husband just had their second baby. And she's on maternity leave right now. But we did our first official full public offering of the program in June, it was very well received, people were blown away. They learned things, of course, that they were never taught and about everything from how the messages are even being manipulated to you know, you know why it's so important to see every person as an individual being and someone who I love Louis Brandeis Griggs was the one who I stole the spelling of it from because I would always say people want to be human beings. And he would always capitalize the B E. In being and so paving the way to civility, inclusion, equity and diversity, a new way of be in, in workplace and in life is our our most comprehensive flagship training program, who   Michael Hingson ** 59:24 have been some of the people who had the most influence on you as you're going through life.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 59:31 My mom obviously has been one. I mentioned a couple of Lisa Halloran who stood by me when she had everything to risk. I have to ride or die. Best Friend's one. Unfortunately. Kathy Jagger passed actually. It'll be here next week. She was also a rape survivor and we met when I was 19. She was a little bit older too. She was 32. And we bonded and she was my best friend and mentor in so many different ways. She was the reason I went to work at Prudential. We went through all kinds of things together. And you know, she will she I referred to her as one of the greatest loves of my life. And the other one, her name is Maria Callahan, Cassidy, who she relocated to an amazing new position at Richmond University only weeks before Kathy passed. So I lost I fortunately didn't lose Maria, it's, it's hard because she's not here. But these are both people that I've known since my teens and have definitely shaped who I am. My son, actually, I've learned so much from him. My son is neurodiverse. He likes to say he's not on the spectrum. He broke the spectrum. Well, that's can and and, and he is hysterical and funny and incredibly talented and incredibly brilliant. And helping navigate the public schools where we live. And watching him continue to still get back up even when he was pushed down. Because in our school district, if you are not in the box, you're basically out of luck. So we had to get an attorney for our son when he was only in third grade, to fight for his rights, and the he knows himself. And really, his biggest challenge is he has something called dysgraphia. He can recite things verbatim, but you could give him that same thing to copy, and he struggles to copy it. And that was a very difficult educational experience for him. But now he's a mechanic, he's training to be a mechanic, he wants to own his own mechanic shop, he has a lovely girlfriend, Collins girlfriend is Ariel, they've been together since they were 14 and 16. And now they are 19 and 21. Going on 20 and 22. And she is the daughter I would have chosen. I call her the daughter I got to choose. And I've learned so much because of her a lot of her upbringing is very similar to mine, they say we've we're very careful to make sure it doesn't get weird. But they say you end up with somebody very similar to your parent. Ariel and I have definitely have a lot in common and and then I would be remiss if I didn't say my husband because even though we have a definitely have our different political beliefs. He has really just unleashed me. He, one thing he stands very firm on is equal pay for women after watching some of the experiences that I go through and he is constantly up, go do it. You got to do this, you got to speak up up, you've been offered a show. I should mention Joe Cole, Antonio, my coach, she is the one who did push me off the cliff to get my show by saying I'm booking you on a local talk show. So that you have two weeks, you have a couple of weeks to get ready to go announced your business is finally open. That's the other reason why purpose filled solutions and evolutions came in. But these are some really all unique but very interesting teachers in my life. So   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:36 tell me really quickly if you would about your talk show.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 1:03:39 My talk show was an offshoot of Joe pushing me off the cliff, ironically, and we joke because Joe is my husband. But Joe is my coach and also probably one of my closest friends at this point. To Joe to Joe's once God wants J O. And Jo booked me on this talk show called Morning Coffee and gave me a couple of weeks. She said I know you can incorporate a business within 72 hours. I've seen you do it. You're going to do it. And so sure enough, on July 2 of 2021, I went in there. My business was two weeks old. And I announced and introduced myself and my one intern to the world. Somebody else who my son's girlfriend and told them about what I was looking to do and how I was going to change the world and the narrative and be a coach and offer services that I couldn't offer in my day job. And they came back to me and said the response to your episode was so amazing. Do you want to do a show? I was like, I was like I've always been the person on answering the questions or writing for government officials who are answering the questions. I've never been on that side of the mic. They said, Well, what do you think I said, Let me think about it. And I was originally going to call my blog, what the why? Kind of like instead of WTF, WT w. And I said, I have an idea. If you give me full control over who my guests are, would you be interested in doing a show called What the Why, and it would be conversations with diverse leaders from all walks of life, all races, genders, disabilities, ages, and I would interview them about what their purpose in life was and how they figured it out. And the station manager said, huh, yeah, let's do it. And so right now I'm on a brief hiatus because the station is in the middle of a move, but I'm in my second season. Of what the why with barber and and I have, I'm hoping to have you on in like, third season because you are so friggin awesome. And not because you're blind. You're just freaking awesome. Period. You just amazing. I'm completely and utterly amazing. But I have interviewed the smallest of businesses. My oldest guests had been in their 80s. My youngest recently was eight. He is a he's a math genius who video of him doing complex math at the age of three went viral. He was invited to join MENSA fours. Mom submitted it and he was accepted at age five. He and She both have long COVID Cynthia, shout out to Cynthia ad Nagin her brilliant son, Aiden. They're both brilliant. And she founded a health equity agency. And he is officially the paediatric spokesperson. He does not know he does not know his IQ. So cute. He had literally just turned eight a couple of weeks before I interviewed him in August. And one second, he's telling me what I need to understand about quantum singularities. And then the next second is holding up pieces of clay saying look at the ribbon I made. And he's what's funny about the interview we did is all three of us were having a level of a COVID flare up. So all three of us were having cognitive challenges. So   Michael Hingson ** 1:07:24 it was like a fun show.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 1:07:25 It was fun. But you know, when you're with an eight year old, you roll with it. Yep. And we just kind of laugh with but he's, he's amazing. He is training to be a chess champion, because COVID has affected his ability to do outdoor sports. And he's homeschooled with a pod of other little young geniuses like Kim. And but I got to talk with the Sunni meet. One of the people I got to interview was the biker from the village people, ah, and the first woman to be the president of the National Association of government guaranteed lenders and, you know, some local elected officials. But then like, I found out a whole side to my hairdresser. And, and his story as a small business owner who's getting ready to hand it off to his daughter, now that he's in his 60s and I know what his journey was like and how his grandparents stood behind him as a black straight male wanting to do hair.   Michael Hingson ** 1:08:28 There you go. So you have lots of lots of people. I have one more question for you. This is a very crucial question. How tall are you?   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 1:08:38 five foot six.   Michael Hingson ** 1:08:40 And how tall is your husband?   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 1:08:42 five foot eight.   Michael Hingson ** 1:08:44 Ha we did not follow in our parents footsteps. Okay, I just wanted to check that out.   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 1:08:49 But here's the flip side to that though. Yeah, they were both named Joe. My dad was a Joseph. My husband is a Joseph.   Michael Hingson ** 1:08:57 There you go. And what's your son's name?   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 1:09:00 Colin   Michael Hingson ** 1:09:01 Cartwright. You said that Yeah. Well Colin Joseph. Okay. So there's a Joseph in   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 1:09:05 all of them in my dad was was rather dark for a mixed race man. All three of them are avid outdoorsman. In my husband's not into the same kind of football basketball. My dad was but all three of them were hunters. Okay. married to former vegetarian. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 1:09:24 there you are. If people want to reach out to you maybe learn about your coaching and and get in touch. How do they do that?   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 1:09:31 They can find me on LinkedIn. BGardenhiremills. And you spell it sure it's B G A R D E N H I R E. Mills. I'm on all forms of social media. And honestly, if they can get Barbara Anne garden Hire Mills if you Google that and What the Why it pops up the show airs on RVN R V N television.com as well as roku. And then I believe I forwarded you some some other links to the website. I'm not going to spell out our whole ridiculously long website because I'm actually I actually bought the URLs to shorten it. So   Michael Hingson ** 1:10:26 how do I find it on Roku?   Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills ** 1:10:28 I believe rvn because I don't have Roku that's why it's there. Yeah. But if you go on Roku you should be able to find the channel for RV and television is supposed to be on the Roku channels are and I'll check out under the Roku channels otherwise, RV and television or there's access to it directly from my website, which is my entire name spelled out a moment of weakness. It when I was having COVID Happy hypoxia which is really not happy. But I thought somebody said to me, Oh, let it you just name your website, your company and I thought, Oh, sure. Yeah, well, yeah, well, as if my name isn't long enough purpose built solutions and evolutions because you can't have an ampersand and a website.   Michael Hingson ** 1:11:08 No, that's okay. I'm gonna go hunted down on Roku though. That'll be kind of fun. Awesome. Well, I want to thank you for being here. And I want to thank you for listening. I love to hear your thoughts about today. This has been a lot of fun and firebrands, life and lessons are definitely worth paying attention to and I really value the time that we got to spend. I'd love to hear your thoughts, please feel free to email me Michaelhi m i c h a e l h i at accessibe A C C E S S I B E.com. Or go to www dot Michael Hingson H i n g s o n.com/podcast. To listen to more podcasts. But you can also find us wherever Podcasts can be found. And wherever you listen, please give us a five star rating. We appreciate it. We appreciate your insights and your comments and value them greatly. Now, of course, both Barbara Anne for you and for you listening. If you know of anyone who want to be a guest on our podcast, please let us know. We're always looking for more people to come on our podcast. I'm sure that Barbara Anne could talk to you about talk shows and in finding guests. So whatever. We'd love to hear from you and we really value your time and that you took the time to be with us today. And Barbara Anne one last time. T

Marcia Fudge, the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has announced her resignation, effective March 22, marking the end of an impactful three-year tenure. Fudge, who has dedicated nearly five decades to public service, leaves behind a legacy of tireless advocacy for equitable housing, having spearheaded initiatives that significantly improved the lives of Americans. Under her leadership, HUD has made strides in promoting affordable housing, removing financial barriers for homebuyers, and championing the rights of people often overlooked by the system. Her efforts have led to substantial progress, including helping over 2 million families avoid foreclosure, making it easier for individuals to get loans to buy homes, and enhancing creditworthiness assessments to benefit renters. Her commitment to justice and equality showed through her work to support more than 2 million units of public and multifamily housing, a significant investment in Black, brown, and disadvantaged businesses in a comprehensive strategy to tackle homelessness and housing discrimination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 2020, the City was fortunate to receive a Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Grant from the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The purpose of these funds is to remediate lead-based paint hazards and reduce other health hazards in the homes of families with children under the age of six and to safely improve the housing stock of older homes in the City of Spartanburg. Over the last four years, the program has turned out to be a great success story, creating a new pathway for improving the lives and health of vulnerable residents while also improving the city's existing housing stock. To date, 38 homes have either completed the program or are currently in the process of doing so. Today on the podcast, we're talking with the program's manager, David Maher about the program and the work the City's team is doing to create safer home environments for residents throughout our city. Listen below for more, and follow this link to learn more about how your home could potentially qualify for assistance with lead-based paint hazards.

In this episode, military commander Tim Little, MBA, shares his experience, powerful insights, and efficient strategies to help you ace passive investing through real estate syndication. He'll also provide valuable perspectives on leveraging real estate knowledge in supercharging your journey to wealth-building, so tune in!     Key takeaways to listen for: Pivotal moments that led Tim to real estate  The power of learning through active participation in passive investing Key concepts for understanding real estate asset management Why you should foster adaptability when investing in real estate markets A practical approach to growing your retirement funds     Resources: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki | Kindle, Paperback, and Mass Market Paperback BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast  Influence by Robert B. Cialdini | Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover     About Tim Little, MBA Tim is a military, passive real estate investor, podcast host, and the founder and CEO of ZANA Investments. His passion lies in helping fellow military veterans escape the "landlord trap" and get competitive returns by providing opportunities to invest passively in apartment buildings. His real estate journey began with a duplex in 2014 and has grown to a portfolio of over $90 million.    Tim also has an MBA and has served several years as an active duty Army Officer, a Strategic Communications Consultant, and the Head of Multifamily Communications for the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) before transitioning full-time to real estate. He is the Commander of an Army Reserve Public Affairs battalion based in San Antonio, TX.     Connect with Tim  Website: ZANA Investments Podcast: Journey to Multifamily Millions LinkedIn: Tim Little, MBA Email: tim@zanainvestments.com      CONNECT WITH US Are you looking for the easiest way to grow your passive real estate portfolio? Visit Great Venture Capital to join our Investor Club today!     Follow Our Social Media Pages Facebook: Great Venture Capital LinkedIn: Great Venture Capital Connect on LinkedIn: Justin Dixon Email: Justin@GreatVentureCapital.com

Affordable multifamily rental housing property developers and managers can apply now for roughly $2 billion in grants and direct-, below-market loans via the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP). Introduced via the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, GRRP is a federal program that provides green and clean-energy support to rental properties that receive support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In this week's episode of Tax Credit Tuesday, host Michael Novogradac, CPA , and guests Dirk Wallace, CPA , and Karie McMillen, CPA , discuss the multi-wave application process, which splits the funding into three cohorts'Elements, Leading Edge and Comprehensive. The podcast discusses the basics of the program, provides information for listeners about the application process and supplies information to consider after winning an award.

David Stevens is President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Prior to assuming this position, Dave served as the Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).Dave has more than 30 years of experience in mortgage finance and has held several executive level positions in sales, acquisition, investment, risk management and regulatory oversight, including positions in senior management with Wells Fargo, Freddie Mac and World Savings. Prior to his appointment by the Obama Administration to serve at HUD, Dave was President and COO of the Long and Foster Companies.He is known inside the beltway as a key housing influential; serving as an industry authority on major mortgage finance legislative and regulatory issues. Dave is often quoted in the national and trade media and regularly appears on television and radio to offer insight on issues affecting the mortgage and housing markets.In 2013, Dave received the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) Founders Award, presented to individuals that have distinguished themselves by their work in support of sustainable Hispanic homeownership to improve the quality of life for Hispanics in America. He has been named to Bloomberg's "50 Most Powerful People in Real Estate" list, and twice recognized as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders" by Inman News. Dave was also named to Mortgage Professional America's "The Hot 100 List."He currently serves on the board of MBA Opens Doors Foundation, MBA's national 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization for philanthropic ventures, and as an advisory board member of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America's Families.Dave is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a notice in the Jan. 10 Federal Register establishing a 10% cap on income limit increases for housing fin ' 'anced by low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs), private activity bonds (PABs) and various HUD programs, including Section 8. In this week's episode of the Novogradac Tax Credit Tuesday podcast, Michael Novogradac, CPA, and Novogradac partner Thomas Stagg, CPA, discuss how the cap has historically been calculated and how the notice clarifies the calculation of rent and income limits. Later, they discuss the possible effects of the decision as well as future dates to circle on the calendar.

How can passive investments and self-directed IRAs revolutionize your journey towards financial freedom?   Angel Williams and Tim Little dive deep into the world of passive investing and the power of self-directed IRAs in this enlightening episode. They explore the nuances of financial freedom, the misconceptions about income replacement, and the strategic use of retirement accounts in real estate investments. From leveraging orphan 401k accounts to understanding the importance of team dynamics and leadership, this episode is a treasure trove of insights for both seasoned investors and novices alike.   Tim Little is the founder and CEO of ZANA Investments, a Tampa-based real estate investment firm named after his two daughters, Zara and Lana. He's passionate about helping fellow military veterans escape the "landlord trap" and get competitive returns by providing opportunities to invest passively in apartment buildings.   Tim started investing in real estate with a duplex in 2014 and has grown to a portfolio of 693 co-owned units valued at over $90 million. Practicing what he preaches, he also passively invests. He has an MBA and has served several years as an active duty Army Officer, a Strategic Communications Consultant, and the Head of Multifamily Communications for the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) before transitioning full-time to real estate.   Tim is also the host of the top-rated podcast, "Journey to Multifamily Millions" where he talks with experts in the field of investing in multifamily properties.   [00:00:00 - 00:06:00] The Basics of Passive Investing Passive income has the potential to cover expenses and replace traditional income, paving the way to financial freedom. Financial freedom is achievable when passive income streams sufficiently cover all personal expenses. Self-directed IRAs offer a unique opportunity to invest in real estate, providing more control over retirement funds. Controlling retirement funds through self-directed IRAs opens up investment possibilities beyond traditional retirement plans.   [00:06:00 - 00:09:00] Overcoming Investment Myths The episode debunks common misconceptions about retirement accounts and their investment capacities. A significant gap in investment education often leads to underutilization of retirement funds.   [00:09:00 - 00:12:00] Real Estate Strategies for Military Personnel Military families have unique investment opportunities, especially in real estate, that can be maximized with proper guidance. Seeking knowledgeable advice is crucial for military personnel to fully leverage their investment options, including VA loans.   [00:12:00 - 00:18:00] Team Dynamics and Leadership Successful investing often involves complementing individual strengths and weaknesses within a team. Building an effective team is essential for success in both business and personal investment endeavors. importance of leveraging individual strengths to achieve collective success in investing.   Quotes: "It's your right to control your own dollars once you leave an employer. Employers and plan operators won't tell you this because they benefit from keeping your money" Tim Little   Connect with Tim: Website: https://www.zanainvestments.com/   Visit sponsorcloud.io/contact today and unlock $2,000 of free services exclusively for REI Rocks community members! Get automated syndication and investor relationship management tools to save time and money. Mention your part of the REI Rocks community for exclusive offers. Help make affordable, low-cost education summits possible. Check out Sponsor Cloud today!   LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode.   Are you confused about where to start? Join our community and learn more about real estate investing. Head over to our Facebook Page, Youtube Channel, or website https://www.theacademypresents.com/jointhesummit36848306.   Connect with Lorren Capital, LLC. for syndicated multifamily investments, https://lorrencapital.com/.   To learn more about me, visit my LinkedIn profile, and connect with me.      

Can the 1% rule in real estate investing still hold true when leveraging a VA loan for an owner-occupied property?   Angel Williams and Tim Little delve into the intricacies of real estate investment, focusing on the challenges and strategies involved in managing properties, leveraging loans, and understanding financial metrics. They share their personal experiences and insights into property management, discuss the complexities of self-managing versus hiring professionals, and explore the implications of different loan types on investment strategies.   Tim Little is the founder and CEO of ZANA Investments, a Tampa-based real estate investment firm named after his two daughters, Zara and Lana. He's passionate about helping fellow military veterans escape the "landlord trap" and get competitive returns by providing opportunities to invest passively in apartment buildings.   Tim started investing in real estate with a duplex in 2014 and has grown to a portfolio of 693 co-owned units valued at over $90 million. Practicing what he preaches, he also passively invests. He has an MBA and has served several years as an active duty Army Officer, a Strategic Communications Consultant, and the Head of Multifamily Communications for the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) before transitioning full-time to real estate.   Tim is also the host of the top-rated podcast, "Journey to Multifamily Millions" where he talks with experts in the field of investing in multifamily properties.   [00:00:00 - 00:03:00] The 1% Rule and VA Loans Angel questions the applicability of the 1% rule when using a VA loan for owner-occupied properties. Tim highlights the importance of tailored strategies. he need for bespoke investment strategies depending on financing. [00:03:00 - 00:06:00] Property Management Realities The challenges of self-managing properties include unexpected issues like bee infestations. The importance of understanding the full scope of responsibilities and time commitments. Weighing the pros and cons of self-management versus hiring property managers. [00:06:00 - 00:09:00] Evolving Investment Strategies Angel's journey from single-family homes to larger multi-unit investments. The influence of personal experiences on shifting real estate investment focuses. The balance between residential and commercial property investments.   [00:09:00 - 00:12:00] Financial Literacy and Family Teaching financial literacy to children through practical real estate experiences. The importance of instilling entrepreneurial skills in younger generations. Personal anecdotes demonstrating the effectiveness of early financial education.   [00:12:00 - 00:24:00] Building Wealth in Real Estate Real estate as a long-term wealth-building strategy rather than a quick profit scheme. The role of syndication in real estate investment and wealth accumulation. Insights into the financial structure and compensation of real estate syndications.   Quotes:   "You don't know when a water heater is going to go out. You don't know when a furnace, AC, or a hole in the roof might happen..."- Tim Little   Connect with Tim: Website: https://www.zanainvestments.com/   Visit sponsorcloud.io/contact today and unlock $2,000 of free services exclusively for REI Rocks community members! Get automated syndication and investor relationship management tools to save time and money. Mention your part of the REI Rocks community for exclusive offers. Help make affordable, low-cost education summits possible. Check out Sponsor Cloud today!   LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode.   Are you confused about where to start? Join our community and learn more about real estate investing. Head over to our Facebook Page, Youtube Channel, or website https://www.theacademypresents.com/jointhesummit36848306.   Connect with Lorren Capital, LLC. for syndicated multifamily investments, https://lorrencapital.com/.   To learn more about me, visit my LinkedIn profile, and connect with me.  

How can military personnel leverage real estate investing to build wealth through owning rentals?   On this episode, host Angel Williams interviews Tim Little, a real estate investor and founder of Zana Investments, about strategies for military members to utilize real estate to build wealth. They discuss house hacking, owning rentals across duty stations, property management challenges, making the switch to commercial multifamily investing, and more.   Tim Little is the founder and CEO of ZANA Investments, a Tampa-based real estate investment firm named after his two daughters, Zara and Lana. He's passionate about helping fellow military veterans escape the "landlord trap" and get competitive returns by providing opportunities to invest passively in apartment buildings.   Tim started investing in real estate with a duplex in 2014 and has grown to a portfolio of 693 co-owned units valued at over $90 million. Practicing what he preaches, he also passively invests. He has an MBA and has served several years as an active duty Army Officer, a Strategic Communications Consultant, and the Head of Multifamily Communications for the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) before transitioning full-time to real estate.   Tim is also the host of the top-rated podcast, "Journey to Multifamily Millions" where he talks with experts in the field of investing in multifamily properties.   [00:00 - 00:03] Getting Started in Real Estate Investing Tim began as an "accidental landlord" by renting out his primary residence when he moved. His first intentional investment was a duplex purchased for $85k in Richmond, VA that netted $100/door in monthly profit.   [00:03 - 00:06] The Power of House Hacking Tim wishes he had the house hacked earlier by owner-occupying a small multifamily property and renting out the other unit(s). This is an excellent strategy for the military using VA loans.   [00:06 - 00:10] Military Markets & Bases When evaluating military towns, consider factors like base stability, potential base restructuring, and diversity of local employers beyond the base to avoid market risk.   [00:10 - 00:15] Challenges of Long-Distance Landlording Transitioning concentrated portfolios of small rentals across the country into commercial multifamily investments can benefit military landlords wanting to reduce management responsibilities. Unlike many bases on cheap land, MacDill AFB occupies sought-after waterfront property in downtown Tampa.   Quote: A lot of people don't think about that, like how big of a role [government contractors] play. And so if you lose that tenant base too, you know, then again, it's that knock-on effect of, it's one thing if the military move out, but if they move, then the government contractors are going to move." - Tim Little   Connect with Tim: Website: https://www.zanainvestments.com/   Visit sponsorcloud.io/contact today and unlock $2,000 of free services exclusively for REI Rocks community members! Get automated syndication and investor relationship management tools to save time and money. Mention your part of the REI Rocks community for exclusive offers. Help make affordable, low-cost education summits possible. Check out Sponsor Cloud today!   LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode.   Are you confused about where to start? Join our community and learn more about real estate investing. Head over to our Facebook Page, Youtube Channel, or website https://www.theacademypresents.com/jointhesummit36848306.   Connect with Lorren Capital, LLC. for syndicated multifamily investments, https://lorrencapital.com/.   To learn more about me, visit my LinkedIn profile, and connect with me.      

The issue of homelessness in our nation is drawing heightened attention given a recent report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), indicating a record number of Americans lacking a fixed place to call home. The HUD's report, unveiled last Friday, reflects a 12% increase in homelessness between 2022 and 2023. This unsettling pattern dovetails with rising living costs, specifically the surge in rental and housing prices, and the winding down of pandemic-related relief. The report's hard numbers paint a stark image of the burgeoning crisis. One single night in January 2023 accounted for approximately 653,000 individuals without housing, a figure unparalleled since homelessness began being recorded in 2007. Setting a sobering new record, homelessness has seen an upward trajectory with an additional 70,000 people impacted according to the report. Delving further into these figures, it was found that a significant influx of people were first-time homeless. This segment reportedly rose by 25% across the federal fiscal years of 2021 and 2022. The evidence is thus increasingly pointing to a rising issue in American society, irrespective of the reasons for its precipitation. "Homelessness is a problem we can, and should, solve on American soil," offered HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge during the press release. Fudge also outlined the considerable efforts made by the current administration since its tenure commencement, to get to grips with the housing crisis.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In both the public and policymaker imagination, nursing home reform is strictly a health care issue, the domain of state health departments and the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). But the prevalence of subpar nursing homes — and lack of empowering, person-directed alternatives to an aging long-term care infrastructure — is just as much the result of housing policy as health care regulations. Well-known LTC researcher David Grabowski of Harvard University returns to “Elevate Eldercare” to discuss his increasing focus on the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a key lever for eldercare transformation. By tweaking a few of the incentives that HUD currently offers nursing home operators, and implementing strict oversight to ensure the proper use of any additional funding, Green House homes and other alternatives could rapidly enter the marketplace. Grabowski also walks through some of the progress made by the Moving Forward Coalition, a broad-based group seeking to implement the recommendations made in a sweeping 2022 report on the state of U.S. nursing home care from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). Learn more about the Moving Forward Coalition, including the new action plans: https://movingforwardcoalition.org/taking-action/#ActionPlans Register for Change the Incentives, Change the System, a December 7 webinar on how small Medicaid policy changes can ignite innovation, here: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/projects/change-the-incentives-change-the-system-a-green-house-medicaid-case-study