| HOME Training
NAHRO is proud to provide HOME Investment Partnerships Program training through a national technical assistance grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Training is provided free of charge in cities throughout the nation to eligible state and local Participating Jurisdiction (PJ) staff, Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO), and other non-profits and staff who administer who use HOME funds.
The following is a list of training courses provided through NAHRO:
Call NAHRO HOME Manager, Ray Zaccaro at 877-866-2476, etc. 7237 to learn about dates and locations.
BEGINNER COURSES
Basic HOME and CDBG: An Overview of Program Requirements
Course Description
A good introduction to both the HOME and CDBG program, the Basic HOME and CDBG training highlights the basic regulatory requirements of HOME and of CDBG. The class summarizes the eligible affordable housing activities under each program, including topics such as eligible costs, national objectives, low income targeting, and affordability periods. It also compares and contrasts the requirements for homeowner rehabilitation, rental housing and homebuyer housing programs. The class discusses program administration under each program as well as monitoring and recordkeeping.
Who Should Attend
A basic overview of affordable housing block grant programs, the seminar is a foundation-level course appropriate for any level of staff – PJ, CHDO, or other HOME-eligible nonprofit staff may attend.
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Building HOME: A Program Primer
Course Description
Building HOME provides an overview of the HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) Program, including changes made to the regulations in 1996 with the publication of the HOME Final Rule. Participants will become familiar with all program activities, including homeowner and homebuyer, rental housing, tenant-based rental assistance, and CHDO activities. This is a comprehensive introduction to the HOME Program, as well as an important refresher on the basic elements of the Program.
Who Should Attend
This course is a comprehensive overview for anyone working with the HOME Program. State, county, and local government representatives, nonprofit organization, or CHDO staff new to the HOME program are encourage to attend this foundation level course.
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Effective Written Agreements
Course Description
Effective written agreements are the key to developing desirable and enforceable outcomes in your affordable housing program. This seminar highlights the types of HOME Program written agreements that are required for various PJ partners. It also describes clauses that PJs may wish to add to make effective written agreement. Finally, the seminar discusses how PJs can enforce the agreement clauses.
Who Should Attend
This is an in-depth seminar on written agreement requirements. The course is targeted at a beginner audience. PJ staff are encouraged to attend.
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Environmental Review and the HOME Program
Course Description
An important component in getting affordable housing from the ground up! This seminar provides a user-friendly introduction, examination, and instruction in the environmental review process. Learn concepts and practices necessary to navigate through National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), historic preservation, archaeology, and related HUD regulations that can sometimes pose a challenge to project completion. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of how these processes work in a step-by-step fashion.
Who Should Attend
All PJ staff should attend this in-depth course on environmental review.
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INTERMEDIATE COURSES
HOME Base: Building and Supporting Your Programs with Nonprofits
Course Description
HOME Base emphasizes the approaches that PJ staff may take to support, encourage, and ensure viable, sustainable, affordable housing projects that are owned, developed, or sponsored by nonprofit organizations. This course includes a summary of the HOME rules related to CHDOs and then discusses at length options for effectively using the CHDO set-aside. HOME Base also discusses how PJs can strengthen nonprofit projects through the proposal submission process and through training. In addition, it emphasizes the methods that PJs staff can apply when assessing the work of their nonprofit partners.
Who Should Attend
This is an intermediate level course. A working knowledge of the HOME Program is highly recommended prior to registration for this course. This course is designed for PJ staff that are involved in working with nonprofit organizations, but staff of nonprofit organizations are also encouraged to attend.
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HOME and Low Income Housing Tax Credits
Course Description
This class will provide an overview of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program basic rules and requirements. It will highlight implications for rental housing projects when HOME and LIHTC funds are combined. The class will discuss financing options for combining HOME and LIHTC and the affect on LIHTC basis of various funding approaches (grants, below AFR loans, market loans etc). The class will also highlight the implications for long term project monitoring and compliance including issues such as rents, tenant incomes, unit inspections and affordability period.
Who Should Attend
This is an intermediate course that is appropriate for PJ and CHDO or other HOME-eligible nonprofit staff. Attendees must have a strong knowledge of HOME rental programs and have either passed the HOME Certified Specialist - Regulations exam or have at least 2 years of experience in HOME rental housing projects.
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Mixed Income Housing and the HOME Program
Course Description
Mixed Income Housing and the HOME Program discusses how to develop mixed income rental housing using public and private financing and will draw heavily on lessons learned from successful mixed income housing developments around the country. The class discuss key financing concepts, including underwriting, mixed income housing, as well as ways of structuring rental deals. The class will also discuss important property management and ongoing compliance issues for mixed income housing.
Who Should Attend
This is an intermediate seminar that is appropriate for PJ and CHDO or other HOME-eligible nonprofit staff. Participants must have a basic knowledge of rental housing under HOME.
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Monitoring HOME: Ensuring Program Compliance
Course Description
An important but often overlooked practice, monitoring is key component of successful HOME programs. Monitoring HOME provides guidance on how to monitor and keep records for all HOME eligible activities: homebuyer, rental housing, homeowner rehabilitation, and tenant based rental assistance (TBRA). This course provides techniques for how to create a monitoring plan. It explores monitoring subrecipients, community housing development organizations (CHDOs), and consortia. Learn best practices that can save PJ’s findings, penalties, and frustrations.
Who Should Attend
This is an intermediate course. This course provides an abbreviated summary of key HOME regulations by activity area and participants need to have passed the HOME Certified Specialist—Regulations exam, taken Building HOME or have at least one year of experience in working with the HOME Program to attend this session. This course is appropriate for any PJ staff responsible for ensuring and documenting program compliance.
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Rental Housing Compliance
Course Description
Rental Housing Compliance will focus on the ongoing compliance requirements for HOME rental properties. It focuses on HOME-assisted rental projects after the construction is complete and while the project is operating during the affordability period. It will highlight topics such as inspections, rents, income documentation, and sales during the affordability period. It will also highlight actions that can be taken to prevent and address troubled rental projects.
Who Should Attend
PJ and CHDO or other HOME-eligible nonprofit staff with at least one year of HOME rental housing experience or who have attended the HOME Certified Specialist class.
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Resale and Recapture Requirements
Course Description
Resale and Recapture Requirements focuses on the basics of the resale and recapture requirements for homebuyer housing that is funded under HOME. The seminar begins with a brief overview of the basic HOME requirements for homebuyer units, including principal residence and unit quality. The class will then highlight the circumstances under which either resale or recapture can be used and resulting affordability period. The seminar will discuss means of recording these requirements and PJ actions in the event of homebuyer default. The class will also discuss net proceeds and the mechanisms for tracking and using recaptured funds. In addition, the seminar will discuss means of implementing and enforcing the resale provisions.
Who Should Attend
This is an intermediate seminar for PJ and CHDO or other HOME-eligible nonprofit staff. Participants need to have a basic understanding of the HOME rules as they relate to homebuyer housing.
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ADVANCED COURSES
HOME and Neighborhoods: Comprehensive Revitalization Techniques
Course Description
HOME and NSP focuses on key program topics such as NSP eligible activities; ways that HOME can be invested in NSP homebuyer and rental projects; meeting low income targeting rules for both HOME and NSP; and key program implementation issues such as administrative costs, program income, and affordability periods. The course will include a combination of lecture and short exercises. In addition, the course will provide answers to common HOME and NSP questions and will highlight HUD interpretation of key policy issues.
Who Should Attend
The HOME and NSP Training is appropriate for HOME Participating Jurisdictions (PJs) who receive NSP funds directly from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or are currently receiving NSP funds from another NSP recipient (e.g., the State). This class covers the HOME and NSP Federal program requirements. HOME PJs receiving NSP funds from a state may attend the class but should be advised that the state’s HOME or NSP program requirements may be more targeted or stringent than the Federal program requirements. Other HOME and NSP recipients such as other public agencies, CHDOs, subrecipients or other nonprofits will be wait-listed and admitted only if space permits. For-profit organizations are not allowed to register.
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Managing Consortia
Course Description
Managing Consortia will cover the basic HOME responsibilities for consortia lead entities and members. It discusses approaches to distribution of funds, effective management of the consortia, and models for oversight of activities.
Who Should Attend
State, county, and local government representatives and nonprofit organization staff who participate in a HOME consortia or are thinking of creating one. This course is a comprehensive overview for anyone working with the HOME Program.
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Staying HOME: Property and Asset Management
Course Description
As we move into the second decade of the HOME Program, many communities have an ever-expanding portfolio of HOME rental properties. It is thus increasingly important that these properties are well managed and operated in compliance with the HOME rules. Staying HOME focuses on how to evaluate and enhance the long-term value of your HOME Program units through property and asset management. The course will include in-depth discussions on issues such as analysis of development and financial options, property management options, rental portfolio management, intervention strategies for troubled projects, and actions in the event of foreclosures. Participants will learn how to spot “early warning signals” in troubled projects, and oversee rental projects to ensure that these projects continue to meet HOME requirements and provide an affordable housing resource over the long term.
Who Should Attend
A minimum of one year of HOME experience with rental housing responsibilities is required for attendance at this course. This is an advanced course that is intended for local and state grantees and developers (primarily nonprofits) with strong experience with the HOME program rules. A minimum of one year of HOME experience with rental housing responsibilities or attendance at a HOME Certified Specialist class is required for attendance at this class.
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Subsidy Layering
Course Description
HOME funds as gap financing is an important tool in building affordable housing. When PJs provide HOME funding to projects that also receive other governmental assistance, they are required to conduct a subsidy layering analysis to ensure that no more than the necessary amount of HOME funds are invested. This one-day seminar will prepare PJ staff to complete an analysis, develop written underwriting standards, and applying them to sample funding requests.
Who Should Attend
PJs who have have at least one year of HOME program experience or have attended the HOME Certified Specialist class may attend this advanced workshop. Prerequisite class includes Building HOME and preferably Advanced HOME. |
