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June 13-14 at Devens; training for local officials

DEVENS, April 5, 2012 — Top housing experts James Stockard, Edward Marchant, Rebecca Plaut Mautner, and Kevin McGuire will serve as lead trainers at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership’s sixth annual Massachusetts Housing Institute on June 13-14 at the Marriott Spring Hill Suites and Conference Center at Devens.

The lead trainers will provide a foundation for the conference and will help attendees to engage in discussions on a variety of issues that are critical to helping communities increase their supply of affordable housing.

“Our lead trainers have significant on-the-ground experience in how the affordable housing development process works,” said Susan Connelly, MHP’s Director of Community Housing Initiatives group, which is sponsoring the two-day workshop.  “Anyone who spends two days learning from them, or any of our speakers, comes away more knowledgeable and more excited about providing affordable housing.”

Other featured speakers include longtime municipal attorney Kathleen O’Donnell and housing planner Jennifer Raitt.  Click here for the two-day program schedule.

Focus on local affordable housing issues; working with peer groups

This two-day intensive workshop is designed for local officials, planners, housing committees, community preservation committees, housing trusts, local housing advocates, and others who are working to provide housing options for their community.  This year, a special focus will be placed on encouraging peer-to-peer interaction between attendees to create connections that will hopefully continue after the Institute.

Among the sessions that will be offered during the two-day workshop are:

• Steps to Building Community Support for Affordable Housing

• Introduction to Affordable Housing Finance

• Municipal Affordable Housing Trusts: Setting Them Up and Making Them Work

• Finding and Controlling a Good Site

In addition to sessions on development fundamentals, Edward Marchant will also lead a session on cottage housing and cluster zoning strategies.

There will also be a special lunch honoring three Local Housing Heroes in a ceremony designed to acknowledge elected officials, municipal staff, and community volunteers who have demonstrated great tenacity and passion for supporting affordable housing in their communities.  MHP is accepting Local Housing Hero nominations until May 4.  Click here to access the nomination form.

Cost to attend, how to register

The cost to attend both days of the event is $125 per participant ($75 for one day) and includes breakfast and lunch.  Need-based scholarships will be made available. Separate arrangements can be made with the Marriott Spring Hill Suites at Devens for people interested in staying overnight.  Planners who have attended in past years have applied for and received 10-12 credits toward certification maintenance from the American Institute of Certified Planners.

To sign-up for this year’s Housing Institute, download this registration form and fax it to MHP’s Dina Vargo at 617-330-1919. For more information, call 617-330-9944 ext. 260 or email dvargo@mhp.net.

This event is sponsored by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), Citizen’s Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association (MA APA).