LISC Housing Stabilization Fund Webinars & Materials

The LISC Housing Stabilization Fund has organized and moderated a number of informational webinars on foreclosure prevention and zombie property mitigation. The titles of the webinars are listed in reverse chronological order below. Please click on the titles to jump to more details and instructions on how to access recordings and materials.

All credits for recordings and materials provided goes to the New York State Housing Stabilization Fund at LISC.

October 28th, 2021
Using Receivership to Address Nuisance Properties and Code Enforcement Challenges

Moderator:
NYS Housing Stabilization Fund Senior Director – Helene Caloir

Panelists
Wade Beltramo, General Counsel, New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) talked about receivership in New York State:

  •  Article 7A: the receivership statute in NYC, on Long Island and parts of the Hudson Valley – how is it working and how can it be improved.
  • Buffalo’s Housing Law
  • Special acts of the State Legislature to create local law
  • Proposed NYS receivership law.

Judy F. Berkman, Senior Counsel, Regional Housing Legal Services in Pennsylvania talked about Pennsylvania’s Conservatorship Statute (their vacant property receivership statute).

  • Highlights
  • Effectiveness
  • Challenges

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.box.com/s/rch0piww2e3t83981b5cs1vqtxekuxmc

May 27th, 2021
Assisting Small Landlords during the COVID-19 Pandemic

With a catastrophic job & income losses during 2020 and the first half of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic has left many low- and moderate-income households in the U.S. unable to pay their rent or mortgage. On the rental housing front, COVID rental arrears were estimated at $25 – $34 billion nationally in early 2021.

Research showed that the small independent landlords who own nearly three-quarters of all U.S. rental properties are bearing the brunt of this rental arrears crisis. As the primary providers of privately owned
affordable housing, these landlords are crucial to the rental market. Assisting them weather the COVID pandemic is an ongoing concern for municipalities across New York State and beyond.

We learnt about:

  • Recent survey findings by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University on the impact of COVID rental arrears on small landlords in Albany and Rochester.
  • Efforts by the City of Albany and City of Rochester to assist small landlords to repair and maintain their properties, prevent eviction and avoid foreclosure.
  • Resources available to support small landlords in the aftermath of COVID, including flexible loans available through the New York Forward Loan Fund.

Moderator:
David Hunter, Senior Program Officer, New York State Housing Stabilization Fund, LISC

Panelists:

  • Elijah de la Campa, Senior Research Associate in Economics and Urban Analytics at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative – Overview and key findings from Impact of COVID-19 on Small Landlords: Survey Evidence from Albany and Rochester
  • Sam Wells, Neighborhood Stabilization Coordinator, City of Albany, Department of Buildings & Regulatory Compliance – Overview of Albany’s Small Landlord Outreach & Assistance Programs
  • Henry Fitts, Grants Management and Research Coordinator, Commissioner’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, Department of Neighborhood and Business Development, City of Rochester – Overview of Rochester’s Small Landlord Repair Grant Program
  • Thomas McGrath, Senior Vice President and Director of Upstate Revitalization or Hunter Gradie, Vice President, Director of MoCo Operations, The Community Preservation Corporation – Overview of NYFLF Small Landlord Loan Program.

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.box.com/s/nyffyllgvvqmdagauxnvg0omkmgitgw9

January 21st, 2021
Zombie Law Revisited – WITH HPD

Our Zombie colleagues at HPD shared their latest Zombie Law enforcement work with us while also brainstorming about revisions to make the Law more effective.

Moderator:
Helene Caloir, Director, New York State Housing Stabilization Fund

Panelists:

  • Elizabeth Johnson, Deputy Director, HPD Neighborhood Stabilization
    • HPD Webinar Slides (Power Point Presentation)
    • First Notice –Not On DFS Registry 02-20-2018 NYC HPD
    • First Notice – On DFS Registry 02-20-2018 NYC HPD
    • TEMPLATE Enforcement Email NYC HPD
    • Zombies Homes Initiative Survey Tool NYC HPD
  • Cristina Gonzalez, Esq., Counsel to HPD
    • Zombie Draft complaint template
  • Maya Kurien, Senior Legislative Analyst, HPD
  • Wade Beltramo, General Counsel at NYCOM
    • NYCOM Slide Deck (Power Point Presentation)

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.app.box.com/s/m94k4ix8kmsuo5ei557syzo20rn4i8pt

December 3rd, 2020
Use of Article 19-A of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL)

Municipalities employ a variety of tools to address vacant and abandoned properties. When the strategy called for a municipality to take title to a property, Article 19-A is the tool of choice. On this webinar, we heard from Zombies 2.0 Grantees including the cities of Jamestown and Rochester about how they used Article 19-A and why they took title. Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank and its counsel talked about the Article 19-A materials and templates they have developed for their municipal partners. Finally, the New York Conference of Mayors talked about proposed revisions to Article 19-A.

Moderators:
Helene Caloir, Director, New York State Housing Stabilization Fund, LISC
John A. Connelly, Program Officer, NYS Housing Stabilization Fund/LISC Safety

Panelists:

  • Tynise Edwards, Esq., City of Rochester
  • Ben Haskin, Esq., City of Jamestown
  • Hans W. Drews, Zombie Quarterback, Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank
  • Hyde Clarke, Esq., Counsel to Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank
  • Wade Beltramo, General Counsel, NY Conference of Mayors

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.box.com/s/5noz3m7e1g3g0tlc74lrsur34o6cqy21

July 9, 2020
Innovations in Property Tax Arrears Collection – Preventing Displacement and Abandonment

Three local governments participating in the Zombies 2.0 program (Poughkeepsie, Rome and Buffalo) talked about their strategies for keeping homeowners in their homes through tax arrears payment plans and legislation providing some COVID period tax exemptions for vulnerable populations. They also addressed when owners of abandoned properties do not redeem, what the strategies are for preventing deterioration and the cycle of abandonment.

Moderator:
David Hunter, Senior Program Officer, New York State Housing Stabilization Fund, LISC

Panelists:

  • Marc Nelson, City Administrator, City of Poughkeepsie
  • Keith Lucas, Director of Planning, Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency
  • Kerri White, Special Assistant for Housing & Community Development, Office of the New York State Attorney General
  • David Hunter, Senior Program Officer, New York State Housing Stabilization Fund, LISC

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.box.com/s/qmf7quf9esg3k9mxunb8dbof047ihwak

June 4th, 2020
Foreclosure Prevention Webinar – What can we do to get ahead of the curve?

Foreclosure prevention experts from NYAG Tish James’ Office, HOPP network leaders, the New York Conference of Mayors, representatives from NYS municipalities and LISC policy experts discussed strategies, challenges, opportunities and resources to get ahead of the anticipated mortgage and property tax foreclosure curve related to the COVID-19 crisis.

Moderator:
Helene Caloir, Director, New York State Housing Stabilization Fund, LISC

Panelists:

  • Kerri White, Special Assistant for Housing & Community Development, Office of the Attorney General
  • Mark Ladov, Assistant Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection, Office of the New York State Attorney General
  • Elizabeth Lynch, Assistant Attorney General, Consumer Frauds Bureau
  • Kirstin Keefe, Senior Attorney, and Program Director for HOPP Anchor Partner Program, Empire Justice Center
  • Christie Peale, Executive Director, Center for New York City Neighborhoods
  • Wade Beltramo, General Counsel, New York Conference of Mayors
  • Charlene Thompson, Community Development Agency Commissioner, Village of Hempstead
  • Samuel Wells, Neighborhood Stabilization Coordinator, City of Albany
  • Callie Seltzer, Director, LISC National Housing Office
  • Mark Kudlowitz, LISC National Policy Office

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.box.com/s/d8sftpkrc00hlgkdsje9iog0zm5reenu

January 30th, 2020
Supporting Collaborative Approaches for Safe Places along with LISC Safety & Justice

For over 20 years, LISC Safety & Justice has supported the development of community-police problem solving teams and provided them the resources to reduce crime and foster neighborhood revitalization in communities across the country. Since 2012, LISC Safety & Justice has also served as the Training & Technical Assistance (TTA) Provider for the Innovations in Community Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) program, a place- based crime reduction initiative administered by the US Department of Justice – Bureau of Justice Assistance. The session began with a very brief introduction to LISC, its national Safety & Justice program, and the close relationship between place and crime. Attendees heard from Tom Wyatt, based in Flint, MI, who has led dynamic partnership efforts along the city’s University Avenue Corridor.

Topics discussed:

  • Blight reduction efforts focused on vacant residential properties
  • CPTED Strategies Deployed to Reduce Opportunities for Criminal Activity to Take Place
  • Community Police Partnership Dynamics
  • Creative Place Making & Problem Property Remediation
  • Community outreach and engagement strategies to improve community-police partnerships as well as increased resident-to-resident relationships that support informal social control of neighborhoods and public spaces (e.g. collective efficacy).

Moderator:
John A. Connelly, Program Officer, NYS Housing Stabilization Fund/LISC Safety

Panelist:

  • Tom Wyatt, Director of Neighborhood & Community Services, Kettering University. Tom is also a recent Michael Rubinger Fellow at LISC.

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.box.com/s/yso73rrz1emjo1jqgi3rp7ujbavs5efs

May 16th, 2019
LISC Zombie Group Call: Kansas City’s Loan Fund for Vacant Houses

Kansas City, Missouri’s Presented LISC Housing Stabilization program with information on the Targeted Neighborhood Rehab/Mortgage Loan Program.

Kansas City has a large number of vacant houses along a key corridor – the challenge is how to repurpose these houses with the appraisal gap (the renovations cost much more than the market price for the houses) and a weak market for them in their current condition.

Moderator:
Helene Caloir, Director, New York State Housing Stabilization Fund, LISC

Panelists:

  • Callie Seltzer, Acting Director of LISC’s National Housing Program
  • Kwofi Reed, Strategic Investment Officer – LISC’s National Housing Program

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.box.com/s/tlms80s5x6gmegzxsurix1ssej3s85f9

March 21st, 2019
LISC Zombie Group Call: Community Land Trusts & Community Development

The focus of this presentation was on the New York State experience with speakers discussing the New York City, Buffalo and Long Island experience with Community Land Trusts. Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are entities or programs that hold land and govern the terms around which owners can use it – usually to promote its permanent affordability. A recent white paper by LISC Research and Evaluation explores how partnerships between CLTs and community development institutions can scale up and sustain land trusts so it can begin to impact displacement at the neighborhood level. This webinar presented its research findings and then we heard from practitioners and funders around New York State about lessons they’ve learnt about growing CLTs in different contexts.

Moderator:
David Greenberg, Director of Research and Evaluation, National LISC

Panelists:

  • Ismene Speliotis, Executive Director of Mutual Housing Association of New York (MHANY) whose affiliate, MHANY Management Inc., is a partner in the Interboro Community Land Trust, New York City
  • Greg Schiefelbein, New York Tri-State Director, Citi Community Development which funds CLTs in New York City and on Long Island
  • India Walton, Executive Director of Fruit Belt Community Land Trust in Buffalo, New York

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.box.com/s/dizg2vl8cpt27sss22b8k1tnk1sow4v2

January 24th, 2019
LISC Zombie Group Call: Legally Enforcing the “Zombie Law” – the New York City Experience

Moderator:
Helene Caloir, Director, New York State Housing Stabilization Fund, LISC

Panelists

  • Alan Kleinman, Senior Counsel for Affirmative Litigation at the NYC Law Department
  • Cristina Gonzalez, Managing Partner at Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP, outside counsel for New York City
  • Jenny Weyel and Elizabeth Johnson from New York City’s HPD

Webinar Recording and Materials:
https://lisc.box.com/s/f1h34ayrmz1r0u0s50whydivdk48711g