Fall 2005

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Welcome RAAH Leadership Team and friends. Thanks for your confidence in us. We are looking forward to an eventful 2006. Rev. Susan McGarry Chair and Shari Osojnak, V. Chair!

Join us for a forum on Tax Issues in Affordable Housing on October 26^th at 7 p.m. (new date) at Catholic Social Services on Packard Road (near the corner of Golfside). The evening is co-sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. The goal is to plan a legislative agenda. If you are an advocate for non-profit housing in Michigan this is for you! Among the speakers will be County Treasurer, Catherine McClary and former State Representative, Ruth Ann Jamnick.

Update on Carrot Way Apartments
 
 

Transformation! That’s what your gifts have meant to those watching the final construction and landscaping of the property on Dhu Varren road, affectionately named Carrot Way. (Get it? Food Gatherers is the partner that provided the land to Avalon.)The first ten units were occupied last month and all 30 will be occupied by the end of the year.

Carrot Way will help fill a critical need. In May when Avalon Housing opened their process, six hundred families applied for the 30 rental units. With RAAH’s help, Avalon Housing has been able to highlight the unique features of the new neighborhood to the northeast community. Those of us eager to see it (who live across town), are invited to the Open House, Tuesday, October 11 from 3pm until 6pm, to the official ribbon cutting.

Making Good

At RAAH’s 6^th annual meeting, outgoing President, Tamara St Clair-WiIliams, presented Mark Smith, Homeplace Community Land Trust Board President a check for $15,000. Thanks to our donors, so far RAAH has donated $61,000, leaving $39,000 left to meet our $100,000 pledge.

Homeplace Community Land Trust (HCLT) has a new project. Through the gracious partnership of Letitia Byrd, long time resident of Ann Arbor, a property near the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Pittsfield Township (and around the corner from Kohl’s) will accommodate up to 16 affordable, clustered single family houses. Here’s the arrangement: Mrs. Byrd will sell the land at 50% of value and gift 50% of the value of the land to HCLT.  Community development funds have been promised by the Township and the County has awarded a $30,000 site investigation grant to help cover the costs of preliminary engineering, site planning and environmental investigation.

Where does RAAH fit in? As PV Roby, the new part-time paid HCLT Director, told me over coffee at Café Verde, the capital campaign funds contributed by RAAH members have been invaluable, making it possible to investigate sites, get grants, pay contractors on time, get better pricing and generally keep the ball rolling.

There’s more: The HCLT and the Township plan to break ground at Byrd Court, as it is known, in 2006.  The modular houses will be built by students at Washtenaw Community College. PV Roby says the houses will have a smaller footprint than those WCC has built in the past. HCLT will buy them and, following its resale formula, ensure that they are affordable.

How does it work? With a community land trust homebuyers do not pay for the land beneath their homes, the community land trust owns it and leases it to the buyer. Public and private subsidies make HCLT homes even more affordable. Property tax rates are controlled and the resale formula preserves the affordability for future income qualified families. Essentially, by agreeing to the resale formula, HCLT homebuyers are agreeing to help another income eligible family purchase the house in the same way in the future. "Buying a land trust home is a way for people to get equity, earn a track record and experience the middle class," PV Roby said recently, "it’s about getting a leg up."

Nationwide, she added, land trust homes are typically sold after 7 years, the same turnover as market value housing. Almost all buy market value homes after owning a community land trust house.

To be eligible for an HCLT house a homebuyer must earn 74% of median income or less. In Ann Arbor that’s $58,000 for a family of four. Qualified buyers are selected from a pool of applicants. Those interested in the Byrd project will also go through an education process once HCLT is ready to receive applications.

GIFTS FOR THE CAPITAL FUND

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation is assisting RAAH by holding all donations. RAAH is a 501 (c) 3 corporation and all gifts are tax deductible. Please mail checks marked: RAAH Capital Fund, c/o AAACF, 201 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

OTHER RAAH NEWS:

WEBSITE TO BE RE-LAUNCHED

Almost a year ago the company that launched out website went out of business. We are working on a new website that should be up by late October. WWW.RAAH.org

MEMBERSHIP DUES

Thanks to all who are supporting RAAH by becoming a member! Individuals that would like to join or renew your membership for FY 2004/05, please send $10 to: RAAH, c/o St. Andrews Church, 306 North Division, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Organization dues are based on size, for more details call (734) 821-0345. New congregations please join us! Thank you again!

MONTHLY MEETINGS – YOU ARE INVITED!

You are invited to attend the monthly RAAH meetings held the first Thursday of each month alternating mornings from 8:00 – 9:30 am and evenings from 6:45 – 8:00. We need more dedicated people who have time, interest and energy to forward the cause of affordable housing in our community. Each monthly meeting rotates among area churches. Please call (734) 821-0345 for meeting locations.

CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS and MEMBERS AT LARGE
 

Rev. Susan McGarry Chair and Shari Osojnak, Vice Chair  Mary Browning, Secretary Tamara St.Clair-Williams, Treasurer Amy Booker-Hirsch  Carol Campain  Rev. Robert Connors

Barbara Wykes, Education and Advocacy Committee Cathy St.Clair, Finance and Fundraising Lise Anderson, Communications  Marian Laughlin  Jan Little  Rev. John Nieman