Ulysses “Deke” Clayborn, HUD’s Region VII Regional Administrator, discussed their strategic goal of increasing affordable housing by empowering developers, especially those of color. An Emerging Developer Summit will be held on September 4th and 5th at the Penn Valley campus, aiming to provide financial resources, best practices, and other resources to developers at various stages.
Regarding Black Rock’s property purchases, Clayborn acknowledged that while they can’t prevent property buying, they can regulate to ensure communities are well-maintained and homes are of quality.
HUD is also focusing on educating new home buyers through a program called “Let’s Make Home the Goal”, or “House Party”. This program brings together resources like lenders, first-time home buyer programs, down payment assistance programs, and grants. It also provides access to HUD-funded housing counseling agencies to help potential homeowners with credit improvement, budgeting, and identifying suitable lenders.
