Resources

Links

1000 Friends of Wisconsin
Link: www.1kfriends.org
A nonprofit corporation that provides information on the benefits of sound land use planning and advocates for land use policy that protects diverse communities. Includes extensive information on Smart Growth.

Building Systems Network
Link: www.buildingsystemsnetwork.com
Provides information on modular, log and panelized building systems, plus links to manufacturers of such homes.

CDFI Fund
Link: www.cdfifund.gov
Federally created fund that provides grants and technical assistance to community development financial institutions. Also offers incentives to traditional lending institutions seeking to expand activity in distressed areas.

Center for Housing and New Community Economics
Link: alliance.unh.edu
Home page of the University of New Hampshire’s “Home of Your Own Alliance,” with a link to a comprehensive section on the Section 8 home ownership rule.

Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA)
Link: www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea
Located at the State University of New York at Buffalo, the center offers many resources including "Bright Ideas," a gallery of useful products.

Center for Universal Design
Link: www.design.ncsu.edu/cud
An affliate of the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, CUD is a national research, information and technical assistance center that evaluates, develops and promotes universal design in housing, public and commercial facilites, and related products. Site offers many publications and numerous links.

Community Investment Network
Link: www.communityinvestmentnetwork.org
Site offered as a public service by National Community Reinvestment Coalition. Offers opportunities to share useful news, research data, commentary and perspectives related to advancing community development and building healthy communities.

Consumer and Economic Development Research and Information Center
Link: www.chicagofed.org/cedric
Part of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago site. A comprehensive repository of information on housing development, economic development, public policy and more. Includes financial information for consumers.

Enterprise Social Investment Corporation
Link: www.enterprisefoundation.org/esic
Forms limited partnerships to invest in Low Income Housing Tax Credit projects. Also offers a tax credit tutorial ("tax credit 101") and other information about the federal tax credit program.

Fannie Mae
Link: www.fanniemae.com
Site includes information on multifamily and single-family housing production, as well as information for home ownership counselors and prospective home buyers.

Fannie Mae Foundation
Link: www.fanniemaefoundation.org
The Fannie Mae foundation has ceased substantially all of its day-to-day operations. Fannie Mae, the foundation's funder, is consolidating its philanthropic initiatives into the Office of Community and Charitable Giving. Consult the foundation's website for more information.

Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
Link: www.fhlbc.com
Assists member financial institutions through its community investment and affordable housing programs. Offers opportunities for nonprofits to team with member banks to secure financing for affordable housing projects. Lists member lenders.

Forest World
Link: www.forestworld.com
Site devoted to the sustainable forestry industry. Helps prospective buyers locate sources of certified wood products.

Freddie Mac
Link: www.freddiemac.com
Site includes information on multifamily and single-family housing production, as well as information for home ownership counselors and prospective home buyers.

Funders' Network for Smarth Growth and Livable Communities
Link: www.fundersnetwork.org
Non-partisan, nonprofit organization that works to inspire, strengthen and expand funders' ability to support organizations that seek to improve communities through better development decisions and growth policies. Resources include research results and a calendar of Smart Growth conferences and events.

Great Lakes Capital Fund
Link: www.capfund.net
CDFI with regional equity funds in Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. Provides equity financing for tax credit projects, as well as other kinds of financing for affordable housing projects.

Housing Assistance Council
Link: www.ruralhome.org
National nonprofit offers technical and financial assistance aimed at improving housing for low income people in rural areas of the United States.

Housing Partnership Network
Link: www.housingpartnership.net
Composed of housing partnerships from around the United States, this nonprofit offers information on its members and their achievements and on Network programs and initiatives. Also offers financial assistance to member organizations.

HUD Clips
Link: www.hudclips.org
HUD's client information and policy system. Offers access to HUD policies, procedures, announcements, forms, etc.

HUD Home Page
Link: www.hud.gov
HUD's national-level web site offers information about HOME, CDBG, tax credits and other federal programs. Also includes links to other housing-related sites.

HUD Milwaukee Office
Link: www.hud.gov/local/mil
Community Planning and Development Wisconsin page provides dropdown menu of audience groups leading to resources for nonprofits, home buyers, people with disabilities, elected officials and more.

HUD User
Link: www.huduser.org
Maintained by HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research. Good source of federal government reports and information on topics such as housing policy, building technology, economic development and urban planning. Also links to housing-related data such as income limits and fair market rents.

HUD's Online Library
Link: www.hud.gov/library
Directs visitor to "bookshelf 1" (the most-frequently used HUD pages); also gives links to housing publications.

Innovative Housing Institute
Link: www.inhousing.org
Organization dedicated to development of subsidized housing in a mixed-income environment. Offers technical assistance to housing authorities. Also provides information on inclusionary zoning and the price-behavior effects of income integration.

Knowledge Plex
Link: www.knowledgeplex.org
Gathers information from a wide variety of sources on topics related to housing and community development. Timely information on "hot topics" in the field. Also includes a toolkit for overcoming community resistance to affordable housing.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Link: www.lisc.org
A good general-purpose site for housing and community development information.

NAHB Research Center
Link: www.nahbrc.org
A good source of information on green building techniques and other innovations in housing development.

National Center for Healthy Housing
Link: www.centerforhealthyhousing.org
National organization dedicated to reducing childhood lead poisoning. Offers information for developers and home owners on current regulations, plus resources for lead hazard control and prevention.

National Equity Fund
Link: www.nefinc.org
LISC affiliate that syndicates Low Income Housing Tax Credit-financed projects. Provides information for community development corporations on how to work with NEF.

National Housing Trust
Link: www.nhtinc.org
Dedicated to preservation of federally assisted housing. Offers training, technical assistance and predevelopment loans to governments and nonprofits seeking to save properties at risk of conversion to market-rate housing.

Opportunity Finance Network
Link: www.opportunityfinance.net
Formerly the National Community Capital Association, the Opportunity Finance Network is a membership organization of Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs). Focus is on creating and financing opportunities for American people, communities, and markets that are outside the economic mainstream.

Rocky Mountain Institute
Link: www.rmi.org
Fosters responsible use of resources to promote sustainability. "Buildings and Land" section includes case studies on green development projects and links to information on green building techniques. Publications related to green development also offered for sale.

Smart Growth Online
Link: www.smartgrowth.org
Web-based catalogue of Smart Growth-related news, events, information and resources. Funded under an agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Sustainable Communities Network.

State and Local Government on the Net
Link: www.statelocalgov.net
Provides an index of state, county and local government websites.

U.S. Census Bureau
Link: www.census.gov
Offers statistical data from the 2000 census, plus ongoing data updates.

University of Wisconsin Applied Population Laboratory
Link: www.wisstat.wisc.edu
This site offers a new way to access Bureau of Census data on housing. Users can create housing profiles by county, city or township; profiles include comparison to 1990 data. Family demographics also available. To begin, click on "analysis tools."

WHEDA
Link: www.wheda.com
Site of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, which allocates federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Wisconsin and makes lower-interest loans for home purchase, rental housing development and housing rehabilitation. Also includes resources for prospective home buyers.

Wisconsin Community Action Program Association
Link: www.wiscap.org
Site provides information on the programs offered by Wisconsin's CAP agencies. Resources include contact information for regional CAPs.

Wisconsin Division of Housing & Community Development Housing Programs
Link: www.commerce.state.wi.us/housing
Located in the Department of Commerce. Provides information on using the HOME program in Wisconsin, plus information on home ownership assistance programs including CDBG (Community Development Block Grant), HCRI (Housing Cost Reduction Initiative), HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS) and LHOG (Local Housing Organization Grants).

Wisconsin Division of Intergovernmental Relations
Link: www.doa.state.wi.us/dir
Division includes the Comprehensive Planning Office, which offers information on the Smart Growth planning process, planning elements and planning grants.

Wisconsin Environmental Initiative
Link: www.wi-ei.org
A comprehensive site for information about business and the environment, land use, and greeen building. Manages the Green Built Home initiative.

Wisconsin Housing Alliance
Link: www.housingalliance.us
Offers a buyer's guide to manufactured housing, with links to manufacturers.

Wisconsin Rural Development
Link: www.rurdev.usda.gov/wi
Offers information about grants and loans available to nonprofits and developers working in rural areas, and to individual home owners.