Dayton, OH – August 26, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Michael R. Turner today co-hosted a panel discussion with the Northeast-Midwest Institute examining the impact of the national housing crisis in the Dayton region and communities across the country. Nearly a dozen local and national experts assembled in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room at the Montgomery County Administration Building in downtown Dayton to discuss the broad range of issues involved in the housing crisis.
Following welcoming remarks from Congressman Turner and the Northeast-Midwest Institute’s Director of Policy Diane DeVaul, the morning’s first panel examined the local effects of the housing crisis on the Miami Valley. Panelist included Beth Deutscher, Executive Director of the Homeownership Center of Greater Dayton, Dayton City Commissioner Dean Lovelace, Jim McCarty, President of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Kiya Patrick, Community and Economic Development Specialist for Montgomery County and Amy Redachi, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Dayton.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to present testimony to Congressman Turner and the Northeast-Midwest Institute,” said Jim McCarthy, President and CEO of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Inc. “I believe that it is through these important dialogues, that better public policy is realized. I appreciate Congressman Turner’s ongoing interest and leadership on the housing challenges we are confronting.”
“Over 6,000 foreclosures were reported across Ohio’s Third Congressional District in 2008. This represents a three-fold increase from a decade ago. Each of these foreclosures symbolizes a family, a neighbor, or a friend who have lost their home,” Rep. Turner said.
Wednesday morning’s second panel is comprised of federal experts who will discuss Washington’s responses to this crisis. This panel included U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Cincinnati Field Office Director Jim Cunningham, Sarah McGraw Greenberg, Community Stabilization Manager for NeighborWorks America, David H. Hehman, President and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati and Alan Mallach, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
“The federal government’s approach to the housing crisis needs to be tailored to the different realities facing communities, particularly where recent employment losses have compounded its impact,” said Diane DeVaul, Director of Policy for the Northeast-Midwest Institute. “A one-size-fits-all approach fails those communities hardest hit.”
The Northeast-Midwest Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest states.
“There’s no question that mortgage foreclosures have played a major role in destabilizing the foundation of our economy,” Rep. Turner said. “The influx of toxic mortgage loans and economic destabilization has led to increasing home foreclosures, home abandonment, and falling housing prices throughout the country. The Dayton area has been particularly negatively impacted by this crisis. It is my hope that this discussion will generate ideas for further federal policies to help address this issue.”
Congressman Turner is Co-Chairman of the Revitalizing Older Cities Congressional Task Force, a bipartisan member organization that brings together Members of Congress who have an interest in exchanging legislative ideas and creating policy that will rejuvenate America’s historic industrial cities.
