Featured Keynote Speaker:
Ron Sims
Deputy Secretary, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)

Ron Sims was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 6, 2009, and sworn in as the Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on May 8, 2009. As the second most senior official at HUD, Sims is responsible for managing the Department's day-to-day operations, a nearly $40 billion annual operating budget, and the agency's 8,500 employees.

Sims previously served as the Executive for the King County, Washington, the 13th largest county in the nation in a metropolitan area of 1.8 million residents and 39 cities including the cities of Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond.

While serving three terms, Sims was nationally recognized for his work on transportation, homelessness, climate change, health care reform, urban development and affordable housing. His leadership in affordable housing and multiple community and housing partnerships have funded 5,632 units of housing during his 12 years.

One of the hallmarks of the Sims Administration in King County was the integration of environmental, social equity and public health policies that produced groundbreaking work on climate change, health care reform, affordable housing, mass transit, environmental protection, land use, and equity and social justice.

Sims is also a proponent of Smart Growth programs and the preservation of green space before it is lost to development. The policies he implemented in King County stopped costly sprawl and resulted in 96 percent of new construction being concentration in urban areas with only 4% in rural areas.

Over the years Sims developed a reputation as a tireless legislator, working on a diverse palette of issues that led to advances in the areas of the environment, education, public safety and the protection of workers' rights. He credits his drive in part with marching alongside his politically active parents in the 1950's and 1960's during the civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Those experiences honed in him a passion for civil rights issues that has been a guidepost throughout his career.

Sims was named Leader of the Year by American City and County Magazine in July, 2008 and was recognized as one of Governing Magazine's Government Officials of the Year in 2007. He has been honored with national awards from the Sierra Club, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Sims joined Senator Edward Kennedy and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as recipients of the 2008 Health Quality Award from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Sims and King County are also recipients of HUD's prestigious Robert L. Woodson Jr. Affordable Communities Award for 2005.

Born in Spokane, Washington in 1948, Sims is a graduate of Central Washington University.

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THE WORKSHOPS:
8:45 – 11:45 a.m.

How Do We Best ‘Affirmatively Further Fair Housing’ to Cultivate Sustainable Communities?
One of the basic principles in the Fair Housing Act and the Housing & Community Development Act is that the federal government, and all of its programs and activities, must take proactive steps to advance fair housing, or 'affirmatively further fair housing' to promote non-discrimination and ensure fair and equal housing for all. This workshop will provide practical guidance and best practices on meeting the obligation to affirmatively further fair housing under law as well as offer the chance for dialogue to develop creative approaches and opportunities to not only meet, but exceed the obligation. This workshop will be anchored by a presentation from HUD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement & Programs Sara Pratt; she will be joined by Deborah Goldberg, Hurricane Relief Program Director for the National Fair Housing Alliance and Connie Bohatch, Managing Director of Community Services for the Grand Rapids Community Development Department. Moderator: Joel Dye, City of Holland. Workshop Flyer

How Do We Enhance Our Environmental Quality While Ensuring Housing Access for All?
What happens when a neighborhood is denied public water services based on race? What happens to the current and future residents of a lakeside neighborhood when the lake and wetlands are restored? What is the relationship between environmental justice or quality and equal housing opportunity? This workshop will discuss these specific case studies and many other topics, including the environmental and fair housing implications of where housing is located as well as the relationship between housing and access to environmental resources. Fair housing attorney Jennifer Klar of Relman, Dane & Colfax; Associate Professor Dr. Paul Isely of Grand Valley State University; Community Health Improvement Director Pamela Smith of the Saginaw County Department of Public Health and Senior Vice President Cat Cloud of the National Fair Housing Alliance, will join the panel. Moderator: Rachel Hood, West Michigan Environmental Action Council. Workshop Flyer

How Do We Integrate Housing & Transportation Decisions to Create Livable Communities?
This workshop will explore the necessity to provide increased transportation (including complete streets, sidewalks and curb cuts, public transportation, and other alternatives) which removes existing barriers, promotes community mobility and enhances access to vital resources, such as schools and work, inherently connected to housing choice. This workshop offers an important opportunity for dialogue about improving community livability in light of our aging population and infrastructure. Panelists include Sean Mann, Program Coordinator of the Michigan Municipal League; Richard Murphy, Transportation Programs Coordinator of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance; Tyler Nickerson, Affordable Housing Advocate of the Grand Rapids Coalition to End Homelessness; and Megan Owens, Executive Director of Transportation Riders United. This workshop is made possible through the support of the Kent County Senior Millage. Moderator: Dave Bulkowski, Disability Advocates of Kent County. Workshop Flyer

For more information or to register, call (616) 451-2980.

LUNCHEON KEYNOTE: 11:45 - 1:30 p.m.
Deputy Secretary Sims will speak about the Sustainable Communities Initiative through the lens of fair housing.

Click HERE for Highlights from 2010's Event

Click HERE for Highlights from 2009's Event

Click HERE for Highlights from 2008's Event

Click HERE for Highlights from 2007's Event

Click HERE for Highlights from 2006's Event

Click HERE for Highlights from 2005's Event

PLEASE CHECK BACK
for more information
from Our FHCWM Events Reporter:

COMING SOON!

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20 Hall Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507
Tel: (616) 451-2980, Toll Free: 1-866-389-FAIR
Fax: (616) 451-2657 email: contact-us@fhcwm.org