PHFA's Housing Forum boasts strong slate of keynote speakers

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency's Housing Forum planned for May includes its strongest lineup ever of keynote speakers, which includes two economists, a housing researcher/author, and a motivational speaker with a powerful message of personal transformation.

Housing professionals statewide, and journalists who cover housing, may now register for the May 11-12 Housing Forum to be held at the Hilton Harrisburg. PHFA has been leading the Housing Forum biennially since 1997.

"A strong emphasis was placed on finding the best keynote speakers available for this year's event," said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Brian A. Hudson Sr. "We put a great deal of effort into ensuring that our plenary speakers would not only be experts in their field but would be powerful presenters, as well. Attendees will not be disappointed."

The Housing Forum provides an opportunity for people working in the housing field to attend focused educational sessions and interact with their peers. More than 700 people are expected to attend, including developers, lenders, housing managers, housing advocates, and government officials.

Attendees at the forum two years ago will be pleased to know that economist Dr. Elliot Eisenberg will again be leading a plenary session. Eisenberg got the most enthusiastic response of any presenter ever at the forum, so he was asked to return this year. He will be discussing the economic outlook for the state in 2017.

A second economist, Dr. Cheryl Young with Trulia, will be presenting on her report titled "There Doesn't Go the Neighborhood." Of specific interest to this audience, Young will share her findings that low-income housing does not negatively affect nearby home values.

Researcher and author Dr. Eric Klinenberg will draw on his book "Going Solo" to highlight the trend of more people choosing to live alone, and its implications for housing providers. Klinenberg is a professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University.

This year, a fourth keynote speaker, celebrity chef Jeff Henderson, has been added to the forum agenda. He brings a powerful message of self-transformation, having turned around his life after going to prison for drug dealing. Henderson discovered his passion for food while in prison and today is a highly popular author and television chef.

The 2017 forum offers numerous benefits for attendees:

• 35 educational sessions on a wide variety of housing topics
• The inclusion of educational sessions covering the latest housing research findings on issues such as rental housing costs, rural housing, and findings from the American Housing Survey
• An evening networking event for reconnecting with colleagues and meeting new business associates
• Brought back by popular request is a walking tour – this time of Presbyterian Apartments, a multifamily housing development that has undergone energy efficiency upgrades
• A vendor exhibit hall for learning about new housing-related products and services
• An award ceremony recognizing some of the state's affordable housing pioneers

Educational sessions offered during the forum will cover a wide variety of topics including rental housing, homeownership, foreclosure prevention, tax credits, assistance for veterans, fair housing, housing services, Millennials' housing needs, and demographic trends.

Early bird pricing for the Housing Forum is only $125 through April 7. After that date, registration increases to $175. This is the same registration cost PHFA has offered for the past eight years, while still adding enhancements to the event.

Detailed information about the 2017 forum and the four keynote speakers, as well as registration, is available on the Web at http://housingforum.phfa.org. People with questions not answered by the information on the website should contact conference organizer Susan Shermer at [email protected].

EDITOR'S NOTE: Reporters and editors who cover housing issues are being offered free registration to attend the Housing Forum. Please contact Scott Elliott for a special press code to register.

About PHFA
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $12.9 billion of funding for more than 166,500 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 132,531 rental units, and saved the homes of nearly 48,800 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board.

Media contact: 
Scott Elliott
717-649-6522 (cell)
[email protected]

SOURCE Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency

Related Links

http://www.PHFA.org