Experts Available to Discuss Moderate Incomes and Affordable Housing.

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TOPIC: A report from the Center for Housing Policy claims that many low- to moderate-income workers can not afford to purchase homes due to salaries not keeping up with the increase in home prices, according to an article by The Associated Press. Lower-income workers are struggling to buy homes even in cities once considered affordable, such as Tulsa, Okla. While the median price of a house in the United States increased by 20 percent over the past 18 months, salaries for occupations including teachers, nurses and firefighters remained the same or rose just slightly. The study reviewed salaries for more than 60 occupations and housing prices for approximately 200 metropolitan areas from the last quarter of 2003 until the first quarter of 2005.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

John Ballantine has over 25 years of experience in business and finance in both the academic and private sectors. He has been a banker, consultant, professor, and currently is CFO/President of Ballantine & Company, Inc., a Massachusetts-based software company. He has worked for the Chase Manhattan Bank, Arthur D. Little, Babson College, Harvard University - JFK School, and Brandeis University. He was educated at Harvard, University of Chicago, and NYU - Stern School. He has a Ph.D. in Economics. John offers knowledge and expertise in real estate, mortgage banking, bankruptcy, labor economics, income inequality and affordable housing.

William French has led the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) since its inception in 1978. Through his leadership and vision, the corporation has grown to include 21 field offices in 13 western states, staffed by more than 115 professionals who provide training and assistance to more than 500 rural communities and organizations per year. Mr. French has more than 25 years of community development experience. After completing a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, he began his career with Self-Help Enterprises (SHE). While there, he helped to pioneer the self-help housing program. SHE is now the largest self-help agency in the nation. Mr. French also led the creation of RCAC's rural development loan fund. RCAC is a certified Community Development Financial Institution by the U.S. Treasury. Through the loan fund, RCAC provides financing for affordable housing, community facilities and water and wastewater systems. Special programs supporting housing for agricultural workers and community-based health facilities are underway. Financing water and wastewater systems in Native American communities is another focus of the loan fund. Mr. French serves on the Bank of America Rural 2000 National Advisory Board. He has also served on the boards of National Rural Housing Coalition; California Reinvestment Committee; California Coalition for Rural Housing; California Community Economic Development Association; Bank of America Social Policy Advisory Committee; and the Cooperative Housing Foundation.

Ian C. Gillis is President and co-founder of Urban Community Partners, LLC. With over 25 years in the real estate development industry in both the United Kingdom and the United States, Ian has a broad range of experience in planning and developing master-planned communities, urban infill, military base conversions, and a full range of residential, commercial and industrial projects. Gillis provides international experience and expertise in the fields of new urbanism, affordable housing, and smart growth. Ian C. Gillis, with his partner, Keith L. McCoy, founded Urban Community Partners with a simple vision: to plan and create enduring places for people to live, work and play. To that end, the company's principals have directed their expertise toward working collaboratively with communities, political leaders, financial institutions, planners, builders and architects to address the critical issues of smart growth, and create with them environments whose social and economic capital is sustainable for generations to come. As a real estate professional with international experience and outlook, Ian is excited about creating neighborhoods and communities with vision and tradition, which will be remarkable places to live for future generations.

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