Welcome to the Luzerne County Housing Partnership Website

The Luzerne County Housing Partnership's mission is to be an influential catalyst for the revitalization of the Luzerne County Housing Market and to establish an event to aid in creating a fair and predictable building environment for the builder, residents and neighborhoods of Luzerne County.  The Partnership is comprised of local, public and private agencies;  financial and educational institutions; private corporations and County agencies.  

Luzerne County Housing Symposium

The third Luzerne County Housing Symposium was held on October 4th, 2006 at the Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke. "Housing Trends in Luzerne County" was the theme of the Symposium and various housing topics including housing affordability, economic indicators along with other internal and external influences on the local housing market were addressed. Presentations were made by a cross section of regional and state agencies as well as local realtors.

The full-day event is divided into four segments that can be viewed by clicking on the respective link. Please note that this is an annual event so plan on joining us for the next Luzerne County Housing Symposium in the fall of 2007. Your comments and topic suggestions are welcome!

Watch the Video of Our Event
Video and editing services provided by Gorilla Media, Inc. (Currently Under Construction) Phone: 1-800-688-2021

Click on a Part to view that session. You can click on a specific topic using the slide buttons on the bottom of the timeline. Hover over the slide buttons to view a brief description.

Part 1:

• Welcome and Introduction - Charles Kasko, President, Luzerne County Housing Partnership
• Luzerne County and Northeastern Pennsylvania: Economic Development Trends and Hot Spots - James Cummings, President of Penn's Northeast
• Local Community Projects: A Regional Economic Overview
• Lackwanna/Luzerne County Indicators - Terri Ooms, Executive Director of the Joint Urban Studies Center
• The Economy's Effect on the NEPA Housing Market
• Q & A (to include):
  Roesy Dessoye, Vice President Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce
  Donna Palermo, President Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce
  Michael Lombardo, Acting President Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business & Industry

Part 2:

• The Steak and Caviar Housing Market - Liz Hersh, Director of Housing Alliance of PA

Part 3:

• Introduction of Afternoon Speakers
  Joseph Terrana, Director, Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania Community Business Center, Fannie Mae
  William Joseph, Community Investment Consultant FHLBank Pittsburgh
• Perspective from Governor Rendell's Administration - John Blake, Director of the Governor's Northeast Regional Office of Housing and Community Development
• Developing a Relationship with Elected Officials: Strategies, Tools and Recommendations on How to Partnerships with Elected Officials - Bill Miller, Government Relations Manager FHLBank Pittsburgh
• Q&A

Part 4:

• Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency: Resources & Initiatives - Kate Newton, Director of Homeownership Programs Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
• Real Estate Trends in NEPA: A Realtor's Perspective
  Matthew J. Hodorowski, GRI, CRS, ABR - Lewith & Freeman Real Estate, Second Secretary, Wilkes-Barre Board of Realtors, State Director, PA Association of Realtors
  Larry Tedesco, ABR - Broker/Owner, Colonial Realty, Inc., Board Secretary, Greater Hazleton Association of Realtors, State Director, PA Association of Realtors
• Q&A

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