Articles Archives

Even on the coldest New England-winter days, there is a steady, long line outside the soup kitchen at Providence, Rhode Island’s Amos House. When it was founded in 1976 in the city’s Upper South neighborhood, where a third of the residents live in poverty, Amos House planned to serve 30-50 meals per day.

In a park-like corner of a former naval base in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles sits a community that clearly demonstrates how affordable housing can better lives. Blue Butterfly Village, opened in April 2015, reserves its units for veterans experiencing homelessness.

In our June 2016 issue, we dedicated our cover story to the resurgence of tax exempt bonds. In that issue, Bond Attorney and NH&RA Director Wade Norris asked our readers, “Are we on the verge of a volume shortage?” And the answer in an increasing number of states is yes. This has caught many in our industry by surprise; after all, since the financial crisis, the volume cap across the country has been abundant. But if the current trend continues, the non-competitive credit might soon become competitive in a diverse mix of states including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and perhaps others.

It is a widely accepted proposition that one of the key foundations for a healthy and productive life is stable, good-quality affordable housing. Housing and health go hand-in-hand with proper nutrition, adequate employment for those of working age and secure retirement for seniors, as well as a solid, emotional support system for all. Yet for a long time, housing and healthcare have been relegated to separate realms, with little programmatic or financial connection between them.

The Affordable Care Act is helping revolutionize America’s healthcare delivery system by embracing personalized care at home – akin to the old country doctor visits from a bygone era. Home-based care may eliminate, or at least delay, the need for placement in nursing homes and gives aging Americans the opportunity to retain their independence and dignity.

In July, developers plan to close the financing for a $137 million renovation of the Cincinnati Music Hall.

Aging in Place may now be a familiar term, but it remains a vague idea. Those familiar with the term would most likely define aging in place as remaining in your home for as long as you would like to as opposed to relocating to a care facility. This is a comforting notion. Rather than envisioning spending later life cooped up in a nearly bare room amidst ailing people with that medicinal smell in the air, you can anticipate maintaining your active lifestyle amongst friends and the smell of your garden. But is it a false promise?

A new healthcare center opened last year on a remote island.

Enterprise Community Partners, long a national leader in affordable housing, is two years into its transformative Health and Housing Initiative, and is now exploring the next housing-health frontier.

As the fields of health maintenance and affordable senior housing move ever closer together, a great deal of effort is being expended on both sides to figure out and shape the best and most cost-effective ways to support that trend.

The intersection of housing and healthcare is a fascinating topic that I keep coming back to in this column and in my work with NH&RA.

When properties subsidized by Low-Income Housing Tax Credits approach the end of their mandatory 15-year compliance period, the General Partner (developer/owner) and the Limited Partner (tax credit investor) have some big decisions to make. Because the Limited Partner will almost certainly want to exit the deal after the 15th year, the General Partner needs to consider all options, including sale, buy out or recapitalization. Developing an exit strategy can be complicated and stressful if not planned well in advance, but that’s where CBRE Affordable Housing can help.