Thomas Amdur Author Archives

You might be thinking, “Why is NH&RA hosting a symposium on public housing revitalization now?” And maybe even, “Why should I care?” After all, most of our readers are LIHTC developers and owners of HUD-assisted properties, not housing authority staff. Furthermore the days when HOPE VI was funded annually at $600 million+ are way back in the rearview mirror. Yes, we may be forced to do more with less, but the need is great, the opportunities are numerous, new resources are available (I think you’ve heard me mention RAD before in this column) and perhaps most importantly, it is going to require the creative acumen of the private sector to solve the growing number of challenges housing authorities face.

The National Council on Aging reports that 10,000 people will enroll in Medicare EVERY day over the next ten years. America is aging – and I’m guessing this is not a surprise to our readers – everyone in the affordable housing business has probably seen dozens of articles and presentations about the current and future housing, healthcare and personal finance needs of the baby boomers.

December is typically a hectic time for our members as they race to meet year-end deadlines and finalize budgeting and plans for 2015.

It’s funny to think that there are niche opportunities in affordable housing.

Earlier this week I returned from Minneapolis, the third stop on the NH&RA Preservation Through Energy Efficiency Road Show series. Having been born and raised in New England and the Mid-Atlantic, I haven’t spent much time in the upper Midwest, and was really struck by the creativity of local developers in adaptively reusing the local historic infrastructure and the remarkable local commitment to sustainability.

In order to be competitive for new housing subsidies in most jurisdictions, the implementation of a resident services program is practically a threshold requirement. Of course, funding an effective program is a challenge.

With the rolling out of any new program, and especially demonstration programs, there are lessons to be learned, and HUD has been impressively nimble as this program has transitioned from idea to implementation.

In many ways the low-income housing tax credit market is a bit of an enigma – both transparent and opaque.

I’d like to draw your attention to a topic that many people don’t think about when it comes to preservation: how many affordable multifamily owners around the country are engaging with and educating residents to act, and indeed live, sustainably. It’s easy to forget that residents are not just clients but key partners in preservation and energy efficiency efforts. Their buy-in and engagement are a critical step towards achieving economic returns at a property level.

Recently I was speaking with a prominent California-based developer about potential topics for NH&RA’s annual West Coast jaunt – the Spring Developers Forum, to be held this year on May 19-20 in Marina del Rey, Calif.

I would hate to live in a world without the low-income housing tax credit, which I hope will never occur. But ever since we ran David Smith’s article in June 2013 about what the world would look like without LIHTC, I have been pondering a question: Is this possible?

If you are a frequent reader of this column you know that energy, water, and utility efficiency is one of my pet issues.