NALHFA Affordable Housing Podcast

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward speaks to Tom Loftus, Studio Director for Aufgang architectural firm to dive into their innovative setup for affordable housing in New York City. Aufgang's innovation centers on adaptive reuse and cohabitating affordable housing and worship spaces. Victory Baptist is a pair of six-story mixed-use buildings at 1007 Union Avenue in Morrisania, The Bronx. Designed by Aufgang Architects and developed by Michael Callaghan of Exact Capital, the structure yields 95 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 79 units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $17,452 to $132,400. In addition to the 101,226 sq. ft. of apartment space, there is 22,760 sq. ft. of commercial space. Community facility space is included, to be used by the church. The site also includes parking and space for the sanctuary and church offices.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward speaks to the New York City Housing Development Corporation to talk about their award-winning project, 425 Grand Concourse. Joining Allison is Eric Enderlin, President of NYCHDC. The development of 425 Grand Concourse is a success story that exemplifies what can be accomplished when innovative and committed partners, elected officials and local leaders work in concert to create community focused solutions that not only repurpose under-utilized and/or vacant sites, but more importantly, create a development that addresses critical issues such as affordability, sustainability and addressing the diverse needs of a community. Located in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the south Bronx, this newly constructed, cutting edge, mixed-use, mixed-income, 26-story, 277-unit tower has emerged on the Grand Concourse on a 29,000-square foot site that was formerly home to the renowned, but structurally unsound, Public School 31. A site that provided education for a generation, is now repurposed to serve the community by providing, housing, open space, and community services including education, health care, a supermarket and a cultural center.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward, Speaks to guests in NALHFA’s own backyard, the DC Housing Finance Agency. They talk about their award-winning project, The Douglass: A Todd A. Lee Townhome Community. Joining Allison from DCHFA is Christopher Donald, Executive Director & CEO along with Kori Heyward, current resident of The Douglass.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, NALHFA Government Affairs Director Josh Brandwein and Ethan Handelman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) discussed HUD initiatives relevant to NALHFA members including the newly announced Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO), Green and Resilient Retrofit and Multifamily Risk-Sharing programs. Click below and join the conversation to hear more about current HUD activities in the affordable housing space and opportunities for NALHFA member engagement.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Director of Government Affairs, Josh Brandwein speaks with Jessica Facciponti, NALHFA’s Legislative Committee Chair and Vice President of Government Affairs at the New York City Housing Development Corporation (NYCHDC), and Brian Daaleman, Director of External Affairs also with NYCHDC, to talk about the latest happenings in federal relations in Washington, D.C. 

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward speaks with Matthew Brooks, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre on Population Dynamics and Department of Sociology at McGill University to talk about the evolution of affordable housing in the United States. Dr. Matthew Brooks is a is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Sociology at McGill University (Montreal, QC). Matt is a trained rural sociologist and demographer whose research is focused on the causes and consequences of demographic change on communities, chiefly impacts on housing, poverty, and racial inequality. Importantly, his work explores how these changes vary between urban, suburban, and rural places in the United States. 

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward speaks with former community organizer, housing policy expert, and co-author to Richard Rothstein, Leah Rothstein to talk about racial inequity in housing, and what the affordable housing community can do to help undo housing segregation. Leah Rothstein co-authored, with Richard Rothstein, a sequel to The Color of Law. While in The Color of Law, Mr. Rothstein described how government policy created residential segregation, the sequel will describe how local community groups can redress the wrongs of segregation. Leah has worked on public policy and community change, from the grassroots to the halls of government. She led the Alameda County and San Francisco probation departments’ research on reforming community corrections policy and practice to be focused on rehabilitation, not punishment. She has been a consultant to nonprofit housing developers, cities and counties, redevelopment agencies, and private firms on community development and affordable housing policy, practice, and finance.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward speaks with Tanya Dempsey and Nicole Graham, Co-CEOs of CSG Advisors to talk about women in the housing and financial industries and the importance of affordable housing in our society today. Earlier this year, CSG Advisors announced its new and expanded leadership structure. Nicole Graham and Tanya Dempsey, long-standing leaders of the firm and responsible for CSG’s housing authority practice, are co-CEOs. In addition to serving as co-CEOs, Nicole and Tanya will collectively maintain 51% ownership. This will make CSG doubly unique: not only has it completed more housing financings than any other firm, but it will now be the nation’s largest majority women-owned municipal advisory firm in the housing sector according to Thompson and Reuters Securities Data and information available on the EDGAR database.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward speaks with Christopher Donald, Executive Director & CEO of DCHFA along with Blaise Rastello, Development Director of Affordable Housing at the Gilbane Development Company and Claudia Schlosberg, Principal at Castle Hill Consulting & former Senior Deputy Director and Medicaid Director at the Department of Healthcare Finance to talk about their recent NALHFA Award of Multifamily Excellence for their project, Livingston Place. Livingston Place at Southern Avenue is a 152-unit affordable community reserved for seniors aged 60 and above who require assistance with two or more activities of daily living. It is the first assisted-living community in Washington, D.C.’s Ward 8, and only the second affordable assisted-living community in the entire District. Aging residents want to live in a community setting while maintaining their privacy, but they are often placed in nursing homes due to service needs. Communities like Livingston Place at Southern provide seniors with the assistance they need while allowing them to live in an active community of peers. The DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA or “the Agency”) is committed to helping D.C. seniors age in place in healthy, beautiful affordable housing. Livingston Place has 152 apartment homes for seniors aged 60 and above. All the apartments are reserved for individuals or couples earning 60 percent or less of the area median income (AMI)and who qualify for Medicaid. In June 2019, DCHFA issued $50 million in tax-exempt bond financing and underwrote $15.3 million in LIHTC equity. The $67 million development consists of 84 efficiencies and 68 one-bedroom apartments. While much of the affordable housing across the District of Columbia is financed by the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF), this project is unique in that it did not receive any money from the fund. This allows those dollars to be used elsewhere, thus creating even more units of affordable housing in the District. Dantes Partners, Gilbane Development Company, Carding Group and H Street Community Development Corporation make up the development team for this project.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Senior Membership and Operations Associate Allison Ward speaks with Donna Sedgwick, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Virginia Tech and Dustin Read, Professor and Director of the Master of Real Estate Development Program at Clemson University. Their discussion focuses on how affordable housing companies remain socially responsible in light of the fiscal pressures in which they face.

The newest episode of the NALHFA Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Senior Membership and Operations Associate Allison Ward is joined by Josh Brandwein, NALHFA’s Director of Government Affairs for a Washington Update Briefing to walk through the results of the 2022 Midterm Elections and the outcomes of congressional balances of power. Josh is joined by a special guest, Jacob Carter, a thought leader in the political sphere and the Director of Government Affairs for several other associations. Josh Brandwein serves as the Director of Government Affairs for the National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA). Brandwein oversees legislative operations, federal agency partnerships and advocacy on state and local government levels to strengthen the mission of affordable housing for membership.

The newest episode of the NALHFA Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Senior Membership and Operations Associate Allison Ward is joined by Josh Brandwein, NALHFA’s Director of Government Affairs for a Washington Update Briefing to walk through NALHFA’s recent legislative and regulatory activity, the upcoming midterm elections, and what to expect for the remainder of the year in Congress.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward speaks with Holly Knight, CEO of Knight Development, Stephan Fontenot, Executive Director for the Housing Authority of the City of Alexandria, Louisiana, and Sheri Davis, Senior Vice President of Highland Commercial Mortgage to talk about their recent NALHFA Award of HOME Excellence for their project, Harmony Garden Estates. Alexandria Housing Authority (AHA) transitioned its entire portfolio from public housing to affordable housing using HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program from 2016 to 2021. Harmony Garden Estates, LP represents one phase of this comprehensive transition. Comprised of three distinct affordable housing sites (Harmony Village, Garden Gates, Tranquil Estates) and 172 units for families, this $23 million project resulted from a partnership with BGC Advantage and Alexandria Housing Authority (AHA) joined with CHDO Mount Pleasant CDC to sponsor HOME development funds and help with the transition. Harmony Garden Estates includes three sites located within the city of Alexandria, LA. The project served to transform aging and declining properties in low-income neighborhoods. The three sites are in residential areas, and the rehab of these sites fit within other family structures, enhancing surrounding infill homes and streets of single-family owned homes. Upon completion, the sites have 100% Project-Based Vouchers.

In this episode, Membership and Operations Associate Allison Ward speaks with Eric Leonard from El Paso County Economic Development to talk about their recent NALHFA Award of Single Family Excellence for their Turnkey Plus Program.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Associate Allison Ward Christopher Donald Executive Director and CEO of DC HFA, Chris Miller, former DCHFA Senior Director of Housing Investments, and Harvey Yancey, Managing Member of H2 DesignBuild to talk about their 2021 NALHFA Award of Redevelopment Excellence for their project, Cynthia Townhomes.

In this episode, Membership and Operations Associate Allison Ward speaks with Louis Weyand from Allegheny County Economic Development and Gregg Kander from Ohringer Arts to talk about their recent NALHFA Award of HOME Excellence for their project, the Ohringer Building that received the prestigious NALHFA Award of Multifamily Excellence in 2021.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Associate Allison Ward speaks with Eric Enderlin from the New York City Housing Development Corporation to discuss The Essex project that received the prestigious NALHFA Award of Multifamily Excellence.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, NALHFA’s Director of Government Affairs breaks down the current status of infrastructure efforts on Capitol Hill, including the outlook for housing priorities in a budget reconciliation package.  This episode will dive into NALHFA’s advocacy strategy and discuss potential outcomes for infrastructure and housing provisions over the next month.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Associate Allison Ward speaks with Gene Slater, longtime NALHFA member and expert in the housing community to discuss the relationship between race and housing and how segregation has been exasperated by the real estate industry.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Associate Allison Ward speaks with Ruth Moreira from the New York City Housing Development Corporation as well as Rosanna Viera, from Director of Development at Fordham Bedford to discuss the Serviam Heights project that received the prestigious NALHFA Award of HOME Excellence in 2020.