APARTMENT ADVOCATE
NATIONAL APARTMENT ASSOCIATION
Industry Responds to House Call for
Housing Affordability Solutions
T
he National Apartment Association
and National Multifamily Housing
Council provided a comprehensive
overview of the affordability challenges facing the nation for House Financial
Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling
(R-Texas) on Nov. 1 in response to his call for
solutions and a recent series of hearings on
affordable housing. We emphasized that demand
for apartments across the nation is outstripping
supply and offered numerous related recommendations.
programs alone. As outlined in the letter, the
reality of shrinking federal resources dictates
that we develop creative ways for policymakers
to engage the private sector to advance the
shared goal of delivering safe, affordable housing. We emphasized the vital importance of
local, state and federal collaborations, and partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Specifically, we outlined the importance of
streamlining existing programs to address affordability issues, including the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, the Low Income
Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and multifamily Federal Housing Administration programs.
NAA/NMHC expressed to Chairman Hensarling that we want to be at the forefront of
developing solutions to help legislators create
a balanced housing policy. In addition, we outlined the work we are doing with our members
to develop creative ways for policy makers to
engage the private sector to advance the shared
goal of delivering safe, affordable housing.
We also recognized that the demands for
affordable housing cannot be met by government
34 | TRENDS • JANUARY 2016
And finally, we detailed that to be successful
we must address the onerous regulations, rules
and mandates that limit the private sector’s ability to develop and preserve affordable housing.
HOUSE PASSES HIGHWAY BILL WITH
KEY HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
AMENDMENT
The House passed a six-year $325 billion package on Nov. 5 to fund the highway and transit
system in our nation. Of interest to the apartment
housing industry is an NAA/NMHC amendment
offered by House Financial Services Committee
Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) that encourages owners to invest in affordable properties.
Specifically, the amendment is focused on
changes that would preserve low-income housing
and allow Section 8 residents on fixed incomes to
have their incomes certified once every three years
versus annually. This amendment also creates an
energy demonstration program for affordable apartment housing properties.
NAA/NMHC have repeatedly offered support
for proposals that streamline resident eligibility cer-
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