Join the ACTION Campaign Monthly Call
The ACTION Campaign monthly call will be held on Friday, June 4 at 2:00 PM EST.
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Zoom Video Link *If you would like to be added to the calendar invite, please email Krista D’Alessandro at kdalessandro@enterprisecommunity.org.
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Phone number: 929-205-6099
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Meeting ID: 193 634 880
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Password: 256387
ACTION Updates
President Releases FY22 Budget
On May 28, the White House released President Biden’s budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, which totaled $6 trillion, a 16 percent increase from the FY21 enacted levels. The Budget proposes creating a new type of Housing Credit authority, termed “Opportunity Housing Credit Dollar Amounts” (OHCDA). OHCDAs would have a separate credit ceiling from traditional Housing Credits, set at 118 percent of the aggregate amount of traditional Housing Credit volume cap each year for five years—2022 through 2026. The Budget does not include an increase in traditional Housing Credit volume cap.
OHCDAs would be used primarily in “Census Tracts of Opportunity,” which include Census tracts that are in one or more Difficult Development Area (DDA) or have low poverty or other advantages as defined by the Treasury Secretary. The budget does not provide detail on what is meant by “primarily,” so it is unclear the extent to which OHCDAs might be used outside of Census Tracts of Opportunity.
The Budget maintains that states would receive OHCDA authority on a per capita basis, but with a different per capita amount applied to each state. The formula would be determined by the Treasury Secretary, in consultation with HUD, and would provide higher amounts to states with higher construction and operating costs, larger populations living in DDAs, or higher percentages of rent-burdened households.
The Budget also proposes to increase the DDA basis boost from 30 percent to 50 percent for 9 percent traditional Housing Credit developments and OHCDAs. The change to the DDA basis boost would be permanent.
AHCIA Continues to Gain Bipartisan Support
A number of new cosponsors signed onto the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA) of 2021 (S. 1136 & H.R. 2573) this past month. The Senate currently has 14 bipartisan cosponsors—seven Republicans and seven Democrats—including our lead sponsors. One-quarter of the Senate Finance Committee has already cosponsored. In the House, 21 Representatives—10 Republicans and 11 Democrats—have now signed on, including our lead sponsors. This includes 35 percent of Ways and Means Committee members.
Check out the updated list of current cosponsors here, and please remember to thank your members of Congress if they sign on. Check out ACTION’s Social Media Advocacy Toolkit for sample thank you text.
Final Videos in AHCIA Video Series Released
ACTION has released the remaining set of videos in its series detailing the provisions of the AHCIA of 2021. In the three-part video series, Enterprise Community Partners Senior Director of Public Policy Ayrianne Parks and National Council of State Housing Agencies Director of Tax and Housing Advocacy Jennifer Schwartz discuss how the AHCIA of 2021 would modernize the Housing Credit to better serve local communities and streamline affordable housing development criteria. The third set of videos in the series includes:
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Simplifying the Ten-Year Rule and Related Party Rule (Section 302);
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Addressing QCT and DDA Population Cap Constraints (Section 304);
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Setting Parameters for State-Defined Community Revitalization Plans (Section 305);
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Establishing a State-Determined Basis Boost for 4 Percent Deals (Section 308);
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Preventing Planned Foreclosures (Section 310);
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Adding a QAP Selection Criteria for Housing Serving Native Americans and Native Hawaiians (Section 401);
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Expanding Multifamily Bond Recycling (Section 601); and
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Applying the Average Income Test to Bond/4 Percent Credit Developments (Section 201).
Advocates are encouraged to share these videos with their networks and use them to prepare for meetings with members of Congress and urge support for the AHCIA. Check out part three of the ACTION video series here, where you can also view the remaining videos included in the series.
ACTION Advocacy Resources Reminder
In addition to the latest release of the AHCIA Video Series, the ACTION Campaign continues to provide updated resources for advocates’ meetings with members of Congress. These AHCIA advocacy resources include:
The ACTION Campaign also updates specific National, State, and Congressional District Fact Sheets, detailing the impact of the Housing Credit across the country, as well as in each state and district.
Finally, a reminder to share this letter signed by 82 mayors from 28 states across the country with members of Congress to help encourage more cosponsors. The letter, led by Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and circulated in partnership with the ACTION Campaign, demonstrates the broad local and community-level support for Housing Credit, calling on Congress to enact the legislation. Please reach out to Krista D’Alessandro, kdalessandro@enterprisecommunity.org, with any questions.
ACTION Membership
The ACTION Campaign continues to expand its membership of over 2,400 businesses and organizations from across the country who support the Housing Credit. In May alone, ACTION was pleased to welcome the following 12 new members:
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Odella Group, LLC, Arkansas
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Beargrass Development, Kentucky
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Educational Sustainability Mobilization, Inc. DBA EssentialNow, Maryland
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Barrier Free Living, Inc., New York
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Catholic Charities Housing Office, Diocese of Albany, New York
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Geel Community Services, Inc., New York
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The Health & Housing Consortium, Inc., New York
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Joseph’s House & Shelter, Inc., New York
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Partners Ending Homelessness, New York
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St. Francis Friends of the Poor, Inc., New York
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Spatial Equity Co., New York
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Streamline Advisory Partners, Texas
ACTION encourages all members to ask their partners who are not yet members to join ACTION. Membership is free. The more members that sign on, the better ACTION can demonstrate to Congress the widespread support for the Housing Credit across the country. ACTION also created a LinkedIn page which we encourage members to follow and share with their networks to help us grow our membership and reach.
Housing Credit Research
A May 6 blog from the Urban Institute, “The Forthcoming Senior Rental Crisis Has Implications for Federal, State, and Local Policymaking,” estimates 5.5 million additional senior renter households will need to be housed and notes the Housing Credit can be used to fund additional construction of senior-tailored units to help alleviate affordability pressures.
Housing Credit In the News
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In a May 10 op-ed published in the Hill, “Housing is critical infrastructure — federal spending must prioritize it,” Enterprise Community Partners President and CEO Priscilla Almodovar and Regional Planning Association President and CEO Tom Wright highlight the importance of including affordable housing programs such as the Housing Credit in federal infrastructure bills.
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On Wednesday, May 26, Genesis Companies announced the completion of its rehabilitation of Vista Village in East Orange, New Jersey, which consists of nearly 200 units of “100 percent affordable housing” for seniors and adults with disabilities financed using the Housing Credit.
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On May 27, the Alexander Company celebrated the opening of a decade-long preservation and rehabilitation project at the Milwaukee Soldiers Home campus, which now offers 101 permanent supportive housing units—financed partially by Housing Credits—for veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
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On Friday, May 28, 90 additional affordable units opened in Dekalb County, Georgia. The project was funded through 9 percent federal Housing Credits in addition to other sources. It will set aside 80 percent of its units for residents earning at or below 60 percent of area median income.
