Legislative Advocacy: State Advocacy

Illinois Housing Development Authority:
COVID-19 Affordable Housing Grant Program

The COVID-19 Affordable Housing Grant Program (CAHGP) was created in conjunction with the Governor and Illinois General Assembly to provide IHDA with valuable State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) for gap financing. The Illinois General Assembly gave IHDA a sum of $75 million initially to see if the program could succeed. IHDA made the program a success and actively advocated to the Governor and Illinois General Assembly to successfully secure an additional $150 million.

Louisiana Housing Corporation:
Accelerating Homeownership Through Advocacy

The Louisiana Homeownership Think Tank is product of partnerships that are building and growing our communities. The LaHTT took a routine desk assignment and successfully transitioned it to a statewide movement convening local, state and national stakeholders. The LaHTT originally started as a response to HUD Secretary Fudge’s challenge to increase homeownership among the black and brown underserved communities. In less than 1 year the LaHTT grew from 10 partners to over 100.

MassHousing:
Equitable Developers' Fund

MassHousing advocated for state legislation and secured financing for a new program, the Equitable Developers’ Fund. The Fund creates a reserve to provide financial and technical assistance for BIPOC entrepreneurs, who are often excluded from affordable housing development opportunities.

Nebraska Investment Finance Authority:
Nebraska's Strategic Housing Framework

The 2022 Strategic Housing Framework is addressing Nebraska’s need for diverse, affordable housing by utilizing partnerships across the state to provide our communities a toolbox of best practices for how to grow. The Framework also provides a pathway for removing legislative barriers and instead incentivizing development.

New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency:
Permanently Financing Special Needs Housing

The Special Needs Housing Trust Fund provides capital financing to create permanent supportive housing and community residences for individuals with special needs, with priority given to individuals with mental illness. The purpose of this special non-lapsing, revolving fund is to develop special needs housing and residential opportunities as alternatives to institutionalization or homelessness for those who would benefit from these programs and to ensure the long-term viability of such housing.

Oregon Housing and Community Services:
Advancing Systemic Change in Homeless Services to Address Racial Disparities

During the 2021 legislative session, OHCS introduced House Bill 2100. Together the bill and coinciding launch of the Task Force on Homelessness and Racial Disparities in Oregon led to a unique opportunity to modernize and reimagine our current homeless services funding system to create more inclusive service provider opportunities. We believe this model can be used by other states in their journey to decrease racial disparities and create a more inclusive and equitable homeless services system.

Virginia Housing:
Drop It Like It's HOTC

The steady and recognized expertise of Virginia Housing staff and the coalition built was critical to the successful creation of the Virginia Housing Opportunity Tax Credit (HOTC). Virginia Housing’s “lead from behind” approach to facilitating passage of the HOTC is something that can be replicated by additional states in adopting state credit legislation.

Washington State Housing Finance Commission:
Undoing Discrimination: The Homeownership Covenant Act

In 2023, Washington passed the first state law aimed at specifically undoing the effects of systemic racism in homeownership through a special-purpose credit program. The Homeownership Covenant Act takes aim at the shameful history of state-sanctioned injustice and provides both a legal path forward and a source of funding to address financial harm to families of color. For questions about this entry please contact Margret Graham at margret.graham@wshfc.org.