NLIHC State Coalition Partners Hold Semi-Annual In-Person Meeting

Representatives of 24 of NLIHC state coalition partner organizations gathered in Washington, D.C. March 16 and 17 for their semi-annual meeting, held in conjunction with the 2013 Annual Policy Conference and Lobby Day. State partners, housing and homelessness advocacy organizations serving statewide or regional areas, are the organizations with which NLIHC works most closely to advance its policy agenda. In addition to reports and discussion on the National Housing Trust Fund, the proposal to reform the mortgage interest deduction, and the HUD and RHS funding crisis, the meeting featured additional sessions on state level strategies.A discussion of state-level advocacy efforts on behalf of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC) was led by Val Iverson, executive director of the Arizona Housing Alliance, who shared information about her state’s efforts to use the LIHTC program to create Housing First models to end homelessness. Andy Fraizer, executive director of the Indiana Association for Community and Economic Development, spoke about advocates’ efforts to defend the program in his state. A second discussion, led by Delaware Housing Coalition Executive Director Ken Smith, had attendees share their state strategies to create additional affordable housing opportunities, without relying on HOME and the LIHTC. The meeting also featured small group discussions on partnerships to bridge housing, transportation, education, health and other initiatives to build strong communities and on effective federal advocacy by statewide organizations. For more on NLIHC’s state coalition partners, visit http://nlihc.org/whatwedo/outreach/state, or contact Project Director La’Teashia Sykes at [email protected].