NLIHC has produced two new resources for advocates, state agencies and developers related to developing and operating housing affordable to extremely low income (ELI) households with national Housing Trust Fund (HTF) resources. They are posted on the NLIHC HTF website at: http://nlihc.org/issues/nhtf
The two new resources are:
1.Funding Strategies for Developing and Operating Extremely Low Income Housing: The rents that ELI households can afford to pay often do not cover the operating costs of a rental project. Two recent studies by the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) and NLIHC identify state and local funding strategies for ELI housing to address this issue. The strategies include cross subsidization, capitalizing operating reserves, rent subsidies or operating assistance, reducing mortgage debt, and layered funding streams. States can adapt these strategies when considering how to utilize HTF funds.
2.Options and Considerations Related to HTF Operating Assistance and Operating Assistance Reserves: The national HTF Developers Advisory Group (see below and http://bit.ly/1Sj1uOp) created an Operating Assistance Workgroup to develop guidance for how states, advocates and developers should consider employing the operating assistance (OA) and OA reserves that are allowable under the HTF regulations. The first section of this resource provides an overview of the HTF regulations related to operating assistance and operating assistance reserves. The second part is a summary of the OA and OA reserve options and considerations for HTF advocates, developers, and HTF state administering agencies. It explores cross-subsidization in mixed-income projects supported by multiple funding streams, a centrally managed operating assistance approach, a project-level operating reserve approach, and a project capitalization approach.
The national HTF Developers Advisory Group consists of experienced mission-driven affordable housing developers who have agreed to serve as an advisory resource to advocates, state HTF administering agencies, and other developers. Those who would like to dig deeper into the information in the documents described above or ask other questions about developing and operating HTF projects for ELI households can reach out directly to members of the HTF Developers Advisory Group.
A list of HTF Developers Advisory Group members and their contact information is at: http://bit.ly/1Sj1uOp