NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel participated in two congressional briefings in May and June on the housing crisis. The briefings were part of a three-part series hosted by the Housing Crisis Response Initiative, which was launched by U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA). The initiative aims to improve coordination between Democratic members of the House, housing stakeholders, and local officials to lower the cost of development and reduce other local barriers to fair and affordable housing.
The first briefing, “What Do Locals Do?: Understanding the Role of Local Officials in Housing and Community Development,” was held on May 15. The goal of the briefing was to help members of Congress understand how federal funding for housing reaches communities, how localities make decisions about spending funds, and how federal elected officials can engage with local elected officials to reduce barriers to fair and affordable housing. Along with Diane, speakers at the briefing included Ann Oliva, president and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness; Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities; Garth Rieman, director of housing advocacy and strategic services at the National Council of State Housing Agencies; and Terry Hickey, director of housing and community development in Baltimore County, Maryland.
The second briefing, “Ending the Housing and Homelessness Crisis: A Deep Dive into A Democratic Legislative Response,” was held on June 13. The briefing aimed to help members understand how the legislation included in Ranking Member Waters’s visionary housing package would help address the nation’s affordable housing and homelessness crises. This housing package includes bills that would provide the long-term, large-scale investments required to ensure that everyone has a safe, affordable, accessible place to call home, including the “Housing Crisis Response Act” and “Ending Homelessness Act,” both of which NLIHC has endorsed.
In addition to Diane, panelists for the second briefing included Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance; David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference; Michael Pugh, president and CEO of the Local Initiative Support Corporation; and Adrienne Goolsby, senior vice president for the US and Canadian offices of Habitat for Humanity International.
The series concluded on June 26 with a final briefing, “America’s Diverse Housing Needs: A Primer on Regional Differences.” The briefing focused on regional differences in the national housing crisis and aimed to help members of Congress learn more about local housing initiatives. The panel for the final briefing included Rasheedah Phillips, director of housing and PolicyLink; Chris Herbert, managing director at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies; Lance George, director of research and information at the Housing Assistance Council; Sarah Karlinsky, research director at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley; and Janneke Ratcliffe, vice president of housing finance policy and interim vice president for the Metropolitan Housing and Community Policy Center at the Urban Institute.