Launched in 2003, SAHF has eleven sophisticated not-for-profit members who acquire, preserve and are committed to long-term, sustainable ownership and continued affordability of multifamily rental properties for low-income families, seniors, and disabled individuals. Together, SAHF members own and operate housing in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—providing homes to more than 97,000 low-income households across the country.
SAHF's members promote their shared ownership objective, which embraces the notion that stable, affordable rental homes are critically important in people's lives. Through their deal flow, SAHF's members stay on top of policy and marketplace developments nationwide. They come face-to-face almost daily with barriers to preservation of affordable housing for the poor, which enables them to discern patterns. Seeing the patterns and having the expertise, SAHF works with its members to develop policy solutions that work.
Click here to donate to SAHF!
Email: contact@sahfnet.org
Individual e-mails on our staff list.
Address:
Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF)
555 11th Street NW, Suite 525
Washington, DC 20004
Phone: 202-737-5970
Fax: 202-737-5971
On November 16, 2011, HUD announced grant awards for its Section 202 and Section 811 programs, which provide funding for construction and major rehabilitation of homes for elderly and disabled residents. SAHF members were awarded nearly 10% of HUD's total award funding to create nearly 500 homes in 12 projects across 7 states. View HUD’s award announcement here.
On November 10, 2011, HUD issued Housing Notice H-2011-31, which is intended to facilitate the preservation of HUD properties approaching mortgage maturity. Reversing historical HUD policies requiring sale proceeds to be placed in a trust fund regulated by HUD, the notice, effective immediately, permits nonprofit sellers of older subsidized properties with FHA-insured (or HUD-held formerly FHA) mortgages to retain the proceeds of sale, subject to satisfying the criteria in the notice. This should encourage nonprofit owners wishing to exit the housing business to sell in the near future to preservation-oriented purchasers, rather than waiting until mortgage maturity when HUD restrictions expire. Click here for more information.
SAHF Member Preservation of Affordable Housing awarded $30.5 million for Grove Parc Plaza, Chicago. View HUD's award announcement here.
The Washington Post's recent series on HUD's HOME Investment Partnership highlights troubling examples of failed projects and inadequate oversight, but these examples represent only a small fraction of thousands of important housing efforts supported with HOME funds. Despite the worst real-estate led recession in decades, SAHF members have produced many excellent examples of complex and ambitious development projects that use HOME funding to improve neighborhoods and expand much-needed affordable housing opportunities. Read the full response here.
View the complete letter here.
While public attention has been focused on sweeping legislative initiatves, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) multifamily team, under the leadership of Secretary Shaun Donovan and Deputy Assistand Secretary for Multifamily Housing Carol Galante, has quietly put in place a stronger framework to preserve the affordable housing inventory using existing statutory authorities. View the full article here.
The Housing Partnership Network (HPN) and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) wrote to Chairman Bachus and Ranking Member Frank on their members' opposition to the Committee on Financial Services’s proposed mark-up of legislation to eliminate several of the core federal foreclosure prevention and neighborhood stabilization programs. See their comments here.
Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF), has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive nearly $2.6 million to coordinate an energy performance contracting program to improve the energy efficiency of 2,500 housing units in 40 to 50 eligible properties. $1.25 million of the grant will be combined with $8 million in private loans to SAHF members to make energy saving upgrades. SAHF will also emphasize resident education and training, as well as maintenance staff training to provide further savings. Additional information available under Energy Conservation.
In response to questions raised at HUD's stakeholders' meeting on the Section 202 program, SAHF and LeadingAge (formerly AAHSA) submitted written comments on how best to reform the Section 202 program. SAHF Enterprise Community Partners and Leading Age submitted additional comments on November 11, 2010. Click here to read the letter.
Housing expert Jeanne Engel and SAHF's own Stephen Glatter comment on efforts by states to make multifamily weatherization a priority. Many low-income households, including the elderly, disabled, and families with children, live in multifamily housing, but Weatherization Assistance Program dollars have been slow to reach their homes. As states struggle to spend $5 billion in allocated Weatherization Assistance funds, multifamily projects represent a large untapped market. Click here to read their paper.
SAHF drafted a review of research conducted that demonstrates the impact green retrofitting of multifamily properties has on local economies, particularly on employment. Read review.
SAHF created a utility allowance table for Project-Based Section 8 comparing tenant versus owner paid rules governing utility allowances. Click here to view the chart.
MAP OF SAHF MEMBER PROPERTIES The Community Builders Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society Homes for America Mercy Housing, Inc. National Affordable Housing Trust National Church Residences, Inc. National Housing Trust NHP Foundation Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc. Retirement Housing Foundation Volunteers of America