Stewards of Affordable Housing
for the Future

The Latest

SAHF Submits Comments on the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program

View the complete letter here.

SAHF Receives Energy Grant from Living Cities

In January, 2012, SAHF received a grant from Living Cities to implement the Ratepayer Integrated On bill Pilot Program (RIOPP).  Co-sponsored by the California Housing Partnership Corporation, RIOPP is an energy retrofit program implemented in conjunction with two Southern California utilities – an electric utility and a natural gas utility.  The program combines a one-stop shop approach to whole building energy retrofits in multifamily affordable housing with an innovative on bill repayment financing mechanism.  The Living Cities grant will fund the first phase of the program.  Living Cities is an innovative philanthropic collaborative of 22 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions.

SAHF Receives Energy Innovation Fund Award

Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future is pleased to announce that it is one of twelve organizations selected by HUD to be an implementing partner under the Multifamily Energy Innovation Fund. Using $1.5 million of HUD funding, SAHF will develop an approach that identifies the energy conservation measures most likely to have widespread applicability, matches those measures with specific properties through the use of an Excel-based tool, provides financing for capital costs, and offers property owners a “one-stop shop” approach for implementing the measures.  SAHF is working with ICF International to develop the tool with the goal of reducing utility consumption by 25%. Once the tool is developed, it will be tested and refined while retrofitting five to ten SAHF member owned properties with approximately 500 units. More information about the announcement can be found here.

HUD Announces Funding Information around the Section 202 and 811 Programs

On March 28, 2012, HUD released a proposed rule that would amend HUD’s regulations governing the Section 202 and the Section 811 programs by streamlining the requirements for mixed-finance development. For more information, view the proposed rule here. HUD also recently announced NOFAs for the Assisted Living Conversion Program (ALCP) and the Service Coordinators in Multifamily Housing Program. 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.

FY12 Choice Neighborhoods Planning and Implementation NOFAs are Now Available

HUD recently published the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the FY2012 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants and Implementation Grants NOFAs. The Planning Grants NOFA makes approximately $5 million available for awards. Applications are due on May 1 and awards will be made by the end of September. The Implementation Grants NOFA makes approximately $110 million available for awards. Applications are due April 10. The NOFAs and application packages are available through www.grants.gov. For more information on the program and grant recipients, view HUD’s website.

SAHF Signs on to Letter Supporting Full Funding for Project Based Section 8

View the letter here.

HUD Releases Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Proposal

On February 13, 2012, the Administration released their FY 2013 budget proposal, which included $44.8 billion in funding for HUD's housing programs, an increase of $1.4 billion from FY 2012 and a 3.2 percent increase from FY12. Please see below for additional FY13 budget resources:

SAHF's Summary of HUD's FY13 Budget Proposal
HUD's FY13 Budget Proposal
HUD's FY13 Budget Proposal Appendix
OMB's HUD FY13 Budget Proposal Summary

SAHF Submits Comments on the Proposed HOME Rule

View the complete letter here.

Revised HUD Rules Help Facilitate Preservation of Affordable Properties

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 Submits Comments on HUD Regulatory Burdens

View the complete letter here.

SAHF President Bill Kelly's commentary featured in April/May 2011 issue of Affordable Housing Finance

While public attention has been focused on sweeping legislative initiatives, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) multifamily team, under the leadership of Secretary Shaun Donovan and Deputy Assistant 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.

SAHF and HPN Oppose Mark-Up

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’ proposed mark-up of legislation to eliminate several of the core federal foreclosure prevention and neighborhood stabilization programs. See their comments here.

SAHF Submits Comments to HUD on the Reinvention of the Section 202 Program

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.

SAHF Recipient of DOE Grant

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.

SAHF Research on Energy and Multifamily Affordable Housing

SAHF staff and consultants regularly provide research and analysis into the impact of energy spending and energy-efficiency programs on multifamily affordable housing.  Click here to read a paper on the use of Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance funds to benefits residents of multifamily housing.  Click here to read a review of research conducted that demonstrates the impact green retrofitting of multifamily properties has on local economies, particularly on employment.  Click here to view a utility allowance table for Project-Based Section 8 comparing tenant versus owner paid rules governing utility allowances. Click here to view a paper by the Furman Center on household energy bills and subsidized housing.