The HAND network is working tirelessly to address the growing housing affordability challenge across the Capital Region. Five Minutes With is a series highlighting these members and other stakeholders. This informal conversation delves into their recent projects, the affordable housing industry and more. In the latest edition, we chat with a new addition to our team, LaToya Thomas, HAND’s new Housing Indicator Tool Policy Director. Check out our conversation below, and you can learn more about the Housing Indicator Tool here.
HAND: You have extensive experience in the housing and community development industry – can you tell us about the journey you’ve taken to get to this point?
LT: Sure – it’s been a pretty colorful journey, to say the least. First, for background, I’m trained as an urban planner with a focus in community planning, so that’s the lens under which I have approached my work in the various positions I’ve had over the past 15 years.
The bulk of my career has been spent working either in development or in architecture, and I worked primarily in project management, community engagement, business development, and marketing. I also had the opportunity to work on projects that ranged from affordable and mixed-income housing to charter schools to public institutions, like libraries. This background gave me a really unique perspective, as I was able to work on a mix of projects that were “community-serving” while also being able to sit on different sides of the table as these projects came to fruition and understand the many design, financial, and political considerations that are involved.
Now I am nearly 4 years into Brick & Story (sometimes I call it “The Lab”), as a way to blend my professional experience into a platform that can work creatively and in partnership the development community to bring the people we are serving into the conversation in a truly meaningful and intentional way. Many say we focus on engagement and, while that’s true, we’re really focused on reconnecting people to the built environment and to the steps and processes that impact how the physical fabric of their community looks and feels – particularly because we know that some people have never had the opportunity to be part of the conversation around what happens in their community.
HAND: Can you tell us about your latest role with HAND? What are you most looking forward to over the coming months?
LT: I am collaborating with the HAND team to support the regional rollout of the Housing Indicator Tool. Much of my focus will be to provide education around the tool, design and implement activation events for the larger community to understand the tool, and facilitate policy discussions and help to influence policy decisions so that each jurisdiction is investing in appropriate resources and tools to meet their respective goals.
I am really looking forward to the regional dialogue and exchange that is possible and so badly needed around the issues of housing affordability. I personally believe in the value of shared learning and collaboration when trying to solve problems like this, so I think the HIT presents an opportunity for all of to do so and helps us as a region guide our next steps.
HAND: What is the most important takeaway(s) from your experience thus far that you’re bringing into your new role?
LT: The importance of creative and collaborative partnerships rings loudest here; we often get stuck in our silos within the industry and forget the many different roles we each play in shaping communities, as well as the responsibilities that we have not only to each other as professionals, but also to the larger community of people out there who are impacted by the work we do and decisions we make. We have a real opportunity to develop a true regional approach to addressing housing affordability at our doorstep if we are all willing to work together to understand what we each need to do to get there.
HAND: What do you think is the largest hurdle when it comes to creating and preserving affordable housing across our region?
LT: The lack of a coordinated regional approach is a major factor; our area is unique because int the District we are bordered by 2 states and 4 major counties, but depending on where you are, the real estate landscape can be like night and day. Even the understanding of the need for housing affordability across multiple income levels is not consistent across the jurisdictions. If the region can be thinking about housing collectively – not just from a production side, but also from a financing, subsidy, and policy standpoint – we might be able to tackle our affordability issues and see a bigger impact at the end of the day.
HAND: Do you believe there is a “secret sauce” to addressing housing affordability? If so, what do you think that is
LT: I’ll name one ingredient in the sauce that I think is key, which is the issue of depressed wages for those who are in need of quality housing the most. We can’t have an honest conversation about addressing housing affordability if we aren’t prepared to talk about how to pay wages that allow people to move along the housing spectrum, whether that is moving from rental housing to homeownership or moving out of public housing and into an affordable rental or homeownership option. Housing affordability is not just about providing a roof over someone’s head; it’s also about creating a stable foundation for someone to grow and thrive socially AND economically.
HAND: If you weren’t working in this space, what might you be doing?
LT: Owning and operating a bed-and-breakfast. I’m all about 1) acquiring real estate and 2) creating cool, interesting, and intimate spaces where people can relax and have a meaningful, hospitable experience.
Todd A. Lee, Former Executive Director and CEO of DC Housing Finance Agency
Congratulations are in order! DC Housing Finance Agency has announced three recipients of the 2020 Todd A. Lee Scholarship!
The Todd A. Lee Scholarship commemorates Todd A. Lee, an outstanding District of Columbia legend, and honors his commitment to both affordable housing and education. Mr. Lee was the Executive Director and CEO of the Agency from 2016 to 2020. During his lifetime, his career focus was on innovation, infrastructure/process, and financing in real estate. He came to DCHFA because he wanted to have an impact in the city through the preservation and construction of affordable and workforce housing in the District ofColumbia. The scholarship benefits graduate students that aspire to be future contributors to the field of affordable housing. The scholarship was established in January 2020. More details on each of the recipients below:
Pictured left to right: Jason Harris, Lee Goldstein and
Khaleef Bradford
Jason A. Harris is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in real estate at Georgetown University. He completed his undergraduate degree at Howard University earning a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a minor in Business Administration.
Lee Goldstein is pursuing his Master’s degree in Real Estate and Infrastructure from The Carey Business School at The Johns Hopkins University. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and a Master of Public Administration, Urban Policy from the George Washington University.
Khaleef Bradford is currently attending the University of Maryland where he’s working toward his Master’s degree in Real Estate Development. He previously obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with a minor in Real Estate Development from the University of Maryland.
Congratulations to all!
Join the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance on September 17 to honor the 2020 Regional Housing Leaders and celebrate its 15th Anniversary! Working at the intersection of housing policy, advocacy and systems change over 15 years, NVAHA is the regional voice for housing in NoVA. Join housing colleagues, our sponsors, friends and honorees from across the region for this event that celebrates leadership, and the impact of partnerships and regionalism for more just, equitable communities.
Register here for this free, online event.
How District businesses and residents get their energy is facing change as the city seeks a cleaner energy future. Washington Gas is proud to be a member of this thriving community and understands its role in ensuring a sustainable tomorrow as an essential energy provider.
Join Washington Gas at 5 p.m. on July 29, 2020 for a virtual public meeting to learn how the organization can help the District reach its climate goals of becoming carbon neutral in ways that are cost-effective, innovative and community-driven.
The webinar will walk through Washington Gas’ Climate Business Plan and provide insights into how this approach will help our community achieve its climate goals in an affordable and inclusive way.
The event will be the first of many discussions on working together to create policies and regulations to meet the District’s climate targets, while continuing to provide essential energy in a cost-effective manner to the people, businesses and institutions that call the District of Columbia home.
The discussion will focus on how the plan is a roadmap to meet the District’s clean energy goals to lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 50 percent by 2032 and to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) is pleased to announce that the District of Columbia Preservation Fund awarded LIIF $3 million. LIIF will leverage this grant with LIIF capital to provide flexible, low-cost financing for the preservation of affordable housing in D.C. for low income families, who are at risk of displacement as rising rents push out longtime tenants. This financing will not just preserve homes, it will also improve property conditions and guarantee long-term affordability.
The Fund provides quick access to short-term bridge, acquisition, and pre-development financing for eligible for-profit and nonprofit borrowers to purchase and rehabilitate occupied buildings with more than five units. At least 50 percent of units must be currently affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the median family income. The Affordable Housing Preservation Fund activities are being funded in partnership with the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
“Access to DC Preservation Fund financing will allow LIIF to help developers acquire more properties, guaranteeing long-term access to affordable housing, improved property management, and better housing conditions.” says Holly Denniston-Chase, Deputy Director, Mid-Atlantic Region. “LIIF recognizes the important investment the District of Columbia, and especially the DHCD, is making by growing the District of Columbia Preservation Fund.”
Key loan features include:
For more information on financing for housing preservation, contact Holly Denniston-Chase, LIIF’s Deputy Director, Mid-Atlantic Region, hchase@liifund.org or 202.677.4286. You can also view more details here.
HAND members are hard at work addressing the growing housing affordability challenge across the Capital Region. Five Minutes With is a series highlighting these individuals and organizations within our membership. This informal conversation asks HAND members about their recent projects, the affordable housing industry and more. In the latest edition, we chat with Anne Venezia, Arlington County’s new Housing Director.
In my new role, I also look forward to further collaborating with organizations like HAND and MWCOG to share ideas and problem solve. The need for new approaches at a regional level has never been greater.
Ms. Venezia brings more than 20 years of experience in housing policy and finance.Combined with her deep knowledge of Arlington and strong interpersonal skills, she was the top candidate in a national search. In her new role, Ms. Venezia will direct the Housing Division’s portfolio of financial and development programs and services.
She most recently served six months as the Acting Housing Director and was the Housing Finance Manager for four years prior. Venezia joined Arlington County in 2008 and gained experience delivering strategic financial planning, asset management, multifamily development and acquisitions, and housing policy oversight. Check out our conversation below:
HAND: You have extensive experience in the housing/community development industry – can you tell us about the journey you’ve taken to get to this point?
AV: I started my career in consulting, working on housing policy and disaster recovery at two different firms before entering the public sector. I accepted a position with the Development team in Arlington County’s Housing Division in 2008, underwriting loans to support acquisitions of new affordable units and ramping up my housing finance skills in the process. Following a re-org in 2016, I moved to a newly created Finance and Asset Management team. While managing this team, I oversaw an annual budget of $30 million for housing programs (largely multifamily development) as well as asset management and compliance functions of the County’s more than 8,000 committed affordable units, nearly $400 million in multifamily development loans, and over 200 single-family loans. While much of my background has been on the finance and data side of housing, working directly with families benefitting from these programs — whether in disaster ravaged neighborhoods or onsite at one of the County’s affordable properties — has always had the greatest impression on me, and is a reminder of how important our affordable housing work is to support these households.
HAND: Can you tell us about your latest role? How are you dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 simultaneously?
AV: I served as Acting Housing Director from November 2019 until April 2020 and was offered the permanent Housing Director position at the end of April. Coming into this role during a national pandemic has its challenges – we’re balancing existing programs with new COVID-related relief programs, all while learning new technologies that enable remote work and virtual community engagement. Thankfully, we have a dedicated and hardworking staff that has surpassed expectations in meeting these new demands and we’re looking for opportunities to improve our service delivery that can continue into a post-COVID world.
HAND: What is the most important takeaway(s) from your experience thus far that you’re bringing into your new role?
AV: While metrics can be powerful in demonstrating how impactful a housing program is (or not), the people we’re helping through our programs need to be our central focus. Especially in this new COVID reality—when households are struggling more than ever to pay for basic expenses such as housing, food, and medical care—we need to constantly re-evaluate how we can help and anticipate emerging needs. And, as budgets tighten, evaluating which programs can serve the greatest needs will allow us to support as many households as possible.
HAND: What do you think is the largest hurdle when it comes to creating and preserving affordable housing across our region
AV: While there are many challenges to affordable housing in our region, limited supply and housing types are major drivers of these constraints. Even in the era of COVID, growth continues in our region; having a limited supply of affordable housing types drives up demand and prices for the limited options that do exist. There simply aren’t enough rental options in our region to meet demand, particularly for those households earning less than 60% of area median income (AMI). This results in public sector subsidies being the primary, if not only way for households earning <60% of AMI, to live in Arlington and other high-cost areas of our region.
Further exacerbating the problem is high land values in our region, which disincentivizes production of affordable housing types on these parcels. Land owners wish to maximize returns on their properties; often it’s not economical to build smaller and potentially more affordable housing types, rental or homeownership. Instead, the housing types built on these expensive parcels often are out of reach for most low and moderate-income renters and homeowners.
The good news is we’re in an economically strong region, which can provide us with the resources needed to address these supply challenges.
HAND: What are you most looking forward to over the coming months?
AV: The saying “innovation loves a crisis” gives me hope during this unprecedented time. As a County, we’re challenging ourselves to try new approaches to continue service delivery while staff is largely remote. While we’re faced daily with the devastation of COVID on our low-income communities, these challenges are sparking creativity in our otherwise daily tasks – how can we serve 10 households with a program that typically serves 8? Is it time to resurrect programs that appeared unnecessary years ago but now are relevant again? Can we rethink opportunities for housing affordability in the face of tightening budgets?
Larger economic changes, while challenging to those markets, also may present opportunities for affordable housing. As the real estate market changes due to an increase in remote work, New York City and other urban areas see increased office vacancies as opportunities to re-purpose these spaces for affordable housing. These types of approaches could introduce new options in the DC area as well.
In my new role, I also look forward to further collaborating with organizations like HAND and MWCOG to share ideas and problem solve. The need for new approaches at a regional level has never been greater.
HAND: Do you believe there is a “secret sauce” to addressing housing affordability? If so, what do you think that is?
AV: Affordable housing challenges are complex – there isn’t a single solution that can fully meet the need. However, a multi-pronged approach could go a long way in addressing these challenges:
HAND: If you weren’t working in this industry, what might you be doing?
AV: Writing novels in a far-away mountain cabin. My family probably wouldn’t join me in a remote location, however, so I’d probably need to settle for writing in an inspired place closer to Arlington. 😊
Several HAND members were recently named among the Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers of 2019 in Affordable Housing Finance. The following members were recognized:
Congratulations to our HAND member organizations and all of this year’s honorees! You can check out the full list here.
A new partnership with Bank of America enables Howard University to provide testing and health care to DC’s most vulnerable and under-served neighborhoods. An excerpt from the press release reads:
Bank of America has awarded a $1M grant to the Howard University Faculty Practice Plan (HUFPP) to improve access to COVID-19 testing in the diverse Washington, D.C. communities located east of the river.
‘We’re excited to partner with Bank of America to get these critical resources to the areas that need them the most,” says Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Many of our patients travel great distances to come to Howard University Hospital, which makes it challenging to seek medical attention at the first sign of illness. Our goal is to meet the community where they live so their access to care greatly improves and hopefully we can reduce the spread of the coronavirus significantly.’
Beginning on Tuesday, May 5, Howard University Faculty Practice Plan will host testing at the new Benning Road Center, located at 4414 Benning Road, N.E., Washington, D.C., Suite 2400. The free testing will be available on Tuesdays and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the next three months. Residents can sign up by appointment by calling 202-865-2119, option 3. The team will see patients who are showing symptoms or who believe they are asymptomatic.
‘You will not need to have a doctor’s prescription in advance to get tested at our location,” says Dr. Hugh E. Mighty, Howard University vice president of clinical affairs. “We want to eliminate the obstacles so more people can be tested because we believe everyone should be tested. We want to screen our community neighbors in the areas where there are higher incidents of hypertension, heart disease and diabetes because those pre-existing conditions are linked to the higher incidents of coronavirus that we’ve seen in African American communities.’
As the need increases, the Howard team will look at expanding to include a mobile unit to provide testing options in a second area of the city. In addition to funding the tests and equipment, a portion of the grant will be used to enhance Howard University Hospital’s telehealth services. This will expand a doctor’s ability to see patients remotely and increase the patient’s access to care.
Montgomery County Council passed “The COVID-19 Renter Relief Act”, effective April 24, 2020, which prohibits landlords from increasing existing tenants’ rent by more than 2.6% after April 24 and during the COVID-19 catastrophic health emergency signed by the Governor of Maryland on March 5, 2020.
“This bill is an important step in helping our Montgomery County residents during this difficult time,” Councilmember Jawando said. “We have yet to know the full damage that will occur as a result of Covid-19 or what the actual recovery will be like for those who have lost jobs and their income. Our residents deserve the stability of knowing that their housing is protected. Today the Council has sent a strong message that our renters cannot be taken advantage of during this health crisis.”
Learn more on Montgomery County’s website.
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Payments: Orders placed on the event registration page are not confirmed until payment is received. A confirmation email will be sent to the email address listed in your registration. If you paid by credit card, a receipt will be sent to the email address listed in your registration. If you mail a check, all payments must be received within seven days of completing your registration form. Checks should be remitted to: HAND, PO Box 48386, Washington, DC 20002
Guest List & Dietary Preference: If your registration includes a luncheon table or multiple guests, please submit guest names and menu choices by May 1, 2020. Submit guest names here.
Housing Expo: Plan to exhibit? Download the Housing Expo FAQs here.
Omni Shoreham Hotel Room Block: For attendees looking to secure overnight accommodations on May 25th, HAND has secured a rate starting at $189 for conference attendees. There are a limited amount of rooms available, so visit this link today to reserve your room. May 10th is the last day to secure a room at the discounted rate.
Ad Submission: The artwork for advertisements should be submitted to annualmeeting@handhousing.org. You can download the ad spec sheet here. Deadline for ad submission is April 13, 2020.
Cancellations & Changes: If you wish to cancel or change your registration for the Annual Meeting & Housing Expo, please send a request in writing to annualmeeting@handhousing.org. All cancellation requests made prior to April 27th will receive a 50% refund. For cancellation requests made after April 27th, no refund will be provided.
Door Prizes: Are you interested in donating a door prize to this year’s Annual Meeting? Email annualmeeting@handhousing.org to coordinate with our team.
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