NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman testifying in front of the House Financial Services Committee.
On April 30, NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman testified before the full House Financial Services Committee. The hearing, “Housing in America: Assessing the Infrastructure Needs of America’s Housing Stock,” was convened to discuss Chairwoman Maxine Waters’ draft proposed legislation, “The Housing Is Infrastructure Act of 2019.” Other witnesses included Diane Yentel of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Steven Lawson of the National Association of Home Builders, and Daryl Carter of the National Multifamily Housing Council and the National Apartment Association.
In her opening statement, Chairwoman Waters said that “we are in the midst of an affordable housing crisis.” She singled out the $70 billion request for the public housing capital needs backlog in her bill, noting that neglecting housing infrastructure hurts the economy and that the lack of affordable housing hurts productivity and wages. Ranking Member Patrick McHenry discussed how to incentivize affordable housing production, and pointed to innovative financial tools such as the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration, the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), and the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility demonstration.
Ms. Todman’s testimony pointed out that public housing is not only an integral part of the nation’s infrastructure, but also an economic engine that creates jobs and energizes local economies. She talked about public housing and its changing capital needs and discussed available tools for preserving the nation’s affordable housing portfolio. She also expressed support for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, the bill’s additional funding for the National Housing Trust Fund, the new Community Development Block Grant funding, and suggested the addition of HOME funding to the bill.
NAHRO, established in 1933, is a membership organization of almost 20,000 housing and community development agencies and professionals throughout the United States whose mission is to create affordable housing and safe, viable communities that enhance the quality of life for all Americans, especially those of low- and moderate-income. NAHRO’s membership administers more than 3 million housing units for 7.6 million people.
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