Althea Arnold

Senior Vice President for Policy and Chief Operating Officer

Althea Arnold leads the policy efforts at Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF)-- a national collaborative of 12 nonprofit affordable housing developers who own, operate and manage 145,000 affordable rental homes in 49 across the country. SAHF's mission-driven alliance advances resident-centered policy changes and sustainable solutions within the affordable housing sector. As part of this, Althea works with key policymakers in Congress, HUD, and other federal and state agencies to build support and remove barriers to the preservation and production of high-quality affordable rental housing. Althea joined SAHF as Senior Vice President, Policy in 2020. Prior to SAHF, she served as a Senior Legislative & Policy Associate at the National Council of State Housing Agencies, focusing on federal appropriations, HUD multifamily programs, and supportive housing issues. Earlier in her career Althea worked at the National Low Income Housing Coalition researching affordable housing needs to inform housing policy. Althea holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University, with a concentration in nonprofit leadership, and a Bachelor of Art’s degree from Connecticut College. HFAi25 Sessions: Maximizing Resident Outcomes and Financial Stability at Properties Industry Outlook AC24 Session: Preserving Existing Permanent Supportive Housing Properties HFAi24 Sessions: Housing Credit Development Forum Industry Outlook AC23 Sessions: Managing Rising Multifamily Operating Costs Preservation of Housing for People with Special Needs HCC23 Sessions: HUD-Assisted Housing Forum, Part 1 HUD-Assisted Housing Forum, Part 2 HFAi23 Session: Industry Outlook AC22 Session: The Future of Senior Housing

President Signs Housing Assistance Reform Bill Into Law

On July 29, President Obama signed into law H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA), which will streamline and reform several federal housing assistance programs. NCSHA and a broad coalition of housing stakeholders have strongly advocated for this bipartisan legislation over the past year.

HUD Proposes New Administrative Fee Formula for Housing Choice Vouchers

Earlier this month, HUD published a proposed rule that would substantially change the formula it uses to determine how much funding public housing agencies (PHA) receive to administer the Housing Choice Voucher (voucher) program. With this new formula, HUD aims to better capture the costs of administering the voucher program and therefore more accurately compensate administering PHAs.

Congress Passes Bipartisan Housing Assistance Reform Bill

Late yesterday, the Senate passed by unanimous consent H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA), to streamline and reform several federal housing assistance programs. While there was a Senate version of this bill, as NCSHA reported on June 23, Senate passage of the House-passed version expedites the process and now H.R. 3700 is headed to the President's desk to be signed into law.

USDA Issues FY 2016 Rural Voucher Notice

On June 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Housing Service issued a notice outlining policies and procedures for the Section 542 Rural Development Voucher Program (RDVP) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. The RDVP was established in 2006 and does not have regulations so this notice, issued annually, serves to inform the public of program funding and administration.

Bipartisan Housing Assistance Reform Bill Introduced in Senate

Yesterday, Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Robert Menendez (D-NJ) of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development introduced S. 3083, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA), to streamline and reform several federal housing assistance programs.

House Republicans Release Plan on Poverty, Opportunity, and Upward Mobility

On June 7, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-OH) released an anti-poverty plan from the Republican Task Force on Poverty, Opportunity, and Upward Mobility (Task Force). This set of proposals is part of a larger agenda entitled A Better Way: Our Vision for a Confident America that Ryan and other Republican leaders hope will provide a blueprint for what they can accomplish under a Republican president.

Representative Jordan Introduces Bill to Eliminate Means-Tested Housing Programs

On May 26, Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, introduced H.R. 5360, the Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act, which would prohibit Congress from funding means-tested housing programs and in their place create a single state block grant for housing activities.

HUD Proposes Broadband Infrastructure Requirement for Multifamily Housing

HUD published a proposed rule on May 18, Narrowing the Digital Divide Through Installation of Broadband Infrastructure in HUD-Funded New Construction and Substantial Rehabilitation of Multifamily Rental Housing that would require owners and developers of HUD-funded multifamily housing to install broadband infrastructure at the time of construction or if the property undergoes substantial rehabilitation.

HUD Seeks to Amend ConPlan Regulations to Address the Digital Divide and Climate Change

On May 18, HUD published a proposed rule, Modernizing HUD’s Consolidated Planning Process to Narrow the Digital Divide and Increase Resilience to Natural Hazards, that would require jurisdictions to consider broadband access and resilience to natural hazard risks, including hazards that may result from climate change, in their Consolidated Plans (ConPlan).

Representative McCarthy Introduces Moving to Work Expansion Bill

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) introduced April 29 The Moving to Work Reformation and Expansion Act of 2016, H.R. 5137, which would remove the cap on the number of public housing agencies (PHAs) that can participate in Moving to Work (MTW) and change the status of MTW from a demonstration to a program. H.R. 5137 also would authorize HUD to provide technical assistance to PHAs participating in MTW and evaluate housing reforms undertaken by MTW participants to identify replicable program models.