Special Achievement: Special Achievement

California Housing Finance Agency:
California Mortgage Relief Program

CalHFA administered the California Mortgage Relief Program, which successfully accomplished its goals by continuing to broaden its reach over the course of 2.5 years to assist more and more struggling homeowners. Collaboration with mortgage servicers and community partners, data-driven analysis of homeowner need and a streamlined application process led to 37,301 grants to homeowners, more than half of which were from socially disadvantaged communities and preventing 902 imminent foreclosures.

Georgia Department of Community Affairs/Georgia Housing and Finance Authority:
Georgia Initiative for Community Housing

The Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) is one of Georgia's greatest tools to empower local governments in addressing local housing challenges. GICH is a public/private partnership that includes support from the University of Georgia and is available to all counties in Georgia. During its three-year program, participants from across the state form a housing team comprised of community stakeholders to develop new ideas and learn about available resources to improve their communities.

Illinois Housing Development Authority:
Next Gen Capacity Building Initiative

Last year, the Illinois Housing Development Authority launched the Next Gen Capacity Building Initiative (Next Gen), a program designed to expand the talent pipeline and increase diversity within the housing development field and related industries. Next Gen provides capital, training, and technical assistance to reduce barriers to accessing funding resources administered by the state, with a focus on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program.

Kentucky Housing Corporation:
Rebuilding Western Kentucky: Historic Housing Recovery Initiative

In the wake of devastating tornadoes that swept through Western Kentucky in December 2021, communities were left devastated, with countless families displaced and homes and businesses leveled. What followed was not just a recovery effort, but a transformative initiative from The Department of Local Government (DLG), Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC), and the Commonwealth of Kentucky that would become the single largest housing development undertaking in the history of Kentucky.

Louisiana Housing Corporation:
LHC Home Appliance Replacement Program (HARP)

The Louisiana Housing Corporation launched the Home Appliance Replacement Program (HARP) to ease housing costs for elderly Louisianans by replacing outdated appliances. As a fully in-house pilot program, HARP provided low-income seniors with vouchers for energy-efficient appliances through partnerships with Lowe’s Home Improvement and statewide Aging and Disability Resource Centers, reaching those in need.

MaineHousing:
Creative Cooperative Coordination

Flexible administration of a new state fund allocated to MaineHousing, via a layered financing and support program, is preserving a key affordable housing option - mobile home parks. The nationwide trend of park purchase for corporate profit has resulted in an increased rent burden for tenants in a unique, hybrid owner/renter situation. The facilitation of purchase by park residents through this initiative maintains and empowers these important and vulnerable communities.

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development:
Just Communities Act

Through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's creation of the Division of Just Communities and the establishment of the Just Communities Act in 2024, the State has incorporated best practices from the fields of racial equity and social justice. This first-of-its kind legislation creates a resource-targeting mapping layer and authorizes the state to prioritize funding to communities that have suffered from historical and ongoing disinvestment and systemic harm.

Minnesota Housing:
Contributing for the Mission (And a Tax Credit)

Minnesota’s State Housing Tax Credit and Contribution Fund gives individuals and businesses a way to contribute their own funds to rental and homeownership developments of their choice and receive an 85% tax credit in return. The contribution program has grown in popularity after three years in operation, raising over $30 million in contributions and fully meeting the program’s cap of $11.6 in contributions in 2024 and 2025.

New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority:
The Housing Opportunity Planning (HOP) Grant Program

New Hampshire faces significant housing challenges, needing nearly 90,000 new homes by 2040. To address this, the Housing Opportunity Planning (HOP) grant program, part of the $100 million InvestNH initiative, was launched. This program, in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire, aims to support local communities by enhancing engagement in housing planning. The Housing Academy equips local leaders with skills for effective public participation in housing development efforts.

New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority:
Housing Innovation Program

The Housing Innovation Program is a resource to address housing needs that are currently not being served through other Housing New Mexico programs. Through the program, Housing New Mexico seeks to assist underserved populations, to cultivate new partnerships, and to fund community tailored housing solutions that may be scalable. Housing New Mexico has awarded a total of $8.3 million, while grantees have secured and additional $32.7 million in funding for various projects.

New York City Housing Development Corporation:
New York City Acquisition Fund

The New York City Acquisition Fund (NYCAF), established in 2006, is an innovative social impact investment fund. Its primary goal is to finance the purchase of privately held land and buildings for the development or preservation of affordable and supportive housing. NYCAF focuses on providing essential early-stage financing and support, such as site acquisition and predevelopment assistance, to mission-driven affordable and supportive housing developers.

Oregon Housing and Community Services:
Balance of State Community Hub

The Balance of State (BoS) Community Hub connects service providers across vast, geographically isolated communities to collectively build social and human capital needed to support their critical work. This online community platform combines the functionalities of social media–such as LinkedIn and Reddit–with open-source resource sharing, enabling real-time communication and collaboration across 26 rural counties in Oregon.

Rhode Island Housing:
LeadSafe Homes: Reimagining a System to Better Support Families, Our Workforce, and Economy

Rhode Island has one of the oldest housing stocks in the country, with more than 70% of homes built before the 1978 ban on lead-based paint. By 2022, RIHousing's LeadSafe Homes Program faced serious barriers to impact due to a critical shortage of certified lead contractors and program leadership turnover. From this vacuum, we rebuilt: not just our staff, but our structures, systems, and entire strategy. We overhauled our program from the ground up, centering it around workforce development.