Governors Cabinet

Level For Housing

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Research!
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By Hannah Rudolph!
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Page 1
 Table of Contents !
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1. Executive Summary.3 !

2. States Researched!

! 2.1! California 4!

! 2.2! Connecticut .5-6!

! 2.3! Delaware ..6-7!

! 2.4! Maine 7-8!

! 2.5! Maryland .9-10!

! 2.6! Massachusetts..10-12 !

! 2.7! New Hampshire12-13!

! 2.8 Vermont 14-15!

3.! Letter Requesting Data!

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! 3.1! Letter to Kenneth C. Holt.16!
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Page 2
Executive Summary!

! This document contains details about the multiple affordable housing programs,

financing programs, sources of funding and housing services that are present in the

eight states researched.!

! Out of the eight states analyzed, five had a governors cabinet level position for

housing. Those five states are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and

Massachusetts. The three states that did not have this position are Maine, New

Hampshire and Vermont.!

! The data collected from the eight states research provided a variety of financing

and affordable housing programs. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland and

New Hampshire all have their own version of an Affordable Housing Trust Fund which

provides grants and/or loans for low income households.!

! Connecticut and New Hampshire participate in the Housing First initiative in

which the most vulnerable homeless people who are at risk of dying on the streets are

placed in housing. As a result, New Hampshires community costs were reduced by

75% over a six month period.!

! Delaware, New Hampshire, Maryland, Maine, California, Connecticut and

Massachusetts all have a Continuum of Care program. Delawares continuum has

been rated in the top twenty continua nationally, providing more than $30 million in

federal assistance to Delawares homeless population over the past several years. !

! Vermont and Maryland offer a Charitable Housing Investment Tax Credit that

allows individuals to receive a credit on their taxes if they invest their funds with an

eligible affordable housing organization.!

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! California !

There are 5,642 low income housing apartment complexes which contain 449,914
subsidized apartments!
Many are income based housing with about 160,483 apartments that set rent based
on your income!
!
Governors Cabinet: There is a housing representative in the Governors cabinet, her
name is Alexis Podesta and she is the secretary of Business, Consumer Services and
Housing Agency. It appears that this position balances much more than just housing,
making it harder to focus in on purely housing issues.!
!
Departments, Boards, and Commission:!
Department of Fair Employment and Housing!
Department of Housing and Community Development !
California Housing Finance Agency!
!
Housing Challenges:!
! ! Production averaged less than 80,000 new homes annually over the last 10
years, and ongoing production continues to fall far below the projected need of
180,000 additional homes annually.!
! ! Lack of supply and rising costs are compounding growing inequality for younger
Californians.!
! ! One-third of renters pay more than 50% of income toward rent.!
! ! Homeownership rates are at their lowest in California since the 1940s.!
! ! California accounts for a disproportionate 22% of the nations homeless
population.!
! ! Continued sprawl will decrease affordability and quality of life while increasing
combined housing and transportation costs on families.!
!
Programs:!
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Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities!
Provides grants and affordable housing loans for compact transit-oriented
development and related infrastructure and programs that reduce greenhouse
gas ("GHG") emissions.!
Funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), which is an important
part of the States overall climate investment efforts to reduce greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions!
!
Continuum of Care: !
! ! Program provides homeless assistance by leveraging funding needed through
the HUD Consolidated Application, this provides collaboration between providers
of housing and homeless assistance programs and other federal programs. !

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Connecticut!
!
Governors Cabinet: There is a housing representative in the governors cabinet,
EvonneKlein, Commissioner, CT Department of Housing!
The cabinet membership is broken down into State Agency Representatives and
Nonprofit Agency Designees, the Department of Housing falls under State Agency
Representatives.!
The Governor's Cabinet on Nonprofit Health and Human Services was established
in September of 2011 to analyze existing public-private partnerships with respect to
the state's health and human services delivery systems and to make
recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of those systems in regard to client
outcomes, cost-effectiveness, accountability and sustainability.!
!
Housing units completed: Since 2011, 10,984 houses have been completed with
9,905 falling under the affordable housing.!
So far in 2017 524 units have been completed with 424 being affordable housing.!
!
Affordable Housing Appeals Listing (created 1989):DOH is required to publish
the Affordable Housing Appeals List once a year. This list provides the percentage of
affordable units in each municipality based on Census figures for total number of
housing units in the particular municipality.!
!
- The Affordable Housing Land Use Appeals Procedure requires municipalities with
less than 10% affordable housing to demonstrate to the court that a municipalitys
rejection of a development proposal is supported by sufficient evidence in the record.!
Municipalities also have the burden to prove, based upon the evidence in the record
compiled before them, that: !
(a) the decision was necessary to protect substantial public interests in health, safety,
or other matters the municipality may legally consider; !
(b) the public interests clearly outweigh the need for affordable housing; and!
(c)public interests cannot be protected by reasonable changes to the affordable
housing development; or the application which was the subject of the decision from
which the appeal was taken, would locate affordable housing in an area which is not
assisted housing, as defined in C.G.S. Section 8-30g.!
!
The Housing Trust Fund Program:!
The program provides gap financing, grants, loan guarantees, low-and no-interest
loans, and funding for the Connecticut Individual Development Account housing
program.!
Source of Funding: General Obligation Bonds!
- The funds are awarded as loans and/or grants to eligible sponsors of affordable
housing. !
Eligible Applicants are:!
! ! Municipalities!

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! ! Nonprofit Organizations!
! ! Local Housing Authorities!
! ! For-Profit Organizations!
! ! CHFA!
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Affordable Housing Program:!
- Provides grants, loans, loan guarantees, deferred loans or any combination thereof
for the development and preservation of affordable housing.!
Source of Funding: General Obligation Bonds!
!
HUD Continuum of Care:!
HUD funding for homeless response in Connecticut is directed in part to grants to the
CoCs, which are comprised of providers of homeless services, state government
representatives, local government representatives, and other community stakeholders.!
!
Housing First:!
Shelter Diversion: immediate alternative housing arrangements!
Rapid Re-Housing:a combination of housing relocation, stabilization services and
financial assistance, if necessary, to help homeless households (individuals and
families) quickly transition into permanent housing and achieve housing stability.!
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Delaware!
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Governors Cabinet: There is a housing representative in the Governors cabinet,
Director Anas Ben Addi, of the Delaware State Housing Authority.!
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Developers:!
! ! Housing Development Fund!
! ! HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME)!
! ! Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)!
! ! Multi-Family Mortgage Revenue Bond Program (MFMRB)!
!
Downtown Development Districts Grant Program: !
Grants are available for up to 20 percent of Qualified Real Property Investments in
excess of the Minimum Qualified Investment Threshold of $25,000. !
!
Low Income Housing Tax Credits:!
provides a direct federal income tax credit to qualified owners and investors to build,
acquire or rehabilitate rental housing units to rent to working low-income Delawareans.!
It also allows low-income Delawareans who can afford a monthly rent payment, but
cannot afford to pay market rate rents.!
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Programs for Renters: !
! ! Affordable Rental Housing Sites Directory!
! ! Apply for Housing On-line!
! ! Emergency Shelters!
! ! Housing Choice Vouchers!
! ! Income Limits and Payment Standards!
! ! Landlord Tenant Issues!
! ! Moving to Work (MTW)!
! ! Public Housing (PH)!
!
Continuum of care:!
HUD has mandated that all jurisdictions applying for the McKinney Acts Supportive
Housing Program funding have a comprehensive Continuum of Care identifying both
the existing services for, and the needs of, homeless people in the geographical area.!
!
Delaware State Housing Authority Comprehensive Annual Financial Report:!
http://www.destatehousing.com/FormsAndInformation/FinancialReports/
ds_fy2014_cafr.pdf !
On pages 97-99 operating information is listed including:!
Full-time equivalent employees by function in the last ten years!
Operating Indicators by Function!
Capital Asset Statistics by function !
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Maine !
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Governors Cabinet: There is not a housing representative in the cabinet.!
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Programs!
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Housing Choice Vouchers:!
provides rental assistance to income-eligible tenants by subsidizing a portion of their
monthly rent and utilities and paying it directly to their landlords!
helps more than 3,800 low-income Maine households each month!
When awarding vouchers, MaineHousing gives priority to Maine people who are
homeless. http://www.mainehousing.org/programs-services/rental/rentaldetail/
HousingChoiceVouchers !
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Stability through Engagement Program (STEP):!
provides short term rental assistance to rapidly re-house individuals and families who
meet the federal definition of homelessness!
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Subsidized Housing:!
With financing from MaineHousing and other government sources, affordable
apartments have been developed!
In some cases, the tenant pays a portion of their income towards rent.!
!
Emergency Shelter and Housing Assistance Program:!
MaineHousing provides grants to emergency shelters and agencies serving people
who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.!
! ! Shelter Operations Share Available to agencies that have a fixed facility for
reimbursement of costs associated with operating the facility, including staff.!
! ! Stabilization Share Available to agencies that provide navigator services,
development of housing search and placement activities, assistance with basic
needs, and housing search and placement services that follow clients beyond the
shelter to ensure housing stability. !
! ! Performance Share - Available to agencies as a bonus for outcomes received in
regard to a specific set of performance measures.!
!
National Housing Trust Fund:!
The funding is provided to developers to finance the creation of affordable rental
housing for extremely low income (30% or less of Area Median Income)
households.!
Annual Federal Funds Report: http://www.mainehousing.org/docs/default-source/
policy-research/Federal-Funds/2016-federal-housing-funds-at-work-in-
maine.pdf?sfvrsn=2 !
!
HOME Partnership Grant ($2,850,000) federal funds:!
In 2016 these funds were used to build 85 affordable family and elderly housing units!
!
Low Income Housing Tax Credits:!
In 2016, these funding sources provided nearly $45 million for the construction of 752
units, and $42 million for the financing of 442 units.!
!
Maine Organizational Chart: http://www.state.me.us/budget/annualreport/documents/
OrgChart.pdf !
!
Continuum Of Care!
http://www.mainehousing.org/programs-services/homeless/homeless-initiatives!
Maine has 2 COC groups!
Funds can be used for:!
Permanent housing!
transitional housing!
supportive services only!
HMIS!
homelessness prevention.!
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!
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Maryland!
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Governors Cabinet: There is a housing representative in the governors cabinet, his
name is Kenneth C.Holt. He is the Secretary of Housing and Community
Development.!
Financing Programs: Funding through the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit
and Rental Housing Programs are awarded through competitions held once or twice
annually. Other programs accept applications throughout the year and award funding
based on readiness to proceed.!
Many programs are provided throughout the Multifamily Rental Financing Programs
and the Targeted Financing Programs. Specifically, The Multifamily Rental
Financing programs include the Multifamily Bond Program, the Low Income Housing
Tax Credits program, the Rental Housing Program, the Rental Housing Works
program, the HOME investment Partnerships Program, and the National Housing
Trust. In regards to The Targeted Financing Programs, there is the Partnership
Rental Housing Program, The Section 811 Project Rental Assistance Program, The
Group Home Program and The MD-BRAC Preservation Loan Fund. (on http://
dhcd.maryland.gov/HousingDevelopment/Pages/FinancingPrograms.aspx .)!
!
The Maryland Affordable Housing Trust grants up to $75,000. Below is the exact
program activities that were gathered on http://dhcd.maryland.gov/
HousingDevelopment/Pages/maht/default.aspx .!
The Maryland Affordable Housing Trust promotes affordable housing for households
earning less than 50% of area or Statewide median income by:!
-Funding capital costs of rental and ownership housing;!
-Providing financial assistance for nonprofit-developer capacity building;!
-Funding supportive services for occupants of affordable housing; and!
-Funding operating expenses of affordable housing developments.!
!
The Maryland Affordable Housing Trust does not provide:!
-Direct rental assistance to tenants;!
-Capacity building assistance that is not related to a specific housing development; or!
-Purchase of grantee personal property, such as office furniture or equipment.!
!
Charitable Tax Credit Program: As part of an annual, competitive application
process, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations apply to the Maryland Department of
Housing and Community Development for tax credit allocations. The Community
Investment Tax Credit program has leveraged nearly $27 million in charitable
contributions to approximately 700 projects across the State. All information on the
program can be found at http://dhcd.maryland.gov/Communities/Pages/programs/
CITC.aspx . !
Families First Program: A program supports military veterans with families who are
homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Families First is a program provided to

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 eligible Military Veterans by the State of Maryland, through the Department of
Housing and Community Development (DHCD), with financial support provided by a
generous grant from the Freddie Mac Foundation. Since secure housing is at the
core of the sustainability and success of Families First, DHCD will pay short-term
rental assistance for a period of up to three years.. All information is located on
http://dhcd.maryland.gov/Communities/Pages/FamiliesFirst.aspx .!
!
Continuum of Care: !
Program Components:!
- Permanent Housing, Transitional Housing, Supportive Services Only, Homeless
Management Information System, Homelessness Prevention, Safe Havens, Section
8 Moderate Rehabilitation SRO.!
Eligible Costs:!
Acquisition, Rehabilitation, New Construction, Leasing Costs, Rental Assistance
Costs, Supportive Service Costs, Operating Costs, HMIS Costs.!
Paying Administration: Recipients may use up to 10 percent of any grant,
excluding the amount for CoC planning and Unified Funding Agency (UFA) costs,
established through the CoC Program NOFA for project administrative costs.!
!
Financial Statements: http://dhcd.maryland.gov/Investors/Pages/
FinancialStatement.aspx!
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Organizational Chart: http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/17dhcd/pdf/
17dhcd.pdf !
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Below is information I still need to secure:!
(I emailed Kenneth C.Holt, the Secretary of Housing and Community Development.)!
!
A copy of a recent report of organizational structure with functions and the
admin dollars it takes to run the offices.!
A copy of the structure for funding for the staff within the organizational
structure.!
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Massachusetts!
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There are 45,600 state-aided public housing units, of which 32,100 are for elderly
residents, 13,600 for families and 1,900 for people with special needs.!
!
Governors Cabinet: There is a housing representative in the governors cabinet, his
name is Jay Ash and he is the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development. He
issues reports directly to the Governor.!

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!
When Ash began in January 2015 there were 1,500 families in state-funded motels,
currently the number is down to 331.!
Ash and the administration have focused on ramping up a program started under
Democratic Governor Deval Patrick that now provides up to $8,000 to help pay for
rent, utilities, and other housing expenses so families can stay in their homes, or
defray the costs of staying with a friend or relative.!
Ash has led efforts to increase affordable housing production, to redevelop and
modernize public housing communities, and to substantially reduce the number of
homeless families sheltered in motel rooms.!
!
Financing Programs/ Affordable Rental Development:!
Provides funding opportunities to for-profit and non-profit developers. The programs
offered encourage the development of affordable rental projects that serve both
families and individuals with annual incomes at or below 80% of area median income.!
!
Affordable Housing Trust Fund: Eligible applicants include governmental
subdivisions, community development corporations, local housing authorities,
community action agencies, community-based or neighborhood-based non-profit
housing organizations, other non-profit organizations.!
!
Housing Stabilization Fund: The Housing Stabilization Fund (HSF) is a state
funded bond program that assists in the production and preservation of affordable
housing for low and moderate-income families and individuals.!
!
Low Income Housing Tax Credit: ( http://www.mass.gov/hed/housing/
affordable-rent/low-income-housing-tax-credit-lihtc.html) !
- Depends on investor capital rather than just direct government subsidies, the LIHTC
has imposed market discipline that results in long term stability for the projects.
Investors assume significant risks and assert strict business discipline in selecting
projects and overseeing their development and long-term operations.!
- Projects can qualify for two types of credits: a 9% credit, or a 4% credit.* Tax credits
can be claimed by the investors for 10 years.!
- Both for-profit and nonprofit developers can qualify for the credit. At least 20% of the
units must be reserved for persons with incomes at/or below 50% of the area median
income adjusted for family size; or at least 40% of the units must be made affordable
for persons with incomes at/or below 60% of the area median income adjusted for
family size. In addition, the project must be retained as low-income housing for at
least 30 years.!
!
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Continuum of Care Program:!
Homeless individuals and families with a disabling condition and a long term need for
ongoing support services to help them get and maintain housing are eligible for
Permanent Supportive Housing.!

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 Much of the funding for the CoC programs comes from the US Department of
Housing and Urban Development. Full reports are available on ( http://
www.mass.gov/hed/housing/stabilization/continuum-of-care-programs.html )!
!
State Government Organizational Chart: http://www.mass.gov/bb/gaa/fy2010/
app_10/ga_10/hcdefault.htm !
!
Department of Housing and Community Development Organizational Chart: http://
www.mass.gov/bb/h1/fy15h1/brec_15/dpt_15/haiocd.htm!
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Operating Spending:!
Income: At almost every LHA (local housing authorities) , the greatest source of
income is tenant-paid rents, which pay for about 75% of the total state-wide operating
costs of state-aided public housing. In some cases, LHAs have additional revenues
from roof antennas, coin-operated laundry, or other sources that are also included in
the operating budget. The second largest program funding source is the operating
subsidy from DHCD, which comes from a program-specific line item in the annual
state operating budget.!
Operating expenses are dedicated to paying for the day-to-day business of the
housing authority which includes employee salaries and benefits.!
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New Hampshire!
!
Governors Cabinet: !
I could not find any evidence that a housing representative is in the governors cabinet.
Instead it appears that New Hampshire Housing is a separate entity.!
!
Developers who are interested in building affordable housing can access a variety of
financing opportunities through New Hampshire Housing. Our primary resources
include federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and the HOME
program. ( http://www.nhhfa.org/developers )!
!
Accessory Dwelling Units:!
residential living units that are within or attached to a single family dwelling, and provide
independent living facilities for one or more persons, including provisions for sleeping,
eating, cooking, and sanitation on the same parcel of land as the principal dwelling unit
it accompanies.!
!
Low Income Housing Tax Credits:!
In order to be eligible, a minimum of 20% of the project must be targeted to households
earning 50% or less of median area income, or 40% of the project must be targeted to
households earning 60% or less of median area income. !
!
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 The Qualified Allocation Plan defines the process by which New Hampshire
Housing Finance Authority will allocate Low Income Housing Tax Credits to affordable
rental housing developments. (http://www.nhhfa.org/low-income-housing-tax-credits)!
!
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Financing Programs!
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The Federal HOME program: primary source of capital subsidy support for Low
Income Housing Tax Credit projects.!
!
The Affordable Housing Trust Fund: provides low-interest loans and grants for the
construction, rehabilitation, and/or acquisition of housing affordable to families and
individuals with low to moderate incomes!
funds are often combined with other Authority managed funds (ex. HOME funds) as
part of the Authoritys capital subsidy resource.!
!
Construction Lending Program: provides construction financing for multi-family rental
projects utilizing other New Hampshire Housing funding.!
!
Housing Trust Fund: allocated $3 million in 2016 towards creating affordable housing
to extremely low income households for a minimum of 30 years. The extremely low
income households must earn 30% or less of the areas median income.!
!
Organizational structure:(admin dollars not listed) http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/about/
orgcharts/documents/dhhs-ohs-bhhs-org-chart.pdf !
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Housing First: The New Horizons group participates in Housing First and as a result
in a 6 month period the community costs were reduced by 75%. The most vulnerable
homeless people who are at risk of dying on the streets are placed in private
apartments paid for by New Horizons. This is funded through a grant from the city of
Manchester. !
(https://newhorizonsfornh.org/programs/housing-first)!
!
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Housing Services!
Continuum of Care: designed specifically to serve individuals and families who are
homeless and have a disabling condition that prevents them from living independently.
Supportive services ensure the housing placement is permanent.!
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Vermont !
!
In 2016 combined state and federal funding for housing assistance and subsidies was
$82.4 million, with the majority comprised of $56 million of federal project and tenant-
based rental assistance.!
!
The States funding resources for affordable housing development and rental assistance
resides primarily in six agencies: !
The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) !
The agency of Commerce and Community Development!
The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB),!
The Agency of Human Services (AHS), !
The Vermont Housing Conservation Board (VHFA!
The Vermont State Housing Authority (VSHA).!
!
Also provided for by a decentralized group of local,regional,and state affordable housing
developers and non-profit community based organizations that cover the entire state:!
Housing Vermont!
Champlain Housing Trust!
Windham and Windsor Housing Trust!
Downstreet Housing and Community Development!
Rural Edge!
Housing Foundation Inc.!
!
Vermont Housing Council, Department of Commerce and Community
Development: coordinating and overseeing the implementation of the state's housing
policy, to evaluate housing services and initiatives, and to be a resource to housing
providers in their efforts to supply decent and affordable housing to Vermonters.!
!
Vermont Council on Homelessness, Department of Agency of Human Services:
Develop a ten year plan to end homelessness in Vermont which shall include annual
targets for reducing the number of homeless people in Vermont and shall set forth plans
to implement specific initiatives, including those developed at Governor Shumlin's June
2011 Summit on Homelessness.!
!
Vermont Housing Finance Agency, Department of Commerce and Community
Development: may acquire real or personal property on either a temporary or long-term
basis, receive and accept grants, make and execute contracts, provide for consolidated
processing of any aspect of the financing of residential housing, assist in obtaining
federal and state aid, conduct research to promote development in housing, stimulate
environmental planning for housing for persons of low or moderate income.!
!
The Department of Housing & Community Development: coordinates and oversees
the implementation of the state's housing policy, facilitates collaboration among state

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housing agencies, serves as a resource to housing providers and promotes the
production and preservation of housing that is affordable to all.!
!
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Funding and Financing Programs!
!
Community Development Program: use of federal grants to fund the financial and
technical assistance in areas including housing and economic development.!
Charitable Housing Investment Tax Credit: allows individuals and corporations
who pay Vermont income tax to receive a credit on their taxes if they invest their
funds with an eligible affordable housing organization, called a housing
charity. (http://accd.vermont.gov/housing/funding/tax-credit)!
!
2016 Housing Budget report: At the very bottom of the page is the state housing
agencies organizational structure. http://accd.vermont.gov/sites/accdnew/files/
documents/Housing/Final-2016-HousingBudgetInvestmentsReport.pdf !
!
!
Housing and Urban Development Plan: An annual plan that serves as the application
for approximately $10 million in federal funding for community and economic
development and housing projects, and homeless assistance, and includes the state's
priorities, objectives and desired outcomes for those funds.!
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Letter Requesting Data!
!
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Dear Kenneth C.Holt,!
!
My name is Hannah Rudolph and I am an intern at the Rhode Island Community
Action Association. I am conducting research on how to see the issue of
affordable housing elevated in RI. I have been researching Marylands housing
and policy framework as a model for Rhode Island and I came across some
questions that I could not find answers to on the internet. It would be greatly
appreciated if you could please take the time to help me answer these following
questions. The first question I have is, where is the funding for the staff within
the Housing and Community Development coming from? I was wondering if
federal grants were involved or other forms of funding were used. The second
question I have is, how is the Housing First program funded? Also, could you
please provide me with a copy of a recent report of organizational structure with
the functions listed and the admin dollars it takes to run the offices. Thank you
very much for your valuable time, I eagerly await your response!!
!
sincerely,!
!
Hannah Rudolph

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