Predictions and Priorities for the Year Ahead in Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing Finance recently asked six industry veterans to share their thoughts about the year ahead. NewPoint CEO David Brickman discusses the importance of preserving existing affordable housing and the need for new policy solutions to drive capital and investment into the space.

“The tragedies associated with COVID are innumerable, but the virus appears to have had a positive effect in at least one regard — it has heightened awareness and focus on the urgent need to address this country’s affordable housing crises. The importance of affordable and accessible housing has never been greater, and the recognition that more needs to be done to address the needs of renters and owners alike has grown.

While it would be premature to say the battle is over, as we head into 2022 there does seem to be much greater willingness to consider new and expanded policy solutions to the issues of affordability, equity, supply, and access. And underneath almost all of these issues is the need to drive more capital and investment into the creation of new and the preservation of existing affordable housing. This creates opportunities—opportunities to identify the most-effective mechanisms to attract more private investment into affordable rental housing while most effectively leveraging the existing and hopefully new government and government-sponsored subsidy and finance programs we will see in the future.”

– David Brickman, CEO of NewPoint Real Estate Capital

Click here for additional perspectives from leaders at California Housing Finance Agency, Enterprise Community Partners, Avanath Capital Management, the Affordable Tax Credit Coalition and the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders.