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June 2009

AHF Current Issue Cover SPECIAL FOCUS >>The Local Effect

Nearly two dozen leading U.S. mayors, including R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis, tell AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE about their housing goals and policies. They all report that the need for affordable housing is surging in the wake of the economic downturn.
(Cover photo by Darrell Eager)

    • The View from City Hall
      The nation’s mayors address growing need for affordable housing
    • Mining from the Past
      R.T. Rybak mines important lessons out of the old streetcar cities of the past.
    • Leading the Way
      Thomas Menino likes a tough job. The longtime mayor of Boston used to work as a Sec. 8 program administrator for the state.
    • After the Storms
      In Houston, Mayor Bill White has faced some huge issues since taking office in 2004.
    • Phoenix Fights Foreclosures
      As foreclosures spread like a plague, this city stands as one of the hot zones.
    • Thinking Big
      At the Nation's Capital, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has set some ambitious housing goals for his first term.
    • Seattle Mayor Pushes Housing Levy
      On three occasions, the voters here agreed to raise their taxes to support affordable housing.
    • Calling for More Funds
      Mayor Tom Leppert of Dallas, Texas and seven other big-city mayors in Texas recently joined forces to request $25 million from the state to combat homelessness.
    • The Cost of Housing
      Joseph P. Riley Jr. says affordable housing is among the top five priorities in Charleston’s overall agenda.
    • Keeping Austin Affordable *Web Extra
      Austin plans to spend $22.6 million on programs for the homeless in 2009.
    • Baltimore Eyes New Programs to Boost Housing *Web Extra
      Much of this city’s housing stock is more than 50 years old compared with an average of 30 years or more for the rest of the country.

April/May 2009


AHF Current Issue Cover SPECIAL FOCUS >>The AHF 50

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE reveals its annual Top 50 developers and owners. See how many units were started in 2008 and how many are planned in 2009 by the nation’s top companies. Led by Sister Lillian Murphy, Mercy Housing makes it on to both lists and has big plans for the years ahead.
(Cover photo by Patricia Barry Levy)

Download The AHF 50 Developers List [PDF]
Download The AHF 50 Owners List [PDF]

    • Keeping the Faith
      Mercy Housing sets new goals
    • Staying Power
      Developers confront tough conditions
    • POAH Focuses on Policy
      The deteriorating housing market of Florida recently became an important backdrop for Boston-based Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc.
    • McCormack Looks Ahead at ’09
      MCCORMACK BARON SALAZAR, INC., started seven developments with 1,026 affordable housing units in 2008 and hopes to start another eight projects this year.

March 2009


AHF Current Issue Cover SPECIAL FOCUS >>AHF's How-To Guide

To help affordable housing owners and developers through this year’s tough conditions, industry experts offer their advice on how to avoid common pitfalls and how to use diff erent financing programs to get their deals done and protect their assets.
(Cover photo: Getty Images)


February 2009


AHF Current Issue Cover SPECIAL FOCUS >>2009 HUD OUTLOOK

A Whole New HUD?
Can Shaun Donovan turn around a battered Department of Housing and Urban Development? Some affordable housing leaders say Donovan’s stature in the industry has already helped to lift the agency out of its doldrums. (Cover photo: Richard Perry/The New York Times/Redux)

SPECIAL FOCUS >>AHF'S TOP LENDERS

Uncertainty of Execution
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE features its exclusive ranking of the nation’s top lenders in the affordable multifamily industry.

    • Diverse Union
      Union Bank crossing state lines to shed its regional label
    • Scaling the Ranks
      PNC MultiFamily Capital poised to continue ascent with Red Mortgage acquisition
    • By the Book
      U.S. Bank provides a one-stop shop, all from its balance sheet
    • Above and Beyond
      Citi outpaces competition, but it sees a rough year ahead


January 2009

AHF Current Issue Cover SPECIAL FOCUS >>THE NATION'S HARDEST TO HOUSE

Between 150,000 and 200,000 vets are estimated to be homeless on any given night, and a million more struggle to pay the rent each month. Air Force veteran Jonathan Parker (pictured on the cover) now lives at Bedford Veterans Quarters in Bedford, Mass. Learn the latest news in financing supportive-housing developments for veterans and others.

An Army of Homeless

One out of four homeless males is a veteran

A Chance to Start Over

Tax credit development serves female vets

Answering the Call for Vets Housing

Credit Crisis Squeezes Deals

Sec. 202 properties that need refi nancing are having a hard time finding investors for tax-exempt bonds and lowincome housing tax credits.

Wheeler Terrace Beats the Odds

After workers finish a full rehab, Wheeler Terrace will become one of the oldest affordable housing properties to apply for LEED certification.

December 2008

  • SPECIAL ISSUEAHF Current Issue Cover
  • This special state-by-state guide offers an exclusive compilation of changes in low-income housing tax credit and tax-exempt bond programs for 2009. The information is presented by state alphabetically, starting with tax credit information, then private-activity tax-exempt bond information. States were asked to provide details about their 2009 plans and 2008 activity. Not all states had their 2009 plans finalized as of press time.

  • VIEW THE STATE GUIDE HERE

Bracing for 2009

Deal feasibility will be an even bigger issue for low-income housing tax credit developers in the new year. State housing finance agencies report on what they are seeing and what they are planning for 2009 in their qualified allocation plans.

States Expect Tough Bond Financing Environment

Although the market for tax-exempt bonds began to thaw a tiny bit in late 2008, housing finance agencies across the nation still expect credit market conditions to dampen demand well into 2009, especially as operating costs rise and equity prices continue to fall.

November 2008

  • SPECIAL FOCUS >> READERS' CHOICE AWARDS

AHF Current Issue Cover
2008 Reader's Choice Awards

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE readers have weighed in to select the nation’s top affordable housing projects in 10 categories, plus an overall winner. Broadway Crossing in Seattle, developed by Capitol Hill Housing, took the top honors. Betsy Hunter, director of property development at Capitol Hill Housing, and Jon Hall, senior associate at GGLO, are pictured on the cover.


  • SPECIAL FOCUS >> CAPITAL MARKETS OUTLOOK 2009

A lack of tax credit equity, more expensive permanent debt, and a tighter construction financing market loom as the capital markets stagger into the new year.


How Hills Tamed HUD

Carla Hills got the Department of Housing and Urban Development moving again in the mid-1970s after years of nearly no production with sound management, new energy, and programs to create affordable housing.

The Wall Street Player

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE Young Leader Warren Horvath seeks new challenges after nearly a decade at the Community Development Trust in New York City.

October 2008

  • SPECIAL FOCUS >> 2008 ELECTION GUIDE


Who's Better for Housing?

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE examines where presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain stand on housing. Also in the 2008 Election Guide, industry leaders discuss the candidates and what this election means for housing.

Industry Leaders Speak Out on Candidates, Election

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE asked industry leaders their thoughts on presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain as well as what the election means to the affordable housing industry. Here are their responses.

Unfinished Business

What the next president must know about housing and HUD

Retsinas Serves Up Fresh Thinking

Harvard’s Nicolas Retsinas sees trends others miss by placing affordable housing in context of the whole housing market—from luxury condos to single-family homes put out to rent.

The Natural

Jennifer Daughtrey Hicks of Foundation Commun0ities in Austin, Texas, is on a mission to provide housing for the homeless through single-room occupancy developments.

September 2008

AHF Current Issue Cover
Out of Balance
The risk of the nation’s shrinking affordable housing supply

There are just 38 affordable and available units for every 100 extremely low income households in the country. This growing shortage isn’t just a housing problem. There will be contagion effect on education and public health, according to experts.

Businesses Feel the Housing Pinch
*Web Exclusive

Housing as the Best Cure
*Additional Web Exclusive Content

The best medicine for many illnesses is often an affordable home, according to Dr. Megan Sandel. She would know. A pediatrician at the Boston Medical Center, she has seen the links between good affordable housing and health.

A Master Legislator

The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund is only the latest in a series of affordable housing initiatives that Rep. Barney Frank has helped to create over a remarkable 28-year career on the national stage.

Young Developer Makes Her Stand in the Tenderloin

Diep Do develops affordable housing for some of San Francisco’s poorest residents. Read what else makes her one of AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE’s Young Leaders.

August 2008


We recently received approximately 135 entries this year, and it wasn't an easy task to pick the 32 finalists because so many of the nominated developments were well-deserving.

These Readers' Choice finalists target diverse populations, including families, farm-workers, formerly homeless individuals, and seniors.

The developments showcase innovative solutions for creating affordable housing.

August 2008 - YOUR CHOICE

Cast Your Ballot

Help choose the best affordable housing developments of 2007-2008. Fill out the ballot to let us know which project you think is the most deserving in each category and which should be the overall winner. The deadline to vote is Tuesday, Aug.26. Voting is open only to AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE subscribers.

July 2008

Cover Story

A Fight in Woodstock
NIMBY opposition is growing across the country, costing affordable housing developers precious time and valuable money. Kevin O'Connor is among the developers facing neighborhood resistance. Read about his efforts plus the war stories of other veteran housing developers and the lessons they have learned.

Kevnin O'Connor wants to build the most innovative affordable housing project in upstate New York. He has found a prime site, prepared extensive plans, and even won elusive financing for his deal, which would bring 53 units of needed housing to the famed town of Woodstock.

June 2008

Cover Story

Industry Bids Fond Farewell to a Leader
Housing and community development organizations all across the country have been throwing banquets, luncheons, and other events to honor Bart Harvey for his long service as chairman of Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., and its for-profit subsidiary, Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.

Harvey retired from the leadership of Enterprise in March, ending a career that began in 1984 as a temporary position he took while on sabbatical from his real job as a Wall Street investment banker.

May 2008

Cover Story

View From the Top
Here they are: The AHF 50. The top affordable housing owners and developers are revealed in our exclusive lists. See how many units are owned and how many units were started in 2007 by the leading companies. The NRP Group topped the list of developers with more than 1,700 units started last year, and the Michaels Development Co. was the largest owner with more than 40,000 units.

April 2008

Cover Story

Green Building Saves $$$
Green building really does save money, and affordable housing developers have the operating data to prove it. Several developers opened their books to AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE to share the lessons they've learned from operating some of the first green affordable housing developments.

March 2008

Cover Story

What the Next President Needs to Know
Ideas abound on how to put the federal government back in the affordable housing business. The challenge is to build consensus around a succinct set of principles for the next president to consider implementing, and then work tirelessly to get the platform in front of party leaders, delegates, Congress, and the candidates' advisers. Do more than read about our policy ideas. Help us turn them into a powerful instrument for change.

February 2008

Cover Story

Downtown Turnaround
A decade ago, Birmingham, Ala., was just another Southern city whose wealthiest residents had fled to the outer-ring suburbs. Today, it's being transformed, thanks in part to a mixed-income HOPE VI project. Find out how new housing is driving a downtown revival.

January 2008

Cover Story

Seeds of Change
Their low wages make farmworkers among the hardest people to house. Learn about the challenges that these workers face and how developers put together their recent farmworker housing deals. Also, read about other populations that are among the hardest to house in the nation.





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