HAND 22nd Annual Meeting & Expo, Focuses on Past, Present and Future of Affordable Housing

WASHINGTON - June 11, 2013 - PRLog -- WASHINGTON, D.C.  (June 11, 2013) – The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND (http://www.handhousing.org)) today hosted its sold out Annual Meeting & Expo at the Crystal Gateway Marriott from 9 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The more than 1,000 registered practitioners joined leaders from various sectors of the community development field to address the housing dynamics facing regional low-income families.

Directors from the Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia housing agencies lead the State of the Metropolitan Region’s Affordable Housing (http://www.handhousing.org/annual-meeting/2013-hand-annual-meeting-and-housing-expo/) panel discussion, designed to inform conference participants on the current challenges and advances within the metropolitan region’s affordable housing sector.

Also included in the morning line-up was Robert Rozen, member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s housing commission and partner, Washington Council Ernst & Young. Rozen detailed specific recommendations highlighted in the Center’s recent report Housing America’s Future, (http://bipartisanpolicy.org/library/report/housing-americ...) which focuses on methods to increase the supply of suitable, affordable and decent housing to meet the needs of those with low-incomes. A top recommendation from the report includes expanding the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/...)) by 50 percent, and adding other federal funding to help close the financing gap often left after equity and debt have been combined to develop or preserve LIHTC properties.  

With the theme “A Celebration of Collaboration. Innovation. Transformation.,” the 2013 HAND annual event also presented eight awards (http://www.handhousing.org/annual-meeting/awardee-archives/) to individuals, organizations and programs that have positively impacted communities and neighborhoods throughout the region. Among those honored was David Reznick (http://www.cohnreznick.com/david-reznick), who received the HAND President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of his nearly 40 years leading industry-changing financing strategies that have helped create thriving communities and homes for families with low-incomes, nationwide.

“David’s leadership and competency in demystifying the complexities of LIHTC gave the nonprofit sector the confidence to use it to further the mission and help countless families in need access housing they can afford,” said Nina Janopaul (http://www.handhousing.org/housing-association-of-nonprofit-developers-hand-about-us/hand-board-of-directors/), President, HAND. “We all want to say ‘thank you’ to David for helping us get started and keeping us moving forward.”

This year’s event underwriters include Capital One, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citi and CohnReznick (http://www.cohnreznick.com).

For more information about the 2013 meeting & expo, visit www.HANDhousing.org.

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For over 20 years, HAND has served as the only regional membership association dedicated to supporting the community development industry in its efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Through education, engagement and training, HAND builds the capacity of its diverse membership comprised of nonprofit and for-profit housing developers, resident service providers, lenders, government agencies, policy analysts and others, to support the development of sustainable communities for people and families at all income levels. Visit www.HANDHousing.org to learn more about HAND’s efforts to build vibrant communities across the metropolitan region.