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California Final Budget Restores Key Affordable Housing Funds

After months of tough negotiations, California’s FY 2025–26 state budget(link is external) restored funding for several critical affordable housing and homelessness programs, reversing earlier proposals that left them unfunded.We appreciate Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature for restoring funding to the State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit(link is external) Program, Multifamily Housing Program(link is external), and the Home...

Caring for the People You Help: 20 Years After Katrina

Karen Ladner, former executive director of the Bay Waveland Housing Authority, with Janine Lee, current executive directorWhen Karen Ladner heard that a major hurricane was heading for her town in August of 2005, she immediately thought about the residents who lived in affordable homes at her housing authority in Waveland, Mississippi.  “After we went and picked up everything in the yards, I wrote a little letter telling them I needed to kno...

Dream Coming True for West Baltimore Church and Community

Pastor Rod Hudson at the Ames Memorial United Methodist Church in West Baltimore“This is where it all began, right here at this church,” said Pastor Rod Hudson, standing outside the Ames Memorial United Methodist Church in West Baltimore. When Hudson arrived at the church in 2008 as the new senior pastor, he was handed an important piece of history from a Mr. Bill Adams, a congregation member and keeper of the church’s decades-long vision to tran...

Building Home, Honoring Heritage: Jeff Ackley’s Path in Tribal Housing

One of 20 new single-family homes built on the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation through a $15 million Low-Income Housing Tax Credit investment, completed under Jeff Ackley’s leadership as executive director of the Tribal housing authority.Growing up just outside Mole Lake Reservation in northern Wisconsin, Jeff Ackley had strong connections to his Tribal heritage, culture, and history. His family was active in the Sokaogon Chippewa Communi...

California Budget Negotiations Enter Final Phase

California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a revised budget proposal(link is external) last week, kicking off final negotiations with the Legislature. The May Revision addresses the state's $12 billion budget shortfall by making cuts, shifting funds, and tapping into reserves.While the May Revision emphasizes the effort to reorganize the state’s housing functions into one entity, the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, the revised proposa...

Reaching New Champions to Build a Bigger Choir

Downtown Emergency Service Center in Seattle (DESC) is a multi-service agency that provides shelter and permanent housing options for people with chronic health conditions experiencing chronic homelessness.What do the cities of Dallas and Seattle have in common with Appalachian communities in West Virginia and Kentucky? For Lindsay Knotts, these disparate locations all have something to teach us about finding solutions to homelessness. Last ...

Building Back in LA

After the devastating wildfires at the start of 2025, the city and county of Los Angeles have made historic strides toward wildfire recovery(link is external), completing the fastest hazardous materials cleanup in the Environmental Protection Agency’s history, and removing debris at a historic pace in Pacific Palisades. Yet even in well-resourced areas, residents of multifamily and nontraditional housing are often overlooked. For example, th...

A Year of Living Hopefully

After just a few months on the job, Janine Lind put together a five-year plan for Enterprise’s Community Development division. “I was feeling good about this plan,” said Lind, who recently celebrated her one-year anniversary as the division’s president. “And then, starting in February of this year, external changes caused things to go a bit haywire.”Despite funding headwinds and market uncertainties of the past several months, Lind’s ambitious go...

How Adaptive Reuse Helped Revive a Philadelphia Neighborhood

In the heart of Philadelphia’s South Kensington-Fishtown neighborhood, a century-old lamp factory is once again lighting the way — this time, as a symbol of community-centered investment.Oxford Mills, financed in part through $10 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocations from Enterprise Community Partners, has been transformed into a vibrant home for local teachers(link is external), lower income families, and community-serving nonprof...

Behind $3 Billion in Lending: 3 Projects that Demonstrate the Power of CDFIs

“Community development financial institutions are one of the most effective, durable economic development tools we have,” said Elise Balboni, executive vice president of Enterprise Community Loan Fund, Enterprise Community Partners’ CDFI. “They don’t just fund important community-serving projects—they help create sustainable economic ecosystems.”That’s the model behind Enterprise Community Loan Fund, which has surpassed $3 billion in cumulative l...

A Bid to Make New Markets Tax Credit Permanent

Last week, lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation that would make the New Markets Tax Credit a permanent part of the tax code, solidifying a program that has supported more than 8,500 business and community-driven projects and created more than a million jobs across the country since it was created in 2000.Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), along with Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), introduced(link...

Denver Regional TOD Fund Expands Affordable Homes in Littleton

Rendering by KEPHART architectural design and planning firm. Courtesy of South Metro Housing Options.The housing authority for the City of Littleton, Colorado, is embarking on its third development in as many years, thanks in part to the Denver Regional Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Fund. A 73-unit, mixed-income community along the bustling West Littleton Boulevard corridor, Starlight Apartments will welcome residents in 2027, pending a Low-...

Overcoming Barriers to Successful Appraisals on Tribal Trust Land

This piece is part of our series, Policy Actions for Racial Equity (PARE). The series explores the many ways housing policies contribute to racial disparities in our country.In South Dakota, the cost of an average appraisal(link is external) on one of the state’s nine reservations is more than double the average cost of an appraisal in the U.S. At the same time, appraisers in the region — and in other tribal and rural areas — are often forced to ...

From LIHTC to Homeownership: Innovation Gains Ground in the Deep South

A single-family LIHTC development in Mississippi where HOPE's Y16 innovation is helping long-term renters purchase their homesAcross the state of Mississippi, more than 5,000 single-family homes stand poised to transition from Low-Income Housing Tax Credit rentals to homeownership opportunities through the Single-Family Lease Purchase Homeownership Program administered by Mississippi Home Corporation. Making that conversion viable for the renters...

8 Developer-Approved Strategies for Navigating a Volatile Housing Market

Panelists at the 2025 Central Midwest Partner Retreat share strategies for building long-term operational health in affordable housing—emphasizing asset management, data-driven planning, and resilience in an evolving market.The affordable housing landscape is increasingly defined by complexity — rising costs, volatile capital markets, and a policy environment full of both opportunities and roadblocks. But at the 2025 Central Midwest Partner Retre...

Helping Eastern Kentucky Recover from Devastating Floods

A capacity-building grant from Enterprise allowed HDA to hire a flood construction specialist to help communities recover faster.In July of 2022, a thousand-year flood swept through eastern Kentucky leading to the loss of 44 lives and destroying and damaging thousands of houses. One of the worst floods in the state’s history, 13 counties(link is external) were declared disaster areas, and the long, arduous recovery process began in this remote, i...

Air Quality: A Silent Stressor in Vulnerable Communities

Barry Farm: The Asberry (Photo courtesy of Hamel Builders)This piece is part of our series, Policy Actions for Racial Equity (PARE), which explores the many ways housing policies contribute to racial disparities in our country.The 2025 State of the Air report by the American Lung Association(link is external) found that almost half of the U.S. population (46%) currently live with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Homes might be seen as a sanctua...

GO Zone Aided Katrina Recovery But Preservation Risks Loom

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, with a long and daunting road ahead, Gulf Coast states looked to the federal government for help. The first major lifeline from Washington would be the Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) Act of 2005(link is external).The legislation provided a big boost to rebuilding housing in part through supercharging the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (housing credit) and multiplying credit allocations to disaster areas. Although...

Energy, Focus, Purpose

Tim Block has run eight marathons and is training for another. But with his work as senior director in Enterprise’s Southeast market office combined with an active family life, a leadership role in his fraternity, and studies in a doctoral program, each day might easily be described as “a marathon” of its own.Block, who joined Enterprise nine years ago, is responsible for overseeing Enterprise's Faith-Based Development InitiativeSM (FBDI) in the ...

Disaster Recovery Reforms Advance in the Senate

Last month, the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee unanimously approved(link is external) the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act — the most comprehensive housing authorization effort in 17 years. Led by Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the bill consolidates dozens of previously introduced measures into the most comprehensive housing package since the 1990s. Enterprise is proud the legislation c...

A Critical Resource for Long-Term Disaster Recovery Across America

In 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, causing an estimated $53 billion(link is external) in damages. The storm led to (link is external)1,400 landslides, damaged over 160 water and sewer systems, and disrupted transportation across 6,000 miles of roads and more than 1,000 bridges. Tragically, 96 lives were lost.In response, North Carolina was awarded approximately $1.4 billion in Community Development Block Grant–Disaster R...

Senate Advances FY26 Housing and Community Development Spending Proposals

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved(link is external) its HUD fiscal year 2026 (FY26) spending bill proposal(link is external) on July 24, rejecting many of the drastic cuts and proposals to consolidate rental assistance and homelessness programs that were included in the President’s Budget Request, and avoiding many of the cuts that were proposed in the House bill. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, Housing ...

Stabilizing the Affordable Housing Supply

Enterprise Senior Vice President for Programs Meaghan Vlkovic (right) and Heather Higginbottom, head of Research, Policy & Insights, Corporate Responsibility, JPMorganChase (left).Even as the affordable housing industry has been developing more accessible options for low- and moderate-income households, affordable housing owners and operators are struggling to maintain and preserve the units that currently exist. From the increasing frequency...

Trump-Vance Administration Releases Full President’s Budget Request for FY26

President Trump has released his request for the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget(link is external), signaling the administration’s priorities and providing a jumping off point for the congressional appropriations process for FY26. The president’s budget request proposes significant reductions or elimination of major housing and community development programs. The budget request, while not legally binding, builds on the administration’s broader eff...

Investing in Recovery: 20 Years After Katrina

Tens of thousands of families across the Gulf Coast dealt with the tasks of rebuilding water damaged homes.On the Saturday before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, George Dupuy managed to secure one of the last RVs in the New Orleans area. The family packed it with essentials and personal belongings, before joining the miles-long traffic jam heading west. What was supposed to be a brief evacuation turned into months at a KOA campground outsid...

A Once-in-a-Decade Tax Policy Opportunity

President Trump started his second term with a barrage of Executive Orders and a meeting with House and Senate Republican leadership(link is external) to devise their legislative strategy for the first 100 days of his Administration. Among the top priorities is dealing with the expiration of the President’s hallmark tax law passed in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The expiration provides a once-in-a-decade opportunity to move major tax l...

Why Don’t We Know More about Post-Disaster Homelessness?

When a hurricane, wildfire or tornado hits, tens of thousands of households can become homeless in a matter of hours. Homes destroyed or substantially damaged by wind, water, smoke and flames that make them uninhabitable, even if temporarily, can leave families in immediate need of a place to live. Most disaster survivors eventually regain some form of permanent housing, either in the same location or somewhere new, where they can begin the ...

Aging in Place, at Home

Diane Heard and Vickie Wilson, former Motown backup singers, current residents of Van Dyke CenterFifty years ago, cousins Diane Heard and Vickie Wilson were professional backup singers, recording with some of Motown’s top acts.Today, the cousins are still singing together at Detroit’s Van Dyke Center, an affordable housing community for older adults and people with disabilities managed by the Detroit Pastoral Catholic Alliance. Heard, 76, and Wil...

Husband-Wife Team Bring Affordable Housing to D.C. Veterans

In the heart of Washington, D.C., where affordable housing options remain scarce, Richard Cunningham and Jésyl Crowdy-Cunningham are leading a quiet but powerful transformation to ensure veterans have a safe place to live. Through their firm, Cunningham Real Estate Holdings, the husband-and-wife team has become a steadfast presence in the city, operating 160 mixed-income rental homes across a dozen communities, and with more in development.For th...

The Heart of Detroit: Powering Change Block by Block

Enterprise and Detroit CDOs at the nation’s capital.Community development doesn’t happen from the top down — it’s built from the block up, by the people and organizations who know their neighborhoods best. That’s the vision behind Enterprise’s Community Partners’ Community Development Organization (CDO) Fund. Since 2020, Enterprise has invested nearly $40 million in 36 CDOs across Detroit, supporting the people and organizations working every day...

From Recovery to Resilience in Puerto Rico: Five Key Takeaways

The people of Puerto Rico have endured significant losses in recent years due to climate change- induced disasters, including Hurricanes Maria and Irma. From frequent storms that accelerate flooding to heat waves that make everyday tasks challenging, stakeholders across Puerto Rico continue to pursue innovative strategies to rebuild, recover, and ensure that the lowest-income households are not left behind in the aftermath of extreme weather...

Unlocking Transformative Development

Spanish VersionIn Toledo, Ohio, the city established a $37 million loan pool to provide financing for housing rehabilitation, real property acquisition, and economic development. In Oakland, California, a $34 million loan pool supports developers operating in historically underinvested neighborhoods. Both cities tapped into HUD’s Section 108 loan guarantee program, which provides communities of all sizes with low-cost, long-term, fixed-rate ...

What Will the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Mean for Affordable Housing, Communities?

It’s hard to find someone — even outside Washington, D.C. — who hasn’t heard about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA, H.R. 1(link is external)), which President Trump signed(link is external) into law on July 4. The sweeping legislation, one of the most consequential in decades, narrowly made its way through Congress and contains a wide range of tax changes and federal funding cuts. As advocates for affordable housing and community developmen...

Supporting Each Resident: 20 Years After Hurricane Katrina

Ryan Brock's family home in New Orleans East, before and after Hurricane KatrinaSeveral days before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Ryan Brock packed up a few changes of clothes and drove to Houston, thinking he would be gone for just a few days. When he returned with his family two weeks later to assess the damage, he found neighborhoods transformed and his former home “gray and covered in mud.” “That’s when it really hit me. The whole t...

Rescuing Ourselves: 20 Years After Hurricane Katrina

Four days after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Kwamé Juakali was walking with his family along the Interstate highway toward the Superdome, seeking shelter, food, and water. Juakali was 15 at the time and recalls coming across two older men in a car who were begging for water.  “As exhausted and mentally drained as we were, I realized we were in better shape than a lot of people,” Juakali said. “But we didn’t have any water and co...

Three Years, Thousands of Repairs

Turriner Jackson with Renaissance of Hope Community Manager, Lance Woods, who supported her through repairs to her home.A Detroiter all her life, Turriner Jackson purchased her first home in 2011. Over the years, it grew harder and harder to keep up with the unexpected expenses needed to maintain her home, a bungalow where she and her husband raised their two kids. She would tap friends of friends who assured her they could provide repairs but ul...