SAHF is a nonprofit collaborative of twelve exemplary multi-state nonprofit affordable housing providers who own more than 149,000 affordable rental homes across the U.S. Launched in 2003, SAHF's members came together to promote their shared ownership objectives, which embrace the notion that stable, affordable, service-enriched housing is critically important in the lives of all people. SAHF members include BRIDGE Housing, CommonBond Communities, Community Housing Partners, Homes for America, Mercy Housing, National Church Residences, NHP Foundation, National Housing Trust, Preservation of Affordable Housing, Retirement Housing Foundation, The Community Builders, and Volunteers of America. Through deep peer sharing and expertise, SAHF staff and members work together to anticipate the future and develop policy solutions and financial products that work.
This capstone project would build off of California-focused research from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation showing that Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) provides critical assistance for previously homeless populations but the cost to operate these homes is becoming increasingly unsustainable, to provide a more national perspective on ongoing operating challenges in PSH. We anticipate that this would include a literature review of current research on operating PSH homes (through set-asides or 100% PSH properties) and policy interventions, including the extent to which Low Income Housing Tax Credit Allocating Agencies are prioritizing PSH and acknowledging operating challenges/ costs as part of their review or award of credits.
SAHF’s members – twelve non-profit affordable housing developers – are interested in innovations in underwriting and models for ongoing operating support to ensure the success of PSH homes. The student’s research would focus on states where SAHF members focus most heavily to provide a better national perspective, and would culminate with recommendations that SAHF members could advocate for and implement.
SAHF is interested in high-quality research that could lead to potential policy and operational solutions to the challenges our members experience when operating PSH homes. A completed project would include a comprehensive report or white paper on the student’s research findings. The student should also prepare a slide deck with project findings and recommendations, that could be used for Board and roundtable discussions (see below).
AHF is considering convening a roundtable of developers and asset managers to discuss PSH challenges and policy and operational solutions in a resource constrained environment. This could take place in late Spring/early Summer 2024. While we would not expect the capstone to be finalized prior to the roundtable, the research could help drive some of the agenda.
