Affordable Housing Finance: Show Me the Money

"In the weeks before the Congress for the New Urbanism conference in Savannah, GA, May 15-19, we’re presenting interviews with experts contributing to a day-long exploration of 'Affordability: The Intersection of Everything.'”

In this week's segment, Ben Brown interviews Jeff Staudinger, former Community Development Director for the City of Asheville and currently a consultant in affordable housing finance. Questions include:

"If it’s safe to assume less help than communities need will be coming from Washington, where do you suggest communities begin to explore other options? How about funding support at state, regional, and local levels? How might local jurisdictions begin to stitch together these resources?"

"The NIMBY issue rises in just about every affordable community discussion. What does your experience tell you about creating an environment in which all perspectives are represented but no group is rewarded for paralyzing the process?"

"What are the options (Community Land Trusts, public-private partnerships, etc.) that seem practical? And what are the advantages/disadvantages of each alone or in combination? Any lessons learned from communities that have tried various approaches?"

Brown and Staudinger talk about ways to assure a match between a communities’ capacities and an appropriate range of options, and examples of success stories.