Public housing authorities (PHAs) have a legal obligation to take meaningful steps to address historic patterns of segregation, promote housing choice, eliminate disparities in housing access, and build inclusive communities. By developing policies, programs, and practices that promote equity, defined as “fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all,” PHAs can promote social justice, rectify historic disparities caused by discriminatory housing policies, build inclusive communities, and fulfill their obligation to affirmatively further fair housing.

The Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC), is the research entity of HAI Group, an insurer exclusively serving public and affordable housing for more than 35 years. PAHRC’s work focuses on the impact that affordable homes bring to families and communities. In this guest blog, Kelly McElwain, PAHRC’s industry intelligence and research manager, explains how you can make your properties more resilient to natural hazards.

HAI Group is a leading sponsor of the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC), a nonprofit that researches the impact that affordable homes bring to families and communities. In this guest blog, Kelly McElwain, PAHRC’s industry intelligence and research manager, explains how a recent federal program can be leveraged to address housing needs.

Despite an estimated shortage of 7.3 million rental homes affordable and available to extremely low-income families, public housing authorities (PHAs) nationwide have not received congressional funding to build new deeply affordable housing in their communities in decades. PHAs’ hands became even more tied after Congress passed the Faircloth Amendment, which capped PHA public housing stock at the number of public housing units they operated as of October 1, 1999 (known as their ‘Faircloth Authority’). This created a de facto ban on building new public housing.

HAI Group is a proud sponsor of the NHPD, a database that helps people better understand the stock of publicly supported housing in their community and preserve affordable housing options for low-income households. Kelly McElwain, MPP, tells us more about this vital tool.